At WWE Super ShowDown 2020, Goldberg reclaimed the Universal Championship with a victory over “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, The Undertaker returned to win the first-ever Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar defeated Ricochet, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley triumphed over Naomi, Miz & Morrison bested The New Day to claim the SmackDown Tag Team Titles and so much more.
The O.C. defeated The Viking Raiders. (Kickoff Match)
The last time The O.C. came to Riyadh, they were crowned as the best tag team in the world, and they lived up to the billing on their return trip, defeating The Viking Raiders in the Super ShowDown Kickoff Match.
Erik & Ivar dominated the early goings before Gallows swung the match in favor of The O.C. with a blistering big boot. The quick strike provided the veteran duo with the opportunity to flex their world-tested in-ring savvy with classic tag team strategy, making use of quick tags to isolate Erik and remind the WWE Universe why they won the Tag Team Turmoil Match at WWE Crown Jewel in the same city last October.
A tag to Ivar turned the tide back in favor of The Viking Raiders, as the agile mammoth took the ring by storm. But perhaps carried away in the moment, Ivar attempted a top-rope moonsault that was evaded. Anderson tagged in Gallows for the Magic Killer, and The O.C. once again left Saudi Arabia victorious. (Via WWE.com)
Erik & Ivar dominated the early goings before Gallows swung the match in favor of The O.C. with a blistering big boot. The quick strike provided the veteran duo with the opportunity to flex their world-tested in-ring savvy with classic tag team strategy, making use of quick tags to isolate Erik and remind the WWE Universe why they won the Tag Team Turmoil Match at WWE Crown Jewel in the same city last October.
A tag to Ivar turned the tide back in favor of The Viking Raiders, as the agile mammoth took the ring by storm. But perhaps carried away in the moment, Ivar attempted a top-rope moonsault that was evaded. Anderson tagged in Gallows for the Magic Killer, and The O.C. once again left Saudi Arabia victorious. (Via WWE.com)
The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles, R-Truth, Andrade, Bobby Lashley & Erick Towan. (Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match)
The heavily-rumored presence of The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia did not take long to bear fruit during WWE Super ShowDown, as the legendary Superstar won the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match as a surprise entrant — much to the chagrin of prohibitive favorite AJ Styles.
The Phenomenal One has recently been proclaiming himself the most talented Superstar of this or any era, and while he didn’t run the entirety of the gauntlet, he still proved an infuriating spoiler before Undertaker made his entrance. Styles entered the bout at No. 4 and quickly snapped a miracle run by R-Truth, who went on a 3-0 run against Bobby Lashley, returning United States Champion Andrade and Erick Rowan (by disqualification) in the first three bouts of the gauntlet.
Alas, Styles quickly denied Truth that glory, submitting him with the Calf Crusher to tee up a final against Rey Mysterio — at least until a locker room attack by The O.C. put The Ultimate Underdog out of commission, setting Styles up for a default victory unless a new opponent presented himself. Undertaker answered, dispatching Gallows & Anderson in the backstage area before making his bone-chilling entrance and pinning the two-time WWE Champion with a Chokeslam to claim the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy and serve Styles a painful reality check. Yes, AJ is talented enough to defeat any Superstar from any era. But there’s at least one that he hasn’t. (Via WWE.com)
The Phenomenal One has recently been proclaiming himself the most talented Superstar of this or any era, and while he didn’t run the entirety of the gauntlet, he still proved an infuriating spoiler before Undertaker made his entrance. Styles entered the bout at No. 4 and quickly snapped a miracle run by R-Truth, who went on a 3-0 run against Bobby Lashley, returning United States Champion Andrade and Erick Rowan (by disqualification) in the first three bouts of the gauntlet.
Alas, Styles quickly denied Truth that glory, submitting him with the Calf Crusher to tee up a final against Rey Mysterio — at least until a locker room attack by The O.C. put The Ultimate Underdog out of commission, setting Styles up for a default victory unless a new opponent presented himself. Undertaker answered, dispatching Gallows & Anderson in the backstage area before making his bone-chilling entrance and pinning the two-time WWE Champion with a Chokeslam to claim the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy and serve Styles a painful reality check. Yes, AJ is talented enough to defeat any Superstar from any era. But there’s at least one that he hasn’t. (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Miz & John Morrison defeated SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONs, The New Day.
There are winners, and there are losers, and The Miz & John Morrison made sure they fell into the former category at WWE Super ShowDown by any means necessary, toppling The New Day to become the new SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Kofi Kingston & Big E looked as though they might make short work of their opponents with a fast start until Miz & Morrison leveraged underhanded tactics to seize the advantage. Similar methods proved to be the decisive factor as well.
With the referee still on the mat from counting a near-fall against Miz, Morrison opportunistically struck Kingston in the back with a steel chair, leaving him a sitting duck to be rolled up by Miz for the pinfall. And like that, the Dirt Sheet duo had claimed their third WWE tag title reign and first in 11 years.
Through deceit or not, there’s a new duo atop the SmackDown tag team division — be jealous. (Via WWE.com)
Kofi Kingston & Big E looked as though they might make short work of their opponents with a fast start until Miz & Morrison leveraged underhanded tactics to seize the advantage. Similar methods proved to be the decisive factor as well.
With the referee still on the mat from counting a near-fall against Miz, Morrison opportunistically struck Kingston in the back with a steel chair, leaving him a sitting duck to be rolled up by Miz for the pinfall. And like that, the Dirt Sheet duo had claimed their third WWE tag title reign and first in 11 years.
Through deceit or not, there’s a new duo atop the SmackDown tag team division — be jealous. (Via WWE.com)
Angel Garza defeated Humberto Carrillo.
Humberto Carrillo’s loss to Angel Garza this past Monday was close. So close, in fact, that it merited a rematch between the two at WWE Super ShowDown. But unfortunately for Carrillo, the bout ended in near-identical fashion, though minus the chicanery that marred Garza’s initial victory on Raw.
The Super ShowDown match was a much more emphatic affair, featuring more dives and kicks than slap fights, which were a staple of their match on Monday. But it came down to the exact same contest of skill, with the pair exchanging roll-up combinations and pinning predicaments across the ring.
Once again, Carrillo found himself caught by the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion, and this time, Garza didn’t even need to grab a handful of tights to get the win. The exhaustion and disappointment on Carrillo’s face was understandable. For all his skills, he’s simply at a loss for answers. Luckily for him, reinforcements are set to arrive in the form of Rey Mysterio — who will team with Carrillo to take on Garza and United States Champion Andrade on Monday — potentially tipping the scales on a family rivalry that has been very one-sided thus far. (Via WWE.com)
The Super ShowDown match was a much more emphatic affair, featuring more dives and kicks than slap fights, which were a staple of their match on Monday. But it came down to the exact same contest of skill, with the pair exchanging roll-up combinations and pinning predicaments across the ring.
Once again, Carrillo found himself caught by the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion, and this time, Garza didn’t even need to grab a handful of tights to get the win. The exhaustion and disappointment on Carrillo’s face was understandable. For all his skills, he’s simply at a loss for answers. Luckily for him, reinforcements are set to arrive in the form of Rey Mysterio — who will team with Carrillo to take on Garza and United States Champion Andrade on Monday — potentially tipping the scales on a family rivalry that has been very one-sided thus far. (Via WWE.com)
RAW Tag Team Championship: RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, Seth Rollins & Murphy defeated The Street PRofits.
Despite tagging together for little more than a month, Seth Rollins & Murphy continue to look the part of a seasoned duo. They picked up another win at WWE Super ShowDown, retaining the Raw Tag Team Titles against The Street Profits.
Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins electrified the ring with their usual unparalleled energy — highlighted by Ford’s diving senton over the top rope onto both opponents — but Rollins & Murphy’s craftiness prevailed.
Ford had seemingly put Rollins away with a sky-kissing frog splash until Murphy broke up the ensuing pinfall attempt in the nick of time. Despite being the illegal man, Rollins lit Dawkins up with a Stomp on the apron while the referee was preoccupied with Murphy, allowing his loyal follower to pick up the pieces for the pin and a successful championship defense. (Via WWE.com)
Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins electrified the ring with their usual unparalleled energy — highlighted by Ford’s diving senton over the top rope onto both opponents — but Rollins & Murphy’s craftiness prevailed.
Ford had seemingly put Rollins away with a sky-kissing frog splash until Murphy broke up the ensuing pinfall attempt in the nick of time. Despite being the illegal man, Rollins lit Dawkins up with a Stomp on the apron while the referee was preoccupied with Murphy, allowing his loyal follower to pick up the pieces for the pin and a successful championship defense. (Via WWE.com)
Mansoor defeated Dolph Ziggler.
Mansoor earned his third straight victory in his home country of Saudi Arabia at WWE Super ShowDown, this time with a singles win over Dolph Ziggler that brought the crowd to its feet and showed just how much the young Superstar has developed in a short period of time.
It wasn’t that long ago that Mansoor was a virtual unknown, but he’s fast becoming something of an underground sensation in WWE off the strength of his hometown performances. He certainly entered Riyadh as a conquering hero, though neither Ziggler nor Robert Roode (who was immediately ejected from ringside) seemed to think much of him. Arrogant as ever, Dolph started the match by merrily wrestling circles around his young, headstrong opponent.
That Mansoor won was mostly due to his simple refusal to lose. He shook off Ziggler’s offense and landed a few astonishing maneuvers where he could, chipping away at his opponent just enough to stay in the fight. When his moment came, he didn’t miss, taking to the skies with a moonsault to pin The Showoff for the victory. The significance was not lost on Mansoor, who passionately addressed his home country after the match. Though he often slipped into his own native tongue, the message was one that needed no translator: He’s just getting started. (Via WWE.com)
It wasn’t that long ago that Mansoor was a virtual unknown, but he’s fast becoming something of an underground sensation in WWE off the strength of his hometown performances. He certainly entered Riyadh as a conquering hero, though neither Ziggler nor Robert Roode (who was immediately ejected from ringside) seemed to think much of him. Arrogant as ever, Dolph started the match by merrily wrestling circles around his young, headstrong opponent.
That Mansoor won was mostly due to his simple refusal to lose. He shook off Ziggler’s offense and landed a few astonishing maneuvers where he could, chipping away at his opponent just enough to stay in the fight. When his moment came, he didn’t miss, taking to the skies with a moonsault to pin The Showoff for the victory. The significance was not lost on Mansoor, who passionately addressed his home country after the match. Though he often slipped into his own native tongue, the message was one that needed no translator: He’s just getting started. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Championship: WWE CHAMPION, Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) defeated Ricochet.
Buckle up, Drew McIntyre — you’ll have to go through Suplex City to become WWE Champion.
Brock Lesnar made an example out of Ricochet, destroying one of WWE’s most talented highflyers to retain his title and punch his ticket to WrestleMania, where he’ll defend his title against McIntyre.
Intercepting Ricochet’s dropkick attempt immediately after the bell, The Beast thoroughly dominated from start to finish, picking apart the challenger with three ruthless German suplexes.
An F-5 put an exclamation point on the short-lived bout and represented the first step toward Lesnar achieving retribution for his elimination in the Royal Rumble Match, where he was low-blowed by Ricochet before being eliminated by McIntyre’s Claymore.
But Lesnar and McIntyre’s confrontation on The Grandest Stage of Them All will be under very different circumstances. The Beast showed that McIntyre will have to dig deeper than ever to get the better of him a second time. (Via WWE.com)
Brock Lesnar made an example out of Ricochet, destroying one of WWE’s most talented highflyers to retain his title and punch his ticket to WrestleMania, where he’ll defend his title against McIntyre.
Intercepting Ricochet’s dropkick attempt immediately after the bell, The Beast thoroughly dominated from start to finish, picking apart the challenger with three ruthless German suplexes.
An F-5 put an exclamation point on the short-lived bout and represented the first step toward Lesnar achieving retribution for his elimination in the Royal Rumble Match, where he was low-blowed by Ricochet before being eliminated by McIntyre’s Claymore.
But Lesnar and McIntyre’s confrontation on The Grandest Stage of Them All will be under very different circumstances. The Beast showed that McIntyre will have to dig deeper than ever to get the better of him a second time. (Via WWE.com)
Roman Reigns defeated King Corbin. (Steel Cage Match)
Months of psychological warfare, humiliation and brawls finally came to a head in brutal fashion when Roman Reigns and Baron Corbin were locked inside a steel cage at Super ShowDown, and The Big Dog came out on top.
Reigns, well-versed with Corbin’s tactics by now, came fully prepared with a chain draped around his neck, using it to ensure the cage door’s closure. But Corbin still found a way to take immediate control, attacking Reigns while he was occupied with setting the chain in place.
“SmackDown’s Royal Highness” was the first to make use of the unforgiving environment, sending Reigns careening into the steel and grinding his face against the chain links before trying to make a quick exit. The Big Dog deployed a very different approach, looking to take his time punishing Corbin after weeks of degradation and denigration.
The always resourceful Corbin prevented a Reigns escape by grabbing hold of his vest and pulling him back inside the cage, but it backfired on the King when Reigns racked him on the top rope, leaving him in perfect position for two consecutive Superman Punches.
With the same chain he brought to the ring now wrapped around his fist, The Big Dog dropped Corbin for the three-count with the most devastating Superman Punch of all, perhaps putting an end to their ultra-personal issue for good. (Via WWE.com)
Reigns, well-versed with Corbin’s tactics by now, came fully prepared with a chain draped around his neck, using it to ensure the cage door’s closure. But Corbin still found a way to take immediate control, attacking Reigns while he was occupied with setting the chain in place.
“SmackDown’s Royal Highness” was the first to make use of the unforgiving environment, sending Reigns careening into the steel and grinding his face against the chain links before trying to make a quick exit. The Big Dog deployed a very different approach, looking to take his time punishing Corbin after weeks of degradation and denigration.
The always resourceful Corbin prevented a Reigns escape by grabbing hold of his vest and pulling him back inside the cage, but it backfired on the King when Reigns racked him on the top rope, leaving him in perfect position for two consecutive Superman Punches.
With the same chain he brought to the ring now wrapped around his fist, The Big Dog dropped Corbin for the three-count with the most devastating Superman Punch of all, perhaps putting an end to their ultra-personal issue for good. (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Women's Championship: SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPION, Bayley defeated Naomi.
Bayley made history twice in one night, walking into the first Women’s Championship Match Saudi Arabia has ever hosted with the SmackDown Women’s Title and walking out with it after defeating Naomi. Which isn’t to say that the match was one-sided; in fact, it encapsulated the best qualities of both champion and challenger.
For Bayley, that meant a showcase for some basic, stifling offense. The champ grounded Naomi’s (literal) glowing athleticism with Wrestling 101, removing several of her opponent’s most effective tools. Naomi answered with her signature heart, fighting through Bayley’s bullying attack to rip off a few dazzling maneuvers.
Both competitors were equally effective and stubborn. Bayley escaped the FTG submission hold; Naomi kicked out of a Bayley-to-Belly and proved difficult to pin down. Bayley resorted to some less-than-reputable tactics to gain the match, trapping Naomi’s feet within her own shirt and slamming her face-first into the mat for the victory. Hardly the stuff of role models, though there’s something to be said for effectiveness. As for Naomi, it’s likely not the last opportunity she’ll get. History may well be within her grasp, but she’ll have to settle for breaking one barrier at a time. (Via WWE.com)
For Bayley, that meant a showcase for some basic, stifling offense. The champ grounded Naomi’s (literal) glowing athleticism with Wrestling 101, removing several of her opponent’s most effective tools. Naomi answered with her signature heart, fighting through Bayley’s bullying attack to rip off a few dazzling maneuvers.
Both competitors were equally effective and stubborn. Bayley escaped the FTG submission hold; Naomi kicked out of a Bayley-to-Belly and proved difficult to pin down. Bayley resorted to some less-than-reputable tactics to gain the match, trapping Naomi’s feet within her own shirt and slamming her face-first into the mat for the victory. Hardly the stuff of role models, though there’s something to be said for effectiveness. As for Naomi, it’s likely not the last opportunity she’ll get. History may well be within her grasp, but she’ll have to settle for breaking one barrier at a time. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Universal Championship: WWE Hall of Famer, Goldberg defeated WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.
Goldberg is once again Universal Champion, having handed “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt his first loss to relieve him of the title in WWE Super ShowDown’s shocking main event. No, this is not a drill.
Much like Goldberg’s title victories, the match was nasty, brutish, and short. The title bout featured a trade-off of Spears (Wyatt took four) and Mandible Claws (Goldberg suffered two), as unstoppable force went head-to-head with immovable object. When Goldberg kneed and headbutted his way out of the second Mandible Claw, he had an opening, and he converted, planting Wyatt with a Jackhammer to stun the world and win the title.
Wyatt didn’t stay down for long, making it to his feet while Goldberg celebrated his win. But instead of making a move against the new champion, he vanished into the darkness and left the icon to celebrate. And as Goldberg begins his second reign as Universal Champion, he once again returns to the vaunted pinnacle of the industry. The irony, of course, is that he may be next — but that’s a challenge for another day. (Via WWE.com)
Much like Goldberg’s title victories, the match was nasty, brutish, and short. The title bout featured a trade-off of Spears (Wyatt took four) and Mandible Claws (Goldberg suffered two), as unstoppable force went head-to-head with immovable object. When Goldberg kneed and headbutted his way out of the second Mandible Claw, he had an opening, and he converted, planting Wyatt with a Jackhammer to stun the world and win the title.
Wyatt didn’t stay down for long, making it to his feet while Goldberg celebrated his win. But instead of making a move against the new champion, he vanished into the darkness and left the icon to celebrate. And as Goldberg begins his second reign as Universal Champion, he once again returns to the vaunted pinnacle of the industry. The irony, of course, is that he may be next — but that’s a challenge for another day. (Via WWE.com)