WWE returned to Madison Square Garden for their SummerSlam Heatwave tour and lit up the hallowed halls with a flurry of performances and appearances which left the crowd buzzing. The Raw Brand's Superstars, along with a special guest appearance by The Undertaker ensured that the audience in Madison Square Garden got a show they will not soon forget.
The Live Event received a larger crowd than a WWE event in the Garden has for a long time. The show itself saw some exciting matches, with the Undertaker, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns teaming up to take on Kevin Owens, Elias, and Baron 'Constable' Corbin. Ronda Rousey faced Nia Jax in a match where Mickie James was the referee, and Alexa Bliss was the enforcer. Other bouts saw Dolph Ziggler put his Intercontinental Title on the line in a Triple Threat against Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Buddy Murphy faced Cedric Alexander, while Mojo Rawley and Bobby Roode squared off among other matches featuring Bayley, Natalya, Ember Moon, Matt Hardy, Bray Wyatt, The B-Team, Alicia Fox, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan, Bobby Lashley, Jinder Mahal, and Titus Worldwide.
Before the show could begin, Dolph Ziggler cut a promo on the Titantron declaring he would retain his title with Drew McIntyre's help. The National Anthem played, and Kurt Angle appeared in a video welcoming everyone to the show. Thanks to PW Insider for the heads up.
Without any further ado, let's get into the results from WWE's Live Event in Madison Square Garden.
1. Bobby Lashley vs Jinder Mahal:
The first bout of the night saw Bobby Lashley face Jinder Mahal. The crowd was hot for the opening of the show.
Lashley is set to face Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules, with the winner likely facing Lesnar for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam. While Lesnar's bout at SummerSlam is still unsure, with the Champion appearing at UFC and facing down Daniel Cormier, Lashley looked to gather some momentum heading into Extreme Rules.
The biggest pop of the match saw Jinder accidentally punch Sunil Singh instead of Lashley. Bobby Lashley won the bout and pinned Jinder after a Jackhammer.
Result: Bobby Lashley defeated Jinder Mahal
2. Cedric Alexander (c) vs Buddy Murphy [Cruiserweight Championship Match]:
The pair of Cedric Alexander and Buddy Murphy have undoubtedly got great chemistry between them. Alexander defended his Championship against Murphy yet again at Madison Square Garden.
The two had a hard-hitting match and stole the show, with yet another spectacular display. In the end, Cedric Alexander won the bout by hitting a Lumbar Check on Murphy.
Result: Cedric Alexander defeated Buddy Murphy and retained his Cruiserweight Championship
3. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy (c) vs The B-Team vs Titus Worldwide [WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match]:
The Raw Tag Team Champions put their titles on the line in a Triple Threat Tag Team bout in the Madison Square Garden WWE Live Event. This was Bray Wyatt's first return from injury after being involved in a car crash.
The match had a lot of shenanigans, but the win came for Matt and Bray when they were able to pin Titus Worldwide after Matt Hardy hit Titus O'Neil with the Twist of Fate to pick up the win.
Result: Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt defeated Titus Worldwide and the B-Team to retain their titles.
4. Bayley, Natalya, and Ember Moon vs Alicia Fox, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan:
With the leader of the Riott Squad out of the picture for a while due to the injuries she picked up, the Riott Squad had to partner up with Alicia Fox instead. The partnership might continue on regular programming as well, but that is yet to be confirmed.
The bout saw Bayley's team put up a good fight, and win the match when she hit Morgan with the Bayley to Belly.
Sasha Banks remained away from the live event, after her fall out with her former best friend, Bayley. Ember Moon made her Madison Square Garden debut in this bout.
Result: Bayley, Natalya, and Ember Moon defeated Alicia Fox, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan.
5. Mojo Rawley vs Bobby Roode:
Bobby Roode and Mojo Rawley had the most shocking match of the night. Roode played to the crowd, shouting out that he had taken twenty years to reach the Garden.
Unfortunately for him, his debut in Madison Square Garden saw him lose to Mojo Rawley when Rawley hit him with the Pounce to pick up the win.
WWE has been pushing Mojo, but this is the biggest win since the beginning of his run. The audience gave Roode a standing ovation after the bout.
Result: Mojo Rawley defeated Bobby Roode
6. Dolph Ziggler (c) w/ Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins [Intercontinental Championship Match]:
Rollins' popularity is through the roof at the moment, and he got the biggest pop of the night for his entrance. The match was pay-per-view quality and the one that stole the show.
With a lot of near falls and big spots, the fans got into the bout cheering, "This is awesome".
Drew McIntyre was ejected from ringside early in the match but returned later to help Dolph Ziggler. He caused a distraction which helped Ziggler to pin Rollins with a roll-up.
After the bout, Balor hit the Coup de Grace on McIntyre while Seth hit the Curb Stomp on Ziggler.
Result: Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins and Finn Balor to retain his championship
7. Lucha House Party vs Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, and Brian Kendrick:
In the second Cruiserweight bout of the night, the Luchadors took on Gulak, Gallagher, and Kendrick in another fantastic bout.
Gulak's costume was inspired by Rocky, but that would not do him any good as he was pinned by Metalik after Metalik hit him with a Springboard Elbow.
Result: Lucha House Party defeated Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, and Brian Kendrick.
8. Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax [Special Guest Referee Mickie James, and Enforcer Alexa Bliss]:
Ronda Rousey made her debut in Madison Square Garden in this bout, as she took on the former Women's Champion Nia Jax.
Rousey was out for blood after having her opportunity for the Raw Women's Championship stolen from her by Alexa Bliss cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Bliss and James stopped Rousey from picking up several pinfall victories, but Ronda laid them out and another referee had to come in.
Ronda Rousey won after she locked in the armbar on Nia and made her tap out, making it her first singles victory in WWE
Result: Ronda Rousey defeated Nia Jax
9. The Undertaker, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman vs Kevin Owens, Elias, and Baron 'Constable' Corbin:
The Undertaker returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time in eight years to team up with Roman Reigns and Strowman, to take on Owens, Elias, and Corbin.
The Undertaker received a huge pop from the fans, and they gave him a long standing ovation.
Owens acted like a cowardly heel and ran from the ring when he heard Strowman's music.
The main event was entertaining, as the heels worked over Roman Reigns a long time before he could make the tag to the Undertaker. Undertaker came in with a hot tag and took control of the bout.
He sent Corbin at Reigns who hit him with a Spear and then sent Elias to Strowman, who hit him with a Powerslam. He then hit Owens with the Chokeslam.
The bout came to an end when the Undertaker hit Owens with the Tombstone Piledriver and pinned him.
After what was possibly his last match in Madison Square Garden, Undertaker shook hands with Roman Reigns.
Result: The Undertaker, Roman Reigns, and Braun Strowman defeated Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, and Elias.
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