The Big Takeaway: Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater notched up a win against Mojo Rawley & Eric Young that was largely terrible. Cesaro then stood out like a sore thumb as he won against Zack Ryder.
Mickie James (who has been out of action since tearing her ACL in June) and Dio Maddin joined Vic Joseph on the commentary team this week. The soundtrack to the show was very clunky at times, but Joseph is certainly preferable to Byron Saxton as the lead announcer.
Starting on Monday, Joseph, Maddin & Jerry “The King” Lawler will be the announce team for Raw.
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Titus O’Neil & Heath Slater defeated Mojo Rawley & Eric Young (2:53)
Well, this was one to forget for a number of reasons.
For one, the announcing was random. Mickie James called Rawley “Mojo Riley” and Vic Joseph noted that Heath Slater could “throw hands with the best of them.” They discussed “dad bods” and Dio Maddin said that Rawley had been a “real success” as a singles star.
The match was about as good as you’d expect: sub-three minutes of heels beating down Slater and then O’Neil getting some slovenly shine.
The finish, though, was incredibly sloppy. Young came off the top rope and landed on his feet. O’Neil tried to make it look like he had caught him in mid-air and then they both fell down as if he’d hit the Clash of the Titus. This was virtually blooper-reel stuff at the end.
Life after The Bar has largely been difficult for Cesaro. He has a new entrance with new music, neither of which make him look like a star. For a guy who has such little wasted movement in the ring, he’s being absolutely underutilized.
Cesaro played the heel here, showing off how he is arguably pound-for-pound the strongest performer on the Raw roster. He did some faux-sportsmanship, shaking Ryder’s hand and then kicking him in the midriff at the second time of asking.
There were far too many choral “ooh”s from the three on commentary with every other strike. Given the number of European uppercuts and forearm smashes, it became irritating to say the least.
In the end, the match was fine. Ryder hit the Broski Boot — but Cesaro kicked out and rolled under the ropes. They brawled outside and then went back inside for a series of near falls before Cesaro used the Neutralizer for the win.
Ilja Dragunov answered Cesaro’s open challenge at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff.
At the end of the match, Cesaro hit a pop-up uppercut as Dragunov was going for Torpedo Moscow. Cesaro then hit the Neutralizer to get the win.
Cesaro came back to the ring after the match and faked like he was going to attack Dragunov, but he instead offered a handshake. They shook hands and Cesaro spoke in Dragunov’s ear.
WWE posted a video earlier this week revealing that Cesaro would be appearing at UK TakeOver: Cardiff. Cesaro teased that he’d be taking a more “hands-on approach,” and it was announced prior to the show that Cesaro would be issuing an open challenge.
Dragunov walked up to Cesaro during a backstage interview at TakeOver, then went out to the ring and told Cesaro that he was waiting.
Dragunov has now lost two televised matches in NXT UK, with his losses coming against Cesaro and Kassius Ohno. Dragunov defeated Tyson T-Bone on the go-home show for TakeOver.
January’s NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool special also featured a match that involved a member of the main roster. Finn Balor made a surprise appearance and defeated Jordan Devlin at that show.
WWE is teasing that Cesaro will be playing a part in NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff this Saturday.
In a video that WWE posted today, Cesaro said he’ll be paying a visit to Cardiff, Wales for Saturday’s event. “I’ve heard a lot of things about NXT UK, so I’m going to go to NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff to find out firsthand what it’s all about,” Cesaro said.
Cesaro ended the interview by saying he may take more of a “hands-on” approach at TakeOver.
Further details on Cesaro’s role at TakeOver have yet to be revealed.
A member of the main roster was in action at UK TakeOver: Blackpool back in January. After an angle where Jordan Devlin injured Travis Banks before their match, Finn Balor took Banks’ place and defeated Devlin.
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff is hosting Saturday’s UK TakeOver special. The main card will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
Here’s the announced lineup for the show:
WWE United Kingdom Champion WALTER defending against Tyler Bate
NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm defending against Kay Lee Ray
NXT UK Tag Team Champions The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake) defending against Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) and Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in a triple threat match
Travis Banks vs. Noam Dar
Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey in a last man standing match
The Big Takeaway: Lacey Evans saw off Dana Brooke in the opener. The team of Cesaro & EC3 then defeated Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins to leave the latter without a televised win since May.
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Lacey Evans defeated Dana Brooke (5:09)
Evans and Brooke faced off against each other on Main Event two weeks back with the result going in the same direction. This was probably a better match all told, with the ending putting Evans over strong.
Evans spent much of the match working over Brooke’s left arm, but Evans does look to have improved in recent weeks. They did a spot where she mimicked Brooke’s one-handed press-ups, but this was otherwise quite a slow, formulaic match.
The ending looked good, with Evans using a sleeper hold, taking Brooke up to the second rope. When she then released Brooke, Brooke lay prone and Evans waited for her to get to her feet. Evans then came off the top with the Women’s Right for the win.
EC3 and Cesaro tagged together in six-man tag action back in June when they teamed up with Robert Roode. They defeated the Lucha House Party then and looked strong again here.
For Ryder and Hawkins, things seem to have returned to normalcy. They are without a televised win as a team since May and are being used more on this show than they are on Raw, where their appearances have been sporadic since they lost the Tag Team titles in June.
Cesaro looked so smooth and comfortable throughout and Hawkins and Ryder both had spots where they impressed. Hawkins came off the top rope to nail EC3 and Cesaro on the outside and Ryder did a tope on them both before the finish.
It was an all-action finish, though, after they had all hit their finishing moves. Cesaro pinned Ryder with the Neutralizer to give these two their first tag team win together.
WWE has announced two King of the Ring first round matches for Monday’s Raw and two for Tuesday’s SmackDown.
Cesaro vs. Samoa Joe and Cedric Alexander vs. Sami Zayn are set for Raw, while Kevin Owens vs. Elias and Apollo Crews vs. Andrade will take place on SmackDown.
The bracket for King of the Ring was revealed yesterday. Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre and The Miz vs. Baron Corbin are the other first round matches on the Raw side of the bracket. The winner of Cesaro vs. Joe will face the winner of Ricochet vs. McIntyre in the second round. The winner of Alexander vs. Zayn will face the winner of Miz vs. Corbin.
Ali vs. Buddy Murphy and Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin are the other first round matches on the SmackDown side. The winner of Owens vs. Elias will take on the winner of Ali vs. Murphy in the next round. The winner of Crews vs. Andrade will face the winner of Gable vs. Benjamin.
King of the Ring is a multi-week tournament that will culminate at Clash of Champions on September 15.
Monday’s Raw is taking place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota is hosting Tuesday’s SmackDown.
WWE has also announced that a “Mosh Pit Mixed Tag Team Match” with R-Truth & Carmella vs. Drake Maverick & Renee Michelle will kick off tonight’s Raw. R-Truth’s 24/7 Championship will be on the line.
There will be a gauntlet match on the show to determine who will challenge for AJ Styles’ United States Championship at SummerSlam. Ricochet, Rey Mysterio, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Andrade will be in the gauntlet match.
A triple threat Raw Tag Team title match has also been announced for tonight, with The Revival defending their titles against The Usos and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson. The Tag Team title match comes after Jimmy Uso’s DUI arrest from last Thursday.
Styles won the US title from Ricochet at Extreme Rules. The finish of the match was Styles hitting a Styles Clash on the middle rope after interference from Gallows and Anderson.
Tonight’s Raw is taking place at the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler, Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss in a non-title match, and a “Samoan Summit” segment with Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe have also been announced for the episode.
UPDATE: Daniel Bryan was listed for the battle royal at first but has since been replaced by Sami Zayn.
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Brock Lesnar’s next challenger will be determined on tonight’s episode of Raw.
WWE has announced an “All-Star Top 10 Battle Royal” for tonight’s show. It will feature wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown, with the winner challenging for Lesnar’s Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio, Baron Corbin, Cesaro, Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, Big E, and Randy Orton will be the participants in the battle royal.
SummerSlam is taking place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on August 11.
Lesnar cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at Extreme Rules to win the Universal Championship from Rollins. Rollins had been champion since winning the title from Lesnar at WrestleMania 35 in April.
This is the third time that Lesnar has held the Universal title.
Lesnar is set to appear on tonight’s Raw. The Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York is hosting the episode.
After weeks of asking someone to pick a fight with him, Aleister Black has his next opponent.
On tonight’s SmackDown, Black vs. Cesaro was announced for Extreme Rules. The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is hosting the pay-per-view on Sunday.
The storyline of Black challenging someone to pick a fight with him led to him getting a knock on his door two weeks ago. Last week, it was revealed that there was no one there when he went to answer. Black applauded the person who knocked and said they’re now fighting on a spiritual level.
WWE hyped that Black’s opponent for Extreme Rules would be announced on SmackDown this week. At first it was said that Black’s opponent was choosing to not disclose their identity yet, but it was then revealed to be Cesaro.
Here’s the updated card for Extreme Rules:
The Undertaker & Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon & Drew McIntyre in a no holds barred match
Universal Champion Seth Rollins & Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch defending against Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans in an extreme rules match (winners-take-all stipulation with both titles on the line)
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston defending against Samoa Joe
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross in a handicap match
United States Champion Ricochet defending against AJ Styles
Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley in a last man standing match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan defending against Big E & Xavier Woods and Heavy Machinery in a triple threat match
Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival defending against The Usos
Aleister Black vs. Cesaro
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak defending against Tony Nese
The Big Takeaway: Dana Brooke defeated Sarah Logan in a rematch from last week where Brooke had suffered a nasty facial injury. The main event saw the random team of EC3, Cesaro & Robert Roode see off the Lucha House Party in under three minutes.
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Dana Brooke defeated Sarah Logan (6:13)
Whether this show will reap any of the benefits of Paul Heyman becoming executive director on the Raw side of things remains to be seen.
The fact WWE acknowledged last week at all here is certainly a positive. Quite rightly, they did a rematch and made a much better go of it. Brooke was smiling and fired up throughout and they kept doing spots where she would get her face bashed.
The finish saw Logan with Brooke on the apron again. She went for the running knee that caused the stoppage from last week, but Brooke had it scouted. Brooke countered and then landed a Swanton Bomb from the top rope for the win.
Cesaro, EC3 & Robert Roode defeated The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) (2:40)
This, however, was a negative. If this show does see any changes, it would certainly benefit if they didn’t throw together arbitrary tag matches where the entrance times out-strip the running time of the match.
The first minute was EC3 getting dominated by the pace and tenacity of the Lucha House Party — before the ring filled and the LHP cleared it, posing in unison. And then we went to a break. Yes, a commercial break, in a three-minute match.
I can also confirm that wrestling took place during the commercials.
The last minute was everyone hitting their finishers but failing to get the pinfall. The finish was Cesaro hitting a European uppercut on Metalik as he came off the top rope. As usual, the timing looked fantastic.
Samoa Joe’s challenger for Stomping Grounds will be decided on Monday’s Raw.
WWE has announced a fatal five-way match between Braun Strowman, The Miz, Ricochet, Cesaro, and Bobby Lashley for the episode. The winner will challenge for Joe’s United States title at Stomping Grounds on June 23.
Strowman, Miz & Ricochet defeated Joe, Cesaro & Lashley on this week’s Raw. Ricochet pinned Cesaro in that match.
Joe lost the US title to Rey Mysterio at Money in the Bank last month, but Mysterio relinquished the title back to Joe on the June 3 edition of Raw due to Mysterio having a legitimate shoulder injury. Joe’s shoulder was also up when Mysterio pinned him at Money in the Bank.
Monday’s Raw is taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California and is the go-home show for Stomping Grounds. WWE is advertising that Baron Corbin will reveal who the special guest referee will be for his Universal Championship match against Seth Rollins at the pay-per-view.
Daniel Bryan will also be appearing on Monday’s Raw as one of the Wild Card rule wrestlers.
Before tonight’s Raw, WWE officially confirmed two new members of the show’s roster.
United States Champion Samoa Joe is now on Raw. There will be two triple threat matches tonight, with the winners advancing to a number one contender’s match later in the episode to decide who will challenge for Seth Rollins’ Universal Championship at Money in the Bank. Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio and Baron Corbin vs. The Miz vs. Drew McIntyre are the triple threats.
Dave Meltzer reported that Joe was scheduled to join Raw in the Superstar Shake-up last week, but it was delayed due to Joe being sick. Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor departed Raw and joined SmackDown in the Shake-up.
Cesaro has also been confirmed as a new member of the Raw roster and will face Cedric Alexander tonight. As was noted earlier today, Andrade, Zelina Vega, and Aleister Black have been moved to SmackDown and Cesaro is now on Raw.
Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Alicia Fox in a non-title match is set for tonight’s Raw as well.
Despite the Superstar Shake-up being last week, it seems that WWE is not done moving people around.
Dave Meltzer has confirmed Pro Wrestling Sheet’s report this afternoon that Andrade and Zelina Vega were moved back to SmackDown after initially being moved to Raw. Additionally, Aleister Black’s WWE.com profile has been moved from Raw over to SmackDown and will be part of that brand going forward. He and Ricochet had been teaming up since being called up from NXT, and were confirmed to be a part of the Raw brand last week.
Additionally, Meltzer has confirmed that Cesaro has been moved to the Raw brand. This would effectively break up The Bar tag team with him and Sheamus. John Pollock was the first to report the move.
It should be noted that with the changes, WWE has attempted to keep most of the couples on the roster in the same brand. Black and Vega were married recently, and Andrade is currently in a relationship with Charlotte Flair.
Other couples, such as Naomi and Jimmy Uso, were also moved together in the Superstar Shake-up.
A fatal four-way SmackDown Tag Team title match has been made official for WrestleMania 35.
The Usos will defend their titles against Ricochet & Aleister Black, Cesaro & Sheamus, and Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev on Sunday. That was confirmed on tonight’s SmackDown, with Alexa Bliss making the announcement after The Usos, Ricochet & Black defeated Cesaro, Sheamus, Nakamura & Rusev in an eight-man tag match.
Rusev was pinned in the eight-man tag after The Usos gave him a double superkick. After Bliss made her announcement, the four teams brawled, Black laid out Cesaro with Black Mass, and Ricochet hit a dive onto a pile on the outside.
Bliss is the host of WrestleMania 35. In storyline, The Usos having to face four teams is punishment for them forfeiting against Big E & Xavier Woods in last week’s gauntlet match.
Ricochet & Black will also be challenging for War Raiders’ NXT Tag Team titles at TakeOver: New York on Friday night. Ricochet & Black were the winners of this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey is hosting WrestleMania on Sunday. Here’s the updated card:
Winner gets both titles: Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch in a triple threat match
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Seth Rollins
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defending against Kofi Kingston
Triple H vs. Batista in a no holds barred match (Triple H’s career is on the line as a stipulation of the match)
Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre
Shane McMahon vs. The Miz in a falls count anywhere match
AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton
United States Champion Samoa Joe defending against Rey Mysterio
Kurt Angle vs. Baron Corbin (Angle’s farewell match)
Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against Beth Phoenix & Natalya, Nia Jax & Tamina, and Peyton Royce & Billie Kay in a fatal four-way match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against Ricochet & Aleister Black, Cesaro & Sheamus, and Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev in a fatal four-way match
Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley defending against Finn Balor
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy defending against Tony Nese
The road to WrestleMania continues as SmackDown takes place from Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana tonight.
Kofi Kingston competes in a gauntlet match for a WWE Championship shot at WrestleMania 35. Kingston was set to challenge for the title at Fastlane, but Vince McMahon took the title shot away in storyline. Last week, Kingston and The New Day demanded another chance. In order to get the title shot, Kingston must defeat Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, The Bar, and Rowan in the gauntlet match.
The gauntlet match will take place at the start of tonight’s show.
At Fastlane, Shane McMahon turned against The Miz and gave him a brutal beatdown in front of his father. The Miz returns to address McMahon and the attack. Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley are also coming to SmackDown to face Peyton Royce & Billie Kay in a non-title match.
Plus, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are both scheduled to appear tonight.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair will be guests on The KO Show hosted by Kevin Owens later tonight.
The Miz made his way to the ring to address Shane McMahon. He talked about the sacrifices he made and his friendship with McMahon. His greatest moment was when his father stood in the ring and told him he was proud of him. Miz noted McMahon helped make that happen.
When Miz teamed with McMahon everyone in the back warned him. They told him that McMahon’s different behind the scenes. He said McMahon is rotten to the core, just like his father. He said they don’t own him and don’t own Kofi Kingston. Miz wasn’t born rich. People told him he was just average and would never be successful. He proved them all wrong and won the WWE Championship.
Miz did it all on his own. Boo him or cheer him he always had a good work ethic. His father didn’t give him love he had to earn it. The fans didn’t give him respect he had to earn it. He said after 13 years he thinks he finally earned the fans respect. The fans chanted “You Deserve It.” He promised to beat McMahon at WrestleMania. Miz did a good job with this promo.
Before the match, The IIconics noted Sasha Banks and Bayley finally came to SmackDown. They pointed out that Banks and Bayley returned to NXT first. They mocked the champs for their issues with Nia Jax, Tamina, Natalya, and Beth Phoenix. They claimed that Banks and Bayley were avoiding them. They promised to defeat the champs tonight.
The IIconics defeated Women’s tag team champions Sasha Banks & Bayley in a non-title match
The faces were firmly in control when Lacey Evans music hit. She made her way to the ring and walked back. This distracted Bayley and The IIconics took advantage to gain control. The heels isolated Bayley in their corner. Banks got the hot tag and ran wild. Banks pulled Billie Kay to the floor. Peyton Royce went after her but Banks countered.
Banks sent Royce back in the ring. She did a springboard in the ring but Kay tried to grab her leg. Banks kind of landed of Royce and looked at Kay. Bayley ran around the corner but Kay rocked her with a boot. Royce then rolled up Banks and Kay held her down for the win. The finish seemed like a mess.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Rey Mysterio. He brought in his son Dominic because he wanted him there for this announcement. Mysterio announced that he’s challenging United States Champion Samoa Joe at WrestleMania 35 after pinning him last week. Dominic’s proud of his father and is going to sit front row at WrestleMania to watch his father beat the bully.
Kevin Owens made his way to the ring for The KO Show. It’s the new and improved KO Show because of the graphics and his tie. He always calls WrestleMania KOMania but this year it’s all about Kofi Kingston.
Owens then turned his attention to his guests. He brought out his guests Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Lynch walked to the ring with a slight limp. The fans broke into a loud “Becky” chant. They booed Flair when she made her way to the ring. Owens said nobody knows about best friends falling apart better than him. He noted there is nothing more annoying than a best friend.
He read comments made by Ronda Rousey. Owens pointed out that Rousey’s not there. He then read comments made by Flair. He said they’ve done a lot of talking but nobody wants to see Lynch and Flair talk. The fans want to see them fight.
They went face-to-face. Flair promised to beat the holy hell out of Lynch. Owens asked Lynch to wait before responding and stepped out of the ring. Lynch and Flair started brawling in the ring and around ringside. Security ran out to break it up. Flair and Lynch both hit the officials. The fans broke into a loud “Becky” chant.
Kayla Braxton interviewed AJ Styles in the back. He discussed his upcoming WrestleMania match with Randy Orton. Styles pointed out that Orton had advantages that most people don’t have. He promised to tear the house down at WrestleMania. He then wished his good friend Kofi Kingston luck in his match later tonight.
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and Rowan entered the ring. Bryan said Kofi Kingston being in the gauntlet match is an injustice because he doesn’t deserve the opportunity. Bryan knows how it feels to be held down. He said Kingston wasn’t held down. He was given the opportunity to replace Mustafa Ali in the Elimination Chamber.
Bryan said that unlike him Kingston is a B plus player. Kofi Kingston interrupted and made his way to the ring for the gauntlet match. The fans broke into a huge “Kofi” chant. Big E and Xavier Woods are banned from ringside. They watched the match from the back.
Kofi Kingston defeated Sheamus (w/Cesaro)
Sheamus locked on a chin lock but Kingston fought out and worked over the arm. Kingston sent Sheamus to the floor and followed up with a huge dive. Sheamus regained control with a knee. Cesaro interfered behind the referee’s back with an uppercut to Kingston.
Back from the break, Kingston fired back with chops. He hit the boom drop and set up for trouble in paradise. Sheamus caught the leg and attempted the Cloverleaf. Kingston hit a cross body for a close near fall. Sheamus hit the Irish Backbreaker for another near fall. He then locked on the Cloverleaf submission.
In a cool spot, Kingston rolled out of the Cloverleaf and rolled up Sheamus with an inside cradle for a near fall. Sheamus attempted the Brogue Kick but Kingston rolled him up for a two count. Kingston then hit the trouble in paradise for the win.
The New Day continued to watch in the back. Now The Usos, Mustafa Ali and The Hardys joined them. The Usos had a plate of pancakes.
Kofi Kingston defeated Cesaro
Cesaro jumped Kingston right after he pinned Sheamus. Cesaro was firmly in control but Kingston fought back. Kingston attempted a springboard cross body but Cesaro caught him and hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a near fall.
Back from the break, Cesaro was firmly in control and locked on the Cloverleaf submission. In a cool spot, Kingston tried to escape the submission but Cesaro countered with a suplex. Cesaro attempted the Neutralizer but Kingston fought out of the hold. He then hit the SOS for the win.
The New Day and the roster celebrated Kingston’s second win.
Kofi Kingston defeated Rowan by disqualification
Rowan jumped Kingston and dominated the match. They fought on the floor. Rowan then grabbed a chair and attacked Kingston for the disqualification.
Rowan continued to beat Kingston around ringside. Corey Graves pointed out that New Day can’t help or they risk getting Kingston disqualified. Rowan gave Kingston the Iron Claw through the announce table.
Kofi Kingston defeated Samoa Joe
Joe was firmly in control. Kingston tried to fight back but Joe shut his comeback down. Kingston fired back with chops but Joe took back over. Joe rocked Kingston with a clothesline for a close near fall. Joe attempted the Coquina clutch but Kingston hit a jawbreaker. Joe hit an uranage for a two count. The finish came when Joe went for the Muscle Buster but Kingston rolled him up for the win.
After the match, Joe locked on the Coquina Clutch on Kingston in the ropes. In the back, The New Day and the roster started a “Kofi” chant.
Kofi Kingston defeated Randy Orton
Orton beat Kingston around ringside. He held Kingston against the barricade and called him stupid. Kingston fought back and sent Orton into the steps. Orton regained control and slowed the pace down with a chin lock.
Kingston fought back with hard chops. He attempted a dropkick but Orton sidestepped the move. Orton attempted the RKO but Kingston countered with the trouble in paradise. Kingston crawled to Orton but he rolled out of the ring.
Back from break, Orton and Kingston fought on the top turnbuckle. Tom Philips pointed out that Kingston has lasted roughly 50 minutes. Kingston attempted a cross body but Orton rolled through for a near fall.
Orton hit the draping DDT and set up for the RKO. Orton attempted the RKO but Kingston rolled him up for the win.
Big E and Woods ran into the ring to celebrate with Kingston. Suddenly, Vince McMahon’s music hit. Vince came out and congratulated Kingston on his win. He announced that Kingston’s going to WrestleMania as long as he can defeat this last opponent. He then introduced the WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. Woods and Big E must go to the back.
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Kofi Kingston
Bryan attacked Kingston with kicks in the corner. Bryan hit a huge back suplex off the top turnbuckle. He applied the LeBell lock but Kingston made the ropes. Kingston hit the SOS for a close near fall. Kingston pretty much landed on his head.
Bryan hit the running dropkicks in the corner. Kingston rolled up Bryan for a near fall. Kingston attempted a cross body but Bryan avoided the move. The finish came when Bryan hit the running knee for the win.
Two matches and a contract signing segment have been announced for Tuesday’s SmackDown.
Johnny Gargano vs. Cesaro is set for the episode, along with Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev. There will also be a contract signing with WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston on Tuesday’s SmackDown to build up their title match at Fastlane on March 10.
Gargano tweeted about facing Cesaro: “Let’s start checking off all of those ‘dream matches you never knew you needed until right now’.. This Tuesday on #SDLive.. Johnny Wrestling vs Swiss Cyborg”
Tommaso Ciampa will be in Gargano’s corner for the match, while Sheamus will be in Cesaro’s corner.
Gargano, Ciampa, Ricochet, and Black debuted on Raw last week and then wrestled on SmackDown the next night. Gargano & Ciampa defeated Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match on Monday and Cesaro & Sheamus on Tuesday.
Ricochet & Finn Balor defeated Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush on Raw, with Ricochet then defeating Eric Young on SmackDown. Black got wins against Elias and Andrade.
Kingston vs. Bryan was confirmed for Fastlane after Kingston pinned Bryan in a six-man tag main event on last week’s SmackDown.
Tuesday’s SmackDown is taking place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
