WWE Augusta, ME, live results: Shinsuke Nakamura back in action

Submitted by Adam Berger

– United States Champion Jeff Hardy defeated The Miz and Samoa Joe in a triple threat match to retain his title

Hardy got a huge reaction and pinned Miz with a Twist of Fate that ended like a stunner. Joe also got a strong reaction and there was huge heat for Miz.

Miz did the Rick Rude “sweat hog” line and robe removal act on the mic before the match. At one point, he yelled out “heart punch!” and punched Hardy in the chest, which was pretty funny. Miz seemed like he was having a lot of fun.

– Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) defeated Sin Cara

Almas picked up the win with the hammerlock DDT. Sin Cara had him pinned after a frog splash, but Vega distracted the referee.

The match started slow, but the crowd got into it after some well-executed high spots, including a slingshot hurricanrana to the outside by Sin Cara. Good match. 

– Becky Lynch & Nikki Cross defeated The IIconics (Peyton Royce & Billie Kay)

Lynch got the win with an armbar. Cross made a surprise appearance here and got a surprisingly strong reaction. The IIconics cut a pre-match promo. It wasn’t great, but they have good chemistry. 

There were multiple character-based comedy spots. The IIconics seemed like they were moving in slow motion at times. The crowd reacted well, though, especially to Lynch’s hot tag. Average house show match.

– Rusev (w/ Aiden English) defeated Tye Dillinger

Rusev submitted him with the Accolade. People liked chanting “10,” but they loved chanting “Rusev Day” even more. Dillinger got treated like the heel, so he wrestled the match in the heel role by attacking Rusev from behind while they were seeing who could get the bigger reaction from the crowd. 

This match had one of the strongest reactions of the night. It ended up being average but was turning into something better had it been given more time.

– The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) defeated SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain) by DQ

New Day won by disqualification after Young pulled the referee’s leg so he couldn’t count while Big E was pinning Wolfe after the Big Ending. Before the bell, Woods threw his horn to a young fan who was wearing a New Day shirt in the second row and she flipped out.

This was the second best match of the night. It was well worked with good action and strong reactions from bell to bell. SAnitY attempted a post-match beatdown, but New Day got the better of them.

– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper & Rowan) defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to retain their titles

Harper pinned Gallows after a discus clothesline. Gallows and Anderson got a good reaction, with a decent number of “Two Sweet, woop woop” chants throughout. The match was short, but it was solid.

– SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella defeated Naomi to retain her title

Carmella retained by pinning Naomi with a roll-up while her feet were on the ropes. The match was okay. Carmella had strong reactions (lots of boos with some cheers) and Naomi got a good reception for her effort after the match was over. 

– WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a no DQ match to retain his title

This was Nakamura’s first match since his dog-bite injury from two weeks ago. Styles won with the Phenomenal Forearm in 14 minutes.

They had the best match of the night with the most heat by far. Nakamura got lots of chants and didn’t get booed much. There were chants for the entire first minute. They used kendo sticks, and Styles threw Nakamura through a table in the corner after he avoided the Kinshasa.