Results courtesy PWTorch.com
(1) BOBBY LASHLEY vs. DREW MCINTYRE – WWE World Hvt. Title match
Drew McIntyre made his ring entrance. (It’s appropriate he’d be the first wrestler to get a ring entrance, as he is the one wrestler, more than anyone, who I think people will think of as having carried the burden of the challenges of wrestling during climactic year of his career in fan-free venues.) Drew was amped up and let out a smile as he seemed to be relieved to finally be in front of fans. They utilized augmented reality graphics as part of Drew’s entrance to add to the atmosphere.
Lashley and MVP walked out next. Drew paced aggressively during ring entrances and didn’t take his intense stare off of Lashley during ring introductions. It’s been a while since looking at fan signs was a thing. Cole talked about the importance of the WWE Title for over the decades. The bell rang 45 minutes into the first hour of the broadcast.
They locked up. Drew overhead tossed Lashley and gave him an “up yours” arm gesture. They exchanged punches mid-ring. Drew clotheslined Drew over the top rope to the floor. Drew went after him. Lashley took control and threw Drew into the barricade. Back in the ring a minute later, Drew took over and went for a cross armbreaker. Lashley powered out of it and pounded on Drew on the mat.
Lashley went on sustained offense with a series of power moves and some near falls. Drew avoided a Hurt Lock attempt and made a comeback with some hard elbows in the corner. He then flapjacked Lashley and scored a two count. Drew set up a top rope superplex, but Lashley knocked him off balance. They both sat on the top rope and exchanged punches. Drew applied a kimura up there. Then he leaned back and overhead tossed Lashley to the mat. Drew looked to the crowd, then charged, but Lashley gave him a one-armed slam. Lashley pounded his chest. Drew kipped up. Lashley looked shocked. Drew said, “Bring it, bitch.” Lashley punched away at Drew, but Drew came right back with a belly-to-belly and a Future Shock DDT. He delivered a second DDT. Then a third. He made the cover and scored a near fall at 13;00. The ref seemed to be counting two counts faster than usual. A “This is awesome!” chant rang out.
Lashley rolled to ringside. Drew leaped over the top rope and flip dove onto both Lashely and MVP. He climbed to the top rope and leaped at Lashley, but Lashley caught him and gave him an overhead suplex and then face buster. He went for a Hurt Lock, but Drew charged into the corner and ducked, sending Lashley into the turnbuckles. Lashley charged at Drew, but Drew applied a sudden kimura lock. Lashley teased tapping but reached the bottom rope after a dramatic 20 seconds.
Lashley charged at Drew, but Drew lifted his boot. He headbutted Lashley, then set up a Claymore. MVP yelled at Drew to distract him briefly. Lashley then avoided the Claymore and applied a Hurt Lock. Drew flailed and struggled. He faded. He dropped to one knee. Drew stood after a few seconds. The crowd cheered. Drew kicked off the turnbuckle, but Lashley held on. Drew began to fade again. The ref called for the bell.
Cole commented on a replay of MVP’s distraction leading to the sequence that doomed McIntyre.
WINNER: Lashley in 19:00 to retain the WWE Title. (****)
I have to think that finish was part of building Lashley for a match with Brock Lesnar more than it was any kind of no-confidence vote in McIntyre. Really good match. Smart not to have that match last, though, if they were going to do a tired, cliched “distraction finish.” The crowd was behind McIntyre and there wasn’t a sense, at least on the broadcast, that Lashley had a significant cheering section. Social media posts indicate, though, that in the area, the crowd was cheering both wrestlers.
(2) WOMEN’S GAUNTLET TAG MATCH – Winner Gets a Women’s Tag Team Title match on Night 2
Naomi & Lana came out first. Then Billie Kaye & Carmella came out second. Cole called them a make-shift last second tag team. Cole and Corey Graves called this. The bell rang 11 minutes into the second hour of the event. Naomi threw a barrage of kicks at Carmella to start. They showed Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax watching in the back. Kaye rolled up Naomi, and Carmella pushed on her back with her legs to help add leverage for the three count.
ELIMINATED: Naomi & Lana.
Riott Squad came out next. A couple minutes in, Ruby landed a top rope senton to Billie Kaye as Kaye was on top of Liv. That was good for the pin.
ELIMINATED: Carmella & Kaye.
Out next were Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose. Rose slipped and fell on he way to the ring. She got right back up. (Titus was the happiest person in the building.) Cole said it’s been raining and it’s slippery. Graves said he’s wearing sunglasses at night, and that might have played a part. As Ruby and Rose fought at ringside, Dana overshot a top rope flip senton on Liv, then went for a cover. Liv reversed her into a small package for the three count. Hamilton mistakenly announced Riot Squad had been eliminated, but corrected himself seconds later.
ELIMINATED: Rose & Brooke.
Tamina & Natalya came out next. Ruby rallied a few minutes in against Tamina, then landed a senton off the top rope onto the back of Tamina. Liv made the cover, but Tamina kicked out. Liv cried out in agony, perhaps a bit melodramatically. Natalya hit a Hart Attack clothesline on Ruby. She was about to set up a sharpshooter, but instead tagged to Tamina. Tamina then landed a top rope Superfly Splash for the win. (Say what you will about Superfly Snuka’s real-life legacy that has wiped him from references on TV by WWE going forward, but it was a cool moment to let Tamina finish a match at WrestleMania with her dad’s signture move.)
ELIMINATED: Riott Squad.
WINNERS: Natalya & Tamina in 14:00 to advance to face Baszler & Jax tomorrow night. (*)
This was what you’d expect. Rapid-fire non-stop action with some overly ambitious and sloppy spots mixed in. No surprise Natalya & Tamina won given how they’ve been protected and featured in recent weeks.
(3) SETH ROLLINS vs. CESARO
Seth made his ring entrance first. Then they re-aired the political ad spoof that aired on Smackdown the prior night that Seth produced to try to demean Cesaro. Cesaro exploded at Seth at the start with a running uppercut. After more offense by Cesaro, Seth rolled to ringside. Seth yanked Cesaro’s arm over the top rope, then climbed to the top rope. C0le said Cesaro can’t do the Cesaro Swing if his arm is weakened. Cesaro dropkicked him off balance. Cesaro shook out his arm. Seth countered Cesaro into a bucklebomb and scored a two count. Seth pounded on Cesaro’s arm. Cesaro fought back and landed a European uppercut. Seth avoided a second one. Seth caught up with Cesaro on the top rope and landed a superplex into a Falcon Arrow for a two count.
Cesaro threw a barrage of uppercuts at Seth a minute later. He then put Cesaro in the Cesaro Swing and did nine revolutions before stopping and shaking out his arm. He applied a sharpshooter. Seth grabbed the bottom to force a quick break.Cesaro went for a running European uppercut in the corner, but Seth moved. Seth then landed a springboard flying knee and a clothesline. Next, Seth landed a 360 degree tornado splash off the top rope for a near fall. Cesaro countered Seth and landed a quick Neutralizer for a near fall. After the kickout, Cole said Cesaro was beginning to doubt himself.
A couple minutes later, after more back and forth actions and more two counts, Seth yelled that he survived the Neutralizer and the Swing, so “I am a god!” Cesaro came back with an uppercut to counter a Stompt attempt, which was cool, and then an airplane spin of Seth without using his arms. Cole said he calls it the UFO because he does it without arms. Then he did another Cesaro Swing that went around 23 times, according to Cole’s count. He said that broke his own record. He then a hit a Neutralizer for the win. Graves said the fans are standing, but so is the locker room, as he has earned respect for years and years of hard work. He said this could be the first of many big wins yet to come.
WINNER: Cesaro in 12:00. (***1/2)
That’s a big win for Cesaro. His first WrestleMania singles match ends with a clean win over a former WrestleMania main event. The crowd ate this up start to finish and treated Cesaro like a star. It gave off a real sense, based on the overall presentation of the match, the finish, and the commentary that Cesaro is headed for a sustained big singles push this year.
