Craig King sent this report in:
Right, last night I took my nephew to the WWE show in Glasgow. It was part of the SmackDown World Tour and I have to say, it was one of the best shows I’ve been to by WWE, if not the best. Anyway, the event started a lot earlier than usual, the doors opened at 4:30 and the event started at 5:30 as opposed to the usual 6:30 doors and the 7:30 start. This meant the event was finishing at 8:30. Wasn’t a big deal to be honest, I figure they would’ve struggled to get to Newcastle otherwise.
My brother took us in the car, a tone of traffic and whatnot so we didn’t get there until after the doors opened but there was still a massive queue. We got to the front and then the guy took our tickets but the ticket scanner wouldn’t work, so I’m beginning to think we’ll get ejected or something. :$ Another woman comes over and scans them with hers and they’re fine (still took about five seconds for her scanner to accept). We went straight inside, found our seats which were pretty great. You can see the view here:
Partially because of the view I didn’t want to video anything, so much more staff around controlling the crowds whereas other times we’ve been higher up so I mostly took (a lot) of pictures and a couple videos. The event kicked off with this:
Match 1
Finlay defeats Tyler Reks
It was a decent match to start the show, Finlay got a nice cheer and Reks only got booed once he was announced, no one seemed to recognize his music. Reks stalled a little getting in fans faces and stuff but it was a decent match as I said. Crowd were solidly behind Finlay, Reks kept shouting stuff including ‘it’s my time now’. Reks knocked Finlay down and grabbed the Shelleigh but then Horsnwoggle came in and started juggling. This distracted Reks, the referee then was distracted with Hornswoggle and Finlay with another Shelleigh hit Reks with it and won the match.
Afterwards, Hornswoggle did the Tadpole Splash and they celebrated.
Match 2
Mason Ryan vs. Chavo Guerrero
Chavo comes out to some boos before getting in the ring. He took a microphone and said that he feels like we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot because we’ve always welcomed him and been nice to him whenever he’s come here so it’s great for him to be back in… England. Huge boos for that comment, he then acted surprised and said ‘this is Scotland? Nah, I don’t like you.’ To even more boos. He then said no one in the back could beat him.
Cue Mason Ryan, he’s a big Welsh guy, think version 2 of Batista. He is decent enough but he’s still ‘green’ to be honest but he has potential. Mason with a lot of power moves but it was hard for the crowd to support this complete unknown. Ryan won the match with a Urunage.
Match 3
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
The Nexus (Heath Slater/Justin Gabriel) defeat The Hart Dynasty
Hart Dynasty got a decent, if not unremarkable, reaction from the crowd. The Nexus got booed very loudly, loudest boos I’ve probably heard at a live event. They come down and surround the ring threatening to attack before the referee gets them down. Gabriel and Slater are defending as Otunga, Harris and Mike stand ringside mouthing off to fans.
The crowd did not like Nexus but struggled to get behind the Hart Dynasty, only when Kidd clapped or stomped would the crowd react but they did start warming up towards the end. Good tag match with a nice hot tag before Gabriel got the roll-up on Smith. Nexus run up the ramp celebrating to more boos. Hart Dynasty stay in the ring and get clapped as their music plays and they play to the crowd.
Match 4
Jack Swagger vs. Chris Masters
This and the divas matches had the least reaction of the night during the actual match. The crowd were behind Swagger much more than Masters who didn’t get a reaction until he had actually won the match. Another decent match, the Eagle was ringside which prompted an ‘eagle’ chant as well as ‘Swagger’. Masters failed with the Masterlock a couple of times and the Eagle tried to get involved a few times.
Eventually, Swagger went for the ankle lock but Masters rolled forward and get the pinfall victory. Swagger seemed unhappy with the eagle after the match, the eagle then needed CPR which Swagger administered and this got a laugh.
Match 5
Alberto Dio Rio vs. Rey Mysterio never started
I’ve been skeptical about Alberto Del Rio but he’s good and he does have the potential to main event. He came out to boos (no flashy car or announcer though) and then came in the ring. He pushed Tony Chimel out of the ring and then started speaking in Spanish. The crowd gave him the ‘what’ chant and then he said that he doesn’t even understand us, he doesn’t care what anyone says, it’s not English. He then mimics the crowd saying ‘what’ before saying he has more money and class than everyone, especially those in the cheap seats.
Rey Mysterio interrupted and came down to the ring to a good reaction, he touched heads for ages, he grabbed a Scottish flag and taunted on the turnbuckles with it, then Del Rio grabbed Rey’s leg taking him down. He grabbed Rey’s ankle and wrapped it around the post and then wrapped the flag around it and started crushing Rey’s knee/ankle at the turnbuckle. Kofi Kingston came for the save and asked if we wanted to see Kofi vs. Del Rio and the crowd agreed. Del Rio said another place, another time but then got in a cheap shot. Rey was taken to the back.
Match 6
Kofi Kingston defeats Alberto Del Rio
This was a real fun match, loud ‘Kofi’ chants at the start. Kofi showed his flashy offence while Del Rio hit some nice enziguris including one off of the turnbuckle that looked great. At one point, Del Rio went flying out of the ring and grabbed one of the stewards and hugged him, the steward was facing the crowd and didn’t have a clue what was happening. Anyway, Kofi then dove through the ropes onto him.
In the end, Kofi hit the Boom Drop and then missed a Trouble in Paradise, Del Rio tried to take control but Rey came down and distracted Del Rio allowing Kofi to win with the Trouble in Paradise.
Kofi and Rey celebrated until Del Rio went after Kingston, Kingston gave him a drop-toe-hold into the ropes and then Rey smashed him with a 619. Rey and Kingston celebrated afterwards.
—
Tony Chimel made several announcements throughout the night. He said we can catch Survivor Series on Sky Box Office at 1am on Sunday, November 21st. Told us there were framed pictures of Rey Mysterio autographed earlier at the concession stands, he threw out t-shirts and told us WWE would be back in Glasgow on April 13th. Intermission time.
—
Match 7
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Dolph Ziggler defeats Drew McIntyre, MVP and ‘Dashing’ Cody Rhodes
Rhodes and Ziggler received boos as expected, MVP was reacted to favourably with an ‘MVP’ chant and then Drew McIntyre came out, place went crazy for his return home. He walked down the ramp clapping hands, grabbed a flag and held it high on the ramp. He entered the ring. Rhodes grabbed a microphone and said that if Drew McIntyre was the best thing to come out of Scotland, then it must suck really bad.
McIntyre said that things work a little differently here, this is his home-country and this is his ‘barmy army and we’re gonna’ get mental, lads.’ The crowd were fully behind McIntyre who posed with the IC title to huge cheers before hand. Short match but good, McIntyre and MVP teamed together until MVP was booted in the face. Some people booed but McIntyre shrugged his shoulders and everyone cheered. Later he and MVP delivered Ballin’ to Ziggler and Rhodes and then after MVP was knocked out of the ring along with Ziggler, McIntyre hit the Future Shock on Rhodes.
Ziggler stormed in and threw McIntyre out of the ring and stole the win to the crowd’s annoyance but no one expected a title change. Ziggler celebrated, MVP snuck up behind him and then hit the Playmaker and then Ziggler met a Future Shock DDT. McIntyre crouched down beside Ziggler with the IC title. He then celebrated, climbed the steel frame at the top of the ramp and taunted.
Match 8
Special Referee: Kelly Kelly
Non-Title
Natalya vs. Layla
Natalya and Kelly got great reactions, Kelly looks even better in person, so hot. Anyway, she was throwing t-shirts at other events so they changed it for her to be referee here. Layla, oddly came out with a huge fitness ball. She took offence when she received wolf-whistles. Decent match, at one point they did that spot where Layla has her legs wrapped around Natalya and they start… er… thrusting, the crowd cheered and then they kind of looked around as if they realized what it looked like or something.
Natalya did some power moves and eventually won with the Sharpshooter. Layla got in Kelly’s face afterwards, Hornswoggle bit her on the ass after Kelly slapped her. Kelly and Hornswoggle celebrated as did Natlaya before leaving the ring.
Match 9
World Heavyweight Championship
Kane vs. Big Show
Good reaction for Show but boos for Kane. There was A LOT of stalling here and the match wasn’t very good at all which was a shame but seeing the two guys who really are huge was cool. Show hit a ChokeSlam and then the Nexus poured out from the locker room to more boos, they took Show down and started booting into him until the heels came out, they faked that they’d help before laying into him. Then the faces (including McIntyre) ran in and cleared the ring.
—
Hornswoggle came in with all the faces in the ring and pulled down his trousers to show he was wearing Cody Rhodes’ tights. This got a laugh and then Big Show took a microphone and said ‘Drewww’ in his attempt at a Scottish accent and put his arm around Drew, he said he has Scottish ancestors and asked if Drew could tell. Drew said ‘just a smidge’. He talked about how Drew had got his mum to make haggis and Big Show tried some and really enjoyed it. He then went on to say that this was McIntyre’s country, his homeland and he gave him the floor to speak. Everyone stayed in the ring.
McIntyre said he was gonna’ keep it short, he started training when he was fourteen and was told he’d never make it to the WWE. He said this is what he wanted to do, to be part of the biggest show on earth and wrestle in Glasgow and he’s here! The crowd went crazy, McIntyre then said that he’s still going to be a bad guy on TV as he doesn’t like America, but he likes us, we’re cool before celebrating with everyone else.
Once the arena started filling out, he ran back down the ramp, leaped onto the apron and yanked on the ropes and shouted something as he got cheered again before leaving.
Great event indeed and my nephew really enjoyed it too, that was the main thing for me. Going to see if we can go in April.
Loudest Cheers:
1. Drew McIntyre
2. Rey Mysterio
3. Big Show
4. Kofi Kingston
5. MVP
Loudest Boos:
1. The Nexus
2. Alberto Del Rio
3. Chavo Guerrero
4. Dolph Ziggler
5. Kane