SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE LIVE EVENT REPORT
DECEMBER 26, 2018
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
REPORT BY MIKE OMANSKY, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
If you attend a live event, please send results in the format of the following report to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
Estimated crowd: 12,000-13,000 range; fairly full.
Return date: None announced.
Length: 3 hours 25 minutes, including intermission
(1) Finn Balor beat Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre when Balor pinned Ziggler in 10:00. Fast-paced opener. McIntyre dominated the first half of the match; all three worked. After the match, McIntyre cut a promo how he is not excited to be at MSG like other wrestlers, and that Ziggler and Balor are in his way toward getting the Universal Title.
(2) Apollo Crews won a 10-Man Battle Royal to earn a future Intercontinental Title match. In the end, Crews kicked Jinder in the head and eliminated him. Others in the match: No Way Jose, Zack Ryder, Rhyno, Titus O’Neil, Heath Slater, and The Ascension. Note: A title shot battle royal at MSG is not unprecedented. Underdog Brooklyn Brawler won and got a world title shot against Shawn Michaels on the subsequent card (not as a main event, as Michaels wrestled in the tag main event as well that night).
(3) Bobby Lashley (w/Lio Rush) beat Elias in a Guitar on a Pole match in 5:00. Elias played a song before the match. In the end, Elias landed a top rope elbow and then walked over and grabbed the guitar. Total dud.
(4) Natalya & Ember Moon beat The Riott Squad when Natalya submitted Liv Morgan with the sharpshooter. The match held the crowd’s interest.
(5) Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne & Ricochet & Aleister Black Velveteen Dream beat Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong & Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa (w/Bobby Fish). Richochet scored the pin. About ten minutes of flying moves by everybody.
(6) Dean Ambrose beat Seth Rollins in a steel cage match to retain the Intercontinental Title. The match built well. Rollins attacked Ambrose prior to entering the cage and brought in a big stick that kept coming into play. For the finish, as Rollins was about to go through the door, Baron Corbin ran out and slammed it on him. Ambrose crawled out a minute later.
(7) Bobby Roode & Chad Gable beat Authors of Pain (w/Drake Maverick) and The Revival to retain the Raw Tag Team Titles. Maverick interfered occasionally. In the end, Roode and Gable scored the pin after a double-team move.
When Baron Corbin was introduced for a match, he said because Braun Strowman was not present, the ref should count to ten and give him the match by forfeit. At the count of 9nine, Vince McMahon’s music
hits. McMahon asked the ref to start the count again. It hit ten, and McMahon announced Corbin as the winner. As fans started booing, McMahon said that since this is Madison Square Garden, fans should see Corbin compete. He introduced Corbin’s opponent: John Cena.
(8) John Cena beat Baron Corbin with an F5. Good match. Corbin dominated. Cena came back with signature moves and landed his Attitude Adjustment for the win.
(9) Ronda Rousey beat Nia Jax (w/Tamina) via armbar submission to retain the Smackdown Title. Jax scored with some power moves. Late in the match, Rousey applied the armbar when Jax was on the top rope and then flipped Jax to the mat and got the tapout. After the match, Mickie James and Co. ran out and attacked Rousey. Rousey, though, fended them off.
If you attend a live event, please send results in the format of the following report to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
I was there and it was a great show. There was also a women’s tag match that was well received; and a three-way tag title match with AoP vs Glorious vs Revival The cage match had a very slow start – there just isn’t a lot of fire in the Seth/Dean feud – but it did build, and when Corbin interfered his heat was N U C L E A R. Response to Cena was mostly favorable. I have to say – Lashley, Cena, Elias, especially are HUGE in person; Lio and the women (except for Nia and Tamina) tiny by comparison. The women are ridiculously gorgeous IRL and the entire female roster was on hand for the closing angle.
PS The NXT match was super over. Everyone seemed to know who all the NXT Superstars were. Gargano and Roddy are also even more good-looking in IRL than on the tube.