WWE Starrcade 2019 just wrapped up, atleast on the WWE Network. Turns out it wasn’t an hour long show, it was more like an hour and fifteen minutes. But it WAS a show that ended up going without it’s scheduled main event. And even the replacement we got didn’t reach a natural conclusion… but atleast the show ended with the crowd being sent home happy. Even if… they aren’t actually being sent home for another couple of hours… hrm.
Regardless. The Last Man Standing match between Bobby Lashley and Rusev ended up being cancelled due to another restraining order supposedly preventing Rusev from entering the building. In it’s place, we got a standard match between Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley instead.
During the match, Owens got a visual pinfall over Lashley – which is to say he pinned him for three seconds whilst the ref was distracted by Lana. After this decisive beating, Lashley turned the tables and Lana slid a chair into the ring to hike up the cheating.
Rusev could put up with this no more at this point, and restraining order or no, he made his way out to assault Bobby Lashley, bringing about a DQ.
Afterwards, the two rivals engaged in a lengthy brawl that ultimately saw Rusev wear Lashley out with a kendo stick and batter him with a steel chair. It was capped off with him superkicking the chair into Lashley’s face with an RVD-esque maneuver that I am hereby dubbing the Van Machkanator.
Not a particularly satisfactory conclusion in many ways, but for what it’s worth, the crowd in Atlanta ate up every bit of Rusev’s destruction of Lashley, with loud “Rusev Day” chants closing out the show. That much is certainly never a bad thing.
The fight gets taken to the corner, where Lashley goes for a superplex. Headbutt takes him to the mat, Top Rope Senton onto the injured ribs! Goes up top again for a Bullfrog Splash, narrow nearfall! Owens wants the Stunner, Lashley blocks it for a moment but on the second attempt he nails it! Lana distracts the ref to prevent the pin! Owens gets into Lana’s face. Then he turns around into a Sit-Out Spinebuster for a nearfall! Lana slides a steel chair into the ring. Sudden ovation – Rusev slides into the ring and attacks Lashley!
Winner: Bobby Lashley (by DQ)
Huge chant of “Rusev Day” as he runs through him in the ring! Runs him right out of there, posing for the audience! Pursues him outside and smashes him around ringside, posts him! Throws Lashley into the barrier and into the crowd! Takes him up the stands! Smacks him in the face with a trash can! “Rusev Day” chant intensifies. The fight spills back into ringside. Lashley drives Rusev into the steel steps! Lashley throws Rusev into the ring and grabs a kendo stick from beneath the ring. Snaps it across the back of Rusev! But Rusev catches the stick on a shot! Fights his way to his feet, until Lashley gets a shot to the gut… hits the ropes – kendo stick across the gut from Rusev! And now he’s laying into him! Snaps the stick across his knees, big pop! Takes up the chair now, drives it into the injured ribs. Smack to the back, tosses it aside. Throws it to Lashley and he catches it – Rusev superkicks the chair into his face!
