Having never been to a house show I didn’t know what to expect, but we got seven matches in total. Four of the matches were tag team tilts; I’ve previously written about the dynamics of this type of contest, so it was cool to see so many in person. The matches were all technically good and some of them were real humdingers, including the two title defenses!  Here is the complete list, followed by summaries:

1. Diego and Fernando (with El Torito) vs. Ryback and Curtis Axel
2. Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara
3. Diva Dance Off between the Brie Bella and Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox and Aksana
4. Goldust* and Cody Rhodes* vs. Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro (with Zeb Colter) for the WWE Tag Team Championship
5. Titus O’Neill and Darren Young vs. Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre (with Heath Slater)
6. Alexander Rusev vs. Justin Gabriel
7. John Cena vs. Randy Orton* for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

*-indicates that they entered the match as the Champion

Match # 2: Alberto Del Rio def. Sin Cara by submission: Personally I really like Del Rio, even though he has become a heel again (or a rudo as they would say in Mexico, as opposed to a technico). And I don’t like Sin Cara, even though the Sin Cara we saw was not the Sin Cara who has been on tv for the last year or so. That’s good, because the old Sin Cara sucked.  I also don’t like the way that the producers change the arena lighting when Sin Cara comes out, like he’s magical or something. This match was a little confusing, because even though ADR is a heel, the audience was much more into him. At one point he tried to get Sin Cara to shake hands–Sin Cara wavered on this for what seemed like an eternity, and eventually just kicked ADR instead, so we will never know if “The Mexican Aristocrat” had good intentions or not. He looked good and pretty ripped muscle-wise despite what the “dirt sheets” are reporting.  This match featured a lot of back and forth, and some athletic moves, but there wasn’t much ring psychology. For instance, at one point Del Rio nearly got Sin Cara’s mask off. In Mexican wrestling, this is a serious thing, but in this match it was like an afterthought.  Del Rio won with his cross arm-breaker submission hold, which looked pretty painful. Match grade: B

While it is vanishingly rare for titles to change hands at a house show, it is not impossible, so it was great to see a championship match up close.  This was a really super tag match.  Goldust, at age 44, played “the face in peril“for most of the match, constantly striving for the tag with his brother to no avail.  At one point, just as he was about to make the tag, Cesaro cheap-shotted Cody off the apron, so that when Goldy reached for help there was no one there. The psychology in this match was excellent. Every man got his signature moves in (Cody Rhodes, in particular, is amazing as a high flyer, and at one point he held Cesaro in a very long vertical suplex) but the drama came from numerous missed tags and false finishes. Cody eventually got the hot tag and the place went nuts–the release of tension was palpable. The champs won by pinfall as expected after a long, exciting match. Match grade: A+  Following the match the brothers spent a lot of time signing autographs and taking pictures.  At the top of the ramp, Cody grabbed a mic and put over how great it’s been to be reunited with his brother.  It was very emotional, which made me practically salivate over the possibility that one will turn on the other at the upcoming Royal Rumble. Don’t forget, Cain slaying Abel was the world’s first heel turn! 

Match #5: Prime Time Players def. 3MB (with Heath Slater ringside): After a 15 minute-long intermission (to sell merchandise and let everyone go to the bathroom) we were given another tag team match.  I have been very high on the Prime Time Players (PTP) for months–I think they have great chemistry, look great, and are extremely marketable. Unfortunately no one but the Sassy Librarian seems to agree with me, because they are not given much time on television, except for recently when Darren Young came out as an openly gay pro athlete, and the rest of the WWE congratulated him.  The reaction to this shouldn’t be a big surprise, considering that longtime WWE figure and McMahon family consigliere Pat Patterson is one of several openly gay people in the organization; but considering the homophobia in football and basketball, to name just two other sports, it was definitely welcome.

John Cena and Randy Orton have been WWE mainstays for 12 years and the current storyline is that Randy Orton wants to be called “the face of the company” because he’s jealous of Cena’s holding that status. Wrestling fans are either huge fans of Cena, or dislike him intensely which is why his arrival results in duelling chants of “Let’s Go Cena!” and “Cena Sucks!” The “smarks” would have you believe that children are Cena fans and adults despise him; I’ve always dismissed this, but now I may have to reconsider. The Sassy One and I were chanting “Let’s Go Cena”, but it was interesting to note that the “Cena Sucks” chants were in a deeper vocal register.  One fun feature was the two children in front of us–the girl on the left holding a Randy Orton sign, and the boy dressed like Cena in every detail except the jorts. When the chanting started, the boy seemed so betrayed when she screamed “Cena Sucks!”

At one point the two grapplers traded big blows and

it was pretty easy to see how widely Cena’s punches missed. This made me really appreciate the camera operators and producers of WWE’s televised product.  No matter how closely I watch on TV, the action almost always looks genuine. Another thing that was cool to see in person was how much effort the referees put in to make the matches so exciting. While it is hard to tell this on television, in person it was really cool to see how much they moved around to put themselves in a position that required them to have to run all the way around the wrestlers before counting the pin, giving the man on the bottom just enough time to kick out.

In this video from Meredith the referee was actually in a pretty good position for the count, but you can get a sense of the engagement level of the crowd. You will see Orton catch Cena in a thunderous powerslam and go for the cover, only for John to kick out at two and a half.  It was really exciting, and you can hear the enthusiasm of the spectators:

The end of the match was thrilling.  Orton had Cena on the far ropes, and as the referee came over to separate them he was knocked over.  I could see this coming (though it took the Sassy Librarian by total surprise, which made me feel like even more of a smart mark), and I couldn’t stop smiling when the official was knocked over and became insensate. Cena got Orton to tap out to the STF, but the ref was down!  I shouted “Get up Chad! Get up!” and after checking on him, Cena made the “X” sign to the back to signal (to the smarks) that the ref was seriously injured and that they needed another official. At that point Orton caught Cena in the RKO and roused the ref only for Cena to kick out again!  I was breathless from screaming when Orton crotched Cena with a low blow and was disqualified. Match Grade: A+ Following the match Orton posed with his belts and then Cena sent the crowd home happy by picking up Orton and hitting the AA.  Cena posed for a long time and then the lights came up and we headed for home.

I was so impressed with the quality of the presentation and had too much fun to quantify.  Our seats were somewhat pricey (thanks again, Harry and Meredith!) but the cheap seats are still pretty close to the action and are a reasonable $15 each.  All in all, this is quality entertainment that delivers real bang for the buck.  As a longtime wrestling fan I expected to like it, but was surprised how much I loved it.  I think everyone reading this owes it to themselves to check out the WWE when they hit your neighborhood.  You won’t be sorry.