Welcome to our live coverage of WWE Day 1 from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia with WWE’s first card of 2022.
Wai Ting and I will be LIVE for Double Double+ members of the POST Wrestling Café immediately after the show with our WWE Day 1 POST Show.
Prior to the event, Roman Reigns announced he is off the card after testing positive for COVID-19.
Brock Lesnar has been added to the WWE Championship match, which is now a fatal five-way match.
RESULTS:
*WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar over Big E. (champion), Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens & Bobby Lashley in 8:19
*Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch (champion) over Liv Morgan in 16:57
*Edge over The Miz in 20:04
*Raw Tag Team Championship: Randy Orton & Riddle (champions) over The Street Profits in 11:14
*Drew McIntyre over Madcap Moss in 9:43
*SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The Usos (champions) over New Day in 17:03
*Pre-show: Sheamus & Ridge Holland (injured) over Cesaro & Ricochet in 9:45
The Kickoff show featured Kayla Braxton hosting the panel with Kevin Patrick, JBL, Booker T., and Peter Rosenberg.
The Miz interrupted the panel and criticized Edge for rarely showing up while Miz never took him off even when he was hurt last year. Rosenberg brought up Miz not winning “Dancing with the Stars” and Miz blamed the fan vote.
New Day was interviewed in the back with Kofi Kingston starting the promo with a British accent as they previewed the match with The Usos.
SHEAMUS & RIDGE HOLLAND VS CESARO & RICOCHET
Michael Cole and Pat McAfee are on commentary for the kickoff match. They are pushing tonight’s show as the “first premium live event” of the new year.
Cesaro flipped Ricochet using his leg, who came down and caught Holland with his boot and Holland appeared to be busted open and tagged out.
Cole stated that Holland might have a broken nose and they showed the replay. They stated Holland has been taken to the back and won’t return, so Sheamus is on his own.
Sheamus caught Ricochet with White Noise to the floor after a flying knee sent Cesaro down inside the ring.
Cesaro missed in the corner and rebounded into a Brogue kick as Sheamus won.
WINNER: Sheamus in 9 minutes and 45 seconds
This match was thrown for a loop with the injury to Holland and forcing the match to continue and the heel overcomes both babyfaces on his own. They were in a tough spot and had to act on the fly.
THE USOS VS KING WOODS & KOFI KINGSTON FOR THE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
McAfee mentioned that The Usos’ cousins Roman is “battling the big homey, Omi” (Omicron).
The Usos took control of Kingston including Jey with a reverse hip attack in the corner, identified as
“ass…to…face” by McAfee.
After a counter into a DDT, Kingston tagged Woods. Woods used a Cradle Shock on Jimmy for a two-count. The Usos hit the Alley-Uce on Woods.
Kingston attempted Trouble in Paradise and spun into a superkick and Jimmy immediately followed with the Uso Splash for a near fall. Jimmy chop blocked Kingston’s knee and applied a Tequila Sunrise but Kingston grabbed the rope.
Kingston hit a series of near falls as the audience was biting.
A double Uso splash was hit on Kingston and Woods dove to make the save.
Woods attempted a pescado and was hit with a superkick coming down.
The Usos hit a 3-D on Kingston for the win. McAfee called it 1-D “for one and done”.
WINNERS: The Usos in 17 minutes and 3 seconds to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
This was a terrific opening match and had the time to build to the near falls with a lively crowd to open the pay-per-view proper. The four have excellent chemistry and this was a very fun match.
MADCAP MOSS VS DREW McINTYRE
Cole transitioned “from Migos to the Happy Amigos” as Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss entered.
Moss told jokes about the weight of people in Atlanta, Drew McIntyre’s prom date, and that he’d be renamed “Who?” McIntyre after tonight.
Moss stopped McIntyre’s offense when Corbin distracted, and McIntyre was run into the post. Moss missed as he ran hard into the corner.
Moss caught a crossbody off the ropes, nearly lost his balance but regained control, and hit McIntyre with a fallaway slam.
McIntyre was in the tree of woe, did the sit-up into a suplex sending Moss off. McIntyre hit Claymore and won the match.
WINNER: Drew McIntyre in 9 minutes and 43 seconds
It was probably longer than it needed to be given the stature of Moss and no one taking him seriously. That said, Moss may be in a dead-end gimmick but he is a good athlete and would be a great prospect to benefit from NXT 2.0 instead of doing this character so long that he’s branded as a joke forever.
Megan Morant interviewed Kevin Owens and called Brock Lesnar “a bully” over his actions against his best friend Sami Zayn. Owens is going to go talk to Seth Rollins about a plan.
RANDY ORTON & RIDDLE VS THE STREET PROFITS FOR THE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Migos came out with RK-Bro and sat ringside.
Dawkins and Ford did Orton’s pose early on. Orton went for an early RKO that Dawkins avoided.
The Profits cut off the ring taking advantage of Riddle for several minutes before Orton was tagged.
Orton hit a double draping DDT to both Ford and Dawkins. Riddle hit Dawkins with a PK off the apron but was knocked off by Ford.
Ford sent Orton’s shoulder into the post and hit a tope con giro over the corner both to RK-Bro on the floor.
Ford missed From the Heavens and was hoisted in the air by Riddle and hit with the RKO to end the match.
WINNERS: RK-Bro in 11 minutes and 14 seconds
This was another nice match. RK-Bro has its formula down pat of getting the heat on Riddle, Orton gets the hot tag, and work toward a cool set-up for the RKO. It typically works and that was the case here, although the crowd was lukewarm throughout most of the match but popped for the finish.
Migos celebrated with the champions in the ring after the win.
RK-Bro and The Street Profits shook hands.
Drew McIntyre was backstage and said Moss was a “tough son of a bitch”. He was attacked by Corbin and Moss with Corbin used a chair to drop him. They put Drew’s neck through a chair and dropped a metal truss on him, so this was a significant injury angle.
There was an ad for the Royal Rumble promoting the men’s and women’s Rumble matches.
Kayla Braxton spoke with Brock Lesnar and said Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do because he is a free agent thanks to Paul Heyman and will become the WWE champion “and that’s a spoiler”.
EDGE THE MIZ
Edge came out with The Brood theme music and switched to his regular music midway through.
Miz focused on Edge’s left knee and tried for a Skull Crushing Finale that was thwarted but hit Edge with a DDT.
Edge pulled Miz from the apron into a DDT on the floor. They fought onto the announcer’s desk with Edge stopping a Skull Crushing Finale and drilling Miz on the desk.
In the ring, Miz chop blocked the knee he had worked on prior and applied a figure-four. Edge reversed the hold and Miz attempted an STF, but it was stopped.
Edge applied the crossface but Maryse helped put Miz’s foot on the rope. They knocked each down with simultaneous boots.
Miz was thrown off the turnbuckle, Edge missed the spear, Maryse used something on Edge leading to a Skull Crushing Finale for a near fall.
Maryse complained to referee Jessika Carr and led to Beth Phoenix appearing but had to wait for her music to play, which was a “time stood still” moment. Phoenix chased Maryse away and Miz turned into a spear and was pinned.
WINNER: Edge in 20 minutes and 4 seconds
The audience got the payoff with Phoenix appearing, but I thought this match dragged a lot. It was an average match with little in the way of anything novel or memorable and just felt like it was putting in more time than the story required. It was several levels below Edge’s matches with Seth Rollins last year but appears to be leading to a mixed tag match.
Bobby Lashley and MVP were told by Kevin Patrick that Lashley’s odds of winning tonight have taken a hit due to Lesnar’s addition. MVP put over Lesnar but Lashley is not trembling in fear because he is a “once in a lifetime athlete” and is the “yin” to Lesnar’s “yang”. Lashley said he’ll put him in The Hurt Lock.
BECKY LYNCH VS LIV MORGAN FOR THE RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Morgan used a Rings of Saturn early and Lynch got to the rope.
Lynch took over and landed a leg drop off the turnbuckle as Morgan was draped on the middle rope.
Morgan escaped an armbar and hit a spinning DDT for a two-count. Morgan spun off the rope and hit a Sunset Bomb to Lynch off the turnbuckle. Lynch caught her in the Disarmer and Morgan quickly reached the rope.
Lynch missed a leg drop off the turnbuckle, Morgan responded with a missile dropkick and Lynch rolled to the floor allowing Morgan to hit a suicide dive.
Morgan trapped Lynch’s arm in the steps and stomped the arm as revenge for the attack on Raw. Morgan applied the Rings of Saturn but Lynch bridged out.
Lynch blocked Oblivion and hit the Man Handle Slam.
It appeared Lynch was trying to put her leg on the rope for leverage but was too far away, so it was a clean pin, which the announcers stated she was trying to do.
WINNER: Becky Lynch in 16 minutes and 57 seconds
After some timing issues, in the beginning, the pace picked up and Morgan played the underdog role well. The audience was hard to read as they appeared to get into certain moments and were static the rest of the way.Seth Rollins was interviewed and won’t divulge his tactics, but the other four men are not him. He will stomp heads and win.
Johnny Knoxville announced on Instagram earlier in the day that he is entering the Royal Rumble ahead of the “Jackass Forever” film release in February.
BIG E. VS BROCK LESNAR VS SETH ROLLINS VS BOBBY LASHLEY VS KEVIN OWENS FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
Lesnar started the match with German suplexes to Owens and Rollins multiple times. Big E. rocked Lesnar with a clothesline and sent him to the floor. Lashley speared Lesnar through the barricade.
Owens and Rollins worked together and attacked Lashley and Lesnar with the steps. They cleared the announcer’s desk and the audience was the loudest they have been all night. Lashley got put through the desk after a Uranage by Big E. off the steps.
Rollins set up for a Stomp and leaped into an F-5 by the returning Lesnar, who hit a series of them including two to Owens. Lashley speared Lesnar for a near fall.
Big E. hit the Big Ending to Lashley, then tried one to Lesnar and it was countered and he hit the F-5 to pin Big E. and win the title.
WINNER: Brock Lesnar in 8 minutes and 19 seconds
Lashley was staring down Lesnar from the floor as Lesnar smiled with the championship.
