Once again, Saxton is backstage with Seth Rollins. He asks how it feels to go from a big man like Lashley to someone like Ziggler. Rollins says being the best is not about having an easy ride, and he wouldn’t want it to be easy, so he’s going out to do it again and prove himself.
WWE World Cup Tournament Semi-fINAL
Seth Rollins Vs. Dolph Ziggler W/ Drew McIntyre
This one looks to be going for a slower pace as they tease a lock-up and quickly separate. They continue the slow-pace, trading holds and locks before Rollins grabs Ziggler mid-air and throws him from the ring.
Rollins throws Ziggler into the barricade. Rollins sends him back inside then squares-up to Drew and begs him to hit him. Drew refrains and Seth slides back in, where Ziggler immediately connects with a snap DDT for a two count. Ziggler starts to focus on the neck of Rollins, which Seth has been holding since his second suicide dive against Bobby Lashley.
Rollins fights out of a headlock but runs chest-first into the turnbuckles as Dolph avoids him. Rollins and Dolph trade shots until Dolph floors Seth with a spinning back elbow. Dolph starts toying with Rollins, before kicking him into the corner and landing a neckbreaker for a two-count. Ziggler applies a sleeper hold in the middle of the ring. Seth fights out and rolls Ziggler up for a two-count. Ziggler goes for the snap DDT again but Rollins reverses into a pin. They trade pin attempts for several minutes before Seth lifts Dolph for a Buckle Bomb but Dolph reverses. Seth hits a ripcord knee for a near-fall!
Seth gets to his feet first and begins stomping up the band. McIntyre gets on the apron and Rollins knocks him off, then catapults Dolph over the top rope and to the floor. Seth follows-up with a suicide dive to Drew and Dolph, then gets Ziggler back into the ring. Rollins springboards off but nobody’s home, then Dolph catches him with a Fame-Asser for a near-fall. Dolph goes to the top rope and Rollins goes up with him, and hits a superplex. Rollins looks to land the follow-up falcon’s arrow but Ziggler lands on his feet and hits the Zig-Zag for a near-fall! Ziggler went for the Zig-Zag again but Rollins shoved him off. Rollins, inexplicably, then decided to hit McIntyre with a suicide dive for no reason. Rollins goes to the top rope but McIntyre shoves him off and Ziggler connects with a superkick for the win!
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
The announcers try to say that Rollins was trying to neutralise the threat of McIntyre before it became a thing, which just sounds ridiculous. They all blame McIntyre for interfering. What a weird finish. Byron Saxton interviews Ziggler on the ramp as he’s walking away, and asks him about the asterisk beside his win. Ziggler says he has been calling himself the best for 9 years and nobody wanted to hear it, well tonight they won’t have a choice.
