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Hey everyone, welcome to my WWE Backlash blog. While Richard Trionfo is on the scene live in Tampa covering the show, I'll be chiming in with my thoughts across the evening.
They said they are sold out with 15,000 fans. Two hours ago, they said they expected 13,000.
Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker kicks us off. Everyone sings the Seth song. They battled to the floor and back to the ring. Breakker was clotheslined to the floor. They fought for quite awhile on the floor. Michael Cole said the official was letting it go due to the issues betyween the two. Breakker suplexed Rollins over the top to the floor. They battled back to the ring with Breakker working over Seth. Bron took him to the mat. So far, it's just OK as they are going back and forth trading moves, but you can hear the live crowd is into it. Rollins tried to fired back with chops. Breakker worked him over but Rollins nailed a back suplex. They fired back and forth with punches. Rollins ate a big running Steinerline. Rollins began hitting German suplexes.
They battled to the top, where Breakker hit a top rope Frankensteiner. Rollins kicked out, which led to the crowd chanting for Rollins. They went to the floor. Breakker trotted around the ring to set up for a spear but Rollins superkicked him after he jumped for it. That was cool. They were almost counted out. Rollins came back with a kick to the face and scored a close two count. Rollins grabbed his arm and kept kicking Bron's face. Seth went for the stomp but Paul Heyman distracted him. Bron blocked it and hit a military press, dropping Seth across his knees, which looked evil. Bron mauled him and hit a standing moonsault for a two count. That was the most impressive Bron has looked tonight.
Seth nailed a Bucklebomb but Bron bounced out and nailed a lariat. Given that was the move that "retired" Sting in WWE, it showed Breaker's versatility and resilience. Breaker set up Seth on the floor and nailed a leaping clothesline off the apron drilling them up and over the table. They battled to the top, where Seth hit a suplex but Breakker immediately reversed a second suplex and hit a Falcon Arrow for a two count. The idea here is you basically need a tank to take down Bron.
Breakker nailed another Frankensteiner off the top. He nailed another but this time, Seth landed on his feet. Seth nailed a pedigree and the stomp. The live audience believed this was it. Heyman jumped on the apron to argue with the referee, which allowed Seth to grab a steel chair. Austin Theory tried interfere but was nailed with the chair and chased to the back. When Rollins returned, Bron speared him. Rollins kicked out and everyone sang his song. Bron went for another but landed in a pedigree. Rollins went to the top but was speared leaping off. Breakker nailed another and scored the clean pin.
They went about 22 minutes bell to bell, so longer than anything on Night One of Wrestlemania. It was a very physical match but also not so much a story as much as two names battling back and forth. The Tampa crowd was super hot, believing in Seth as a hero and also buying every bit of Bron's badassery.
WWE United States Champion Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn is next. Will the Gingerbread Man show up? I can't believe I'm typing these words.
Big reaction for Trick. Some fans openly booing Sami. Trick showed a lot of swagger. They battled to the floor, where Sami sent him into the ring steps. Lil Yachty tried to get involved but was backed off by Sami. Zayn controlled the ring and scored several near falls. Williams came back with a nice looking neckbreaker for a two count. Williams has a hell of an uppercut.
They battled to the top, where Williams went for a Bookend but Zayn blocked it and worked over his back and neck. He hit a sunset flip powerbomb for a close two count. The battled continued until Zayn went down while executing a leapdrog, clutching his knee. it turned out to be a Fit Finlay special as he was faking it, revealing that while the referee argued with Lil Yachty. Sami cracked Trick with the candycane singapore cane and scored a two count.
The action spilled to the outside, where Zayn blasted Yachty with a punch before unloading on him with the kendo stick. Trick then charged in and clotheslined Zayn onto the lower section of the steel steps. Brick tried to set up another Bookend, but Zayn countered and planted him with a DDT on the exposed steps. Zayn rolled Trick back into the ring and looked ready to follow, but he noticed Yachty jawing with fans at ringside. Zayn sprinted across the floor and nailed Yachty with a Helluva Kick to the back of the head. He slid back into the ring and charged for another Helluva Kick, but Trick sidestepped it, bounced off the ropes, and connected with a Trick Shot. Trick hooked the leg and scored pin.
Sami sat on the floor, glowering about his loss.
This was a really entertaining spotlight for Williams. It would seem they are sending Zayn down the path to a heel turn, but we'll see, I imagine the audience is going to eventually turn Williams.
It's time to see who Danhausen's mystery opponent is!
Miz and Trick Williams are out first.
They aired a video designed to look like a b-movie trailer. Danhausen came out and opened a box marked "Cloning Machone", revealing a Mini Danhausen. Yep, Minihausen.
Minihausen started with Kit Wilson and was kicked down, but he came back to hit a head scissors, sending Kit to the floor. Miz checked on him. Mini hit a dive with Danhausen's assistance. Yep, all silliness. Miz sent Danhausen into the ring post, allowing Miz and Wilson to bully and double-team Minihausen. I'm getting King King Bundy vs. Little Beaver flashbacks from Wrestlemania III.
Wilson suplexed Minihausen but couldn't score the pin. The crowd started to chant for Danhausen as he returned to the apron. Mini Hausen escaped Wilson and scored the tag. Danhausen cleaned house. The crowd was into everything he did. Mini hit a rana off the top on Wilson, who took a beautiful looking bump through the ropes to the floor. Wilson dragged Mini back to the cloning machine and tossed him in. WWE's sound effects department hit the noise too early but the idea was the clone machine was restarted and an army of MiniHausens emerged and attacked.
Miz grabbed a fire extinguisher but it wouldn't work because he was cursed. He ended up shooting himself in the face. Miz was blinded, hit by Danhausen and pinned.
Well two out of three ain't bad. All shenanigans.
Next is IYO SKY vs. Asuka. They are only 90 minutes into the show and have one match left, so I am hoping they give these tremendous talents 20+ minutes to take us on a ride. Let's hope.
Sky mounted a comeback with a burst of offense that finally pulled the crowd’s attention back to the match. Asuka regained control by driving Sky head-first into the ring post. Fans rallied behind Sky, urging her back into the fight before shifting into chants for Kairi Sane once again.
Asuka unloaded with a series of stiff chest kicks until Sky caught one and answered with a double foot stomp. Sky built momentum with a back elbow, an uppercut, a missile dropkick, and a running meteora in the corner for a near fall. Asuka fired back with strikes and a knee strike of her own that earned a two-count.
Sky then connected with a German suplex for another close near fall. Asuka transitioned into an armbar attempt, but Sky escaped quickly. The two traded kicks in the center of the ring until both collapsed to the mat. Asuka tried for the armbar again, only for Sky to counter into her own version of the Asuka Lock before Asuka reached the ropes.
Asuka climbed to the top rope, but Sky cut her off with an uppercut and followed with a hurricanrana. Asuka rolled through into a cradle for another near fall. Moments later, Sky avoided a running hip attack and dropkicked Asuka to the floor. Asuka intercepted Sky’s dive attempt and laid her across the announce table.
Standing on the table, Asuka attempted to spray mist into Sky’s face, but Sky blocked it with Barrett’s laptop. Hope he has a good insurance plan that covers Muta damage. Sky tripped Asuka and launched herself off the table with a flying crossbody. The crowd erupted for Sky as she followed with a beautiful Asai moonsault to the outside. Back in the ring, Asuka avoided a moonsault and trapped Sky in an armbar. Sky countered, but Asuka transitioned smoothly into the Asuka Lock. Sky looked seconds away from fading out before barely managing to roll Asuka into a cradle for a dramatic two-count. Good stuff!
Asuka blocked a kick and landed a German suplex, but Sky returned the favor moments later with one of her own. Sky then blasted Asuka with a running corner meteora and sealed the victory with a moonsault for the pinfall in about 19 minutes. Really good match, but not the insane war I was personally hoping for.
After the match, Sky bowed respectfully to Asuka. Emotional after the loss, Asuka broke down in tears before embracing Sky in a heartfelt hug. The two shared a long embrace as Asuka raised Sky’s hand in a show of respect. This came off like the end of a big chapter. I am already getting emails asking if this all meant Asuka was done (and I can understand why, based on how this looked). Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. As I write this, no idea but we will see and if THERE IS ACTUALLY ANYTHING TO REPORT, I will. Relax and stay tuned.
John Cena came out in a suit and was super happy. He joked he gets to be part of moments like this and no one is coming to kick his teeth in, so thank you. Tampa was really happy to see him. He said moments like this make him wonder what will be the next phase of his WWE career. The crowd chanted for one more match. He said he thinks alot about that last match and that last evening. There were people who were upset, but he was truly happy. Everyone made it something bigger. It became an evening of opportunity. Everyone had to earn their spot. WWE star gave opportunities to NXT stars to give them a chance to show the world what they had. He said that they got to see Je'Von Evans, Oba Femi and Sol Ruca for the first time. He said we have to do this again, so we are. He announced "The John Cena Classic" with the best of today battle the best of tomorrow, WWE main roster vs. NXT. He said they will introduce a new championship he is putting his name on. He's going to strive for a "certain level of excellence" and will do everything he can to make it special. He said the audience will get to vote to crown the champion of the John Cena Classic. Everyone will be eligible so even if a star doesn't win, they can still earn the respect of the audience and win via the voting for the title.
I like the idea of the theme of the show but John hyping this so hard on social media blunted the announcement because people were expecting Wrestlemania to be announced or something. Had John Cena just shown up out of nowhere with no hype and made this announcement, I suspect it would have been far more positively received vs. the emails I am already receiving. But, I like the idea as a way to get people over.
As we go into the main, the show has been OK, but nothing that has felt must-see that someone should regret not watching live in the moment.
The main event features Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu. They wasted no time unloading on each other in a chaotic scene. Reigns nailed a shoulder tackle and posed to the crowd, but Fatu instantly sprang back to his feet and stared him down. Fatu shrugged off a clothesline attempt and blasted Reigns out of the ring before attempting a dive. When Reigns appeared ready to counter it, Fatu instead trapped him in the Tongan Death Grip on the floor. Fatu broke the hold but he stayed in control until Reigns targeted his hand by wrenching it into the ropes and smashing it against the ring post to neutralize the Death Grip. The crowd loudly split between both men as the momentum swung back and forth. Reigns fired away with clotheslines in the corner, only for Fatu to stop him cold by grabbing his arm mid-charge.
Fatu answered with a clothesline of his own and sent Reigns shoulder-first into the ring post. Reigns recovered after Fatu missed a splash in the corner, connecting with more clotheslines, a big boot and eventually a Superman Punch. Fatu stunned everyone by kicking out at one and immediately popping back to his feet. The crowd rallied behind Fatu as he burst past Reigns’ offense, flattened him with a clothesline and followed with a senton. Fatu trapped Reigns in the corner, drilling him with ten straight headbutts before crushing him with a running hip attack. When Fatu charged for another, Reigns exploded out of the corner with a Superman Punch for a close two count.
They battled to the floor where Fatu delivered a big powerbomb through the announce table. After rolling Reigns back into the ring, Fatu nearly had the match won until Reigns countered with a spear for a dramatic nearfall. Reigns attempted another spear moments later, but Fatu countered into a pop-up Samoan Drop and then hit a moonsault, but Reigns kicked out. Fatu went for a back senton bomb, but Reigns pulled up his knees. Both men slowly rose and traded punches in the center of the ring before Fatu overwhelmed Reigns and trapped him in the corner for back-to-back running hip attacks.
Fatu reapplied the Tongan Death Grip, and Reigns appeared to be fading until he desperately gouged Fatu’s eyes to escape. The referee was knocked down. Fatu went for another Samoan Drop, only for Reigns to drill him with a Superman Punch and a spear that resulted in an incredibly close nearfall. This was getting very good at this point. Fatu locked in the Death Grip again while Reigns clung to the top turnbuckle for leverage. The turnbuckle pad came loose. Reigns used the opening to drive Fatu face-first into the exposed buckle before connecting with one final spear to score the win.
Jacob absolutely looked like he belonged.
Fatu snapped after the bout. He locked Reigns back in the Death Grip and drilled the ref with a Samoan Drop when he tried to stop it. WWE Officials flooded the ring to restore order, but Fatu superkicked Hurricane Helms and shoved Adam Pearce aside. He reapplied the hold on Reigns before he finally was pulled off. He went to leave but returned and jumped on Reigns, applying the hold again ina chaotic scene. He stood over the beaten Roman as they faded away.
Overall, a good, solid night but nothing that I'd describe as must see, but a lot of this was setting the stage for the next chapters for Jacob, Bron, Trick, etc.
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