WWE King of the Ring (April 2015)

Original Airdate: April 28, 2015

From Moline, Illinois; Your Hosts are Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Jerry Lawler

Opening King of the Ring Semifinal Match: Sheamus v Neville: Sheamus trash talks him to start, then muscles him into the corner a few times just to show him who's boss. Neville responds by using his speed to leave the Irish ghost in the dust, but walks into the Irish Curse. Sheamus adds a kneelift, then Curses him again, but Neville keeps fighting, so Sheamus delivers another kneelift. Wow, with that much knee-oriented offense, is it any wonder that he's pals with Triple H in real life? Criss cross goes Neville's way with a jumping forearm, and he adds another, but Sheamus cuts him off with another kneelift, then throws him off of the apron and into the announce table. Neville beats the count in, so Sheamus hiptosses him, and delivers White Noise, but suddenly Dolph Ziggler shows up with a microphone. He taunts Sheamus over his loss to Dolph at Extreme Rules, and that allows Neville to Red Arrow his way into the finals at 5:43. Not much to this one, and a horrible ending, to boot. ¼*

King of the Ring Semifinal Match: Bad News Barrett v R-Truth: R-Truth goes right for a schoolboy for two, but that just serves to piss Barrett off, and he hammers him. R-Truth responds by dancing, and decides that's enough to setup a rollup for two. I don't think he quite gets the concept of wrestling, guys. Barrett clobbers him with a big boot, and a second knocks R-Truth to the outside. Back in, it gets Barrett a two count, and he works a chinlock. R-Truth escapes with a pair of clotheslines and a forward-falling sitout suplex gets two, and a leg lariat in worth two. Corkscrew bodypress for two, but Barrett wins a criss cross with a scrapbuster for two. R-Truth keeps coming with the What's Up, but Barrett is in the ropes at two, and he wisely bails to the floor to regroup before R-Truth follows up. R-Truth drags him back in, but Barrett is ready with an eyerake, and the Bull Hammer finishes at 4:37. Another nothing match, but at least it didn't end in a cheap distraction. ½*

Main Event: WWE King of the Ring: Neville v Bad News Barrett: Barrett stalls on the floor at the bell, and uses Neville's frustrations against him to take control on the way in, but Neville fires off a headscissors and a leg lariat. He unloads kicks, but Barrett cuts him off with a big clothesline over the top, and he follows with a bodyslam out there before bringing it in, and covering for two. Punt to the ribs gets two, and a slingshot backbreaker is worth two. Barrett keeps after the back by surfboarding him on the mat, but Neville kicks his way free, so Barrett tries the slingshot backbreaker again, but Neville blocks, and peppers him with kicks. Clothesline over the top sends Barrett to the outside, and Neville is on him with a springboard moonsault press, then springboard dropkicks him on the way back in. Bridging German suplex for two, but he runs into the Winds of Change as he tries following up, and Barrett hooks the leg for two. Wasteland gets two, but Neville counters the Bull Hammer with a rollup for two, then follows up with an enzuigiri to setup Red Arrow – only for Barrett to move, and Hammer him for the crown at 7:07. This was decent, but TV-level decent. **

BUExperience: The concept here was sound (hold special events exclusive to the Network to hook new subscribers/entertain current ones), but the execution certainly fell short. Still, I hope they do more of these types of things in the future.

DUD