(5) EL GRANDE AMERICANO vs. REY FENIX
Cole explained that Americano is from the Gulf of Mexico, not the Gulf of America. He said the ring announcer Alicia Fox didn’t get the message. Fenix replaced Rey Mysterio, who suffered an injury on Smackdown. Rey announced that he was injured and not cleared on the pre-show earlier in the day. They showed Vikingo at ringside. Cole said WWE has acquired AAA. The showed Dana White in the crowd. Americano shoved Vikingo at ringside. Vikingo kicked him in the head. Americnao rolled into the ring. The ref called for the bell 3 minutes into the third hour.
At 4:00 Americano overhead tossed Fenix onto his head in the corner. Cole said it resembled Gable. Barrett said it was the best of Gable and an experienced Luchador. Americano followed with a top rope 450 backflip senton. “What was that!” exclaimed McAfee. Americano scored a two count. Americano yanked on Fenix’s mask. Cole said a real Luchador would have more respect for masks than that. He called Barrett an idiot for calling out Cole for saying Americano should unmask. Cole said that’s because Americano isn’t a real Luchador.
Americano slid a metal plate into his mask as the ref tended to Fenix. Barrett said Cole doesn’t know it’s metal “because it hasn’t been molecularly analyzed.” Fenix made a comeback and leaped off the top rope with a kick on Americano. He sold an injured foot or ankle after he kicked American’s loaded mask. He hobbled over to Americano, who applied an anklelock mid-ring. Fenix countered with a roll-up for a two count. Americano headbutted Fenix out of mid-air seconds later. Gable landed a top rope flying headbutt with the loaded mask next for the win.
WINNER: El Grande Americano in 8:00.
(Some good athleticism. The match finish was probably precisely what they wouldn’t done if Rey hadn’t been injured. Fenix certainly was thrilled to wrestle at WrestleMania, but it’s too bad it was just as a last second replacement without a story where he then had to lose to forward the Americano story. The Cole-Barrett banter disagreeing about whether Americano is Gable is ridiculous but also fun.)
(6) TIFFANY STRATTON vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR – Women’s Title match
Cole said Tiffany came out in a Barbie Doll box built by Mattel for WrestleMania. Charlotte, the challenger, came out second (perhaps due to seniority?). Charlotte drove onto the stage in a Rolls Royce. Tiffany was announced as being from Minneapolis, Minn. rather than Prior Lake, Minn. Cole said she had her first match less than four years ago and now she’s in the spotlight of WrestleMania “with one of the greatest if not the greatest women’s wrestler of all-time.” The bell rang 31 minutes into the third hour.
They brawled on the mat at the start and then went to ringside. Tiffany landed a chop. Charlotte kneed Tiffany. Tiffany shoved Charlotte into the ringpost. Barrett said nothing was being held back. Barrett said they were throwing potatoes at each other, “as we call it.” Back in the ring, Charlotte chopped Tiffany hard in the corner. Tiffany took over and hung Charlotte upside down in the corner and kicked her. Charlotte collapsed to the mat and Tiffany scored a two count.
Charlotte took over and head scissored Tiffany. Barrett said Charlotte had heat in the locker room for being so dismissive of everyone else in the locker room. Barrett said you might not like the personality, but she’s statistically the best. Charlotte landed a handspring elbow into the corner for a two count.
Tiffany came back with a rolling senton. Charlotte avoided a subsequent moonsault. Charlotte kicked a charging Tiffany. Tiffany landed a basement dropkick for a two count. Tiffany charged at Charlotte, but Charlotte landed a big boot for a two count at 8:00.
Charlotte chopped Tiffany and called her a bitch and told her to show her what she’s got. Charlotte avoided a charging Tiffany and chopped her. Charlotte landed a sitout powerbomb for a two count. Charlotte sat up and yelled, “F—!”
They fought back and forth for a couple more minutes. Charlotte worked over Tiffany’s legs, yanking her left leg into the ringpost. Back in the ring, she applied a figure-four leglock. Cole asked if she had enough in her injured knee to turn it into a Figure-Eight. Charlotte slapped at Tiffany. Tiffany hit Charlotte’s leg until she released it. Tiffany stood and clippped Charlotte’s left leg. Tiffany went for a Prettiest Moonsault Ever, but Charlotte lifted her knees and scored a convincing near fall with a cradle. Both were down and slow to get up.
Charlotte landed Natural Selection from the top rope a minute later for a believable near fall. Barrett noted that Tiffany had a mark on her forehead from that move. Charlotte grabbed Tiffany’s head and trash-talked her. Charlotte kicked Tiffany’s leg and went for a figure-four, but Tiffany countered with a small package. Tiffany side-stepped Charlotte trying to spear her into the corner. She flung Charlotte into the corner and then landed a rolling senton. She set up the Prettiest Moonsault Ever and landed it for the win.
Tiffany appeared to have a chipped tooth or bloody lip or both afterward. She glared down at Charlotte who looked at up at her at ringside.
WINNER: Tiffany in 20:00 to retain the Women’s Title.
(An ambitious and very good match for these two. Everything seemed smooth and professional despite real animosity surfacing in prior weeks, but I didn’t catch where Tiffany ended up with perhaps a chipped tooth. There was an edge to the match that they played into throughout. Maybe some mutual respect was earned.)
