Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
Owens takes control of the match in the early going. He’s taking out his frustration on Seth Rollins. He throws Rollins around the outside of the ring. It takes a misstep from Owens to get Rollins back in the match. He goes for a powerbomb on the ring apron. Rollins counters and lands a wicked Falcon Arrow on KO. Rollins takes control and sends KO into the barricade with a suicide dive. All the while, Seth is talking mad trash. He hits the Sling-Blade to keep KO down. Seth starts teeing off on KO with kicks and punches to the man while he’s down.
Seth starts teeing off on KO with kicks and punches while he’s on the ground. This match feels deeply personal in a way none on the card have felt. Mania quality performance for sure. Rollins is great as a heel. KO stunts Rollins though. After multiple stomp attempts, KO hits a DDT to slow it down. KO takes each move blow for blow. Every strike is hard, you can feel all the punches. Rollins and KO trade moves. KO goes for the stunner, he gets hit with an enzeguri. KO goes into the ropes and then lays out Rollins with a Clothesline from Hell.
Both men are back down. Rollins takes the time to rake KO’s eyes while the ref can’t see. A buckle-bomb later and KO is down. Rollins hits two back to back superkicks but KO counters the stomp attempt with a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. What a segment for this match. Rollins goes to the outside and KO chases after him. Rollins clocks him with the ring-bell for a disqualification loss. I was originally thinking, “why in god’s name would they do this, the match was going so well”. Kevin Owens got the match restarted by talking Rollins back to the ring for a no DQ restart.
Wrestlemania 36: Finish, Analysis, and Grade
Rollins grabs the steel steps and blasts KO. He then grabs a steel chair and hits KO with some of the hardest worked chair shots I can imagine. Rollins gets blasted with the ring-bell this time as KO takes over the match. He sets up Rollins on the table. KO goes off to the side and shows up at the top of the Mania sign. In a crazy, unforgettable moment, he hits a senton off the top of the sign to Rollins. Rollins is wheezing and moaning, it sounds absolutely horrible. Owens seizes control and throws Rollins back into the ring. Both guys are beaten up pretty bad after this physical match. Rollins pleads with KO. He doesn’t listen, and nails him with a stunner for the three count.
WHAT A MATCH. The restart aside, this was everything I wanted out of this match. Kevin Owens looked resilient and badass. Seth Rollins punished KO for the majority of the match. They did perfectly here. I want to see more out of these two like this. It could have the potential to be one of the best feuds we’ve seen in a long time.
