WWE strolled into the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee for the Summerslam Heatwave Tour. The entire upper deck was blacked out but considering that’s done occasionally for Raw/SmackDown in the Bridgestone, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. My best guess is attendance was somewhere in 7,000-10,000. The “good seats” looked pretty full, with arena capacity reaching somewhere around 17,000
For the most part, the Nashville crowd was fairly hot – not something it’s been known for in the past. Faces got positive reactions. Heels got negative reactions. This city is definitely a traditional wrestling market, though for the first time, I did hear some “Cena sucks” chants before the show began.
Results:
Cesaro def. Kane – great opening contest. Nashville loved Cesaro, except for one rowdy woman sitting next to me that would not shut up about Kane. Wonder if this is indicative at all of an oncoming singles push for the Swiss Superman?
Mega Powers def. The Miz & Adam Rose – Adam Rose came out with a microphone and no entrance music, talking about how we were about to be treated to the best new tag team in wrestling, and we were: The Mega Powers! Fun, entertaining, comedy match – nothing more.
Jack Swagger def. Fandango – Well, Jack Swagger is still alive and kicking apparently. Nashville was a very “We the people!” crowd, but not without Fandangoing sporadically throughout the match.
Lucha Dragons def. The Ascension – If any match stole the show from one of the three advertised “main events,” it’s this one. Whether it’s from their rivalry in NXT or not, these two teams have great chemistry. The Lucha Dragons were surprisingly over.
Randy Orton def. Sheamus – A bit bored at first, it seemed as though these two were phoning it in while the cameras were off. Not that I blame them, mind you. Sheamus interacted with the crowd a bit and stirred up some mighty heat. Ortons wins with the RKO. For all of the derogatory things people say about Orton’s personality, I was impressed to see he walked around the entire ring and both sides of the aisle to make sure every autograph was signed, and every selfie was taken.
Natalya won a divas battle royal – Cameron, Summer Rae, Layla, Alicia Fox, and Emma were also involved. Honestly, I quit paying attention after I realized that Paige must have been booked in Pittsburgh.
Roman Reigns def. Bray Wyatt – Even if it is a house show, there’s something about all of the cell phones in the air for Wyatt’s entrance that gives me goosebumps. I was most interested in this match, considering it’s a new rivalry we haven’t seen on television before. I’ve read the reports that it’s getting good reviews in other towns, and am happy to say Nashville was no different. Great, physical contest that saw Reigns get a surprising win with a rollup. Afterwards, Wyatt hits Sister Abigail on Reigns and exits the arena laughing maniacally to a chorus of boos.
Seth Rollins def. Dean Ambrose, WWE Championship Street Fight – Match of the night, by far and away. Someone needs to tell these two that they don’t have to wrestle like this at house shows. I want to watch both men for the next 20 years!
These were easily the two most over superstars, and I was delighted to see that these two could draw in a decent crowd without John Cena on the card. Ambrose had some fun crowd interaction, and of course, all the usual spots. Then, he brought a table. Rollins propped the table up against the turnbuckle and powerbombed Ambrose through it. We all thought that was it, but Ambrose kicked out.
“This is awesome” rang through the arena for the first time all night.
Another table was brought into the fold. This time Ambrose laid Rollins across it and dove off the top rope with elbow drop through it. Bray Wyatt runs down and hits Sister Abigail on Ambrose, placing Rollins on top of him for the 1-2-3. Not sure why Wyatt is suddenly interested in helping Rollins, but hey – it’s a house show.
The two continued to beat down Ambrose before Roman Reigns ran out to make the save. Ambrose and Reigns hit all of their signature moves to clear the ring and celebrated with the crowd.
Ambrose stayed a notably lengthy time after the show, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans – a real man of the people, that one is.
The crowd went home happy.
Biggest pop:
1. Dean Ambrose
2. Roman Reigns
3. Randy Orton
(honorable mention to the Lucha Dragons)
Most heat:
1. Seth Rollins
2. Bray Wyatt
3. Sheamus
Match of the night: Ambrose/Rollins
Stoney Keeley covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co, and is a Tennessee Titans Staff Writer for Pro Football Spot. You can follow him on Twitter at @StoneyKeeley and the SPOT’s Tennessee Titans Twitter feed at @spot_titans.
