WWE WrestleMania 35 Live Results, Highlights, and Grades
The #USTitle match is UNDERWAY as @SamoaJoe defends his gold against @reymysterio! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/g7vTi3qWA6
— WWE WrestleMania (@WrestleMania) April 8, 2019
United States Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Up next, it was time for the United States Championship to be defended by Samoa Joe against the veteran Rey Mysterio. We got a spectacular entrance from Rey Mysterio, who always goes all out for his appearances at WrestleMania. Meanwhile, Samoa Joe’s appearance was simple. He marched his way down the ring, ready for a fight, to a chorus of fans shouting “JOE-JOE-JOE-JOE” in rhythm with his music.
Things started fast with Samoa Joe hitting a hard kick and series of headbutts. The champion very clearly looked confident and dangerous, but Mysterio tried to fight back with a counter into a tornado DDT. It was clear Mysterio didn’t want to go down without a fight, but he didn’t get a chance to put up much of one.
Moments later, Rey Mysterio came diving off the top, but his attack was caught by Joe, who immediately locked on the Coquina Clutch. In the blink of an eye, Mysterio was out cold. The referee called for the bell, and the champion had retained.
Night-night, @reymysterio.@SamoaJoe is STILL your #USChampion! #WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/6WtXRK88MA
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2019
Grade: B, There’s nothing wrong with this, but it wasn’t exactly an instant classic. Samoa Joe still looked amazingly dominant, and Mysterio looked completely shocked when he regained consciousness that things had ended. Great quick match.