Stomping Grounds Results and Recap: Kicking Ass, Taking Names, etc.
Drew Gulak def. Tony Nese (c) & Akira Tozawa, in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship on the Money in the Bank Kickoff Show
Well, I’m sure Matt Riddle is happy about this match result. I know I am.
Anyway, You can watch the Stomping Grounds Kickoff Show on YouTube and on the WWE Network.
Becky Lynch (c) def. Lacey Evans, for the RAW Women’s Championship
Surprisingly, things start off with a collar-and-elbow tie-up, before Becky Lynch just gets right in Lacey Evans’ face. As the pay-per-view has promised for weeks, Becky is the one kicking ass and taking names.
And, of course, the crowd chants for Becky. The champ actually shows off early on with her technical acumen, then just brings the fight to Lacey. In fact, Becky is clearly just playing with Lacey to start things off. So if you were worried she was concerned about facing the “Sassy Southern Belle,” boy would you be wrong.
But then Lacey finally takes an opportunity to strike and ends up working on Becky’s midsection and left arm. However, Becky is able to slide out of a pin attempt from Lacey and get a new burst of energy. She gets Lacey into an armbar, but Lacey makes it the ropes. After that, Lacey pulls her handkerchief out from her trunks (ew), wipes her pits (eww), and then throws it at Becky. Becky’s response to all of that ewww? She Mandible Claws Lacey with the handkerchief! It’s… awesome.
After that, there’s some back and forth between the two, but Becky Lynch eventually hits the Dis-Arm-Her, and Lacey Evans taps out, like, immediately.
It seems Kayla Braxton has been camped out outside Baron Corbin’s personal locker room since the Kickoff Show, and she’s here to report that Paul Heyman entered said locker room, for some reason. Heyman comes out and, again, pretty much denies that Brock Lesnar will be the special referee. (And come on—it’s Stomping Grounds. Brock Lesnar isn’t coming.) Once he leaves, Corbin comes out and sexually harasses Kayla. (But earlier, he said he was going to “slay ‘The Beastslayer’.”)
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn def. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Big E)
This match opens with Kevin Owens just superkicking Big E to hell and off the apron, before superkicking Xavier Woods to death and then hitting him with a Swanton Bomb. But that only gets a two-count. He then tags in Sami Zayn and superkicks Xavier one more time, before Sami hits him with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Again, only a two-count. Another tag, and this time, Kevin hits the Frog Splash… still just two. At this point, Kevin can’t believe it. He tags Sami back in and Sami gets to punching, as Big E gets back onto the apron.
But Sami tags Kevin back in and gets the referee to focus on Big E while Kevin cannonballs Xavier in the corner, before hitting him with a senton. Kevin then starts teasing both Xavier and Big E for not being able to reach each other to tag, before mocking The New Day, in general. The frequent tags continue, as Kevin tags Sami in before he also kicks Xavier in the corner (while the referee is distracted, of course). Kevin and Sami continue to take turns destroying Xavier, again knocking Big E to the outside. But Xavier deflects and reverses, Big E finally gets back on the apron… and oh boy, he is pissed.
Xavier finally tags in (and Kevin tags Sami in), and it is on. Big E goes after Sami, he knocks Kevin to the outside too (for retribution), and he goes back to destroying Sami. He then tags Xavier back in… and Xavier picks Big E to smush Sami like a, well, pancake.
Kevin tries to save Sami, but Big E throws him right back to the outside. The New Day tries to set up for the Up Up Down Down, but Sami pushes Big E into the corner. However, Xavier avoids a collision and jumps down from the top rope… only for Sami to kick him in the face. Xavier hits Sami with a Helluva Kick and then Kevin hits him with the pop-up powerbomb, but Big E breaks up the pin.
Now, the only option left is for everyone to hit each other with high-impact moves, all ending up out on the mat. Sami Zayn and Xavier Woods are the first to get up—on the apron—but Big E hits Sami with the spear through ropes. Xavier gets to top rope one more time, but Kevin bumps him down and hits the stunner for the three-count.
Alexa Bliss is warming up backstage and thanks Nikki Cross for being in her corner tonight. She even apologizes for Nikki for them not becoming the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, but Nikki, of course, blames Bayley. Yeah, Alexa’s really got Nikki brainwashed.
Ricochet def. Samoa Joe (c), for the United States Championship
Samoa Joe immediately starts things off by hitting Ricochet with brutal strikes. See, the thing is: Ricochet is trying to wrestle Joe here, but he really needs to know that he’s here (and Joe, of course, is here) for a fight. He actually learns from his mistake for a moment, picking up the pace and using his speed and agility to evade Joe… but we all know Joe is deceptively fast himself. And also unforgiven, whether he’s throwing Ricochet into the steel steps or telling him to sit his ass down with a massive uranage.
Ricochet tries to fight back, but Joe just turns him inside out with an elbow—which only get him a two-count. So Joe decides to go with the ground and pound approach on Ricochet, really slowing down both the match and his opponent. But Ricochet eventually fights back and gets a sudden burst of energy, but that might just be all he has. He’s able to rock Joe, but Joe isn’t going to go down so easily. In fact, he’s just going to get frustrated. Joe goes for the Coquina Clutch attempt, but Ricochet forces a break by jumping over the top rope to apron and bouncing Joe off of it. Ricochet’s finally able to get to the top rope for a 630, but Joe avoids and Ricochet has to roll through. Then he hits Joe with thee single knee and goes for another 630. NEW CHAMP!!!!
Backstage, Ricochet is greeted by the support of his peers and Triple H.
Daniel Bryan & Rowan (c) def. Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker), for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Well, even though he’s from Aberdeen and not Tacoma (however, both in Washington state), Daniel Bryan is getting the hometown boy chants in this match… so he tags in to start the match against Otis. Bryan’s strategy? Stick (or really, kick) and move. However, after a few kicks, Otis finally stops Bryan. Of course, the crowd boos—Bryan is the hometown hero tonight, folks. Bryan does what were formerly “YES” Kicks (and yes, the crowd chants “YES”), until Otis catches him, showing off his power. He then tags Tucker in, and they perform a stalling vertical suplex hand-off. Now, Tucker shows off his athleticism, but as Bryan and Rowan made clear during the Kickoff Show, that was never their problem with Heavy Machinery as competitors.
Rowan then tags in and wipes out Tucker, as a “PLEASE RECYCLE” chant rain down. Rowan beats Tucker up, then tags in Bryan to go after Tucker’s left leg. Yes, Bryan found a body part and is targeting it. Rowan tags back in to continue to torture Tucker, while a “DRIVE A PRIUS” chant occurs. It’s awesome. Finally, Tucker is able to tag Otis back in(and Rowan tags in Bryan), but while Otis has some fire, Bryan is able to stop him and hit the corner dropkicks. However, Otis finds an opening to hit a sitout powerbomb on Bryan. Only two-count.
Now for the “YES” Kicks… only, Otis is absorbing them and Otis-ing up! He hits Bryan with an exploder, and then it’s time for the Caterpillar! Otis tags in Tucker, who hits Bryan with a belly-to-belly, but that only gets a two-count as Rowan saves the day. But Tucker’s not done yet. He goes for a moonsault from the top rope, but Bryan moves out of the way. However, not as quickly as he wanted, as Tucker’s legs still hit Bryan’s legs in the process. Tucker tags in Otis and Bryan tags in Rowan, and here we go! The big men, Tucker and Rowan, are absorbing each other’s damage and neither will go down. But Otis lifts and slams Rowan (who’d just tagged in Bryan, slyly) before tagging Tucker.
However, neither man realizes Bryan’s legal, so Bryan gets Tucker outside, saves Rowan. But even though Tucker stops Bryan from hitting him with a dive to the outside and then also takes Rowan out on the outside, he goes back to the ring and Daniel “Mr. Small Package” Bryan gets him with a, well, small package for the win.
Bayley (c) def. Alexa Bliss, for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bayley is aggressive from moment one with a flurry of strikes, then constantly driving Alexa Bliss face first into the top turnbuckle. Eventually, Alexa is able to deflect and send Bayley face first into the second turnbuckle. And while Bayley tries to fight back, Alexa, of course, has no problem using nefarious means to gain the advantage. (Nikki, Nikki, Nikki—can’t you see?! Alexa’s not the good guy here!) She’s really into grabbing Bayley by the hair, as much as referee Charles Robinson tells her not to do that. Because, you know, it’s illegal.
It’s a disrespectful slap in the corner from Alexa that fires Bayley back up, as she gets Alexa back with strikes of her own. She also deflects Alexa’s DDT attempt, then hits Alexa with a running knee. But then Alexa deflects Bayley’s diving dropkick through the ropes, pulling Bayley into the ringpost, and going after her right arm. But back in the ring, Alexa only gets a two-count. So she goes after Bayley’s arm more. However, Bayley still has fight left in her.
Reversal, oh, reversal, then another reversal, belly-to-back suplex from Bayley! Bayley is feeling it now, hitting Alexa with a sunset bomb into the turnbuckle. Alexa retreats to the outside, and then Bayley dives out, but she ends up landing on Nikki Cross… as Alexa very clearly pushed her “friend” in front of Bayley. Alexa then takes the opportunity to push Bayley into the steps, before sunset bombing her on outside. They get back in the ring and Alexa is trying to hit Twisted Bliss, but Nikki jumps into the ring, clearly trying to get back at Bayley. While the referee deals with Nikki, Bayley is able to climb up to the top rope, but Alexa pushes her off, and finally hits Twisted Bliss. Unfortunately for Alexa, Bayley gets her knees up in time and then hits Alexa Bliss with a Bayley-to-Belly for the win.
Backstage, Ricochet has a photo shoot with his new championship… and here come the Good Brothers, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, to congratulate him. Weird, right? But then here comes AJ Styles, who says he’ll see Ricochet tomorrow night.
Roman Reigns def. Drew McIntyre
Shane McMahon is out first, because why wouldn’t he be out first for a match between… *checks notes* two men who are definitely not him?
For the match itself, Drew McIntyre’s out first. And once Roman Reigns comes out, Drew goes after him before he can even get to the ring, before the bell even rings. They’re still clubbing at each other once they get into the ring (and the bell finally rings), but Roman has the upper hand, especially once he knocks Drew out of the ring. Roman hits a dive to the outside and while Shane (who is checking on Drew) moves out of the way, he’s got a perfect hit on Drew.
Now, Shane runs away and Roman chases him for a bit… right into a mid-air punch from Drew. Drew then throws Roman into the steel steps, before taking him back to the ring for his beating. And now Shane even gets involved when the referee isn’t looking. Drew stays on Roman, all while the crowd chants “SHANE IS AWFUL.” (They’re not wrong.) Another Shane interference leads the way for a spinebuster from Drew to Roman, but Roman then kicks out at two. Drew keeps trying to bring Roman down, but he keeps only getting two counts. So he decides to stretch Roman, then turns things into a modified STF—but Roman fights out.
Roman looks for a Samoan Drop, but no—Drew deflects. Drew hits the ropes and then gets hit with a Samoan Drop. He then hits Drew with the corner clotheslines, a big boot, and then he is locked and loaded for the Superman Punch. Only, Shane’s the one who gets it, once he decides to hop up onto the apron. Then Roman hits Shanee with another Superman Punch on the outside, and Drew comes out to help him, only to run into a right hand from Roman. He tries to hit Drew with the Drive-By, but nope! Drew slams Roman into the commentary table, bring him back inside and his him with the Winds of Change, but that’s still only a two-count.
The two men end up battling on the top rope. Roman headbutts Drew, then Drew throat strikes him. Drew then superplexes Roman… and only gets a two-count. Drew kips up and gets ready in the corner for a Claymore Kick. Roman deflects, hits a backslide… Drew kicks out and hits Roman with a Glasgow Kiss, Drew goes back up top and jumps right into a Superman Punch. Roman’s ready to spear him, but Drew kicks him in the face. Another Glasgow kiss, but Roman finally hits the spear. One, two—Shane drags the referee out of the ring and puts Roman in the corner to put the boots to him. Then Shane hits a Coast to Coast, makes Drew cover Roman, and brings back the referee. And it still only gets a two-count. The crowd is firmly behind Roman, and he hits another Superman Punch, tosses Shane aside when he runs in, and his Drew with a spear for the win.
Kofi Kingston (c) def. Dolph Ziggler, in a Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship
Both men start the match at a stalemate, as they know each other so well. But then Dolph Ziggler tries to escape the cage by climbing out of it. He then also gets the first bit of real offense of the match with a beautiful dropkick, before trying to walk out of the cage. That fails, but once he’s back in the ring, he ends up rolling up Kofi Kingston for a two-count. He hits Kofi with a slingshot, which only allows Kofi to start climbing. Dolph gets him back down and goes for superkick—which Kofi avoids—and then Kofi hits him with his own dropkick.
But all it takes is one mistake and Dolph ends up throwing Kofi in between the ropes and cage. Ouch. He goes on to just grind Kofi’s face into the steel cage. Kofi tries to counter Dolph’s offense and ends up getting a neckbreaker for his troubles.
So Dolph slows things down now that he has the advantage. He continues to pound Kofi until Kofi finds an opportunity to fight back and gain some momentum. But another wrong move and Dolph is able to toss Kofi face first into the cage. He then hits Kofi with some disrespectful slaps to the face and screams, “LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO.” He tries to throw Kofi into the cage again, but Kofi finally turns the tables, throwing him into every single cage wall. Then Kofi slaps Dolph, giving the disrespect right back. Dolph tries for a Fameasser—which fails—but ends up hitting the cage again (on the solid part, not even the chain link). Kofi climbs the cage but Dolph gets up and pulls him down. So Kofi pushes him away and Dolph tries again, but now they’ve both climbed to the top rope. They bounce each other’s heads into the cage, but with one last shot, down goes Dolph.
Kofi keeps climbing and sees Dolph getting up,s so he goes for a crossbody off the top rope. Only a two-count. Kofi climbs back up, and again, Dolph stops him. He bashes Kofi’s head into cage, and this time, Kofi goes down. But Dolph keeps climbing to escape. Kofi quickly gets back up, and both are now at the top of the cage. Dolph gets both legs outside the cage, but Kofi will not let go at all and pulls Ziggler back inside. Kofi headbutts Dolph down, but they both fall. And now it’s a strike off. S.O.S! Only two! Trouble in—no! Deflecting, Dolph goes after Kofi’s right leg with a submission hold. Kofi gets to rope, but because this is a cage match, he can’t break the hold—he just has to use the cage as leverage to get up and out of the submission. But Dolph pulls him down and superkicks him… almost right through the front door of the cage. Dolph rushes to stop Kofi from getting out, pulling him back in and putting the leg submission back on.
Kofi rolls through out of the submission, goes for Trouble in—NO (again)! So Dolph goes back to the leg lock, but Kofi reverses it into an ankle lock of his own. Dolph fights out of that quick, hits Kofi with a Zig Zag, but that only gets a two-count! Kofi’s superkick attempt is deflected by a kick from Dolph, but then he tries to control Dolph—to outwrestle Dolph. Dolph gets so close to outside again, but Kofi pulls him away, and the WWE Universe behind him. Kofi tries to lift Dolph, but his leg goes out, and Dolph again tries to escape out the door. But Kofi again grabs him.
Then Dolph thumbs Kofi in the eyes and kicks him, and it looks like he’s going to make it out the door… but Kofi dives his way out for the win.
Backstage, Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon are, of course, upset. Kayla Braxton says Roman Reigns “got the last laugh,” but then… Oh joy: Tomorrow night on RAW, it’s Roman vs. Drew and Shane.
Seth Rollins (c) def. Baron Corbin, in a Special Guest Referee match for the WWE Universal Championship match
Before the match can begin, Seth Rollins reminds Baron Corbin that anyone who comes out for this match as the referee is getting the chair… attack. Getting the chair attack.
…of course, the referee is Lacey Evans. Seth Rollins isn’t going to hit her with a chair. (The Tacoma crowd chants for Becky though, and you know she would.) Lacey tries to grab the chair from Seth, and then Baron jumps him from behind, using the chair on him. All of this is before the bell rings, but still, it’s scummy.
Then Baron dominates Seth, with Lacey not exactly doing much officiating. Eventually, Seth finally starts to fight back, finally goes for his first pin. And Lacey goes for the slowest two-count ever, as the chants for “BECKY” intensify. Given the breather, Baron is now able to fight back, but Seth still ends up powerbombing him onto the commentary table. This leads to the slowest 10-count ever now. (Once Lacey gets to seven, she even yells, “Get up, Baron!”) She’s clearly about to count him out… so she changes the match to a no countout gimmick. Seth then pulls Baron back into the ring to stomp him, but Baron rolls out. And when Seth goes for the dive, Baron catches him and slams him into the apron, before taking him to the ring and chokeslamming him for a (much faster) two-count.
Seth gets some fight back in him and hits Baron with a frog splash. However, Lacey gets a mysterious spasm before she can count the three. Seth is pissed, but he goes back to outside, where Baron starts using the chair. So all of a sudden, Lacey is missing the action—she must have something in her eyes. Baron whispers something to her, and now it’s a no disqualification match. (Wow, this sounds familiar for a Baron Corbin match, doesn’t it?) But no DQ for Baron also means that for Seth, and Seth is able to hit Baron with a Falcon Arrow onto the chair. Unfortunately, at this point, Lacey won’t count at all. On commentary, even Michael Cole is furious, calling this “an absolute farce.” And it is.
Seth finally gets in Lacey’s face, and she slaps him. He asks her, “Is that all you got,” and then she slaps him again and kicks him in the midsection. Baron cheapshots him and Lacey hits him with a low blow. An End of Days of Baron Corbin and—Becky Lynch is here to beat the hell out of Lacey Evans!
She hits Lacey with a Bexploder to the barricade and keeps pounding her until referees stop her. But now there’s a new referee: John Cone, the referee Baron had a problem with in the first place. Baron Corbin fails to hit the End of Days and ends up eating a stop from Seth Rollins to end the match.