Post by Slade on Aug 25, 2021 9:00:57 GMT -5
Date: Monday, August 23, 2021
From: Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California
Commentary Team: Michael Cole, Mauro Ranallo and Tony Schiavone
Backstage Reporting & Interviews: “Mean” Gene Okerlund
Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
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WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SEMIFINAL MATCH: REY MISTERIO JR. vs. ADAM COLE : Rey Misterio Jr. ducked out of the way of a Last Shot attempt, dropkicked Cole into the ropes, gave him the 6-1-9 and pinned him for the win after hitting the West Coast Pop. (15:38) -- Winner by Pinfall: Rey Misterio Jr.
Rowdy Roddy Piper hosted the Piper’s Pit, where he announced that he would be in the Casino Battle Royal at Summerslam. Then, he welcomed his guest, the MUW Men’s World Champion, Samoa Joe, who talked about how his reign at the top of the Mash-Up Wrestling Universe is not going to end at Summerslam, and how he will the champion for a long time to come. The Undertaker made a surprise appearance, entering the ring and telling Joe that when champion make such claims, often they are true, but never when they enter his yard. Joe’s days with the title are numbered. At Summerslam, he will bury Joe’s title reign and he will rest in peace. Joe didn’t let The Undertaker get the last word, however, walking right up to him and saying to his face that he isn’t afraid of dead men because he’s the one who kills them. While The Undertaker might call himself “The Dead Man,” at Summerslam he will actually become one. The segment ends with a tense face-to-face stare down with Joe raising the title in the air in his right hand.
JIM “THE ANVIL” NEIDHART vs. DAX HARWOOD : Dax Harwood executed a sheer drop brainbuster on Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart and pinned him for the win following interference by his tag team partner, Cash Wheeler. (8:03) -- Winner by Pinfall: Dax Harwood
WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT QUARTER FINALS MATCH: JOHNNY GARGANO vs. PETE DUNNE : Pete Dunne blocked One Final Beat with a vicious forearm to the side of the head as Gargano was coming over the top rope. Following that knockout blow, he executed the Bitter End and pinned him for the win. (13:40) -- Winner by Pinfall: Pete Dunne
Mean Gene interviewed the Best Friends: Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor and Trent, who said that each of them were participating in the Casino Battle Royale and one of them was bound to win because friendship and teamwork would push them over the finish line. Just then the Billion Dollar Corporation: “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, John Bradshaw Layfield, “Glorious” Bobby Roode, and “Cowboy” James Storm showed up and told them to step aside they said that friendship doesn’t mean a crock and money is the key to success. Everybody has a price and they told the best friends to name theirs. Best Friends said you can’t put a price on friendship. DiBiase threw a wad of cash at them and JBL said they just did. There was pushing a shoving and then Cassidy, Taylor, Trent, JBL, Roode and Storm got into a brawl. DiBiase stayed in the shot and told Mean Gene that the BDC is putting all its chips in on each other and that’s why its going to increase its wealth a billionfold when one of them walks out of Summerslam with a guaranteed contract for a shot at the WWE Universal Championship at Clash of the Champions!
BOOKER T vs. D-VON DUDLEY vs. REY FÉNIX vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN Booker T executed the axekick and a spin-a-roonie on D-Von Dudley. Coming out of the spin-a-roonie, Rey Fénix gave him a meteora. Shelton Benjamin popped up in the right place at the right time by executing Paydirt on Fénix and pinning him for the win. (9:21) -- Winner by Pinfall: Shelton Benjamin
BIANCA BELAIR, RHEA RIPLEY & BECKY LYNCH vs. ASUKA, RAQUEL GONZALEZ & BAYLEY : In the late stages of the match, the action devolved into a pier six brawl, during which Bayley tried to sneak attack Becky Lynch with her Money in the Bank briefcase. Lynch ducked and delivered a springboard push kick that sent the briefcase into Bayley’s face. Lynch covered Bayley for the 3-count and the win for her side. (16:35) -- Winners by Pinfall: Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley & Becky Lynch
The Miz hosted Monday’s night most must-see interview segment, MizTV! The Miz said that Piper’s Pit was garbage and by the time his show ends, no one will be able to deny that his talk show is the best talk show. The Miz also announced that he would be in the Casino Battle Royal at Summerslam. Without further ado, he brought out Paul Heyman and his client, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Heyman spoke at length with The Miz about why his client, Roman Reigns, was the most dominant superstar in professional wrestling today and why no one, not even icons falling from the skies, could defeat him and take his seat at the head of the table. Reigns told The Miz that Sting had a lot of nerve attacking him several weeks ago. He also has a big ego to come into the ring and call his shot the way he did; to hand over the Money in the Bank contract and not even take the easy, cheap title victory right then and there; to wait until Summerslam to make it fair on the champ. It was a show of disrespect. Heyman elaborated by saying that Sting doesn’t think there is another to fear when he looks at him. But that’s where Sting is wrong. It is good and healthy to fear Reigns because to fear him is to understand the threat he poses to your life and livelihood. Reigns added that he’ll force Sting to understand it when they enter the ring. Just then the crowd popped as Sting descended from the rafters. Then another and another and another. There were half a dozen in total. They were discovered to be dummies. Then, the real Sting was spotted in the crowd among the WWE Universe. He stared straight ahead at Reigns and lifted his black bat out from under his coat and pointed at Reigns and held that pose until the broadcast went back to commercial break.
AJ STYLES vs. EDDIE GUERRERO : AJ Styles knocked the referee down with a Pele kick from which Eddie Guerrero got out of the way. Styles still managed to execute the Styles Clash but with the referee knocked down, there was no count on the pinfall. WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricky Steamboat, who had been on commentary at ringside, got up to try to revive the referee. Styles came over to assist. Guerrero rolled away and brought a chair into the ring. Daniel Bryan ran down and grabbed the chair to prevent Guerrero from finishing his swing. They got into a tug of war over the chair. Eventually, Bryan won the tug of war, but incidentally hit Steamboat with it when he finally got it from Guerrero. Latino Heat laughed as Bryan checked on Steamboat, but when he turned around, he received a Phenomenal Forearm. Another Styles Clash did him in, as the referee had finally come around, and this time counted the fall. (19:14) -- Winner by Pinfall: AJ Styles