Super Show-Down 2019 was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event, produced by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands. It took place on June 7, 2019, at the King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Production[]
Wrestlers absent from the event[]
Similarly to the two previous WWE in Saudi Arabia events—Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel (both the previous year)—several WWE wrestlers were not authorized or refused to participate at Super ShowDown due to it taking place in Saudi Arabia. As before, all female wrestlers are banned from the event due to the limited rights women have in the country.
John Cena and Daniel Bryan, both of whom had refused to participate for the Crown Jewel event in the wake of the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, also refused to participate for Super ShowDown. Bryan's reasons to refuse to appear at Crown Jewel had also reportedly included the treatment of LGBT people by the country and because of Sami Zayn's ban from the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Sami Zayn, who had previously not been authorized to compete at the Greatest Royal Rumble due to being of Syrian descent, as Saudi Arabia has strained relations with Syria, also declined participating at Super ShowDown; he was inactive due to injury at the time of Crown Jewel. Kevin Owens also refused to participate at Super ShowDown; he was reportedly supposed to face Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, leading WWE to schedule Dolph Ziggler, who had been inactive since January to focus on his stand-up comedy career, to replace him.
Aleister Black has reportedly not been authorized to participate on the show due to his body featuring several tattoos with "some religious connotations" that might offend Saudi Arabians; it is unknown if this was a decision from WWE, or a request from Saudi Arabia. One of Black's tattoos depicts Lilith, a female figure in Jewish mythology; in a 2018 interview, he referred to her as "the first woman to ever rebel against paradise. The reason she is there for equality, equality for every man and woman – which is the most important thing there is."
Storylines[]
The card composed matches resulting from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches, with results predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands. Storylines are produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live.
On May 13, 2019, a match between Goldberg and The Undertaker was scheduled for Super ShowDown, marking the first one-on-one match between the two. Goldberg's last match occurred at WrestleMania 33 in April 2017, while Undertaker's occurred at Crown Jewel in November 2018.
A match between Triple H and Randy Orton was also scheduled on May 13. A promo aired during the May 21 episode of SmackDown, recapping the two's various rivalries that originally began in 2003 when Orton won the (now retired) World Heavyweight Championship, resulting in Triple H turning on him and kicking him out of their stable, Evolution.
Also on May 13, a 50-man battle royal was scheduled, marking the largest standard battle royal in WWE history.
A match between Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley was scheduled on May 18.
On the April 15 episode of Raw, Andrade defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Bálor in a non-title match. Bálor was subsequently moved to SmackDown the following night during the Superstar Shake-up. Andrade, along with his manager Zelina Vega, were then moved back to SmackDown the following week, and both Bálor and Andrade took part in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match at the namesake event, where both fought each other, though ultimately lost the match. Bálor was then scheduled to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Andrade at Super ShowDown.
On the April 16 episode of SmackDown, after WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon had introduced Elias as "the biggest acquisition in SmackDown history", they were interrupted by fellow new draftee Roman Reigns, who attacked Elias and performed a superman punch on Mr. McMahon. The following week, Shane McMahon challenged Reigns to a fight for attacking his father. As Reigns came out, he was attacked from behind by Elias, who was then assisted by Shane in attacking Reigns. On the May 20 episode of Raw, Reigns, who appeared via the wild card rule, was interrupted by Shane, who was still bothered by Reigns' attack on his father. Reigns then challenged Shane to a match which Shane accepted for Super ShowDown.
On the May 21 episode of SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler, who had been inactive since January's Royal Rumble event, made a surprise return and attacked Kofi Kingston. Ziggler later explained that it should have been him who got the opportunity to go to WrestleMania 35 and win the WWE Championship, not Kingston. He then said he would defeat Kingston for the title at Super ShowDown, which was made official.
Match Preview[]
Results[]
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Kickoff Show: The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) defeated The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder) (7:15)
- Seth Rollins (c) defeated Baron Corbin to retain the WWE Universal Championship (11:15)
- Finn Bálor (c) defeated Andrade to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship (11:35)
- Shane McMahon (w/ Drew McIntyre) defeated Roman Reigns (9:15)
- Lars Sullivan defeated The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) by disqualification in a 3-on-1 Handicap match (5:15)
- Randy Orton defeated Triple H (25:45)
- Braun Strowman defeated Bobby Lashley (8:20)
- Kofi Kingston (c) (w/ Xavier Woods) defeated Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship (10:15)
- Mansoor defeats Akam and Akira Tozawa and Ali and Apollo Crews and Bo Dallas and Brian Kendrick and Buddy Murphy and Cedric Alexander and Cesaro and Chad Gable and Curt Hawkins and Curtis Axel and Dash Wilder and Drew Gulak and EC3 and Elias and Eric Young and Erik and Heath Slater and Humberto Carrillo and Ivar and Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso and Jinder Mahal and Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows and Matt Hardy and Mike Kanellis and Mojo Rawley and No Way Jose and Oney Lorcan and Otis and Rezar and Ricochet and Robert Roode and Rowan and Rusev and Samir Singh and Samoa Joe and Scott Dawson and Shelton Benjamin and Shinsuke Nakamura and Sin Cara and Sunil Singh and The Miz and Titus O'Neil and Tony Nese and Tucker and Xavier Woods and Zack Ryder in a 50-Man Battle Royal
- The Undertaker defeated Goldberg (8:35)
Other on-screen talent[]
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See also[]
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DVD release[]
External links[]
Super Show-Down 2019 Official website
Super Show-Down 2019 Kickoff Show on WWE Network
Super Show-Down 2019 on WWE Network- Super Show-Down 2019 on WWE Network Kickoff at CAGEMATCH.net
- Super Show-Down 2019 at CAGEMATCH.net
| Super Show-Down 2019 previews |
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50-Man Battle Royal • Braun Strowman v Bobby Lashley • Finn Bálor vs. Andrade • Triple H v Randy Orton • The Undertaker v Goldberg • Roman Reigns v Shane McMahon • Kofi Kingston v Dolph Ziggler • |
| Super Show-Down |
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| 2018 • 2019 • 2020 |
| 2019 World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-views |
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Blackpool • TakeOver: Phoenix • Royal Rumble • Elimination Chamber • Fastlane • TakeOver: New York • WrestleMania • Money in the Bank • TakeOver: XXV • Super Show-Down • Stomping Grounds • Extreme Rules • TakeOver: Toronto II • SummerSlam • TakeOver: Cardiff • Clash of Champions • Hell in a Cell • Crown Jewel • TakeOver: WarGames • Survivor Series • Starrcade • TLC: Tables, Ladders, & Chairs |