Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura!
Highlights: Nakamura’s entrance was epic (no surprise there, right?). When the match finally began, Ziggler and Nakamura got into a grappling contest. The action got a bit more intense after Ziggler had the audacity to smack Nakamura. Both men got back into some grappling and countering once again. Nakamura finally broke out of Ziggler’s hold and finally laid in some of his stiffest offense. Nakamura ended up forcing Ziggler to the outside for a bit. When they got back in, Ziggler kicked Nakamura while he was trying to get back in and then followed it up with a neckbreaker. Ziggler weakened Nakamura even more with strikes, a submission hold and a beautiful dropkick. After a while, Nakamura finally countered Ziggler with a knee strike to the gut and a spinning kick. Nakamura then jumped right into his comeback offense.
Ziggler looked to roll up Nakamura in a school boy pin soon after, but Nakamura switched that attempt up into a Kimura lock. But Ziggler quickly escaped and spiked Nakamura with a nice DDT. Some more back and forth countering went down that resulted in Nakamura eating a Fame Asser. Ziggler got the courage to begin hyping up his Superkick while Nakamura struggled to recover. When Nakamura got to his feet, he dodged the Superkick but ended up getting caught with a Zig Zag. Afterwards, Nakamura turned the tables on Ziggler with quick leg strikes. But after Nakamura launched Ziggler in the air, Ziggler landed on his feet and Superkicked him in the back of the head. Ziggler tried stomping Nakamura out, but Nakamura used some strikes of his own to get the better of Ziggler. Nakamura used a sliding knee to crack Ziggler in the head while he was laid over the bottom rope. Another countering exchange occurred soon after, but Nakamura ended the bout with a Reverse Powerslam and a devastating Kinshasa.
Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Naomi vs. The Welcoming Committee (Natalya, Tamina, and Carmella) (with James Ellsworth) (6-Woman Tag Team Match)
Winners: The Welcoming Committee!
Highlights: James Ellsworth grabbed a mic and showed plenty of love to Carmella (and plenty of hate for the good people of Chicago). Tamina and Becky Lynch were the first ladies to lock up. Tamina used her immense power to gain control over Lynch, then she tagged in Natalya to continue getting the better of Lynch. Lynch ended up getting the better of her and then tagging in Charlotte. Natalya began twisting Charlotte’s arm, but Charlotte flipped out of it. Charlotte and Natalya traded a few counters, but Charlotte eventually took her down with chops, a knee drop and some Wooing. Charlotte had the match in control until she ate a Clothesline from Natalya while she stood on the ring apron. The Welcoming Committee then began using quick tags as they assaulted Charlotte. Carmella got into the match to further incapacitate Charlotte. Carmella’s offense didn’t last long though once Charlotte finally tagged in Naomi.
Naomi took Carmella down for a good while until Tamina distracted her and caused Carmella to bring her back down to the mat. Carmella soon got control of the match by landing a Bronco Buster on Naomi. Tamina then got a piece of the action after getting tagged in. The Welcoming Committee ended up making too many errors and almost helped Naomi tagged out, but all three heels tripped up her teammates on the ring apron. Naomi eventually got brought back down with a Samoan Slam from Tamina. Natalya did some damage to Naomi before Naomi countered her and tagged in Lynch. Lynch then went on an offensive spree against Natalya. Lynch did her best to dodge all outside interference from Natalya’s partner and even locked in the Dis-Arm-Her. Soon, everyone began taking each other out with their best signature moves. Lynch managed to knock down Tamina at one point, but she turned right around into a match ending Sharpshooter from Natalya!
Kevin Owens (c) vs. AJ Styles (WWE United States Championship)
Winner: And STILL the WWE United States Champion (by countout), Kevin Owens!
Highlights: Both men wasted no time in locking up as soon as the bell rang. Owens shot right for Style’s leg, but Styles dodged his attempt as soon as he spotted it. Afterwards, both Superstars engaged in some quick counter exchanges. Owens slipped to the outside to catch a breather, which led right into AJ following him. Owens ran right back inside just to play mind games with the challenger. Back inside the ring, Styles pulled off his Phenomenal Dropkick on Owens and began striking him soon after. Styles even took Owens down with his Kip Up Frankensteiner while Owens was distracted. Owens finally began beating on Styles after dropping his head onto the corner ring post and Clotheslining him right after. Owens got super aggressive as he locked in a submission hold on Styles while the crowd looked on. Styles fought hard to escape Owens’ hold, but he got taken back down and assaulted with three Senton Splashes from the big man. Owens locked Styles back into a submission hold, but Styles broke out again and countered with an Enzuguri this time.
Styles then pulled off his striking combo and a Running Forearm Strike to Owens. Styles then began pulling off his best signature comeback moves on a much weaker Owens. Styles looked to land his Styles Clash, but Owens pulled himself out of it. This moment ended with Owens getting dropped on his neck over Styles’ knee. The match intensified even more when Styles tried to flip onto Owens, but Owens Superkicked him and then landed a Pumphandle Neckbreaker. Both men got back to their feet to throw a few punches, but Styles found himself propped up onto the ring apron. Owens used a Stunner to drop his neck right onto the top rope. Owens went to the top tope, but Styles cut him off and almost landed a Styles Clash from the ring apron. Owens flipped out of it, then began beating down on Styles’ injured leg. Back in the ring, Owens used a Cannonball Splash on Styles’ body and that hurt leg of his. Owens stuck to focusing on Styles’ right leg by using a Single-Leg Crab and an Ankle Lock. Styles screamed in pain, but he soon grabbed hold of the bottom rope to break the submission.
Both men got tied up on the top rope. Owens looked for something big, but Styles catapulted over him to land a Sunset Flip Powerbomb. Styles tried to break out his Phenomenal Forearm, but his bad leg caused him to trip up over the top rope. Owens got ahold of Styles to land a nasty DDT soon after. Owens took some time to slap Styles over and over and scream in his face about his current status. Styles responded with a Pele and some punches to boot. Styles placed Owens onto the top rope to land another big move on Owens, but Owens countered him by using a Fisherman Buster off the top rope. Owens then climbed to the top rope, but Styles rolled out of his way to the ring apron. Owens made sure to follow him there, but Styles caught him off guard by suplexing him spine first onto the ring apron. While both men looked to recover on the outside, Owens shoved him right into the time keeper’s area. Styles flew right out of it with a Phenomenal Elbow that landed on Owens. Styles went for a Styles Clash on the announce table, but Owens tripped him up. Owens tied Styles’ leg with the table wires, ran back into the ring and got the countout victory. After the match was decided, Owens got in a cheap shot by Superkicking Styles. Styles was helped to the back by some referees while the crowd cheered him on.
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WWE Backlash 2017: The Results & Highlights You Need to Know