WWE Super Show-Down: Every match previewed
THE WWE is set to take over Melbourne tonight for the Super Show-Down in front of a packed MCG. Here’s a full preview of every superstar, every match and every storyline going into the big show.
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THE WWE is ready to make history tonight as they take over the MCG for the Super Show-Down. Beamed from Victoria into 180 countries around the world on pay-per-view, the WWE extravaganza is expected to make attendance and ratings history. Ahead of the big night, get the low-down on every single match
🚨 Here's your official #WWESSD show guide.
— TEG DAINTY (@TEGDAINTY) October 5, 2018
For the best #WWESSD experience, please arrive early and read the below information for running times, security, conditions of entry and how to plan your trip.
Final tickets on sale from @Ticketek_AU: https://t.co/7Rs19R1nte pic.twitter.com/5Z6d7E9Cgm
THE UNDERTAKER (W/ KANE) VS TRIPLE H (W/ SHAWN MICHAELS)
Two all-time greats of the square off for the last time ever, in their first meeting since 2012’s epic WrestleMania XXXVIII Hell in a Cell bout. In Triple H’s corner will be Shawn Michaels, his D-Generation X tag team partner, who was retired by The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI in 2010. To even the odds, The Undertaker will have his brother Kane in his corner.
Triple H is desperately hunting a victory after an uncharacteristically cold run: his last one-on-one win came in 2015 against the now-retired Sting. He has his work cut out for him: The Undertaker has wrestled only wrestled twice this year – against John Cena and Rusev – but won both matches decisively.
After two decades of intense rivalry, this final contest for bragging rights will take place under the bright lights of the MCG. This is a headline match-up in any city in the world, and Melbourne is set for a treat.
WWE STARS ARRIVE IN MELBOURNE FOR SUPER SHOW-DOWN
MELBOURNE’S WWE STAR HOPES FOR FAIRYTALE FINISH AT MCG
THE SHIELD (ROMAN REIGNS, DEAN AMBROSE, SETH ROLLINS) VS BRAUN STROWMAN, DOLPH ZIGGLER AND DREW MCINTYRE
Debuting together in 2012, the trio of Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins – collectively known as ‘The Shield’ – have seized the torch as the new faces of the WWE. Reconciling last year after Rollins’ stunning betrayal in 2014, The Shield now boasts two champions in Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, as well as a former WWE Champion in Dean Ambrose.
On the other side of the ledger is the formidable Raw Tag Team Champions Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler, who have formed an alliance with the monstrous Braun Strowman. Strowman, a former weightlifter, is the most imposing force in the match – who earlier this year flipped a truck.
The big story heading into this clash is where Dean Ambrose’s loyalties lies – Ziggler and McIntyre have questioned whether Ambrose, the only Shield member without a championship, could achieve more if he turned his back on the team. After all, when Seth Rollins betrayed Ambrose and Reigns in 2014, he became WWE Champion shortly after.
Ambrose has pledged his loyalty to the Shield, but don’t rule out a shocking betrayal at the MCG.
ROMAN REIGNS WEIGHS IN ON BROCK LESNAR’S UFC RETURN
AJ STYLES VS SAMOA JOE (WWE CHAMPIONSHIP)
Wrestling virtuoso AJ Styles has been WWE Champion all of 2018, but he hasn’t had a match this personal. Long-time rival Samoa Joe finally challenged AJ Styles in a WWE ring at SummerSlam, but it’s Joe’s tactics outside the squared circle that has drawn The Phenomenal One’s ire.
At SummerSlam, Joe taunted Styles’ wife and 3-year-old daughter and on Smackdown last fortnight, Joe broadcasted himself visiting AJ Styles’ family home while the champion was in a different city.
Their showdown in Melbourne has been declared a ‘no disqualifications, no count-outs, no excuses’ grudge match by Smackdown General Manager Paige, and promises to be brutal. An enraged AJ Styles is desperate to get his hands on Samoa Joe, but the Samoan Submission Machine is confident this is his moment to capture his first WWE Championship.
RONDA ROUSEY AND THE BELLA TWINS VS THE RIOTT SQUAD (RUBY RIOTT, LIV MORGAN AND SARAH LOGAN)
UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey has taken the WWE by storm, trumping Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at this year’s WrestleMania and then winning the top prize of the Raw Women’s division less than six months later. Now, she teams up with twins Brie and Nikki Bella to battle the upstart trio The Riott Squad.
The Riott Squad came into Rousey’s firing line as they sided with Rousey’s rival, Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, during Rousey’s championship coronation. The Bella Twins, who have returned to the WWE ring after time away doing reality television, stood by Rousey and the battle lines were drawn.
Melbourne isn’t a city of fond memories for Rousey – it was across the road at Etihad Stadium that she suffered her first UFC loss – but she’ll be hoping for better luck this weekend. She picked up some valuable momentum defeating Ruby Riott this week on Raw, but it’ll remain to be seen whether she works well with long-time tag team The Bella Twins.
NEW DOOR OPENS FOR RONDA ROUSEY AFTER UFC MELBOURNE KO
.@RubyRiottWWE was doing well in the beginning, but @RondaRousey is DONE playing games with the leader of #TheRiottSquad on #Raw! pic.twitter.com/vb0X5lwmG2
— WWE (@WWE) October 2, 2018
BECKY LYNCH VS CHARLOTTE FLAIR (SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP)
Charlotte Flair has been a dominant force in her 6 year WWE career, racking 7 Women’s Championship reigns, so it came as little surprise when she won the championship upon returning from injury at this year’s SummerSlam. What wasn’t as expected was Flair’s post-match attack at the hands of best friend Becky Lynch, who savagely beat down the new champion.
Lynch has been a long-beloved fan favourite who had never ascended to the top of the women’s division prior to turning villainous. Now, she’s taken the Women’s Championship from Flair and shows no signs of easing back the violence. At Super Show-Down, Flair is out for revenge while Lynch hopes to cement her rise as the new queen of Smackdown.
QUEEN @MsCharlotteWWE wasn't too impressed by #SDLive #WomensChampion @BeckyLynchWWE's #WWESSD surprise... pic.twitter.com/kdN5vaONt1
— WWE (@WWE) October 3, 2018
.@MsCharlotteWWE showed a GREAT amount of strength... #HIAC pic.twitter.com/XMcw7ZqRQl
— WWE (@WWE) September 18, 2018
JOHN CENA AND BOBBY LASHLEY VS KEVIN OWENS AND ELIAS
WWE megastar John Cena has been scarcely seen in a wrestling ring since his shocking WrestleMania defeat to The Undertaker, appearing just once at the Greatest Royal Rumble. Now a Hollywood powerhouse, Cena is making a rare appearance at the Super Show-Down to team with Bobby Lashley, who returned in April after a decade away from the WWE.
They’ll take on resident pests Elias and Kevin Owens. The duo have spent the past month attacking Bobby Lashley and performing music, much to the crowd’s disdain – this week’s segment saw them get booed so hard they couldn’t finish their song.
Elias and Owens claim that their opponents will struggle to coexist, a claim set to be tested – the last time Cena and Lashley shared a ring was 2007, when they wrestled each other for Cena’s WWE Championship. Whether they can put their past differences behind them to get the win in Melbourne will be a huge point of interest going into the match.
JOHN CENA BRINGING ‘SPICE AND EXPERIENCE’ TO MELBOURNE
.@IAmEliasWWE said having a basketball team in Seattle doesn't make sense. The people of Seattle didn't like that ONE BIT. #Raw pic.twitter.com/JSLE0mE73N
— WWE (@WWE) October 2, 2018
DANIEL BRYAN VS THE MIZ
This rivalry started back in 2010, when Daniel Bryan arrived in the WWE’s developmental territory NXT as a ‘rookie’ after 11 years wrestling around the world. He was paired with a mentor in The Miz, a loudmouth former MTV reality star, who leapfrogged straight into the WWE.
The pairing was short-lived and each went on to separately become stars: The Miz defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania XXVII while Bryan’s WrestleMania XXX victory became one of the most memorable moments in WWE history.
After Bryan was forced in retirement in February 2016 due to concussion-related issues, he became Smackdown General Manager – a role which effectively made him the boss of The Miz. Bryan’s no-frills, hardnosed approach clashed with The Miz’s cowardly, Hollywood personality and the friction came to a head in a legendary verbal confrontation on WWE talk-show Talking Smack,which left fans dreaming of a match between the two.
The Miz would revitalise his career at Bryan’s expense - stealing his rival’s signature moves and becoming a constant in the Intercontinental Championship picture, all while mocking Bryan for being unable to wrestle due to injury.
Come March 2018 and Daniel Bryan stunned the professional wrestling world by announcing that he’d been medically cleared to return to wrestling. It wasn’t long before the rivals went toe-to-toe at SummerSlam this August, with The Miz cheating to steal victory.
Now in Melbourne, Daniel Bryan has the chance to finally silence his biggest rival in a high-stakes encounter. The winner will become number one contender for the WWE Championship, but it might be the pride won in victory that matters most to these two competitors.
THE NEW DAY (KOFI KINGSTON, XAVIER WOODS AND/OR BIG E) VS THE BAR (SHEAMUS AND CESARO) (SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP)
The New Day have proven themselves as one of the WWE’s most consistent forces – the five-time Tag Team Champions hold the longest championship reign in history and are showing no signs of slowing down. They recaptured the gold in August by toppling The Bludgeon Brothers and are now facing a stern test in their old foes The Bar.
Sheamus and Cesaro have been an unlikely revelation as a tag team: paired by then-General Manager Mick Foley in September 2016 after they wrestled seven matches against each other, the enemies became best friends and successful tag team partners. They’ve gone on to claim four Tag Team Championships and will be seeking to make it five in Melbourne.
You might say there's HISTORY between #TheBar and #TheNewDay...@WWECesaro @WWESheamus @WWEBigE @TrueKofi @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/1Z2QbzlybD
— WWE (@WWE) August 7, 2018
Two powerhouses COLLIDED as #TheNewDay's @WWEBigE grappled with #TheBar's @WWESheamus on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/5sfffkDfg5
— WWE (@WWE) September 27, 2018
ASUKA AND NAOMI VS THE IICONICS (PEYTON ROYCE AND BILLIE KAY)
Aussies Peyton Royce and Billie Kay revel in getting booed: they routinely mock the crowd, their opponents and are proud to be the WWE’s resident mean girls. Expect them to be cheered in front of the hometown crowd, but it might not take much to turn the crowd against them: last time they visited Melbourne, the duo were quick to point out their preference for their native city of Sydney and the cheers didn’t take long to turn to boos.
Matching up against the Aussies is the decorated team of Asuka and Naomi, who will provide a tough challenge. Asuka’s undefeated streak of 914 days – snapped at this WrestleMania – is longest in WWE history and Naomi is a two-time Women’s Champion.
Seeing whether the Australians get the upset win, and whether the crowd still likes them by the end of the match, will be a fascinating sight.
MEET THE WOMEN OF MELBOURNE’S PRO WRESTLING WORLD
The #IIconics @PeytonRoyceWWE & @BillieKayWWE were NOT pleased with what they saw when they scouted their #WWESSD opponents @WWEAsuka & @NaomiWWE on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/6QhTB9EwNu
— WWE (@WWE) September 27, 2018
CEDRIC ALEXANDER VS BUDDY MURPHY (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
Melbourne local Buddy Murphy has a golden opportunity to unseat dominant Cruiserweight Champion Cedric Alexander in front of his hometown fans. Living out his boyhood dream of performing at the MCG, the Berwick native will be looking to avenge his last loss to the defending champion – which came in Alexander’s home city of Charlotte, North Carolina.
This match-up is the culmination of a long journey for Murphy: after fighting his way through the ranks of Melbourne City Wrestling, he risked it all for a WWE tryout in Tampa. That led to a rise in WWE developmental, including a Tag Team Championship reign, and then a long period lost in the shuffle. Re-emerging in the WWE’s revamped Cruiserweight division, Murphy’s hard work and grit has made him a compelling figure for Aussies to root for.
Expect the action to be fast-paced and high-flying – the Cruiserweight division is exclusively for competitors under 93kg and what the competitors lack in mass, they make up for in athleticism.
Was @WWE_Murphy ready for the #SoulOf205Live @CedricAlexander? It was all about the #CruiserweightTitle on #205Live! pic.twitter.com/kA475gTVlZ
— WWE (@WWE) May 31, 2018
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