FanPost

Cagesider fan report from WWE's Australian tour: July 26th in Melbourne

WWE.com

I have been a lurker of Cageside Seats for a few years now and never felt the need to post until yesterday's Rumour Round Up.

A post about Australia. We do exist!

Being an Australian, I had the pleasure of attending the WWE Live tour. However, in addition to the shows discussed in Rumour Roundup, there was also a show in Melbourne on Friday, 26th July. It also looks like the match card was very different from both the Sydney and Brisbane shows. So, I thought I would go into details of the show and let everyone know about the amazing performance that was on display.

Before I begin allow me to qualify - I was a massive fan of WWE as a kid. Growing up, I was a big fan of The Rock during the Attitude Era. I took a hiatus from pro wrestling during the mid to late 00s, before coming back to watching every week of wrestling for the past four-five years.

Moving onto the event at Rod Laver Arena...the crowd was huge. I'm not sure of exact numbers, but a very full crowd.

Match 1:
The first match of the night was between The Miz and Antonio Cesaro. Plenty of "You suck / You are a wanker" chants for Cesaro, and "Miz is awesome" chants for Miz. The Miz even walked out to the ring in a Richmond Tigers guernsey (Australian Football League shirt, for all the Americans reading this).

They put on a long match which was well received by the crowd. It was a quite a good match, with the crowd getting involved a fair bit. Ended in Cesaro tapping out to the Figure Four.

Match 2:
Then we had a Diva's match that really no one cared about. Aksana vs Natalya. The crowd really died here and it was a long match. There were only a few cheers for Natalya.

For a WWE women's match, it wasn't too bad. It was solid, however there was no reason to care. Because of this, I felt it went way too long. Natalya ended up getting the win. I'm pretty sure it was with a sharpshooter, but in all honesty, I can't remember.

Match 3:
How's this for a match no one cares about? Khali vs Jinder Mahal. This match was about as terrible as it sounds, and I was really starting to think this night was going to be terrible. Khali got the win.

Match 4:

John Cena vs Ryback in a Tables match for the WWE Championship. This was the surprise of the night. John Cena not in the main event!?!

This match was actually quite decent, too. Ryback had plenty of moments where it looked like he'd get the win. Both Cena and Ryback put on a good show, with Ryback destroying Cena with the steps on multiple occasions. In the end Ryback ate an AA through the table. Cena retained his title.

Only thing I didn't like about this match is how much the Melbourne crowd loves Cena. Granted there were still a few "Cena Sucks" chants, but they were totally drowned out by the Cena fans.

Intermission

Match 5:

After the break we got a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Title: Curtis Axel vs Heath Slater vs Zack Ryder.

One thing I learnt from this match... Zack Ryder is over here in Melbourne. He got a massive pop. Not only that, he looked so strong! Taking on both heels the entire match, hitting the Broski Boot on both opponents and even connected with the Rough Ryder on Heath Slater, only for Axel to steal the pin and retain the title.

As I said the crowd really got behind Ryder and all three competitors put on a damn good show. I know a lot of people here aren't that big on Ryder. Maybe it was just the crowd being so hot for him, but I really want to see more of him after this performance. The night was starting to feel like it was worth the entrance fee.

Match 6:

Then the big one...Daniel Bryan vs Dean Ambrose for the US Title.

I can honestly say I think the crowd was just as loud for Daniel Bryan as they were for Cena earlier in the night. I was so proud Melbourne were as big on Daniel Bryan as I was.

Once both competitor's were in the ring Justin Roberts asked the crowd: Submissions match or Melbourne Street fight? Obviously the crowd chose streeet fight, although I was kinda hoping for the submissions match.

This match was absolutely amazing. These two worked really well together, and it was a pleasure to watch Daniel Bryan at his peak. He put so much effort into his two running drop kicks in the corner, that his momentum on the second dropkick sent him flying over the top rope and out of the ring! Oh, and special mention to Ambrose pulling up a chair in the middle of the ring and taking a breather while Daniel Bryan is out of it lying in the corner:

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via i60.photobucket.com

Plenty of use of kendo sticks and chairs during the match, and it ended with a run-in from Rollins and Reigns. Kane then came out and made the save, followed by Cena. Cena then grabs the mic and calls for a 6 man tag team match which promptly ensues. Of course he had to be in the main event...

Match 7:
6 Man Tag Team match - John Cena, Kane & Danial Bryan vs The Shield

Again, this was a brilliant match with Daniel Bryan getting worked over by The Shield. What amazes me is how Daniel Bryan has made Kane relevant again. The Melbourne crowd were chanting "We want Kane" all match. Kane got the hot tag late in the match to wreck house. The Shield run, but Cena and Daniel Bryan are there to assist. It ended in Bryan doing a suicide dive on Ambrose, Kane hitting a chokeslam on Rollins, and Reigns eating an AA from Cena.

I have been going to the Melbourne WWE shows for the past 4 years, and these two matches alone made this the best tour I'd seen. I didn't think I'd see a better performance then last years CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan match, but this was just phenomenal.

Let me know if there are any other Melbourne readers out there, and let me know your thoughts of this event!

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.