WWE Superstars TV Report 4-17-15: AxelMania runs wild in London, Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater

By James Cox, WrestlingObserver.com

Superstars from London was very fun. Michael Cole sat in with Byron Saxton and made the show feel so much better than normal – calling moves makes such a difference.

Zack Ryder beat Heath Slater with the Rough Ryder in 4:40

Slater came out and didn’t play up to the old 3MB Union Jacks gimmick that he used to do when in the UK but has had his hair chopped brutally short and is looking fairly lean/skinny. Given his look and relative roster status, they ought to put Slater with Adam Rose. Ryder, meanwhile, looks heavy in his plight to be considered relevant and legitimate in this company. Oh and Heath Slater has a t-shirt – ho knew? I’m not sure what it said on it but I know that it wasn’t on sale at any of the live events in the UK last week or indeed at the huge merchandise store at WrestleMania this year.

They start off with Ryder attacking Slater until he ducks under the middle rope forcing the referee to make the break. As he comes back out, he eats a drop kick and a couple of quick typical Ryder arm drags into an arm bar. He then gets planted face down into the mat out of a suplex hold but kicks out at two.

Slater then is able to hit a quick scissor kick, covers Ryder quickly for two and then goes to work on his left shoulder. Slater now appears to be bleeding from his bottom lip. He puts Ryder in a Suplex. Ryder anticipates the spot they do next early and so half lands on his feet, half on his ass which looks nasty. Slater covers him for two and then punches the hell out of him and postures to the crowd.

This time the spot works: Slater goes for the suplex which is blocked, with Slater landing on his feet and turning it into a neckbreaker. He covers Slater who kicks out at two. Then Slater runs into Ryder’s knees in the corner, then eats a missile drop kick off the middle rope and takes a forearm to the face as he Ryder sets up and hits the Broski Boot.  

The finish sees the Rough Ryder caught by Slater who turns it into a power bomb. Ryder kicks out at two. Slater goes up top, but gets crotched, and Ryder takes him down to the mat with a head scissors take down and the hits the Rough Ryder for the win. 

R-Truth beat Curtis Axel with The Lie Detector in 6:10

So this was a rematch from last week but was also largely exactly the same as the match from last week. I wrote my notes and then went back to last week’s report and it basically reads identically for the first few minutes (the only difference was that this week, Axel got HUGE support from the contrary London crowd) “Truth came out doing his normal schtick and people seemed into it. There’s a roar for Axel when he then comes out and cuts a pre-match promo: Ax-treme Rules is just around the corner and Axel tells us that Truth is about to face  “the most ‘ax-treme superstar in the WWE.”

The two have early exchanges to see who can get their chant over bigger – Axel’s wins. As Truth goes to take the adulation of the minor victory, Axel sneaks up behind him and dumps him over the top. He tears of his vest a la Hogan but Truth comes back in and tosses him over the top rope instead.

Axel charges back into the ring, angry at the humiliation he has just suffered but Truth catches him with a drop toe hold and then lands him with chops in the corner. Axel comes back with punches but Truth stops and dances and then slaps him and shouts a huge “what’s up!” Axel hits Truth with a top rope guillotine and then stomps Truth to the outside as we head to a break.

As we return, Axel has him in a headlock and after Truth powers out he just eats a superb drop kick from Axel. He then lands Truth with an elbow to the back of head and gets a two count. Axel puts him in a rear chin lock and then uses punches and the bottom rope to try to choke out Truth. Whilst this is going on London pipes up with “olé” chants.

After more stomps, Axel goes back to the chin lock and then uses high knees to beat down Truth and humiliate him. He then stands in front of and mimics Truth’s dance in as lacklustre manner as possible, but Truth is able to respond with a spinning heel kick. Truth then gets the heat with a clothesline and a face plant but when he misses a splash to the corner he then takes a high knee from Axel and gets covered for a two count.

Much like last week’s bout, the finish is rather sudden: when Axel is slapping Truth and trash talking him, Truth jumps up and hits him with the Lie Detector for the win. This was so much more fun because of the crowd reaction and interaction than it otherwise would have been.