HOLIDAY AT THE GARDEN!
Live from Madison Square Garden in
New York, New York
On Sunday, December 26, 2021WWE Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo, Tony Schiavone and Corey Graves
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
***
Adam Cole,
Dax Harwood, and
Cash Wheeler of the Heenan Family defeated
Finn Balor,
Doc Gallows, and
Karl Anderson of the Bullet Club by pinfall at 12:18. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan tripped Finn Balor on the top rope, which caused him to be chased away from ringside by Doc Gallows. Adam Cole went after Gallows and chopblocked him in the entrance aisle. While the referee was distracted, Karl Anderson and Cash Wheeler brawled, and Dax Harwood hit Anderson from behind with a chair. Then Harwood and Wheeler executed the Mindbreaker spike piledriver on Balor onto the chair. Harwood pinned him for the win.
The Miz & John Morrison defeated
Al Snow & 2 Cool Scorpio of the Job Squad by pinfall at 6:31 when The Miz executed a Skull-Crushing Finale on Scorpio before Morrison gave him Starship Pain.
Daniel Bryan defeated
”The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase by submission to the Yes! Lock at 8:45. DiBiase reversed a whip and chased Bryan into the corner. Bryan kicked off the turnbuckle to flip right over top of DiBiase, then ran to the far ropes and returned with a clothesline. He hit DiBiase with Yes! Kicks and went for the running high knee. DiBiase moved and went for a running attack, but Bryan gave him a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before putting him in the Yes! Lock.
Kevin Owens defeated
Sheamus by pinfall at 15:58 in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Owens placed Sheamus on a table in the middle of the entrance aisle, then went into the crowd. When he got to the spot of the MSG arena entrance, Cesaro ran out and helped Sheamus off the table. Tommaso Ciampa came out and hit them both with a steel chair. He gave Cesaro a Fairy Tale Ending on the floor and put Sheamus back on the table. Owens dove down from above the entrance, putting Sheamus through the table with a Bullfrog Splash, and pinning him there.
Rhea Ripley defeated UWA Universal Women’s Champion
Asuka by countout at 7:16 to win the match but not the title. Ripley took Asuka down with a discus clothesline and went for the Riptide, but Asuka slipped free. She tried for a spinning back fist, but Ripley ducked it and nailed Asuka with a dropkick. Asuka crawled out of the ring and disappeared under the ring. Ripley looked under the apron to try to find her but couldn’t. She slid back into the ring to avoid the double countout. Once the match ended, Asuka re-emerged, collected her title and started to leave ringside. Ripley left the ring and knocked her down from behind with a double axehandle smash. She whipped Ripley into the barricade a few times and then into the steps. Ripley took Asuka into the ring and gave her Riptide. She pinned Asuka and pounded the mat with her own hand three times for a symbolic pinfall victory.
RAW World Champion
Triple H, RAW Intercontinental Champion
Eddie Guerrero, and RAW Tag Team Champions
Keith Lee and
Ricky Steamboat defeated Smackdown World Champion
Sting, Smackdown United States Champion
WALTER, and Smackdown Tag Team Champions
Bret “The Hitman” Hart and
Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart by pinfall at 26:44 when Triple H pinned Neidhart. The finish followed a quick flurry of offense maneuvers with Steamboat taking Triple H down with a diving crossbody. Steamboat was then giving a Scorpion Death Drop by Sting, who was then given a brainbuster from Guerrero, who in turn received a burning lariat from WALTER, who in turn was knocked out of the ring by a pounce from Keith Lee. Hart tried to attack Lee, but received the Big Band Catastrophe instead. Lee was then taken out of the ring with a running clothesline from Neidhart, who then received a knee-to-face and Pedigree from Triple H.
*** 20-minute Intermission ***Becky Lynch,
Ember Moon, and
Lita defeated Smackdown Women’s Champion
Bayley,
Paige, and
Kris Statlander by pinfall at 11:07 when Lita executed the Litasault on Statlander and pinned her for the win. Lynch and Moon’s partner was a mystery until Lita was announced as their partner, which came as a big surprise to everyone in Madison Square Garden.
Booker T of the Harlem Heat defeated
Chuck Palumbo of the Full Blooded Italians by pinfall at 5:33 after he executed the Bookend. Just before executing his finisher, Booker T popper the crowd by giving Palumbo an axe kick and doing the Spin-a-roonie.
RAW Women’s Champion
Bianca Belair and
Toni Storm defeated
Nyla Rose and
Raquel Gonzalez by pinfall at 10:39 when Belair pinned Rose for the win. Gonzalez executed the One-Arm Powerbomb on Storm and went for the pin, but Belair broke it up. After both women tagged out, Belair and Rose brawled until Belair executed the Kiss of Death on Rose and made the cover. Gonzalez climbed through the ropes to break it up, but Storm took her down with a spear to stop her, ensuring the referee would make the 3-count.
The Undertaker defeated
John Bradshaw Layfield by stuffing him in a casket and shutting it closed at 16:07. JBL hit The Undertaker with a Clothesline From Wall Street and dragged him across the ring to dump him into the casket, but he couldn’t shut the lit. The Undertaker fought his way out and gave JBL a Tombstone on the ring apron before dropping him into into the casket and shutting the lid to win the match.
UWA Universal Tag Team Champions
Strike Force defeated
Street Profits and
Dudley Boyz at 20:03 when Rick Martel climbed the ladder and retrieved the belts from the hook upon which they were hanging above the ring. The dying moments of the match came when Montez Ford executed a diving blockbuster off a ladder on Rick Martel, who was also dropped to the mat with an electric chair by Angelo Dawkins at the same time. Dawkins went to climb the ladder, but Bubba Ray Dudley tipped it over and Dawkins landed in the ropes and went over and out to the floor. Bubba Ray and D-Von gave Ford a 3-D onto the tipped over ladder. Both Dudleys opened a ladder. D-Von started to climb. Bubba Ray stood guard and tried to clothesline Tito Santana when he entered the ring, but Santana ducked and dropkicked Bubba Ray over the top rope. He climbed another ladder, jumped off and knocked D-Von off his ladder with a flying forearm. Martel came in a climbed the ladder to the top and got the titles.
UWA Universal Men’s Champion
Nick Aldis defeated
John Cena by pinfall at 18:32 to retain his championship. Cena ducked a running clothesline attempt and then planted Aldis into the mat with a spin-out powerbomb. Cena told Aldis that the champion couldn’t see him before giving him the Five-Knuckle Shuffle and pinning him for a 2-count. Then, Cena lifted Aldis onto his shoulders. Kamille got onto the ring apron and created a distraction for the referee as Cena executed the Attitude Adjustment and made the pin. Cena got up and went to confront Kamille. She held kept the confrontation going long enough for Aldis to recover, then she slapped Cena in the face, turning him around right into a kick to the abdomen and a snap DDT. Instead of going for the cover, Aldis picked up Cena and gave him the Treasure Chest. He made the pin and got the 3-count for the win.