Post by Slade on Apr 2, 2021 11:15:48 GMT -5
Date: March 12, 2021
From: Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia
Commentary Team: Michael Cole and Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
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RHEA RIPLEY vs. LIV MORGAN vs. JAZZ : Jazz was ragdolling Liv Morgan in the corner until Rhea Ripley hit her with a running dropkick to the back. Ripley tossed Jazz out of the ring and turned her focus on Morgan, who gave her a hurricanrana. Morgan charged at Ripley but received a flapjack and then the Riptide. Jazz came back into the ring and Ripley blasted her in the face with a big boot and then nailed her with a discus clothesline. She gave Jazz the Riptide and then applied the Prism Trap to force Jazz to submit. (10:08) -- Winner: Rhea Ripley
We find Ricky Steamboat and Daniel Bryan backstage. Steamboat congratulates Bryan on winning his Intercontinental Championship tournament match and Bryan wishes Steamboat good luck on his match. They slap hands and Steamboat heads off to go to his match with Bryan looking on. A moment later, Elias happens by and tells Bryan that luck won’t get him through to the next round, and if Bryan was smart, he’d stop paling around with Steamboat and start walking with Elias.
RICKY STEAMBOAT vs. ELIAS : Elias went for a diving elbow drop but missed. Steamboat rallied after that with a series of arm drags, picture perfect dropkicks, a back body drop, and a high-angle belly-to-back suplex. He went to the top rope and executed the diving crossbody and held it for a lateral press to get the win and advance to the second round of the WWE Intercontinental Championship tournament. (5:35) -- Winner: Ricky Steamboat
THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON vs. BEER MONEY INC. : Bobby Roode countered an Irish whip attempt from The Miz and executed a spinebuster on him. He crawled towards his corner to make a tag when James Storm had his feet pulled out from under him, smacking his face off the ring apron. Rowdy Roddy Piper had hoped the barricade and pulled him down. Then, he threw him head first into the barricade before hoping back over the guardrail. Roode, who was in desperate need of a tag, was left to fend for himself. It didn’t go too well for him. He tried to attack John Morrison but ended up on the receiving end of a moonlight drive. He made a quick tag to The Miz, who came in and executed a Skull-Crushing Finale and pinned Roode to get the 3-count and the win. (12:38) -- Winners: The Miz & John Morrison
Mean Gene Okerlund interviewed Jim Cornette and his World’s Best stable, including Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin, and Charlie Haas. Cornette told Mean Gene that he was looking at the next WWE Intercontinental Champion and WWE Tag Team Champions. He also said that he saw the interview Mean Gene did with Keith Lee. He said that Keith Lee must have a one too many screws knocked loose to want to step back into the ring with the World’s Strongest Man. Mark Henry said that Lee is a special kind of idiot. No man asks to be inducted into the Hall of Pain once, let alone twice. However, if he wants it, he’ll get it – but it’ll be the last time. He’ll make sure of that.
BAM BAM BIGELOW vs. MARK HENRY : It was a hard-hitting affair full of big displays of power. Jim Cornette joined commentary and advised Keith Lee to stay at home because if he tries to come back, Cornette doesn’t think he could stop Mark Henry from doing something that would permanently end his career and take twenty years off his life. A brawl around ringside saw both men crashing into the barricades and ring steps. Back inside the ring, the Beast from the East fought his way out of a bearhug and gave Henry enzuigiri and superkicks before knocking him down with a leaping shoulder tackle. After a running senton, Bigelow went to the top rope to attempt a Bam Bam Sault, but Henry rolled out of the way. When they got up, Henry scooped up Bigelow and gave him the World’s Strongest Slam to secure the win. (7:10) -- Winner: Mark Henry
Mean Gene started an interview with Rhea Ripley, asking her how it felt to win her match earlier tonight and qualify for the semifinals of the WWE Women’s Championship tournament. She barely got a few words out when Nikki Bella interrupted, complaining that she should be interviewed about making it to the semifinals because she is the face of the WWE women’s division. Bayley showed up to claim that it should have been her that was selected by Mean Gene as she is a Golden Role Model, and it is her voice that should be the one that all young girls watching at home hears. Bianca Belair showed up and said that they were all wrong. She is the fastest, strongest, smartest, etc., so she should be the one getting this time with Mean Gene. An argument broke out between the women, and when the words turned to pushing and shoving and then punching, Ripley, who had been standing back, looked at Mean Gene, shrugged, and started throwing down, laying some stiff blows in on everyone until officials were able to separate them all.
JOHN CENA vs. ROMAN REIGNS : Hulk Hogan joined Michael Cole and Tony Schiavone on commentary for this match, which upset Paul Heyman so much that he too joined commentary for a few minutes to argue with the Hulkster and to remind him that he pledged to stay far away from the action and not to get involved in this match, calling him low-down dirty liar in the process. Hogan insisted he was only there to get a front row seat and to find out who his opponent would be at Wrestlemania.
The match progressed slowly for the first several minutes. They eventually picked up the pace, putting their power full on display. The match was evenly contested. When Cena got the upperhand, it was not long until Reigns found a way to break his momentum and take it from him. Conversely, Reigns couldn't keep it for very long before Cena took it right back. Both superstars had to dig down deep into their bag of tricks to pull out rarely seen maneuvers such as a John Cena hurricanrana and an emarald flowsion, and a Roman Reigns tornado bulldog and Samoan drop from the second turnbuckle. In the late stages of the contest, Cena executed the Attitude Adjustment and Reigns hit Cena with a spear, but neither move secured a 3-count.
As they passed the 20-minute mark, nothing either superstar had done was good enough to keep the other one down for three seconds. A second spear by Reigns didn't do the trick. Getting desperate, Reigns decided to climb the turnbuckles to try something new. Cena cut him off, put him on his shoulders and executed an Attitude Adjustment from the second rope. Reigns kicked out. Cena turned him over and put him in the STF. Reigns refused to quit. He was in the hold for what seemed like half a minute before he got to the ropes to force a break.
Reigns fled to the outside. Cena followed him out. There, Reigns turned the tide with an Irish whip reversal that sent Cena into the steel steps. Reigns came over to the commentary table and started clearing things off it. While Cole and Schiavone got up and backed away, Hogan got up and stood in the way. Reigns became indignant and he struck Hogan in the face so loud it could be heard throughout the arena. Hogan attempted to retaliate, but Reigns ducked and Hogan's fist hit Cena. Reigns shoved Hogan into Cena and then knocked Hogan down with a superman punch. Reigns picked up Cena and prepared to powerbomb him through the table, but Cena gave him a back body drop on the floor. He Hogan was back up and Cena saw him and they began to argue. The argument ended with Cena putting Hogan through the table with an Attitude Adjustment. When he got up, Reigns put Cena through the barricade into the timekeeper's position with a spear!
Going back into the ring, Reigns gave Cena a sit-out crucifix powerbomb, yet Cena somehow managed to get a shoulder up. Reigns gave him two more spears for good measure before pinning him again. 1...2...3! Roman Reigns defeated John Cena and took his WWE Universal Championship title shot at Wrestlemania from him. (25:35) -- Winner: Roman Reigns
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