Post by Slade on Apr 27, 2022 18:32:47 GMT -5
Live from Wells Fargo Center in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
On Friday, March 25, 2022
WWE Commentary Team: Mauro Ranallo, Tony Schiavone and Corey Graves
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
***
Umaga defeated Kenny Omega by pinfall at 15:47. Omega evaded a Samoan Spike and executed a superkick that stunned the Samoan Bulldozer, then he gave him a kotaro krusher. He went to the top turnbuckle and executed a missile dropkick to the back of Umaga’s head, sending out of the ring between the ropes. Omega ran the ropes and took Umaga off his feet with a rise of the Terminator (suicide somersault senton). He landed on his feet and saw Roman Reigns slowly walking down the entrance ramp. This brought The Young Bucks, who were at ringside around to step in the way. The referee left the ring to get in between and tell the two sides to separate. Meanwhile, Omega turned his attention back to Umaga and tossed him into the ring. Before he could climb in, The Usos – making their first WWE appearance – jumped the guardrail and attacked Omega from both sides with superkicks before tossing into the ring and disappearing as quickly as they came. Umaga picked up Omega and gave him the Samoan Spike to get the 1-2-3!
Mean Gene Okerlund spoke to Bayley, who said that her intelligence is what got her the win last week against Ember Moon, even though Lita tried to cheat on her behalf. Mean Gene challenged that narrative, but Bayley doubled down on her claim that Lita was trying to cause her to lose her match and said that was yet another reason why she’s the worst example of a role model on the planet. Bayley said that if she had the chance, she’d get in the ring with Lita to teach her a lesson. When asked why she hasn’t, Bayley told Mean Gene that Lita’s been ducking her because she’s scared to lose to a real golden role model.
WALTER defeated “Glorious” Bobby Roode by pinfall at 5:28 after he climbed to the top turnbuckle and executed a diving splash on him. After the match, WALTER took the microphone and said that his Smackdown United States Championship title reign isn’t only the longest title reign on Smackdown or even in WWE, but it is the longest title reign in the company. Many first ballot future Hall of Famers have tried to take it from him but they have all failed and Brock Lesnar will be no different. At WrestleMania II, WALTER’s title reign will continue as he slays the Beast Incarnate!
Mean Gene Okerlund spoke to those damn Dudley Boyz, who told him that what they did to the Hart Foundation last week was nothing personal, it was just business. Their business is kicking ass and taking names in the Smackdown tag team division. Right now, that means kicking the asses and taking the names of the Hart Foundation, who have what they want, namely, tag team gold. They’ve gone without a title shot for far too long. They earned this opportunity and they aren’t going to waste it. At WrestleMania, the Smackdown Tag Team Championships are coming home to Dudleyville. Oh, testify!
The Miz defeated John Morrison by pinfall at 10:17 to earn a spot in Mania Mayhem at WrestleMania II. Morrison reversed a whip and executed the Moonlight Drive. He pinned for a 2-count. He dragged The Miz to the corner and set him up for Starship Pain, but The Miz got his knees up. Then, The Miz executed a snap DDT while Morrison was on his knees and pinned him. The referee stopped his count when he saw The Miz’s feet on the second rope. Morrison got upset and shoved The Miz, who shoved him back. They got into a fist fight. Morrison went for an enzuigiri kick, but The Miz ducked it and then executed the Skull-Crushing Finale for the win.
Rowdy Roddy Piper welcomed his very special guests, the UWA Universal Men’s Champion Nick Aldis and Kamille to the Piper’s Pit, where he asked Aldis about what it felt like to be the champion and how he intended to make his title reign last for a million years. When asked that question, Daniel Bryan interrupted the proceedings to say that his title reign would not last even half a year because at WrestleMania, Aldis will defend the title against him, and Bryan will make him give up on that title reign when he puts him in the Yes! Lock and makes him tap out. Aldis was pissed off that Bryan interrupted and told him it was time to make him pay. Bryan readied to fight, but Kamille got between him and Aldis, so he stopped. Kamille punched Bryan, then Aldis hit him with a clothesline. He and Kamille put the boots to Bryan. He picked Bryan up and set him up for the Treasure Chest, but he countered with a back body drop. Kamille tried to go for a spear, but Bryan moved and Kamille slammed into the turnbuckles. Aldis swung his title belt at Bryan, but he used Aldis’ momentum against him to take him down and put him in the Yes! Lock. Aldis started tapping out and kept slapping the mat until officials could break it up.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin defeated Rey Fénix by pinfall at 7:53 after he executed the Stone Cold Stunner. After the match, Austin said that he barely broke a sweat opening a can of whoop ass on this lucha libre piece of trash. At WrestleMania, he won’t even break a sweat when he opens an entire six-pack of whoop ass on John Cena, and that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so!
Mean Gene Okerlund caught up with The Young Bucks, who told him that Kenny Omega said The Usos had interfered in the match. They know The Bloodline is a bunch of losers and this is just more proof of it. Conducting a hit-and-run is such a cheap, cowardly move. Next week, they’re going to the ring and if Jimmy and Jey have any guts at all, they’ll show up to the superkick party.
Lita defeated Peyton Royce by pinfall at 5:06 after she executed the Twist of Fate followed by the Litasault on her. Billie Kay tried to interfere on Royce’s behalf, but all she got was a Lita DDT on the ring apron for her troubles. After the match ended, Lita was joined in the ring by Tony Schiavone who mentioned the comments made earlier tonight by Bayley. Lita said that she isn’t scared to get in the ring with Bayley. In fact, she’d gladly challenge her to a match right here, right now. When Bayley didn’t come out, Lita said that was proof that all Bayley is good for is modeling how to talk crap about others. However, Lita wants to model how not to let other talk crap about you, so if Bayley won’t come out now, then she should show up at WrestleMania. On the biggest stage of them all, she can put up or Lita will shut her up.
Mean Gene Okerlund asked Smackdown World Champion Sting for his comments on what happened to him last week in the ring when The Undertaker did not accept his apology. Sting said The Undertaker had every right to be upset about getting hit by him in the tag team match from two weeks ago, but he didn’t mean to hit him. Just know this: if he wanted to knock the Deadman flat on his back, he wouldn’t have needed to use anything more than his fists to it. As he has already said, what happened was a mistake and he’s sorry. But what he won’t be sorry about is when they stand on opposite sides of the ring from one another at WrestleMania to go to battle over the Smackdown World Champion, a title he’s held for 7-months now. Sting said that wearing this belt around his waist is the biggest honour there is on the Smackdown brand and he’s not ready to give it up. He said he knows he’ll be in for the fight of his life, but there’s no fight he can’t win, and at the end of the night Howard Finkel will say, “Your winner and still the Smackdown World Champion – STING!”
John Cena and Randy Orton defeated “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and John Bradshaw Layfield by pinfall at 15:41 when Cena executed the Attitude Adjustment on Layfield and pinned him for the 1-2-3. Cena and Orton had control early on, but Orton was hit with a Write-Off by Irwin R. Schyster while DiBiase and JBL double-teamed Cena outside the ring. That assist allowed the two multimillionaires to take control of the match. After Orton reversed a whip from DiBiase and gave him a snap powerslam, he was able to crawl to his corner and make the hot tag. DiBiase also tagged out. Cena and JBL brawled. Cena eventually dropped JBL with a spin-out powerbomb and then executed a Five-Knuckle Shuffle. He stood in wait to give JBL the Attitude Adjustment when DiBiase tried to enter the ring. As the referee tried to push him back to the ring apron, IRS entered the ring and hit Cena from behind. Orton took IRS out with the RKO, but then JBL nailed him with a Clothesline from Wall Street. Then, he grabbed Cena to go for the JBL Bomb, but Cena countered with a hurricanrana. Cena mounted a comeback and put JBL in the STFU. He managed to get to the ropes, but no without much effort. DiBiase entered the ring with his loaded black glove on. He had his sights set on Cena, but Orton caught him with an RKO, leaving Cena free to give the Attitude Adjustment to JBL.
After the match, Cena and Orton celebrated. Orton left the arena first. Cena stuck around to slap hands with the fans all around ringside. When he got to the top of the entrance ramp, he turned to acknowledge the crowd one last time, and that is when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin came out and stalked Cena, who backed into him. When Cena turned around, Austin kicked him in mid-section and gave him a Stone Cold Stunner!