(4) DAMAGE CTRL (Bayley & Dakota Kai & Io Sky) vs. BECKY LYNCH & LITA & TRISH STRATUS – 6-Women Tag Team match
Becky Lynch and Dakota Kai threw a flurry of quick strikes before backing into the heel corner of the ring. Kai tagged Io Sky in quickly. Sky immediately went to work cutting Lynch off from her corner. Lynch tried to break free of a leg hold with an Enziguri, but Io had her telegraphed. She dropped Lynch, then headed to the apron to hit a springboard splash. Sky tagged in Kai. Bayley joined them for a triple team Neckbreaker. Kai covered Lynch for a two count.
Kai mocked Lita and Trish Stratus as Lynch reached to them for a tag. She tossed Becky back to the heel corner and caught her with a running boot. Kai covered for another two count, then tagged in Bayley. Bayley mocked the Team Xtreme thrust taunt and stuck her tongue out at Lita. Bayley tagged in Kai. Lynch tossed Bayley from the ring. Kai tripped up Lynch. Becky crawled to her corner for a tag. She leapt toward Trish, but Bayley pulled her from the apron at the last moment.
Dakota and Io continued to work Lynch over. Kai wound up on the apron, charging. Lita caught her with a clothesline, buying Lynch some time. Becky tagged her in. Lita gave Io a clothesline, then a quick ‘rana. She tripped her into the turnbuckle and got a running start for a knee to the back of the head. Lita and Sky traded standing switches as the match crossed 4:45. Lita hit Vertigo and covered Sky for a near fall. Sky countered an Irish Whip into the corner. The two got tangled in the ropes. Lita used her legs to slam Sky to the mat. Dakota Kai kicked Lita in the head and off the turnbuckle while Sky tied up the referee’s attention.
Bayley tagged in and Damage CTRL hit three simultaneous kicks to the head. Bayley covered for a near fall. She tossed Lita toward the corner and she and her partners posed to a chorus of boos. Sky tagged in and cranked Lita’s head against the middle rope. Dakota tagged in and dragged Lita into a cover for two. Cole and Graves noted that Trish has yet to be involved in the match, which had now crossed 7:20. Bayley and Sky went for a double Suplex on Lita, but she rolled through it and planted the duo with a double DDT. Lita crawled and made a tag to Trish Stratus.
Stratus dropped Io Sky, then gave Dakota a Thez-Press. She chopped at Kai in the corner. She licked her hand, gave Bayley a double thumbs-down, then gave Kai a big chop to the chest. She used Bayley’s body on the apron to climb up into a Bulldog on Kai, covering for a two count. Trish and Kai worked to the corner, and up to the turnbuckle. Bayley and Sky returned to pull Trish off the turnbuckle and apron. Bayley and Lita got involved, setting up a Tower of Doom of sorts on the apron to the heels on the outside. Stratus and Kai returned to the ring. Trish tagged in Lita and served as the base for Poetry in Motion. They tagged in Becky, who hit a Leg Drop from the middle rope. Lynch covered for a near fall.
Beckly immediately applied the Disarm-Her on Kai. Bayley and Sky broke it up before too long. They pulled Trish and Lita to the mat, leaving Lynch by herself. Bayley dragged Kai to her own corner to tag herself in. Becky and Bayley traded blows. Lynch begged her to bring it. Bayley went for the Rose Plant, but Lynch blocked it and hit the B-Exploder. Bayley recovered and shoved Lynch toward the ropes. Sky caught her with a cheap shot. Bayley hit the Rose Plant and covered Becky. Lita broke up the pin.
Kai entered the ring. Trish jumped in and gave her Stratusfaction. Lynch rolled up Bayley for a near fall, then tossed her to the outside. Five of the six women wound up strugging to their feet on the camera side of the floor. Io Sky emerged, climbing to the top turnbuckle and diving into a crowd below. The referee counted the women, but all six reached the mat at eight. Graves noted that Lynch and Bayley are still the legal competitors.
Each team retreated to their respective corner as the match crossed 13:30. All six women entered the ring and came to blows in the center. “To hell with the rule book, let them fight!” Graves exclaimed. Lita hit Sky with a Twist of Fate. Trish caught Kai with the Chick Kick. Lita gave Kai and Sky her signature Moonsault. Meanwhile, in the opposite corner, Bayley set Lynch up for an avalanche Bayley-to-Belly. Lynch blocked it and hit the Man-Handle Slam from the top rope for a cover and three count.
WINNERS: Becky Lynch & Lita & Trish Stratus in 14:38
Cole said “we’re back to the future at WrestleMania” as the three women posed on turnbuckles and celebrated with the crowd.
(I thought this worked pretty well. The early going felt a little bit slow, but I thought they did a nice job saving Lita and Trish’s appearances and hot tags for deeper in the match, allowing Becky to work the meat of the opening minutes and get worked over the heels who should logically have far better tag team strategy. Lita and Trish both hit their spots well, and though the crowd felt more subdued here than at any other point tonight thus far, they did come alive for the bigger spots and the more heavy-hitting showdowns between Lynch and Bayley. The cliche breakdown of action at the end felt a little calculated, but I liked that it lead right into a logical finish with the two legends hitting their finisher before the star, Becky Lynch, countered Bayley in the midst of an exchange for a big finisher from the top rope. This was exactly what it needed to be.)
