Live from MetLife Stadium in
East Rutherford, New JerseySaturday, April 3, 2021Commentary Team: Michael Cole and Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
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WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS MATCH : HARLEM HEAT vs. THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON : In a bout to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions, Booker T and Stevie Ray took charge in the early going, but a crafty lie that Stevie Ray made an illegal tag, allowed The Miz & Morrison to double-team Booker T and take control of the match. They worked him over for several minutes until The Miz tried to go for a Skull-Crushing Finale. Booker T slipped free and knocked The Miz down with a leaping roundhouse kick. He tagged out to his older brother, who came into the match serving up an arsenal of big power maneuvers on both The Miz and Morrison. Now, Harlem Heat looked ready to finish the match. Stevie Ray tagged Booker before lifting The Miz onto his shoulders into the electric chair position. JoMo came in and delivered a chop block to the back of Stevie Ray’s left knee. Then, he and The Miz took Booker T to the mat with a double superplex. The Miz tagged out and JoMo executed the Moonlight Driver on Booker T. After giving Stevie Ray a superkick, he took him into the corner and went for Starship Pain, but Stevie Ray put his knees up. Stevie made the hot tag. Booker T delivered a variety of kicks to The Miz and JoMo. After he gave The Miz an axe kick and did the Spinaroonie, he tagged Stevie Ray, who gave JoMo a spinebuster and then threw him out of the ring. Not long after, Booker T and Stevie Ray executed the Towering Inferno on The Miz. Stevie Ray made the cover. 1…2…3! The winners and the first WWE Tag Team Champions were the Harlem Heat! (13:27) --
Winners: Harlem Heat
RUBY RIOTT vs. BAYLEY : Bayley shoved Liv Morgan into the steps, causing Sarah Logan to chase her around the ring. The referee had to stop Logan from getting her hands on Bayley, who used the distraction to bring a chair into the ring. She tried to hit Riott with it, but she did a somersault evasion and knocked the chair out of her hands with a superkick. She followed that up with a Riott Kick and pinned the Golden Role Model for the 1-2-3! (6:31)
AJ STYLES vs. EDDIE GUERRERO : Throughout most of this match, Styles focused much of his attack on Guerrero’s right leg, while Guerrero tried to wear down the left arm and shoulder of Styles. Styles executed an ushigoroshi and covered for a 2-count. He decided to attempt the Styles Clash. He couldn’t hook Guerrero’s arms behind his feet as he wiggled around to defend himself. Styles tried lifting Guerrero up, maybe to go for a powerbomb, but Guerrero went over top and down his backside, bringing him to the mat with a sunset flip. Styles rolled through and gave him a basement dropkick and then executed a springboard 450-splash. 1…2… kick out!
Styles again tried to set up Guerrero for a Styles Clash, but Guerrero managed to pull Styles to the mat into a cross armbreaker. Styles made it to the ropes to break the hold. Guerrero whipped Styles into the ropes and gave him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and pinned for two. He picked up Styles and gave him the Three Amigos. Guerrero climbed the turnbuckle, but Styles tripped him up and gave him a frankensteiner. Styles went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Guerrero dropkicked him out of the air. He covered for a 2-count and went back up the turnbuckle. This time he went for the frog splash. Styles put his knees up and then put Guerrero in the Calf Crusher. Guerrero appeared to be in on the verge of tapping out, but stopped short and used up some energy reserves to drag himself to the ropes.
Once freed from the hold, Guerrero went out to the floor and limped away. He grabbed a chair from the timekeeper’s position and slide it clear across the ring. With the referee’s back turned, Guerrero slid into the ring and pulled some brass knuckles out from his tights. He put them on and went for a knockout blow. Styles ducked it and got him with a Pele kick. Styles picked up Guerrero and began to set him up for the Styles Clash. As he did, Guerrero sneakily stuffed the brass knuckles into one of Styles’ knee pads. Styles executed the Styles Clash! He made the cover. 1…2…3!
After Styles had his hand raised, Guerrero started acting like his jaw hurt and told the referee he’d been hit with brassknuckles when his back was turned. He told him to check Styles for the knuckles. The referee confronted Styles and pat him down. He found the brass knuckles under his knee pad. Styles said he didn’t know how those got there. The referee left the ring and spoke to Howard Finkel, who then announced that the referee’s decision had been reversed and Eddie Guerrero was now the winner by disqualification. (22:36) --
Winner: Eddie Guerrero
WWE UNIVERSAL WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH : BIANCA BELAIR vs. RHEA RIPLEY : These two women were brawling outside the ring when Ripley tried to whip Belair into the steps, but it was countered and she slammed into the steps. Belair grabbed Ripley, but get an eye rack and was then thrown into the barricade when Ripley grabbed her long braid and swung her violently. Ripley picked up Belair and tried to clothesline her over the barricade, but Belair ducked and dropped Ripley across the top of it with a belly-to-back suplex.
Belair sent Ripley back into the ring and hit her with a missile dropkick and pinned her for a 2-count. She showed off her great strength by lifting Ripley into a military press and dropping her to the mat after a few seconds. She then performed a standing moonsault and covered her for another 2-count. Belair picked up Ripley and whipped her into the corner. She charged at Ripley, who got a boot up and then a discus lariat to take Belair down. Ripley picked up Belair and gave her a buckle bomb and then a running big boot to drop her hard to the mat. Ripley covered her for a 2-count. She then put Belair in the Prism Trap. Belair struggled to reach the ropes but used her strength and athleticism to push up into a wheelbarrow motion and flip out of the hold. Ripley was flung into the turnbuckles. Belair got up and did a matrix evasion to avoid a running lariat and then nailed Ripley with a spear. She pinned her. 1…2… kick out!
Belair couldn’t believe it. She didn’t waste too much time though and dragged Ripley towards the corner. She went to the top turnbuckle and attempted a 450-degree splash, but Ripley got out of the way. When Belair got to her feet, Ripley surprised her with a leaping bulldog takedown. She picked up Belair and gave her a sitout powerbomb. 1…2… kick out! Ripley went for the Rip Tide, but Belair snuck out from behind and gave her a glam slam. She covered, but Ripley kicked out. Belair lifted Ripley into a torture rack to set up for the K.O.D., but Ripley elbowed her in the face to break free. Ripley waited for Belair to turn around before giving her a hesitation dropkick that sent her into the turnbuckle. Then she executed the Rip Tide! 1…2…3! With the win, Ripley became the first WWE Universal Women’s Champion. (16:53) --
Winner: Rhea Ripley
WAR GAMES: THE HART FOUNDATION vs. THE INNER CIRCLE : The Inner Circle won a ceremonial coin toss during the Wrestlemania kickoff show and opted to choose the first entry into the structure so as never to be at a numbers disadvantage. Sammy Guevara and Owen Hart started the match. Five minutes later, Santana entered the ring to give the Inner Circle a 2-on-1 advantage. At the ten-minute mark, Brian Pillman entered the structure to even out the sides. Fifteen minutes into the match, Chris Jericho came in give his team the advantage. Five minutes later, Bret “The Hitman” Hart entered the ring and targeted Jericho. At the twenty-five-minute mark, big Jake Hager came in and threw everyone around the ring with suplexes. Half-an-hour after the war began, it was Davey Boy Smith who joined the match to make it a 4-on-4 contest. At the thirty-five-minute mark, Ortiz entered the ring to give the Inner Circle a 5-on-4 advantage. When he came in, he brought some steal chairs and kendo stick with him and the Inner Circle teed off on the Hart Foundation. Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart was enraged. He was like a caged animal waiting to break free from his cell and as soon as the buzzer sounded to indicate 40-minutes had passed, he flew in and delivered devastating dropkicks, punishing clotheslines, and powerful spinebusters, powerslams, and sidewalk slams. With Neidhart in the ring, the match was official under way and could then end by pinfall or submission at any moment.
Neidhart was the great equalizer but his momentum was stalled when he charged at Hager, who caught him and executed a devastating high-angle belly-to-belly suplex. Hager gave him the Hager Bomb and then applied the ankle lock. Neidhart looked to be on the verge of tapping out until Pillman freed him by executing Air Pillman on Hager. Pillman picked up Hager and launched him into the cage and then pulled his arm over the ropes and applied a hanging cross armbreaker to him. Hager was in a bad way, but he was saved by Ortiz, who hit Pillman across the chest with a steel chair. Ortiz and Santana gave Pillman the Street Sweeper onto a bed of steel chairs to effectively take him out. Owen Hart blasted Santana with a leg-feed enzuigiri kick. Ortiz took Hart down with a clothesline and then went to climb the turnbuckles. Hart got up and fought with him up on the top rope in the corner. After he slammed Ortiz’s face into the cage a few times and then knocked him down, Hart climbed to the top of the cage and went for a moonsault. Ortiz rolled out of harm’s way and Hart hit the mat hard. Ortiz went for the pin, but Smith made the save. Smith gave Ortiz a running powerslam onto the bed of chairs and pinned him, but Jericho broke it up.
Jericho, Guevara, Smith and Bret Hart were engaged in a 2-on-2 battle in one ring while everyone else was knocked out in the other. Jericho knocked Smith out with the Judas Effect, but he couldn’t pin him as Hart gave him a bridging German suplex and got a 2-count on it. Guevara gave a tornado DDT and then decided to go to the top turnbuckle. Smith got up and lunged into the ropes to crotch Guevara on the top turnbuckle. Smith climbed the turnbuckle and fought with Guevara. Guevara thumbed him in the eye, and Smith lost his balance. As he wavered, Jericho grabbed his free limb and pulled him down from the second turnbuckle into a codebreaker. He ran to the ropes to try for a lionsault, but The Hitman ran up behind him. As Jericho hit the middle rope, Hart dropkicked him in the buttocks, sending Jericho face-first into the cage! As Hart was stomping on Jericho and grinding his flesh into the cage, Guevara decided to climb to the top of the cage. He looked down on Smith and leapt off the top, performing a shooting star press with two revolutions! He landed it! Guevara made the pin. 1…2… The Hitman made the save and after giving Guevara a pendulum backbreaker, he put him in the Sharpshooter. Guevara appeared on the verge of tapping out when Jericho got up and ran at The Hitman as he spun and threw his elbow out, The Anvil hit him with a pounce! Jericho went flying across the ring and Guevara had no choice but to tap out. (49:11) --
Winners: The Hart Foundation
ELIAS vs. WALTER : Elias came out and asked who wanted to walk with Elias? There was an overwhelmingly positive response. Elias played a song about how he deserved to have a Wrestlemania moment and that the fans demanded it. He made an open challenge that was surprisingly answered by NXT Championship WALTER. He came to the ring flanked by Imperium. He said that an event named Wrestlemania should be about wrestling, not singy-songy bullshit and said that he would teach Elias a wrestling lesson. WALTER pummeled Elias with chops, forearms, lariats, kicks, and stomps. He worked stiff. He punished Elias. However, when he went for a powerbomb, Elias countered with a sit-out facebuster. Elias mounted a comeback and went to the top rope. WALTER got up, tripped him up, climbed the turnbuckle and gave him a super belly-to-belly suplex. He climbed up to the top rope and gave Elias a splash and made the pin to get the win. (6:05) –
Winner: WALTER
MUW MEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: SAMOA JOE vs. TRIPLE H : This match was a battle between two slow and methodical combatants who took their time to execute their game plans. That said, neither the champion nor the challenger was opposed to picking up the pace when it came time to put their fists and do a bit of brawling. Samoa Joe focused his attack on the front and back of Triple H’s torso, while Triple H concentrated on the head, neck, and shoulders of Joe. Just Monday, he gave Joe a shot to the throat with a sledgehammer, sending him to the hospital, and that factor came into play when Triple H ducked a clothesline and executed a running neckbreaker. From there, he applied holds and executed a variety of moves focused on weakening the champion’s neck. Joe looked more vulnerable than he had at any point during his title reign. Even so, you mounted a comeback that put Triple H in jeopardy of failing at his bid to end Joe’s title reign.
After getting out of the corner to avoid a running attack, Joe lit into Triple H’s chest with some knife-edge chops and open-palm strikes before giving him a CCS enzuigiri. He put Triple H up on the turnbuckle, but The Game swatted him away and gave him a boot to the face to create separation. Triple H got down from the corner and tried to hit Joe with a fist, but he was giving an exploder suplex instead. Joe gave Triple H an inverted atomic drop and ran to the ropes. Triple H anticipated it and struck with a Double-A style spinebuster. He covered the champion for a 2-count. Triple H mounted Joe and gave him some closed-fist punches. He stopped when he was warned that he would be disqualified. Then, he put Joe in an Indian deathlock. Joe wouldn’t give up. He used his strength to crawl to the ropes and force a break. When he got back up, Triple H tried to whip him into the ropes, but he reserved it and then took him down with a running single-leg dropkick. He gave Triple H a running senton and then pinned him for a 2-count. Next, he picked up Triple H and gave him a folding powerbomb. He held a jacknife cover. As Triple H got his shoulder up, Joe turned him over into a single-leg crab. As Triple H started to crawl to the ropes, he transitioned from the crab into a STF. It took him some time, but Triple H got to the ropes.
When Triple H was back to his feet, Joe came in for the attack, but Triple H racked his eyes and then pulled him down to the mat into an arm-trap crossface. He really pulled back on Joe’s neck. Joe made it to the ropes, but not without considerable effort. As Joe got to his feet, Triple H chop blocked him. He did it twice more before going for a figure-four. Joe kicked Triple H away. As he was trying to make it to his feet, Triple H gave him his patented face-to-knee attack followed by a lariat to knock him back down. Then, he applied the figure-four leglock. Joe eventually turned it over. Triple H tried to turn it back over, but Joe kept him moving right back to an inverted figure-four position. Triple H got to the ropes and then crawled out. Joe hit him with a topé suicida. He picked up Triple H and press dropped him over the barricade. He tried to take him back to the ring, but Triple H put a foot up on the edge of the ring apron and then drove an eblow back into Joe’s throat. He slammed Joe’s face off the steel steps and then whipped him into the barricade. Triple H started clearing off the commentary table. He went to grab Joe, who gave him a snap suplex on the floor. Joe picked up Triple H and rolled him into the ring.
Triple H crawled out the other side. Joe went for another topé suicida but Triple H defended himself with sledgehammer. His use of the sledgehammer went unseen by the referee, and when he fell down, he tossed the weapon under the ring apron. Joe was gasping for air. Triple H smelled blood. He struck Joe in the back of the neck with his forearm and sent him back into the ring. Joe crawled away to the ropes, but Triple H attacked him. He gave him a catapult motion under the ropes and Joe’s throat hit the bottom rope hard. Triple H pulled Joe into the center of the ring and after burying a knee into his mid-section set him up for a Pedigree. Joe freed his arms and gave him a back body drop. Still, he was on the defensive. Triple H attacked and whipped him into the corner. He charged in but got a St. Joe ura-nage slam as a counter. Still gasping for air, Joe grabbed Triple in a full-nelson and gave him a snap dragon suplex into the bottom turnbuckle. He put Triple H onto the top turnbuckle to set him up for the finish. Triple H tried to fight him off, but Joe fought back and then pulled Triple H off the turnbuckle and executed the Musclebuster! He covered. 1…2…3! (31:14) --
Winner: Samoa Joe
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