1/6 WWE Live Results: Columbus, Georgia
Thanks to Chad Dixon for sending in this live report.
For the first time in 15 months, the WWE returned to the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, GA on January 6, 2017. The show kicked off on a cold, winter Friday night as Byron Saxton and JoJo as the co-ring announcers. The crowd gave its biggest pop of the night as a giant inflatable box of Booty O’s was blown up to signal the entrance of the former tag champions the New Day.
WWE Tag Team Titles – Cesaro & Sheamus d. Big E & Kofi and Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows (10:23)
Kofi and Cesaro started the triple threat tag title match to kick off the show. Kofi would stay in for most of the match as the two opposing teams would pummel the high flyer of the New Day. Kofi would make the tag to Big E at the 7:30 mark of the match. Sheamus quickly tagged himself in as Big E had raised his hands to take over on Anderson. Shortly after, Cesaro would put Big E and Anderson in his patented swing. Cesaro would raise Anderson to set up Sheamus’ brogue kick after the ten minutes had gone by in the match. Sheamus made the cover and pinned Anderson to retain the tag titles with Cesaro.
Cruiserweight Title – Rich Swann d. Neville and T. J. Perkins (9:29)
Perkins spent the majority of the contest on the outside of the ring after continually being knocked off of the apron by his two opponents. Neville dished out most of the offense through the first seven minutes of the match. Perkins would return with a high flying assault on his opponents. He would hit Neville with a spring board version of the 619 before taking a standing kick by Swann, who pinned him to retain the championship.
Sasha Banks, Bayley and Alicia Fox d. Charlotte, Nia Jaxx and Dana Brooke (11:52)
The baby faces dished out the majority of the offense through the first half of the match. Bayley started for her team and would tag Banks in. Banks showed little to no problems with her injured knee. The early stages of the match showed Dana Brooke throwing several temper tantrums as the match wasn’t going her team’s way until Nia Jaxx was tagged in at the 6:01 mark. Jaxx swung the momentum with splashes in the corner and leg drops to Fox. Fox would take a lot of punishment from the other team before making the hot tag to Bayley near the ten minute mark. Bayley and Banks’ double dropkick sent Jaxx through the ring ropes. Bayley then executed the Bayley to Belly to Dana Brooke before pinning her.
Seth Rollins d. Rusev (w/Lana) (12:57)
Lana used very few words before the introduction of her husband Rusev. She called the Columbus crowd “pitiful” before the former United States champion made his way to the ring. Both combatants had offensive spurts in the early going of the match. Rusev would take control before Rollins would hit a blockbuster on the “Bulgarian Brute” nine minutes into the match. At the 11:19 mark, Rollins suplexed Rusev before Lana distracted the referee. The referee, tired of Lana’s verbal abuse, ejected her from ringside shortly thereafter. An incensed Rusev began to berate the official before being nailed with a spring board knee to the face and pedigree from the “Architect of the Shield”
Big Cass (w/Enzo), Golden Truth, Sin Cara and Darren Young (w/Mr. Backlund) d. Bo Dallas, Titus O’Neal, Curtis Axel and the Shining Stars (8:01)
After intermission, Enzo and Big Cass’ theme brought the Columbus crowd to their feet to kick off the second portion of the show. The baby faces entered ring with separate entrances and the heels all arrived together as Bo Dallas’ theme song rang through the CCC. Big Cass picked up the pinfall over Dallas using the East River Crossing. All of the wrestlers except for Dallas exited the ring. He would pick up the mic and declare he “wasn’t leaving a loser”. He issued an open challenge to the locker room, which was answered by the Big Show, who laid out Dallas with one punch and calmly exited the ring a second later.
Braun Strowman d. Sami Zayn (5:36)
This wasn’t a total “squash” as Zayn did mount some early offense particularly targeting the right leg of Strowman. Zayn hit a flying body press late in the match, but then had a suplex blocked. Strowman picked up the former NXT champion and delivered a British Bulldog-like running power slam for the win.
U.S. Title – Roman Reigns d. Kevin Owens (11:03)
Owens entered the ring first. After calling Columbus, GA “a dump” and telling the fans that they wished they were Canadian like the longest reigning WWE Universal Champion; he made Saxton repeat his origin city three times as he angered the crowd. Owens claimed Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon stated that only Reigns’ U.S. title would be on the line. Reigns cut off Owens monologue. Owens attacked the U.S. champion during ring introductions. Mid-way through the match, Owens pulled the referee in front of him to avoid the superman punch which froze Reigns. Owens took advantage and rolled Reigns up with a school boy and a hand full of tights for a near fall. At the 10:56 mark, Reigns jumped over a would-be pop-up power bomb and delivered a spear to Owens and covered him for the 1-2-3.
Biggest pop of the night… @WWERomanReigns #WWEColumbus pic.twitter.com/mkAfvLeo0t
— Jason Sasser (@Jason_Sasser) January 7, 2017