(6) MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. BAD BUNNY & DAMIAN PRIEST
About 20 bunny mascots walked to the ring. Miz & Morrison live rapped their “Hey Hey, Hop Hop” hit single. Miz and Morrison danced with the bunnies. Quite the scene. Damian Priest came out next. Then Bad Bunny then made his entrance by riding on top of a semi truck trailer to the arena. It sounded as if he got mostly loudly cheered by the audience.
Booker T joined the announcers on commentary. Cole noted Bad Bunny wrote a song named after him. Bunny tagged in early. There were Von Erich and Rock & Roll Express-like squeals from some fans in the crowd. He danced around the ring with his fists raised. Miz put his hands behind his back and mocked Bunny and dared him to take a shot at him. Bunny popped Miz with a right to the side of his face. They replayed the impact in slo-mo.
Miz went for a hold, but Bunny landed a spinning elbow. Booker T said that is the training kicking in. Bunny tackled Miz with a double-leg takedown. Miz took control with a kick. He pounded on Bunny with some forearms and raked his face across the top rope. Bunny came back with an armdrag. Miz rolled to ringside. Saxton said he looked embarrassed.
When Miz returned to the ring, Bunny scored a near fall with a crucifix. Bunny extended his arms and yelled out in celebration as Morrison gave Miz a pep talk. Miz offered a test of strength, but then kicked Bunny in the ribs. Bunny ducked a Miz clothesline and then took Miz down with a spinning head scissors. Miz staggered to his corner. Morrison tagged in. Bunny landed a running elbow to the side of Morrison’s head. On a second charge, Morrison lifted his elbow. Miz took a shot at Bunny from the ring apron. Miz tagged back in. He raked his fingers across Bunny’s face and locked him on the mat with a chinlock. Bunny surprised Miz with a sunset flip. Miz popped up and gave him a boot to the face. Then he DDT’d him. Miz dragged Bunny to his corner and kicked Bunny to the floor. Morrison rammed Bunny’s head into the announce table, then threw him back into the ring.
Miz tagged in Morrison. Morrison stomped Bunny, then did a Spinarooni. Miz took a cheap shot at Priest. The ref stopped Priest from entering, then gloated in the corner. Bunny eventually made a comeback after more gloating by Miz. He delivered a DDT off the middle rope. Both Miz and Bunny were slow to get up. Bunny hot-tagged Priest in.
Priest went to work on Morrison and Miz. He landed a leaping spin wheel kick on Miz, then kicked away at Morrison. He played to the crowd and got cheered. He landed flying elbows in opposite corners (he watched Omos earlier!) He gave Miz a chokeslam. Morrison broke up the cover. Priest and Bunny then gave stereo suplexes to Miz and Morrison and scored two near falls at once. Only one was official, of course. Miz and Morrison rolled to the floor. Bunny whipped Priest into the ropes, and Priest dove onto Miz and Morrison. Priest encouraged Bunny to try it. Bunny climbed to the top rope and leaped onto both of them on the floor.
Priest entered and set up an inverted DDT, but Miz landed a Skull Crushing Finale. Bunny made the save. Morrison yanked Bunny off the ring apron. Bunny delivered a Canadian Destroyer. Miz was wide-eyed. The announcers gasped and gushed. Booker called it a Bunny Destroyer. Saxton said Bunny is performing at a higher level than he’s seen from someone from outside of WWE. Bunny leaped off the top rope and bodypressed Miz off of Priest’s shoulders and got the three count.
WINNERS: Bunny & Priest in 12:00. (**3/4)
That was fun. Bunny struck just the right tone with a mix of confidence and wide-eyed amazement as a fan that he was in this situation. Miz and Morrison get a ton of credit for their role in all of that. Priest was barely in the match, but he got a significant rub from just being out there in a high-profile celebrity match compared to whatever else he might have been involved in otherwise at this stage of his main roster run. Bunny put in the work and it showed.
(7) SASHA BANKS vs. BIANCA BELAIR – WWE Smackdown Women’s Title match
Belair came out first. Then Sasha. Ring introductions took place 18 minutes into the fourth hour of the show. Belair gave off a positive vibe in her entrance. Sasha played a strong heel, giving off a vibe of being completely full of herself. Banks got a lot of cheers, though. Belair began tearing up and crying when the bell rang, clearly feeling the emotions and enormity of the moment.
They shoved each other at the start. Belair went for a standing moonsault, but Sasha avoided it. Belair landed on her feet and spanked herself to taunt Sasha. Sasha dove through the ropes at Belair at ringside, but Belair rolled through and picked up Sasha, then pressed her above her head, climbed the stairs, and threw Sasha into the ring. Sasha pulled oh Belair’s hair and then threw a series of kicks to take over control of the match. She scored a two count after the flurry of kicks and a knee.
Banks climbed to the top rope. Belair slammed her hard to the mat off the top rope. Sasha rolled to teh floor and grabbed Belair’s hair again. Belair yanked Sasha into the ringpost. Sasha charged at Belair at ringside, but Belair moved. Sasha crashed into the ringside barricade. Belair then gave Sasha a delayed vertical suplex. That was crazy impressive. Belair did a kip up and a running standing shooting star press. She speared Sasha in the corner seconds later, but the ref scolded her for breaking just before the five count. Sasha made a comeback with a boot, but Belair ducked Sasha’s charge and face planted her. She followed with a 450 splash attempt, but Sasha lifted her knees. Both were down and slow to get up at 9:00.
Sasha took over briefly, but Belair caught her and powerbombed her. She lifted her and powered her down again and stacked her shoulders for a two count. Sasha powered up and smashed Belair’s face into the mat. Sasha leaped off the top rope with a frog splash for a two count. Graves said Sasha seems frustrated with her inability to solve her challenger tonight. Sasha turned it up a notch and threw Belair into the ringside steps. Graves said this is what Banks needed. Back in the ring, she went for a Bank Statement, but Belair fought it. She did lock it on, using Belair’s hair for extra leverage during the set-up. Graves said there is panic in the eyes of Belair. Belair rolled through and grabbed onto the bottom rope to force a break. Sasha wrapped Belair’s hair around the bottom rope and then kicked away at her. Sasha snarled toward the hard camera.
Banks went for a double-stomp off the top rope, but Belair avoided her. Belair then kicked Banks as she charged again. She leaped off the top rope and landed a 450 splash for a near fall. Belair reacted with dismay. Cole said she had regain her emotions. Graves said he dreams were just shattered before our very eyes. Belair yanked her hair out of Sasha’s hands and whipped he with it. It made a loud noise. Sasha avoided the KOD and then went for a Back Stabber. Belair countered with the KOD for the win. Cole said Sasha kicked out at first. There wasn’t even an inkling of a kickout. Fans erupted with celebration. They showed her father, mother, and brother almost leaping over the barricade in celebration.
WINNER: Belair in 16:00 to capture the Smackdown Women’s Title. (****)
Really good four-star match. I’m surprised they didn’t have more time, but I wonder if the storm delay caused this match, among others, to be shortened.
