Posted on 6/23/126 by Bob Magee
Michael Cole & Corey Graves were on commentary.
Oba Femi and Jey Uso Opened the Show
Oba Femi came out to address the live crowd ahead of his
King of the Ring final match against Jey Uso. The split-
screen showing Femi doing his march while the crowd chants
feels unnecessary. The chants for Oba continued for too
long, and when Oba tried to settle the crowd down, they
started back up again!
When the crowd finally settled down long enough for Femi to
talk, he said that it was his destiny to become the new King
of the Ring. But then, whose championship will he go after?
Does he go after the WWE Championship, or the World
Heavyweight Championship? Before he could answer, it’s Day
One, Eh?
Jey Uso’s music played, and he entered through the crowd,
mocking Femi’s march a little bit of the way down the ring.
Michael Cole used one of his favorite overused terms,
“instant classic,” to describe Uso’s match against Je’Von
Evans on Smackdown last Friday. Uso’s entrance ate up
another few minutes of the show. And of course, the crowd
wanted him to run it back. Femi objected, but Uso ran it
back anyway.
Uso recounted all the times that he’s been counted out —
when he won the Royal Rumble, when he won the world title,
when he shook arenas, and they’re counting him out in the
King of the Ring Finals. But, Uso is going to win anyway,
and he’s going to take it to Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. That
was Jey’s warning shot!
Femi, “I assume you’re shooting for real.” Femi advised him
that when he’s shooting, he better not miss, or he will
destroy him. But also, if Uso hits, Femi will destroy him
anyway. So Uso should save his bullets and let his cousin
(Roman) know he’s coming for him.
— Adam Pearce started arguing with LA Knight in the back.
Jimmy Uso showed up to argue with Knight. Then Pearce got in
Knight’s face and made Jimmy Uso versus LA Knight for
tonight. Knight thought that was stupid idea, and instead
made Jimmy Uso versus LA Knight for tonight.
Brie Bella & Paige v. Lyra Valkyria & Bayley for the WWE
Women’s Tag Team Championship
Bayley and Valkyria cut a pre-match promo in the back and
couldn’t have foreshadowed Bayley turning on Valkyria any
harder unless Bayley held up a sign that said “I’m Turning
on Her.” (But things wound up in a different direction.)
This is Paige’s first match back in England since her return
to WWE earlier this year. Valkyria started off fast by
dropkicking Paige. Bayley got a near fall with a small
package. Brie got the tag and she and Paige hit Bayley with
a double bulldog for a near fall. The champs clumsily got
into the spot where Paige knees her opponent in the ropes
while Brie hit the “Yes!” kicks. Bayley came back and hit
Brie with the belly-to-belly suplex, but Paige yanked Brie
out of the ring to break up the cover.
The challengers got the heat on Brie Bella during the
commercial. Bella came off the middle rope to hit a dropkick
on Bayley. Tags were made on both sides, and Paige ran wild
on her opponents. Paige went for the Paige Turner, but
Valkyria countered into the Nightwing for a near fall.
Bayley went for the belly-to-belly on Brie, but she sent her
out to the floor. Valkyria hit a fisherman’s buster on
Paige. It looked like she was trying for a second one, but
Paige countered into the Rampage and got the pinfall.
Match Result: Brie Bella & Paige retained the Women’s Tag
Team Championship when Paige pinned Valkyria (8:05).
After the match, Bayley helped Valkyria up to her feet, and
then in kind of a shocker, Valkyria turned on Bayley! She
sent her throat first into the middle ropes and pounded her
until a gaggle of geeks came out to break it up. The geeks
didn’t do a good job, and Valkyria got to Bayley again and
gave her a Nightwing.
— In the back, Jackie Redmond demanded answers from Lyra
Valkyria, who just walked off.
The Chad Gable Apology Tour Continued
Gable came out dressed to fight, and then led the crowd in a
big overhead clapping gesture. You know, the kind of thing
you find at a corporate retreat as a day one icebreaker.
Gable invited Otis and the rest of Alpha Academy to the ring
for a chat.
Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Tozawa came out, looking suspicious
and pensive. Gable proceeded to put everybody over and
apologized for how he treated them. He complimented Dupri
for winning a singles championship, something Gable hasn’t
managed to do. He tried to hold down Tozawa, who has the
heart of a lion! And Gable treated him poorly and he
apologized. He finally got to Otis, who he said couldn’t be
a better friend. Gable and Otis have been friends for 20
years, but Gable threw it all away because he wanted a
singles championship. The three of them do not owe Chad
Gable anything, but Gable apologized to all of them and said
“I’m Sorry.”
Gable put his hand out and after some hesitation, Otis went
to accept… but Dupri cut him off. Dupri wasn’t willing to
forgive Gable, recounting the times she had to get in the
way of Gable stomping Tozawa and whipping Otis. Dupri won a
singles title without Gable, and that’s when she realized
they didn’t need Gable. Dupri said “they” were going to
leave Gable. Dupri and Tozawa did, and eventually Otis did
as well.
— Penta and Rey Mysterio hype up Dragon Lee ahead of his
match.
Dragon Lee v. Ethan Page
Lee hit a dive to the floor on Page early on in the match.
It will never not be awkward to me to hear Cole refer to
someone as a “former TNA World Champion.” In the ring, Lee
hit a diving dropkick on Page in the corner for a near fall.
Lee set up Page for a top rope hurricanrana, but Page
twisted Lee’s mask around his face to disorient him, then
shoved Lee to the mat.
After a commercial, Page laid into Lee with a forearm. Lee
caught Page with a rebound German suplex. Lee hit a tornado
DDT for a near fall. Lee charged at Page, and ran right into
a boot. That led to a near fall for Page.
Lee caught Page with a kick and went to the top, but Page
caught him. He tried to climb up, but Lee knocked him down.
Page then pulled himself up by the top rope so Lee could
stomp him.
Lee caught Page with a knee on the apron. Lee then sent Page
to the floor with a hurricanrana. Lee went for a tope con
hilo that kinda hit Page but mostly hit the announcer’s
desk.
Back in the ring, Lee hit a back elbow for a near fall. Page
was sporting a mouse under his eye. Lee was setting up a
powerbomb, but Page hit Lee low, then delivered the EgoPlex
to get the pinfall.
Match Result: Ethan Page pinned Dragon Lee (10:00).
— Cole plugged “WWE Unreal: Season 3” as the biggest one
yet.
— Jackie Redmond interviewed the Vision. Austin Theory took
the lead on the interview, which was a choice. Logan Paul is
putting all his money on The Vision tonight. Bron Breakker
said he’d rip Seth’s head off in their cage match at Night
of Champions on Saturday.
— A little hype package for Sol Ruca aired. I actually think
showing her win some quick squashes would help mroe than a
video package.
— There were some boxing stars in the crowd, as well as a
UFC fighter and Jason Statham.
The Queen of the Ring Finalists
Jackie Redmond brought out Io Sky for an interview in the
ring. Sky is extremely grateful to have gotten to the finals
and said she’d beat Liv Morgan to win the Queen of the Ring.
Liv Morgan, the greatest women’s world champion of all time,
came out to retort. She ran down Io and said she’d win the
crown, then go on to beat Rhea Ripley at SummerSlam. Io
asked Liv if the crown would fit on Morgan’s big head. She
continued shouting her clapback to Morgan in Japanese, who
cut her off with a punch. Sky came back with a gamengiri,
then hit a springboard dropkick to dump the champ to the
floor.
— The Usos and Jacob Fatu argued in the back about Solo
Sikoa. Jey demanded to know why Fatu from Sikoa, but Fatu
doesn’t answer to either of the Usos. Jey was worried that
Sikoa was on his way to Raw, but Fatu said if Sikoa crossed
that line, Sikoa isn’t going to like what he finds.
— In the back, Danhausen was examining his human monies.
Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonough wanted the $100,000 they
paid him last week to curse Oba Femi. But Danhausen spent
that money on his experiments. McDonough tried to grab one
of the experiments and “electrocuted” himself.
LA Knight v. Jimmy Uso
Knight and Uso started the match brawling to the floor and
around ringside. Jimmy tried to remind Knight that he is the
only one on Knight’s team, and Knight responded by ramming
his head into the announcer’s desk a half-dozen times.
Back in the ring, Knight hit a swinging neckbreaker for two.
Jimmy Uso came back and hit a Whisper in the Wind for a near
fall. Uso hit an enziguri to knock Knight to the floor. On
the floor, Uso whipped Knight into the crowd barricades.
Uso suplexed Knight on the apron, which is the hardest part
of the ring (as Corey Graves pointed out). Back in the ring,
Uso went for a hip attack, but Knight got out of the way.
Knight delivered a DDT and both guys were down on the mat.
Knight recovered first and hit a series of jabs. Knight hit
a flying clothesline and a Russian Leg Sweep. Knight caught
Uso with a back elbow, but ran into a Samoan Drop.
Uso hit a gamengiri, but Knight came back with a powerslam
and an elbow drop for two. Uso caught Knight with a
superkick for a near fall. Uso went to the top, but Knight
cut him off as the crowd reacted to someone in the crowd.
Knight set up a superplex as Solo Sikoa came through the
crowd. While Knight had the referee’s attention, Sikoa took
out Jimmy Uso with the Samoan Spike. Confused, Knight hit
the BFT to get the pinfall.
Match Result: LA Knight pinned Jimmy Uso (12:24).
— Jackie Redmond interviewed The Street Profits, who have
the opportunity to become 5-time tag team champions.
— Jackie Redmond tried to interview Bayley in the medical
area, but Bayley had nothing to say.
— The Judgment Day is in shambles! Sure, Liv is in the Queen
of the Ring finals, but everyone else in the faction has
problems. Liv wanted to complain about Io Sky, but Rodriquez
wanted Liv to recognize the struggles of everyone else in
her stable. So Liv sent Raquel Rodriguez after Sol Ruca, and
Dominik Mysterio needs to get the Intercontinental Title
back from Penta. “What about me?” asked Roxanne Perez.
Morgan didn’t have time for that, they have to get JD
McDonough to medical! He’s been electrocuted, after all!
Corey Graves Interviewed Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins and Corey Graves taped a sit-down interview
earlier in the day. Rollins doesn’t think he’d be where he
is in his feud against the Vision if the Street Profits
weren’t on his side. Corey Graves was skeptical that Rollins
could survive the steel cage match at Night of Champions,
but Rollins think he’ll get past Breakker and get his World
Championship back.
Oba Femi, LA Knight and Seth Rollins all focusing on the
World Title and Roman Reigns is a good bit of storytelling.
— Chad Gable was looking for an Intercontinental title shot
from Adam Pearce, but Judgment Day want a title shot for
Dominik Mysterio first. JD is doing a terrible job selling
his “electrocution,” by the way. Mysterio also wanted an
apology from Gable, since Mysterio is the “King of
Luchadors” and Gable was insulting Lucha Libre. Gable
offered Mysterio a match instead, but Mysterio offered up JD
McDonough, pending he’s cleared by the doctors.
The Street Profits v. The Vision (w/ Logan Paul) for the WWE
World Tag Team Championship
The Vision were represented by Bron Breakker and Austin
Theory, who are the only two guys in the faction not
injured. I feel like Breakker defending the tag belts with
Theory drags Breakker down instead of elevating Theory.
Theory jumped Ford to start. Ford came back with a knee, and
Dawkins came in with a high dropkick. Ford got the tag and
got an assist from Dawkins to moonsault Theory for a near
fall. Breakker got the tag and ran through Ford with a
clothesline, then tossed Dawkins with an overhead throw.
After a commercial, The Vision team mauled Ford in the
corner. Theory worked over Ford’s arm. Theory drew Dawkins
to distract the ref so he and Breakker could maul Ford some
more. Theory stomped Ford and locked in a chinlock. Ford
escaped with a suplex. Theory tried to suplex Ford, who
escaped and got the tag to Dawkins.
Dawkins caught Breakker with a clothesline and pancaked
Theory. Dawkins hit Theory with a spinning double-underhook
suplex. The Street Profits combined to give Theory a
Blockbuster. Ford went for the cover, but Logan Paul put
Theory’s foot on the ropes. The ref saw Paul’s interference
though, and ejected Paul to the back.
The Street Profits tried for a second Blockbuster, but
Breakker crotched Ford and worked over Dawkins. The Vision
sent Dawkins to the floor. There, Breakker came off the
apron with a clothesline that sent Dawkins into the
announcer’s desk.
After a second commercial break, Breakker buried shoulders
into Dawkins’ midsection. The champs hit a double back elbow
for a near fall. Theory taunted Ford then went back to the
chinlock. When they make Austin Theory in the video games,
they must start with the basic template and take moves away
from it. The crowd was so into the match they were randomly
(and loudly) chanting for “CM Punk!”
Breakker tagged in and he and Theory gave Dawkins a
“wishbone,” and Breakker mocked Dawkins by selling his pain.
Dawkins tried to fire back. Breakker ran the ropes for a
clothesline, and Breakker and Dawkins clotheslined each
other.
Both teams got tags, and Ford just destroyed Theory. Ford
hit a superkick and another back suplex, then a standing
moonsault for a near fall. Theory hit a rolling clothesline
on Ford while Breakker German suplexed Ford for a near fall.
Breakker measured Ford for a spear but Breakker ate a kick.
Breakker came back with a powerslam, and then Breakker and
Theory hit the top rope bulldog out of an electric chair for
another near fall.
Breakker dumped Dawkins to the floor and sent him into the
steps. Breakker then tossed the top half of the ring steps
in the ring. Dawkins sent Breakker into the ringpost.
Logan Paul snuck back in through the crowd to give Theory
the brass knuckles, but Joe Hendry appeared out of nowhere
to run him off. But Paul did leave the knuckles behind. Seth
Rollins’ music played, and Breakker stood in the aisleway to
cut him off. So naturally, Rollins came out through the
other side of the crowd, got the knuckles and KO’d Theory.
From there, Dawkins gave Theory a Sky High which set up a
top rope splash from Ford to get the pinfall.
Match Result: The Street Profits are the new world tag team
champions, winning the belts when Ford pinned Theory (19:35)
This victory made the Street Profits five-time WWE Tag Team
Champions (1 NXT, 2 Raw/World, 2 Smackdown/WWE).
Final Thoughts:
The first hour of WWE Night of Champions will be on ESPN,
and next week Raw will start at 6pm EST from Atlantic City.