Post by Slade on Jun 24, 2021 9:32:05 GMT -5
Date: May 31, 2021
From: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio
Commentary Team: Michael Cole and Tony Schiavone
Backstage Reporting & Interviews: “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
***
Vince McMahon made an appearance at the top of the show to say that he was upset with what happened last week. He was upset that a man he banned from WWE appeared on the show to attack a WWE superstar, namely, Triple H. He was also upset that a lot of NXT talent has seemingly invaded his show. In his view, there was one man who has to answer for all this – one man to blame – and that was Triple H. He ordered him to come to the ring and he did. Vince asked Triple H what the meaning was for all of it. What did he have to say for himself? Triple H said he was as surprised as Vince. He said he had nothing to do with it; that NXT was done and dead. Vince said that they clearly didn’t get the memo, and since he was the man in charge of NXT, he was responsible. Now, they are all over his show competing in matches when they clearly don’t belong. Vince wanted them all gone after this week and told Triple H it was his responsibility to get rid of them. And if he cannot get these not ready for primetime wannabe superstars to go away, he would never again get a chance to win another championship.
RICKY STEAMBOAT vs. “THE BASTARD” PAC : WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricky Steamboat countered a dragonrana attempt from the NXT stand-out with a sit-out powerbomb before going to the top rope and executing the diving crossbody. Steamboat didn’t stick the landing and PAC popped up to execute a cutter. He went for the Black Arrow, but Steamboat rolled out of the way. He popped onto the turnbuckles and dove onto PAC’s shoulders to take him down into a victory roll for the win. (10:19) -- Winner by Pinfall: Ricky Steamboat
Showing himself to be a true bastard, PAC attacked Steamboat after the match. Steamboat’s friend Daniel Bryan came to his rescue, knocking out PAC with a running high knee. Bryan and Steamboat shook hands and then Bryan told Steamboat he wanted a Wrestlemania rematch at Hell in a Cell. Before Steamboat could accept, Eddie Guerrero came out to object and say that Latino Heat should be considered the number one contender. Steamboat said they were both great competitors and proposed they have a match next week to decide who will challenge him for the title at Hell in a Cell.
“Mean” Gene was backstage with “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase to get his thoughts on tonight’s main event Leather Strap Match between his stablemate John Bradshaw Layfield and Rowdy Roddy Piper. DiBiase said that no one in WWE was as tough as JBL and tonight, JBL will brutalize Piper until his carcass looks like raw meat.
MICKIE JAMES vs. BRIE BELLA : Mickie James gave Brie Bella a Mick Kick and pinned her for the win. After getting the win, James pointed at Nikki Bella who was on commentary and said she was next. (3:50) -- Winner by Pinfall: Mickie James
LUCHA BROTHERS vs. WORLD’S GREATEST TAG TEAM : In a match that received a gratuitous amount of “THIS IS AWESOME!” chanting, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas gave Rey Fénix a leapfrog stun gun followed by a superkick into a bridging German suplex combo. While this was happening, a large man jumped over the barricade and pulled Penta off the ring apron. He gave him a high-angle side slam into the side of the ring steps to knock him as the referee counted the pinfall to three. (14:16) -- Winners by Pinfall: World’s Greatest Tag Team
“Mean” Gene was backstage with AJ Styles to get his thoughts on the NXT superstars who have wrestled so far tonight. Styles said that they were all impressive, but as you could clearly see, the WWE superstars were a cut above them. When asked whether there was anyone in NXT he thought could beat him, Styles said some could challenge him, but none could beat the Phenomenal One. That’s when Pete Dunne entered the picture and asked if that was a fact before saying that he bet he could beat him. Styles asked if that was a fact before telling him to meet him in the ring next week and prove it.
RIOTT SQUAD vs. TENILLE DASHWOOD & THE IICONICS : Tenille Dashwood executed the Spotlight Kick on Liv Morgan and pinned her to get the win for her team. WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley came out on the entrance stage and said she wanted to take on Dashwood, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay. Dashwood grabbed a mic and said that she would gladly face Ripley. She also said she wants to prove that NXT Champions are better than WWE Champions and so she challenged Rhea Ripley to put her title on the line. Ripley told Dashwood she would defend her title, and challenged her to do the same. Dashwood accepted the challenge. At Hell in a Cell both belts will be on the line. (8:26) -- Winners by Pinfall: Tenille Dashwood & The IIconics
Kevin Owens makes an unscheduled appearance. He enters the ring and takes a microphone to explain why he attacked Triple H last week. People think it was unprovoked but the truth is that he was provoked. He was provoked when Triple H chose to prioritize his fledgling in-ring career over running NXT. He said that Triple H could have been a great leader of a new brand with a new way of doing things, but he wanted to have it both ways, and when he failed to win the Mash-Up Wrestling World Championship at Wrestlemania and then failed to get back in the ring for several weeks after, he came to realize that the demands were too many and so he decided to close down NXT. So, you see, he was provoked because shutting down NXT affects Owens’ livelihood, as well as those of everyone else in NXT. They aren’t going to stand for it, so Owens is going to keep showing up and making life difficult for Triple H, and the rest of NXT is going to keep showing up and disrupting Monday Night RAW until they TAKEOVER!
BRET “THE HITMAN” HART vs. ELIAS : Paul Heyman joined commentary for this match, to talk up his client, the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and talk down his challenger at Hell in a Cell, Bret “The Hitman” Hart. In spite of his protestation that Hart is the best there is, was or ever will be, and the title in fact belongs to Roman Reigns, we witnessed Hart execute his game plan with excellent. Hart made short work of Elias, putting him in the Sharpshooter and making him tap out for the win. Afterwards, Hart left the ring and stood in front of the commentary table. He told Heyman to deliver a message to his client – that what happened to Elias will happen to him at Hell in a Cell. Heyman told him to tell his client himself, and then Reigns was seen running around the corner of the ring and nailing Hart with a spear. While Hart clutched his ribs, Reigns stood over him with his title held high in the air. Looking down at Hart, he said that this title signifies that he is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. (5:18) -- Winner by Submission: Bret “The Hitman” Hart
“Mean” Gene had an exclusive interview with Sting, who told Gene that Piper is a little bit unhinged at the moment, and when he is in that state, there is no one more dangerous in the world. He said he wouldn’t want to be JBL right now. He went on to say that if any member of the Billion Dollar Corporation tried to interfere in the main event, he would see to it that not one of them is capable of walking away from the ring.
THE BROTHERS OF DESTRUCTION vs. IMPERIUM : While The Undertaker was brawling with Fabian Aichner outside the ring, Alexander Wolfe tried to interfere. The Undertaker managed to fight him off, executing a chokeslam on him. Marcel Bartel and Kane got involved and they never made it back to the ring. After the match was called, they continued to fight with Kane giving chokeslams to Aichner and Bartel while The Undertaker gave Wolfe the Last Ride at the bottom of the entrance ramp. (7:16) -- Official Decision: Double Countout
Coming back from the commercial, “Mean” Gene was standing by with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, who told him that Bret “The Hitman” Hart left the arena in an ambulance to get checked for broken ribs. He swore to “Mean” Gene that he’ll break two of Reigns’ ribs for every one of his brother-in-laws ribs that were broken. Next week, he wants to throw down with the WWE Universal Champion.
LEATHER STRAP MATCH: ROWDY RODDY PIPER vs. JOHN BRADSHAW LAYFIELD : Piper and Bradshaw gave each other several bruises and welts with the leather strap. They were both busted open the hard way. Bradshaw made Piper’s mouth bleed by forcing the strap between his teeth and pulling back hard on it. Indignant, Piper spat blood at him. Piper had a cut open up above the eye with a crack of the leather to his brow. Piper catapulted Bradshaw into the turnbuckle post when they brawled outside the ring, causing a gash in his forehead. Piper wrapped the strap around Bradshaw’s throat to choke him out with a sleeper, but then Bobby Roode and James Storm showed up. Storm gave Piper a Last Call superkick and Roode gave him a Glorious DDT. Sting descended from the rafters and hit them with his bat. After some Stinger splashes, he gave them both Scorpion Death Drops. DiBiase ran out and produced a black glove from his trunks that he put on his fist. It had to have been loaded because one punch knocked Sting out cold. Piper the leather strap and wrapped it around DiBiase’s throat to try to put him to sleep, but JBL crawled up behind and delivered a low blow. DiBiase knocked him out with a punch from his loaded fist. DiBiase helped JBL hog-tie Piper and then Piper dragged him around the ring as he touched all four turnbuckles to get the win. (18:34) -- Winner: John Bradshaw Layfield