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WWE LIVE EVENT REPORT – “THE SHIELD: FINAL CHAPTER”
APRIL 21, 2019
MOLINE, ILL.
REPORT BY DON FELDMAN, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
If you attend a live event, please send results with details on the matches, crowd reactions, and attendance to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
OFF-AIR MATCHES…
Attendance estimate: 5,000. The upper bowl was curtained off.
(1) Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder beat The Revival (Dash & Dawson) and Aleister Black & Ricochet. Loudest reaction in Moline in over ten years for an opening match. The crazy spot was a superplex that Richochet executed on Scott Dawson to the outside where the other four competitors caught him. Hawkins rolled up Dawson for the win.
In between matches, they would show a clip of The Shield including their debut.
(2) Tony Nese pinned Budd Murphy with a 450 splash. Good match, but hard to follow the triple threat tag team match. The crowd lost some momentum.
(3) Lucha House Party beat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers via DQ when Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley interfered. Jinder rolled under the ring when Corbin, Lashley, and McIntyre came and destroyed the other five competitors, which they showed during the Network Broadcast setting up the Shield’s final match.
Moment of Bliss: Lacey Evans joined Alexa. They ripped on the Moline crowd and said you could not even get an Uber here which probably means their app was not working. It led to Alexa Bliss & Lacey Evans vs. Dana Brooke & Nikki Cross. Lacey Evans won after the Women’s Right landing on Dana Brooke.
Intermission
NETWORK STREAMING BEGAN HERE…
For full detailed report, click here: 4/21 WWE “THE SHIELD”S FINAL CHAPTER”: The Shield’s final match against Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre & Baron Corbin, Elias vs. Balor, Ruby & Logan vs. Bayley & Ember
•Started with an Elias Concert. Turned into a match with Finn Balor, where Finn retained his IC title over Elias.
•Looked like a botched finish, where the ref waived his hand to signal that Elias got his shoulder up. Then a quick pin, shortly after.
•Elias came out for a second concert which brought the Riott Squad out. This set up a tag team match with Ember Moon and Bayley. Ember Moon won we she connected the Eclipse on Ruby.
•The Shield won.
•Roman took some pictures and signed some autographs on his way out.
FINAL THOUGHTS…
•Move of the night: Superplex by Ricochet of the top rope to the outside.
•Loudest cheer: Burn it down for the hometown hero Seth Rollins. Then the crowd realized it was Dean’s going away party. Then it turned into to Thank You Dean and Please don’t go.
•Loudest boos: Not really any. The crowd was more into the faces. Baron Corbin cut a promo to get some heat, but it was not xpac heat by any means.
HISTORY OF WWE IN MOLINE…
Notable Pro Wrestling events from Moline, IL in the Quad Cities:
•April 2015: The 2015 King of the Ring was a WWE Network Exclusive. This was a last-minute decision to air on the WWE network, which I was excited to attend. The final match saw Bad News Barret defeat Neville. This was the last King of the Ring.
•May 1999: The first Monday Night Raw after The Monday Night Raw tribute show to Owen Hart – Raw is Owen. Two title changes. Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather to win the intercontinental tile. The Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faaroq) defeated Kane and X Pac to win the Tag Team Titles. Also advanced the story line of Stone Cold Steve Austin’s quest to find out who the Higher Power was.
•June 1997: The Mark of the Quad Cities (now the Tax Slayer Center) held its only Pay Per View, which was the Great American Bash 1997. The main event was Randy Savage defeating DDP.
•April 1995: WWF Action Tapings were recorded at the Mark of The Quad Cities. First title change I have seen live, and the first in the area for the WWF. 1) The Intercontinental Title was (vacated) held up when a match between Jeff Jarrett and Bob “Spark Plug” Holly ended in controversy. Aired on tape delay on April 30, 1995. 2) JJ defeated Bob Holly in a rematch for the vacant title. Aired on tape delay on May 7, 1995.
•November 1991: A house show with a historical main event where we saw WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan defeat Ric Flair (w/ Jimmy Hart, sub. for Bobby Heenan) via count-out at 15:23 after ramming Flair’s head into the ringpost. This was held at Wharton Fieldhouse in Moline, IL. This location would be considered a “C” show location. I have heard that this was originally going to be in a bigger town in Illinois, but there was a scheduling conflict with the arena. Bonus for myself and the Quad Cities.
Local Notes for the Quad Cities:
(1) Home town for Seth Rollins. Davenport, Iowa is part of the Quad Cities, which includes Moline, IL.
(2) In February 2019, Rollins opened a coffee shop called 329 Dport in his hometown of Davenport, Iowa. This is where we are going to pre party before the Network Exclusive “WWE The Shield’s Final Chapter”
(3) In 2014, Rollins and his former tag team partner Marek Brave started The Black & The Brave Wrestling Academy, a professional wrestling school in Moline, Illinois.
(4) This is a huge UFC town as well. Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS) a mixed martial arts (MMA) training organization was located in the Quad Cities. It is recognized as an excellent training camp. It has been the training camp for fighters such as Matt Hughes, Tim Sylvia, Jens Pulver, Robbie Lawler, and Jeremy Horn. MFS is widely regarded as one of the most successful MMA camps of all time. Brock Lesner trained here for at least a little while before his UFC debut.
Tale of the Tape:
•Venue: The TaxSlayer Center (formerly known as The MARK of the Quad Cities and the iWireless Center) is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in Moline, Illinois. The facility opened in May 1993, under the name The MARK of the Quad Cities. The facility was renamed as the TaxSlayer Center on October 1, 2017.
•Date and time: April 21, 2019 at 7 pm central time
•WWE Network Exclusive: WWE The Shield’s Final Chapter starts on the WWE Network at 8:30 pm central time.
•Ticket prices: $18.50; $28.50; $38.50; $58.50; $78.50; $113.50
•Our tickets: My brother Tom and I picked up section C front row tickets on Thursday. I am guessing they were VIP tickets that did not sell, so they released them for the $113 price.
•Tickets available: As of 9 a.m. the day of the event there is still 20 options on Ticketmaster to buy two tickets for the $113.50 seats located on the floor
•Announced matches from the venue: “The Farewell Appearance of the THE SHIELD as they take on DREW McINTYRE, ALL MIGHTY BOBBY LASHLEY & BARON CORBIN! PLUS, Intercontinental Champion- FINN BALOR & ELIAS. On the promotional poster is the Shield, Bobby Lashley, Sasha Banks, and Bayley.”
•Dean Ambrose: Is scheduled to be at the Cauliflower Alley Club April 29 – May 1 representing the WWE.
References:
1) King of the Ring 2015: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Ring_(2015)
2) Great American Bash 1997: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_American_Bash_(1997)
3) IC title change(s): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WWE_Intercontinental_Champions
4) Tag Team Title change: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Tag_Team_Champions_(WWE)
5) Hogan vs Flair: http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/91.htm
6) Seth Rollins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Rollins
7) Miletich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miletich_Fighting_Systems
8) Venue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TaxSlayer_Center
9) Event details: http://www.taxslayercenter.com/Upcoming-Events/Event-List/WWE-Live.aspx
If you attend a live event, please send results with details on the matches, crowd reactions, and attendance to pwtorch@pwtorch.com. Thanks!
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