GALLERY: Kofi Kingston, Daniel Bryan electrify WWE Manila 2019

WWE superstars earn 'This is awesome' chants from Araneta crowd
Sep 22, 2019
PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

There were shaking of hands, chain wrestling, and at some point, even twerking. The Araneta crowd during Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship match was so into it you’d think you’re watching a Manila Clasico game.

Their 25-minute back-and-forth was met with several “This is awesome” chants — a kudos typically reserved for five-star-caliber matches and shocking storyline plot twists. Kingston, the defending champion, picked up the win after hitting Bryan with his signature finisher, Trouble in Paradise (a modified version of a flying roundhouse kick), but not without enduring bumps of his own.

One of the loudest gasps of the night occurred when the champ, about to execute a maneuver from the top rope, fell face first onto the steel steps after getting sabotaged by Bryan. But it didn’t take long for the two to start exchanging blows again after that—just the way the crowd wanted it.

WWE’s first live event in Manila since 2016 featured eight high-profile matches, four of which had a championship on the line:

  • Kevin Owens def. Andrade “Cien” Almas
  • Chad Gable def. EC3
  • Carmella def. Mandy Rose
  • Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura def. Ali
  • Roman Reigns def. Sami Zayn
  • Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley def. Charlotte Flair
  • Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Revival def. The New Day
  • WWE Champion Kofi Kingston def. Daniel Bryan

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    Check out some of the photos from the show:

    Just moments before Kevin Owens hit "El Idolo" Andrade with the Stunner

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    Of course, the one-time NXT champion had to acknowledge the PH crowd's warm reception.

    2019 King of The Ring finalist Chad Gable setting up EC3 with a Suplex for an Ankle Lock

    EC3 would go on to snatch the 24/7 Championship from guest ring announcer R-Truth, who immediately reclaimed it with Gable's help.

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    Carmella, the WWE SmackDown Women's Champ in 2018, outmaneuvering Mandy Rose

    Carmella was able to get the pin, despite intereference from Mandy's Fire and Desire partner Sonya DeVille.

    Shinsuke Nakamura’s bright entrance; Ali with the high-flying move

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    After several submission attempts, Nakamura defended the Intercontinental Championship from Ali with a devastating Kinshasa.

    Roman Reigns hyping Manila, then hitting Sami Zayn with a Superman Punch

    Zayn must be regretting that open challenge, especially after Reigns emerged from the locker room and Speared the hell out of him.

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    Bayley and Charlotte Flair giving each other hell and the crowd what it wants

    The Street Fight between the two femme fatales ended with a ton of steel chair and kendo stick hits, but more importantly, Bayley protecting her title against the multi-time champ.

    The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) trading blows with The New Day (Big E and Xavier Woods)

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    Big E and Woods failed to recapture the Smackdown Live Tag Team Titles, but they did win the crowd over with their hilarious dance number.

    Kofi and Daniel exchanging finishing moves; Kofi raising the WWE title

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    PHOTO: Jerome Ascano
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