August 15, 2014
Seattle, WA
Key Arena
The current WWE champs are as follows:
WWE World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena (6/29/2014)
WWE Intercontinental Champion: The Miz (7/20/2014)
WWE U.S. Champion: Sheamus (5/5/2014)
WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee (6/30/2014)
WWE Tag Team Champions: The Usos (3/3/2014)
Your hosts are Michael Cole and JBL.
Here comes the IC champ the Miz – the Andre Nowzick of the WWE. They both make terrible choices in clothing, no one can take either one of them seriously, and they both have a similar sounding voice. Anyways, it’s another installment of MizTV. His guest tonight is Roman Reigns. Why would he agree to do this? Miz wants Reigns to know that he will one day be known as a guy who couldn’t rise to the occasion. Miz interrupts him a bunch and wants Reigns to know he can give him some career advice – because you know, he’s been so successful. To shut him up, Reigns gives him a right cross. Miz heads to the back clutching his jaw. Reigns pops the crowd and tells them that Randy Orton will respect him after he beats Orton at SummerSlam.
– Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro
Loads of back and forth punches and kicks from these two to start. Ambrose hits a pescado on Cesaro, but then gets run shoulder-first into the post. With Ambrose hanging through the ropes, Cesaro suplexes him to the floor in a cool spot. Commercials! When we come back, Ambrose fights out of a chinlock and backdrops Cesaro to the floor for the tope suicida. Back inside, the Tornado DDT gets two. Cesaro ducks the McGuinness Lariat and drills Ambrose with a running clothesline of his own for two. Ambrose tries another Tornado DDT, but Cesaro counters and hoists him up in the air for the Very European Uppercut. Cesaro is one MANLY MAN. I just wonder what his squat max is. Cesaro even busts out the BURNING HAMMER to take out Ambrose, but only gets two. Crowd begins to think this is awesome as well. Ambrose slaps Cesaro, Cesaro boots Ambrose. He fires back with the McGuinness Lariat after all for two. High angle German suplex by Cesaro gets elbowed away as Ambrose delivers the Dirty Deeds for the three-count. (7:45 shown) You knew these two could deliver the goods. They beat the heck out of each other here. Afterwards, Seth Rollins comes out and explains the narrative of a lumberjack match so simply, a child could understand. ***¼
Backstage, the Miz is walking around holding a bag of ice to his jaw. That’s when DOO Kane tells him they need to talk. Miz wants Roman Reigns to be banned from MizTV. These young kids have no respect! Instead, Kane gives Miz some more airtime by putting him in a match against Roman Reigns – tonight!
– Dolph Ziggler vs. Titus O’Neil (w/Heath Slater)
Titus heaves Ziggler around and delivers the backbreaker and toss move he does. Ziggler fights back with the ten-count corner punch, but Titus shoves away the swinging neckbreaker and lands a big boot for two. He goes for the backbreaker a second time, but Ziggler counters and hits the Zig Zag for the win. (3:15) Probably not the best opponent for Dolph to give him a strong victory going into SummerSlam. ¾*
– Mark Henry (w/the Big Show) vs. Luke Harper (w/Erick Rowan)
After a tight tie-up, Henry overpowers Harper and tosses him to the floor. Back inside, Harper puts Henry down with a big boot and wears on him with a chinlock. When Henry fights up and goes for the World’s Strongest Slam, Rowan jumps in and boots Harper over on top of Henry for the DQ. (3:15) Well, that was about what you would expect. ¾*
– The Big Show & Mark Henry vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan
Where’s Teddy Long to make this a tag team match? Anyways, we are joined in progress here thanks to DOO Kane setting this one up during the break. Show beats up Harper and calls for the Chokeslam, but Harper bails out and baits Show around the corner into a huge clothesline by Rowan. That turns Show into the face in peril. They wear him down with a chinlock, but Show fights up and hits a back suplex on Harper. Hot tag to Henry, he’s all clotheslines on Rowan. As Show takes out Harper, he nails Rowan with the WMD as Henry gives him the World’s Strongest Slam for the three-count. (5:00 shown) All the hard work done in the tag division over the last year (Shield, Usos, Wyatt family, Rhodes brothers, Real Americans) looks to be tossed aside in favor of the Big Show and Mark Henry plowing through the competition. I know Rowan and Harper are banned from the Jericho/Wyatt match, but they really should have a rematch on Sunday now to get their win back, because this Show/Henry push is getting ridiculous. *½
Brie Bella/Stephanie McMahon video package is shown.
– Non-title match: WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee vs. Eva Marie
Eva Marie should be on fire here after Monday Night Raw, but she’s not that good. At one point, AJ finds one of Eva’s hair extensions in her hand. Whoops. Paige interrupts and as she is skipping around ringside, AJ leaps on her for a beating to the point of being counted out to give Eva the win. (4:00) Afterwards, Paige kicks AJ in the face and gives her the Paige Turner to leave her laying. ½*
– Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter) vs. Bo Dallas
Swagger has his ribs taped to sell a Rusev beating. In under a minute, Swagger grabs the Patriot Lock and Dallas taps. (:49) Now that’s a strong squash to make Swagger look good heading into SummerSlam. Rusev and Lana come out onto the stage and remind us that their SummerSlam match will be a flag match. ¼*
– Non-title match: WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz vs. Roman Reigns
Miz spends much of the match running from Reigns. He tries all the sneaky moves like trying to bait Reigns to come out to the floor with him, being the first man in the ring after a chase, and even tries to nail Reigns with a double ax handle after snapping Roman’s neck off the top rope. They all fail. He eventually has to take a bunch of stomps in the corner so he can get one good shot in on Roman’s knee. He takes Roman to school and applies the Figure-Four. Reigns powers out of the hold. When Miz tries it again, he kicks Miz off into the ringpost. That kickstarts the big signature comeback. He sets up for the Superman Punch, but Miz decides to take the countout loss. Unfortunately for Miz, Dolph Ziggler stops him at the ramp. As he turns back around, Reigns is there to KO him with the Superman Punch. Back inside, Reigns drills Miz with the Spear for the win. (7:00) Good to see Miz putting over Reigns here. He actually did a great job being the cowardly heel. Color me impressed. **½
Roman Reigns celebrates with Seattle to end the show.
Enjoy SummerSlam on Sunday! Until next week, so long for now.