Sean Ross Sappdown (2/28): Podcast Notes, Harper vs. Styles, John Cena

Opening Segment

• We have a nice little opener with Shane McMahon, Luke Harper, AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose.
• What's even nicer is this Miz TV opening. Miz cuts a hell of a promo on John Cena being a hypocrite. We've heard it before, but it's still damn good. 
• Miz says Cena is now a parody of his old self, which was a joke to begin with. He says he's turned into "Barely decent Cena" instead of Super Cena.
• Miz also says Cena manipulated his way into 16 titles and took Ric Flair's moment just like Cena's taken his. 
• John Cena has his fake accent on and says if he were really a master manipulator he'd be standing in the ring with Undertaker, not Miz. THAT'S A BURN.
• Cena says that Miz ripped off Chris Jericho, Rock, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan and Ric Flair. Then John Cena rips off a Robert Downey Jr line.C
• Cena goes to leave, but Maryse stops him. Cena then gives Maryse dismissive until she slaps him. Nikki Bella comes out as Cena laughs some more. Nikki says she'll break a bitch to a big pop.
• This segment goes over 20 minutes, but John Cena can do that. This was good stuff. 

Two out of three falls match
Becky Lynch defeated Mickie James

• They're doing this one to death. In addition to two prior matches, this is two out of three falls.
• Mickie James had scouted the jumping side kick. I wish that type of thing happened more.
• JBL and Otunga have a discussion about Mickie James and if she can handle a former Women's Champion at this stage of her career. This was a good talking point and something that I'd like to see more of. I'll elaborate more on the podcast.
• Mickie gets a DDT win in about seven minutes. 
• Five minutes later, Becky scores a roll-up pin.
• Alexa Bliss tries to distract Becky, but it backfires and we get our third pin in about 13 minutes. These two can't seem to have a subpar match against each other

Backstage crappenings

• We've gotten some nice backstage vignettes from Harper and Bray Wyatt.
• Alexa Bliss was forced to shoehorn in an Oscars reference. GAG. She's really good, though. Not a surprise. Natalya shows up and does an awkwardly good interruption and threatens to take her title.
• James Ellsworth and Carmella trash Nikki Bella, and John Cena suggests a mixed tag for next week. Oh boy. 
• AJ Styles rejects a handshake from Daniel Bryan and says he's going to go to Bray Wyatt's invocation.

Number one contender match
AJ Styles defeated Luke Harper

• Starting at 9 PM EST, eh? Wouldn't mind if they went the full hour and bumped Ziggler vs. Crews.
• This feels like a really special moment in the career of Luke Harper. 
• There are a couple of cool spots out of the gate. A Harper dropkick and a Styles Pele kick to Harper while he lies on the apron. 
• The offensive arsenal of these two matches up so well. Harper is showing what he's made of, and matching Styles move-for-move
• Styles gets the pin, but Harper's foot in on the rope.
• Shane McMahon restarts the match, but ends up getting taken out by Harper while arguing with Styles.
• Styles gets a springboard 450 for the win!

Dean Ambrose

• Ambrose is supposed to face Curt Hawkins but just Dirty Deeds' him and takes a mic. He makes some jokes and calls out Baron Corbin.
• He wants to fight Corbin, who is on the screen. They say a lot of nothing, but Ambrose makes some jokes. I could think of worse IC title programs.

Chairs match
Dolph Ziggler defeated Apollo Crews

• Crews is really athletic, but misses a moonsault from the apron that Mauro incorrectly calls an Asai moonsault. 
• Apollo has some nice offense with the chair, including a moonsault and Olympic Slam. 
• Ziggler tries to use his feet on the ropes to win, because why wouldn't he?
• A drop toe hold on the back of the chair crushes Apollo's throat, then Ziggler smashes Crews' wiener on it an pins him. 

Bray Wyatt's invocation

• Bray Wyatt says some stuff and Randy Orton shows up on the big screen in Wyatt's lair and says this isn't his world.
• Orton says this is where Abigail was laid to rest, AND BURNS THE DAMN BUILDING DOWN. HE COMMITTED ARSON.