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We got to see the feature on Special Olympian Katie Millar again. She is there and got a nice reaction. The announcers then recapped everything we have seen thus far. Why? I have no idea. We have been watching. Ends up it was to hide a surprise that would come in the next match.
Time for Asuka vs. Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Title.
Asuka is out first. She is over.
The early story was that Carmella kept saying she was the champ while running away. She would have taken a countout except Asuka kneed her in the face. But Carmella came back and smashed her into the post and got a two count. Then she rubbed her face in the mat. The crowd is as quiet as it has been all night as Carmella is in control. They came back to try and get Asuka going but Carmella is in control. She looks solid. Asuka is working from underneath, hitting occasional hot spots as the crowd chants for her. Carmella started mocking her. Bad move. Asuka came back on fire and got a two with a hip attack.
Carmella hit some good spots and is getting better in the ring but her screaming is really annoying. Weezy just asked, "Why does she scream like that?" I got nothing, it's annoying. Just as Asuka got in control out came James Ellsworth in an Asuka costume. Well he hid his face but we all knew it was him. So did the crowd. Asuka was perplexed looking at him. Off came the mask and there was James. Mike Johnson strikes again with the hot news. Carmella used the distraction to hit a kick to the face and win.
The match showed in-ring improvement, for sure. The finish? Well, it was what it was. Asuka deserves a rematch but to be fair it wasn't like she got robbed. Carmella had a lot of control in the bout. Asuka looked like a goof for being so influenced by Ellsworth. The NXT and Raw Asuka would have never done that.
Just in case you wondered about who was right between Mike Johnson and myself as to whether the WWE Title is the top belt in the company, nope. It's up next. Before Ronda-Nia and the Men's MITB. Case closed. AJ vs. Shinsuke in a Last Man Standing match is coming up!
There is a bit of a mixed reaction but AJ is more over.
AJ was in command early as he took Shin to the floor and worked him over. But the challenger came back and backdropped him on the metal part of the rampway. That put Nakamura in control for the next few minutes. AJ sold like he was in trouble. So far it's better than their earlier stuff but it seems like the crowd is hesitant to invest in it.
Shin used the stairs to stretch AJ and then threw him over the barricade. He is beating on hims and working him over with knees. But then AJ ducked a punch and came back. Well until he tried to launch off of the barricade and got his legs taken out with a kick. AJ got up at 7.
Styles kept coming back. Both men went down when AJ nailed a dropkick as Shin was coming off of the top. They both got up at 7. AJ hit a face plant. Both men down. AJ up first. Shinsuke tried for the nut shot but AJ backed up. Styles hit part of a Pele kick. He missed a forearm and got hit with a reverse exploder. Nakamura set up for Kinshasa but ran into a forearm. Shinsuke got up at 7 so AJ did a backbreaker. The ref took forever to start the count so Shin got up at 8.
AJ went for the Phenomenal Forearm and got kicked in the face. Back they went to the floor. Nakamura went to work on an announce table. The fans like that. He dropped AJ on the table. He then went to the end of the row and ran across the announce tables to hit Kinshasa. Styles got up at 9, but really used the table to keep upright.
Nakamura went to work on him on the floor. He threw AJ into the ring and got a table from under the ring. He put it in the ring. He took forever to get the table ready but when he did he put AJ on the top rope and went for the Suplerplex. AJ got out and went for a powerbomb but Nakamura blocked it. The table went on his side so Nakamura dropped AJ on it rib first. He sent it up in the corner and whipped AJ through it at top speed. AJ just beat the count.
The top turnbuckle is exposed. AJ blocked an attempt to get rammed into it. Then Shinsuke did it too. He put AJ on the top and went for a knee but AJ moved and Nakamura hit it with his knee. AJ got up and kicked the injured knee a few times. As Nakumura got up, AJ locked on the Calf Crusher. He tapped but that isn't how this match ends. Shinsuke tried to get up and did at 7. AJ went right back to work on the leg. Nakamura rolled to the floor. AJ grabbed a chair and used it on the leg. And the arm. And the back. Shinsuke was begging him to stop, which of course meant AJ was about to walk into a nut shot. Down goes AJ. He got up at 9. Shinsuke then blasted him with Kinshasa. Shinsuke got up fast. AJ did at 9.
Shin cleared the Spanish announce table. They stood on it. Nakamura went to lift AJ but his knee wouldn't hold up. Down he went. AJ then came off the table with the forearm. But he didn't wait and instead went on the apron and set up for the Styles Clash, jumping off of the steps and nailing it on the floor. Cool stuff and the fans loved it. Nakamura used an announce table to just beat the count. Now he is smiling. He said come on, so AJ gave him his own nut shot. Ouch.
AJ went back in the ring and went for the Forearm, nailing it on the floor and blasting Nakamura through the ringside announce table. AJ got up at 7. Nakamura didn't get up at all. AJ Styles retains.
THIS was the match we have been waiting for all along. They both worked really hard and delivered the bout that would have made this feud great if it started it out.
Please click to Page 4 for more thoughts from tonight's show!
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