Winter Warfare 2016
Sunday, February 7, 2016
From the Vidéotron Centre in Québec City, Québec
Live Attendance: 14 588
Tonight’s Broadcast Features the Ringside Commentary Teams of
Ed Whalen and Vampiro (English)
Marc Blondin and René Goulet (Français)
With backstage interviews conducted by
Jeremy Borash and SoCal Val
***
VS. VS.
Alberto El Patron vs. Rusev vs. Ted DiBiase Early on, it is every man for himself, but Rusev, being the largest athlete in the ring, starts to dominate and so to counteract his advantage, the former North American Tag Team Champions, El Patron and DiBiase join forces to knock him down and out of the ring. They work so well together that you could be execused for thinking that maybe they were reuniting on the spot, but then DiBiase attacks El Patron from behind and works him over. After giving El Patron a diving back elbow from the top rope to knock him off his feet, DiBiase goes for the cover, but Rusev breaks it up. He whips DiBiase into the ropes and drops him with a Samoan drop. Then, he picks up El Patron and gives him a fallaway slam. Rusev charges at DiBiase, but he dives to the mat and pulls down on the top rope, which sends Rusev flying out of the ring. As DiBiase puts El Patron in the Million Dollar Dream, he breaks free by backing up into the corner. However, the referee is squashed and knocked down. Upon begin released from the hold, El Patron gives DiBiase a step-up enzuigiri kick to knock him down. El Patron drags DiBiase out of the corner and pins, but the referee is out. Then, he is attacked by Virgil, but he staves off that attack by giving him a backstabber. After that, however, El Patron is hit across the back with a chair by Rusev. He turns around and takes a shot to the front of his body. Then, Rusev grabs El Patron, puts the spine of the chair against his throat and then drives him into the mat. El Patron’s windpipe may have just been crushed! Rusev sees DiBiase getting up and he takes him out with a jumping side kick. Rusev and Prince Nana try to revive the referee. Prince Nana continues to do this as Rusev flings Virgil from the ring and then gives DiBiase a swinging side slam. Then, he puts DiBiase in the Accolade. DiBiase taps out and Rusev is declared the winner.
Official Decision: Rusev wins by submission.
***
VS. 6-Woman Tag Team Match
Bayley, Sexy Star & Natalya Neidhart vs. The Beautiful People This 6-woman tag team match begins with Natalya Neidhart taking the fight to Velvet Sky with easy. Neidhart is a ring general and she puts her technical wrestling prowess on display as she grounds and pounds Sky. Neidhart tags out to Sexy Star and she shows off her lucha libre moves to pop the crowd. Then, Bayley comes in and starts hammering Sky with running double axehandle smashes. Bayley puts Velvet Sky in the tree of woe and then goes for a running springboard elbow drop, but Velvet Sky lifts herself out of the way and then gets down from the corner to hit Bayley with a superkick. She covers, but Bayley manages to get a shoulder up. Sky tags out. Madison Rayne, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky takes turns coming into the ring to do damage to Bayley. They cap off several minutes of beating on Bayley with a triple-team attack with Love giving her a frankensteiner, followed by a springboard elbow drop from Rayne and a springboard leg drop from Sky. She pins Bayley, but Neidhart comes in to break it, thus leading to a large brawl.
As bodies go flying from the ring in every which direction, Bayley hits a running one-handed bulldog on Sky and pins. 1…2… kick out! Bayley makes the hot tag to Neidhart and she immediately takes Sky’s head off with a Natty-by-Nature Clothesline. 1…2… Rayne makes the save. Sexy Star takes out Rayne with some tilt-a-whirl headscissors and then Love comes into the ring and executes Break the Bitch on her. After Love finishes kicking Sexy Star out of the ring, she ends up in a rear naked choke. Neidhart has the hold cinched in, but Rayne remains the legal woman, and she breaks things up, giving Neidhart a facebreaker knee smash followed by a swinging neckbreaker! She covers, but Bayley breaks it up. Bayley and Velvet Sky exchange blows until Bayley dumps her out of the ring. Love charges at Bayley and gets dumped over the top rope with a back body drop. Then, Bayley gets clotheslined out of the ring by Rayne. Meanwhile, Neidhart tags out to Sexy Star, who the turnbuckle and then takes Rayne down with a missile dropkick. They get up and Sexy Star gives her a swinging fisherman’s suplex. 1…2…3!
Official Decision: Bayley, Sexy Star & Natalya Neidhart win by pinfall.
***
Commissioner Billy Two Rivers found backstage, approaching his office. Jeremy Borash stops him and asks him to comment on whether or not “Nature Boy” Ric Flair will be here tonight, and if he is not, what will happen to tonight’s scheduled main event? Two Rivers declines to comment and tells Borash to get out of his way. Borash continues to pester him with questions about the persistent rumours that Flair is in New Orleans tonight and what should happen to the International Heavyweight Championship if it is not defended tonight. Two Rivers finally says that he will address that situation later tonight by making a big announcement in the ring and then tells Borash to let him pass. Borash asks him one more question – who is in the limosine parked in the arena loading bay area? Two Rivers says that he doesn’t know who anything about a limo parked in the loading bay and then he enters his office. The camera manages to catch a brief glimpse of the International Heavyweight Championship Title sitting on the Commissioner’s desk before the door is shut. What is going on? Has Ric Flair been stripped of the title?
***
VS.
The Acadian Giant vs. The Canadian Earthquake The beginning of this match serves to remind us of just how big both of these wrestlers are. The enormity of the Acadian Giant and the Canadian Earthquake puts two behemoths at a combined weight of around 800 pounds in the ring against each other. They test each other’s strength and then try to knock each other down by backing into the ropes and hammering each other with shoulder blocks, but neither man will come off his feet. Finally, Earthquake throws a punch and that transforms the match into a slobberknocker. They fire back and forth at each other until The Giant gets the Earthquake into the corner. He whips Earthquake across the ring and charges at him, but Earthquake moves out of the way and slams the Giant into the mat with a belly-to-back suplex that shakes the entire ring.
The battle continues with punches, chops, kicks and headbutts. The action spills out to the floor when the Giant clotheslines Earthquake over the top rope. He goes out to get him and they brawl. Earthquake ends up winning the brawl outside of the ring when squashes the Giant into the ringside barricade with a running body splash. Sometime later, back inside the ring, Earthquake seems to be on the verge of winning the match with a bearhug, but the Giant breaks free and clubs him with thunderous forearm smashes to the chest before scooping him up and giving him a bodyslam that shakes the entire ring. The Giant rallies and decides to go for a chokeslam, but Earthquake rakes his eyes to prevent it and then gives him a standing dropkick! When they both get back to their feet, Earthquake ducks a clothesline and gives the Giant an atomic drop and then a bulldog takedown. He follows that up with the Earthquake Splash! 1…2…3! The Canadian Earthquake fells the Acadian Giant and proves himself to be the most fearsome behemoth in Canadian professional wrestling.
Official Decision: The Canadian Earthquake wins by pinfall.
***
This match begins with Batista trying to exert his power advantage early on, but Kurt Angle thwarts his attempts to muscle his way to an early victory by using his Olympic gold medal winning catch skills to stymie The Animal King and keep him on the mat. Whenever Batista manages to power his way to his feet, he tries to escape whatever hold Angle has on him, but fails to do so. Angle is a master technician and it takes a distraction from the Sensational Queen Sherri to give Batista the small window he needs to break free with a low blow and a stiff running big boot to face. Now, Batista takes control of the match, with a variety of powerslams, but Angle kicks out of each of his pinfall attempts. Batista sends Angle into the corner and nails him with a stiff running clothesline. Then, he gives Angle multiple shoulder thrusts to the abdomine before lifting him onto the top turnbuckle and executing a superplex! He pins him. 1…2.. kick out!
Batista picks up Angle and goes for an Irish whip into the ropes, but Angle reverses it and gives Batista an overhead belly-to-belly suplex! Angle is slow to get up, so he is unable to capitalize on the move. Batista strikes him with some fists and whips him into the corner. He charges in and Angle moves out of the way. Batista’s shoulder slams into the turnbuckle post. Now the tables have turned. Batista gets himself out of the corner, but Angle grabs him in a rear waistlock and executes a release German suplex. He pins, but Batista kicks out with ease. Now, Angle goes to work on the shoulder, softening it up some more. Angle applies different shoulder locks and armbars to apply pressure to the shoulder. Batista won’t submit to any of them and after a while, he finds his way to the ropes. Next, Angle attacks with some chops and goes for a whip. Batista reverses it and goes for a clothesline, but Angle ducks it. Angle puts the breaks on and as soon as Batista turns around, he Angle serves him up another overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Batista rolls out to the ring on that one.
Angle won’t wait for him to be counted out. He goes outside to stay on the attack, but Batista uses his strength to whip Angle into the barricade. He also sends Angle crashing into the ring steps. Batista continues to slams Angle into different objects outside of the ring for a while, before sending back in and pinning him. 1…2… kick out! Batista picks up Angle and whips him into the ropes. He gives him a spinebuster! Batista sets up for a spear. As soon as Angle gets to his feet, he charges at him, but Angle counters with a drop toehold transitioned into the Angle Lock! Batista tries to get to the ropes, but Angle pulls him back into the middle of the ring. Finally, Batista turns over and kicks Angle away. Batista struggles to get up, but when he does, he goes for a ride. Angle gives him some rolling German suplexes! Angle finishes off four rolling Germans with a release German suplex, then pulls down his singlet straps and screams out, “Woooo!”
He goes for the Angle Lock again, but Batista is quick to get to the ropes and exit the ring. Angle comes out to the outside and stays on the attack. As he brawls with Batista, Sherri interrupts his progress by slapping him across the face. Angle is not pleased. He stares her down, but then Batista clubs him from behind with a lariat to the back of the neck and then stomps on him. Batista clears off the French play-by-play table and then goes to grab Angle, who pulls off an Angle Slam through the table from out of nowhere! That gets the biggest pop of the night so far.
After Angle recovers, he picks up Batista and rolls him into the ring. As he tries to climb into the ring, Sherri grabs onto his leg and pulls him back down to the floor where she tries to slap him again, but Angle grabs her by the wrist to block. Sherri locks frightened for a moment, but then kicks Angle in the crotch! After that, Miss Elizabeth grabs Sherri by the hair and throws her into the barricade! When she turns around to check on Angle, Batista is standing right there. Uh-oh! Miss Elizabeth looks helplessly frightened, but luckily for her, Batista turns around to see Angle getting up and then takes him down with a spear onto the floor! Batista picks up Angle and takes him into the ring. He gives him the Batista Bomb and covers him. 1…2…3!
After the match, Sherri celebrates with Batista, while Miss Elizabeth checks on Angle. However, before too long, Sherri remembers what Miss Elizabeth did to her and turns her attention to her. Just before she can attack, a groggy Angle gets up to stop it and tells Miss Elizabeth to run away to safety. Miss Elizabeth leaves the ring and Sherri gives chase. Meanwhile, Batista takes out Angle with a big boot and gives him another Batista Bomb!
Official Decision: Batista wins by pinfall.
***
Our backstage camera crew has its sights trained on the long stretch limousine parked in the arena loading bay area. Finally, there is some activity. The limousine door opens and out steps Émile Duprée. It’s only the owner and founder of AGPW. However, riding in a limo doesn’t seem to be his style. As he starts walking away, the back window rolls down and we see the face of a man who has never been seen before in Mash-Up Wrestling. He calls out Duprée’s name and says that he would like him to take his business card and to call him in case anything unfortunate should happen tonight. Who is this man and what is he talking about?
***
VS.
The Vachon Brothers vs. The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers There is a ton heat for this one. The two most famous Québecois wrestling tag teams are throwing down to prove which team is the best – the one that proudly calls Québec home or the one that happily moved to Memphis, Tennessee to become
All American Boys! The Vachons get the early advantage and retain it by using size (Butcher) or tenacity and amateur catch skills (Mad Dog) to keep Jacques away from his corner. However, they can’t keep the Rougeaus down forever. At one point, when Butcher goes for an Irish whip, Jacques reverses it and then hits his picture perfect dropkick to knock Butcher flat on his back. Jacques tags out and Raymond keeps Butcher from tagging out by cutting him off from his corner and giving him a variety of suplexes. Raymond and Jacques make incredibly quick tags to reset the double team count so that for nearly an entire minute it is always 2-on-1. Mad Dog loses his cool and tries to enter the ring, but gets held back by the referee. When his back is turned, the Rougeaus cheat with closed-fist punches, eye rakes and chokeholds. Butcher gets put in an abdominal stretch by Raymond, which Jacques often helps him with. When the referee finally catches Jacques holding his brother’s hand for added leverage, he kicks them apart, and then Butcher takes Raymond over with a hip toss. Raymond quickly gets to his feet and goes for the attack, but Butcher blocks, then punches away at him and drops him with a headbutt. When Raymond gets back up, Butcher kicks him and gives him a DDT. Both men crawl to their corners and tag out.
The Mad Dog comes in and lives up to his name, as he continuously drops Jacques with a tenacious energy with is rarely seen in the ring. Raymond comes in to attack him and goes flying with a big back body drop. Then Jacques gets out. Mad Dog clotheslines Raymond out of the ring and does the same to Jacques. Now, there’s a brawl on both sides of the ring, with the two legal men duking it on one side and Butcher and Raymond fighting on the other side. As the brawl continues, Butcher gets send crashing into the ring steps, knocking half of the unit over. Meanwhile, Jacques gets sent out onto the hard cement floor with a body drop over the guardrail. Mad Dog returns to the ring and while the referee is busy giving Jacques the count, Raymond sneaks into the ring and hits Mad Dog in the back of the head with the ring bell! When Jacques returns to the ring he pins. 1…2… shoulder up! Unbelievable! Jacques tags Raymond. They start setting up for La Bombe de Rougeau, but Butcher climbs onto the turnbuckle and shoves Jacques down to the floor! Raymond lets go of Mad Dog and tries to attack him, but gets a vicious headbutt that puts him out on his feet. As a consequence, Raymond stumbles back into Mad Dog, who turns him around and gives him a sit-out piledriver! He pins. 1…2…3! The Vachon Brothers win and make Québec proud by defeating the team that chose to abandon its roots for America.
Official Decision: The Vachon Brothers win by pinfall.
***
VS. Women’s Championship Match
Charlotte Flair vs. Chyna Charlotte and Chyna begin with a test of strength. Charlotte does alright for a little bit, but Chyna eventually takes her all the way to the mat and pins her shoulders with it for a 1-count. She lets go and drops some elbows on Charlotte to take the early advantage in the match. Chyna relies heavily on an arsenal of power moves. She gives Charlotte a powerslam and a DDT, but she doesn’t win the match with either of these moves. Chyna sends Charlotte into the corner and comes charging in, but Charlotte gets out of the way and then drops Chyna with a big boot to the face. Charlotte picks up Chyna and lays into her with some knife-edge chops. “Woooo!” Chyna fires back with some wicked forearms to the side of the head. Chyna goes for a lariat, but Charlotte does the matrix evasion and then gives Chyna a dropkick. As Chyna is getting up, she executes a swinging neckbreaker and pins her for a 2-count.
Charlotte puts Chyna in a figure four headlock. She holds it for a long while, occasionally turning it over to give her some push-up facebusters. Charlotte squeezes tight and keeps Chyna in this hold for quite some time. However, eventually, Chyna powers her way up to her feet and lifts Charlotte up and into a powerbomb to break the hold. Chyna lifts Charlotte up and executes a gorilla press slam. She pins her for a 2-count. Chyna sits down on Charlotte and gives her several punches to the head. Then, she picks up Charlotte and starts setting up for the Pedigree, but Charlotte counters with a back body drop. When Chyna gets up, Charlotte gives her some chops and then whips her into the ropes. She puts her head down for a back body drop, but Chyna counters with a knee-to-face facebuster and then a lariat. Chyna pins, but still only gets a 2-count. She brings Charlotte up to her feet and whips her into the corner. She charges in and executes a handspring back elbow, then she takes Charlotte out of the corner with a sidewalk slam and hooks the leg. 1…2… kick out! Chyna picks up Charlotte and gives her a hanging vertical suplex and then pins her again. 1…2… kick out! Chyna decides to try something different by turning Charlotte over and putting her in a Boston crab. Charlotte eventually makes it to the ropes to force a rope break.
Moments later, Chyna lays into Charlotte with some forearms and then goes for an Irish whip, but reverses it and then takes Chyna down with a running clothesline. Then, she gives another and another before dropping her with a big boot. Charlotte covers, but Chyna kicks out at two. She picks up Chyna and tries for a vertical suplex, but Chyna reverses it. Charlotte lands on her feet and then executes a neckbreaker. Charlotte climbs the turnbuckle and goes for a moonsault, but Chyna rolls out of the way. They both get up and the same time and Chyna kicks Charlotte in the abdomen. Then, she hooks her arms. Charlotte breaks free and gives Chyna a double-leg takedown, then rolls over into a pin. Chyna kicks out of it. Charlotte backs off and appears to be lining Chyna up for a spear. Chyna starts to get up, sees the set up and then bails out of the ring to reset.
Charlotte doesn’t waste time in going after her, but that proves to be a mistake as Chyna shoves her back into the ring apron and then executes a DDT! Chyna rolls Charlotte into the ring. She covers. 1…2… shoulder up! Chyna can’t believe it. She questions the referee’s count, but then gets back on the attack. She lifts Charlotte onto the top turnbuckle. Chyna is setting up to go for a superplex, but Charlotte blocks and then sends Chyna to the mat with a release front suplex and then she executes a missile dropkick! When Chyna starts to stir, she gives her the Natural Selection and then puts her in the Figure Eight! Chyna can’t reverse it and she’s too far from the ropes. She has no choice but to tap out. Charlotte retains the title and continues her long run atop the AGPW women’s division.
Official Decision: Charlotte Flair wins by submission.
***
VS. North American Tag Team Championship Match
Edge & Christian vs. Bret Hart & Chris Jericho The long anticipated tag team match between Edge & Christian and Bret Hart & Chris Jericho has finally come. It begins with a four man brawl before the bell even rings. The action spills to the outside and it goes back and forth for quite some time until Jericho gives Christian a vertical suplex on the exposed floor in the entrance aisle and saves Hart from the beating he’s receiving from Edge by grabbing him from behind and throwing him into the barricade. Jericho kicks him many times while he’s down. Hart recovers and joins in. Jericho takes the ring steps apart and lifts a portion of them into the air. Hart picks up Edge and whips him into the steps that Jericho is holding. Then he drops them on top of Edge. Hart enters the ring and exchanges words with the crowd as they boo him. While he’s busy pissing off the fans, Christian climbs a turnbuckle unseen. At the right moment, he flies off of it and takes Hart down with a diving cross body. He holds it firm into a lateral press, but the referee doesn’t count as the match has yet to start.
Finally, the bell rings and Christian attacks Hart with a series of right hands. He goes for a whip, but Hart reverses it and gives him a big back body drop. Hart runs to the ropes and takes Christian down again with a Hart Attack clothesline. He pins, but Christian kicks out. Hart tags out, then gives Christian an arm ringer. Jericho climbs the top rope and gives him a diving double axehandle smash to the arm and shoulder. Jericho runs to the ropes and catches Christian in the face with a spinning heel kick. He picks him up and executes an inverted suplex and then pins him for a 2-count. Jericho tags in Hart, then he gives Christian a backbreaker and Hart gives him a diving pointed elbow drop from the second rope. He pins. 1…2… kick out. Hart slows down the pace with some holds. The next few minutes sees Hart and Jericho apply a variety of holds to wear Christian down. Meanwhile, Edge is still selling the effects of getting rammed hard by the ring steps a few times. Jericho picks things up by whipped Christian hard into the corner, then bouncing off of the nearby ropes and giving him a one-handed bulldog. Then, he executes a lionsault and covers. 1…2… shoulder up! Jericho tags in Hart and he heads into his end game offence. Inverted atomic drop, clothesline; pendulum backbreaker; side Russian legsweep; pin for a 2-count. He gives Christian a diving pointed elbow drop and then puts him in the Sharpshooter.
Finally, Edge is conscious again, and he breaks up the Sharpshooter in dramatic fashion by sliding into the ring and giving Hart a spear! Jericho comes charging at Edge and receives a spinebuster. Edge picks up Jericho and tosses him over the ropes, out to the floor. Edge goes to his corner and waits for a hot tag. Christian drags himself over and makes the tag. Edge hops over the ropes and takes Hart down with a spinning heel kick. He attacks with a series of punches, whips him into the ropes and gives him a big boot. Jericho charges at him and gets a falling flapjack. As Hart gets up, Edge approaches from behind, lifts him onto his shoulders and executes an electric chair facebuster drop. Then, he clotheslines Jericho out to the floor. As Hart starts to get up, Edge grabs him and gives him an implant DDT! He pins. 1…2… kick out! Edge tags Christian, then grabs Hart and gives him a Russian legsweep while Christian climbs the turnbuckle. He executes a frog splash. 1…2… Jericho pulls Christian out of the ring and knocks him down with a step-up enzuigiri kick, but then he gets taken out with a diving somersault seated senton off of the ring apron from Edge.
When Christian finally gets up and comes back into the ring, he goes to pick up Hart, but he was just playing possum. Hart pulls him into a small package. 1…2… kick out! Back to their feet, Hart misses a clothesline. Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Hart shoves him chest first into the turnbuckle and then gives him a side belly-to-back suplex. Hart puts Christian in the Sharpshooter. Edge tries to climb into the ring, but Jericho grabs onto his leg and prevents him from getting in. Edge and Jericho duke it out, while Christian uses the last bit of his energy to scrape and crawl his way to the ropes. Hart nearly gets disqualified for holding onto the hold for too long. Meanwhile, Edge has just knocked over Jericho. Hart goes over to the side of the ring and spits on him. Edge loses it and tries to get into the ring, but the referee blocks his path and holds him back. Hart uses the distraction to pull Christian away from the ropes, into the center of the ring and reapply the Sharpshooter! Christian has nowhere to go. He tries to power out, but can’t. As soon as Jericho pulls Edge off of the ring apron and gives him a Codebreaker, the referee turns around to find Christian tapping out. He calls for the bell and we have new North American Tag Team Champions!
Official Decision: Bret Hart & Chris Jericho win by submission.
***
AGPW Commissioner Billy Two Rivers comes down to the ring with the International Heavyweight Championship title belt. He makes an announcement that is extremely unpopular – that being that “Nature Boy” Ric Flair is not in the building tonight. In fact, Flair isn’t in the city, the province, or even the country. The rumours of his absence from tonight’s event and AGPW’s inability to follow through on its heavily promoted main event for tonight’s show are true. There will not be an International Heavyweight Championship match between Flair and Cesaro tonight.
So why does Two Rivers have the title. Due to Flair’s inability to defend the title tonight and because his absence is not due to an injury, the Commissioner has been forced to strip him of the title effectively immediately. This decision is unpopular, but the announcement that there will be a new International Heavyweight Champion crowned tonight is cheered by the fans. Two Rivers says that Cesaro will still have the opportunity to walk out of Winter Warfare as the new International Heavyweight Champion.
Just then, Prince Nana and Rusev come out and interrupt the proceedings. They lay out their argument for why the Commissioner had better include Rusev in the title match, which includes references to him being the Canada Cup winner and the unjust decision to force Rusev to defend his title match contract, among other things. The Commissioner is clearly annoyed, but lets them say their bit before telling them that it was a colossal waste of time because he was going to say that Cesaro’s opponent would in fact be Rusev and the winner would be crowned the new International Heavyweight Champion!
***
VS. International Heavyweight Championship Match
Rusev vs. Cesaro The match begins with a brawl. Both guys slug it out and when it seems like one of them has the advantage, suddenly, the other one takes it back. This continues unabated until Rusev throws some headbutts as him and then gives him a standing dropkick to knock him through the ropes and onto the floor. Rusev goes to the outside and sends Cesaro crashing into the barricade with an Irish whip. Then he charges at him and gives him a cross body that knocks a section of the barricade over. After a brief delay, Rusev picks up Cesaro and rolls him into the ring. He covers for a 2-count. Rusev picks up Cesaro and gives him some more headbutts and then executes a vertical suplex. He runs to the ropes and comes back to execute a splash and then hooks the leg. 1…2… kick out! Rusev puts a headlock on him. Cesaro works his way up to his feet and breaks it with some elbows to the midsection. He runs to the ropes, but Rusev takes him down again with a spinning heel kick. Rusev covers, but Cesaro kicks out. Rusev picks up Cesaro and throws him out of the ring. Then, he does a running senton bomb from the ring apron to the floor! Rusev sends Cesaro back inside and pins him. 1…2… shoulder up. Rusev can’t believe it.
Next, Rusev bodyslams him and goes up to the top rope. He goes for a splash, but Cesaro rolls out of the way. Both men get to their feet at the same time. Rusev goes for a running side kick, but Cesaro steps out of the way and then shoves Rusev into the turnbuckles. Cesaro goes in and gives him multiple European uppercuts. Cesaro gives Rusev a cross-corner whip and follows in with a running clothesline and then takes Rusev out of the corner with a running bulldog. He pins him for a 2-count. Cesaro climbs the turnbuckle and when Rusev gets back to his feet, he takes him down with a diving European uppercut. Cesaro grabs Rusev by the legs, but the Bulgarian Brute fights him off and gets to the ropes. Rusev gets up and sees Cesaro coming at him. He goes for a back body drop over the ropes, but Cesaro lands on the ring apron. Cesaro grabs Rusev and attempts a vertical suplex, but Rusev manages to counter it. He runs to the ropes and goes for a senton bomb, but Cesaro rolls out of the way. Back on their feet, Cesaro hits Rusev with some European uppercuts and goes for a whip. Rusev reverses it and then Cesaro executes a springboard spinning European uppercut. He goes for the cover. 1…2.. kick out. Cesaro picks up Rusev and whips Rusev into the ropes, but he comes back and hits him with a jumping shoulder block. When they both get to their feet, Rusev tackles Cesaro and drives him back into the turnbuckle. He kicks him repeatedly and then lifts him onto the top turnbuckle. Then battle on the top rope, but finally Cesaro wins the fight and executes a sunset flip powerbomb off of the top rope. 1…2… kick out!
Cesaro signals that he’s ready to finish it. He grabs Rusev and pulls him into the set up for the Neutralizer, but Rusev counters with a back body drop. When Cesaro gets back up, Rusev gives him a standing side kick and then pins. 1…2… kick out! Rusev looks at Prince Nana on the outside and he tells him to end it. Rusev turns Cesaro over, stomps on his lower back and tries to put him in the Accolade, but Cesaro crawls out the back and then gives Rusev a standing dropkick. Cesaro grabs Rusev by the legs and sends him swinging. Then, he drops him and applies the sharpshooter. Rusev appears to be on the verge of tapping out when he finally crawls to the ropes. After he gets up, Cesaro gives him a few European uppercuts and then goes for an Irish whip. Rusev reverses it and executes a Samoan drop. He hooks the leg. 1…2… shoulder up! Rusev picks up Cesaro and gives him his own finisher, the Neutralizer! 1…2… shoulder up! Rusev argues with the referee. Prince Nana gets on the ring apron and gets into the argument. He draws the referee’s attention as Rusev goes away and unties a turnbuckle pad. When Rusev comes to grab Cesaro, he is met with some European uppercuts, but then he gives him some headbutts and goes for an Irish whip. Cesaro reverses it, but Rusev stops short of hitting the turnbuckle. Cesaro comes over and Rusev gives him a back kick and then knocks him over and tries to catapult Cesaro into the exposed turnbuckle, but Cesaro blocks and lands on the second rope. He turns around and takes Rusev down with a jumping tornado DDT! Cesaro goes to pick up Rusev, but Prince Nana gets on the turnbuckle. Cesaro goes over and knocks him off. He turns around and Rusev attempts a jumping side kick, but Cesaro avoids it and hits him with a stiff European uppercut and pulls him in for the Neutralizer. He nails it! He covers. 1…2…3! Cesaro does it! He wins and becomes the new International Heavyweight Champion!
Official Decision: Cesaro wins by pinfall.
***
This has been a presentation of
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