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General Media / WWE WrestleMania 33 PPV Results: 4-2-17

« Last post by Arcademan on April 03 2017, 10:59 am »

(3) BAYLEY vs. CHARLOTTE vs. NIA JAX vs. SASHA BANKS WWE Raw Women's Title match Elimination Rules

Bayley came out first followed by Sasha, Jax, and Charlotte. Jax caught Charlotte diving at her and shoved her into the corner. All the women went after Jax early, but she fended them off rather easily. Saxton said this is the story of her career complete total domination. Jax sit splashed Bayley in the corner. Charlotte distracted Jax, which gave Bayley an opening to roll to the floor where Banks had been for a while already. Jax then knocked Charlotte off the ring apron onto Bayley and Banks at ringside. All three women returned to the ring, and Jax told them to bring it on. They did, and they triple powerbombed her off the top rope and piled on top of her to pin her. She was eliminated, so it was down to Charlotte, Banks, and Bayley.

Charlotte offered a high-five, but Bayley and Sasha wouldn't. Charlotte bailed out to the floor and told them to fight instead. They decided to, but quickly Charlotte yanked Bayley to ringside by her foot. Banks then flip dove over the top rope, landing by mistake on Bayley. Graves said it was intentional and told Graves one day he'll figure it out. Charlotte then hit both with a corkscrew moonsault. They replayed it in sl0-mo. Graves said it was a work out of art and should be in a museum. Charlotte went for Natural Selection, but Sasha countered into a Bank Statement. Charlotte fought free and gave Sasha a back-breaker for a two count. Sasha took over with running knees in the corner. Then she dove with the knees onto Charlotte off the top rope and scored a two count. She applied a Bank Statement. Charlotte struggled to escape by standing and lifting Sasha. Sasha countered into a roll-up, but Charlotte pushed out of it and shoved Sasha into a partially exposed turnbuckle for the three count.

It came down to Bayley vs. Charlotte. Bayley avoided a moonsault, then scored a two count on Charlotte. Bayley leaped off the top rope, but Charlotte caught her and slammed her into the mat. Then she applied a figure-four and shifted into the signature Figure-Eight. Bayley grabbed the bottom rope to force a break. Charlotte hung Bayley upside down in the corner, then worked on her left knee with stomps. Bayley back body dropped Charlotte off the top rope, but was still stuck up there hanging upside down afterward. Bayley eventually shifted out of that position and leaped on Charlotte with a top rope elbow for a three count. She sold her knee afterward. She clutched the title belt on the mat as her music played. She stood up crying and held the belt high in the air. Charlotte caught her breath at ringside.

WINNER: Bayley at 12:45.

(Keller's Analysis: Good match. I liked how they protected Jax by having her lose only because three others teamed against her. Then they had some good action, although it was just jam packed into 12 minutes, so not enough time to really tell a great story. But overall, definitely acceptable.)

General Media / WWE WrestleMania 33 PPV Results: 4-2-17

« Last post by Arcademan on April 03 2017, 10:53 am »

Remaining results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Keller's real-time report).

(1) SHANE MCMAHON vs. A.J. STYLES

Shane came out first. Then Styles. The bell rang. Shane was wearing a white jersey with Shane-O-Mac on the front and dollar signs on the back. Styles outwrestled Shane a little with a lockup and headlock and then a shove into the ropes. He said he's going to embarrass him. He was cocky. A Let's Go A.J.! chant started. Styles caught Shane with a snap mare and he showboated. The crowd cheered. Shane soaked it up while sitting in the corner. Otunga said Styles has to be sure his confidence doesn't turn to cockiness because that could be bad for him. JBL asked how Styles can't be cocky given that he's among the best of his generation. Shane arm dragged Styles a couple times and then did some amateur wrestling and tried to roll up Styles. Styles rolled to the floor and looked back at the ring in shock.

Styles threw the first punch to Shane's face. The announcers talked about Shane training in striking. Styles invited Shane to give it his best. Shane punched away at him and then thtumaplatrew a hard elbow in the corner. Otunga said you don't want to do stand-up with Shane. Styles threw Shane out of the ring, then slide-kicked him hard into the announce table. Shane backflipped over the table and into the chair. Back in the ring, Styles took over on Shane with a methodical beating. JBL talked about how Shane doesn't know fear or hesitation. Shane knocked Styles off balance when he was on the top rope. Shane danced around and threw more punches. He was looking sweaty and winded.

Styles flipped Shane back-first over his knee. Styles countered an attempted Shane comeback into a Calf Crusher. Shane countered into a sleeper. He maneuvered into an armbar. Then an omaplata. JBL wondered how Styles would react if he had to tapout to Shane after bragging he's put on a wrestling clinic. Styles went for a 450 springboard splash, but Shane countered into a triangle. Otunga said Styles might have to tap. Styles lifted Shane and dropped him with a one-armed Styles Clash for a near fall. they exchanged punches mid-ring a minute later. Shane got the better of Styles. He threw some knees in the corner. Styles tried to kick Shane, but Shane ducked and the ref went down. Styles landed a Pel kick. As a medic checked on the ref, Styles grabbed two trash cans from under the ring. JBL said Styles is fighting for his survival since taking Shane to a wrestling clinic wasn? enough. Styles put a trash can up against Shane in one corner, then climbed to the top rope in another corner and went for Shane's signature spot, but Shane leaped up and blocked Styles with a trash can. Styles went down. Shane threw the can out of the ring, but then saw the second one.

Shane then put the trash up against Styles and landed his top rope dropkick into the can. He made the cover. The ref made the count, but Styles kicked out. Shane then went to ringside and cleared an announce table. Shane set Styles on the table on his back. Shane leaped off the top rope and dove at Styles, but Styles moved and Shane crashed onto the table. The table collapsed. Medics checked on him. He clutched his ribs. Styles went after Shane. He rolled him to the ring and threw him into it. Shane went fora Phenomenal Forearm, but Shane caught him mid-air and DDT'd him. Shane then climbed to the top rope. He went for a shooting star press. Styles moved. Another A.J. Styles chant. Styles hit his Phenomenal Forearm for the win. JBL said Styles had to earn that win every step of the way.

WINNER: Styles at 20:35.

(Keller's Analysis: That was on the higher end of any reasonable expectations. They told a good story, if you buy Shane as a wrestler who can hold his own against Styles for 20 minutes. If you can't, then it was groan-inducting seeing Shane outwrestle Styles and out-strike him at various time. It was smart to do that early, since it did feel like a novelty match, and grumpy tired crowd might have been less responsive and even unforgiving of certain aspects, especially if anything went wrong or looked especially sloppy. The crowd definitely enjoyed it and didn't reject the premise. Although it cheated Styles out of a true showcase match for then ages, he'll get historic credit for carrying Shane to a match that largely got by with a story told in the ring. I was truly happy that other than the shooting star press attempt, Shane didn't leap off of anything other than the top rope.)

(2) CHRIS JERICHO vs. KEVIN OWENS U.S. Title match

Jericho took it to Owens early. They fought at a steady pace for several minutes before taking it to the floor. Jericho made a comeback against Owens. Back in the ring, Owens blocked a Code Breaker and landed a package sitout slam on Jericho for a two count. Cole acknowledged a red contusion on Owens forehead. Jericho pounded away at Owens on the top rope, then landed a huracanrana. Owens avoided a springboard Lionsault, then kicked Jericho in the face and scored a near fall. Owens went for a frog splash, but Jericho lifted his knees. Owens came back quickly and landed a top rope swanton right onto Jericho's lifted knees. Owens went for a Pop-Up Powerbomb, but Jericho avoided it and then instantly landed the springboard Lionsault for a two count. A Y2J chant started.

A minute later Owens put Jericho in the Walls of Jericho mid-ring. Cole asked how embarrassing it'd be if Jericho had to tapout. Graves said, I'd love it! Owens hit the cannonball in the corner. Jericho caught him, though, and twisted him into a Walls of Jericho. Owens reached the bottom rope. Owens came back with a Pop-up Powerbomb for a near fall. The crowd popped. They were slow to get up. When Owens went for a Pop-up, he landed the Code Breaker. Owens placed his index finger on the bottom rope to force a break. A This is awesome! chant started. Owens rolled to the floor. Jericho went after him. Owens powerbombed Jericho spine-first into the ring apron. He went for the cover and got the three count.

WINNER: Owens to capture the U.S. Title. (***)

(Keller's Analysis: For this spot on the card, this worked really well. The crowd was into the match start to finish. I liked that they didn't overdo it with near falls at the end, and sold the idea that a powerbomb on the edge of the ring apron was enough. This was a disciplined, well-executed, smart match that felt like two people fighting over a grudge, not just putting on a show.)

General Media / WWE WrestleMania 33 PPV Results: 4-2-17

« Last post by Arcademan on April 03 2017, 10:46 am »

3. Dean Ambrose vs. Baron Corbin for the Intercontinental Championship. Corbin attacked Ambrose to start. Ambrose came right back with a suicide dive and worked over Corbin at ringside briefly. The sound cut out briefly as Corbin came back with kicks in the corner. A short time later, Corbin took Ambrose to ringside and ran him into the barricade. Back inside the ring, Ambrose caught a charging Corbin with an elbow, then side stepped another charge, causing Corbin to go through the ropes in the corner.

Ambrose went up top for his flying elbow. Corbin caught him with a Codebreaker type of move on the way down. They went to ringside a short time later. Corbin charged, Ambrose moved, and Corbin crashed into the ring steps. Ambrose went up top and performed his flying elbow onto Corbin at ringside. Saxton played up Ambrose having injured ribs and questioned how much damage he did to himself.

Back inside the ring, Ambrose performed a running clothesline, but then he ran into an elbow from Corbin. Ambrose shook it off and performed a neckbreaker for a two count. At 8:10, Ambrose went for his teetering clothesline, but Corbin blasted him with a kick. Corbin followed up with a spinning slam for a two count. Ambrose came back with his rebound Lariat.

Corbin knocked Ambrose down and yelled at him that he was leaving with the Intercontinental Championship. Corbin went for End of Days, but Ambrose avoided it and hit Dirty Deeds for the win

Dean Ambrose beat Baron Corbin in 10:55 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

Powell's POV: A fairly flat match. The live crowd didn't seem to really connect with the match and the wrestlers didn't really give them much to get excited about. I was looking forward to this match and found it underwhelming. The match being on the pre-show is surprising. At the same time, they played to a full stadium and their match aired on USA Network, so they can't be too disappointed that it wasn't on the main card. Going into the match, I felt there was a chance that Ambrose would win at Mania only to have Corbin beat him on Smackdown. We'll see if that happens on Tuesday.

General Media / WWE WrestleMania 33 PPV Results: 4-2-17

« Last post by Arcademan on April 03 2017, 08:43 am »

2. Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Strowman immediately eliminated one of the Shining Stars. Kalisto and Simon Gotch were gone seconds later. The rapid fire eliminations continued. Strowman and Show squared off. Sami Zayn attacked Strowman. The wrestlers all fought on opposite sides. Strowman broke through his side and dumped Big Show over the top rope to eliminate him. A group of wrestlers eliminated Strowman. It's anybody's game, one of the broadcast team members said.

Cole spoke about Killian Dain and noted that he's from the Sanity promotion. Luke Harper stood out as an unadvertised participant. R-Truth was eliminated. Ziggler eliminated Rhyno. Aiden English was eliminated. Cole noted that a number of people were eliminated during the commercial break, so it looks like they stuck with the match on the network feed, but USA Network viewers didn't see the eliminations.

American Alpha eliminated a couple of guys, but they were both eliminated a short time later. Tian Bing eliminated Tyler Breeze and Fandango. The broadcast team put him over. He was eliminated moments later by a Dolph Ziggler superkick. Mojo Rawley eliminated Bo Dallas. Apollo Crews and Ziggler were eliminated. Titus O'Neil eliminated Luke Harper with a kick.

The final five was Zayn, O'Neil, Jinder Mahal, Dain, and Mojo. Zayn eliminated Titus. Dain eliminated Zayn to boos. Rawley and Mojo traded blows. Mojo performed a running shoulder block that knocked Dain down. Jinder threw Rawley through the ropes and then worked him over at ringside in front of Gronk, so you had to know where this was going.

Jinder got in the face of Gronk. He took Gronk's cup, drank from it, and then threw water on him. Jinder returned to the ring. Gronk climbed over the barricade. Security ran over and stopped him, then they backed off. Gronk removed his Mojo t-shirt and entered the ring. Gronk got down on all fours and performed a running shoulder block on Jinder to a nice pop. Gronk left and then Mojo eliminated Dain, and eventually Jinder to win the match. Gronk entered the ring and celebrated with Mojo by slapping his chest repeatedly

Mojo Rawley won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 14:15

Powell's POV: For our non-NFL fans, Gronkowski is a star player for the New England Patriots. WWE will get lots of love from the sports networks for this one. Mojo winning won't excite the masses, but getting Gronk in the ring at WrestleMania is a pretty big deal. My apologies for not getting all the eliminations, but that was chaos.

General Media / WWE WrestleMania 33 PPV Results: 4-2-17

« Last post by Arcademan on April 03 2017, 08:24 am »

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Powell's real-time coverage of the WM Kickoff Show)

1. Neville vs. Austin Aries for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Phillips noted that Neville hasn't lost a singles match since October. The ring was made up in typical cruiserweight style. Aries sent Neville to ringside. Aries charged for a move, but Neville caught him with a kick that drew gasps from the crowd. Neville followed up with a missile dropkick for a two count before they went to a commercial.

Powell's POV: I really wish they would come up with a way to remove the commercials from the network feed. Paid subscribers should be able to see the full match, especially a WrestleMania match, without any commercial interruptions. On a positive note, the building looks packed. I'm sure there are still open seats, but it's not the half empty stadium that last year's Kickoff Show matches played to.

Neville was still in control coming out of the break. Aries came back and performed his spinning elbow drop. A short time later, Aries performed a suicide dive. He threw Neville back inside the ring and covered him for a two count. Aries performed a missile dropkick off the top rope and got another two count.

Neville came back with a wicked German suplex that dropped Aries right on his head. It looked even uglier on the replay. Aries recovered. Neville went for another German, but Aries flipped over and went for a discus five-arm, but Neville kicked him and performed a German suplex into a bridge for a two count.

Aries connected with the discus five-arm that knocked Neville to ringside. Graves said he didn't know if it was awareness or luck that saved Neville. Aries went to ringside and rolled Neville back onto the apron. Neville caught Aries with a kick. Neville went up top. Aries cut him off and performed a huracanrana off the top rope. Aries hit a running forearm in the corner and followed up with a 450 splash for a great near fall. Aries applied the Last Chancery. Neville gouged the bad eye of Aries. Neville went up top and hit the Red Arrow for the win

Neville defeated Austin Aries in 15:40 to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Champion.

Powell's POV: That was one hell of an opening match. I bit on the 450 splash and the Last Chancery. I really like the decision to go with Neville. He's been phenomenal as the heel champion, and I'd like to see Aries eventually win the championship after a long chase. Here's hoping Aries is okay after that German suplex. He seemed find and simply sold his bad eye afterward. That was one ugly bump. On a side note, it's so cool to see Aries go from working local indies to working his first WrestleMania match. Support independent wrestling. You never know when you're going to see a guy who will go from your local armory to WrestleMania.