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Backstage, a taped up Seth Rollins was preparing for his main event. Bret Hart showed up and wished him luck. Rollins thanked him. Well, now we know why he didn't show up with Natalya.
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton.
Orton mocked Kofi by trying to hand him a pancake. Kofi got upset and fired up. They locked up and ended up in the corner. The referee separated them. They ended up in the corner again and this time, Orton got control. They spilled to the floor, where Orton dropped him across a table. Orton kept working over Kofi, who came back with a dive off the stairs into a bodypress.
Kofi gained control until missing a dive. Orton again scooped him up and dropped him across the top of an announcing table. Orton worked over Kofi and set up for a superplex. Kofi fought him off and came off the ropes with a tornado DDT for a two count.
Kofi began drilling Orton with hard, drilling chops. He nailed the Boom Drop on Orton and set up for the Trouble in Paradise, but Orton cut him off and nailed a backbreaker. Orton was knocked to the floor and Kofi hit the Trust Fall off the ropes to the outside. Kingston hit a big flying bodypress for a two count. Orton cut him off and nailed the draping DDT off the ropes for a two count.
Orton set up for the RKO but Kofi shocked him with a backslide for a two count. Kofi went to the top but was caught with an RKO in mid-air. Orton began laughing, knowing he had the title won. Kofi rolled to the floor as Orton took too long to make the cover.
Orton went to the floor. They were right in front of Kofi’s kids. Orton was going to do something in front of the family, so Kofi exploded and attacked Orton as they rang the bell . The crowd hated that and began chanting, “Bullsh**.” Kingston went under the ring and got a kendo stick and began beating the hell out of Orton with the stick.
Orton rolled back into the ring. Kofi followed and continued beating him with the stick. Kofi waited for Orton to get to his feet and nailed a Trouble in Paradise.
The non-finish was lame, especially since the entire story was built on the idea that Kofi was going to have the chance to exorcize some demons from the past and that didn’t happen. It let the air out of the balloon with the crowd, even with Kofi laying into Orton with the stick.
They never announced what exactly the finish was, so my guess is it’s a double countout. This was fine inside the ring but nothing that felt like a big-time memorable clash on one of the biggest shows of the year.
Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt
Balor is not the Demon.
Wyatt had an entirely new entrance, a harder-edged version of his theme music and all sorts of graphics. He had a new lantern to carry to the ring, created to look like a human head of the "old" Bray Wyatt with the light shining out of its extended open mouth. I am guessing special effects legend Tom Savini, who's team made Bray's mask and all the Firefly Funhouse stuff, created it. The crowd loved it and changed "Holy sh**!" Thanks to Martin Stuzebecher for his help.
Wyatt grabbed Balor and slammed him down to the mat, then began beating and kicking Balor. he brought Balor into the corner. Balor fought out but stopped, puzzled, by Wyatt hanging backward out of the corner. Balor was beat down. Wyatt grabbed Balor as if he was Zeus in No Holds Barred and snapped his neck. Wyatt began looking at his gloves, then grabbed at his face. He went for Sister Abigail's Kiss but Balor escaped and nailed a Slingblade. Balor nailed a double stomp and a dropkick into the buckles. Balor went to the top for the Coup de Grace but Wyatt caught him with the Mandible Claw and that was it for Balor, who was rendered unconscious and pinned.
Your winner, Bray Wyatt!
Wyatt stood in the center of the ring with a strobe effect as the camera closed in on him and then he disappeared.
The crowd chanted, "That was awesome."
An extremely successful re-introduction inside the ring for Wyatt. If WWE can consistently do this, they'll build their best supernatural-tinged character in decades. Someone needed to be sacrificed to make it work, and Balor did a nice job in that role.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins
Rollins went right after Lesnar, who kicked him in the ribs and began beating on his back. Lesnar lifted up Rollins and drove him hard into the buckles. Rollins came back with a kick to the jaw and scored with the stomp for a two count. The crowd was shocked at that. They showed Paul Heyman extremely concerned.
Lesnar went to the floor. Rollins came off the ropes with a flying knee. Lesnar was brought back to the ring and went for a German suplex but Rollins rolled through and nailed a pair of kicks. He went after Brock, but was caught and hit with an F-5. Lesnar grabbed him by the rib tape, spun and sent him flying across the ring.
Lesnar began nailing his German suplexes. Rollins rolled out. Brock nailed him with a German suplex on the floor. Lesnar stomped away at Rollins. He suplexed Rollins hard. Brock drilled him back into the turnbuckles. He trapped Rollins in an inverted bearhug, working on the injured ribs. Seth made it to the ropes but Brock drilled him in the middle of his back.
Rollins was drilled hard into the turnbuckles. Lesnar went for another charge but Rollins moved and Brock hit the ring post shoulder-first. Rollins nailed a leg lariat to Brock’s face, knocking him off the apron to the floor. Seth nailed several suicide dives but on a third attempt, Lesnar caught him and drove him backwards HARD into the ring post.
Lesnar began clearing a table as Heyman told him to “get rid of” Seth. Rollins exploded and kicked Lesnar onto the table. Rollins went to the top of the ring post and nailed a frog splash, putting Lesnar through the table.
Rollins nailed a big splash off the top on Lesnar, who was now in the center of the ring. Rollins set up for the stomp and nailed it but Lesnar kicked up at the last second. Lesnar came back and went for the F5 but Rollins escaped, nailed the stomp and scored the pin.
Your winner and new WWE Universal Champion, Seth Rollins!
Damn entertaining match.
Rollins was in tears when he was handed the championship belt.
The show went off the air with Rollins holding aloft the WWE Universal title belt as pyro went off.
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