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WWE ‘SSD’ Results & Review: Undertaker Vs. Triple H Finish Signals In-Ring Return For Shawn Michaels

Published on: October 6, 2018 at 9:30 AM
By Carter Lee

Super Show-Down aired live on the WWE Network from the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia, bright and early Saturday morning at 5 a.m. EST. Super Show-Down brought the WWE universe 10 matches, including three championship bouts. The New Day successfully retained the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship against The Bar. Becky Lynch was disqualified in her match against Charlotte Flair, so “The Lass Kicker” retained the title. As the Inquisitr reported, AJ Styles successfully retained the WWE Championship against Samoa Joe, making his opponent tap out to the Calf Crusher. Though the fans were certainly into those title contests, many fans were most looking forward to the main event, The Undertaker versus Triple H.

Though it’s rare that the WWE would main-event a pay-per-view or special event with a bout that doesn’t feature a championship, the company concluding the event with this storied rivalry made sense. Over two decades ago, Triple H and The Undertaker faced each other for the first time at the 1996 Kuwait Cup . From 1996 to 2000, the two superstars faced each other several times, each seemingly exchanging victories in each bout. However, it was at 2001’s WrestleMania when their in-ring legacy really took off.

“The Game” and “The Phenom” faced each other a total of three times at three WrestleManias , and The Undertaker’s streak was on the line in each contest. The Undertaker won each of those three ‘Mania contests, reaching a climax at WrestleMania 28 in a Hell in a Cell Match. In that cage match, Shawn Michaels was the special referee. At Super Show-Down , Michaels was in the corner of Triple H, and Kane was in The Undertaker’s corner.

In their lengthy WWE careers, The Undertaker and Triple H have squared off a total of 16 times on WWE television or pay-per-views, and “The Phenom” leads the series 8-5, with three of the bouts ending in a no contest. The last time “The Game” defeated “The Dead Man” was on August 26, 2002, on Raw in a No. 1 Contender’s Match.

Though they have implied this before, the WWE is promising that this will be the final time that “The Phenom” and “The Game” will square off one-on-one. The WWE website describes the epic main event of Super Show-Down.

“The final chapter in the legendary rivalry between The Undertaker and Triple H will be written at WWE Super Show-Down…Combined, The Undertaker and Triple H account for a remarkable 21 World Championship reigns. There isn’t a single major Superstar of the modern era – from WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to future Hall of Famers The Rock and John Cena – who hasn’t fallen to The Phenom and The Game at one point or another. Although there is always a temptation to write off overused terms such as ‘epic,’ ‘legacy’ and ‘iconic,’ in the case of The Demon of Death Valley’s collective clashes with The King of Kings, such deference is undisputedly warranted.”

Both competitors looked great coming into this Super Show-Down main event. While this was advertised as a regular singles bout, the WWE dropped a surprise on their fans, as it was announced right before the bell that this contest would be a no-disqualification match. Though 49-year-old Triple H is just four years younger than “The Dead Man,” the bodybuilder used his striking speed and prowess to show that he is quicker and is in seemingly better shape than The Undertaker, taunting “The Phenom” as he delivered a series of moves.

“The Game” being younger and in better shape than his opponent is the story that the WWE has been telling over the last couple of weeks. Recently on Raw , Shawn Michaels said that he believes his D-X partner will win because he is in better shape and younger than The Undertaker, and this match reflected that story. Triple H got a lot of heat through the first part of the bout, but The Undertaker finally got some shine.

“The Phenom” continued to deliver punishment to his opponent, and when Shawn Michaels got a little too close, The Undertaker laid a straight punch to his head. As expected, Kane and “The Heartbreak Kid” fought a bit at ringside. Kane ended up on a table after a superkick, and Triple H dove off the apron with an elbow, sending Kane crashing through the table.

“The Phenom” once again gained control of the bout and delivered a Tombstone Piledriver on “The Game,” which resulted in a near fall. The Undertaker decided to then knockout the referee, and in heel-like fashion, he hit Triple H over and over with a steel chair, taunting Shawn Michaels after each blow. “HBK” got up on the apron and begged The Undertaker to stop, and Shawn got punched in the face for his effort. This spot allowed “The Game” to nail a spinebuster on “The Dead Man,” followed by a Pedigree for another near fall.

Triple H would then use a steel chair to layout The Undertaker, and it looked like that was going to result in a three-count, but Kane pulled out the referee in the middle of the count. Shawn Michaels then pulled out a sledgehammer and handed it to his close friend, and Kane handed “The Phenom” a steel chair. As The Undertaker charged with a chair, Triple H hit the object with the sledgehammer, sending the chair into Undertaker’s head.

“The Game” went for the pin, but the referee was still selling at the outside of the ring. “The Dead Man” locked in Hell’s Gate, and Triple H broke it by choking his opponent with the sledgehammer. As the two laid in the middle of the ring, the MCG crowd applauded and chanted “this is awesome.” It was clear that Kane and Michaels were used to give The Undertaker some rest spots, but “The Dead Man” still looked solid for the most part.

Michaels entered the ring and nailed Kane with the sledgehammer, and The Undertaker sent Michaels flying out to ringside. For the finish, Michaels reentered the ring and delivered a superkick on “The Dead Man,” which was followed by a Pedigree by Triple H, and that resulted in a three-count.

At the end of the event, Triple H and The Undertaker had a touching moment in the ring, with their respective friends standing by. All four superstars stood in the ring with their hands raised, and fireworks went off—and then the sentimental celebration was over. The Undertaker and Kane attacked their rivals, and “The Dead Man” choke-slammed “The Heartbreak Kid” through the announce table.

Rumor has it that “HBK” will soon return to in-ring action, and that the four superstars involved in this match will battle in a tag team contest, possibly at Crown Jewel . There’s another rumor that Michaels will once again face The Undertaker at next year’s WrestleMania , so this contest seemingly foreshadowed those two rumored matches.

Only time will tell of what will come of all of this, but at WWE Super Show-Down , Triple H defeated The Undertaker for the first time in 16 years.

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