World Wrestling Entertainment | 2019 & Beyond

[DamageCTRL]

Going into 2019, the professional wrestling business was set to change for the foreseeable. All Elite Wrestling was sprouting up in October 2019, standing as the biggest ‘competition’ to WWE since WCW folded in 2001. Disenfranchisement from WWE in the fanbase seemed to help turn the tide to the evolution of another major wrestling company, and the business looked like it was going to be healthier than ever.

WWE though had their convictions and they were going to stick to them. Going into WrestleMania 35 in East Rutherford, the company was poised to make history. For the first time ever, women were set to be in the main event of the biggest show of the year. The women had made many advances in the last few years, with Evolution – the first all-women’s show in company history – being a rip-roaring success critically. The second-ever Women’s Royal Rumble culminated with ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch winning. Lynch’s popularity helped her skyrocket to heights not forecasted for her in the beginning. Lynch would then go on to become the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championship at Mania, standing tall over Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey, her two biggest nemeses.

The following BTB takes place after WrestleMania 35. This BTB was done on another forum, but since that forum is closing, I’ve brought this over here to WrestlingSmarks.

The next few posts will be recapping the events of each month up to the point where we currently stand. This is the schedule:

Post #1: Post-WrestleMania 35 – Money in the Bank
Post #2: Post-MITB – Backlash
Post #3: Post-Backlash – The Great American Bash
Post #4: Post-TGAB – SummerSlam
Post #5: SummerSlam – Fall Brawl
Post #6: Fall Brawl – No Mercy: Another Cold Day in Hell

The first actual TV show posted here will be an episode of Raw on October 7, 2019. We will be doing the Draft as it took place in real life, on October 11 and 14, 2019. We’re doing things a little differently there, but we’ll explain that when we get there.

I have a partner here as well. When he joins, he’ll be writing NXT, which will also be included in the recap posts as well, I should note. We have a way of showcasing NXT UK, and we’ll be sure to elaborate when the time comes.

For now, hello everyone! I hope to have all the new readers for this enjoy this thread as much as many did elsewhere. ​

 

[Hoss]

Welcome partner! This project will be a very welcome addition to the section, as I know from having read some of it in the past

 

[Gambit]

Welcome along. Can't wait to read.

 

[DamageCTRL]

Might as well get this puppy started! If it's one thing I'm gonna do here it's cut to the chase.

CHAPTER 1​

This story begins after WrestleMania 35.

It was an eventful night in the Meadowlands of New Jersey. To recap the show, here are OUR results, which are different from reality:

In addition to that, here are the results from NXT TakeOver: New York:

And thus, on April 8, 2019, this is our Hall of Champions:

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION
Seth Rollins
April 7, 2019 –

WWE CHAMPION
Kofi Kingston
April 7, 2019 –

RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPION
Becky Lynch
April 7, 2019 -

SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPION
Becky Lynch
April 7, 2019 -

WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION
Finn Balor
April 7, 2019 –

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPION
Samoa Joe
April 7, 2019 –

RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
April 7, 2019 –

SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The Usos
February 17, 2019 –

WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The Boss ‘n Hug Connection
February 17, 2019 –

NXT CHAMPION
Johnny Gargano
April 5, 2019 –

NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPION
Io Shirai
April 5, 2019 –

NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION
The Velveteen Dream
February 20, 2019 –

NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The War Raiders
January 26, 2019 –

NXT UK CHAMPION
WALTER
April 5, 2019

NXT UK WOMEN’S CHAMPION
Toni Storm
January 12, 2019 –

NXT UK TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The Grizzled Young Veterans
January 12, 2019 –

WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Tony Nese
April 7, 2019 –

So, because I’m sure it’s going through your head here: The Velveteen Dream does not exist in this thread. For posterity sake, he was listed as a champion. Along the way to MITB, in real life, he was embroiled in that whole thing that I don’t need to further disclose. So he plucked out of the thread. A new North American champion will be crowned at a later date.

Another wrestler who isn’t appearing in this thread is Riddle. I understand why some might want to use him. I chose not to after a certain point. He was suspended in the thread’s reality and then was later fired.

Additionally, although he appeared early on in the thread, as recently as August 2019, this thread will not include Mr. McMahon either beyond that noted point in time.

I should also note a couple things here before we get started.

Firstly, I do not use EWR or TEW. Every booking decision, storyline idea, promo, match write-up, etc. all comes from my mind and my partner’s mind as well for NXT. For better and maybe sometimes for worse if you think so. Next, prepare for some roster reshufflings as the months go on here. Some people left our universe and came back. Some people left and won’t come back. Others may join up with us after not actually being around in reality.

There’s one big stipulation this thread is abiding by: We are not going to be taking from All Elite Wrestling too much if at all. At least not from the start. Though there are three figures from over there that haven’t stepped foot in WWE that will be around by the time the thread actually starts from where we were about to launch off from. One male tag team and two women’s wrestlers.

Oh, and, I should note this: One WWE mainstay is going to leave this Universe in November. I am talking a BIG star in the company and has been for SEVERAL years.

Finally, it should be noted that this thread and this realm will be leaning heavily on women. Probably more than you’ve ever seen or read on any current-day or current-generation BTB. I just want to be clear about that one, because the biggest arc going in this universe we are presenting is all about the women. You will all see what that is soon enough.

And now… let’s begin.​

THE ROAD TO MONEY IN THE BANK​

When the dust settled on WrestleMania 35, The Man was the last person seen standing tall. 24 hours later on Monday Night Raw, Becky Lynch hoped to stay consistent. She was challenged by an angry Ruby Riott for her Raw Women’s Championship. But not after some shenanigans went down early on in the show, which would help set the course for the next six months.

Earlier in the show, The Boss ‘n Hug Connection arrived to the ring. Bayley and Sasha Banks walked right into the likes of Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, and a FIGHT would break out! Ruby then joined the fray, and the trio beat the duo up pretty well. The Riott Squad was not done. They then crashed Becky Lynch’s title celebration. A 3-on-1 attack on Lynch impressed Mr. McMahon, who would come out and announce that Lynch would have to defend her championship against Ruby Riott in the main event!

And before we got THERE, The Boss ‘N Hug Connection defended their Women’s Tag Titles against Liv and Sarah! Much to their dismay though, it would be Bayley and Sasha that came out on the winning side of things. Thanks to an assist from: You guessed it, Becky Lynch! Lynch would grab Ruby as she tried to meddle in the match and beat her up and away from the ring.

Later on in the show, Liv and Sarah tried to mess with the Women’s Championship Match… but Bayley and Sasha returned the favor from Becky! They pulled her away and Lynch would make Ruby tap out.

Following the match, Bayley, Becky, and Sasha stood in the ring. The trio of champions, linked with so much history between them all, exchanged a gesture with their hands that many fans got VERY excited about – FOUR fingers were held up! Little did they know though… that gesture sparked an issue in the world that they didn’t know about. And one they’d quickly find out about, as SHAYNA BASZLER would pounce! Baszler would enter the ring, completely unbeknownst to Becky with Bayley and Sasha having left her alone. Shayna would lock in her Kirifuda Clutch, choke The Man out, and rolled out of the ring without being touched by an angered Boss and Hug Connection.

Things didn’t get much better for this trio the following week. Becky, Bayley, and Sasha were all rocked in some way by the Superstar Shakeup. Shayna Baszler officially arrived to the Raw brand through the Shakeup. To make matters worse? Baszler attacked Becky in the locker room during a Tag Titles defense that Bayley and Sasha had with Beth Phoenix and Natalya. Bayley and Sasha raced to the back to try and save her, But… it was too late again. Baszler, who acted as a silent assailant, left a calling card – the Queen of Spades – in the room which Sasha immediately identified. She chased after Shayna, but Shayna was picked up by a mysterious biker, who drove her away into safety.

To make matters WORSE? Bayley and Sasha were separated in the Superstar Shakeup! Stephanie McMahon delivered that news to them both, and said while it didn’t mean that they were stripped of their titles… what it DID mean is that if they LOSE those titles, then they can no longer team with each other!

As these issues played out on Raw, Becky had her own concerns on Smackdown. In the wake of the Superstar Shakeup, a new contender had to be crowned. On the FIRST-EVER All-Women’s episode of Smackdown Live, five matches took place. The winners of those five matches, the following week, participated in a #1 Contender’s Five-Way Match to determine Becky Lynch’s opponent for MITB. Lynch was not going to be defending her Raw Women’s Title at MITB, but wasn’t going to avoid the night entirely. On that evening, Charlotte Flair, Nikki Cross, Sarah Logan, and Sonya Deville all qualified for the Five-Way. This teed up a big-time main event match between Asuka and Bayley. Bayley had never beaten Asuka before, so she had to beat some demons to move on. But, after a spirited effort, Bayley fell short, and it would be Asuka who moved on to the Five-Way match. And, emerging victorious was Asuka, to set up a Royal Rumble rematch between The Man and The Empress for MITB.

The other big winners from WrestleMania were of course Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston. Rollins and Kingston immediately engaged with new challengers after the big show. Kofi would find himself tasked with ‘The Monster Among Men’ Braun Strowman, who was rewarded with a title shot at MITB after his successful victory in the Andre. Rollins would begin a feud with The Miz, who was able to defeat Shane McMahon at WrestleMania. Rollins and Miz’s egos would collide here, as Miz believed that Seth was nothing but a fraud while Rollins simply wanted to take The A-Lister down.

Then of course, there were the Money in the Bank Ladder Matches. On the men’s side, a diverse cast was formed. It featured:

AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Randy Orton, and Ricochet
Ali, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, and Shinsuke Nakamura

For the ladies, it looked like:

Alexa Bliss, Ember Moon, Naomi, and Ruby Riott
Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Mandy Rose, and Nikki Cross

In the leadup to MITB, Ruby Riott dissolved The Riott Squad on her own, kicking Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan out of her life. Liv was relentless though in trying to make sure she didn’t let Ruby get away with that one, as Liv tried having a beat on Ruby anywhere that she went. On the men’s side, Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor looked like he was emerging from the pack. Though Kevin Owens was giving him plenty of chase as well. And division between Bayley and Charlotte Flair, the ONLY one of That Group of Four Women’s Wrestlers to not acknowledge the three others. Why?

Well, right now: Charlotte Flair doesn’t like them and they don’t like Charlotte Flair.

The United States Championship was going to be up for grabs. New champion Samoa Joe had been wreaking havoc of late. Chad Gable became a target of Joe after the two’s paths crossed on the way. Gable’s former tag team partner Jason Jordan also got involved, as Joe carried out a heinous assault of Jordan, who of course medically retired from competing last year.

The Smackdown Tag Team Titles were vacated after The Usos went to the Raw brand in the Superstar Shakeup. A tournament was held to determine new champions. The finals of that tournament would be The Hardy Boyz taking on the new team on the scene: The Expat Express, featuring Andrade and Buddy Murphy, managed by Zelina Vega. Andrade and Murphy defeated a hot, ragtag team of Ali and Rey Mysterio in a thriller on the way to the tournament final.

The Raw Tag Team Titles, meanwhile, were set for a Fatal Four-Way Match between Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, The Revival, AOP and The Usos. However, The Revival requested and were granted their release shortly before Money in the Bank. So a substitute team was going to join the fray that night in Hartford.

Elsewhere, a massive 10-Man Tag Match was put on the show… pretty much to be on the show. A gaggle of babyfaces: Aleister Black, Big E, Roman Reigns, R-Truth and Xavier Woods were gonna fight with a group of heels: Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Rowan, Sheamus, and Shelton Benjamin.

Elsewhere, emerging talent Cedric Alexander hopped up on the Raw brand from 205 Live. Alexander immediately would feud with Jinder Mahal, and the two have a match teed up for the MITB Kickoff Show.

Additionally, Tony Nese gained a surprising contender for his Cruiserweight Championship: Kyle O’Reilly of The Undisputed ERA. O’Reilly appeared on 205 Live a few times in late April, and earned his way into a Contender’s Match that he won.

Other Notes:
~ Sasha Banks did not make it to Money in the Bank, as she lost to longtime rival Alexa Bliss in a MITB Qualifying Match.
~ Speaking of Bliss, she is working as a babyface as well, as she issued a mea culpa on the All-Women’s Smackdown from her hometown of Columbus.
~ Sami Zayn made his return to WWE after a lengthy absence due to injury. He made his return as a babyface and is on the Raw brand.
~ Making her first-ever appearance on the main roster during this period of time? Toni Storm, the NXT UK Women’s Champion. Storm successfully defended the championship against Zelina Vega at the All-Women's Smackdown.
~ Like in real life, Nia Jax tore her ACLs in the 4-Way at WrestleMania. The likelihood of her ever returning in this universe is, frankly, slim to none. (She sucks. I'm sorry, but she sucks.).

MONEY IN THE BANK RESULTS​

Cedric Alexander def. Jinder Mahal at 6:44 via pinfall

Kyle O’Reilly def. Tony Nese at 10:46 via submission to become the NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion
~ Adam Cole (BAY BAY~!) accompanied Kyle at ringside, but did not get involved in the match

Ruby Riott won the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at 23:05
~ Liv Morgan attempted to stop Ruby from winning more than once, but was sent away by Riott, who would not be denied
~ Bayley would hit Charlotte with a Bayley-to-Belly on a Ladder, effectively taking her out of the match, but also herself
~ Naomi went to retrieve the briefcase, but Ruby Riott caned her with a kendo stick and took her out of the equation

Samoa Joe def. Chad Gable at 7:42 via submission to retain the WWE United States Championship

Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder won a Fatal 4-Way Match at 13:10 via pinfall to retain the Raw Tag Team Championships
~ The VIKING Raiders were the 4th team in the match, but were not called up full-time
~ Hawkins hit Rezar with the championship and dragged Ryder over him for the win, signaling a heel turn

The Expat Express defeated The Hardy Boyz at 15:48 via pinfall to win the previously vacated Smackdown Tag Team Championships

Aleister Black, Big E, Roman Reigns, R-Truth, and Xavier Woods defeated Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, Rowan, Sheamus, and Shelton Benjamin at 12:13 via pinfall

Kofi Kingston defeated Braun Strowman at 8:13 via pinfall to retain the WWE Championship
~ Braun attempted to attack Kofi at the start of the match, leading to a 3-on-1 from New Day. They hit Midnight Hour before the bell rang, but were unsuccessful in retention at that point
~ Kofi won after hitting Trouble in Paradise before Braun was going to attack him with a chair

Seth Rollins defeated The Miz at 24:14 via pinfall to retain the WWE Universal Championship

Asuka defeated Becky Lynch at 29:07 via pinfall to become the NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion
~ Natalya would appear in this match. Nattie had recently been showing a semi-allegiance to Shayna Baszler, being revealed as a rat, feeding her sensitive info about the whereabouts of Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks. She pulled the official out as Becky had Asuka beat with The Dis-Arm-Her
~ Shayna Baszler also made an appearance in this match, attacking Becky ferociously.
~ A hobbled Bayley and a fresh Sasha Banks went after both women while the official remained down.
~ In the heat of the moment, Asuka would go for a hip attack outside on Becky, who was up on the barricade. But Becky got out of the way, so Asuka hit Bayley
~ Bayley, who’d been dealing with a slowly-simmering personality change due to all the chaos around Becky and her partnership and FRIENDSHIP with Sasha Banks, would get incredibly angry and grab a Steel Chair.
~ Bayley got into the ring with the chair and unloaded… on BECKY. Accidentally. Bayley couldn’t believe what she’d done, so she, cowering in fear, backed away from the ring and could only watch as Asuka pounced, pinned Becky, and became the new Women’s Champion

Finn Balor won the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at 27:20
~ Kevin Owens was within reach, but Finn Balor tipped the ladder over, sent KO to the ground, and Balor went up to the top and fetched the briefcase. ​

 

[DamageCTRL]

We're gonna keep trucking here, folks!

CHAPTER 2​

WWE came out of Money in the Bank with a lot of intriguing possibilities across the board. And the road paved next for the company led them to the Golden State, California. This for a massive weekend in the state in early June:

TakeOver: XXV – San Jose, California – June 8th
Backlash – San Diego, California – June 9th

Before we get there, let’s talk about the way the Hall of Champions looks now:

As of May 20th 2019:

WWE CHAMPION
Kofi Kingston
April 7, 2019 --

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPION
Seth Rollins
April 7, 2019 --

RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPION
Becky Lynch
April 7, 2019 –

SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPION
Asuka (2)
May 19, 2019 --

MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK HOLDER
Finn Balor

WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK HOLDER
Ruby Riott

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPION
Samoa Joe
April 7, 2019 --

WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION
Finn Balor (2)
April 7, 2019 --

RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder
April 7, 2019 --

SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The Expat Express
May 19, 2019 --

WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The Boss ‘N Hug Connection
February 17, 2019 --

NXT CHAMPION
Johnny Gargano
April 5, 2019 --

NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPION
Io Shirai
April 5, 2019 --

NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION
VACANT

NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The War Raiders
January 26, 2019 --

NXT UK CHAMPION
WALTER
April 5, 2019 --

NXT UK WOMEN’S CHAMPION
Toni Storm
January 12, 2019 --

NXT UK TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
The Grizzled Young Veterans
January 12, 2019 –

Relatively unchanged after the events of Money in the Bank. Let’s get to it here though!
​

TAKEOVER: XXV​

Adam Cole defeated Keith Lee at 16:02 via pinfall
~ Lee would become a target of The Undisputed ERA for a few weeks leading up to this show. Cole wanted the championship he felt belonged to him, but Lee represented a major obstacle in his quest to become the NXT Champion.
~ The Undisputed ERA got involved in the finish, with Kyle O’Reilly hitting Lee with the title belt, leading to Cole hitting the Last Shot.

Bianca Belair defeated Toni Storm at 19:00 via pin fall to become the NEW NXT UK Women’s Champion
~ After unsuccessful attempts at becoming the NXT Women’s Champion, and an unsuccessful attempt at a third opportunity, Bianca Belair took an excursion to the UK. As an ‘outsider,’ Bianca wasn’t taken too kindly to, but she showed up and put the work in. She defeated Rhea Ripley on May 22nd to face Toni Storm in the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Title match at a TakeOver in America.
~ Storm and Belair battled with great poise, but Belair emerged victorious with a CLEAN victory over Storm, hitting her with the KOD, and sending main roster call-up rumors buzzing…

The War Raiders defeated The Street Profits at 18:18 to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships

Charlotte Flair made a SURPRISE appearance at TakeOver: XXV. Flair gloated while the SPOTLIGHT shined down on her, something that she felt always happened when she was at a TakeOver. She was then interrupted by SHAYNA BASZLER! Baszler didn't come alone either, as Natalya, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir. Baszler promised that this would be the last time she'd ever appear in NXT or WWE and then sic'ed Nattie, Duke, and Shafir on Flair. Flair tried to defend herself but wound up the victim of a 4-on-1 beatdown! Shayna was going to stomp on her neck, which had a chair wrapped around it. But then someone interrupted their attack...

...and that someone was BECKY LYNCH!

Lynch got in the ring from behind them all, this time being the one in control of the situation. She sent them all packing, Jessamyn and Marina with the VERY steel chair that was wrapped around Charlotte's neck.

Becky and Charlotte stood in the ring afterwards, very awkwardly, not saying a word... and yet, so little HAD to be said with such a powerful moment unfolding.

Finn Balor defeated Tyler Breeze at 15:02.
~ Originally, Tyler Breeze was scheduled to face The Velveteen Dream for the North American Championship.
~ Dream was dismissed, the title was vacated, Finn showed up as a surprise opponent and picked up the victory at the historic TakeOver event, a show he rarely ever lost at

Johnny Gargano defeated Sami Zayn at 20:31 via submission to retain the NXT Championship
~ NXT General Manager William Regal handpicked Sami Zayn to be Gargano’s opponent for the 25th TakeOver in the leadup to the event. The build focused in on two of the biggest babyfaces in NXT history and their similarities

The Boss ‘N Hug Connection defeated The Sky Pirates at 29:51 to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
~ This became born after Bayley and Sasha Banks issued a challenge to Io Shirai and Kairi Sane after an episode of NXT.
~ This was made the big main event of the show since they were in Bayley’s hometown of San Jose
~ Bayley and Sasha delivered a Meteora-into-a-Powerbomb combination move on Kairi Sane for the victory

Now that we’re done here, let’s talk about the bigs…
​

THE ROAD TO BACKLASH​

Coming out of Money in the Bank, the ever-growing tension between alliances in the high ranks of the women’s division was starting to percolate in a big way.

Shayna Baszler felt like the most powerful woman in the company after the event. Baszler had earlier prophesized almost everything that had occurred leading up to and at Money in the Bank:
​

Raw 4/29, Lexington, KY:
Just then, however, Becky’s attention is taken away. And who’s the one thieving it? None other than The Queen of Spades! Becky leers over as Shayna Baszler appears up on the TitanTron. Baszler is seen wearing a black hoodie with an ace of spades on it, baggy jeans and black shoes. She’s walking around through a parking lot right now, perhaps the parking lot of Rupp Arena. Baszler says that she can’t help but laugh at everything that’s going on right now. She says that she is playing everybody, especially Becky, like a fiddle and just how she wanted to. The Queen of Spades, smirk on her face while she walks, tells Becky that she should’ve seen this coming. And the funny thing, she says, is that this isn’t Becky’s fault at all. Shayna tells Becky that she understands why she was so invigorated by what happened last November. She tells her that she knows why she relished the opportunity to face her friend Ronda Rousey and can feel for her that she missed out. In fact, The Queen of Spades even asserts that she gets why she was angered that Charlotte Flair got added to the match at WrestleMania, and that she still hasn’t gotten her one-on-one shot with Ronda. However, Baszler once again tells Lynch that none of this is her fault.

Becky gets on the mic and asks Shayna what she means by that, because she’s doing a lot of dancing around that. Baszler says that she doesn’t want to tell Becky why this is all happening in front of her right now. Becky demands that she does, or she’s going to come find her outside and beat her ass around the parking lot. Shayna shakes her head and sighs. She says that she doesn’t want to do this, but then decides to speak up. She talks about the Royal Rumble. Baszler tells Becky that everybody knows how historic of a night that was for Lynch. But before Becky’s historic Royal Rumble win, the pieces were set for all of this to turn into motion. Lynch tells Shayna that she needs to stop speaking in riddles and get to the point. Baszler shakes her head and says, okay, fine, and then she nods. Afterwards, a video plays. The video shows the post-match confrontation between Ronda and Sasha after their grueling Raw Women’s Championship Match at Chase Field. That showdown, of course, concluded with Sasha throwing up the ‘4’ right in Rousey’s face. The video concludes, and we go back to Baszler, who’s shaking her head again.

Shayna laments Sasha’s decision to disrespect her and Ronda and Jessamyn and Marina. She says that none of this would be happening and nobody would’ve been set off in their camp if Banks didn’t do that. Lynch asks if they’re really getting in their feelings about a hand gesture, and says that if she really wants to get offended, she’s got a hand gesture for her but it involves three less fingers and one just in the middle. Baszler responds after that, saying that’s exactly what she thought she was going to say because Becky and the rest of them don’t get it. They’ve never gotten it, Shayna says, and that’s why they’re in the position they’re in. Shayna says that she, Ronda, Marina and Jessamyn are a family, a sisterhood, and they were the first and they’re the REAL Four Horsewomen. Their friendship has never, ever wavered. Meanwhile, Becky and her “friends” can’t seem to relate to that, Baszler says.

She goes on about how right now, just now, Becky was telling Sasha to stand back. She goes over the fact that she already has plenty of ire in her gut for Charlotte, and before she knows it, she’ll have it for Bayley too. Before Becky can even retort, Shayna assures her that it’s going to happen soon. She says that Becky knows it too. She also points out how Sasha hates Charlotte and will likely not take too kindly to Becky’s words just now. She also says that everybody knows the drama that has unfolded between Bayley and Sasha before, and they’re one lit match away from exploding, especially if they lose the Women’s Tag Team Championships. Shayna reminds Becky that Charlotte hates ALL of them and won’t even give ANY of them the time of day! And as for Bayley? Shayna says when it comes to Bayley, the same rules apply to Sasha, and she was awfully angsty with Charlotte and there’s never been any love lost between them, dating all the way back to when Charlotte stabbed her in the back YEARS ago! Oh, and, of course, Becky’s done the same to Bayley before, but surely… she’d never snap on a friend… she’s never done THAT before…

With Becky just glaring on at the screen, Shayna says that everything she’s said is true and everything she’s going to say now will be true too. Shayna says that this war was started in January and never needed to be, but it’s Sasha’s fault that it did, and now all of them will suffer one way or another. Shayna tells Becky that their demise will come within while she, Ronda, Marina and Jessamyn will become stronger than ever. She tells Becky that the only thing to question isn’t “if” this happens, but “when.” She adds that there’s nothing they can do about it, because the wheels have been set in motion and there’s no stopping it now. Baszler throws the 4 up, and the camera cuts out. An agitated Becky can only look on with disgust in her eyes, and the only question is… will The Queen of Spades’ words become prophetic?​

But one thing was also true: Baszler had yet to step into the ring officially with anyone on the main roster. The Queen of Spades was primed to get her feet wet however at Backlash and her first opponent, or target, was no slouch herself. Alexa Bliss had gotten caught up in this entire web. It turns out that Bliss, despite being a persistent enemy of Bayley and Sasha Banks, was the one who let them know that Natalya might be up to something. Sasha didn’t take anything she said seriously, but Bayley was significantly more lenient and inclined to believe her, just because of how tense everything was getting. Turns out, Ms. Bliss was right and wound up fighting alongside them, a startling sight for many who know the intensity of their rivalries from years prior. Bliss and Baszler were teed up to meet at Backlash in what would surely be a tense encounter.

Meanwhile, Becky Lynch was willing to forgive Bayley after her miscue at Money in the Bank. She did express though that it couldn’t happen again, and Bayley was sure to agree to those terms. Lynch would become entrenched in a battle with Natalya, who made the full turn heel and joined Shayna and her gang of ponies. Prior to Backlash, Nattie lured Becky out into the parking lot of an arena, which wound up being a trap. Becky was assaulted and hit hard by another mysterious biker, who clubbed her with a bat while driving by her. Despite this, The Man was ever defiant in wanting to defend her title. She would have some backup this time though in Sasha Banks, whose ego had been making her very enigmatic lately heading into the show.

Smackdown had a new women’s champion in Asuka. Now they needed a new #1 Contender. After Bayley and Charlotte Flair each won matches one Tuesday evening, Charlotte called Bayley out on the mic and derided her a bit. This led to a few intense encounters between the two, leading to a match made for Backlash: Bayley would wrestle Charlotte Flair, and the winner would become the new #1 Contender for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Bayley was angry at Charlotte for being so ignorant about what was going on over on Raw. Flair said that she never made herself an enemy to any of them, so why would she worry? And why would the iconic Charlotte Flair worry about anybody at all? Bayley wasn’t thrilled with any of that and was sure to know that in a pressurized interview featuring the two in a locker room backstage. It was perhaps the fieriest, feistiest, and sometimes downright pissed off that Bayley had EVER sounded before, which not surprisingly startled many. But not Charlotte Flair, who believed she had the edge and would defeat Asuka because that’s all she ever does. Bayley though was sure to note that she’s had Charlotte’s number in the past and discussed her title victory on Raw in February 2017 and breaking her PPV win streak at Fastlane (OOC: How STUPID was that? I mean seriously folks. How DUMB was it that they did that at FASTLANE? Good God, thank God the old man is gone)

The Miz and Seth Rollins continued their feud after Money in the Bank. Miz remained determined to prove Seth Rollins was a fraud and things were starting to take a turn. Dominik Dijakovic arrived one fateful night, wearing a Seth Rollins T-shirt. Dijakovic claimed he was an invited guest of Rollins. Miz got infuriated about this and things kicked up a notch… just not in the way that Miz expected. Rollins was attacked by Dijakovic after he had gotten mad at him for intervening with The Miz. Dijakovic drove the steel steps down on Rollins’ ankle, an ankle that Miz had worked over in their match at Money in the Bank. So Miz’s claims seemed up in the air… but so too did Seth Rollins’ title reign.

Meanwhile, on Smackdown, things for Kofi Kingston were changing a bit. After dismissing Braun Strowman, Kofi moved on to… surprisingly, Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin praised Kingston in an in-ring encounter for his title victory at WrestleMania. Benjamin especially was happy that a black man won the WWE Championship. He said that back in his early days, he believed he could do it, but it never quite amounted to that. So Shelton said that he now felt compelled to try it again. So, Kofi defended the WWE Title against Shelton that night on Smackdown. Kofi emerged victorious but didn’t emerge standing tall. Attacking him after the match with a VICIOUS Spear was none other than ‘The All Mighty’ Bobby Lashley. Lashley’s sidekick Lio Rush echoed the sentiments Shelton had. He said that Kofi’s win was a blessing for him and other black superstars, but also a curse for Kingston, because now they all believe that THEY can be the one to do it, opening the floodgates for Lashley, who moved over to Smackdown in the Superstar Shakeup, to become the WWE Champion.

The Intercontinental Championship wasn’t defended at Money in the Bank. That’s because Finn Balor was too busy winning the contract. Finn, of course, won after tipping over the ladder that Kevin Owens was on. Simple and to the point, KO and Balor, two longtime rivals, were going to now fight over the Intercontinental Championship. Going into the show, much of the focus was on the two’s behaviors of late. KO had become much more subtle and mellow, shying away from his chaotic, uncaring ways. Meanwhile, Finn was basking in his best year ever, holding the IC Title and the MITB briefcase, and seemingly shying away from being all about the fans.

Ms. Money in the Bank Ruby Riott meanwhile was going to be tangling with a former Women’s Champion. Naomi, who Ruby prevented from winning, wasn’t willing to let Ruby slide there with that one. The two gathered quite a lot of tension going into the show and were determined to beat the heck out of each other in San Diego.

Speaking of San Diego, Rey Mysterio was going to be set up for a match! His opponent? None other than ‘The New’ Daniel Bryan. Bryan, along with Rowan, had been in the Tag Team Titles Tournament just like Mysterio and Ali. What started as a tag feud turned into a one-on-one encounter between two of the greatest in the business.

Finally, The Expat Express were Smackdown Tag Team Champions. Their first title defense? Enter: Heavy Machinery!

Other Notes:
~ Making a STATEMENT in his arrival to the Raw brand was former UK Champion Pete Dunne! And just how did The Bruiserweight make a statement? How about dethroning Samoa Joe and winning the United States Championship in his debut match?! Dunne became champion on the June 3rd edition of Raw, just six days before Backlash.
~ Dunne wasn’t the only former NXT UK alum to arrive on the main roster that week. Toni Storm once again arrived on main roster television. Twice in fact! Toni defended her championship on both Raw and Smackdown Live, this prior to her defense against Bianca Belair, which was her FIFTH title defense. Her third and fourth were against none other than Sasha Banks (DQ finish) and Carmella. After her loss at TakeOver: XXV, the speculation ramped up further that Storm, just 23 years old, would land on the main roster eventually.

BACKLASH ​

KICKOFF SHOW: Sami Zayn won a U.S. Title #1 Contender's Battle Royal

Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens at 16:30 via pinfall to retain the Intercontinental Championship
~ Finn kicked Owens below the belt and then spiked him with 1916 for the victory, fueling the fire for a heel turn

‘The New’ Daniel Bryan defeated Rey Mysterio at 12:30 via pinfall

It was announced that Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott would be debuting on Monday Night Raw in TWO WEEKS in his home state of Washington

Ruby Riott defeated Naomi at 11:10 via pinfall

An epic Raw Reunion was announced for July 22nd 2019 in Tampa, Florida, featuring Trish Stratus, John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and others

Shayna Baszler defeated Alexa Bliss at 2:37 via submission

Becky Lynch defeated Natalya at 14:22 via pinfall
~ Shayna, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke attempted to all get involved
~ Sasha Banks’ presence thwarted some of it, but she was taken out
~ Marina drilled Natalya with the championship belt instead of Becky Lynch
~ Lynch drilled Nattie with a Rock Bottom-like maneuver for the 1-2-3

The Expat Express defeated Heavy Machinery at 9:47 via pinfall

Ruby Riott attempted to cash in her Money in the Bank contract on Asuka, but Liv Morgan crashed the party by jumping at Ruby by the timekeeper’s position. Greg Hamilton was unable to make the announcement that she was cashing in, so it never wound up happening. Liv would take a stagedive down on Riott and security who tried to break the two women apart.

Bayley defeated Charlotte Flair at 15:35 via pinfall to become the #1 Contender for the Smackdown Women’s Championship
~ Charlotte Flair wrestled the match physically and mentally SHOOK after the haunting encounter 24 hours prior at TakeOver: XXV
~ Bayley won the match after moving away from the Moonsault. Charlotte landed on her feet but then wound up on her ass after a Bayley-to-Belly

Kofi Kingston defeated Bobby Lashley at 13:40 via pinfall to retain the WWE Championship
~ Lashley dominated MUCH of this match, but Kingston’s resilience kept him alive
~ Kofi won with a Trouble in Paradise that was RIGHT on the button and in a FLASH~ as Lashley was going for the Spear

Seth Rollins defeated The Miz at 24:31 via pinfall to retain the WWE Universal Championship
~ Dominik Dijakovic and Seth Rollins revealed their true colors. Seth made everyone aware that he was ACTUALLY wearing a plate underneath his ankle, so he was never actually hurt
~ Dijakovic hit Miz with FEAST YOUR EYES which led to Rollins hitting Miz with a STOMP to win the match and retain his title​

 

[Dubb]

Glad to see you joined the movement and we'll get to keep seeing your work, my man. I'm also excited to get to your recaps because I have gotten quite behind the past couple months so this will be helpful!

 

[DamageCTRL]

We're moving and grooving here folks. This next update features one of my favorite promos that I've ever written as well as one of my favorite angles I've ever written. They are each hugely consequential. In fact, this is probably one of the most consequential periods of time in this universe.

CHAPTER 3​

It is now mid-June 2019. All Elite Wrestling just launched several days prior to the start of the month with their Double or Nothing PPV. The biggest news to come from that show came in the main event. After Chris Jericho defeated Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, FKA Dean Ambrose, arrived and attacked both Jericho and Omega. In doing so, Moxley became the first prominent former WWE wrestler to jump ship to AEW after his contract expired in mid-April. The business was starting to change a bit again, and WWE had to adjust.

Two things were true about the state of WWE heading into June 2019. A youth movement was beginning and women’s wrestling was beginning to truly takeover. Pete Dunne’s arrival to the main roster, and subsequent U.S. Title-clinching victory over Samoa Joe, helped to further this along. The fact that 23-year-old Toni Storm’s name was all over the rumor mill was also indicative of a change. Storm was a hot prospect with a lot of hype around the world, and with scattered appearances on Raw and Smackdown Live the last two months, it felt like just a matter of time. Plus, 29-year-old ‘Swerve’ Scott was about to debut on Raw.

It was becoming abundantly clear that there was a change in vision after WrestleMania 35. The women were getting the majority of the big storylines and arcs on the show. They were getting significantly more time to work and tell their stories. To promo. To be front and center. It was a long climb to get to this point and there was still plenty to do. But with the biggest feud in the company involving the most notable women in the company, it was clear that WWE was intent on pushing forward and keeping the foot on the gas with their presentation of the women.

The festivity planned for the month of July was a flashback. The Great American Bash was returning. Fittingly, the event was scheduled to take place in the birthplace of America!

The Great American Bash – July 14th, 2019 – Philadelphia, PA

The stakes were high but were about to ascend to unbelievable heights. SummerSlam waited in the distance in August in Toronto. It was clear, however, that as the weeks transpired, The Great American Bash would be one of the most consequential shows of the year.​

THE ROAD TO THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH​

Stephanie McMahon made a major announcement in the aftermath of Backlash. At The Great American Bash, a hugely important match would be taking place. Stephanie dubbed it ‘The Great American Gauntlet.’ Stephanie said that it would be a match that would occur each year at The Great American Bash, indicating the event was here to stay. There would be eight superstars competing, 4 from Raw, 4 from Smackdown Live. The prize? A MASSIVE one. The winner of The Great American Gauntlet would be rewarded with either a shot at the WWE or the Universal Champion at SummerSlam!

As you might expect, the best of the best were going to compete in the inaugural Great American Gauntlet. After the qualifying stages, eight superstars remained. They were:

Baron Corbin, Cedric Alexander, Ricochet, Samoa Joe
Big E, ‘The New’ Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Rusev

A host of fresh faces, venerable talents, and big names aplenty. Roman Reigns had been going slow and steady for a long while after his memorable return to the ring following his leukemia remission. But things ramped up in the summer for Roman and it looked like Reigns was going to come for the championship he never lost or the championship he hadn’t held in over three years. But hot on his and everyone else’s tail was ‘The New’ Daniel Bryan. After Bryan’s victory over Rey Mysterio at Backlash, there might not have been a hotter wrestler on the planet. Bryan looked to be getting into gear just at the right time and ascending back to the top seemed foretold.

As a result of this, there would be no major title defenses at The Great American Bash. While Seth Rollins and his new heater Dominik Dijakovic waited on the sidelines, Kofi Kingston did no such thing. Kingston had to defend his championship against Bobby Lashley again. But THIS time inside a 15-foot high Steel Cage on Smackdown Live in Portland! But despite the stipulation change, the result stayed the same. Kofi Kingston stayed at the top, defeating Lashley definitively this time instead of in a FLASH!~

Meanwhile, the drama continued to unfold around the Raw Women’s Championship. Or, in this case, the Raw Women’s Champion.

Becky Lynch was set to address the WWE fans in San Jose on Raw, 24 hours after successfully defending her championship. Her pals, Bayley and Sasha Banks, still the Women’s Tag Team Champions, joined her in the ring. Becky was embattled, she was beaten up, she was knocked down and dragged out but STILL stood as the Raw Women’s Champion. This drew the ire of Shayna Baszler still, who appeared on the TitanTron. What followed was as bone-chilling a development as you could ever believe.

Raw, 6/10, San Jose​

We pick this up in progress…

Becky Lynch: So I guess that means that we have somethin’ in common. For once, we have a similarity. I still wanna rip your arm off Natalya, and you all still want this Raw Women’s Championship. Well if we’ve got unfinished business? Then you name the time and you name the place. Because I’m ready to fight for this at any freakin’ time, because I’m The Man and that’s what The Man does!!

~ Cheers again. Bayley and Sasha nod their heads in approval. Suddenly, a few seconds later…

“CHAMP!”

A familiar voice protrudes the SAP Center.

“Hey, champ!”

Becky, Bayley and Sasha all look over… to the TitanTron…

Where SHAYNA BASZLER and NATALYA appear!

The crowd jeers as we see Shayna and Nattie, sitting on a couch together inside of a house.

Shayna Baszler: Glad I could get your attention.

~ Shayna smirks and Nattie lets out a laugh.

Shayna Baszler: Impassioned speech, champ. You really know how to get these people riled up. You’re such an inspiration to us all.

~ Well that’s certainly dripping with sarcasm.

Shayna Baszler: Y’know we heard what you had to say, and for once? We do agree. We did leave meat on the bone last night at Backlash.

~ Becky lets out a grin and nods, as if to say, “You’re damn right you did.”

Shayna Baszler: That wasn’t our intention. Just like when you came to Charlotte Flair’s rescue on Sunday, our plans were disrupted.

~ The Man seems to take offense to that remark.

Shayna Baszler: But despite that disruption, our mission remains the same. We aren’t going to stop until we get that Raw Women’s Championship, but that isn’t the only thing we want to do either.

~ Nattie shakes her head.

Shayna Baszler: We aren’t going to stop until we take you and the rest of your little friends out either. You know who you are, I see you in the ring right now. All three of you, and Charlotte, are going to be taken out. One by one, until we finish the job. We’re tired of you disrespecting us, and this isn’t going to end until we get what we want.

~ Shayna glares into the camera.

Shayna Baszler: Now we hate to disappoint you three, because it looks like you’re ready for a fight. But we aren’t in San Jose tonight.

~ Boos from the crowd.

Shayna Baszler: Last night, we came up short in our goal. And after we left San Diego last night, we decided not to come up to San Jose. It was clear to me, to Natalya, and to Jessamyn and Marina that we had to recuperate. That we had to regroup. And that we had to reassess and readjust our strategy.

~ Nattie nods her head.

Shayna Baszler: You see, I’ll give you credit, Becky. You’ve recognized lately that you need your friends to have your back. You know deep down that I inspire fear. That I invoke fear in you. That the reality is that you’re being chased down and you’ll be chased down relentlessly. So you always have backup, and you always have a plan. You’re smart. I’ll give you that.

~ Shayna nods her head as she’s leaned forward.

Shayna Baszler: But Becky, while you’re smart… I’m two steps ahead of you. Always. Even when you don’t think I am, I’m always ahead of the game. And I knew that we had to rethink things. So, Nattie and I decided to go somewhere else.

~ Shayna lets out a smirk.

Shayna Baszler: We got in our car, and we drove up the interstate. I-5… from San Diego… to Los Angeles…

~ Shayna lets out a wider smirk, and then looks off camera to her right.

Shayna Baszler: And paid someone… a very… special visit.

~ Shayna is now smiling, not smirking. The camera then widens…

…

…

…

To reveal…

…

…

…

​

RONDA ROUSEY!!!!!​

The crowd reacts in SHOCK! And so do Becky, Bayley and Sasha!! RONDA ROUSEY, who hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since WrestleMania, is sitting on the couch beside Shayna!! Ronda, seen wearing a black leather jacket and jeans, with her hair down, glares into the screen. And she then smirks.

Ronda Rousey: Surprise, bitch.

~ Becky glares with anger.

Ronda Rousey: Hello, Becky. Hello Bayley, and hello Sasha. Nice to see you three again.

~ Ronda continues to look on, with the coffee table in front of her and intriguingly, a briefcase is atop it.

Ronda Rousey: It’s been a while. But surely, surely you had to see this coming. Surely you had to think that I wasn’t going to just disappear and fade into a distant memory for you all.

~ Ronda’s words carry a lot of anger behind them.

Ronda Rousey: Let me bring you up to speed here so that we’re all on the same page. At WrestleMania, Becky, you took the Raw Women’s Championship from me. You had your proud moment in the sun, you had the fanfare and you had the pomp. But everyone, including you, knows that WrestleMania was nothing more than a fluke.

~ There’s plenty of resentment in Ronda’s voice. Becky rolls her eyes in the ring.

Ronda Rousey: But a funny thing happened in that match. Something that’s prevented me from avenging that loss.

~ Ronda then pulls up the sleeve of her jacket, revealing a cast on her hand.

Ronda Rousey: See, I broke my hand in that match. And doctors haven’t cleared me yet, so I’ve had to sit and watch you happily parade around with something that belongs to me, Becky. I’ve had to sit in my home in Los Angeles and watch you get all the glory after all you did was catch lightning in a bottle.

~ A shot of Becky holding onto her title in the ring right now. Ronda shakes her head.

Ronda Rousey: That’s eaten me up, Becky. Knowing that I am the rightful champion, and seeing you get every ounce of glory that should belong to me. I’m the reason the Women’s Evolution even began!

~ Woo buddy, are we taking it there?

Ronda Rousey: You all wouldn’t have even sniffed prosperity if it weren’t for me. And that goes for every single one of you. I’m the trailblazer that everyone thinks that you all are. I’m the revolution. I’m the evolution of women’s wrestling. And it makes me sick to my stomach that I have to sit back and watch you get what I deserve and I have earned, you coattail-riding BITCH!

~ WE ARE TAKING IT THERE!

Ronda Rousey: And the day that I am cleared is the day that you’re all done for. It’s the day that you all fall before me. You thought the last year was dominant? You thought I was good as a rookie? This isn’t even my final form, and I am going to raise hell for all of you sooner rather than later. I can PROMISE you that!

~ We see what you did there, Ronda. We see what you did there.

Ronda Rousey: Because I’m not done around here yet. See, about the only thing that has been good since WrestleMania is that I’m staying around in WWE for a long, long time. I negotiated the most lucrative contract for a women’s wrestler EVER.

~ Well then. That’s newsworthy.

Ronda Rousey: I may be wounded, but my bank account is very healthy. So I’ve been sitting on even more money than any of you could ever dream of attaining. And I’ve thought to myself… just what should I do with this money?

~ Ronda rubs her chin.

Ronda Rousey: Should I spend it? Should I invest? Or should I use it… to get… what I want?

~ A smirk starts to form on Ronda’s face.

Ronda Rousey: Well, for the last two months, I’ve been trying to get what I want. And that’s revenge on you Becky. See, you’ve been right to think that I’ve been behind everything that’s happened to you since the night after WrestleMania. I did tell Shayna to come after you. I did coerce Natalya to try and get those Tag Team Titles away from those disrespectful twerps standing behind you right now.

~ Sheesh…

Ronda Rousey: And I have been calling every shot. But you’ve been resilient. You’ve been unwavering. You’ve been strong and you’ve been sturdy. To some people that might be admirable. But to me? You’re more like a pest in my eyes.

~ The hatred is oh so tangible.

Ronda Rousey: But what do you do when you have a pest problem? You try and exterminate.

~ Cold words there from Rousey, who stares coldly into the camera before reaching out.

Ronda Rousey: And if I can’t do it on my own? And if the work being done isn’t enough? Well… then it’s time to use my resources.

~ Rousey then reaches for and pulls the aforementioned briefcase forward. See you should’ve been paying attention. I hope you were.

Ronda Rousey: It’s time to up the ante. It’s time…

~ Ronda then unlatches the briefcase, and turns it around.

Ronda Rousey: To raise… the stakes.

~ Inside the briefcase? Money. LOTS of money.

The camera flashes back to Becky. The Man… seems to instantly realize what’s going on.

Ronda Rousey: See, this? This is One… Million… Dollars.

~ Some audible gasps are heard in the crowd as everyone is becoming aware.

Ronda Rousey: One million dollars that I’ve earned. This is one million dollars that belong to me. This isn’t Shayna’s money. This isn’t Natalya’s money. This isn’t Jessamyn’s or Marina’s. This isn’t anyone else’s but mine. This money is mine… for now.

~ Ronda lets out an evil smile again.

Ronda Rousey: Because I am offering this money to anyone… within the sound of my voice right now… who takes ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch out.

~ Some more gasps. Ronda nods her head as she pulls out a bundle of the cash.

Ronda Rousey: One… million… dollars… to take… you… out, Becky. I don’t care how it’s done. I don’t care where it’s done. The parking lot. The hotel after the show. The Performance Center. Wherever you do CrossFit. The locker room. In that ring. I don’t care who it is. It makes no difference to me. If you take The Man out, then you get one… million… dollars.

~ Ronda nods her head. We come back to Becky, who is gripping onto her title tightly. And perhaps her sanctity as well.

Ronda Rousey: We’re about to find out just how much of a man you really are, Becky.

~ Rousey lets out a chuckle.

Ronda Rousey: Because at the top of the hour… this bounty? This bounty goes into effect.

~ Having pulled a few more wads of cash out, Ronda purses through them with her finger.

Ronda Rousey: Money’s a powerful thing, Becky. It can drive… anyone… to do anything…

~ The camera is sure to pick up Becky, staring back at Bayley and at Sasha… fear in her eyes…

Ronda Rousey: So, stay safe. And keep your friends close… … …

~ Ronda leans forward.

Ronda Rousey: …And your enemies closer.

~ In the ring, while Ronda lets out the evilest of smirks, Becky frantically looks at Bayley and looks at Sasha. The two of them try to reassure her that the two of them aren’t out to get her. But what is Becky supposed to believe right now? What is The Man supposed to think? She knows good and well that the bounty’s about to be put on her head, and so without hesitating, Lynch DARTS out of the ring!

Bayley and Sasha call out to her, but Becky backpedals over towards the barricade. She looks around anxiously, and then hops over the barricade. She backs away from the ringside area and keeps looking over her shoulder. She continues to backpedal before deciding to turn around and hightail it through the tunnel!

The camera keeps up with Lynch after it caught Bayley and Sasha leaving the ring to go after her. The Man is hurriedly trying to get the hell out of dodge right now. She comes up near a crewmember and jukes by them. She continues on down the way, likely bulleting towards the exits. And upon seeing the exit, she hits the turbo button and runs towards the door.

We hear Bayley and Sasha in the background, shouting for her. But any attempt to try and wrangle The Man back is futile. Becky blows through the door and sprints towards her car. She soon finds it and climbs inside. She starts it up and looks at the time.

7:59 local time it reads… and Becky stares at it for a half-second. And in that split second, it turns to the top of the hour. And in that moment, she punches the gas and drives away…​

Becky Lynch was on the run. Becky Lynch felt the heat like she’d never felt before. But The Man always has a plan. Lynch would later reveal that she’s got some money too, and she invested in a little insurance policy.

Enter: BETH PHOENIX! Despite her previous allegiances to Natalya, Beth was standing tall with Becky! So despite feeling the pressure, being that scared, staring down the barrel of a roster with a motive to take her out, Becky was able to finesse out of danger without much of a scar on her. But still, the bounty existed. And still, Lynch had to wrestle. She was scheduled to wrestle in a huge tag team match – a Stars ‘N Stripes Street Fight – at The Great American Bash. Her and Sasha Banks were to wrestle Natalya and Shayna Baszler. Sasha though had gotten icy with Becky. She didn’t particularly trust Beth Phoenix and questioned her allegiances. This upset Becky, but the two were still scheduled to tag together anyway in one of the first big battles between these two factions.

On the Smackdown side, Bayley got her title shot at Asuka in Portland. But because of Charlotte Flair, who interfered as she was going to win, she lost out on her opportunity to become Smackdown Women’s Champion. Charlotte would be on the receiving end of a rabid attack by Bayley backstage, hard to say she didn’t deserve it, but it wasn’t any less true. It was still believed though that Charlotte was the #2 contender. Since the #1 contender, Bayley, didn’t get a clean finish, a judgment call was made: At The Great American Bash, there would be a TRIPLE THREAT MATCH between Bayley, Charlotte Flair, and the Smackdown Women’s Champion Asuka!

But Smackdown’s women weren’t done there. Bilile Kay and Peyton Royce decided to go after Nikki Cross. Cross was able to score wins over Billie and Peyton, but still felt abuse from them and was the victim of 2-on-1 attacks. So, Cross needed a friend. She said to The IIconics that she found a friend to play with her, and she’d be arriving at The Great American Bash! Well, I wonder who that could be…

Finn Balor turned heel at Backlash and retained his Intercontinental Championship. The sneaky and dirty move by Balor furthered the point home that Balor’s seedy ways were getting him success while Kevin Owens’ reservations were costing him. KO kept making it clear that he didn’t want to be that guy anymore. He noted that he doesn’t want his son to see him be the psychotic, sometimes sociopathic monster that he was for much of his early run in WWE. But Balor’s nasty ways persisted anyways and were boosting him unlike anything before in HIS run. Both had their reasons for their stances, but it didn’t make Finn any less evil. The two were then set for a rematch at The Great American Bash for the Intercontinental Title.

The feud between The Expat Express and Heavy Machinery continued on. After a masked luchadore arrived in the match at Backlash and helped them retain, Heavy Machinery got another shot at the gold at The Great American Bash, and promised the odds would even with the arrival of a Great American Hero in their corner!

Pete Dunne made many waves when he became the United States Champion in his debut match. Dunne proved to be a fighting champion over the next few weeks but eventually found himself in the crosshairs of a future Hall of Famer: Randy Orton. Hey! There’s someone we’ve spent exactly zero minutes and zero seconds on in this thread so far. So Randy lost at WrestleMania to AJ Styles. The two kept feuding throughout their time on Raw, as each moved over in the Superstar Shakeup. They met in a Street Fight in Kansas City on Memorial Day, a match Orton won with an RKO on the sidewalk. Styles has not been seen since. So Orton is now hunting for gold again and is a big piece in front of the youngster Dunne at The Great American Bash.

Last, but certainly not least, Ms. Money in the Bank Ruby Riott moved onto a new target: Ember Moon. After taking care of Naomi, Riott was in pursuit of another former Women’s Champion to add to her growing list of quality victories.

Other Notes:
~ Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott made his debut on Raw from Everett Washington on June 17th to much fanfare and attention. Swerve is so far undefeated and is competing against Shelton Benjamin in an ‘All-Star Challenge’ on The Great American Bash Kickoff Show
~ Speaking of the Kickoff, Kyle O’Reilly will be back on it, as O’Reilly is set to defend the Cruiserweight Championship against Tony Nese in a Money in the Bank rematch.
~ The Usos and The Hardy Boyz were set to wrestle at Raw Reunion a week after The Great American Bash in a major tag team match
​

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH​

It was revealed immediately at the start of the Kickoff Show that BECKY LYNCH was involved in a CAR ACCIDENT before the show on I-95. Lynch is UNABLE to compete tonight. The belief is someone was chasing the bounty.

Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott defeated Shelton Benjamin at 7:02 via pinfall in the All-Star Showdown

Kyle O’Reilly defeated Tony Nese at 13:45 via submission to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Nikki Cross and Toni Storm defeated The IIconics at 3:39 via pinfall
~ Turns out, Toni Storm was Nikki Cross’ friend that she got to play with her!
~ Storm won the match for her team by hitting Storm Zero on Billie Kay

Pete Dunne defeated Randy Orton at 12:42 via pinfall to retain the WWE United States Championship

There was a tense encounter between Beth Phoenix and Sasha Banks. As we mentioned, there was a level of distrust between the two parties that never really wavered until this point. Beth said that she was taking Becky’s place, which was news to Banks. Banks said that she never asked Beth to do that. Beth claimed she had a responsibility, but Sasha chimed in that it was to protect Becky Lynch. Beth said Sasha simply couldn’t go out by herself, but Banks told her to watch her do that.

Beth tried to intervene and said she wouldn’t let her do that. Sasha said that for all the talk Beth has about protection, she questions Beth’s lack of presence back on Monday. See, back on Monday, Bayley and Sasha got their asses kicked by Shayna, Nattie, Marina, and Jessamyn. And for some strange reason, Beth wasn’t around. Sasha accused Beth of just protecting the golden goose and not them. Sasha asked what they got out of this arrangement, and said it was ridiculous that Phoenix was acting noble by going to fight with her. Sasha last said she didn’t need her protection and she’s taking down whatever Nattie and Shayna throw at her. And, if she saw Beth out there, she’d wonder whose side Phoenix was on.

Natalya and Shayna Baszler defeated Sasha Banks at 14:20 by TKO in the Stars ‘N Stripes Handicap Street Fight
~ Banks resiliently fought this one 2-on-1 for a majority
~ Beth Phoenix INDEED did appear. She got in the way of Shayna, who was wielding a tire iron. She wasn’t necessarily helping, she didn’t touch Baszler while Sasha and Nattie fought backstage. But… she was there. Banks again told Phoenix that she did not need her help
~ Sasha was thrown into Beth by Nattie later in the match
~ BAYLEY, of all people, came out and lit Nattie and Shayna with a Kendo Stick and hit Shayna with a Bayley-to-Belly, making sure her loyalty wasn’t going to be questioned tonight
~ Banks fought in the Kirifuda Clutch but ultimately passed out

The Expat Express (w/ Zelina Vega) defeated Heavy Machinery (w/ Hacksaw Jim Duggan) at 9:25 via pinfall to retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
~ Hacksaw Jim Duggan was the promised ‘American Hero’ in Heavy Machinery’s corner
~ The same masked luchadore, we presume, came into the ring and helped The Expat Express retain again

Roman Reigns was interviewed by Kayla Braxton. That interview was interrupted by ANDRADE, who claimed nobody cared about Roman’s quest to be Champion. He made it all about The Expat Express, which resulted in Andrade getting punched in the face by Roman Reigns!

Once again, Sasha Banks and Beth Phoenix had a contentious encounter backstage while Ruby Riott made her entrance for the next match. Which is ironic, because Ruby has made constant claims that she’s being overlooked in favor of others. Anyways, Sasha yelled at Beth for having a presence even after asking her not to. Beth pointed out that she ‘backed Shayna off,’ to which Sasha pointed out all the good THAT did. Which is to say, none. Banks again questioned Phoenix’s loyalties as her.

Ruby Riott defeated Ember Moon at 9:47 via pinfall

THE ROCK APPRECIATION NIGHT was announced for Smackdown on July 23rd from Miami, Florida

Finn Balor and Kevin Owens fought to a double countout at 14:42. Balor retained the Intercontinental Title
~ Finn’s agitation led to both men fighting outside the ring and not answering the count
~ Owens went crazy after Finn incited him, as they fought up by the stage
~ Owens Powerbombed Balor on the stage! He then came back and did it a SECOND time and then Powerbombed him OFF THE STAGE for the third Powerbomb!!

‘The New’ Daniel Bryan won The First Annual Great American Gauntlet at 47:07.
~ Bryan went the distance from start to finish, eliminating every wrestler in the Gauntlet himself
~ After Bryan had eliminated Cedric Alexander, the fourth man in the match, Baron Corbin came out. He figured it was easy peasy, but Bryan rolled him into a Small Package after just two minutes in the match/ Corbin responded to this by planting Bryan with the End of Days
~ Samoa Joe would come out next. But on Joe’s way to the ring, he was sniped by Drew McIntyre, who had engaged in a feud with Joe over the past month. Drew smoked him with a Claymore and then rolled him into the ring after a SECOND Claymore. Bryan simply crawled over him and got the pin
~ Bryan and Roman Reigns fought last. Roman seemed in a position to win a title shot. However, ANDRADE struck back after the earlier segment. He hit Roman with a chair and then dragged Bryan atop him, so Bryan became the winner of the first-ever Great American Gauntlet

Bryan announced immediately after that he planned to challenge KOFI KINGSTON at SummerSlam for the WWE Championship in what would be an EPIC WrestleMania Rematch!

Asuka defeated Bayley and Charlotte Flair at 18:25 via submission to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship
~ These three ladies pulled out all the STOPS in this match
~ Bayley hit Asuka with the same Reverse-Rana that helped her win the title in Brooklyn, but she was then hit with a Natural Selection by Charlotte, resulting in a near fall after Charlotte tried pinning Asuka
~ She went for Natural Selection on Asuka, but Asuka trapped her with the Asuka Lock and eventually forced her into submission, FINALLY conquering the WrestleMania 34 demons

But the dust had not yet settled after the bell rang for the final time…

THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH, 7/14, Philadelphia, PA​

Afterwards, the camera fixates itself on Charlotte. She is in disbelief. She thought she had it in the bag, but she was finally dinged by The Empress. The Smackdown Women’s Champoinship is not hers, and what’s more is that she tapped out. Definitively at that! No rubbish, no nonsense. She straight up tapped out in the center of the ring.

The Queen gets to her feet a few moments later.

BUT IS THEN SENT RIGHT BACK DOWN!

BY BAYLEY!!!

A RIM-ROCKING RIGHT HAND takes The Queen down!!

The Hugger simply couldn’t resist. After so much torment and bullshit over the last few weeks, Bayley got Charlotte GOOD with that right. That FIERCE right hand. There is anger in Bayley’s eyes. She was not able to win the championship or conquer Asuka, or celebrate much of anything tonight. She looks up at the stage, but Asuka is no longer there. She shakes her head and then looks back at Charlotte with disgust. And she SPITS down at Charlotte!!

Boy, there is a LOT of hate in Bayley’s heart right now! So very much unlike her, but can ANYBODY blame her? All of what’s consumed her for months on end, Charlotte was perhaps the most agitating thing. And she just cost her a chance to become champion and made sure that she wasn’t around to make it happen!

Bayley goes over to the barricade, and she hops on over it. She then starts to walk towards the tunnel. The Hugger’s not even bothering to go up the entrance ramp, and instead, she just walks on a straight line towards the back of the arena. The camera cuts to Charlotte, who’s dazed and confused in the ring after eating that punch. The camera cuts to Bayley again, as she approaches the tunnel.

…

…

…

…

…

And then suddenly, a cold wind blows through the Wells Fargo Center.​

***LOYALTY IS EVERYTHING***​

A gasp.

Then a ROAR.

Bayley stops dead in her tracks.

Charlotte’s eyes widen as she looks over at the stage.

Out walks…

JESSAMYN DUKE

MARINA SHAFIR

NATALYA

AND

SHAYNA BASZLER!!!

With an exhausted Charlotte Flair in the ring, this dangerous quartet has made their way on stage! The crowd is watching on INTENTLY, perhaps more so than they have all night. It is a repeat of TakeOver: XXV, but perhaps 100 times more dangerous! Charlotte, in the ring looks around as the quartet starts to pick up their pace towards the ring. The Queen realizes she is in deep, DEEP shit. And she looks out in the direction of Bayley, who continues to look on from her spot by the tunnel.

The Hugger looks back in that direction, as we see Marina and Jessamyn nod their heads at Shayna and Nattie. Duke and Shafir then circle the ring like sharks. They each put their hands on the apron and run it along as they walk around. They then stop on the east and south sides of the ring. Natalya then goes to the north, and Shayna stands by the west. With a large smirk on her face.

Bayley continues to look on… as Charlotte looks in that direction as she gets to her feet. She then looks at everyone else, but it was Bayley who said that she hated Charlotte. It was Bayley who said that Charlotte deserved everything that was coming her way. It was Bayley who said that one day, The Queen would need saving and no one would be there to help her.

…

…

…

And it is Bayley.

WHO TURNS HER HEAD ​

AND WALKS THROUGH THE TUNNEL!​

THE HUGGER HAS LEFT THE QUEEN OUT TO DRY.​

If it wasn’t obvious before that The Queen was in trouble, NOW it is ABUNDANTLY CLEAR! There is no Sasha; there is no Bayley; and there is no Becky. NOBODY is here to save Charlotte, and she realizes that. However, Charlotte appears ready to not go down without a fight. She readies herself, and Shayna looks at everyone and nods her head. With that nod, Jessamyn and Marina jump up to the apron. Nattie looks over and nods her head and gets up on the apron. Shayna, last but not least, then climbs up onto the apron and stares right at Charlotte.

Charlotte shakes her head and decides to tell them to bring it on! Her fight-or-flight response has absolutely been triggered in this moment in time. This moment that everyone can feel at once. Shayna then continues to smirk, and then she tells Charlotte to look around her. And to count.

Shayna then holds up…

One finger.

Then…

Two fingers.

And then…

Three fingers.

And then…

Four. Fingers.

The gesture. The very strong, unmistakable gesture, sent right in the direction of Charlotte freakin’ Flair.

Charlotte shakes her head and then tells them to come on in again.

Shayna laughs. Evil is the look on her face and she then looks right in Charlotte’s eyes.

And slowly…

Brings up her thumb.

Holding up.

Five… fingers.

Charlotte squints, eying Shayna with befuddlement.

“Five?”

…

…

…

A bitter cold gust of wind bowls through the Wells Fargo Center.

And it slaps Charlotte right in the face. And she knows it.

“Fuck.” She mouths.​

***BAD REPUTATION***​

AN ABSOLUTELY RAUCOUS ROAR BURSTS THROUGH THE WELLS FARGO CENTER!

A CHILL GOES UP CHARLOTTE’S SPINE AS SHE CLOSES HER EYES AND EXHALES, KNOWING HER FATE

BECAUSE WALKING THROUGH THE CURTAIN

IS

THE BADDEST

WOMAN

ON THE PLANET!​

RONDA ROUSEY!!!​

For the FIRST TIME since WRESTLEMANIA, Ronda Rousey is here at a WWE event!! Shayna Baszler was not bluffing at ALL about the appearance of The Rowdy One. It just wasn’t when anyone expected it to be!

Rousey, wearing a black leather jacket, a black t-shirt, black pants and black boots, stands unwaveringly at the top of the ramp. Shayna looks back at her best friend with an evil and perhaps psychotic smile on her face. She waves at Ronda, who acknowledges her with a nod of the head.

Rousey then goes on down the ramp, slowly but surely as Charlotte is still geared up to fight. She just doesn’t know who she’s going to be fighting, or how many she’s going to be fighting. But, by God, she is ready to go down on the sword right now. Commendable as it is crazy, The Queen won’t b egoing down without a fight.

A fight she will get.

Ronda arrives at the end of the ramp, and looks at Shayna. Shayna looks at Ronda as Rousey’s music cuts. There is nothing but the crowd going right now, and then Rousey moves her lips.

“Now,” she says.

AND THE QUARTET GOES AHEAD AND POUNCES ON CHARLOTTE!!!

Charlotte absorbs just about EVERYTHING dealt to her as Jessamyn, Marina, Nattie and Shayna start to punch and kick the shit out of The Queen!! Ronda just walks by like nothing is even happening, going past the ring while we see Charlotte being ganged up on in the corner! But as Rousey approaches the commentary table, Flair begins to fight back!

Flair sends Jessamyn and Marina away! She then takes Nattie and throws her into the corner, and then starts to go after Shayna!! Shayna and Charlotte start to exchange blows and Flair subdues her! Flair is fighting honorably here and she hip-tosses an oncoming Natalya! Jessamyn and Marina then go to double-team her, but Charlotte fights them off too!! She’s fighting and fighting these three, but then SHAYNA COMES IN LIKE A TRUCK AND WIPES HER CLEAN OFF HER FEET!!

Baszler looks over at Ronda, who nods her head at her. And then Baszler picks Flair up by the gut and TOSSES HER DOWN EFFORTLESSLY! She grabs Charlotte again and THROWS HER DOWN AGAIN BY HER GUT!! Baszler keeps the hold applied and picks her up again and THROWS HER DOWN VIOLENTLY AGAIN!! Ronda, unwittingly, watches on from ringside and nods her head and Shayna picks her up a FOURTH TIME and DROPS HER DOWN HARSHLY FOR A FOURTH TIME!!

Shayna then looks down at Charlotte, who is damn near lifeless at this point. She then looks over at Rousey, who sharpens her look. She then raises her hand, and snaps her fingers. Baszler then nods, grabs Charlotte by the head and LOCKS IN THE KIRIFUDA CLUTCH!! And while Shayna chokes Charlotte out with the hold, Rousey gets up from her seat. She then walks over to the ring, and flips the ring skirt up. She reaches down and then grabs… A KENDO STICK! And she hands one to Jessamyn! She then grabs ANOTHER Kendo Stick, and hands it to Marina! She then bends down and picks up a THIRD Kendo Stick and tosses it over to Nattie! And then, Rousey picks up a FOURTH KENDO STICK!!

Tom Phillips points out that the kendo stick does have some significance, as it’s the weapon that Charlotte utilized on Rousey back at Survivor Series last year! Rousey then climbs into the ring and Shayna pulls Charlotte over to the corner. The lifeless Charlotte is at their MERCY, and Jessamyn comes up and WHACKS CHARLOTTE IN THE GUT with the kendo stick! Marina then follows in and whacks Charlotte with it as well!! Nattie then comes up, winds up and SMACKS CHARLOTTE WITH IT AS WELL!! Jessamyn then comes up and smacks her with it! Then Marina! Then Nattie! Jessamyn! Marina! Nattie! Un-RELENTINGLY, the trio deals out a bevy of punishment, and then they clear the way for Ronda.

Ronda curls her finger and tells Shayna to come with her. Baszler drags Flair, who is on her last breath right now. Baszler made SURE to keep some breath in her. She grabs her and seats her on her knees, as Rousey puts the kendo stick underneath her jaw. She holds up Charlotte’s head with it and then begins to speak.

“Did you think you were free? Did you think that you were just gonna get away with it? That you thought you weren’t a target? Of course you did.”

Her words sound… awfully prophetic…

“You were always a target, Charlotte. All of you are targets. All of you are going to suffer.”

Rousey shakes her head.

“It never had to be this way, but now it has to. Now, you pay the price.”

She pulls the kendo stick back as Shayna holds her head up. Ronda steps back and then sidesteps forward.

AND SWINGS FOR THE FENCES AND BLOWS THE KENDO STICK UP THROUGH CHARLOTTE’S FREAKIN’ FACE!!!

Out like a LIGHT is Charlotte Flair. She crumbles down on the mat, scarred up from the kendo stick shots all across her body. But Rousey… isn’t… done. She tells them to hold her down, and the quartet does as they’re told. Ronda then goes out of the ring and over to the timekeeper’s position. Mike Rome and Greg Hamilton both get the HELL out of dodge, and Ronda grabs the steel chair and folds it up!

Phillips harkens back to, um, another form of payback that could be coming The Queen’s way. What was supposed to happen at TakeOver: XXV before The Man arrived. But, there is no Becky… there is no Sasha and there is no Bayley either. There’s NOBODY to save Charlotte Flair, and nobody apparently able to help out from backstage either!!

Rousey climbs into the ring with the chair and Charlotte is still pinned down.

Ronda then makes a beeline over, and she gets down and FITS THE STEEL CHAIR AROUND CHARLOTTE’S NECK!!

EVERYONE now knows where THIS is headed, and it’s certainly payback for EXACTLY what happened to Ronda at Survivor Series 2018!! Rousey gives the four instructions, and they drag Charlotte’s motionless body away from the corner. They then stop about three feet after, and Rousey sits herself up on the top rope.

Commentary begs her off, but there is nothing that can stop what’s coming.

Rousey stands herself up on the second rope.

Looks out at the crowd.

FLASHES THE FOUR WITH HER HAND!

Holds it up for a few seconds… and then looks back down.

And…

SPRINGS OFF THE SECOND ROPE…

AND STOMPS DOWN ON THE CHAIR, WRAPPED AROUND CHARLOTTE’S HEAD AND NECK!!!

Ronda callously walks away from the scene as the crowd gasps. Rousey looks back over her shoulder at the damage she’s done, and merely shrugs her shoulders. There’s no ounce of remorse in her eyes at all. Nor is there any sign of regret in the eyes of Jessamyn, Marina, Nattie or Shayna. They genuinely like what they’ve done here. They genuinely admire what they’ve done here. And it’s clear that their work isn’t anywhere close to being done, either.

Ronda comes back over and the quintet then partake in a group hug.

You know, sort of like the one a certain quartet partook in four years ago across the Hudson River in Brooklyn.

Individual embraces are made, sort of like what happened four years ago, as well. All with Charlotte’s unconscious figure laying in the foreground.

Natalya then backs away from the scene and she goes out of the ring. She then harasses a cameraman, and tells him to get up on the apron. The cameraman listens to her, and he gets up onto the apron. All the while, Jessamyn, Marina, Ronda and Shayna are still embracing and enjoying each other’s company. Nattie then gets up on the apron next to the cameraman, bullying him to keep the shot still.

And the quartet in the ring…

THE FOUR HORSEWOMEN.

With Charlotte laid out in front of them…

FLASH THE FOUR.

And we…

Fade.

To.

Black.​

 

[C3K]

Very much enjoying the recaps so far. I was late to get hooked on your thread at the old place as I came into your thread later on, so it's been both enjoyable and interesting to see what occurred before. Looking forward to more and then eventually getting back up to speed and seeing what new pieces of work you have!

 

[Stojy]

100% agree with you that the bounty promo and the GAB ending were some of your best stuff. Even though I've been following avidly, it's kind of fun to relive things a little and get a reminder on where we have come from. Relieved you're bringing this over here and continuing, looking forward to hopefully seeing Rasky soon also.

 

[DamageCTRL]

It's update time!

Things were about to start ramping up for World Wrestling Entertainment.

A big party was set to take place at SummerSlam in Toronto. A big coup the company struck on the way there? Two legends were going to be competing in matches at the show, including a hometown hero. Additionally, Drake was set to perform after one of his songs, “Nonstop,” was picked as the SummerSlam theme song. Doesn’t get much bigger than that in terms of recording artists these days.

The Biggest Party of the Summer also of course coincided with the second NXT event in Toronto, held the day before.​

NXT TAKEOVER: TORONTO II​

Tyler Breeze defeated Roderick Strong at 15:30 via pinfall in the North American Championship Tournament Final
~ Breeze won a tournament that featured several new faces to the NXT brand in the wake of releases. The field included:
Boa, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, and Jordan Myles
~ Breeze defeated Boa, Wilde, and Reed
Strong defeated Keith Lee, KUSHIDA, and Jordan Myles
~ Breeze was aided by his longtime tag team partner FANDANGO, who made his return

Bianca Belair and Moustache Mountain defeated The Bar and Rhea Ripley at 10:09 via pinfall in a Six-Person Mixed Tag Match
~ A few months after WrestleMania, The Bar quietly exited Smackdown and jumped ship to NXT UK
~ The Bar became the NXT UK Tag Team Champions shortly after arriving to the brand at the end of July
~ Tyler Bate did his Airplane Spin on Sheamus 15 times, Cesaro did his Swing on Bate 20 times, and then Bianca Belair put Cesaro in a TORTURE RACK and spun around with him 25 times!
~Bate won after a Tyler Driver ’97 on Sheamus
~After the match, Bianca pressed Cesaro for being a trash-talker. Then she hit him with a KOD!

Mia Yim defeated Deonna Purrazzo at 12:42 via pinfall in a Come As You Are Street Fight
~ This feud had been quaking for a couple months, as Purrazzo’s jealousy for others who’ve gotten Mae Young Classic and title opportunities has consumed her
~ Purrazzo gained an ally in Rachael Evers, who got involved in this match
~ Yim was no stranger to Deonna’s games though and had friends in high places of her own: Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox!
~ The two fought all over the building and the parking lot, sneak attacks and ambushes galore
~ Yim pinned Purrazzo on top of a car after she, Tegan, and Dakota hit her with a Triple Powerbomb

William Regal announced that in October, NXT would move to Wednesday nights on the USA Network for two hours!

The Street Profits defeated The Viking Raiders, The Lucha House Party, and The Undisputed ERA to win the NXT Tag Team Championships in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match
~ Roderick Strong hit Angelo Dawkins with a pipe during his entrance
~ Dawkins rejoined the match later but was obviously not 100 percent
~ There were some WILD spots
~ Montez powered Dawkins up to the top of the ladder, an indicator of their strong friendship and allyship in the ring, and Dawkins grabbed the titles

Io Shirai defeated Candice LeRae at 26:21 via pinfall to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
~ Shirai has gone under a personality change lately, becoming more egotistic and darker
~ At Full Sail in May, these two had a title match. Candice went for a dive to the outside on Io. But, Kairi pushed Io out of the way and took the bullet. Candice checked on her, but Io hit her with a knee to the head from behind and retained following her Moonsault
~ A #1 Contender was determined by way of a Triple Threat Match. The competitors had to win matches to get themselves in. Deonna Purrazzo and Tay Conti got in the match, as did LeRae, who defeated Kairi Sane
~ In a fun twist, Io took a bullet for Kairi as Candice went for a dive on her, the opposite situation from the title match in May.
~ Kairi checked on her friend, and Candice, conflicted, pounced on Kairi because she had to do what she had to do and won the match
~ Kairi seemed to join in Io’s crusade, helping to cost Candice the title match in the end
~ Note: Candice debuted new music, the popular song “I Believe In a Thing Called Love”

Johnny Gargano defeated Adam Cole at 23:15 via pinfall to retain the NXT Championship
~ This, like a few other matches tonight, was a bit of a kerfuffle
~ The Undisputed ERA, Drew Gulak, and The Street Profits all found themselves involved
~ Gargano survived with a backslide pin on Cole

---

The announcement of NXT going to USA Network on Wednesdays provided a big jolt in the industry. It was an expected maneuver for some time, but one has to believe that All Elite Wrestling sprouting up caused that process to be further expedited.

As SummerSlam approached, a rumor hit the mill. A major WWE superstar, whose contract was expiring in the fall, was rumored to have elected to not re-sign with the company. This rumor grew in size as the weeks passed, but… more on that when we get there.​

THE ROAD TO SUMMERSLAM​

The main attraction for SummerSlam in Toronto? Probably not the one you’d guess! THE ROCK reappeared on WWE Television for Rock Appreciation Night on July 23rd in Miami. It was a festive celebration and one that was crashed by none other than… BROCK LESNAR! A challenge was made between two of the biggest box office attractions in wrestling HISTORY, and the main event of SummerSlam was then decided! Rikishi and The Usos made appearances on the way to SummerSlam. Rikishi was hit with an F-5 by Lesnar, while The Usos helped lay a trap for Lesnar to be hit with a Rock Bottom. Paul Heyman was also hit with a Rock Bottom.

BECKY LYNCH finally had a date with SHAYNA BASZLER set. There would be no romancing in Toronto between these two though, as the HATRED between them was finally going to result in a match. BETH PHOENIX would be set to preside over the proceedings as the Guest Enforcer. What’s more, with Becky surviving the wreck, and it not stopping her from defending her championship, the bounty could NOT YET be claimed. The assailant is still unknown. Lynch was passionate in her belief that she would remain champion, but things got really hot between the two factions after The Great American Bash. On Raw Reunion specifically, from Tampa, Florida. Becky Lynch and Shayna Baszler signed their contract for SummerSlam, with Stone Cold Steve Austin moderating. But nobody could guess what would come next:

Raw Reunion, 7/22, Tampa:​

Becky Lynch: So Shayna, it looks like you’re gonna have a lot more to deal with than you thought at SummerSlam eh?

~ Disgusted is Baszler still, as she shakes her head.

Becky Lynch: Well that’s tough turkey for ya, cause I was already gonna beat your ass all over Toronto. And after the last couple of weeks, after I didn’t get a chance to put a dent in your head and collect that arm of yours that’s saddled on your body over there, I’m gonna make sure that I compensate and just rip both of your arms off ya like it’s nothin!!

~ Cheers! Becky nods her head.

Becky Lynch: Now when’s the part where your goon squad comes in and jumps me gonna happen?

~ Shayna gets up and rolls her eyes.

Becky Lynch: Yeah I know you’ve got them hiding somewhere. I’m not stupid.

~ Baszler looks away from Becky, and has her back turned to her. She looks down at her feet.

Becky Lynch: C’mon Shayna. Where are they? I know they’re here. I saw ‘em. We all saw ‘em. Let’s cut to the chase. Where are they?

~ Becky is demanding an answer, but Shayna is stonewalling her. Suddenly though… a soft smile appears to form on Shayna’s face as she rises her head up.

…

…

…

“Look over here.”

Oh. Oh… oh… a familiar voice rips through the Amalie Arena.

On the TitanTron is a face we ALL KNOW!

It’s…

RONDA ROUSEY!!!

Becky immediately turns back and looks over. Beth stands guard and Lynch stares HATEFULLY at the TitanTron at Rousey, who’s seen wearing a black hoodie.

Ronda Rousey: Oh, look who it is. The Man herself. You’re awfully confident, Becky.

~ The hate is still beaming from Becky’s eyes.

Ronda Rousey: Y’know, I understand that. I mean, car accident be damned right? You’re still breathing. You’re still walking. Unfortunately. I really just… I really just hate having one million dollars I so desperately want to get rid of y’know that? Poor Michelle McCool earlier just couldn’t get the job done. Nobody seems to be getting the job done around here. What a shame.

~ Cold are Rousey’s words. Bitter, bitter cold.

Ronda Rousey: I understand why you’re so confident. Why you believe you’re so bulletproof. At this point, who could blame you, Becky? Who could really blame you? No matter what is thrown at you, here you stand. There you persevere. And now, you just got one over on my best friend. Now you’re gonna have your little insurance policy at ringside with you at SummerSlam as the Special Guest Enforcer.

~ The camera cuts over to Beth, who looks at Ronda with a glare in her eyes.

Ronda Rousey: But that’s not gonna matter, Becky. Shayna is taking the Raw Women’s Championship away from you. I know it, deep down, you know it. And you know without a shadow of a doubt that if it were ME getting MY rematch for MY championship, that your fate would be sealed up shut. And that I would go back at the top, that I would take my throne and be recognized once again as THE trailblazer and the SOLE reason for the women’s evolution in WWE.

~ That statement draws some heat, and more irritation from Lynch.

Ronda Rousey: Now you think that you’re bulletproof. I can understand that. What I can’t seem… to understand is… why you think that everyone else around you is?

~ A bit of a leery statement, to be sure.

Ronda Rousey: After what happened to Charlotte Flair, I sure wouldn’t think that. Y’know… different thought. You asked where Shayna’s friends are. If you think they’re around the building I mean, what’s stopping you from coming to get them? Hmm? Are you scared? Are you scared Becky? You once were. I know you were. So, are you scared now to come after them?

~ Becky, irritated goes to go away but Beth keeps her in the ring. Becky stares at Beth, who shakes her head. “Don’t let her get in your head,” she says.

Ronda Rousey: You know where Shayna’s friends are. How ‘bout me? Do you know where I am Becky? Because let me just say…

~ Ronda puts her hand on the camera lens and pushes it back a bit… and the setting is noticeably… not littered with sunlight. Darkness, in fact. As it quickly becomes clear that Ronda… IS OUTSIDE AMALIE ARENA!!

Ronda Rousey: It’s closer than you thought.

~ The realization comes over Lynch’s face, and boy is her face filled with hate.

Ronda Rousey: It’s a shame that you’re not where I know you probably wanna be right now, Becky. I might still be recovering from a broken hand, but there’s nothing more that I’d like to do right now than whoop your ass.

~ That feeling is no doubt mutual.

Ronda Rousey: But going back to what I said… why do you think everyone around you is so bulletproof? Why are you so convinced that everyone who associates themselves with you is so safe and sound all the time?

~ Ronda starts to walk as she motions the cameraman along with her. And they start to trot.

Ronda Rousey: You talked about how you wondered where our friends were. But what about yours, Becky? Hmm? What about your friends? Are they even your friends anymore? Sure doesn’t seem like they are.

~ It’s apparent that Ronda is doing her damnedest to get under Becky’s skin… and it’s working. But Beth is continuing to refuse any movement from Lynch.

Ronda Rousey: The three of you just can’t seem to be on the same page collectively right now. And that’s a shame. That is a real, real shame.

~ In the distance, we see some figures. As we approach even closer, those figures come even clearer.

And a collective GASP is heard and collective shock is felt!

SASHA BANKS is being held up against a car by JESSAMYN DUKE and MARINA SHAFIR!

And BAYLEY is being held up against the Hummer from before by NATALYA and her wrist appears to be tied up on the passenger seat with the door wide open!

Ronda then looks over, as Becky’s eyes light up with FURY.

Ronda Rousey: Oh, look at that. The gang’s all here.

~ Ronda goes and counts off the members of the scene here.

Ronda Rousey: We’re just missing… ah. Look at that. Look. At that.

~ Appearing now is…

SHAYNA BASZLER!!!

Shayna, evidently, with Becky’s back turned, made an escape to the parking lot!

She comes up to Ronda, and shakes her hand.

Ronda Rousey: You know what to do.

~ Shayna nods her head and then walks over AND STARTS TO ASSAULT SASHA BANKS!! HER, JESSAMYN AND MARINA START TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HER AGAINST THE CAR!! Bayley screams out, but she’s tied up to the car seat! She can’t do anything! It is a 3-on-1 MUGGING, and in the ring, Becky again tries to escape but Beth prevents her from doing so!

“I need to be there!” Becky shouts. “NO!” Beth replies, sternly, getting in her face. “You cannot risk it. You CANNOT!”

“I don’t give a damn I’ll go down swinging!” Becky defiantly says as she tries to swim move past. But Beth then grabs her by the waist and throws her down!

Becky looks up, wincing in pain. She’s hurt. She’s still wounded from earlier. Beth shakes her head. “I didn’t wanna do that,” Beth says. “But this is for your own good.”

Sasha is now seen laid up on the hood of the car. A victim of the damage here. Bayley is still left to see it all, and she’s upset. Very, very upset. Ronda then looks out into the camera.

Ronda Rousey: Hey, Becky? I know you’re still there. And I know you probably REAAAALLY want to come out here but… we’re almost outta time. So, tell you what. You have… 30 seconds. And if you don’t make it out here by then?

~ Ronda goes and approaches Bayley, who looks and leers up at her. Bayley goes to kick her, which draws a laugh out of Ronda as Nattie holds her up against the car. Bayley tries to fight away but Nattie SOCKS HER in the gut, knocking some wind out of her.

Ronda Rousey: If you don’t make it out here in 30 seconds? Then we’re gonna make it two of your friends who get hurt tonight. Not just one. Time starts… now.

~ Becky gets up to her feet and uses the desk to help her. “You have to let me go,” Becky says. “I can’t let them down like that.”

“You are risking EVERYTHING,” Beth says to her. “You’re already hurt, do you wanna lose everything?”

Becky shakes her head. “I don’t give a damn. I can’t let that happen. I can’t.” Lynch then goes to swim move past Beth, and this time, she succeeds!! Beth slides out of the ring, and in the meanwhile, we start to hear Ronda’s voice.

“TEN… NINE… EIGHT…”

Becky goes up the ramp, but Beth cuts her off! And, feeling annoyed, Becky tries to shove her out of the way!

“SEVEN… SIX…”

And Beth then grabs her and stops her again! “LET GO OF ME!” Becky defiantly yells while Beth holds her off again.

“FIVE… FOUR…”

Becky finally gets out of the grasp!

“THREE…”

“TWO…”

But she TRIPS UP AND FALLS ON THE RAMP, HURT!

“ONE…”

She looks up! Ronda shrugs her shoulders.

Ronda Rousey: Time’s up. Hm, that sucks. Oh well.

~ She turns to Bayley, then steps back and eyes the opened door. Nattie holds and presses her up against the Hummer, as Bayley tries to shout her off!

Becky looks up with peril and fear in her eyes.

Ronda then LAUNCHES HER FOOT AT THE CAR DOO—

AND WE CUT TO BLACK.​

After this event, which resulted in Bayley breaking her hand, Banks practically refused to partake in the hostilities anymore. (But more on her later). This didn’t go over well with Becky, as you might expect. On the go-home Raw from Pittsburgh, the two had a hostile confrontation after Sasha left the ring following an ambush by Shayna and her faction. The reason? Beth Phoenix arrived on the scene and Banks couldn’t bury her mistrust, so she fled the coop.

Raw, 8/5, Pittsburgh​

We see SASHA BANKS, who isn’t looking in anyone’s direction but forward right now. She’s making a beeline somewhere, possibly the exit. She’s walking with a purpose, and then suddenly we see BECKY LYNCH storming forward towards her from behind. Banks seems to know those footsteps are coming toward her, because she stiffens up her look and picks up her pace.

However, much to her dismay, Becky catches up to her. And she gets right in front of her.

Sasha goes one way, Becky goes that way. Banks goes the other way, Lynch halts her progress.

Sasha Banks: Get… the hell… out of my way.

Becky Lynch: You think I give a damn about what you want right now?

~ Woo boy…

Becky Lynch: I risk my limb and stick my neck out, go down there and fight them off and help YOU survive, and that’s what you do? That’s what you do Sasha? You get out of the way and you don’t stand beside me and Beth?

~ Banks continues to glare at Becky.

Becky Lynch: What is your problem? What is your problem, Sasha?

~ Sasha leers.

Sasha Banks: You.

~ Oh… oh no…

Sasha Banks: You’re my problem. You’ve been my problem. I didn’t sign up for any of this. I didn’t sign up to be a pawn in a fight that YOU have with Shayna. That YOU have with Ronda. This isn’t my fight. This is YOURS!

~ Lynch glares herself, shaking her head in disappointment.

Sasha Banks: I should’ve never thrown that 4 up.

~ Oh… oh no Sasha…

Sasha Banks: Take your little war and stick it, Becky. I’m done. Done.

~ Banks shakes her head and goes to walk away. Becky, however, grabs Sasha by the arm and pulls her around. Sasha takes great offense to this visibly.

Sasha Banks: Don’t touch m-

Becky Lynch: I’ll do whatever the hell I want.

~ Whew. The intensity and tension between these two right now… thick.

Becky Lynch: You wanna be done? You wanna be done with this Sasha? Do me a favor then.

~ Becky measures Sasha up.

Becky Lynch: Stay away. Stay the hell away from me. Don’t come near me, don’t come near Beth, don’t come near my match on Sunday. Stick around with your tag team partner only. Don’t come near my turf. Make it permanent. Back up your words right now. Don’t think about coming back and fighting this fight anymore. And tell your friend to do the same because at this point, I don’t trust her either since I know you’re in her ear all the damn time anyway.

~ Folks… we’re slip sliiiiiiiiding away here…

Becky Lynch: I thought I could trust you. I thought I could count on you standing side by side with me. But the going got tough for you and what did you do Sasha? What’d you do? You quit.

~ Holy shit. Becky shakes her head in disappointment again at Banks, who isn’t flinching for anything right now.

Becky Lynch: You quit on me. You quit on us. You quit on this fight. I’ll be damned if I associate myself with a quitter. That’s what you are, Sasha. You’re not a ‘Boss.’ You’re not the standard. You’re not a leader. You’re not a fighter. You’re a quitter. A quitter and a selfish b*tch. Get out of my face.

~ Evidently, that ignited something…

BECAUSE SASHA LAUNCHES HERSELF AT BECKY!!!

AND WE HAVE A FIGHT BETWEEN BANKS AND LYNCH!!

Banks and Lynch trade blows back here and Becky grabs Sasha by the hips and runs her into the wall and then takes her down by the legs and starts to throw ‘bows at her!!

Sasha follows in with some of her own before security and officials break the two parties up!!

Absolute chaos has erupted between two of the brightest luminaries in the business!! They are pulled away from each other, as we see BETH PHOENIX intervene here and protect Becky from Sasha. She shuttles her away as Sasha is pulled away, as the two jaw at one another here. Preservation of anything feels like a fruitless endeavor here… as just when it seemed like there was a collective… things have just completely fallen apart.​

For Sasha Banks, the decision was easy. Considering that her mistrust of Phoenix had gotten her nowhere, The Boss decided that right now, she was going to fly solo. So she issued a challenge to the one and only Trish Stratus for SummerSlam at Raw Reunion! Banks and Stratus had been linked together by fans for many years, and so this collision occurring in Toronto was one many looked forward to!

For Bayley, things got tough. She was the #1 Contender to the Smackdown Women’s Championship. Since Charlotte Flair was beaten to hell, there was no one else for Bayley to overcome. But the hand injury threw things into a flux. There needed to be a contender decided in the event that Bayley couldn’t go. So who emerged from that rubble? Why, it was Toni Storm. The new kid on the block. After Storm won a Battle Royal to basically become the alternate, she wasn’t satisfied with that. Upon learning, before SummerSlam, that Bayley would give it a go, Toni decided to challenge Bayley to a one-on-one match, so that they could see who had the right to face Asuka at SummerSlam for the gold.

The problem that arose? Storm was ambushed in the back before the match. She had a knee injury that rendered her defenseless against Bayley in this match, and Bayley defeated her but didn’t seem thrilled doing so. Toni’s attacker wasn’t caught, and still hasn’t been, but whoever did it certainly levied a lot of damage her way. It was thought to be Mandy Rose, due to blonde hair appearing according to an eyewitness. And since Fire and Desire were feuding with Toni, after Toni eliminated both from the Battle Royal, that DID line up… but was never quite proven.

Bayley had a tough task in her way. She’d never beaten Asuka despite having SEVERAL attempts to do so, as recently as last month in Portland. Now though, with no distractions, no outside factors, she’d get her shot… but it would be her last at Asuka if she couldn’t get the job done. One way or another, something consequential was set to happen at SummerSlam for both women’s championships.

For the men’s championships? AJ Styles emerged back onto the scene after SummerSlam. The Phenomenal One defeated Randy Orton in their third and final encounter of the year after their feud lasted much of 2019. Styles won a title shot against Seth Rollins thanks to Karl Anderson doing his buddy a favor. The first-time ever matchup between Rollins and Styles caught a lot of hype on the way to the event, and figured to be one of the best of the night.

‘The New’ Daniel Bryan was hoping to become THE NEW WWE Champion again at SummerSlam. Standing in his way of course was the man that took the title from him in the first place back at WrestleMania. Kofi Kingston still stood tall as WWE Champion after going through Bobby Lashley twice in a matter of a few weeks. Kingston and Bryan geared up here with Bryan calling Kofi a one-hit wonder, while Kingston was determined to prove Bryan wrong again.

The Intercontinental Championship would be on the line at SummerSlam just as it was at Backlash and The Great American Bash. This time though, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens would be waging war in a Last Man Standing Match! The personal animosity between the two reached its boiling point at The Bash, with KO powerbombing Balor off the stage. Now, the limits were off, as were the gloves, as the two were set up for a huge fight in Toronto.

Personal animosity developed between Samoa Joe and Drew McIntyre. Joe did not take kindly to Drew hitting him with two Claymores on his way down to participate in The Great American Gauntlet. It was, of course, Drew who lost to Joe to qualify for the event. Joe took it a major step further though, going all the way to Ayr, Scotland to beat up Drew McIntyre’s brother… and recording it on film! He revealed this to the world, sending Drew away for a few weeks. But with a match due for SummerSlam, one has to wonder if Joe bit off more than he could chew.

Ruby Riott set a new target for another Women’s Champion to beat. This time, it was Alexa Bliss. Bliss was attacked relentlessly in the back one night, and Ruby fessed up to committing the attack, and said that she wanted to make it clear she was the dominant woman on Raw. Alexa and Ruby were set to face off at The Biggest Party of the Summer, with simmering hostilities ready to boil.

Roman Reigns wasn’t happy that Andrade cost him a shot at the Universal and WWE Championships in The Great American Gauntlet. So, the two began feuding, with a big match looming in the distance. It was clearly the biggest match for both in some time, especially Andrade. Speaking of, The Expat Express’ masked caper was revealed. And it was none other than Angel Garza, a descendent from the famous Garza wrestling family.

Garza and Buddy Murphy were going to wrestle The New Day with the Smackdown Tag Team Titles on the line. Could the newcomers beat the longstanding tag team at SummerSlam???

(Note: There were a few things on this show that never really… led to anything, because my creative process isn’t always 100%. So, I’ll be forgoing some stuff in this recap. The readership knows what those things are when they see them excluded)​

SUMMERSLAM​

Kickoff Show

The Appalachian Freight Trains (Denzel Dejournette, Shelton Benjamin) defeated Ali and Rey Mysterio at 7:16 via submission

Nikki Cross defeated Mandy Rose at 8:25 via pinfall

Main Card

Sasha Banks defeated Trish Stratus at 17:01 via pinfall
~ Banks won the match with assistance from the ropes

The New Day defeated The Expat Express at 12:49 via pinfall to become the NEW Smackdown Tag Team Champions
~ An ongoing rivalry had developed between The Expat Express’ Zelina Vega and Lana on the way to this, as both lead factions now (Lana leads Far East FC, who we’ll explain when we get to the roster page). A masked luchadore, a WOMAN, jumped on the barricade and hit Zelina with a Hurricanrana. This caused a major distraction in the ring which led to the youthful team losing the titles

The next three locations for SummerSlam were revealed:
Aug 23 2020 | Boston | Fenway Park
Aug 22 2021 | Miami | Hard Rock Stadium
Aug 20 2022 | 35TH EDITION | Las Vegas | Allegiant Stadium

Bayley defeated Asuka at 17:02 to become the NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion
~ Bayley spent a majority of the match getting her ass kicked
~ Asuka dominated Bayley, much like she dominated her throughout her career
~ Bayley, who was allowed to USE the cast based on a precedent set by Stephanie McMahon back in 2002, used the cast to batter Asuka
~ She won the championship with a Bayley-to-Belly

Another massive announcement was made, as the MAE YOUNG CLASSIC was set to return for a third time. “YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN’ YET” was the tagline.

Sasha and Bayley were seen together and embraced after a tumultuous few weeks. They then left the building.

Ruby Riott defeated Alexa Bliss via submission at 1:15
~ Alexa and Ruby were brawling ALL over the arena before the match
~ Ruby debuted new music, “BLACK SHEEP,” a song she used on the independent scene
~ Riott lured Alexa into an unexposed turnbuckle and made her submit with a Muta Lock

Kevin Owens defeated Finn Balor in a Last Man Standing Match at 16:45 to become the NEW Intercontinental Champion
~ This was a fight, Bubba
~ Finn Balor put his hands on Kevin Owens’ son Owen, which made Owens snap
~ After beating the HELL out of Finn, with several Powerbombs, Finn was taken OUT and KO won the title

A big-time back-to-back showcase at Madison Square Garden was set for Raw and Smackdown on 9/9 and 9/10

Drew McIntyre defeated Samoa Joe at 7:16 via referee’s decision
~ Drew came back steaming mad
~ He hit Joe with THREE Claymores and Joe was knocked out, leaving the ref with no choice

Roman Reigns defeated Andrade via pinfall at 12:23
~ Despite interference from The Expat Express, Reigns survived this one

Christian would confront Randy Orton. Orton had lost his match with AJ Styles weeks back, which was special guest officiated by… Edge! Christian confronted him since Edge could not make the show, and dropped Orton with the Unprettier

Seth Rollins defeated AJ Styles at 15:20 via pinfall to RETAIN the WWE Universal Championship

Another MASSIVE announcement: Stephanie McMahon addressed the crowd, before playing a video…
​

We are brought to last year’s Evolution show.

Highlights of the historic event begin to play, in waves.

The show’s dominant images play; Trish and Lita returning to the ring, Becky Lynch taking command in a Last Woman Standing Match, and Ronda Rousey standing tall.

And then, as those highlights conclude, the images – on a TV screen – are shut off by somebody.

The camera goes to an apartment building, in a big city. Sitting on the couch is… BECKY LYNCH!

Becky, chewing gum, wearing a ‘THE MAN’ shirt under a black leather jacket and pants, shakes her head at the TV while “WE WILL ROCK YOU VONLICHTEN” by Queen/Von Lichten plays.

She then walks along towards a staircase in the building. On the wall, writing appears:

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

Then, we see CHARLOTTE FLAIR. Charlotte is prepping herself up, and she puts on one of her glamorous robes. And we can see, as she walks into a…STABLE?!?! That on the back, stylized with gems appears text:

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

Then we see BAYLEY, walking to a car in a parking lot wearing a vintage “I’M A HUGGER” t-shirt. But instead of that text, it reads:

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

And she gets into a car, a blue MUSTANG, with SASHA BANKS as the driver. Sasha nods her head, and pulls down her shades. Which usually read ‘BO$$ TIME’ but instead it reads…

ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH

We then see a litany of superstars begin to converge on this city, which from several context clues, is NEW YORK CITY!

ALEXA BLISS, NAOMI, and CARMELLA

ASUKA, NIKKI CROSS, and TONI STORM

And we then convene again on the city, as we see Becky front and center again, and all she’s brought are her fists. While many – read, the ENTIRE women’s locker room – is looking around from different points of the area.

And then rolling up to the scene… NATALYA… SHAYNA BASZLER… AND RONDA ROUSEY!

BECKY lets out a smile, as the familiar tune of “WE WILL ROCK YOU” starts to play in the background. She’s circling an area here, and on the other side as the camera turns, is RONDA! Ronda motions for her to come get some, and Becky just stands and bides her time.

Meanwhile, impatience lies around them, and MELLA starts something, blindsiding TONI STORM! NIKKI CROSS takes offense to this, and starts going after Mella, with RUBY RIOTT then coming in to fight.

BRAWLS APLENTY start to happen. Alexa fighting with MICKIE JAMES and LACEY EVANS, LANA and ZELINA VEGA tangled up! CANDICE LERAE fighting with IO SHIRAI and KAIRI SANE! And getting an assist from BIANCA BELAIR, who’s attacked by RHEA RIPLEY! CHAOS EVERYWHERE here in New York!

All the while, the trio of Ronda, Shayna, and Nattie are getting feisty. Becky then continues to dare them on, and Nattie goes after Becky! Lynch fights her off, and then Shayna then comes after her, and Ronda and Shayna beat up Becky and then pin her to the ground!

And then…

…

…

…

A LOUD sound is heard. The sound of…

A HORSE NEIGHING!

And faint in the background, you can make out… The bonnet of a MUSTANG and SOMEONE riding on a WHITE HORSE!

And a little smirk from Becky, back on her feet, with the car and horse furiously approaching.

…

…

…​

WWE REVOLUTION​

“BECAUSE ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH!”​

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 | BARCLAYS CENTER | BROOKLYN, NEW YORK​

Becky Lynch defeated Shayna Baszler via pinfall at 9:02 to RETAIN the Raw Women’s Championship

Beth Phoenix turned on Becky Lynch, attacking her VICIOUSLY after the match, and claimed the $1 million bounty. Ronda Rousey came out with the briefcase of money. Becky fought for her life, but ultimately fell victim to a Pillmanizer on her ankle with a chair.

Kofi Kingston defeated ‘The New’ Daniel Bryan at 14:47 via pinfall to RETAIN the WWE Championship

Brock Lesnar defeated The Rock via pinfall at 10:02​

 

[Finishline]

You have no idea how happy this makes me!! Your content was some of the best I've read in a while. I struggle writing the women's matches, but this booker is in a perfect timeline for you with the resurgence of women's wrestling. This is quality stuff!

WS got a great booker coming there way. I hope they know it!

 

[Stojy]

The lack of a certain not WWE Superstar and the lack of follow up at the times makes me an unhappy camper.

Didn't realize we'd almost be back up to date so quickly. Good times.

 

[DamageCTRL]

Update time! But we're taking a bit of a detour here first. Wanted to get THIS out of the way.

THE 2019 MAE YOUNG CLASSIC​

The 2019 Mae Young Classic is poised to be the biggest edition yet!

The event will begin in the location that held it in its first two years of existence. Full Sail Live will host the four-person play-in round, featuring the lowest seeds of the tournament. The winners of the matches, which feature Dakota Kai of NXT battling Piper Niven of NXT UK and Tegan Nox of NXT facing off with former WWE superstar Taryn Terrell, go on to the next round to face the top two seeds in the tournament.

This tournament will begin in early September and conclude at WWE REvolution in Brooklyn, New York.

The prizes for this year’s tournament were bigger than ever too!

MYC 3rd and 4th Place Receive:
~ $25,000 Purse
~ Automatic Entry into the 2020 Mae Young Classic

MYC Runner-Up Receives:
~ $50,000 Purse
~ Automatic Entry into the 2020 Mae Young Classic
~ The OPPORTUNITY to Qualify for the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble
~ The OPPORTUNITY to Quality for either the 2020 or 2021 Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

MYC Winner Receives:
~ $100,000 Purse
~ Automatic Entry into the 2020 Mae Young Classic
~ Automatic Entry into the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble
~ Automatic Entry into the 2020 or 2021 Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

There are 18 participants in the tournament. The field features multiple-time champions, worldwide stars, former superstars, and youngsters looking to make a huge impact.

Each participant is listed below, in the order of their overall seeding. We are doing this in parts because I’m lazy and tired right now:

~*~ 1) ASUKA ~*~
THE EMPRESS

Perhaps the biggest name in the entire tournament and the most feared competitor in the world today! Asuka’s presence in this event makes it truly jump off the map. Asuka has competed all over the world and has been a dominant force since arriving at NXT in 2015. Asuka has defeated a who’s who list of stars in the WWE women’s division. She’s accumulated victories over Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Alexa Bliss, and is thus far the only person to pin Becky Lynch more than once since May 2018. Asuka figures to be the prohibitive favorite and will face the winner of Taryn Terrell vs. Tegan Nox.

~*~ 2) ALEXA BLISS ~*~
THE GODDESS

If the top seed isn’t the biggest name, the second-highest seed may well be! Former five-time Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss is getting her hands dirty in this year’s Mae Young Classic. Alexa has been looking for something to prove since the year began. Her opportunities aren’t going by the wayside, but she needs to capitalize on something. Bliss enters this tournament with plenty of fans hoping to see her rise back to the top where she was for much of 2017 and 2018. She will face one of Dakota Kai or Piper Niven, each providing possible hangups for her. But there’s no denying that at her best, Alexa could take this whole damn thing.

~*~ 3) TONI STORM ~*~
THE REIGNING MAE YOUNG CLASSIC WINNER

The 23-year-old prodigy is hoping to take home another trophy. Last year’s winner Toni Storm has reentered this year’s tournament after accepting her invite. Storm is on the heels of a five-month reign as NXT UK Women’s Champion. She has proven battle-tested this year, workhorsing all across the brands of WWE. She thus far has wrestled on Raw, Smackdown Live, NXT, NXT UK, both editions of Worlds Collide, NXT TakeOver: XXV, NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, and already The Great American Bash. That hasn’t stopped her one bit though, as she’s been nearly bulletproof this year. Competition doesn’t scare her and she’s already proven she has what it takes to win this tournament. She has as good a chance as any of the high seeds in this tournament do of winning it all and becoming a back-to-back champion.

~*~ 4) NAOMI ~*~
THE AMAZING

Seasoned veteran Naomi gets the nod as the other two-seed in the tournament. Naomi stacks as one of the most accomplished superstars in the tournament, which the selection committee took into account when seeding the tournament. Naomi is oftentimes underrated by the WWE fans, as she’s a strong veteran who has been champion before and can be again. Not many have the experience that she has logged, which should prove beneficial to her cause if it works out that way for her.

~*~ 5) KAIRI SANE ~*~
THE 2017 MAE YOUNG CLASSIC WINNER

Kairi Sane is back in the Mae Young Classic! After winning the event in 2017, Sane moved on to challenging for and eventually reigning as NXT Women’s Champion going into last year’s Evolution PPV. Now this year, Sane hopes to get back to the show. Only this time, she must try to win another Mae Young Classic. She already faced plenty of stiff competition in 2017 but vanquished it. Now, in the biggest and most competitive MYC yet, we’ll see what Sane is made of. All eyes will be on her, because if she and Toni get through their first round matchups, a Quarterfinals showdown between the last two MYC winners awaits.

~*~ 6) MAYU IWATANI ~*~
THE ACE OF STARDOM

A stunning surprise: Stardom SUPERSTAR Mayu Iwatani is teed up to make her WWE debut as part of the MYC. William Regal introduced Iwatani as an ‘international superstar’ who is every bit of that to say the least. She is a former World of Stardom Champion, two-time Wonder of Stardom Champion, two-time Goddess of Stardom Champion, High Speed Champion, and a five-time Artist of Stardom Champion. She won the Cinderella Tournament in back-to-back years in 2015 and 2016 and then won the 2018 5* Grand Prix. Mayu is set to have the opening match in the tournament itself following the play-in round. One has to imagine people will find out quickly just how good Mayu Iwatani is.

~*~ 7) CARMELLA ~*~
THE PRINCESS OF STATEN ISLAND

If anybody is First-Team All-Underrated it’s Carmella. The Princess of Staten Island has been at the top of the mountain before and she could well do it again this time too. ‘Mella will no doubt have a chip on her shoulder, as she’s been overlooked a lot since losing the Smackdown Women’s Championship last August. She will have her work cut out for her but if anybody can dig deep and get it done, it’s Carmella.

~*~ 8) CANDICE LERAE ~*~
THE WILY VETERAN

Fresh off competing for the NXT Women’s Championship, Candice LeRae enters this tournament no stranger to a big match. Candice has been fueled by a desire for validation after what’s been a lengthy, rigorous career in professional wrestling. LeRae is a veteran of the biz and can get her hands dirty when she wants to. This tournament is so loaded that Candice is the low four-seed, folks. And I promise you, we’re just getting started!

Field to be continued...​

 

[DamageCTRL]

Well, I did say it would be continued. My Photoshop kept giving me error messages, so no banners this time around. At least not yet. Probably will edit them in.

9) DEONNA PURRAZZO
~*~ THE VIRTUOSA ~*~

Deonna Purrazzo believes that this is HER tournament to win. All year long, Purrazzo has made it a point that her exclusion from championship opportunities on NXT has been a misevaluation. She even made a stink about not being in the 2017 MYC, and others wasting their spots in the tournament and not winning. Well now, Deonna will get the chance to showcase her stuff. But as a 5-seed, she has a very tough task ahead of her. She must first get through Candice LeRae in the first round. Then, she will face either Alexa Bliss, Dakota Kai, or Piper Niven in the quarterfinals. Then, one of Toni Storm, Kairi Sane, and two other quality opponents will be waiting for her. And that’s JUST to get through to the semifinals. Deonna has to put her money where her mouth is and everybody knows it.

10) RHEA RIPLEY
~*~ THE NIGHTMARE ~*~

A true darkhorse pick perhaps in this tournament is Rhea Ripley. The first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion is a dominant prodigy. She is only 22 years old as this tournament looms and has already accomplished a lot in her young career. She has MYC experience, having taken part in each of the last two tournaments. She memorably had a match with Tegan Nox last year that did not go so well for Nox, who tore her ACL in the match. Rhea will begin play against former Smackdown Women’s Champion Carmella. If she gets through her, she will face one of Asuka, Tegan, or Taryn Terrell in the quarterfinals. It is safe to say that no one should discount Rhea’s age here, because she packs a serious punch and could make a real run at it.

11) NATALYA
~*~ THE QUEEN OF HARTS ~*~

While Natalya is currently entrenched in some faction warfare, The Queen of Harts is not taking this opportunity to just stay quiet. Nattie is set to partake in her first-ever Mae Young Classic this fall. Her family is no stranger obviously to winning tournaments. Nattie is also no stranger to winning, as she is a former Divas Champion and Smackdown Women’s Champion, as well. But Nattie will have a task that nobody else can say they have: She will be facing a Great Unknown in this tournament. That’s right folks, Nattie’s opening match in this tournament is against Stardom’s Mayu Iwatani! In fact, it’s the match that will KICK OFF the official tournament. The Queen of Harts has logged a lot of miles and picked up a lot of accolades. We’ll see if she adds yet another by the time this tournament sunsets.

~*~ 12) NIKKI CROSS ~*~

Nikki Cross has been trying to find her footing through her first year on the WWE main roster. The Mae Young Classic might be the opportunity to set things right. Cross is currently in a tag team with Toni Storm, who also is competing in this tournament of course. What’s more is that Nikki is opening things up against 2017 Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane. The winner of that match will face either the 2-seed Storm or her 7-seeded opponent. So we could be looking at a potential matchup between tag team partners should Cross get through Sane. It’ll be a tough task, but the chaotic and frenetic Cross could be a dangerous blockade to Kairi’s pursuit of being a two-time MYC champion.

~*~ 13) KAY LEE RAY ~*~

Another woman with something to prove in this tournament is Kay Lee Ray. Kay Lee was the victim of a first-round exit back in 2017’s edition of the MYC. She abstained from competition last year, citing to WWE.com that she needed a year to re-focus her energy. But now Ray believes the time is now to make a move. She’s gotten hot on NXT UK of late, and has entered a feud with Piper Niven that could prove to be pivotal in shaping the next contender for Bianca Belair. But Ray now has a shot to make moves in America. Her first opponent? She’s primed and ready to face a veteran in Naomi, who is as good as anybody. Will she be able to pull off a stunning upset in the hopes of inspiring a run in the tournament? Time will tell!

~*~ 14) MEIKO SATOMURA ~*~
THE FINAL BOSS

Nobody has the experience or the dominating presence that Meiko Satomura holds. And that’s why as she enters this tournament, even as a lower seed, she has a significant shot of making a run. Meiko’s legend is well known, as she’s competed all over the world for decades. She’s been doing this so long, she wrestled on WCW Monday Nitro. Meiko has been put in a big spot in her opening round match. She will be facing the 2018 Mae Young Classic winner, Toni Storm! Storm and Satomura had a MEMORABLE bout in 2018 and hopefully, for all of our sake, they recreate that magic. But will the result change? That’s what we’re here to find out!

PLAY-IN ROUND PARTICIPANTS

~*~ 15) PIPER NIVEN ~*~

NXT UK standout Piper Niven is back in the Mae Young Classic. In 2017, Piper competed in the inaugural event. She dismissed Santana Garrett and Serena Deeb in Rounds 1 and 2 and made it all the way to the quarterfinals. She was dethroned however by Toni Storm, so Niven is hoping for different levels of success this time around. She didn’t make the cut though for the field, and has to play her way into the tournament. She must do that by beating Dakota Kai, who has shown herself to have a lot of resilience against towering presences. But Niven is hoping to snuff her out before a meeting with top-seeded Alexa Bliss in the First Round.

16) DAKOTA KAI
~*~ THE BULLDOG ~*~

The pugnacious Dakota Kai enters the Mae Young Classic this year on the heels of a knee injury that kept her out of action for much of the year. She recently returned to both NXT and NXT UK, making sporadic appearances with her awesome tag team partner, Tegan Nox. Kai, a babyface to the fullest, is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle and make a serious move in the event. But she will have her work cut out for her. Not only because she’s in the Play-In Round and has to win more matches than anyone else to win. But because she’s tasked against the big lass in Piper Niven. Niven has developed a mean streak, and the last time Dakota faced someone with a mean streak… well, she was out of action up until recently. Can the gutsy Kai make it happen before moving on to face Alexa Bliss?

~*~ 17) TARYN TERRELL ~*~

Making her official return to the WWE is Taryn Terrell! Terrell, who wrestled under the name ‘Tiffany’ with ECW in the late 2000s, is back after spending much of the decade with Impact Wrestling. Terrell brings name recognition, years of experience, and plenty of talent into this tournament. But she will have to win her Play-In match to really get her hands dirty. Awaiting her is big, bad Asuka, the top seed in the entire Mae Young Classic. But before she gets there, she must stop plucky underdog Tegan Nox from trying to capture the magic and make a Cinderella run in the event.

18) TEGAN NOX
~*~ THE PLUCKY UNDERDOG ~*~

Last year, Tegan Nox seemed well on her way to winning the 2018 Mae Young Classic. In fact, some believe that had she not torn her ACL, she might be the reigning MYC Cup Champion. But instead, Nox had to be on the sidelines for the entire last year. But now is her shot at redemption. Nox has developed a resilient penchant and has become a fan favorite quickly. She is tasked with facing the experienced Taryn Terrell in the Play-In Round. Assuming she gets through her, she then has to battle the mighty Asuka. Nox has faced imposing figures before and hung around with them. It will be up to her to put her past trauma behind her, because if she does, she is as good a bet to win the event as anybody.
​

MAE YOUNG CLASSIC BRACKET​

STRATUS REGION ​

FIRST ROUND
Match 1: (1) Asuka vs. (8) Terrell/Nox
Match 2: (4) Carmella vs. (5) Rhea Ripley
Match 3: (3) Mayu Iwatani vs. (6) Natalya
Match 4: (2) Naomi vs. (7) Kay Lee Ray

QUARTERFINALS
Match 5: Asuka/Terrell/Nox vs. Carmella/Rhea
Match 6: Mayu/Nattie vs. Naomi/KLR

SEMIFINALS
Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner
​

LITA REGION​

FIRST ROUND
Match 1: (1) Alexa Bliss vs. (8) Kai/Niven
Match 2: (4) Candice LeRae vs. (5) Deonna Purrazzo
Match 3: (3) Kairi Sane vs. (6) Nikki Cross
Match 4: (2) Toni Storm vs. (7) Meiko Satomura

QUARTERFINALS
Match 5: Alexa/Kai/Niven vs. Candice/Deonna
Match 6: Kairi/Nikki vs. Toni/Meiko

SEMIFINALS
Match 5 Winner vs. Match 6 Winner​

MAE YOUNG CLASSIC SCHEDULE​

PLAY-IN ROUND (Full Sail Live): September 5
Match 1: Taryn Terrell vs. Tegan Nox
Match 2: Dakota Kai vs. Piper Niven

FIRST-ROUND MATCHES
Match 3 (New York, NY, 9/12): (3) Mayu Iwatani vs. (6) Natalya
Match 4 (New York, NY, 9/12): (2) Naomi vs. (7) Kay Lee Ray
Match 5 (New York, NY, 9/12): (1) Alexa Bliss vs. Match 2 Winner
Match 6 (Charlotte, NC, Fall Brawl Kickoff): (1) Asuka vs. Match 1 Winner
Match 7 (Charlotte, NC, Fall Brawl Kickoff): (2) Toni Storm vs. (7) Meiko Satomura
Match 8 (Knoxville, TN, 9/19): (4) Carmella vs. (5) Rhea Ripley
Match 9 (Knoxville, TN, 9/19): (3) Kairi Sane vs. (6) Nikki Cross
Match 10 (Atlanta, GA, 9/19): (4) Candice LeRae vs. (5) Deonna Purrazzo

QUARTERFINALS
Matches 11, 12, 13, 14: San Francisco, CA, 9/26

SEMIFINALS
Matches 15 and 16: Raw, Bakersfield, CA, 10/7

FINAL
WWE REvolution, Brooklyn, NY, 10/26

Also just want to say that ANYBODY who made predictions for the MYC over at the other place... I have you all logged in a Google spreadsheet still so I can still give recognition to you if you did!

If you didn't but would like to predict it, or if you're new here to this and would like to predict it, please, by all means, don't hesitate.

(IF you're going to I'd recommend you use the first template though.)​

 

[Stojy]

Acknowledge my WC MYC predictions~!