The international crowd is usually electric, and that was no different when Kevin Owens opened the show. Owens showed his trademark intensity, a bit of a throwback to the friendlier version of the prizefighter we saw during this buildup with Cody Rhodes.
Rhodes, as usual, received a huge pop from the Berlin crowd. Unlike his SummerSlam entrance, Rhodes opted not to wear the American Nightmare skull helmet. WWE displayed a decibel meter during the champion’s entrance to illustrate the noise level as the crowd chanted “Kingdom.”
As the match began, Owens remained on the turnbuckle before carefully descending and facing Rhodes in the center of the ring, earning a huge ovation from the crowd. The two men shook hands before engaging in a collar-and-elbow tie-up. Owens pushed Rhodes against the ropes before breaking the hold and both competitors exchanged headlocks, resulting in a couple of big shoulder blocks from Owens.
Owens illustrated his exploration of Rhodes by countering a Cody Cutter attempt and Disaster Kick. Owens kept momentum by dodging a CrossRhodes, but Rhodes himself managed to escape a Stunner from Owens and the two men came nose to nose as the intensity increased.
Rhodes went for a suicide dive, but Owens caught him and sent him to the ring. Rhodes scrambled back into the ring and was able to perform a Disaster Kick, sending Owens back to the floor. A successful suicide dive allowed Rhodes to finally gain the upper hand and score the first two near-falls of the match.
The match slowed down a bit after that, with Rhodes hitting two submission moves, including a Figure Four, but Owens was able to break both holds by grabbing the bottom rope. Owens recovered from the submissions and countered an attempted shoulder through the ropes to send Rhodes off the ring apron and into the barricade. Owens stayed on the offensive with a frog splash and began focusing on Rhodes’ midriff.
Owens’ attack was stopped shortly after, and both men landed clotheslines on each other, knocking each other down. Rhodes was able to recover after this sequence, landing a scoop powerslam and Disaster Kick for another near-fall. Rhodes’ next attempt at a signature move was countered by Owens with a release German suplex. Despite this, Rhodes immediately regained momentum by landing a Cody Cutter on his third attempt of the match.
After a brief series of striking, Owens landed what appeared to be a modified gut-wrench brainbuster to his knee for his most significant move of the match and a near fall. Owens climbed to the top rope, but was met by Rhodes. Owens was able to emerge victorious here, landing a massive avalanche rolling senton for another near fall and eliciting chants of “this is awesome” from the crowd.
Following the kick, Rhodes went for a Disaster Kick, which Owens countered into a Stunner attempt. Rhodes was able to counter the Stunner into a CrossRhodes for a near-fall. The big moments didn’t slow down as Rhodes’ attempted Superplex was countered into an Avalanche Brainbuster by Owens. Rhodes kicked out of the ensuing pin, setting up a slugfest between the two in the center of the ring.
While Rhodes attempted a Cody Cutter off the top turnbuckle, Rhodes sold a knee injury that Owens had cited as a weak spot for the champion. Owens, conflicted about exploiting the injury, refused to powerbomb Rhodes onto the ring apron, instead sending the champion back into the ring. Rhodes attempted a quick roll-up pin, which Owens kicked out of and landed a Stunner for another near-fall.
Owens taunted Rhodes by saying “you asked for this” before the champion capitalized and went for the triple CrossRhodes. Before Rhodes could lock in the third finisher, Owens countered and hit a Stunner, but Rhodes again kicked out of the pin.
As Owens attempted a Swanton Bomb from the top rope, Rhodes was able to pull his knees up and perform a CrossRhodes to win the match.
Cody Rhodes defeats Kevin Owens in 23:20 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
After the match, Owens looked distraught as Rhodes pleaded with him. The two men embraced, and Owens raised Rhodes’ hand in victory. Notably, Owens pushed the cameraman out of his face during his embrace with Rhodes and refused to let Rhodes raise his hand.
