LAS VEGAS — In what was less a match between Superstars and more a battle between darkness and light, “Woken” Matt Hardy vanquished Bray Wyatt at WWE Elimination Chamber in both body and soul.
Hardy thwarted The Reaper of Souls before the bell even rang when he vanished from the ring, taunting the former WWE Champion as a disembodied voice that promised nothing less than obsolescence for The Eater of Worlds.
Wyatt was completely taken aback when Hardy reappeared. The Woken One attempted a series of Twists of Fate at the start, and each nearly found their mark before The Eater of Worlds used his comparative bulk to press Hardy into the mat. Wyatt continued to find success when the fight spilled on the outside, too. Even though Hardy avoided a uranage on the steps, a clothesline turned him into a splatter on the T-Mobile Arena floor all the same.
With his Woken Warriors willing him back into the fight, Hardy mounted a wonderful rally. Still, The Eater of Worlds’ strength advantage allowed him to cut off the deletion process nonetheless. What The Woken One did possess, however, is speed, and after Hardy evaded the clutches of Sister Abigail, a boot to the gut left Wyatt open to a splendiferous Twist of Fate that all but bathed Las Vegas in a heavenly light.
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Elsewhere, Kofi Kingston was saved from elimination by his eliminated New Day compatriots, who broke Kingston’s fall with their own bodies (Xavier Woods) and a plate of pancakes (Big E). “Woken” Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt joined forces to eliminate overwhelming sentimental favorite Rusev, only to eliminate each other moments later as their heated rivalry continued.
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Matt Hardy vs. Elias (Kickoff Match)
The veteran Hardy brought his best, using his cunning and experience to gain the edge at several points in the contest despite Elias’ size and strength advantage. Elias used those attributes to systematically pick Hardy apart, though, zoning in specifically on the former Raw Tag Team Champion’s shoulder.
In the match’s critical moments, Elias weathered a flurry of offense from Hardy, which included a ring-rattling Side Effect onto the hardest part of the canvas. Elias surged back after ramming Hardy’s vulnerable shoulder into the steel ring post, however. The brutal move left the Team Xtreme member defenseless as Elias hit Drift Away for one of the biggest victories of his career to date.
Credit: WWE.com
Jason Jordan & The Hardy Boyz vs. Intercontinental Champion The Miz & The Miztourage
After weeks of hurling insults while feeling insulted (primarily by Raw General Manager Kurt Angle), The Miz and his Miztourage found some satisfaction inside Barclays Center with a victory over the dynamic squadron of The Hardy Boyz & Jason Jordan at SummerSlam Kickoff.
Jordan, whom Miz had singled out over the past handful of weeks after it was revealed he was Angle’s son, came into this match with Matt & Jeff as his partners, and with a ton to prove to The Miz, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas and the WWE Universe. Jordan and The Hardys started out strong, using their unique blends of offense to keep Miz and his men reeling.
WWE.com Exclusive: The Miz & The Miztourage call out Raw GM Kurt Angle for holding them back
However, as the match progressed, The A-Lister and his co-stars neutralized Jeff after The Miztourage swatted The Charismatic Enigma off the top rope while the referee was distracted trying to restore order. Following a clutch tag-in, Matt managed to get his team back into the bout with a flurry, then tagged in the fresh Jordan after he and Miz began to go back and forth.
Jordan went on a suplex marathon and appeared to be closing in on the victory before chaotic bedlam broke out, allowing The Miz to blindly tag into the match. Catching Jordan unaware as the gold-blooded Superstar was going for a suplex, The A-Lister connected with a devastating Skull-Crushing Finale to get an “awesome” win on the 30th anniversary of SummerSlam – and some satisfaction against Jordan’s father for not putting Miz in an Intercontinental Title defense at The Biggest Event of the Summer.
Credit: WWE.com
Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus vs. The Hardy Boyz (30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match)
The Raw Tag Team Champions denied The Hardy Boyz in the most grueling of contests, a WWE Iron Man Match, by scoring more victories (four) than their challengers (three) over a 30-minute span. And they made their intentions known almost instantly: Cesaro distracted Matt Hardy to tee him up for Sheamus’ Brogue Kick just 16 seconds into the match, putting Team Xtreme into an 0-1 hole right out of the gate.
Jeff Hardy suffered the second fall around the 10-minute mark following a protracted 2-on-1 attack that ended with The Swiss Cyborg booting Matt off the apron and aiding Sheamus in a White Noise for the pinfall. The Hardys repaid Cesaro in kind three minutes later, however, as The King of Swing was felled by the trifecta of Poetry in Motion, the Side Effect and a Twist of Fate to cut the titleholder’s lead to 2-1.
The champs answered right back, handing the Hardys a count-out fall after Cesaro threw legal man Matt Hardy into the ring post at the end of a brawl on the outside. At Cesaro’s insistence (“All the time in the world!”), they isolated Matt and chewed up as much time as they could, whittling the clock down to around 7:13 before Jeff snuck a tag in on Matt and pinned an unsuspecting Cesaro to cut the champions’ lead to 3-2. After Cesaro narrowly saved Sheamus from a three-count off a moonsault, Matt administered a top-rope Twist of Fate to the Irishman to tie it up at 3-3 with under three minutes to go.
The maneuver left Sheamus out on his feet and it fell to Cesaro to singlehandedly save the match. First, he broke up a pinfall after both Hardys splashed Sheamus at once. Then, he blind-tagged his way in and pounced on Jeff for the quick 1-2-3 after The Charismatic Enigma hit the Swanton Bomb on Sheamus, whom he thought was legal. The ensuing pinfall gave the champs a 4-3 edge with 29 seconds left, and The Swiss Cyborg attempted to protect the lead by running laps around the ring while The Charismatic Enigma pursued. Back in the ring, Jeff finally managed to catch Cesaro in a Twist of Fate, but the clock ran out right as he made the cover.
Credit: WWE.com
