AJ Styles looked ready and Luke Harper looked sweaty. It was time for us to finally figure out what WWE’s plan for the WWE Championship picture is for WrestleMania 33. The bell rang and the crowd was excited. AJ paces around for a bit but Luke stood still as the WrestleMania logo hovered above them.
Harper let out one of his creepy yells then caught a kick from AJ, Luke hoisted Styles onto the top turnbuckle and then invited him to get down. Weird psychology. Harper tried to suplex Styles but he turned it into a reversal, they ran the ropes for a bit and Luke hit AJ with a great standing dropkick.
JBL compared Harper to Bruiser Brody and we couldn’t agree more. They took it to the outside where Harper smashed Styles off of the ringside steps and pulled him to the announce table by his hair. He smashed AJ’s face off the announce table before rolling him back in, but Styles countered with two kicks to the side of Harper’s head.
Styles hit Harper with a series of stiff kicks to the back as the crowd started trading chants for Luke and AJ. Harper hit a senton from the apron over the ropes to Styles as he laid in the ring and got a close two-count. Harper then catapulted Styles’ throat into the bottom rope as AJ rolled outside.
Harper hit AJ with an amazing suicide dive and this crowd was pumped. Styles went flying over the announce table but Luke wasn’t done with him yet. He got AJ in the middle of the ring and attempted a powerbomb, but Styles reversed it with a hurricanrana. Harper reversed a strike sequence from AJ and turned him inside out with an over-the-head throwing move.
Smackdown is already better than Raw was last night.
Harper hit Styles with a sit-down powerbomb and nearly got the three-count. Luke got Styles up in a fireman’s carry, but AJ fought him off. AJ ended up on the apron and hit Harper with a Phenomenal Forearm but Luke’s foot was clearly on the rope, however, the referee didn’t see it, therefore the ref counted to three.
Then Shane’s music hit and McMahon came down to restart the match. This was the beginning of Styles vs McMahon.
The two ended up outside and Harper went for a kick but AJ moved and Luke ended up kicking the Shane McMahon’s head off. AJ got back in the ring, hit a springboard 450 splash and got the three count on Harper.
AJ Styles wins the match for #1 contender for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.
Wait, what?
Okay. JBL says he’s going to make WrestleMania phenomenal, and we agree. Shane McMahon was left on his knees with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
On the way out, @AJStylesOrg has some choice words for #SDLive GM @ShaneMcMahon! #1Contender pic.twitter.com/tVEkIomWUv
— WWE (@WWE) March 1, 2017
[…] This match was so special that it got its very own article. You can get full coverage on this match by clicking here. […]
“…over-the-head throwing move…”
LOL. That’s a crying shame when you can’t name the move and Mauro was nice enough to even name it for you.
It’s a DRAGON SUPLEX.