Thurs 10 Nov
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
In what is the first WWE European Tour tour since July’s Draft, the star studded Smackdown Live roster stopped off in Cardiff on their latest leg. The Motorpoint Arena was an obvious sellout and fans of all ages ready for an evening of out-and-out entertainment from arguably the superior brand on the WWE circuit.
Having been a regular at the Cardiff events over the years, this was my first live event for a couple of years. It was great to see the production levels have increased and a pretty impressive entrance way and screen awaiting the introduction of the wide array superstars.
Opening match of the night saw fan-favourite Heath Slater and veteran Rhyno put their Tag Team titles on the line in a triple-threat match agains brothers Jimmy and Jay Uso and the flamboyant team of Breezedango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango….see what they’ve done there?!). A fun start to the night, and the champions defending their belts. Little shout out for the Lance Storm trained Tyler Breeze here; flawless in-ring and has to be in line for a push in the near future. Seems the forgotten man of WWE’s impressive NXT brand.
Some quick-ish matches followed. The agile Apollo Crews boasted a powerful win over the returned Curt Hawkins, while a split crowd cheered back and forth with eventual winner Baron Corbin picking up a win over the Real American Jack Swager.
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Video by WrongStyleWrestling
Women’s tag team action next up. The heel (bad guys) team of Carmella and Natalya lost to the team of Naomi and Nikki Bella. The winning team pulling in huge cheers from the crowd. Great to see Nikki Bella back in action after her recent neck injury rehab.
Finishing off the first half of action was Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler, up against challenger The Miz with his manager Maryse. The match didn’t live up to some of the TV matches they’ve had recently, but there’s no question about these two’s talents. Hopefully a main event push will be in line for both. After a ding dong battle, and an very well received appearance from Smackdown General Manager, Daniel Bryan, Ziggler nicked the win. The Champion and GM took some time to applaud the crowd and the roof erupted with Bryan’s trademark “Yes, Yes, Yes” chants.
After a short break, matches were back underway. The Hype Bros team of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley made quick work of The Vaudevillains and The Ascension in separate matches before a run of closing matches including some of the biggest names on the roster.
Smackdown Women’s Champion; Dublin’s Becky Lynch successfully defended her title against challenger Alexa Bliss, and it’s a pleasure to see the women’s division given some time to shine. The overall WWE superstars between both RAW and Smackdown Live brands now is something quite special.
A fun packed six-man tag team match was the penultimate bout. The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper teamed up with their new family recruit Randy Orton took on the eclectic team of American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) and the Big Red Monster, Kane.
The main event of the evening saw the WWE Championship on the line. Crowd favourite Dean Ambrose tried his luck against Champion AJ Styles. A great match for the fans in attendance, with the champ picking up the win.
A brilliant night of entertainment from a top roster of talent. With WWE’s Survivor Series PPV just around the corner, it was a great opportunity to keep the UK fans engaged.
words OWEN SCOURFIELD