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Welcome to PWInsider.com's LIVE coverage of the Summerslam 2018 Kickoff Show!
Our hosts on the panel tonight are Renee Young, Sam Roberts, David Otunga, and Booker T. They run down the top matches on tonight's card, then we go to Peter Rosenberg and JBL, who are in the entryway of the still-filling Barclays Center. They send us to a video looking back at this past Monday on Raw when Seth Rollins brought Dean Ambrose back to be in his corner for tonight. They discuss the history between Rollins and Ambrose and give their predictions for the match, then run down the card for the Kickoff Show.
Back to the panel, who turn their attention to the Smackdown Women's Title match. We get the video looking at the build, and then the panel discusses the tension bubbling between Charlotte and Becky. Booker says he'd pick either of them over Carmella one-on-one, but making it a three way muddies the situation. Renee says Carmella has been underestimated, and Sam mentions that she's been good at taking advantage of situations. That said, the champ doesn't need to be beaten to lose the title.
The New Day is backstage talking about how Brooklyn has always been special to them, and it's where they started their record-setting tag title reign, and it'll be the place they become champions for the fifth time.
We turn our attention to Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens, and JBL and Pete Rosenberg discuss. Pete asks JBL if he's ever been so scared of someone that he hid out under a towel in the back seat of a car outside the arena, and what Kevin Owens' strategy should be. JBL says he fought Undertaker at Summerslam and knew he couldn't beat him, so he figured out he had to get Undertaker disqualified, and that's what he did. Owens needs to do something like that because it's his only chance.
Pete shows us a video of the week WWE has spent in Brooklyn and everything they've done around NYC. The panel talks about all the great memories they've created in the community this week, then we turn to Daniel Bryan and the Miz, and a great video package looking at their history going all the way back to the first season of NXT. Otunga says he was on the first season of NXT with Daniel Bryan, and he always thought Miz resented Daniel and wanted him to fail, whereas the other pros were much better about giving advice to their rookies. Booker T blames JBL for all this because he made Miz dress in the hallway and pay his dues, and Miz came up and found himself in the same spot with Daniel Bryan. Interesting way of looking at it.
Next, it's time to look at the Raw Women's Title match, and we hit the video package. Pete Rosenberg calls Ronda the greatest rookie in WWE history, but JBL says Alexa can only be the underdog so many times, and she's won titles, won Money In The Bank, and everyone thinks it's preordained that Ronda dominates the women's division from here on out, but they're making the same mistake everyone else has by overlooking Alexa.
Ronda and Lana are warming up backstage when Aiden comes in to apologize and say he has a great song for tonight. Rusev says not because tonight is about them, and he wants Aiden to stay behind. They leave and Aiden looks sad.
Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves are ringside for our opening match...
Rusev & Lana vs Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega
Almas gets Rusev to chase him, and finds an opening to suckerpunch Rusev and get a few shots in before Rusev just stomps Almas into paste in the corner. Rusev pops Almas over with a snap suplex, the nunloads with a hard right hand before Vega distracts him, allowing Almas to ram Rusev shoulder first into the post. Lana gives Vega an icy stare as Almas gets the hanging armbar. Almas works the arm over, but Rusev overpowers him and dumps him to the floor. Rusev gets the tag, and Lana comes in to clean house on Vega, even hitting a Spinaroonie before continuing to clean her clock with a charging forearm in the corner and a neckbreaker for 2. Lana with a big bodyslam for 2, and Vega backs off then Tullys Lana into the corner. Vega has a look on her face that would send Hercules running for cover as she stalks Lana, but Lana hits a bicycle kick. Almas distracts Lana, and Rusev yanks him down to the floor, but misses a charge and hits the barricade. Lana is on her own as she drops Vega on her face, but another distraction allows Vega to roll her up and put her feet on the ropes for the win.
Winners: Andrade "Cien" Almas & Zelina Vega
I bet this wouldn't have happened if Aiden was there. Some friends Rusev and Lana are.
Back to the panel, and Jerry "The King" Lawler is here, and he says they have a saying to party till the cows come home, and then party with the cows.
Charly Caruso catches Paul Heyman backstage and asks him if this thing with him offering to help Roman only to wind up back with Brock was a ruse. Heyman says Brock Lesnar is finally going to get rid of Roman Reigns tonight, and it's about time, because Lesnar is preparing to become the next UFC Champion, he'll take Daniel Cormier out, but tonight, he'll finally rid himself of the guy who keeps coming back for more and more no matter how many F5s he takes, how many trips to Suplex City, and even sending him through a cage in Saudi Arabia. After tonight, the Big Dog won't come back for more, because his client Brock Lesnar will F5 Roman Reigns, pin him, and successfully defend the title, and that's not a prediction, that's a spoiler.
Back to the panel, and Lawler says there are seven people he hates the worst, and all of them are Paul Heyman. They all talk about the Brock-Paul situation, and debate whether or not Paul and Brock are really on the same page tonight.
We go backstage where Kurt Angle, Paige, and Drake Maverick are all talking about how cool it is to be here at Summerslam as GM for the first time. They talk about all the matches they're excited for whenb Baron Corbin comes in to make sure Kurt Angle is still on top of things around here. Kurt tells him to go cut Brock's steak and make sure he has his magazines, assuming he doesn't want to get ready for his match with Finn Balor.
The Kickoff Show continues on Page 2!
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