Post by Slade on Apr 10, 2022 15:47:45 GMT -5
Live from KeyBank Center in
Buffalo, New York
On Monday, March 7, 2022
WWE Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo, Tony Schiavone and Corey Graves
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
***
The Heenan Family (featuring Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, RAW World Champion Triple H, RAW Tag Team Champions FTR, and Adam Cole) took over the ring to start the show. They cut a promo where Heenan discussed how brilliant and smart he is, touting his family’s dominance of the RAW brand with a victory over Bullet Club in WAR GAMES at NO WAY OUT last night. There is no doubt now that they are the greatest faction in sports entertainment. The focus now shifts to WrestleMania and what that means for the Heenan Family. FTR says that they know they’ll be called on to defend their titles at WrestleMania and they’re ready for anyone because they’re the Top Guys in the tag division. Adam Cole knows someone else who will be called on to defend a title at WrestleMania – Eddie Guerrero. He tells Guerrero that he has his sights set on the Intercontinental Championship and says that this year’s WrestleMania moment for Guerrero will be losing his title to Adam Cole BAY! BAY! Triple H says he’ll be watching tonight’s main event closely – a 20-man battle royal that will decide who will be his challenger at WrestleMania. Tonight will be that man’s moment of glory before WrestleMania becomes their moment of hell. Triple H is always one step ahead of everyone else. That’s how he became the RAW World Champion and that’s how he will remain the champion. He is the Cerebral Assassin, he is the Game, and anyone who tries to play the Game with him will lose. Heenan finishes by saying that when WrestleMania is over, it’ll forever be known as HeenanMania after his entire family walks away with all the gold in the company.
The Riot Squad defeated Rhea Ripley, Raquel Gonzalez, and Jordynne Grace by pinfall at 16:12 when Ruby Riot pinned Jordynne Grace following a Riot Kick. Riot, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan were able to isolate Grace and triple team her for the final minute of the match. This was because a miscue by Ripley resulted in her taking Gonzalez down with a discus clothesline. Moments later, when the two teams were brawling outside the ring, Gonzalez attacked Ripley and the two superstars brawled into the crowd.
Mean Gene Okerlund was backstage with RAW Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero who talked about how Lying, Cheating, and Stealing had served the Latino Heat well for many years. It got him this championship, ese, and it helps him keep it. Adam Cole wants a shot at the title, huh? Well, homes, he knows Cole better than anyone else in WWE. Heck, he knows Cole better than Cole knows himself. Mean Gene questioned this, but Guerrero said it is because Cole is also a liar, cheater, and thief. But if he thinks he can lie, cheat or steal more than the Latino Heat, stepping into the ring with him will be the worst wake-up call of his life, ese, because Guerrero is the greatest of all-time! He is so great that he made you all think he wrote the book on lying, cheating, and stealing, but he didn’t, ese. No, some other dude wrote it, and he stole it, slapped his name on the manuscript, and told everyone he wrote it, homes. Viva la raza!
Pete Dunne defeated Hollywood Nova by pinfall at 4:50 after he gave him the Bitter End. After the match ended, PAC came out to the ring. Dunne put up his guard, but The Bastard wasn’t there to pick a fight. Instead, he had a proposition for The Bruiserweight. Ever since their epic best of seven series, they’ve both pursued championships alone and challenged some of the biggest names in the industry to matches, and where has it gotten them? Nowhere. They failed every step of the way. PAC hates failure. He can’t stand it. And he knows Dunne feels the same. While they both may feel more comfortable as lone wolves, he suggests they go against their instincts and team up. Together, he believes they can carve out a path to glory and take the RAW Tag Team Championships from FTR. Dunne isn’t convinced. PAC tells him to think about it.
Mean Gene was backstage with RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair who said that the EST of WWE was ready to defend her title against anyone on RAW or SMACKDOWN. She didn’t care who it was, she will be there in Dallas, Texas, at AT&T Stadium, to defned her championship at WrestleMania in front of 80, 90, maybe even 100-thousand fans. There, where her spotlight will shine brightest, She’ll enter the ring and give her challenger the Kiss of Death, and have Howard Finkel say, “Your winner and still RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair!”
Harlem Heat defeated Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli of the Full Blooded Italians by pinfall at 6:35 when Stevie Ray covered Stamboli after he and Booker t executed a Towering Inferno on him.
Bullet Club takes the ring. AJ Styles said that all everyone’s been asking him for the past 24-hours is “what’s next for Bullet Club?” Where does the Bullet Club go from here? They lost WAR GAMES, not without some controversy. Should they give up trying to gain a measure of justice against the Heenan Family or should they do something else. Styles thinks that as long as the Heenan Family holds the gold, they need to keep going after them. Finn Balor took the mic from him and said that he thinks the Bullet Club needs to do something else. It needs to shift its focus. Styles disagreed. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson told Styles that they agreed with Balor. The Bullet Club needs to stop chasing the Heenan Family and do something else. Styles wanted to know what they should be focused on. Balor said, “New leadership.” That’s when Gallows and Anderson attacked Styles. Balor joined in. Anderson and Gallows gave Styles the Magic Killer, and Balor went to the top rope and executed the Coup de Grâce. Balor picked up the mic and said that we were now looking at the new, leaner, meaner Bullet Club.
Nyla Rose defeated Toni Storm by pinfall at 13:41 after executing a Beast Bomb on her. After the match, Rose asked for a microphone and reminded us all that back on Day 1, she earned the right to go to WrestleMania to challenge Sasha Banks for the UWA Universal Women’s Championship. Rose said that she’ll be the new champion because there isn’t a woman alive as vicious as her. At WrestleMania, Rose is going to snap Banks like a twig. Sasha Banks surprised the Rose and the WWE Universe by coming out to the ring. She got on the mic and said that fat slobs like Rose always underestimate her because of her size, but there is a reason they call her The Boss and the reason she’s standing here with the title around her waist and not Rose – because she’s the best in the world and at WrestleMania, Rose is going to learn that first-hand. You can bank on it. When Banks turned to leave, Rose attacked her from behind. She tried to give her a Beast Bomb, but Banks countered with a hurricanrana. When Rose got up, Banks gave her a backstabber and rolled her into the Bank Statement, making Rose tap before officials could get there to break it up.
A pre-recorded promo featuring UWA Universal Tag Team Champions Rick Martel and Tito Santana of Strike Force aired. Martel and Santana expressed their excitement about appearing at WrestleMania II in front of the largest audience of wrestling fans ever assembled to defend their hard-earned titles against Harlem Heat. Martel and Santana said that Booker T and Stevie Ray were more than deserving of this opportunity, and the great successes they’ve had over the last year was proof of that. Their reputation is deserved, and they won’t be taking this challenge lightly. They know their in for a fight, but they’ve been through hell and back to win and retain these titles, so they’re more than ready. Booker T and Stevie Ray, bring everything you’ve got. Martel and Santana will, too. And at WrestleMania II, may the best team win!
“Macho Man” Randy Savage won a 20-Man Battle Royal at 27:04 when he gave Samoa Joe a running clothesline to send him over the top rope and out to the floor. During the match, Savage made five eliminations, including Little Guido, Tommaso Ciampa, Sheamus, and “Ravishing” Rick Rude. The final six competitors were Savage, Samoa Joe, Rude, Keith Lee, Ricky Steamboat, and Shawn Michaels. When the Heartbreaker Kid was trying to get Savage over the top rope, Steamboat came up from behind and lifted both men over the top. Rude held onto the ropes and Michaels went to the floor. Michaels was so angered that he stopped at the foot of the entrance ramp and ran back into the ring, where he gave Sweet Chin Music to Steamboat, enabling Rude to toss him over the top rope. Lee was eliminated next in a collaborative effort by Rude and Joe. Later, Rude gave Joe the Rude Awakening, but when he tried to lift him off the mat, Savage grabbed him from behind and tossed him over the top rope. Joe and Savage fought for another 3-minutes, just the two of them, until Joe got Savage in the Coquina Clutch. Savage backed into the ropes and found a way to slip to the side and execute a side belly-to-back suplex. When they got up, Savage hit Joe with a keeping knee strike to get him on the ropes and then hit him with the running clothesline.
Savage’s victory celebration was cut short when Motorhead began to play throughout the arena. Triple H and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan came to the ring. Savage had Miss Elizabeth exit the ring on the far side before getting his fists ready for a fight. However, Triple H wasn’t dressed to fight, and in fact, after handing the title belt over to Heenan, he extended his hand for a shake. Savage was hesitant and suspicious. Triple H kept trying to talk him into it. Savage finally extended his hand with some reluctance. Then, he heard a scream. He turned around to see Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley pulling Miss Elizabeth’s hair and slamming her face down on the broadcast table. Savage tried to leave, but Triple H held a firm grip on his hand and pulled him in for a short-arm clothesline. He gave him another clothesline, then took the title belt from Heenan and smoked him in the face with it. Triple H finished the assault with the Pedigree. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley entered the ring and joined her husband for a gratuitous liplock while standing over Savage’s fallen body, as Heenan raised the title belt above his head in both hands and laughed.