3/17 WWE in Odessa, Tex. (2nd report): Riott Squad vs. Charlotte & Naomi & Lynch, main event changed as Styles doesn’t appear, Usos defend tag titles

WWE LIVE EVENT REPORT
MARCH 17, 2018
ODESSA, TEX. AT ODESSA COLISEUM
REPORT BY RICHIE WONG, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Please send results of live events you attend to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thank you! Also, please include any photos you take of either the arena setting, entrance stage, and clear pictures of wrestlers on way to ring or inside the ring.

The main reason I am submitting this report was the advertised main event.  The advertised main even was suppose to be A.J. Styles vs Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn on a two-on-one handicap match.  That was the main even for the Lubbock, Tex. show.  About a week up to the Odessa, Tex. show, the TV spot ads changed the main even into a four-way match that was suppose to be Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Baron Corbin vs. A.J. Styles.  This was before the MSG show in which A.J. was “injured.”  At the start of the show, it was announced that A.J. Styles was injured and will NOT be in tonight’s main event, so the main event was changed to a Odessa Tag Team Street Fight with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton.

Ector County Coliseum is not a big arena.  It seats about 5,000 people.  Tonight’s’ show was not sold out, but it was very full from my viewing point.  I usually sit at ringside, but my friend who wanted to go is disabled, so the only section where ADA can sit was the middle riser section which was retailed at $35 per ticket.  I bought four, so the party was me, my friend Chas who is in a wheel chair, and my friend Chris with his young son Zavriel.

(1) Bobby Roode beat Baron Corbin and Jinder Mahal (w/Samil Singh). Jinder Mahal has a lot of heel heat.  Lots of negative boos towards him.  Great match amongst the three.  There were a couple of key spots that got the crowd to oooh and ahhh.  Corbin’s “run to the outside and slide back in” spot is great to watch in person.  He is fast!  Mahal got a good ooh for his superkick and jumping knee strike.  The finish came when Corbin was attacked and pushed out of the ring, Mahal attempts to put the Khallas on Roode, but he was able to escape the hold and wins with a Glorious DDT to Jinder Mahal.  Nice opener.  Side note: This was the same opener at the Lubbock, Tex. show, the difference was Roode was the U.S. Champion at the time.

(2) Breezango & Zack Ryder defeated Mojo & Mike Kanellis & Epico. Ryder is very over with the fans.  Despite his lack of TV appearances and wins, the crowd loves them.  Breezango also got a good reaction.  I would have to say, if WWE is wanting the fans to play their roles, Odessa, Tex. is that town.  Faces get cheered, heels get booed.  Another note was Mike Kanelis – great performance from him.  Finish was Zach Ryder hitting the Rough Rider on Mojo, I think.  The action was a little chaotic towards the end where everyone was hitting each other.  It’s similar to how other multi-person matches end where everyone hits each other and, in the end, the legal person hits their finisher and scores the pinfall.

(3) Dolph Ziggler beat Sin Cara. Odessa loves Sin Cara for some reason.  Great match as always from Dolph.  Finish came when Sin Cara attempted a moonsault, Ziggler gets his knees up and then hits his Zig Zag for the finish.  This match was a repeat from the Lubbock, Tex. show.

(4) The Usos beat Aiden English & Rusev and Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles. The Usos were very over.  Crowd cheers was loud.  Also, Rusev has a good following as his team got cheers.  The were not as loud as the Usos, though.  I don’t recall the finish, but the Usos picked up the win.  Benjamin and Gable got some heel heat as they stalled a lot.  There were some chants of “Please wrestle” or “Let’s see some action.” Sometimes just stalling gets people to boo.  Also, Benjamin and Gable did a spot where they kept blind tagging themselves in.  That also drew a lot of boos.

Intermission.

(5) The Bludgeon Brothers beat The Ascension. The Ascension tried to get the upper hand by attacking the Bludgeon Brothers after the bell rings, but their attempts were futile.  The Bludgeon Brothers won when Rowan hit a big boot. Pretty short match.

(6) Charlotte beat Ruby Riott (w/Riott Squad) for the Raw Women’s Title.  Charlotte was about to make Riott tap out to the Figure-Eight, but the Riott Squad entered and ended the match in DQ.  As the Riott Squad attacked Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Naomi ran out to make the save.  During this melee, senior official Charles Robinson declared this is now a six-women tag match: Riott Squad vs Charlotte Flair & Naomi & Becky Lynch. Charlotte won after Riott tapped out to the figure-eight.

(7) Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Boos to the heels, Nakamura got a response, but Orton’s was loud.  This was a fun match.  There was a spot where KO and Zayn attacked Nakamura’s back with chairs.  They did a con-chair-to spot on Nakamura’s back. A kendo stick was involved.  The finish came when Orton put KO through a table, Orton RKO’d Zayn, and Nakamura hit the Kinsasha on Zayn for the finish.  The crowd left home pretty happy.  There was some disappointment that A.J. was not there.  Some speculated maybe, just maybe he will come out and aid the faces since that’s what he did at the MSG show.  But that wasn’t the case.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall, good show.  It was strange WWE came this early to Odessa, Tex. as they usually come around the summer time.

Please send results of live events you attend to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thank you! Also, please include any photos you take of either the arena setting, entrance stage, and clear pictures of wrestlers on way to ring or inside the ring.