Who was missing from the big kick-off to WWE Live Events week – and what fans were treated to…
WWE is hosting big events every day until New Year’s Eve. But the start of the “Holiday Tour” was bumpy. Some of the key stars were absent from the two live events. The reason: the extreme weather conditions in the USA.
Thousands of canceled flights across the country and icy roads in the northern United States made it difficult for the entire WWE crew to travel to the December 26 events.
Four superstars were missing in Columbus
On the Raw side, four of WWE’s most popular actors had to sit out the live event in Columbus, Ohio. The line-up was missing Seth Rollins, Becky Lynch, local hero Alexa Bliss and Bobby Lashley.
Seth Rollins announced on Twitter that he and his wife Becky Lynch’s tour bus broke down on the way to Nationwide Arena. Then there was no other way to get to the show in time.
Due to these failures, the event in Columbus was very thin. In the evening’s main event, United States Champion Austin Theory defeated Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano in a steel cage match.
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“Double Duty” for Johnny Wrestling: Gargano actually worked twice that night. Previously, he had already landed a win against Baron Corbin. The other results: Dexter Lumis bev. The Miz; Omos esp. Mustafa Ali; Street Profits esp. Alpha Academy; Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair def. Bayley.
“We Want Rollins” chants echoed throughout the arena throughout the evening. But this wish did not come true for the fans…
WWE in MSG: Bray Wyatt back in the ring
The SmackDown event in New York’s Madison Square Garden was also affected by some changes. Still, there were some highlights in WWE’s decades-long home arena.
Bray Wyatt played a match for the first time since his comeback in October! He won a brief encounter with Jinder Mahal. For Wyatt it was the first match since April 2021 (WrestleMania loss to Randy Orton).
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As a special attraction, the fans experienced a ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Gunther prevailed in his debut match in Madison Square Garden against Kofi Kingston, Shinsuke Nakamura, Santos Escobar and Madcap Moss.
In a “New York Street Fight” Liv Morgan showed full commitment against Shayna Baszler. Morgan came off the ropes to finish and tried to send Baszler crashing through a table. But the table held, Morgan still won.
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In the night’s main event, Braun Strowman and Kevin Owens teamed up to defeat Jimmy & Jey Uso. Sami Zayn and Solo Sikoa were ringside. Zayn had declared before the match that he would not be able to compete. Then it all boiled down to Sikoa versus Strowman. But when the Bloodline attacked Strowman together, Kevin Owens spoke up. This resulted in the aforementioned tag team match.
The other results from the MSG: Sheamus & Ridge Holland bes. Imperium (Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci), Hit Row (B-Fab, Ashante, Top Dolla) bes. Legado Del Fantasma (Zelina Vega, Cruz Del Toro, Joaquin Wilde) in a mixed 6-man match, Karrion Kross def. Drew Gulak.
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WWE continues Tuesday with a Supershow (Stars from Raw and SmackDown) in Atlanta, Georgia. Two events of the “Holiday Tour” in Cleveland (Ohio) and Greensboro (North Carolina) follow on Wednesday. On Thursday we’re going to Miami (Florida) and Hershey (Pennsylvania). Friday will conclude with a live event in Canada (Torono) and SmackDown live from Tampa (Florida).