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WWE Live Event
Birmingham, England at Arena Birmingham
Report by Dot Net reader Shaz of the Swith On Tag In Podcast
1. Finn Balor beat Bray Wyatt. As expected Balor was very over with the British audience. The crowd joined in with his arm lifting pose during his intro. Wyatt kept rolling out the of the ring to the crowds annoyance at the start of the match. Balor eventually ran out of the ring to force Wyatt back into the ring. Balor won, much to the delight of the crowd.
2. Titus O Neill and Apollo Crews over Goldust and Curt Hawkins. I have seen Crews when he worked as Uhaa Nation on the British indie circuit before. His standing moonsault is awe inspiring.
3. Jason Jordan beat Bo Dallas. The crowd began to get restless at this point. Jordan’s athleticism and suplexes look incredible in person.
4. WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne beat Dan Maloney. I’ve seen these two on the British independent circuit for years and so it was surreal to see them in the big leagues of WWE. I’ve seen these two in front of crowds of a couple of hundred people, so to see them in front of thousands was really pleasing. Dunne had greater crowd recognition, with him being the UK Champion. Dunne was the face of the match and he won with his finisher the Bitter End, a move that I’m a big fan of.
5. Asuka defeated Dana Brooke. Asuka was really keen on her “hip attack, she used it four or five times. I think it detracts from her amazing moveset, which she used to big up the victory. The final striking combo looks brutal. Those kicks hurt me, and I was sat in the cheap seats at the top of the arena.
6. Braun Strowman beat Kane by DQ. Classic big man match, that made both men look strong. Kane hit Braun with a chair for a DQ finish to the match. Strowman finished by putting Kane through a table. I was disappointed that there was no fire out of the turnbuckles for Kane. Budget cuts are harsh.
7. Bayley and Sasha Banks defeated Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax. Kane may not get fire, but Bayley still gets her inflatable figures entrance. Bayley was massively over with the crowd. The UK remembers how great Bayley can be. The “ooo Bayley will you be my girl” chants were strong at the beginning at the match.
8. The Miz defeated Matt Hardy to retain the Intercontinental Title. The Miz was the first to have real, intense heel heat. Matt Hardy started delete chants. Bo Dallas returned after his loss earlier as part of the Miztourage. There were plenty of shenanigans with The Miztourage. The Miz escapes with the win and the title.
9. Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro, Sheamus, and Samoa Joe. The Shield entered through the crowd right by me to a massive face reaction. Angle received a huge ovation, coupled with “you suck” chants. Despite Samoa Joe being a heel, he received a face reaction. Angle was protected by not being featured much in the match. He did use the Ankle Lock and the Olympic Slam, to a massive pop. The match ended with the Shield Triple Powerbomb. Angle did Roman Reign’s roar and claimed the win by getting the pinfall.
Overall, this was a good house show. The crowd were engaged with most of the action. Personally, Kurt Angle is my favourite wrestler and so to see him again live was a pleasure. The arena was quite full. There were a few, mostly empty sections in the cheap seats. I’d recommend going to a WWE show on the UK tour.
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