WWE Live show results
August 9, 2014
Abbotsford, B.C., Canada
Report by VIP member Brad Hainer

This was the first event that WWE has held in Abbotsford, about one hour east of Vancouver. The show was held at a smaller building with a capacity of 7,000 as opposed to bigger venues in Vancouver that seat around 16,000. This was my first live event in ten years and the first one for my son Jeffrey, who is 7-years-old. The following is a transcript of my interview with Jeffrey yesterday.

Q : Who is your favorite wrestler?
A : John Cena.
Q : Why?
A : He wears my favorite color green, is strong, and has a haircut like you. Oh yeah, he's good with kids and helps the government. (Huh?)

We arrived early at the building to see the wrestlers before the show and hopefully get some autographs and pictures. We got pictures and autographs from Goldust, Stardust, Tyson Kidd, Natalya, and Dean Ambrose. Natalya was really great as she signed and posed for many people. Then, about 45 minutes later, she came back out and did it again. Some signed and posed for a few and carried on, others briefly talked to the fans, and others completely ignored the crowd.

There was a lot of Cena and Bryan merchandise for sale. I think I even saw a Shield dog tag. I spent $40 on a Cena headband, wristbands, and Never Give Up necklace along with a tour program. The show started at 7:30 p.m. Tony Chimel was the ring announcer. A good sized crowd, probably around 5,500.

(1) Big Show beat Damien Sandow. Sandow came to the ring in an ugly sweater, jean shorts, and a wool cap. He said on the house mic that "this is how we dress in Canada (and)...he will beat anyone who comes through the curtain." Cue Big Show's entrance theme and a huge pop from the crowd. Show made quick work of Sandow with a Chokeslam and some comedy mixed in for good measure.

(2) Adam Rose beat Damien Sandow. Sandow said "I'm not leaving this country until I win." Out came Rose with a small entourage which included the Bunny. Sandow had most of the offense until Rose finished him off with the Party Foul. After the match, Sandow informed us that "I'm going to tear up my passport so I never have to come to Canada again!"

(3) Sin Cara & Tyson Kidd & El Torito beat Heath Slater & Titus O'Neil & Hornswoggle. This was a Fan's Choice of either a Match or a Dance-Off. Thankfully, the fans voted for a match. A fun match with Sin Cara and Tyson Kidd showing off their high-flying moves, Heath being his usual cocky self, Titus with the power moves, and comedy bits from Hornswoggle and El Torito. At one point, Hornswoggle was karate kicking Tyson in the shins, so he put him in the Sharpshooter. Tyson pinned Heath in about eight minutes.

(4) Rusev (w/Lana) beat Big E. via submission Lana did her usual promo on the mic and claimed "Canadians are the same as Americans." This brought out Big E. waving a Canadian flag to a decent pop from the crowd. A boring match with these two muscleheads as one would expect along with some interplay with the flags. Rusev finished off Big E. with the Camel Clutch.

A touching video aired in memory of Connor 'the Crusher' Michalek. I had tears in my eyes when I watched this on You Tube earlier this year. WWE has set up "Connor's Cure Fund" for the Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. A beautiful gesture on their part for his family.

A plug for WWE Network (ONLY $9.99!) coming to Canada (finally) on August 12. Included was a cool video that centered around the "Attitude Era" with Stone Cold, the McMahons, the Rock, etc. I told Jeffrey that that was when his mom and I used to watch wrestling together.

(5) Goldust & Stardust beat Rybaxel. Cody definitely puts the entertainment in Sports Entertainment. As I was adjusting my camera to take a picture of them on the entrance ramp, the next thing I knew, he was right in front of us standing on top of the boards. At one point, he jumped into the crowd and hugged a male fan. He and Dustin are an absolute blast to watch interact with one another. Their double-team moves are crisp and effective. As for their opponents, there wer elarge Goldberg chants at Ryback. Stardust threw glitter at Curtis Axel outside the ring, which he wore the rest of the match. Goldust pinned Axel in about six minutes. Up to that point, the best and most entertaining match of the night so far.

[Intermission]

(6) Divas champion A.J. Lee beat Natalya and Paige in a Triple Threat match to retain the Divas Title. A.J. submitted Paige for the win. Good action as you would expect from these three since they can wrestle unlike some Divas. During the match, there were some scattered C.M. Punk chants at A.J. and a funny spot when Natalya and Paige did a rolling pin combination on top of the referee. The ref then got up on the top rope to cheers from the male fans and then wiped off his shirt. Loud cheers for Natalya putting Paige in the Sharpshooter briefly, but A.J. beat Paige by submission with the Black Widow. Paige threw a fit and beat up Natalya, then chased Chimel and the ref around ringside.

(7) Dean Ambrose beat Seth Rollins via DQ. Rollins came to the ring with the MITB briefcase and loud chants of "You sold out!" He replied by saying "Is that any way to treat a future World champion?" An all-out brawl with very few wrestling moves which was perfect considering their current storyline. Ambrose threw two chairs in the ring and Rollins threw them out. Some great nearfalls after a top=rope DDT and later a Superplex from Ambrose on Rollins. Loud "This is Awesome" chants from the crowd. After about 12 minutes of non-stop action, Rollins hit Ambrose with the briefcase and was disqualified. They continued to hit each other with the briefcase after the match was over; their match at Summerslam should be a good one.

Main Event time with Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler. Orton came out to a mix of cheers and boos. No matter what he does, people still seem to like him. Ziggler came out to a solid babyface pop. Orton told the crowd: "If I have to prove myself to you, you're dead ass wrong." Lots of stalling by Orton at the start to try to generate more heat.

(8) Dolph Ziggler beat Randy Orton in the Main Event. Ziggler chased Orton outside the ring and suplexed him on the entrance ramp. Later, Orton threw Ziggler into the ringside steps. Good acoustics for both spots. The match mostly consisted of slow, methodical pacing by Orton followed by high-energy offense by Ziggler. There were some nearfalls down the stretch with a missed RKO followed by a Zig-Zag, then the crowd popped huge when Ziggler kicked out of the RKO. Orton then missed a Punt and was pinned by the Zig-Zag. Overall, a good match between these two which they have probably perfected at house shows over the years.

Ziggler did an extended salute to the fans around ringside with high-fives and handshakes. He even came over to our section so Jeffery and I both got high fives. Of course, I didn't have the camera ready that time, either.

Biggest Pops:

Dolph Ziggler
Dean Ambrose
Goldust & Stardust
Big Show
Randy Orton

Biggest Heat:

Seth Rollins
Rusev
Damien Sandow
Randy Orton

After the show, we went back to parking lot to watch the wrestlers leave and maybe get a few more pictures and autographs. Cody Rhodes was absolutely amazing as he obliged every fan who wanted a picture or autograph. He must have been out there for at least half-an-hour or more. Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins were really cool as well. They stayed out there for quite a while signing and posing for people down the line. I overheard Rollins tell the fans that they were a great crowd.

Overall, a fun night that had a little bit of everything. Sometimes house shows can get a bad rap, as I've seen some duds in my time, but the crowd was hot all night long which I'm sure added to the energy level of the wrestlers. In my case, after ten years, I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder. Jeffrey was unavailable for a post-show interview as he was too busy playing Minecraft on his iPad, but I'm pretty sure he had a good time.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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