A WWE tradition that goes back more than two decades has officially been put into mothballs for the time being.
The company’s annual Tribute to the Troops specials are no longer, according to Dave Meltzer from the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. There was no formal announcement from the company, but a WWE source confirmed the news to Meltzer.
As noted by Meltzer, the show was a Vince McMahon and John Bradshaw Layfield-created tradition and one that started in December 2003 as the company brought a WWE show to Baghdad, Iraq, and aired it on Christmas as an episode of SmackDown.
It remained an overseas tradition through 2009 and then became a stateside occurrence at various military bases. It eventually was filmed at arenas and became standalone specials that aired on both NBC and Fox at various junctures.
There were 21 editions through 2023 with just one — 2019 — not airing on TV.
That follows the news that initially broke last week by Fightful and Bodyslam.net that NXT Level Up is also not moving forward. Its final episodes were filmed during last Thursday’s NXT TV tapings and will be replaced by the impending LFG reality-esque show that will debut on A&E in early-2025.
The successor to the shuttered 205 Live, Level Up debuted in February 2022 on Friday nights, designed to focus on mainly inexperienced NXT wrestlers who hadn’t yet made it to the main TV show. It aired on both Peacock and WWE Network with this Friday’s finale completing a 150-episode run.
A live musical performance is set to take place at this Friday’s special Tribute to the Troops edition of SmackDown.
WWE has announced that The War and Treaty, a husband and wife duo consisting of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, will perform at Tribute to the Troops this Friday night. The episode is taking place from the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
WWE wrote: “Two-time 2024 Grammy nominees @warandtreaty will perform LIVE on the #WWETroops edition of #SmackDown this Friday! Tune in to honor our U.S. service members, veterans and their families with this special performance.”
The War and Treaty are one of the nominees for Best New Artist in the 2024 Grammy Awards. Their song “Blank Page” is also nominated for Best American Roots Song.
This year’s Tribute to the Troops is the first time the show has been a special SmackDown episode. The event has taken place annually since 2003.
The updated lineup for Friday’s show is listed below:
CM Punk returns to SmackDown
United States Championship number one contender’s tournament first-round match: Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross
United States Championship number one contender’s tournament first-round match: Dragon Lee vs. Santos Escobar
It was announced today that Tribute to the Troops 2023 will air live on Fox at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Friday, December 8. WWE has confirmed that it will be a SmackDown episode branded as Tribute to the Troops. The show is being held at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island.
Tribute to the Troops has taken place annually since 2003. Over its first seven years, the show was held at military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. The show has taken place in the United States every year since 2010.
The 2019 edition of Tribute to the Troops was not televised.
WWE wrote:
Since its inception in 2003, WWE’s Tribute to the Troops has honored our U.S. service members, veterans and their families for their continued sacrifice and commitment to our country, and is widely considered one of television’s most patriotic and heartwarming shows of the year.
WWE has a multi-decade commitment to the U.S. Armed Forces, which includes visiting nearly 400 military installations throughout the world, offering all U.S. military personnel free tickets to WWE live events, and has partnered with military organizations, such as Hire Heroes USA. WWE currently supports the USO and tells stories of heroism and valor of our nation’s bravest through the company’s partnership with National Medal of Honor Museum to make an impact in the community.
WWE recently celebrated Veterans Day by raising “one of the largest American flags in the country” on top of the company’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. WWE has also extended a free ticket offer to all veterans during the month of November.
*Vince McMahon talks about returning and we talk about the prospects of that, including from those close to him *The Rita Chatterton story resurfaces, and we go back to look at the original story and current legal status as well as a new allegation against Vince McMahon that came up this week *What can’t happen to WWE as long a McMahon wants back in *What would have to take place before McMahon to return to power *What risks are there for the company *The Vice special on Vince McMahon and those who would and wouldn’t talk *Mandy Rose gets fired and details of why it happened and what the original plans were regarding the women’s title *ROH PPV coverage, Honor Club, PPV buys, ROH title change *Sasha Banks and Japan WWE, AEW prospects, a return t WWE and more *Notes on Wrestle Kingdom, the card,te story behind the card *Updates on Matt Riddle *Full coverage of UFC 282, hat happens next, business notes, what’s next for the fighters *ROH Deadline and the debut of Iron Survivor *Just how rapidly is cable losing homes, a list for the stations that air wrestling and MMA and what the numbers are now *Tokyo Sports awards and story behind it *PWG Battle of Los Angels *The most detailed look at the ratings for all wrestling shows on national TV including how each segment did, *Streaming numbers *Advance ticket sales for the major WWE & AEW events *Government works with Arena Mexico for a special event *CMLL’s next tournament *Konnan talks his health *Rules in place for independent promoters and usage of El Hijo del Vikingo *A look at a Mexico match of the year candidate *A look at another match of the year candidate *Finances of major wrestling conglomerate *Future of Kota Ibushi *Why the economics are going to be tougher for New Japan *Coverage of the New Japan tag tournament finals *Update on the MLW lawsuit against WWE *Huge match in London this week *AEW announces new television deal *Behind the Jericho loss to Action Andretti *What famous feud started in a similar fashion *People who have been world champion in the U.S., Japan and Mexico *UFC takes action regarding a suspicious fight *World MMA Awards *William Regal news *WrestleMania news
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Tuesday Update
WWE
The Rock on Twitter announced that he and James Gunn, the new head of upcoming DC Comics movies, have connected and Black Adam “will not be in their first chapter of storytelling”. He also said that DC and his production company Seven Bucks “have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Gunn wrote in response: “Love @TheRock & I’m always excited to see what he & Seven Bucks do next. Can’t wait to collaborate soon.”
In addition to Andre Chase, who appeared on Monday’s Raw, Axiom from NXT also worked this week’s Main Event tapings.
Tribute to the Troops, which aired on Fox Saturday, scored 612,000 viewers, with a 0.17 in the 18-49 demo.
The Christmas episode of Young Rock that aired on December 15 scored 1,528,000 viewers, the best audience since the season 3 premiere last month.
This week’s AEW Road to Holiday Bash, focusing on the latest between The Elite and Death Triangle, Jamie Hayter vs. Hikaru Shida, and FTR vs. The Gunns.
Some wrestling stars shared their own struggles with ADHD after WWE’s Lacey Evans trended on Twitter after sharing conspiratorial videos regarding ADD and autism. Nick Comoroto wrote on Twitter: “I was diagnosed with ADHD at 6 years old and it still affects me today. A diet won’t fix it, you don’t outgrow it but its never stopped me from chasing my dreams. This is not something new and we’ve always been here. They just called us that “weird” kid.”
Mikey Ruckus, who produces music tracks for AEW, wrote: “I live with ADHD. Some days are good, others are not so good. How about a round table discussion. Maybe we can talk about living with ADHD, how some of us developed self coping mechanisms, and how we turned what some see as a hindrance into a tool that drives us.”
Athena on social media demonstrated how she made her ring jacket she wore at Final Battle.
On Veterans Day, WWE taped the 20th annual edition of its Tribute to the Troops event.
Tribute to the Troops 2022 was taped in conjunction with Friday night’s episode of SmackDown at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The show will feature three matches:
– Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Ricochet defeated Imperium (Intercontinental Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci)
A video honoring Veterans Day was shown during SmackDown last night. Michael Cole stated on commentary that WWE will continue to honor the United States armed forces with Tribute to the Troops airing on Fox the week before Christmas.
Tribute to the Troops debuted in 2003 with the event taking place at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq. Tribute to the Troops was held overseas for its first seven years before being moved to the United States starting in 2010.
WWE’s 19th edition of Tribute to the Troops aired Sunday on Fox, taped in mid-October at Ontario, California’s Toyota Center on the same night as SmackDown.
WWE Champion Big E defeated Dolph Ziggler (w/ Bobby Roode) in a non-title match
This was the battle of who has the best hip movements — an exchange that Big E won. He hit an impressive splash on Ziggler while he was on the ring apron. Roode interfered in favor of Ziggler throughout the match. Ziggler hit the Famouser for a near fall and followed it up with a Zig Zag, but it wasn’t enough to put the champion down.
In the end, Big E caught a diving Ziggler and converted it into the Big Ending to with the match. After the match, Roode attacked Big E and received a Big Ending for his troubles.
Bianca Belair defeated Liv Morgan
This started with several counters. Morgan and Belair outsmarted each other at certain points and followed up the stalemate with their respective taunts. Belair hit a stacked spinebuster that helped her get a quick advantage, but Morgan countered with a small package and followed it up with an enziguri kick.
Belair won after catching Morgan on the top rope, countering her hurricanrana with the KOD. After the match, both hugged each other in a show of respect.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns (w/ Paul Heyman) defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura (w/ Rick Boogs) to retain
This started with some arm-based holds, followed by headlocks. It started to heat up with Reigns landing jumping clotheslines on Nakamura. Reigns hit a high uranage for a near fall and set up the Superman punch. Boogs started playing his guitar to distract Reigns which Nakamura used to gain an advantage. The Usos then came out and attacked Boogs.
Reigns eventually retook control, hitting a Superman punch at ringside with a spear back in the ring to get the pin and win.
Final Thoughts:
Besides the matches, the show had several video packages about the troops, several heroes and their courageous actions. The show also had images from previous editions of the show.
The wrestling itself was fine, but nothing too special. The best match of the show was Morgan vs. Belair.
A new report says WWE will air their annual Tribute to the Troops show next month.
PWInsider reported that this year’s Tribute to the Troops event will air on November 14 on Fox. Additionally, PWInsider reported earlier today that a match for the event will be taped at tonight’s SmackDown event in Ontario, California.
Tribute to the Troops has been held every year since 2003 and has aired on television, with the exception of the 2019 broadcast. Originally, the shows were held in Afghanistan and Iraq on military bases, with WWE running shows to support overseas troops. Starting with the 2010 show, Tribute to the Troops moved to domestic locations, and has since evolved into an event that celebrates those who have entered the military service for the United States.
Last year’s Tribute to the Troops was taped at the WWE ThunderDome without a crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show had Drew McIntyre defeating The Miz in the main event.
WWE Tribute to the Troops aired Sunday on FOX as a special presentation adjacent to NFL programming. Billed as the 18th annual Tribute to the Troops, the focus of the show was honoring the United States military. The babyfaces all went over.
This year the setting was obviously different from previous tapings of the special. WWE was still able to have military in the crowd watching the show, but this year those fans were there in virtual fashion via internet connections.
Virtual fans in the ThunderDome included military from Fort Hood, Marine Corps Air Station New River, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Naval Air Station Fallon, and the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier.
On commentary was Michael Cole from the Smackdown brand, Byron Saxton from the Raw brand, and JBL as guest commentator. All three were at ringside to call the matches. JBL over the years has been an integral part of Tribute to the Troops since its inception.
The show opened with everyone involved in the ten-man tag team match already in the ring. Daniel Bryan was leading a “YES” chant as if he had just had an entrance.
Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated King Corbin, Elias, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode and Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
Ford pinned Zayn to win the match for the babyface team, which was fitting for this show since Ford served in the military. Ford scored a clean pin on the IC champion. Maybe that will matter in the future.
Mysterio and Ziggler started the match, and they went back-and-forth for a few moments. Mysterio got a two count, but Ziggler soon cut him off. Roode tagged in, but Mysterio outmaneuvered him. Hardy tagged in, and Mysterio assisted Hardy for Poetry In Motion.
The babyfaces had things well in hand when Bryan tagged into the match. Bryan charged towards a corner for his signature running dropkick, but Roode a moment later cut him off. Elias entered the match and began to pummel Bryan. Elias kept Bryan from a rally when he countered a flying move with a knee strike.
Hardy was standing on the apron when Elias hit him with a cheap shot. That instigated a melee as everyone poured into the ring, which then led into a parade of dives. Ford concluded the parade with a tope con giro.
Besides Ford being a great high flyer, he got to shine before the break for another reason. The announcers after the break explained that Ford himself is a military veteran, serving as a Marine. He was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the military.
Bryan was getting worked over as the show returned from commercial break. He created separation, and then delivered a missile dropkick to Roode. Mysterio got a hot tag, and he cleaned house. He used some of his signature offense like his seated senton. Corbin countered a 619, and he executed a chokeslam backbreaker.
Mysterio tagged out to Dawkins. Zayn bumped and fed for Dawkins, leading to a near fall broken up by Elias. This began a domino effect that led into the finish. A lot happened in a short span of time, but here goes…
Hardy took out Elias with a Twist of Fate. Ziggler hit Hardy with a superkick. Ziggler ran into a running knee strike from Bryan. Roode caught Bryan for a spinebuster. Mysterio with a 619 on Roode, and he went for a West Coast Pop. Corbin stopped him, but Corbin was clotheslined over the ropes by Dawkins. Zayn with a school boy on Dawkins for a two count. Dawkins with a twisting neckbreaker on Zayn to put Zayn in position for a frog splash from Ford. Ford then covered Zayn for the pinfall.
Lacey Evans Push-Up Contest
Next came cross-promotion with the NFL on FOX. The panel from the Sunday kickoff show threw to a segment taped at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Lacey Evans and sports analyst Jay Glazer hosted a push-up contest.
Evans served in the military as a Marine. She joined in the push-up contest to compete against three other Marines. Evans placed second in the contest.
Besides the NFL on FOX crew, later in the show was cross-promotion with MLS.
Country music recording artist HARDY performed “Give Heaven Some Hell”.
A video package aired featuring virtual messages from the WWE roster thanking the military. These played in varying forms throughout the show.
Banks submitted Natalya with the Bank Statement. This was a fun match.
Banks showed her prowess early on, and then it was Belair’s turn to shine. Belair goaded Bayley, which led to Bayley attempting to cheat. Belair instead knocked down both her and Nattie with strikes.
Belair picked up her tag partner, Banks, in a military press. Belair then sent Banks into a flying crossbody that took out both Nattie and Bayley. That spot led into a commercial break.
The heels were in control when the show returned from the break. They were working over Belair, but Banks soon made a hot tag. Banks ran wild on the two heels.
Banks landed the meteora on Nattie and went for a cover. Bayley jumped in to break the count. Banks dropped her with a kick. Belair connected with a handspring into a standing moonsault on Bayley.
Nattie came in and was going into one of her signature spots when Banks tripped her. Banks then trapped Nattie in the Bank Statement. Nattie tried to roll through, but to no avail. She tapped out.
An ad spot for a car insurance company showed clips from the 2007 event in Iraq. Vince McMahon was playing a heel. John Cena, dressed as Santa Claus, arrived to spread Christmas cheer and give Vince a FU.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defeated The Miz (with John Morrison) in a non-title match
McIntyre pinned Miz clean after a Claymore in a very dominant win.
McIntyre ran roughshod in the early portion of the match. McIntyre pummeled Miz in and out of the ring. The tide almost turned when McIntyre crotched himself while attempting a superplex. He was seemingly tied in the tree-of-woe, but he raised up to send Miz crashing to the floor.
Miz fed into clotheslines and suplexes. McIntyre followed with a neckbreaker and a kip up. Morrison distracted the referee by crawling into the ring. Miz used this to poke McIntyre in the eye. He tried using the ropes for leverage on a roll-up, but McIntyre still kicked out.
McIntyre countered a full nelson, dropping Miz with a Future Shock DDT. Miz then ate a Claymore Kick, and McIntyre covered him for the pinfall.
Three matches are set for this year’s WWE Tribute to the Troops event.
Tribute to the Troops was being taped at the WWE ThunderDome today and will air on Fox this Sunday (December 6). It will feature the following matches:
– Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Baron Corbin, Elias, Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
– WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. The Miz
This appears to be a non-title match. Miz is the holder of the Money in the Bank briefcase and tried to cash in on McIntyre on this week’s episode of Raw. AJ Styles, who will challenge for McIntyre’s title at TLC on Sunday, December 20, agreed to help Miz try to cash in because it would be easier to defeat Miz than McIntyre. But an argument between Styles and Miz delayed Miz’s attempt to cash in. McIntyre fought back, sent John Morrison out of the ring, and laid out Miz with a Claymore.
Tribute to the Troops will also include a musical performance by country music star HARDY. The show is airing adjacent to Fox’s regional NFL broadcasts. For those with an NFL game at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Tribute to the Troops will air at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. For those with an NFL game at 4:05 p.m. Eastern, Tribute to the Troops will air at 3 p.m. Eastern.
This is WWE’s 18th annual Tribute to the Troops event. The show will virtually include servicemen and women and their families from Marine Corps Air Station New River, US Army Post Fort Hood, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Naval Air Station Fallon, and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
A musical performance has been announced for this year’s WWE Tribute to the Troops event.
WWE has announced that “chart-topping country artist HARDY” will perform on this year’s Tribute to the Troops special. Tribute to the Troops is being taped at the WWE ThunderDome this week and will air on Fox on Sunday (December 6). It’s airing adjacent to Fox’s regional NFL broadcasts. For those with an NFL game at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Tribute to the Troops will air at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. For those with an NFL game at 4:05 p.m. Eastern, Tribute to the Troops will air at 3 p.m. Eastern.
“I am so excited to play WWE Tribute to the Troops,” HARDY said in a press release. “As a big supporter of our United States military, I am honored to be able to perform for them. Can’t wait to rock the house and God bless America.”
“HARDY is an immensely talented singer and songwriter who has worked with some of the most prolific names in country music,” said Neil Lawi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, WWE Music Group. “WWE is thrilled to have him perform at TV’s most patriotic show of the year as together we celebrate our troops and their families.”
This is WWE’s 18th annual Tribute to the Troops event. It will virtually include servicemen and women and their families from Marine Corps Air Station New River, US Army Post Fort Hood, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Naval Air Station Fallon and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.
For the first time ever, WWE’s Tribute to the Troops is coming to Fox.
It was announced today that this year’s Tribute to the Troops event will air on Fox on Sunday, December 6. It will air adjacent to Fox’s regional NFL broadcasts. For those with NFL games airing at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Tribute to the Troops will air at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. For those with NFL games airing at 4:05 p.m. Eastern, Tribute to the Troops will air at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Tribute to the Troops will take place at the WWE ThunderDome and will “include servicemen and women and their families from Marine Corps Air Station New River, US Army Post Fort Hood, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Naval Air Station Fallon and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.”
“Supporting the United States military year-round is an essential part of FOX Sports’ mission, and partnering with WWE on their Tribute to the Troops is an incredible extension of this ongoing commitment,” Fox Sports Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer Eric Shanks said in a press release.
“This is a unique time and we look forward to providing our troops and their families with an interactive experience that only WWE can deliver as we celebrate our servicemen and women with millions of our fans watching at home on FOX,” WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said.
WWE noted that they will “announce celebrity guests from the world of sports and entertainment that will take part in the Tribute to the Troops broadcast” in the coming weeks.
In addition to the Tribute to the Troops event, WWE will also be hosting virtual meet and greet sessions with WWE wrestlers and military members.
This will be WWE’s 18th annual Tribute to the Troops show. Tribute to the Troops took place at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina last year but didn’t air on television.
Former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart will appear on this year’s Tribute to the Troops, and country music singer Morgan Wallen will perform for the troops in attendance.
This is the 16th annual Tribute to the Troops and the second time the event has been held at Fort Hood. Today’s activities also include “a Be a STAR bullying prevention rally, as well as hospital visits and military outreach initiatives at various installations across the base.”
WWE is also making a financial contribution to Celebration of Love, which is “a local non-profit organization dedicated to supporting U.S. soldiers, veterans and their families through their Soldiers of America program. This year, Celebration of Love is holding a Christmas Toy Drive, gifting 1,200 bikes and toys to military children at Fort Hood.”
Last year’s Tribute to the Troops took place at Naval Base San Diego and featured wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown.
WWE’s 16th annual Tribute to the Troops event has officially been confirmed.
It was announced today that Fort Hood, Texas will host Tribute to the Troops 2018 on Tuesday, December 4. Tribute to the Troops was also held at Fort Hood in 2010.
Broadcast details for Tribute to the Troops 2018 weren’t mentioned in WWE’s announcement. Next week’s SmackDown will be taking place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas on the same day as Tribute to the Troops is in Fort Hood.
In addition to the show in Fort Hood, WWE “will spend time giving back to military personnel and their families stationed on base. Activities include a Be a STAR bullying prevention rally, as well as hospital visits and military outreach initiatives at various installations across the base.”
Last year’s Tribute to the Troops took place at Naval Base San Diego on Tuesday, December 5 and aired on the USA Network as a two-hour special on Thursday, December 14. It featured wrestlers from both Raw and SmackDown.
With Tribute to the Troops airing on the USA Network as part of WWE Week, WWE and Impact Wrestling went head-to-head in the ratings this past Thursday night.
And the results weren’t good for Impact. This week’s show averaged 161,000 viewers, the lowest number for a new episode of Impact since debuting on Pop TV. It was even lower than the audience for the Thanksgiving edition of Impact this year, which did 169,000 viewers. Earlier this month, Impact did 226,000 viewers for the December 7th episode.
Impact changed nights from Tuesdays to Thursdays in the summer of 2016 to avoid going against SmackDown after WWE had announced its move to Tuesdays.
Tribute to the Troops averaged 1,401,000 viewers. That number is up from 2016 but lower than what it had done prior to last year.
For a comparison, here are the viewership numbers that WWE posted on the USA Network this week:
WWE’s 15th annual Tribute to the Troops event took place at Naval Base San Diego earlier this month and aired on the USA Network on Thursday night.
Ring announcer and songstress Lilian Garcia sang a rousing rendition of the national anthem to start the show off, with her seeming to put a little extra emotion into the song for the live, outdoor crowd of men and women in uniform.
The event began in 2003 and has been hosted in places such as Baghdad, Iraq and Bagram, Afghanistan. Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and JBL were at ringside for commentary. Cole called Tribute to the Troops the “most patriotic and heartwarming show on television.”
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) defeated Samoa Joe, Cesaro & Sheamus
JBL said The Shield are the best faction in wrestling history, “with all due respect to the nWo, the Four Horsemen, and the Freebirds.”
Joe was hugely over with the crowd, which shouted “Joe, Joe, Joe,” through his entrance and during the match. Rollins and Ambrose did most of the heavy lifting in the match, including double dropkicks on Joe. Once Reigns finally got the hot tag from Rollins, he beat up on Cesaro with right hands, kicks, and a Samoan drop. JBL called Reigns “a once-in-a-generation athlete.”
Rollins hit a Rainmaker on Sheamus, Ambrose a Dirty Deeds on Cesaro, and Reigns pinned Cesaro with a spear.
After the match, Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns each thanked the crowd for their sacrifice and everything they do to keep the country safe. Rollins said the military members were the most dominant forces in the world and Reigns grabbed the mic and said “you can believe that,” to a mild pop.
– John Cena wasn’t there, but they showed clips of him from previous appearances.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defeated Carmella and Ruby Riott in a triple threat match
Charlotte received her own TV entrance and was accompanied by Naomi. Charlotte was the star here. Riott and Carmella teamed up on her for most of the match. Carmella mocked Charlotte with exaggerated chops and Ric Flair-like struts. Little Naitch (Charles Robinson) was the referee and Natalya watched from the entrance aisle.
Riott worked a stiff match with Charlotte, hitting her with forearms and kicks. She tried a superplex from the top rope, but Carmella pulled her down from the top, and then caught Charlotte with her split-legged headscissors from the top rope. At one point, Charlotte delivered a suplex to both Riott and Carmella, popping the crowd big. Charlotte eventually got the win with a Figure Eight on Carmella.
After the win, Charlotte grabbed the mic and said she was inspired by the true independent women on the base and that they were the “true champions.”
– Machine Gun Kelly, Bebe Rexha, and Sam Harris from X Ambassadors and his band sang “Home,” a song from the movie Bright.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos & The New Day defeated Shelton Benjamin, Chad Gable, Rusev & Aiden English
This had lots of action all around, with New Day doing their typical comedy spots. The Usos hit each one of their opponents with superkicks to make The Young Bucks jealous. Jimmy Uso hit a splash to the outside on Gable, English, and Rusev, then Jey connected on a 619 in honor of Rey Mysterio and the fact that they were in San Diego.
The New Day got the win when Big E and Xavier Woods hit the powerslam and The Big Ending.
Bayley, dressed in red and yellow, came out sans the giant puppets and streamers. Banks was more over than Bayley. James and Deville had a great exchange of forearms outside the ring. James carried the match for her team early and the crowd loved her.
The highlight of the match was when Banks and Paige both got tagged in at the same time and Banks hit Paige with a series of clotheslines. Paige looked great in her role and doesn’t appear to have missed much in her near-year-long layoff with a neck injury and suspension. James hit a Lou Thesz press off the top rope on Paige and then an awesome dive to the outside on the Absolution members, but that gave Paige time to recover.
Paige rammed James’ head into the bottom turnbuckle and then pinned her with her finisher, the Rampaige. Absolution were the first heel team to get a win on the evening.
– We got another Machine Gun Kelly song, “Let You Go.”
– The show also featured various vignettes from celebrities, such as Terry Bradshaw, Stephen Colbert, and Clint Eastwood.
WWE Champion AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton defeated Jinder Mahal, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
Orton was over like Hulk Hogan in MSG in 1985. Nakamura was over like Stone Cold in the late-1990s. AJ Styles was over like AJ Styles in 2017. This was a hot crowd who loved all three of these guys.
Owens kicked off the match with a kick to the stomach and then a headlock on Orton. Owens was very verbal, taunting Orton until Orton hit him with a powerslam. He tried an early RKO, but Owens slipped out. Orton looks like he turned back the clock a bit with his new haircut, nixing the bald look.
The match slowed when Mahal got in, but Orton then tagged Styles to a massive pop. Styles hit a dropkick and then tagged Nakamura, who lit up Mahal with his knee drop and kick in the corner. Mahal tagged Zayn and Nakamura hit a roundhouse kick on him, before making the tag to Styles.
Styles lit up the ring with his flying forearm and arsenal of aerial moves. He applied the calf-crusher, but it was broken up by Mahal. The Singh Brothers were at ringside to cause momentary distractions until Orton grabbed them both and delivered a double DDT on top of the second rope.
Nakamura and Zayn exchanged forearms, and then Nakamura hit Zayn with a wicked kick to the chest. Owens broke up a pin attempt, but Styles delivered a Phenomenal Forearm off the top rope. Mahal jumped in to apply a Cobra Clutch, but Orton broke it up and hit the RKO. Mahal rolled out of the ring, allowing Nakamura to connect with his Kinshasa on Zayn for the victory.
The crowd ate it up and the WWE production crew played Nakamura’s music in victory before moving to Styles’ music as he held up the championship belt and gave the “Too Sweet” symbol to the crowd.
