WWE Super ShowDown aired live from the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Here are 7 takeaways from the show:
Seth Rollins Retained & Fought Off Brock Lesnar
Seth Rollins defended his Universal Championship against Baron Corbin to kick off the show. Rollins had his ribs taped up to sell an injury from Lesnar’s attack on RAW. Corbin dominated early and slammed Rollins’ injured ribs onto the top rope several times.
Corbin connected with a Clothesline and went for the cover but Rollins kicked out at two. Seth battled back with an Enziguri and both superstars fell to the canvas. Rollins followed that up with a Slingblade that sent Corbin tumbling out of the ring. Seth quickly hit a Suicide Dive and rolled Corbin back inside.
Baron rolled out of the ring once again and Seth hit another Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Seth hit a Superkick for a near fall and then went for The Stomp but Corbin countered into Deep Six for a two count. Corbin shouted at the referee that he needs to count faster and then turned around into an elbow to the face from Rollins.
Corbin grabbed a chair and brought it into the ring. The referee told Corbin that he is going to get disqualified and he cannot win the title that way. Baron threw the chair out of the ring and once again started shouting at the referee. The ref (John Cone) shouted back and got in Corbin’s face. Seth capitalized and rolled up Corbin from behind for the victory. After the match, Corbin planted Rollins with the End of Days.
Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and a referee then made their way down the entrance ramp. Lesnar had a steel chair in his hand and a smile on his face as he got into the ring. Heyman tripped on the ropes and dropped the MITB briefcase. Rollins then hit Lesnar with a low blow and then beat the hell out of Brock with the steel chair. Seth then delivered The Stomp to Lesnar on top of the briefcase.
Corbin and Rollins felt like a standard RAW match. There was nothing special about it at all. Lesnar being that distracted by Heyman falling and dropping the briefcase was cartoonish. It was also announced later in the night that Seth Rollins will once again defend the Universal Championship against Baron Corbin at Stomping Grounds in two weeks.
Finn Balor Is Still Intercontinental Champion
The Demon Finn Balor defended the Intercontinental Championship against Andrade tonight.
Andrade controlled the match early and hit a Dropkick off the top rope for a near fall. Andrade planted Balor with three Suplexes in a row and went for the cover but the Intercontinental Champion kicked out at two.
Balor battled back with a Clothesline that sent Andrade to the outside. Finn then flipped onto to Andrade and brought him back into the ring. Finn planted Andrade with a Suplex for a near fall. Balor connected with a Slingblade but then ran into a big boot from Andrade.
Andrade followed that up with Double Knees in the corner for a near fall. Balor hit Andrade with a Double Stomp on the apron and then another one off the top rope. Andrade connected with the Hammerlock DDT but somehow Balor kicked out at two.
Finn hit a Powerbomb and then a Dropkick in the corner of the ring. Finn hit a DDT off the top rope and then the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory. Balor is still the Intercontinental Champion.
Balor’s usage of The Demon character doesn’t make any sense to me. This match barely was built up on SmackDown, so I don’t get why The Demon had to appear tonight, but not against Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble. Having said that, Andrade and Balor put on a great match tonight. It is just a shame that it wasn’t built up properly and the IC Title isn’t a priority on SmackDown.
Shane Defeated Reigns After McIntyre Interfered
Shane McMahon squared off against Roman Reigns at Super ShowDown. Shane demanded a proper introduction from Greg Hamilton before the match and then Drew McIntyre came down to the ring.
McIntyre distracted Reigns right when the bell rang and Shane capitalized. Shane beat Reigns down in the corner and then sent him flying into the ring post. Roman tumbled to the floor outside the ring and McIntyre hit him with a cheap shot. Back in the ring, Shane connected with a Russian Leg Sweep for a two count.
Shane tried to lock in the Triangle but Roman countered into a Powerbomb. McIntyre once again tried to hit Reigns with a cheap shot but Roman saw it coming. Roman hit McIntyre with a Superman Punch off the steel steps and then hit Shane with a punch to the face. Back in the ring, Shane connected with a Spear on Reigns for a near fall.
McMahon set up Reigns in the corner and made his way to the top rope. Roman exploded out of the corner and hit Shane with a Superman Punch for a two count. Reigns set up for the Spear but Shane countered with a knee to the face. Reigns blasted Shane in the face and McMahon fell into the referee. McIntyre leveled Reigns with a Claymore Kick and Shane covered Roman for the pinfall victory.
Shane McMahon inexplicably remains the top heel WWE has to offer in 2019. He has defeated The Miz twice and now Roman Reigns. Roman will now likely defeat McIntyre at Stomping Grounds in a couple of weeks and hopefully that will be the end of this feud.
Randy Orton Beat The Game
Randy Orton and Triple H renewed their rivalry tonight at Super ShowDown. Triple H was greeted with loud “NXT!” chants from the crowd in Jeddah. Triple H applied a Chin Lock and then leveled Orton with a shoulder tackle.
Orton went for the RKO but Triple H blocked it and sent Randy to the outside. Triple H slammed Orton’s arm into the steel steps and then into the ring apron. Randy connected with a Back Body Drop on the announce table and then rolled back into the ring to buy some time.
Randy went back outside and sent Triple H into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Orton went for the cover but Triple H kicked out at one. Orton applied a Chin Lock but Triple H eventually battled to his feet and broke free. Orton quickly sent him back to the canvas with a Clothesline.
Orton applied yet another Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Triple H slowly broke free and traded shots with Orton. Triple H connected with a running knee and then a Clothesline in the corner. Triple H followed it up with another Clothesline for a two count.
Randy perched Triple H up on the top rope and punched him in the face a couple of times. Orton connected with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Triple H kicked out at two. Orton hung up Triple H int he ropes and planted him with a DDT. Orton went for the RKO but Triple H countered with a Spinebuster for a near fall.
Triple H locked in a Crossface in the middle of the ring but Orton managed to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Triple H went for the Pedigree but Orton escaped and hit the RKO for a two count. Orton went for the Punt but Triple H blocked it. Triple H connected with the Pedigree but Orton kicked out at two.
The action spilled to the outside and Triple H slammed Orton on top of the announce table this time. Triple H slammed Orton on to the table three more times before rolling him back into the ring. Triple H posed for the crowd and then charged at Orton in the ring. Randy planted Triple H with RKO for the pinfall victory.
This match was incredibly slow and went on for far too long. I wasn’t expecting an instant classic, but this was painful to watch. I’m glad that it is over and nobody got injured.
Kofi Kingston Retained The WWE Championship
Kofi Kingston defended the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler at Super ShowDown. Dolph Ziggler controlled the beginning of the match and applied a Chin Lock. Kingston broke free and leveled Ziggler with a Clothesline. Kofi followed it up with the Boom Drop and then geared up in the corner of the ring.
Ziggler caught Kingston and planted him with a DDT for a near fall. Ziggler slammed Kofi’s shoulder into the ring post and raked his eyes in the corner of the ring. Dolph perched Kofi up on the top rope but Kingston sent him to the canvas with a headbutt. Kingston went for a Crossbody but Ziggler rolled through for a two count.
Kingston connected with SOS and went for the cover but Ziggler kicked out at the last moment. Kofi sent Dolph to the outside and leaped onto him off the top rope. Ziggler battled back and sent Kofi into the steel steps. Woods checked on Kingston and got a Superkick to the face for his troubles.
Woods hit Ziggler with a kick to the face as the referee wasn’t paying attention. Kingston then hit Trouble in Paradise for the victory. After the match, Byron Saxton interviewed Ziggler backstage. Dolph demanded another match against Kingston in a Steel Cage Match.
Ziggler and Kingston are capable of putting on a much better match than this. I’m sure we will see a much better match out of these two at Stomping Grounds. I thought this match was phoned in and a massive disappointment.
Mansoor Won The Battle Royal
Titus O’Neil successfully made his way down the entrance ramp for the 50-man Battle Royal.
EC3 was the first superstar eliminated, followed by Luke Gallows. The B-Team was quickly eliminated as well. AOP, Heavy Machinery, and Viking Raiders brawled in the middle of the ring. AOP eliminated Tucker Knight. Viking Raiders then eliminated AOP.
Titus O’Neil emerged after hiding under the ring and eliminated the Viking Raiders. Shelton Benjamin then eliminated Titus after hitting him with a knee to the face. Matt Hardy hit Shelton with a Twist of Fate and sent him over the top rope. Samoa Joe eliminated RAW Tag Team Champions Hawkins and Ryder.
The crowd sat in silence as the superstars just punched each other over and over again for a bit. Ricochet eliminated Jinder Mahal with a Hurricanrana. Rowan sent Otis over the top rope and then delivered the Iron Claw to Woods. Rowan then launched Woods out of the ring to eliminate him. The Usos eliminated Rowan, but were quickly eliminated by The Revival. Matt Hardy then eliminated The Revival, but Cesaro quickly threw Hardy over the top rope.
Cesaro trapped Alexander in The Swing and then catapulted Cedric over the top rope. Sin Cara eliminated Shinsuke Nakamura. Rusev eliminated Sin Cara, but was then sent over the top rope by The Miz. The Miz eliminated Roode and then hit some It Kicks on Elias and Cesaro.
Elias eliminated The Miz and we were down to 6 superstars. Mansoor, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, Elias, Ali, and Cesaro. Ali and Ricochet Suplexed Samoa Joe over the top rope to eliminate him. Cesaro then eliminated Ricochet and Ali from behind. Mansoor sent Cesaro over the top rope. It was now down to Mansoor and Elias. Elias sent Mansoor to the apron and charged at him. Mansoor countered into a Back Body Drop to eliminate Elias and win the Battle Royal.
After the win, Mansoor said that he doesn’t have the words to describe how important this moment is to him. He stated that he has a dream to represent his country all over the world and the crowd chanted “you deserve it”. Mansoor said he won the most historic Battle Royal in WWE history and his dream has come true. Fireworks then went off as Mansoor stood in the ring.
The crowd went crazy for their home country superstar and it was a great moment for Mansoor. However, just like the rest of this show so far, this Battle Royal was very boring. The commentary team even seemed bored throughout the Battle Royal.
The Undertaker Defeated Goldberg
Goldberg faced The Undertaker for the first time in the main event of WWE Super ShowDown.
Goldberg and Undertaker got in each other’s face to start things off. Goldberg mocked Undertaker’s throat slit taunt and then leveled him with a Spear. Goldberg connected with another Spear and went for the cover but Undertaker kicked out at two.
The Undertaker sat up and grabbed Goldberg by the throat. Goldberg escaped and the two awkwardly rolled around until Goldberg applied a Knee Bar. Undertaker grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold. Goldberg sprinted at Undertaker but Taker got out of the way and Goldberg smashed his head into the turnbuckle.
Goldberg was busted open and Undertaker unloaded some strikes to his head. Undertaker walked across the top rope and clubbed Goldberg in the face. Undertaker planted Goldberg with a Chokeslam and then the Tombstone Piledriver but Goldberg kicked out at two.
Both men hit each other with a Clothesline at the same time and fell to the canvas. Undertaker and Goldberg then traded punches in the middle of the ring. Undertaker hit Goldberg with a Splash and then bounced his head off the top rope. Goldberg exploded off the ropes and hit Undertaker with another Spear. Goldberg lifted Undertaker up for the Jackhammer but completely botched it and dropped Undertaker on his head.
Goldberg went for the cover but Undertaker kicked out at two. Goldberg then went for the Tombstone Piledriver but that was botched as well and both men fell their ass. Undertaker then planted Goldberg with a Chokeslam for the pinfall victory. The Undertaker posed in the ring as fireworks went off to close the show.
I’m going to assume Goldberg was supposed to lift Undertaker up for a Tombstone and Undertaker was supposed to counter into a Tombstone of his own to end the match. Instead, it was embarrassingly botched and both men just fell to the canvas. This match was much better than expected for the first few minutes, but it quickly devolved into a botch-fest. WWE Super ShowDown was a terrible show, and this match was a fitting way to end it.
Braun Strowman and Lashley also had a rough match during the show and Lars Sullivan versus Lucha House Party might have been the worst segment of the night. If you missed the show, I’m sure you can catch all the highlights on the next episode of Botchamania.
