Posted on 3/08/125 by Bob Magee
– Joe Tessitore welcomed everyone into the show as shots of
Philadelphia aired. LA Knight, Nakamura, Braun Strowman,
Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Solo Sikoa, Drew McIntyre were all
shown walking around backstage and outside the arena until
it got to McIntyre, who ran into Damian Priest and McIntyre
laid out Priest.
– A video package recapping Elimination Chamber weekend
aired.
– Randy Orton’s music hit back inside the arena and Orton
made his entrance.
The Randy Orton segment
I’m a fan of them building Orton vs. Owens on the basis on
Orton finally connecting with the punt kick on Owens. Owens
has been in so many furniture fights over the last months –
and we’ve already established the danger of the piledriver –
why not take the simple road with this and just return to
one of Orton’s most beloved and menacing spots? I also liked
the fact that Owens didn’t show up here. Give Orton his
reintroduction time; there’s enough space between now and
Mania where Owens and Orton can jaw at one another in real
time. With Orton’s voices back in his head (THEY TALK TO
HIM), it should be a fun build to their presumed Mania
showdown.
Orton soaked in a ton of cheers before he started to talk.
Orton said a lot of crazy stuff has happened since he’s been
gone. Orton mentioned John Cena and the crowd booed loudly.
Orton said Cena has always been on the top of their
profession and now he’s “just a bottom for The Rock,” and
that gives a whole new meaning to the term “Rock Bottom.”
I’m not so sure the crowd got it, so Orton fired up and
officially welcomed everyone to SmackDown. The crowd
cheered.
Orton brought up Kevin Owens and said they have both done
vile things to get jobs done. Orton said they always did
what they did in the name of business. Orton said he
respects Kevin Owens The Wrestler and touted Owens’s journey
to WWE. Orton said it’s Kevin Owens The Man who he has a
problem with. Orton said never underestimate a jealous man’s
ability to destroy another man and he thinks of Owens when
he thinks of that cliche.
Orton brought up how Owens tried to ruin Cody’s career
because Owens was jealous about the gold around Cody’s
waist. Orton noted how Owens tried to drop Sami Zayn on his
head at Elimination Chamber because Zayn had become a bigger
star than Kevin Owens. Orton said Owens was once his friend,
but Owens dropped Orton with a piledriver because Orton was
trying to protect his own friend. Orton recalled how Owens
main-evented WrestleMania not once, but twice – including
his brawl with Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Orton explained how he was told his spinal fusion would be
career-ending for him a year and a half ago. Orton said he
busted his ass to come back, but once he got back, he wasn’t
going to let anyone piss him off … but Kevin Owens pissed
Orton off. Orton talked about how he RKO’d Owens at Chamber,
but that didn’t satisfy Orton because his voices started
talking to Orton again for the first time in a decade. Orton
said he wanted to punt kick Owens so hard, his family
wouldn’t recognize him. Orton said he will prove that Pat
McAfee is only the second-greatest punter in WWE and threw
his microphone. Orton’s music hit and that was the end of
the segment.
**********
– Footage of Tiffany Stratton and Chelsea Green in Nick
Aldis’s office from earlier today aired. Stratton told Green
to shut up and turned her attention to Piper Niven,
challenging Niven to a match. Green said Niven couldn’t do
that because of Green’s match later. Naturally, Aldis made
the match official instead and Stratton’s music hit for the
first match of the night.
Tiffany Stratton defeated Piper Niven [7:43]
A fine television match. The outcome was never in doubt, and
I’m a little surprised how long it went and how much offense
Niven got in, but we got to where we needed to go, complete
with the post-match attack from Charlotte. The bigger story
is how this highlights how thin the women’s mid-card is on
SmackDown. Stratton needed a win against someone to then set
up Charlotte’s attack, and instead of giving a new face a
chance, they threw Niven, who will most likely be in another
segment later on in the show, out there. Nothing against
Niven – she’s great! – but this could have been used to
elevate someone else. The problem? There really isn’t a
someone else to elevate in the SmackDown women’s midcard
scene. Maybe that will change after the presumed Draft after
Mania.
Niven came to the ring without Green. Niven and Stratton
locked up to to begin the match and Niven took Stratton to
the mat. Niven went for a running Senton, but Stratton moved
and hit a basement dropkick. Stratton followed that up with
a springboard splash, but Niven kicked out at two. Niven
then caught Stratton and threw Stratton to the outside,
where Niven landed a cannonball on Stratton as the show went
to a commercial break.
The show returned and Stratton was giving it back to Niven,
taking her down and connecting with her gymnastics splash in
a corner. Stratton followed that up with a basement dropkick
and a two-count. Niven ran at Stratton, but Stratton moved
and went to the top. Stratton then connected with a Swanton
for a near-fall. Niven came back with a Boss Man Slam and a
near-fall of her own. Niven dragged Stratton to a corner and
set up for a Vader Bomb, but Stratton moved, hit the
Prettiest Moonsault Ever and that was the end of the match.
As Tiffy was celebrating, Charlotte Flair ran out and chop-
blocked Stratton. Charlotte then worked a Figure-Eight as
Tiffy screamed in pain. Officials ran out to break it up and
Charlotte’s music hit to end the segment.
**********
– Nick Aldis hosted a segment in his office and the segment
was designed to dissect the SmackDown tag team division.
Next week, The Street Profits will take on #DIY for the tag
titles. Meanwhile, Pretty Deadly, MCMG and Los Garza will
compete in a triple threat tonight to determine who gets the
next shot at the tag titles after the Profits get their
shot. Yeah. I don’t know, either.
Pretty Deadly (Kit Wilson & Elton Prince) defeated Motor
City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) and Los Garza
(Berto & Angel) to become the No. 1 contenders for the WWE
Tag Team Championship [7:05]
A mild surprise when it comes to the finish, but in the end,
none of this really matters. The tag division (on both
brands, really) is cold and I understand the “Hey, it’s
chaos!” approach to try and heat things up, but it just
isn’t working. The truth is, a nuclear bomb needs to fall
into the WWE tag division and the whole thing needs reset.
It isn’t that I don’t think I’m capable of buying into a
serious tag program between any of these teams; it’s just
that at this point, so many wins are traded and so little
attention is paid to the booking of the division that I
could care less about who does what anymore. The MCMG
experiment was fun while it lasted, but at this point, even
The Dark Profits can’t breathe life into things.
Angel tagged himself in and Angel received a dropkick from
Wilson. Angel came back with a dropkcik of his own and then
ripped his own pants off. Shelley tagged himself in. Berto
did the same. None of it mattered because all six guys ended
up brawling from there. Los Garza hit stereo moonsaults on
the other wrestlers on the outside and all six guys were
down on the outside of the ring as the show went to a
commercial break.
The show returned and Shelley fired up, complete with a
hot(ish) tag to Sabin, who came and cleaned house. Sabin
landed a Tornado DDT on Berto for a two-count. Prince tagged
himself in, but things broke down again and Sabin hit his
dive to the outside on the other two teams. MCMG lined up
for Skull And Bones, but Prince got in a backslide on Sabin
and Pretty Deadly stole the win.
**********
– A video package highlighting Jade Cargill’s attack on
Naomi at the Chamber aired.
– Members of the Philadelphia 76ers were shown in the front
row and boy, they got a storm of boos raining down on them
from the live crowd (and rightfully so). Put that on First
Take, Stephen A.
The Bianca Belair/Naomi segment
As The SmackDown Turns. Days Of Our SmackDown. The Young And
The SmackDown. A tip of the cap to the women, who sold this
thing all the way to hell and back, even if the live crowd
wasn’t all that kind at times (anyone who shouts “WHAT?” in
the year 2025 should be banned from all live wrestling
events). WWE people correctly take flak for being bad
actors, but I don’t really think Naomi or Bianca were bad
actors here. Even if they were reciting lines and they’ve
taken “learn how to cry on demand” classes, I think this
worked really well. If nothing else, it was leaps and bounds
beyond what we usually see from emotionally charged promos
on WWE TV. I’m not sure where they go from here because
that’s two shows in a row that Cargill just simply appeared
and ran through Naomi. But the dynamic between Belair and
Cargill should be interesting to watch unfold as the weeks
pass, especially considering how it’s WrestleMania season.
Belair made her entrance and was not all smiles. Instead,
she was wearing all black and walked to the ring with
purpose. The crowd felt a little confused as to how it
should react and Belair stood in the ring in silence for a
few seconds. Belair said she should feel like she’s on top
of the world, but instead, it’s hard to do that when “two of
your friends are fighting.” Belair talked about how close
she became with Naomi after they formed their tag team.
Belair said she doesn’t believe that Naomi would attack Jade
Cargill. Belair said she needed answers and asked Naomi to
come out and give her some answers. Naomi’s music hit and
Naomi walked out in a neck brace.
The crowd booed and Belair asked Naomi, “What in the hell is
going on?” Naomi said it’s not what it looks like. Naomi
asked Belair who stepped up when Cargill couldn’t compete.
Belair told Naomi to stop and asked Naomi if she attacked
Cargill. Naomi said “all the outside noise is distraction,”
and they need to focus on getting their tag team titles back
and Belair getting to WrestleMania. Belair told Naomi to
stop talking about everything else and to talk about Jade.
Naomi repeated Cargill’s name and said the truth is the way
she sees Cargill, Cargill has been piggybacking off Belair
all this time. Naomi said she had been forced to watch
someone like Cargill succeed off Belair’s hard work. Naomi
said she let Belair and Cargill get their flowers. Naomi got
emotional and said she doesn’t give a damn about Cargill
because Cargill doesn’t give a damn about Belair. The two
talked over each other and started shouting at each other
until Belair grabbed Naomi and told her to stop.
Belair said it’s a yes or no. Naomi cried – like, actually
cried tears – and said, “I did it.” The announcement drew a
huge pop from the live crowd. Naomi said she did it for
Belair. Belair cried and yelled at Naomi to not touch her.
Belair said it hurt so bad because she loves Naomi. Belair
said things between her and Naomi are done and walked out of
the ring. Naomi continued to cry and begged Belair not to
walk away. Naomi shouted at Belair that she wished she would
have pushed Cargill “harder” and “sooner.” Naomi yelled at
the crowd that everyone turned on her. Naomi then called
Belair an “ungrateful bitch.”
Belair turned around and a car pulled up on the big screen.
Jade Cargill stepped out of it and the camera followed her
as she marched to the ring. Cargill walked out and stood
beside Belair before walking to the ring with purpose.
Cargill hopped on the apron and chased Naomi out of the
ring. Eventually, Cargill grabbed Naomi and ran Naomi into
the announce table. Cargill ran Naomi into a ring post.
Cargill hit Jaded on Naomi and stood tall to end the
segment.
**********
– Drew McIntyre was shown walking backstage and ran into
Byron Saxton, who said McIntyre’s attack on Priest earlier
in the show was unprovoked. McIntyre noted how Priest stole
a pin from Drew at the Chamber and Drew said because of
Priest, Drew has nothing to give but violence on the way to
WrestleMania.
– Footage of Cody telling Lex Luger he will be inducted into
the WWE Fall Of Fame this year aired.
– Saxton interviewed Charlotte backstage. Charlotte said the
women’s division has gone soft and every time Charlotte
comes back, she has to remind people that there are levels
to what they do. B-Fab walked into the frame and Charlotte
said no one compares to Charlotte. B-Fab said nobody is
interested in bowing down to Charlotte anymore. Charlotte
said everyone eventually bows down to the queen. Charlotte
challenged B-Fab to a match next week in Spain.
Braun Strowman defeated Solo Sikoa va DQ [6:55]
Strowman and Fatu had a nice WWE-style brawl afterwards …
but it was still a WWE-style brawl and it’s hard to see
Jacob Fatu in that setting knowing how much harder he’s
willing to go. I knew the Philly crowd would side with Fatu
(and they pretty much did), because I’ve covered many an MLW
tapings in that town, in person, where Fatu absolutely owned
the 2300 Arena, so the home-away-from-homecoming was kind of
nice to see. As for the match between Sikoa and Strowman …
lest we be reminded that Solo Sikoa just main-evented a
SummerSlam with the company’s biggest babyface no more than
eight months ago. What’s the plan for Sikoa for Mania?
Perhaps more apt: Is there a plan for Sikoa for Mania? Hmm.
Sikoa ran into Strowman a couple times, to no avail.
Strowman ultimately took Sikoa down and sent him to the
outside. Strowman went for his run-around-the-ring spot, but
Sikoa ran Strowman into the ring steps and hit a hip attack
on Strowman, who was down against the crowd barrier. The
show then went to a commercial break.
The show returned and Strowman was on the receiving end of a
headbutt and an impressive Samoan Drop from Sikoa. From
there, Sikoa followed things up with a hip attack in the
corner. Sikoa went for another, but he instead ran into a
big boot. Strowman followed that up with a cross-body and
another boot. Sikoa rolled to the outside, where Strowman
successfully hit the Strowman Express. Back inside the ring,
Strowman lifted Sikoa, but Sikoa got out of it and ran
Strowman into the corner repeatedly. Sikoa ran at Strowman,
but Strowman caught him to hit his signature powerslam. It
looked like Strowman would win, but Tama Tonga ran in and
that was the end of the match.
Strowman attacked Tonga and Jacob Fatu’s music hit. Fatu
walked out and Fatu and Strowman engaged in a stare down.
Both guys got onto the apron and the crowd went crazy with
“Fatu!” chants. Both guys stepped into the ring and started
to brawl. Fatu super-kicked Strowman to the outside and went
for a dive through the ropes, but kind of/sort of tripped
and Strowman threw Fatu over the commentary table. Fatu
popped right up and hit a leaping elbow from the commentary
table. Fatu threw Strowman into the crowd and the two
battled through the crowd. They eventually found their way
onto some road cases and Fatu tried to set up a Samoan Drop,
but instead, Strowman chokeslammed Fatu through some tables.
It wasn’t long until Fatu just simply got up and stumbled
his way to the back.
**********
– Saxton interviewed LA Knight backstage. Knight talked
about Fatu going through the table and said there will be no
distractions for his match later with Nakamura. Knight
called Philly the birthplace of the United States and said
they are standing in the place that will be the rebirth of
his U.S. title reign. Knight said everyone will pledge
allegiance to the United States Champion with everybody
saying “L.A. Knight. Yeah.”
– Chelsea Green was talking to Piper Niven backstage and
Zelina Vega walked into the frame, saying she will challenge
whomever wins the women’s U.S. title. Green then made her
entrance dressed as Cactus Jack. Niven was behind her,
stumbling, selling pain from her earlier match.
Chelsea Green defeated Michin in a Street Fight to retain
the United States Championship [10:01]
This was really fun. I don’t quite know why Alba Fyre got to
stick around and do this while Isla Dawn had to hit the
road, but I kind of like the wrinkle of adding Fyre to the
Green/Niven mix (perhaps this was the part Blair Davenport
was at one point rumored to take in Green’s faction?). It
didn’t feel like it was quite right to take the belt off
Green so soon, so the outcome was hardly in doubt, but they
had me wondering after Niven and B-Fab brawled to the back.
All women worked hard here and I’m a fan of this mid-card
title feud, assuming it’s not over now that Green stole
another win from Michin. Good stuff from everyone here.
The two jumpstarted the match and Michin broke out a baking
sheet early. Michin then emptied her trash can and threw a
bunch of weapons into the ring, including a crowbar, a
chain, a chair, a kendo stick and the trash can itself.
Michin hit a drop-toe-hold onto a chair and posed with
chains in her hands. Green came back with a trash can shot,
but Michin back-dropped Green onto the chains. Michin then
bit Green’s fingers. Michin went under the ring and pulled
out a table, but Green stopped her and pushed the table back
under the ring. The crowd booed and the show went to a
commercial break.
The show returned and Green was selling pain inside the
ring. Michin grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed Green.
Michin then successfully grabbed a table from under the
ring. Niven then attacked Michin and slammed Michin on the
commentary table. Green went to the top and Niven held
Michin’s head against the trash can. Green then hit a Coast
To Coast for a good near fall. B-Fab walked out and picked
up a Kendo Stick. B-Fab worked over Niven with said stick.
The two ran through the crowd and to the back.
Back in the ring, Michin had her own Kendo Stick and worked
Green over with it. Michin threw a trash can at Green and
then hit a Cannonball in the corner with said trash can on
Green. Michin got a two-count out of it. Michin made a pile
of chairs in the middle of the ring. Michin then got the
table into the ring. Out of nowhere, Green slammed Michin on
the bottom of the table and then set it up properly. All of
this ended with Michin giving Green an Eat Defeat, which
left Green on the table. It looked like Michin was going to
win, but Alba Fyre showed up, gave Michin a Canadian
Destroyer onto the pile of chairs and placed Green on
Michin. Green got the win. After the match, Fyre presented
Green with her U.S. title and saluted Green.
**********
– Backstage, Santos Escobar was shown yelling at Los Garza.
Escobar said things have to start changing for Legado Del
Fantasma. Escobar said he won’t expect it; he’ll demand it.
Andrade walked in and spoke to Berto individually. Andrade
told Berto that he deserves better.
The Cody Rhodes segment
Cody showed great fire, but man, that black eye is gnarly.
You have to think Travis Scott is going to get a receipt
someday. Cody has such a weird body in that when it gets
hurt, he almost as a secret power to make his injury look
worse than the same injury on anybody else’s body. Case in
point: That HIAC torn bicep. I maintain that this program
will suffer the more Cena doesn’t come around. There are
only so many “Ra! Ra!” promos Cody can cut between now and
Mania without having an adversary around to talk about it
with, but we’re only a week into the build, so we’ll see.
For now, this was a solid follow-up to one of WWE’s biggest
moments in recent memory.
Cody was subdued in his entrance and had a massive black
eye. He even sat out on the “Whoa!” His music cut and the
crowd chanted his name loudly. Cody looked around, took his
time, and the crowd eventually launched into “Cena sucks!”
chants. Cody asked Philadelphia what they wanted to talk
about, but he was forlorn. Cody said it was obvious because
what happened on Saturday was the most-watched moment in WWE
history. Cody talked about how his daughter asked him what
happened to his face. Cody said he lied to his daughter and
said he ran into a wall.
Cody said it wasn’t entirely untrue, because he ran into a
wall designed by the Final Boss, his associate, Travis
Scott, and, of course, John Cena. The crowd booed loudly.
Cody said he drove John around for two years, trying to get
all the knowledge he could. Cody said he thought Cena was a
hero. Cody said one day, he’ll tell his daughter what
actually happened: A great man who did great things and said
he’d never give up … gave up. Cody apologized for the
language he used on Saturday. Cody said if Cena doesn’t owe
it to Cody, he owes it to his fans, to know why he did what
he did.
Cody said Cena will have a well-crafted retort and Cena will
feel bulletproof and justified, but there is no
justification for John Cena. Cody said he was aware he was
talking to the whole world, but for those in the room in
Philadelphia, Cody wanted to remind everyone that Philly was
the one place Dusty was always afraid to perform in. Cody
referenced how he finished his story last year at
WrestleMania. Loud “Cody!” chants broke out.
Cody said speaking of WrestleMania 40, you could see John
Cena celebrate with Cody in the ring after his match. Cody
noted how Cena told Cody that “it gets heavier every day”
while referencing his title. Cody said he was holding his
championship and it’s not heavy enough. Cody said he’s been
holding his championship for 300-something days. Cody said
Cena is convinced he is the last of his kind, but he is not
and at Mania, Cody screamed at John Cena to “come and get
some,” and threw the mic down. Cody’s music hit to end the
segment.
**********
– The Miz was talking to Melo backstage and Nick Aldis was
around. Miz pitched “Melo Don’t Mizz TV.” Melo said if the
Final Boss came to him, he would have done what Cena did and
referenced Fortnite. Randy Orton walked into the frame and
also talked about Fortnite. Aldis said it looked like Orton
is itching to get back into the ring and Aldis made the
match for next week: Melo vs. Orton.
Drew McIntyre defeated Jimmy Uso [7:17]
I think literally – literally! – half this match was lost to
a commercial break. So, there’s that. It was all about Drew
getting the win back that he lost a couple weeks ago and
then doing everything they can to heat up this
McIntyre/Priest program that seems destined for
WrestleMania. I’m not sure it’ll get to the temperature they
want, but that’s another story for another day. In the
meantime, I can’t help but think about this: Solo Sikoa,
Jimmy Uso and the entire Bloodline is essentially MIA these
days when it comes to important stories in WWE. That’s kind
of wild when you consider the past three or four years and
how their story has carried the company. Jimmy goes from
accompanying Roman Reigns down the aisle for every single
Most Important Match Of The Night on every Important Show
for years to losing to Drew McIntyre in a seven-minute TV
match that’s lost to commercial time. It’s a cold business.
Jimmy jumpstarted the match and attacked Drew. Jimmy went
for a suicide dive on Drew, who was on the outside of the
ring, but Jimmy ran into an elbow. McIntyre kicked Jimmy in
the gut and rolled to the outside, where he hit a forearm
onto Jimmy, who was draped over the apron. McIntyre lifted
Jimmy, but Jimmy fought out of it and slammed McIntyre into
the commentary table. Jimmy tackled Drew over the table and
the show went to a commercial break about 1:45 into the
match.
The show returned and Jimmy hit a Samoan Drop on McIntyre
for a two-count. Drew went for a high-risk move from the
top, but it resulted in a super-kick from Jimmy for a nice
near-fall. Drew sold knee pain and Jimmy went to the top for
a splash, but Drew moved and ultimately hit a Claymore Kick
for the win. Drew teased walking to the back, but turned
around and started walking back towards the ring, but Damian
Priest showed up and attacked McIntyre outside the ring.
Officials ran out and pulled Priest off McIntyre, who said
he would kill McIntyre. Priest said every week, he will be
coming after McIntyre.
**********
– A Street Profits vignette aired.
– #DIY were interviewed by Saxton backstage. Gargano said
the tag division is on fire, and there is a lot of great
teams, but the best team in the world is #DIY. Ciampa said
all the teams want what #DIY has. Ciampa talked about the
Profits’ new attitude and Gargano chimed in saying hope is a
dangerous thing and the Profits have hope – but their dream
is already dead. Ciampa then did his Moment Of Silence bit,
this time for the Profits’ dream of becoming tag champs.
– Next week in Barcelona, #DIY will take on The Street
Profits for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Also, Charlotte
vs. B-Fab will happen, Melo vs. Randy Orton will go down and
Miz TV will feature Cody as Miz’s guest.
LA Knight defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to win the United
States Championship [11:09]
I liked the finish a lot more than I thought I would. Having
the thought that it was very possible Knight would win his
title back tonight, I was hoping for anything but the
boilerplate finishes that Knight matches have these days.
Instead, I was going back and forth in the last minute,
wondering who actually might pull the victory out. Good on
both guys for that. The questions remain: Why did Knight
drop the title to begin with? Why did Nakamura get this run
without ever really defending the belt? What happens to
Nakamura, who we barely see anyway, now that he is beltless?
Those answers may never come, but for now, this was a good
title change with a creative finish. I’m not sure where
either guy goes from here, but perhaps something for one (or
both) can heat up between now and Mania.
Knight came out with some quick offense, but Nakamura rolled
to the outside. Knight followed him and Nakamura kicked
Knight in the gut before hitting a running knee. Nakamura
then hit a cartwheel elbow on Knight. Nakamura ran at Knight
and hit a sliding German Suplex on Knight. Nakamura ran into
a boot, which turned into a bulldog from Knight from the
second rope. Nakamura rolled to the outside and Knight hit
his modified baseball slide/basement dropkick on Nakamura.
The show then went to its final commercial break of the
night.
The show returned and Knight clotheslined Nakamura. Knight
followed up with a cutter and a pop-up powerslam. Knight
then dropped an elbow for a two-count. The two battled on
the top rope, but it resulted in Knight going for his pop-up
super-plex. Nakamura countered and worked over Knight with
some back elbows and a back suplex from the second rope.
That resulted in a two-count for Nakamura. Knight hit
Nakamura with a clothesline as Nakamura went for a Kinshasa.
Both guys were down to reset the match.
Nakamura kicked Knight in the back of the head and went to
the top, and it was here where Knight hit his pop-up super-
plex. Knight went to the top and hit his step-up leaping
elbow. Knight called for the BFT, but Nakamura pushed Knight
away and rolled to the outside. Knight went to the outside
and stopped Nakamura from hitting him with a chair and then
stopped himself from hitting Nakamura with a chair. Nakamura
took advantage of that and hit a back elbow. Back in the
ring, Nakamura had a chair, but referee Charles Robinson
grabbed the chair and threw it away. Nakamura went for the
mist, but accidentally misted Robinson. Knight tried to roll
up Nakamura, but there was no ref for Knight. From there
Nakamura hit a Scorpio Rising, but the ref was still down.
Nakamura grabbed the chair, but Knight kicked it out of
Nakamura’s hands and then landed a BFT on the steel chair. A
referee ran down and counted to three for Knight to get the
win. Fireworks went off as Knight posed on the second rope
with his U.S. title and the show quickly ended.