7/1 WWE in Tokyo, Japan: Roman Reigns over huge, teams with Ambrose vs. Joe & Miz in main event

WWE LIVE EVENT – RAW BRAND
JULY 1, 2017
TOKYO, JAPAN
REPORT BY TOM LEE, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT

(1) Finn Balor beat Chris Jericho with the Coup de Gras. Jericho congratulated Finn, then they cut a short promo after the match putting each other over and finished with Jericho putting Tokyo on the list. Finn spoke Japanese which obviously went over huge.

(2) Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Titus O’Neil & Bo Dallas after Rhyno hit Titus with a spine buster for the three count. Heath and Rhyno where over with the crowd, but no Gore?? Maybe they ran out of time. It was a really strange finish.

Jojo plugged “Great Balls of Fire” to a small applause. They had a Japanese announcer repeat what they said after in Japanese but got nothing but a golf clap.

(3) Enzo Amore wrestled Hideo Itami to a non-finish. Enzo actually got to do his entrance. Unfortunately, very few people in the crowd were clued in to it and less than maybe 10 percent joined in the with the “and you can’t teach that.” The match ended as Hideo went for the GTS when Big Cass came out, laid out Hideo with a big boot then plowed through Enzo.

(4) Neville beat Austin Aries and Akira Tozawa to retain the Cruiserweight Title. Neville won after Aries hits Tozawa with a discus forearm and got thrown out for Neville to steal the pin.

(5) Seth Rollins defeated Bray Wyatt with his Rainmaker-style knee strike. Rollins was over huge with the crowd. Lots of boos for Wyatt. As with yesterday, the crowd cheered the babyfaces and booed the heels.

(6) Bayley & Asuka & Sasha Banks beat Nia Jax & Ema & Alexa Bliss. Sasha banks submitted Bliss with a bank statement. Bayley was better received today with the crowd, maybe because it’s a Saturday and there are more families. Sasha and Asuka received a better pop, with Sasha probably being the most over with the crowd today. Asuka stayed in the ring after the match for photos with her NXT belt.

(7) Sheamus & Cesaro successfully  defeated Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows after Cesaro pinned Karl Anderson to retain the WWE Ra Tag Team Titles. The Club were the babyfaces and were greater with cheers and “too sweets” from the crowd. The champs also received a good reaction, but worked as heels throughout the match. It was a very Japanese style match with lots of tests of strength and hard-hitting clotheslines. There were chants of “Dis Izu Ausomu” clap clap clap half way through the match. Easily the best match on the card.

(8) Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose defeated The Miz & Samoa Joe after Dean Ambrose hit The Miz with Dirty Deeds. Lots of comedy spots throughout the match. The crowd was 9-1 in favor of Reigns. Joe was treated like a star with spouts of “Joe! Joe!” chants. Some parts of the match were fought in a Japanese strong style like the previous match. The show closed with Roman on the ropes and his music playing even through Ambrose got the pin. Another win for Vince in Japan tonight. *sigh* After the match, Roman cut a promo saying he has a great respect for “your” country and “your” culture. I’m guessing he cut the same promo in all the other countries on this tour. The crowd chanted “Roman Roman.”

He then continued to compliment Japan, the crowd chanted “Thank You, Roman.”

He finished by saying “Arigato, Japan ichiban” and the crowd went nuts…

Vince 2, professional wrestling 0.

Biggest pops:

• Roman Reigns
• Y2J
• Seth Rollins

Most Heat:

• Neville
• The Miz

Apart from that not so much boos as opposed to cheers for the baby faces.

FINAL NOTES: The crowd was close to a sellout, very few empty seats. Good atmosphere, lots of families. The crowd went home happy. I think the fact that t-shirts were lined up from Cena, Roman… speaks volumes.

Send results of any live events you attend from WWE, NXT, ROH, Indies, and otherwise to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. A note on attendance is always appreciated.