Post by Slade on Feb 4, 2023 8:06:59 GMT -5
NIGHT TWO
Live from SoFi Stadium in
Inglewood, California
On December 25, 2022
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WWE Commentary Team: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Wade Barrett
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
Match recaps do not summarize matches from start to finish. All matches are joined already in progress.
***
WWE Commentary Team: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Wade Barrett
WWE Ring Announcer: Howard Finkel
WWE Backstage Reporter: Mean Gene Okerlund
Match recaps do not summarize matches from start to finish. All matches are joined already in progress.
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AJ STYLES vs. CM PUNK : CM Punk hit AJ Styles with a suicide dive. He went back into the ring and dove through the ropes to hit him with another. He went back one more time to try for the trifecta, but this time Styles stepped to the side and Punk crashed into the barricade. Styles climbed onto the ring apron and then executed an Asai moonsault on Punk. He rolled him into the ring and went for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Punk sidestepped it and applied an Anaconda Vise. Styles made it to the ropes to force a break. Punk struck with shoot kicks, then sent Styles into the ropes and gave him a leg lariat. He picked up Styles and attempted the Go To Sleep, but Styles grabbed his leg on the way down and landed on his feet, then he took Punk down to the mat with a Calf Crusher. Punk looked like he might tap, but eventually got to the ropes. Styles struck with a Phenomenal Blitz, then went out to the ring apron. He executed a Phenomenal Forearm. He made the pin, but Punk kicked out. Styles executed an ushigoroshi and followed it up with a springboard 450-splash. He pinned him again, but Punk kicked out again. Styles tried to get Punk into the set up for the Styles Clash, but Punk gave him back heel kicks as he was held upside down to prevent it. Styles dropped Punk, who then went for a running high knee strike, but Styles countered with a powerbomb attempt, which Punk countered with a hurricanrana. Punk executed a superkick and then pulled off the Go to Sleep. He made the pin and got the 3-count. (13:19) Winner by Pinfall: CM Punk
WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: LITA & BAYLEY {c} vs. RHEA RIPLEY & SHAYNA BASZLER : Lita and Bayley had Shayna Baszler set up for a double superplex, but Rhea Ripley entered the ring and powerbombed them both as they executed the superplex. Ripley nailed them both with a double clothesline. She gave Lita a fallaway slam, then nailed Bayley with a running big boot. Ripley went back to the corner where Baszler tagged her. Ripley hit Bayley with a running dropkick, but then Lita gave her a tornado DDT. Lita went up to the top rope and executed a Litasault. She made the pin. Baszler broke it with a deadlift German suplex on Lita. Bayley gave Baszler a dropkick to the knee and tossed her out to the floor. Lita crawled to the corner to try for a tag. Ripley dragged her back. Lita executed an inverted enzuigiri kick, then dove to the corner to make the hot tag. Ripley went for a running clothesline, but Bayley ducked, then executed a Bayley-to-Belly. She followed it up with an arm-trap headlock driver and pinned her. Baszler tried to break it up, but Lita took her down with a Litacanrana. Bayley got the 3-count and the champs retained the titles. (11:05) Winners by Pinfall: Lita & Bayley
ADAM COLE vs. TRIPLE H: Adam Cole hit Triple H with a superkick and executed an ushigoroshi. He made the pin. Triple H kicked out. Cole climbed the turnbuckle and went for a Panama Sunrise. Triple H caught him and executed a spinning spinebuster. He made the cover, but Cole kicked out. Triple H went for a figure four leglock, but Cole kicked him away. Triple H collided with the referee. Cole struck with a thrust kick to the knee and a superkick to the chin, then he hit the Boom! He made the cover but there was no referee to count it. Cole went to revive the referee. Meanwhile, Heenan shouted at Triple H to awaken him. Then, he tossed his sledgehammer to him. Heenan climbed on the ring apron and got Cole’s attention. Cole grabbed Heenan by the lapels of his coat and threatened to punch him. Triple H went to hit Cole with the sledgehammer. Cole moved and Triple H pulled up short of hitting Heenan. Triple H started to turn and Heenan warned him of Cole, who fired off a superkick. Triple H got out of the way and Cole’s superkick connected with Heenan, knocking him out and off the ring apron. Triple H blasted Cole in the forehead with the sledgehammer. He got rid of the evidence, revived the referee and executed a Pedigree on Cole. He made the pin for the 3-count and the win. (12:47) Winner by Pinfall: Triple H
UWA WOMEN’S UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: SASHA BANKS {c} vs. DR. BRITT BAKER : Sasha Banks was climbing the turnbuckles when Britt Baker went over and battled with her on the turnbuckles. Baker attempted a superplex, but Banks fought her off and executed a diving crossbody stuck into a lateral press. Baker kicked out. Banks picked her up and whipped her into the corner. She charged in and Baker got a boot up. Baker executed a bulldog out of the corner. She picked up Banks and gave her an exploder suplex. Baker got her glove out. She tried to apply the Lock Jaw, but Banks scrambled to the ropes. Banks hit Baker with some forearm shots to the face, then went for a springboard diving crossbody, but Baker caught her and countered with a fallaway slam. Baker attempted the Lock Jaw again, and after a considerable struggle, managed to apply it. Banks was able to get her toe on the bottom rope after a few seconds. Baker was upset at this so she went for a curb stomp. Banks got out of the away and executed the Bank Statement. Baker flailed and nearly tapped but managed to roll her up into a pin for a 2-count. Banks took Baker down with a springboard arm drag. Baker crawled to the corner. Banks took her out with of the corner with a monkey flip. She went to the top rope and went for a meteora but Baker dodged it. Baker executed a superkick and a fisherman’s neckbreaker. Banks kicked out. Baker tried to apply the Lock Jaw again, but Banks fought her way out and got Baker into the Bank Statement. Baker tried to roll her over into a pin again, but Banks used her moment to roll right through and maintain the hold. She leaned back further, giving Baker no choice but to tap out. Sasha Banks retained the UWA Women’s Universal Championship. (17:08) Winner by Submission: Sasha Banks
UWA UNIVERSAL TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: FTR {c} vs. LUCHA BROS. : Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler executed the Big Rig on Rey Fénix. Wheeler went for the cover. Penta El 0M broke it up with a diving double foot stomp. Harwood ran in and clubbed Penta to the mat with a hard clothesline. He picked up Penta and tossed him out of the ring. Harwood went back to the ring apron, where Wheeler made the tag. Harwood came in and tried to execute a slingshot sit-out powerbomb, but Fénix turned it into a hurricanrana. Harwood got up and Fénix did a sommersault into a jumping cutter. He made the pin. Harwood kicked out. Fénix gave him a series of kicks, then climbed the turnbuckle. Penta hopped onto the ring apron and made the blind tag. Fénix executed a meteora on Harwood. Penta followed close behind with a diving double foot stomp. He made the cover. Wheeler dove in to break it up. Wheeler and Fénix brawled into Wheeler clotheslined him out of the ring. Wheeler and Penta brawled, giving Harwood time to recover. Penta gave Wheeler a backstabber but then Harwood gave him a release German suplex. Harwood dragged him to his corner and tagged Wheeler. They gave him the Mindbreaker spike piledriver. Wheeler covered. Fénix tried to break it up, but Harwood cut him off. 1…2…3! FTR retained the UWA Tag Team Championships. (14:11) Winners by Pinfall: FTR
WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: EDDIE GUERRERO {c} vs. SHAWN MICHAELS : Eddie Guerrero and Shawn Michaels were trading punches on the ring apron when Guerrero attempted a snap suplex. Michaels clutched the ropes and threw a back elbow at Guerrero, then executed a teardrop suplex on the hardest part of the ring. Michaels pulled Guerrero down from the apron and gave him a vertical suplex on the floor. He rolled him into the ring and climbed the turnbuckle. Michaels went for the diving elbow drop, but Guerrero rolled out the way. Once back to their feet, Guerrero executed a gutbuster followed by a brainbuster. He made the pin. Michaels kicked out. Latino Heat gave him the Three Amigos, then climbed the turnbuckles. Michaels got up and met him up top. After trading some punches, Michaels tried for a superplex, but Guerrero blocked and executed a release front suplex. Then, he gave Michaels a diving hurricanrana and held the pin for a 2-count. Guerrero went for a clothesline, but Michaels ducked it and executed a bridging German suplex that got a 2-count. They traded punches and chops. Michaels went for a whip, Guerrero reversed. Michaels ducked a clothesline, came off the ropes and hit a flying cross chop. Michaels did a kip-up and tuned up the band. He went for Sweet Chin Music, but Guerrero leaned out of the way, then executed a snap dragon suplex. Guerrero hopped onto the top turnbuckle and went for the frog splash. Michaels rolled out of the way. When they both got up, Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music. He pinned him. Guerrero kicked out! Michaels dragged Guerrero to the center of the ring and put him in the sharpshooter. Guerrero refused to give up, making it to the ropes after about 25 seconds. Michaels took Guerrero to the corner and put him on the top rope. He climbed up and went for the frankensteiner. Guerrero landed on his feet and hit Michaels with a shotgun dropkick into the turnbuckles. Guerrero went to the top rope and executed the frog splash. He made the cover. Michaels kicked out! Guerrero put Michaels in the Lasso from El Paso. Michaels scrambled for the ropes and got to them after about 15 seconds. Guerrero went for another brainbuster but Michaels slipped down behind and rolled him up for a 2-count. As Guerrero got to his feet, Michaels blasted him with Sweet Chin Music. He made the pin. Guerrero kicked out! Michaels backed off and tuned up the band. Guerrero slowly got to his feet. Michaels hit him with a third Sweet Chin Music. He covered him. 1…2…3! The Heartbreak Kid is the new WWE Intercontinental Champion! (24:37) Winner by Pinfall: Shawn Michaels
LOGAN PAUL vs. “RAVISHING” RICK RUDE : Logan Paul hit “Ravishing” Rick Rude with One Lucky Punch and went for the pin. 1…2… Rude’s foot was on the bottom rope. A replay showed that it was put there by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, who Paul went out to confront. The Weasel started to run. Paul went in hot pursuit, but ran right into a stiff lariat after turning a corner of the ring. Rude lifted Paul in a military press and dropped him on the steel ring steps. He rolled Paul into the ring and pinned him. Paul kicked out at two. Rude picked up Paul and slowly turned him around for the Rude Awakening. Paul managed to break free when Rude stopped to gyrate his hips. He gave Rude a superkick and a belly-to-back suplex. Paul went out to the apron and saw Rude stirring, so he waited for him to get up and nailed him with a buckshot lariat. He made the cover. Rude kicked out. Paul went to the top rope. Heenan grabbed his leg to keep him from going anywhere. Rude tripped him up, then executed a superplex. He made the cover. Paul kicked out at the last moment. Rude aggressively questioned the referee’s count, allowing Paul time to get up. Heenan tried to get Rude’s head back in the game. Rude turned around and Paul dropped him with another One Lucky Punch. Then, he went to the top rope and executed a frog splash. He made the pin. 1…2…3! (10:52) Winner by Pinfall: Logan Paul
LOSER LEAVES WWE HELL IN A CELL MATCH: STING vs. MR. MCMAHON : Sting was having his way with Mr. McMahon from the outset of the match so much so that to keep it from being a cakewalk, Yokozuna and Umaga came out, assaulted the referees, stole the keys, unlocked the cage door and entered. Now, Sting faced a 3-on-1 situation. He handled it by getting his famous black baseball bat to cut the odds down to 3-on-2. Still, the two enormous Samoans were able to get the upper hand. They did a number on Sting. Yokozuna dragged him to the corner and went for the Banzai Drop, but Sting rolled out to the ring apron to avoid it. Umaga went after him. They got into a fist fight outside the ring and brawled their way out of the cell. Umaga tried to whip Sting into the side of the cell, but Sting reversed it and then gave Umaga a Stinger Splash into the cell panel. Sting pulled him in for a Scorpion Death Drop, but Yokozuna attacked from behind with a headbutt to the back of Sting’s head. Yokozuna held Sting by the arms and Umaga went for a Samoan Spike. Sting broke free and Umaga dropped Yokozuna instead. Then Sting gave Umaga the Scorpion Death Drop at the bottom of the ring entrance ramp.
Sting picked up the pad lock and chains. After ensure the lock was open, he threw the key into the crowd. Then he entered the cell and locked it up from the inside. Now he was all alone with Mr. McMahon, who turned pale once he realized what was going on. Mr. McMahon tried to use Sting’s own bat against him, but Sting ducked. He used the bat to help him with Mr. McMahon a Russian legsweep. Sting set up a table outside the ring, then went in, grabbed Mr. McMahon and lifted him into a gorilla press. Mr. McMahon racked Sting’s eyes and Sting dropped him before he could release him to the outside. Mr. McMahon picked up a chair and whacked Sting with it. He hit him several times before executing a piledriver on the chair. Mr. McMahon went for the pin. Sting kicked out.
Mr. McMahon shouted at Sting to stay down and slapped him across the face. This brought the Stinger back to life. He got back to his feet. Mr. McMahon fled the ring. Sting caught up to him and gave him alternating jabs and chops, and a Stinger Splash into the side of the cell. Sting placed Mr. McMahon on the table he had set up on the floor, climbed to the top turnbuckle and gave him a splash through the table! Sting brought Mr. McMahon back into the ring. Mr. McMahon crawled to Sting’s bat, but as he grabbed it, Sting bent down and grabbed it from the other end. He wrestled it away from him, leaving the Chairman of the Board to beg and plead for mercy as Sting pointed the bat at him. Sting faked taking a homerun swing at Mr. McMahon, causing him to put his arms up. When Mr. McMahon realized he wouldn’t be hit. He let his guard down. Sting kicked him in the chest, brought him to his feet and gave him the Scorpion Death Drop. He went for the pin but broke it himself at two. It was a curious move, that became more clear when he instead put Mr. McMahon in the Scorpion Death Lock. He wanted Mr. McMahon to give up – not only on the match but on his entire company! And that’s just what he did. Mr. McMahon held out for about 10 seconds before furiously tapping out. Sting won the match, and in doing so, has banished Mr. McMahon from WWE! (18:44) Winner by Pinfall: Sting
Before the main event, Mean Gene Okerlund appeared on the WrestleMania III entrance set and announced that an important announcement about the future of WWE without Vince McMahon at the helm would be made on the next Monday Night RAW.
WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH: “STONE COLD” STEVE AUSTIN {c} vs. ROMAN REIGNS : Roman Reigns went for an Irish whip. Steve Austin reversed it, sending Reigns into the turnbuckles, where Austin stomped a mudhole in him. Austin brought Reigns to his feet and went for a cross-corner whip. Reigns reversed it, sending Austin into the turnbuckles, where Reigns clubbed him with multiple lariats. Reigns took him out of the corner with a single-arm DDT and went for the cover. Austin kicked out. Reigns slowed the pace, punching and kicking the champ with precision. He gave Austin a snap suplex and made the cover. Austin kicked out. Reigns dumped the champ outside the ring, where he picked him up and tried to whip him into the barricade. Austin reversed it and then clotheslined the challenger over the barricade.
Austin climbed the barricade and the two superstars brawled around ringside. Austin reversed a suplex attempt on the floor. Reigns scoopslammed Austin into a row of chairs. Once back at ringside, Austin rolled Reigns into the ring then went to the second rope for a pointed elbow drop. Reigns rolled out of the way. They got up and traded punches. Austin got the better of the exchange. He went for a whip, Reigns reversed it and executed a tilt-a-whirl slam. He made the cover. Austin kicked out. Reigns sent Austin into the corner hard enough for him to pop out on contact. Reigns went for a spear, but Austin countered with a drop toe hold that sent Reigns crashing into the middle turnbuckle. Austin followed up with a belly-to-back suplex and made the cover. Reigns kicked out. Austin stomped away at him before putting him in a chinlock. Reigns broke it with elbows to the mid-section. Reigns ran to the ropes. Austin executed a Lou Thesz press and nailed with several closed fists. He went to the middle turnbuckle and executed the pointed elbow drop. He made the cover. Reigns kicked out.
Reigns escaped to the floor. Austin followed him. Austin smacked Reigns’ face off the ring apron and pressed him onto the barricade. He went for the Irish whip. Reigns reversed, sending Austin slamming into the steel ring steps. Reigns cleared off the English announce table and brought Austin over to it. He set up for a powerbomb, but Austin countered with a back body drop on the floor. Austin picked up Reigns and laid him out on the table. He got up there and executed a sit-out piledriver, causing the table to collapse on impact. When he recovered, Austin grabbed Reigns and rolled him into the ring. He made the cover. 1…2… foot on the ropes. Austin spotted Paul Heyman conspicuously close to the ropes and left the ring to confront him. Heyman backed away, claiming he did not interfere and pleading for mercy. When they started rounding the corner of the ring Heyman turned and ran, leaving Austin set up for a spear through the barricade, into the timekeeper’s position!
Reigns recovered first and brought Austin into the ring, where he pinned him. 1…2… Austin kicked out. Reigns set up for another spear. Austin got up. Reigns tried for it, but Austin stepped out of the way. Reigns slammed into the turnbuckle post with his shoulder. When Reigns pulled himself out of the corner and turned around, Austin kicked him in the mid-section and went for the Stone Cold Stunner, but Reigns pushed him away. Austin collided with the referee. Miraculously, that didn’t knock the ref out. He and Austin both got up. Reigns went for a Superman Punch. Austin ducked out of the way, causing Reigns to punch out the referee instead. Not the ref was knocked out. Reigns turned around, right into a kick and a Stone Cold Stunner!
There was no referee available to make the count. Austin slammed the ref in the face a few times to try to revive him. Meanwhile, Paul Heyman a chair next to Reigns. He picked it up and went to hit Austin, but he saw him quick enough to kick him and execute another Stone Cold Stunner. Austin made the pin. A new referee ran into the ring and started a count, but stopped when he turned to see the chair in the ring, which Heyman was straining his voice to point out to the referee. The referee and Austin argued about whether he used the chair. When the ref turned to call for the bell, Austin spun him around and gave him a Stone Cold Stunner! But then Reigns dropped Austin with a shot to the back of the head with the WWE World Championship belt! Reigns pinned Austin as Heyman revived the original referee. He crawled over to make the count. 1…2… Austin kicked out! Reigns set up for the spear. He ran past Austin into the ropes, and again, building up a ton of steam before nailing his finisher in the center of the ring. Reigns made the cover. 1…2…3! A new champion was crowned. The show ended with the Tribal Chief being joined in the ring by the Wise Man and the rest of the Bloodline to celebrate his being crowned the new WWE World Champion! (23:17) Winner by Pinfall: Roman Reigns