Quick results (8 p.m. ET) (NBC / Peacock)
- Bron Breakker & Seth Rollins def. CM Punk & Sami Zayn (13:12)
- Zelina Vega def. Chelsea Green (WWE Women’s United States Championship) (5:09)
- John Cena def. R-Truth (4:24)
- Damian Priest def. Drew McIntyre (Steel Cage Match) (12:22)
- Jey Uso def. Logan Paul (WWE World Heavyweight Championship) (9:47)
Bronson Reed returns to help Rollins and Breakker win
Tonight’s intro saw Jesse “The Body” Ventura alongside Joe Tessitore on the analysis desk, with Michael Cole and Pat McAfee working on the commentary desk.
Tag action kicked off the show, as the newly formed alliance between Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker faced off against CM Punk and Sami Zayn.
Punk and Zayn got a jump on Rollins and Breakker, sending them out of the ring before the match officially got underway. Once order was restored, the heel duo started to pick on Zayn, keeping him away from a tag to Punk. Breakker did a dive off the ring apron and onto Zayn, sending them both over the commentary table just before the show’s first commercial break.
Back from a break, the story of the match was still Zayn looking to escape isolation. A cocky Breakker did push-ups while looking at Punk, who had been awaiting his tag from Zayn for a few minutes by that point.
Zayn sent Breakker out of the ring and then dodged Rollins, finally allowing him to give Punk a hot tag. Punk put together a series of moves on Rollins, then set up for a Go To Sleep. Rollins escaped the finisher, but ate a kick to the body and then a Code Red for a two count moments later.
Punk gave Rollins a bulldog, hitting Breakker with a clothesline at the same time. He then came off the top with an elbow drop, but it still wasn’t enough to put away Rollins. Punk tried again for the GTS, but this time Breakker, who was on the apron, pulled Rollins out of the move. A distraction from Breakker allowed Rollins to hit a Pedigree. Zayn returned to the ring to break up a pin attempt that came moments after. Zayn took out Breakker with a moonsault to the outside as the match went to another break.
The broadcast returned as the bout surpassed the 10-minute mark, with Punk and Rollins slugging it out in the ring. After a pair of reversals, they took each other out with clotheslines. Zayn and Breakker tagged into the match. Zayn came off the ropes for a DDT. He hit an exploder in the corner to Breakker, possibly closing in on a win. He tried for a helluva kick, but Paul Heyman stopped Zayn from completing the move. As this happened, Bronson Reed suddenly appeared at ringside put Punk through a barricade. This distracted Zayn, who turned around and took a spear from Breakker to end the match.
Reed and Breakker faced off in the ring afterward, teasing that there may be some tension between the two. But then Rollins hugged Reed, making it clear that he’s the newest member of his new faction.
Punk came back into the ring in hopes of getting a piece of the trio. Instead, he was beaten up and hit with Reed’s Tsunami frogsplash off the top rope. This was Reed’s first appearance since Survivor Series back in November, when he suffered a foot injury.
Zelina Vega defends title against former champ Chelsea Green
Chelsea Green looked to regain the WWE Women’s United States Championship in the next match, meeting Zelina Vega in singles action. This was notably Vega’s first title match since she dethroned Green on Smackdown last month.
Green seemingly caught Vega off guard, jumping her right as the match started. Vega dodged a kick and attempted a roll-up pin, but only got a two count. After a series of reversals, Vega hit a hurricanrana. Green dodged a 619 attempt, but was sent outside the ring with a knee to the head moments after.
Green avoided a strike from Vega, who was on the ring apron, then scored a nasty powerbomb onto the floor. Green put Vega back into the ring, where she picked apart the champ for a few more minutes. Vega avoided a splash off the top from Green, then scored a kick to the head.
Vega started to gain some steam, putting together a pair of clotheslines and then a back suplex. Green took double knees in the corner of the ring, but evaded a move off the second rope from Vega moments later. Green tried for an Unprettyher, but Vega reversed the sequence into a backstabber.
Vega landed a 619, but sort of got caught in the ropes, significantly hurting the visual of the move. She then went to the top, where Green’s Secret Hervice distracted her briefly. But this didn’t stop Vega, who eventually landed a Code Red off the second rope for the win in 5 minutes. Green was bleeding from her nose after the match.
John Cena uses cheap tactics to take down R-Truth
Bushwacker Luke and Jimmy Hart were shown at ringside before the next match. AAA’s El Hijo del Vikingo, who they announced will face Chad Gable at World’s Collide next week, was also shown.
It was announced during an advertisement that WWE will present three special events in Atlanta soon: Great American Bash, Saturday Night’s Main Event, and Evolution will go down in July. SNME will take place on July 12, with Evolution the next night, also at the StateFarm Arena. No date was confirmed regarding the Great American Bash, which has been an NXT-branded show in recent years.
Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena faced R-Truth in the next bout. R-Truth walked out in a full Cena outfit and used his music, pretending to be the Cena that fans actually like. Cena wasn’t having any of this and thus attacked R-Truth before the match officially started.
Cena put R-Truth through his usual routine, hitting a Five-Knuckle Shuffle. He tried for an Attitude Adjustment, but R-Truth escaped. R-Truth then emulated Cena’s well-known move combo, hitting the Five-Knuckle Shuffle and then, surprisingly, also securing the AA. After Cena kicked out at two, R-Truth tried to end the match with an STF.
Cena reached the ropes to break the hold, then moved out of the ring for a breather. R-Truth followed Cena outside the ring, but was thrown into a ringpost. Cena brought his title into the ring. He planned on striking R-Truth with the belt, but stopped himself as R-Truth turned around. Was he having a change of heart?
Cena handed the title to the referee, who passed it back to the timekeeper’s table. With the referee not looking, Cena kicked R-Truth in the groin. He then landed the Attitude Adjustment to win in four minutes.
After the match, Cena struck R-Truth with the title, as he had previously teased. Cena left the venue as no music played.
Damian Priest takes out Drew McIntyre with ConChairto
Backstage, Jey Uso and John Cena faced off. Cena teased that Uso giving his belt to a “Youtuber” while Cena retires with the other main men’s title later this year would truly help “ruin wrestling.”
Leilani Kai and Tatanka were shown in attendance.
Steel cage time! Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest stepped into the tall steel structure to face off in the co-main event of the night.
While the whole point of a steel cage match is to compete only within the ring, the fight between these two started at ringside. McIntyre attacked Priest as he attempted to enter the cage before the match started. McIntyre threw Priest into the cage, then added a pair of steel chairs to the mix before the bout officially started.
McIntyre sent Priest flying into a steel cage wall early in the match, then threw him head-first into the cage as the bout went to a commercial break. When the broadcast returned, the two were battling on the top rope. After both returning to the ring, Priest was able to land a head kick, then a South of Heaven for a near fall.
Priest climbed to the top of the cage, but was stopped by McIntyre, who got Priest back down with a superplex. McIntyre connected with a Claymore Kick, but it wasn’t enough to get Priest out of there. Back on the feet, the two traded blows. Priest wobbled McIntyre with a pair of forearms, then hit a splash in the corner. Priest dodged a Claymore Kick from McIntyre, then got a near fall with a roll-up attempt.
McIntyre suddenly did a South of Heaven of his own, giving him a two-count. McIntyre started to utilize a steel chair he introduced to the match, hitting Priest in the back twice with the weapon. He wedged Priest’s head against a chair in the corner for a Claymore Kick, but Priest got out of the way before the kick arrived. Priest then grabbed a chair of his own, using it a couple of times before landing another South of Heaven.
Priest landed a ConChairto to McIntyre, the finishing blow for the match. Priest left the cage through the door, getting both feet to hit the floor and ending the match via escape. Jesse Ventura, who was on commentary for this match, absolutely hated that Priest left through the door instead of climbing over the cage.
Cody Rhodes returns, helps Jey Uso defeat Logan Paul in world title match
More legends were shown at ringside: The U.S. Express – Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham – were in the crowd.
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship matchup between Jey Uso and Logan Paul headlined tonight’s show from Tampa.
Paul had the first big move of the fight, coming off the second rope with a blockbuster. Uso rolled out of the ring after this, but ate a crossbody off the ropes to the outside from Paul just moments after, leading into a commercial break.
Uso regained control of the match as they came back from a final break. He went to the top in hopes of scoring a frogsplash, but Paul reversed the move into a roll-up pin attempt. Paul came off the ropes with a moonsault, but Uso countered by putting his knees up. Uso got a near fall with a pop-up Samoan.
Paul removed a middle turnbuckle pad from one of the corners of the ring while Uso peeled him away. Uso tried for a dive to the outside onto Paul, but instead he ate a forearm to the head. The challenger tried for a snapshot lariat, however, Uso countered with a superkick for a near fall.
Uso was thrown into the exposed turnbuckle by Paul after charging forward at him. Uso then ate a right hand from Paul, although it wasn’t enough to end the bout. Uso landed a superkick after getting up, then landed a frogsplash. As he tried for a pin, John Cena appeared at ringside and pulled the referee out of the ring.
While the referee was out, Cena attacked Uso. This beatdown continued, but only until former world champ Cody Rhodes made his return, coming down to the ring to even the odds. Rhodes took Cena out of the equation with a Cross Rhodes. Rhodes avoided a brass knuckles from Paul, then Uso landed a spear on Paul.
Uso hit a frogsplash as the referee was regaining his wits, allowing him to go for a win and retain his title in just under 10 minutes.
Rhodes issued a challenge to Cena and Paul right before the show went off air.
“You’ve ruined enough,” Rhodes told Cena. “I’m sorry that the John Cena farewell tour ran right through Rhodes Country. But I’m back, and I’m ready to fight. You’ve got yourself a partner in Logan Paul, I got myself a brother in the World Heavyweight Champion. We’ll see you at Money In The Bank.”
