MONTREAL – Whether it’s Hulk Hogan teaming with Randy Savage or Dino Bravo teaming with Rick Martel, the union of two superstars to fight evil together has always been a good storyline. It still works today, and Kevin Owens coming to the rescue of Sami Zayn and Pat Patterson at the end of last night’s WWE show in Montreal was proof of that.
The World Wrestling Entertainment was at the Bell Centre for another house show. Montreal’s own Sami Zayn was in the main-event against WWE champion Jinder Mahal. After defeating the challenger – thanks to the Singh Brothers who were at ringside – the champion and his two acolytes continued their attack on Zayn. The attack was so rough that it provoked WWE Hall of Famer and fellow Montrealer, Pat Patterson, who was sitting at ringside, to jump on the apron to try to put a stop on the attack. Although he didn’t get in the ring, Patterson started to argue with Mahal and the Singhs and as they were about to attack the oldtimer, the unthinkable happened: Kevin Owens’ music hit!
The crowd went nuts – or as Pat would say, nut – for their local hero’s music. Both Owens and Zayn had a great pop for their entrances, more than anyone else on the show, but this ovation was something else.
Owens ran towards the ring, cleaned house, including a cannon ball in the corner to one of the brothers. Zayn and Owens looked at each other, but Mahal came right at them and the two “frenemies” welcomed him with a double superkick (perhaps in honor of The Young Bucks who were in town as well working for the IWS), followed with a double clothesline to the outside. The crowd was on fire by that point. Even Patterson joined the party by throwing some kicks at the other Singh, still laying in the corner. Zayn grabbed him, put him up in the corner, and hit the Helluva Kick, before throwing him towards Owens who knocked him with his Pop-Up Powerbomb. If the two were to be a tag team, that would probably be their finishing move, a flashback of when they used to team and use the Yakuza Kick-Package Piledriver combo.
The two then stared at each other in the middle of the ring. It didn’t take long for the crowd to start chanting “Oui! Oui! Oui!” – shades of Daniel Bryan. The jury is still out though whether it was for them to fight or to hug. They did neither, as Owens took a powder and left. Zayn’s music hit and he got to celebrate this incredible moment with the fans, holding a Quebec flag before leaving to the back. The only better finish for that show would have been Zayn winning the championship. That’s how great this moment was live.
The match itself was very good. Zayn did everything in his power to win, using all of his tricks like the Blue Thunder Bomb, the Tornado DDT and his Helluva Kick, but every time Mahal was able to escape or the Singh Brothers would do it for him.
Although nothing came close to the reaction of the crowd during the post-match scene of the main-event, there was some other good moments on the show.
Charlotte Flair and Natalya offered a very good match, which could have been match of the night if it wasn’t for the main-event. Thanks to those two matches, the second half ended up being better than the first one. Kevin Owens’ entrance got such a babyface reaction that the babyfaces in his match – AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura – were getting booed against him. Nakamura’s entrance, since it was his first time in Montreal, got a solid pop too. On the heel side, besides Mahal and the Singh brothers, Aiden English, by trash-talking the French-Canadian fans, was one of the most hated of the night.
However, at the end, it all came down to three Quebecers fighting the evil outsiders, a story so simple that sometimes we forget it still works. The crowd left home happy and will forever remember the night Kevin Owens came to Sami Zayn’s rescue.
Here are the quick results:
WWE champion Jinder Mahal (acc. by the Singh Brothers) beat Sami Zayn with the Khallas
Natalya defated Charlotte Flair with a roll-up holding the tights
Rusev beat Tye Dillinger with the Accolade
Shinsuke Nakamura & AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens & Baron Corbin when Nakamura hit the Kinshasa on Corbin
Sin Cara & Luke Harper beat Aiden English & Erick Rowan when Harper pinned Rowan after a sitout scoop slam
SmackDown Live Women’s champion Naomi defeated Carmella with the Rear View
SmackDown Live Tag Team’s champion The New Day (acc. by Xavier Woods) beat The Ascension with the Midnight Hour
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