By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Super ShowDown
Aired live June 7, 2019 live on WWE Network and pay-per-view
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium
A video package opened the main show and noted that the show was “live from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia”… Pyro shot off in and around the stadium… The broadcast team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Renee Young checked in. Cole also acknowledged that they were in “the kingdom of Saudi Arabia”…
1. Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin for the WWE Universal Championship. Rollins had his ribs wrapped to sell the beating from Brock Lesnar on Monday’s Raw. Corbin wore his usual wedding bartender outfit. The broadcast team checked in from ringside and Cole once again mentioned Saudi Arabia. Graves introduced the Saudi broadcast team, who spoke briefly in their native tongue. Greg Hamilton delivered in-ring introductions for the title match and gave the over the top intro for Corbin, including stating that he is Jeddah’s favorite son.
Powell’s POV: The royal family and dignitaries appear to be on the hard camera side. I will miss seeing the way most of them sat stone-faced for four hours regardless of what was happening in and around the ring.
Corbin targeted Rollins’ injured ribs for most of the first five minutes of the match. Rollins came back and performed a suicide dive onto Corbin at ringside. Rollins rolled Corbin back inside the ring, then went up top, but Corbin pulled him down by the throat. Rollins rolled up Corbin for a two count, then caught him with a superkick for a two count. Corbin came right back and picked up a near fall of his own. Corbin barked at the referee about his count.
Rollins rallied and went for a Stomp, but Corbin avoided it and performed the Deep Six for another near fall. Corbin barked at the referee again. Rollins avoided End of Days. Corbin brought a chair inside the ring, but the referee stopped him from using it. Corbin told the referee to stop telling him how to do his job. The referee barked back at Corbin this time. Rollins rolled up Corbin and pinned him…
Seth Rollins defeated Baron Corbin in 11:15 to retain the WWE Universal Championship.
After the match, Corbin performed End of Days on Rollins and then left the ring. Brock Lesnar’s entrance music played and he and Paul Heyman walk to the ring with another referee. Lesnar brought a chair and Heyman carried the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Lesnar wound up to hit Rollins with the chair, but Rollins caught him with a low blow. Rollins picked up the chair and beat Lesnar with it. Cole noted that the bell never rang for the cash-in. Lesnar grabbed the briefcase. Rollins hit him several more times with the chair. Rollins stomped Lesnar onto the MITB briefcase and then left the ring with his title belt…
Powell’s POV: The match was fine aside from the finish being a bit hokey. Corbin laid it on thick throughout the match by yelling at the referee to set up the finish. Corbin is advertised as challenging Rollins for the title at the next two pay-per-view events and I don’t think the finish did enough to protect him if that’s truly their plan. Meanwhile, they did a good job of getting out of Lesnar cashing in despite teasing it once again. If Lesnar doesn’t cash in on Kofi Kingston tonight then he’s going to look like an idiot for not cashing in on Rollins on Raw.
An ad aired for WWE Stomping Grounds on June 23…
Lesnar rolled out of the ring. They got a closeup shot of Lesnar’s elbow, which suffered some damage from Rollins hitting him with the chair. Cole said Lesnar did not cash in, but unlike Monday it was not by his choice…
2. “The Demon” Finn Balor vs. Andrade for the Intercontinental Championship. Zelina Vega did not appear with Andrade. Balor made a special Demon entrance. He stood on a podium while a bunch of followers reached up in his direction. Pyro shot off as Balor raised his arms as part of the entrance. Cole said Balor appearing as The Demon shows that Balor has all the respect in the world for Andrade. Andrade caught Balor with a high knee in the corner and then set up for his hammerlock DDT finisher just over a minute into the match, but Balor avoided it.
Andrade performed his hammerlock DDT finisher for a near fall at 9:45. Andrade expressed shock that he didn’t get the pin. Andrade set up for a powerbomb, but Balor slipped out and performed a powerbomb of his own. Balor dropkicked Andrade in the corner. Balor went up top, but Andrade cut him off. They ended up on the top rope together. Balor performed a facebuster style move from the top, then followed up with a Coup de Grace for the win…
“The Demon” Finn Balor defeated Andrade in 11:35 to retain the Intercontinental Championship.
Powell’s POV: A decent and yet unmemorable match. I’m not a fan of using the Demon persona when the feud hasn’t been heated enough to justify it.
The Miz and Jinder Mahal cut separate promos about the 50-man battle royal… A video package aired on the Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon match…
3. Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon (w/Drew McIntyre). Shane came out by himself and had Greg Hamilton deliver the “best in the world” line while standing next to the trophy he won at the last Saudi event. McIntyre received a separate entrance, then Reigns made his entrance, which included pyro. McIntyre distracted Reigns once the bell rang, allowing Shane to go on the offensive. Cole spoke about how Shane has been in the ring with Steve Austin, The Rock, and other greats, then spoke later about how Shane has jumped off the TitanTron and Hell in a Cell structure.
Shane dominated the first six minutes of the match and applied his triangle. Reigns powered up Shane and slammed him down to break the hold. “What a match,” Cole said (um, sure). McIntyre tried to get involved when Reigns was at ringside, but Reigns fought him off and knocked him down with a Superman Punch. Shane went after Reigns, who caught him with a Superman Punch.
When Reigns returned to the ring, Shane kicked the middle rope into his groin. Shane speared Reigns for a near fall. Shane went up top for a Coast to Coast, but Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch that led to a near fall. Reigns set up for a spear, but Shane kicked him.Reigns punched Shane, who bumped into the referee. With the referee temporarily sidelined, McIntyre hit a Claymore Kick and then Shane got the pin. Pyro shot off as McIntyre had Shane on his shoulders…
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns 9:15.
Powell’s POV: This was ridiculous well before the finish. It was absurd to watch Shane get so much offense in after minimal interference from McIntyre at the start.
Byron Saxton interviewed Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods backstage. Kingston spoke about his trip to Ghana and said that while Dolph Ziggler is fighting with intensity he is fighting with purpose because he knows where he’s from…
4. Lars Sullivan vs. Kalisto, Lince Dorado, and Gran Metalik in a handicap match. Lucha House Party brought pinatas to the ring. Tag rules were in play, meaning only one member of LHP was allowed in the ring at a time. Sullivan dominated Kalisto, who tagged out. Dorado threw some punches at Sullivan before being thrown to ringside. Sullivan bled from the mouth.
At 4:00, Kalisto held the top rope down. Sullivan tumbled over the top rope and fell down. Sullivan returned to the ring and slammed Kalisto to the mat. Sullivan clubbed Kalisto’s head, then went to the top rope, but Dorado tripped him and Metalik knocked him into the ring. The LHP members put the boots to Sullivan and were disqualified.
Lars Sullivan defeated Kalisto, Lince Dorado, and Gran Metalik by DQ in 5:15 in a handicap match.
LHP worked over Sullivan after the match and then tried to leave. Sullivan recovered and beat them up on the entrance ramp.
Powell’s POV: So they protect LHP with a DQ finish and then have Sullivan destroy them afterward. Strange. They never seemed worried about protecting LHP before now.
An ad aired for Triple H’s network special… A Triple H and Randy Orton video package aired…
5. Triple H vs. Randy Orton. Pyro shot off as Orton struck his pose on the ropes during his entrance. Triple H drove a three-wheeled motorcycle onto the stage and revved the engine while wearing a mask, then drove it slowly to ringside.
Powell’s POV: I wonder if Cody is checking to see how much it will cost to destroy the same model motorcycle at AEW Fyter Fest.
At 6:35, Orton picked up Hunter and slammed him onto the broadcast table. Orton applied the dreaded chinlock around 10:00. Orton reapplied the hold a short time later. Triple H came back by bouncing Orton’s face off his knee at 12:40. Orton catapulted Triple H into the corner, but Triple H came right back with a clothesline for a two count. At 15:00, Orton placed Triple H on the top rope and threw slow punches at his head. Triple H carried him to the middle of the ring. Orton went for an RKO, but Hunter avoided it and clubbed Orton from behind. At 16:10, Triple H made the “suck it” gesture, but then ran into a powerslam from Orton, who got a two count.
Orton performed the draping DDT and sold shoulder pain. Orton looked to the crowd and then struck the Viper’s Pose. Hunter blocked another RKO attempt and performed a spinebuster for a near fall at 18:30. Hunter went for another cover and got a two count. Orton hooked Hunter for a two count. Hunter applied a crossface. Orton reached the ropes to break the hold at 20:00. Triple H set up for a Pedigree, but Orton backdropped him and then hit an RKO for a near fall at 21:05.
Orton went for a slow motion punt kick, but Triple H blocked it, kicked him, and gave him a Pedigree for another near fall at 22:50. The extremely generous fans chanted “this is awesome.” Orton went to ringside and Hunter followed. Triple H ended up picking up Orton and slamming him onto a broadcast table. The table didn’t break and Hunter tried again. No luck. Hunter did it a third time and the table still didn’t break. Hunter performed the move a fourth time and it still didn’t break. Hunter threw Orton back in the ring and followed. Orton caught him with an RKO and pinned him…
Randy Orton pinned Triple H in 25:45.
Powell’s POV: The live crowd enjoyed the match. They’re an easy audience. The first half of the match was just plain boring. The rest followed the formula of both guys kicking out of finishers once, so you knew (or at least prayed) that the first guy to hit their finisher a second time would go over. On the bright side, at least the full-time guy went over, and this could set up Orton for a feud with Kofi Kingston if he’s still champion coming out of this show. Kingston needs wins over the guys portrayed as A list talent so a win over Orton would help his cause.
Cole said it was an absolute thrill to call a match between these legends again. The broadcast team narrated footage of Jinder Mahal beating R-Truth for the WWE 24/7 Title only to have Truth regain it while Mahal was sleeping on the plane flight to Jeddah. Truth had to run away from a group of additional wrestlers.
Backstage, Corbin yelled at Byron Saxton about a referee putting his hands on him and costing him the biggest match of his career. “Heads are gonna roll,” Corbin said…
Powell’s POV: The “heads are gonna roll” line was actually approved for a controversial show held in Saudi Arabia? Are you f’n kidding me? Is Vince McMahon classless, clueless, or both?
6. Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley. Strowman threw Lashley’s posing platform off the stage. Lashley performed an early powerslam on Strowman for a near fall. Strowman came back and did his bit where he runs around the ring and knocked over Lashley with shoulder blocks. Back inside the ring, clubbed Lashley’s chest and then powerslammed him for a near fall. Strowman charged at Lashley, who moved out of the corner, causing Strowman to crash and burn.
At 7:15, Lashley suplexed Strowman on the entrance ramp. Lashley brought Strowman back to the ring and covered him for a two count. Lashley went to the top rope. Strowman ran over and slammed him to the mat, then gave him two more powerslams and pinned him…
Braun Strowman beat Bobby Lashley in 8:20.
Powell’s POV: Both guys worked hard, but the live crowd was really flat. This match should have meant something, but WWE has failed to get Lashley over, and Strowman has cooled off considerably since his peak.
Ali and Samoa Joe promos aired regarding the battle royal… A video package set up the WWE Championship match…
7. Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) vs. Dolph Ziggler for the WWE Championship. The royal family deservedly had to suffer through Ziggler’s atrocious entrance music. Ziggler had pants with the American flag on the back. Ziggler controlled the bulk of the early offense. Ziggler set up for a superplex at 7:15, but Kingston shoved him off. Kingston performed a cross body block from the ropes for a near fall. A short time later, Kingston performed an SOS for a two count.
At 8:40, Kingston performed his trust fall dive onto Ziggler at ringside (he shouldn’t have trusted him, as Dolph only got a hand on Kingston to break his fall, though in fairness it looked like Kingston’s fall was a bit off further to the side than perhaps intended). Ziggler took out Woods with a superkick. Back inside the ring, Ziggler rolled up Kingston for a two count and stumbled toward Woods, who kicked him from the apron. Kingston followed up with a Trouble in Paradise kick and scored the pin…
Kofi Kingston defeated Dolph Ziggler in 10:15 to retain the WWE Championship.
Saxton interviewed Ziggler backstage. Ziggler said we all thought Kingston was a hero and a fighting champion, but now we all know that he is a coward. Saxton said some would say that after what Ziggler did to Kingston, he got what he had coming. Ziggler took offense and said he outwrestled the best WWE Champion in history. Ziggler said he should be WWE Champion. He demanded a steel cage rematch against Kingston…
Powell’s POV: As much as I shake my head at Hunter and Orton going 25 minutes while these two went ten minutes, the truth is that the live crowd was hotter for that match than they were for the WWE Championship match. They seem like to like Kofi and New Day, but I’m guessing they didn’t take Dolph as a threat to take the title either. As for the cage match, it was unclear whether they were setting that up for television or the WWE Stomping Grounds pay-per-view.
An ad aired for Ronda Rousey’s network special… The broadcast team spoke at their desk. Cole said members of the McMahon family and other officials were backstage and he wondered whether the cage match will be made official. They recapped the WWE Universal Championship match and Lesnar’s failed cash-in. They also spoke about how hot it was, then set up a video package to show off the passion of the WWE fans in Saudi Arabia…
8. The 50-Man Battle Royal. Most of the entrants came out together (I won’t even attempt to list them all). The Miz received a separate entrance and pyro. Samoa Joe, Cesaro, and Titus O’Neil also had a separate entrances. Titus ran down the ramp and slowed down once he got to ringside to play off his legendary slip during the Greatest Royal Rumble. Elias also received his own entrance and played his guitar on the way to the ring and sang a song about some of entrants. Miz went to ringside and hit Elias, then threw him into the ring and followed him. The bell rang to start the match.
EC3 was the first man eliminated. The Singh Brothers, Karl Anderson, Eric Young, and Humberto Carillo were not far behind. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese was among the early eliminations. There was a standoff between Heavy Machinery, Authors of Pain, and the Viking Raiders while everyone else was conveniently sitting down. The Viking Raiders got the better of it by eliminating the other teams. Titus was hiding under the ring and entered them match again even though there were probably 25 entrants remaining. Titus ended up eliminating both Viking Raiders for some strange reason.
Buddy Murphy is alive, well, and eliminated. Samoa Joe eliminated Raw Tag Champions Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins. Chad Gable got a haircut since I last saw him and he was also eliminated. Ricochet eliminated Jinder Mahal. Cesaro performed the Swing on Cedric Alexander and then eliminated him. Sin Cara still wrestles for WWE and eliminated Shinsuke Nakamura before being eliminated by Rusev, who was then eliminated.
The final eight were The Miz, Elias, Ali, Bobby Roode, Samoa Joe, Cesaro, Mansoor, and Ricochet. Miz and Roode were eliminated. Ricochet and Ali teamed up to eliminate Joe by suplexing him from the apron. Cesaro clubbed both men from behind to eliminate them. Mansoor eliminated Cesaro. The match came down to Mansoor and Elias. Mansoor skinned the cat and ended up eliminating Elias to win the match.
Mansoor won the 50-Man Battle Royal.
After the match, Saxton entered the ring and asked Mansoor how it felt to return to his home country and win the most prestigious battle royal in WWE history. The fans roared and chanted his name. Mansoor said he doesn’t have the words to describe “how it important it is to me, how important it is to us.” He recalled being a prospect a year ago in the Greatest Royal Rumble and standing in the ring in Jeddah. He said he was a rookie with a dream to be a WWE superstar and to represent his country all over the world. A “you deserve it” chant broke out. Mansoor said he won the most historic battle royal in WWE history and his dream came true. Mansoor spoke to the crowd in Arabic and then pyro shot off in and around the stadium…
Powell’s POV: Mansoor is billed as the first Saudi Arabian wrestler, so this was presumably done for the live crowd more than it was done to establish Mansoor as a player in WWE. Even so, it was a nice moment and he did a nice job with his post match promo.
Another ad aired for WWE Stomping Grounds for June 23 in Tacoma, Washington. Cole hyped Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre, Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans for the Raw Women’s Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Baron Corbin for the WWE Universal Championship, and Kofi Kingston vs. Dolph Ziggler in a cage match for the WWE Championship…
Powells POV: Didn’t they tell us on Raw that Reigns had to beat Shane McMahon on this show to get the match with McIntyre at Stomping Grounds?
A video package set up the main event…
Cameras followed Goldberg with his usual backstage scene leading up to his entrance with security. It looked like he opened a small cut on his forehead, presumably from banging his head on the locker room door again. Goldberg had pyro on the stage. Cole said Goldberg is the only man to win the WCW Championship, WWE Championship, and WWE Universal Championship. Druids with torches walked onto the stage and then the gong sounded several times along with flames that shot up on the stage. Undertaker rose onto the stage and made his entrance (and it was quite the scene).
9. Undertaker vs. Goldberg. “The pale rider has returned,” Cole said as Undertaker stepped through the ropes. Cole said Taker and Goldberg were pillars of their respective shows and never met prior to now. Greg Hamilton delivered in-ring introductions for the main event. The bell rang and then Taker and Goldberg went face to face in the middle of the ring. Goldberg made the throat slash gesture. Taker punched him. Goldberg bounced off the ropes and speared him. Goldberg waited for Taker to get up and speared him again for a two count just under a minute into the match.
Taker did the dead man sit-up. Taker ducked a clothesline and then Taker grabbed him by the throat. Goldberg powered out of it and rolled Taker into a kneebar. Taker reached the ropes to break the hold. A loud “Undertaker” chant broke out. Goldberg tried to spear Taker in the corner, but Taker moved out of the way and Goldberg crashed into the corner. Goldberg came up bleeding heavily from the forehead. Taker worked over Goldberg in the corner with punches and kicks at 3:00.
Taker performed Old School and then motioned for a chokeslam. Goldberg stayed leaning on the ropes for a moment, then walked into a chokeslam. Taker made the throat slash gesture and performed a Tombstone piledriver for a near fall at 5:10. “No, how?” Graves asked. Goldberg got to his feet first. Taker stood up and punched him twice and then slammed his head into the turnbuckle before throwing punches to the head and body. Goldberg ducked a clothesline and then both men performed simultaneous clotheslines at 6:00.
Goldberg and Taker traded punches in the middle of the ring. Taker got the better of it and ran Goldberg into the corner. Taker followed with a running clothesline, then performed Snake Eyes. Taker ran the ropes and Goldberg turned and speared him. Goldberg hoisted up Taker for a clunky Jackhammer for a near fall at 8:00. Goldberg made another throat slash gesture. Goldberg hoisted up Taker for a Tombstone. Taker went to reverse it, but Goldberg fell down. Taker performed a chokeslam (Goldberg didn’t really get up for it) and then scored the pin.
Undertaker defeated Goldberg in 8:35.
Taker didn’t look all that pleased afterward. Cole said we don’t know how many of these moments with Undertaker remain, “so enjoy it while we can.” Pyro shot off around the stadium while Taker was in the ring. Taker went to the apron and the show went off the air…
Powell’s POV: I enjoyed the entrances and the first six or seven minutes of the match. It was the only portion of the show that lived up to the billing of this event being on par with WrestleMania. But the last minute or two were really bad. Goldberg just seemed to run out of gas and couldn’t perform the Jackhammer or Tombstone reversal, and the chokeslam finish even looked bad. I get it, they are older guys and it was a very hot day in Jeddah, but that clearly wasn’t the way they wanted to end the match or the show. Overall, the show was uneventful and felt longer than it actually was. I will have more to say in my members’ exclusive audio review coming up shortly.
Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and Glenn “Disco Inferno” Gilbertti, who discusses how being a good heel doesn’t stop outside the ring, a trait that big name wrestlers have in common, his male chauvinist persona, why he didn’t work for WWE after the WCW sale, and more.
I’m not the least bit surprised with Shane McMahon beating Roman Reigns given the way Shane has been put over actual, full time, in ring talent as of late. It’s ridiculous and seems to be getting done for the sake of it. I’m pretty sure the next plan is to have Shane defeat Kofi Kingston to become the new WWE Champion or possibly defeat Seth Rollins to become the new Universal Champion… heck it wouldn’t surprise me if he beats both men in a triple threat match to unify the championships.
“If Lesnar doesn’t cash in on Kofi Kingston tonight then he’s going to look like an idiot for not cashing in on Rollins on Raw.
you guessed right Jason, Lesner is a idiot.
At least Goldberg achieved one thing for WWE today – he made the amount Brock Lesnar gets paid look fair in comparison to what he will be getting for that shitshow.
How dirty is it that WWE bends over backward to overhype these shows at the expense of their product? Bigger than Wrestlemania? Really?? McMahon may just translate to booklicker at this point. It’d be hilarious if so many shady human rights violations weren’t lurking in the background. And don’t give me the “making progress/history” argument. The Saudi govt. hasn’t slowed its aggression one bit. This is blood money disguised as mediocre entertainment.
I don’t give one rat’s a$$ about the politics of the situation. None of that matters.
Just like ESPN found out and is finding out the hard way, no one is here looking for political commentary. We are here for wrestling/sports entertainment commentary. Comment on the product offered.
Regarding said product, it was a crap show overall. Of course this wasn’t anywhere near Wrestlemania caliber. When your headliner is two retirees, you know there’s a problem.
WWE did this for the cash. Most fans stateside didn’t watch and didn’t care. This was not meant for us.
The last 3 minutes of the Goldberg/undertaker match was brutal. Should have improvised. Take a boot to the outside, chill for a while. Maybe they’ll do a rematch. I bet taker was pissed.
Their entrances are still fun, but unfortunately they are just too old to put on a quality match. They should quit tarnishing their legacy and enjoy retirement.
Hopefully they don’t do a rematch. I didn’t watch the show, but I’m not surprised to read it was a disaster at the end. Why Vince thought it’d be a great idea to put two guys North of 50 in the ring as opponents is mind-blowing, and in the main event no less?!
I’m not saying they still don’t have a place in wrestling. Goldberg coming back for a quick squash now and then over a mid-carder, or Taker doing his signature spots against someone who isn’t a main eventer, great. Having one try to carry the other though? That’s not really fair to either guy, and WWE shouldn’t put them in that spot.
I’m with Jason. I loved the entrances and first few minutes of Taker-Goldberg. I legitimately felt bad for both of them that the last minute or two went the way it did but can’t believe they thought the jackhammer and a tombstone reversal were good ideas especially after the way Triple H-Orton were sliding off each other. Taker almost killed Goldberg on the first tombstone too.
Then don’t watch. Protest by not reviewing. And instead of “making progress”, ride your moral high horse while zero progress gets made. Sorry to rant, but DUDE, the vast majority of the audience there are regular folks- like us. Not to mention all the young kids who got a nice taste of Western secular entertainment. Whatever the motives of the guys in charge, we have a chance to do some good here, and all some people can do is sit back and pass judgement.