WrestleMania 37 Night 2
March 28th 2021
Arlington, Texas
AT&T Stadium
*SO IT WENT*
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The opening video for the 2nd night of WrestleMania 37 comes to an end as we pan around the AT&T Stadium showing the live crowd going mental before we cut to the commentary desk showing Michael Cole and Corey Graves at ringside.
Michael Cole: Welcome to the biggest night of the year. It is WrestleMania 37 Night 2 and we are in for one hell of a night.
Corey Graves: If you thought last night was an insane evening, you're in for another tonight.
Michael Cole: Our main event will see Roman Reigns defend his Men’s Universal title against Royal Rumble winner Daniel Bryan.
Corey Graves: But first we have a match that might have huge implications for our main event as we will see who will win this year’s Men’s Money in the Bank briefcase!
MUSTAFA ALI makes his way out first getting a decent pop from the live crowd. The exciting high-flier who has been a cornerstone of the Cruiserweight division the last few years looks at the crowd and nods before heading to the ring.
Michael Cole: A two-time Cruiserweight Champion and a stand-out on Monday Night Raw over the last couple of years ever since 205 Live came to an end.
Corey Graves: Mustafa is not someone I’ve had the pleasure of watching on a weekly basis but he has proved he can compete with not just Cruiserweights but anyone who gets in his way.
Michael Cole: Holds singles victories over a former World Champion Dolph Ziggler.
Corey Graves: But when you take the risks that Ali does, will that lead to a lapse in judgment when the safer option might give him the briefcase!
BUDDY MURPHY makes his way out next getting a mixed reaction from the live crowd. He looks focused and walks to the ring, paying no attention to the fans. He steps through the ropes and comes face to face with Ali; a man he had a rivalry with back during his 205 Live days.
Michael Cole: Buddy Murphy has been someone who has come close to being a World Champion several times over the last year.
Corey Graves: I’ve always been one of his biggest fans because I know what he is capable of.
Michael Cole: But does he have his full focus on this match? Especially with the drama within The O.C. and Daniel Bryan’s offer for him to join Alpha Academy!
Corey Graves: Buddy in my opinion needs to make the move that’s better for his career because there is only so long you can live on potential without fulfilling it!
ILJA DRAGUNOV marches out next getting loud cheers from the fans in attendance as he uses them to hype himself up. He sprints to the ring with purpose as he stands in front of two former Cruiserweight Champions but shows no fear.
Michael Cole: Ilja is a former World tag team champion with Cesaro but lately both men have been going down their own paths.
Corey Graves: Ilja is someone who will hurt himself to hurt you more. In this environment, he might be the most dangerous opponent for anyone to fight.
Michael Cole: There also might be some tension between him and Dijakovic due to Ilja leaving The Ungovernables last year!
Corey Graves: I will say this, Dijakovic seems to be having the same issues with the rest of the group that Cesaro and Ilja were having.
DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC marches out with his black shades on and wearing a leather coat as he walks towards the ring. He has a serious look on his face and when he steps into the ring he noticeably towers over the other 3 men. Ilja though shows no sign of backing down as the two men have a stare down.
Michael Cole: Dijakovic is another man in this match who is a former tag team champion, holding the tag team titles with Shinsuke Nakamura.
Corey Graves: Dijakovic was seen as the powerhouse of that team but he also has a unique agility that allows him to catch superstars by surprise.
Michael Cole: No Zelina Vega out here so she is respecting the wishes of Dijakovic to let him handle his own battles.
Corey Graves: Could also be Zelina having her focus on other matters tonight as Andrade fights Cesaro whilst the Garzas are going to be fighting for the World tag team titles!
SAMI ZAYN makes his way out next getting loud cheers from the fans in attendance. He runs down the entrance ramp and slaps hands with a few of the live crowd in the front few rows. Once inside the ring, he looks quietly confident chatting to his allies in recent times, Ilja and Ali.
Michael Cole: Sami Zayn last year finally got his hands on a singles title, defeating John Morrison to win the Intercontinental title.
Corey Graves: And that win has given him the confidence to keep pushing forward.
Michael Cole: Sami faced Samoa Joe at the Royal Rumble and felt he let himself plus the fans down when he came up short that night.
Corey Graves: Beating Samoa Joe is no easy feat but a win tonight and he might get the chance to correct his loss against the man who took the title from Joe last night, Big E!
KEVIN OWENS makes his way out next getting a huge pop from the fans. He looks in a good mood as he heads to the ring, having got to share a beer with his childhood hero Stone Cold Steve Austin earlier tonight. He steps into the ring and comes face to face with Sami Zayn as the two men share a knowing look.
Michael Cole: Kevin Owens has been focused fully on Roman Reigns for the last 12 months.
Corey Graves: And if he wins the briefcase, he could even use it tonight to ruin Roman’s night!
Michael Cole: One concern will be the fact that his best friend Sami Zayn is in this match and potentially standing him Kevin’s way!
Corey Graves: We have seen the lengths that Owens is willing to go to if it means winning a title!
BOBBY LASHLEY marches out getting cheers from the live crowd. He stands at the top of the entrance ramp and flexes to the delight of the live crowd before marching to the ring with a purpose, looking to this year pull down the briefcase he came so close to winning last year.
Michael Cole: Lashley was this close to pulling down the briefcase before being pipped to it by Big E!
Corey Graves: In another timeline, it might have been Lashley in that main event last night instead!
Michael Cole: We have also seen the Hurt Business trying to get Bobby to join them the last few months.
Corey Graves: The question in Bobby’s mind has to be, where were they when he was on the shelf?
The first 7 entrants in the match wait in the ring and all turn their attention towards the entrance ramp as we await the 8th and final entrant into this ladder match…
KEITH LEE makes his way out getting a huge pop from the WrestleMania crowd! The 7 men in the ring look in shock and none more than the frenemy of Keith’s over the years, Dominik Dijakovic. He takes his time walking to the ring, soaking in the reaction from the crowd.
Michael Cole: This man is truly limitless. A former North American and NXT Champion, holding the NXT title for over 8 months!
Corey Graves: And he only lost that to the unstoppable WALTER, one of the few men like Keith Lee to become a double champion!
Michael Cole: How does the field react to the fact that they have to face not only a giant of a man but someone who can do feats that even Cruiserweights struggle to do?
Corey Graves: I’d be asking Dominik Dijakovic for advice on how to fight Keith Lee as few men know him better than Dijakovic does!
All eight men are now in the ring as the referee calls for the bell, and we get the first match of night 2 underway!
Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match:
Ilja Dragunov vs Kevin Owens vs Bobby Lashley vs Buddy Murphy vs Sami Zayn vs Dominik Dijakovic vs Mustafa Ali vs Keith Lee
Dijakovic doesn’t waste a second going after the mat he sees as the biggest threat in this match trying to take down Keith Lee but he avoids the swing from Dijakovic and sends him to the outside with a POUNCE! Meanwhile, Sami and Owens work together to remove Ali and Murphy from the ring! Ilja charges at Keith Lee next, leaping out of him… BUT KEITH LEE CATCHES HIM IN ONE SMOOTH MOTION AND TOSSES HIM TO THE OUTSIDE! Lashley meanwhile double clotheslines Owens and Sami out of the ring leaving him alone in the ring with Keith Lee!
Keith Lee and Bobby Lashley stare each other down in the middle of the ring as the crowd loudly chants “This is awesome”! Keith Lee has a smirk on his face whilst Bobby remains serious as he looks at the former NXT Champion! Bobby flinches first trying to charge at Keith Lee but the Limitless One LEAPFROGS OVER LASHLEY! Bobby catches himself before the turnbuckles and turns around as Keith Lee hits a WICKED DROPKICK TO LOUD CHEERS FROM THE CROWD!
Lashley rolls out of the ring as Keith Lee stands in the ring and starts to lead the crowd as they start up a “Bask in his glory” chant! He stands in the ring for a few seconds as BUDDY MURPHY comes face to face with Keith Lee! Keith Lee beckons him on… AS MUSTAFA ALI CONNECTS WITH A MODIFIED LEGSWEEP WHILST BUDDY MURPHY CONNECTS WITH A RUNNING KNEE STRIKE! The commentary team says we might see temporary alliances form throughout this match when needed as Ali and Murphy look at each other!
The Cruiserweights start to trade strikes with each other inside the ring whilst on the outside we can see DIJAKOVIC LAYING A BEATING ON ILJA DRAGUNOV! Michael Cole wonders if Dijakovic was given a secondary mission of injuring Ilja Dragunov as he LAWN DARTS HIM INTO A SET UP LADDER BY THE COMMENTARY DESK! Ilja slumps against the ladder and Dijakovic follows up by grabbing Ilja by the throat AND CHOKESLAMS HIM ONTO THE ANNOUNCE TABLE NEXT TO THEM!
A brutal impact as Ilja winces in pain, with more damage done due to the announce table not breaking! Dijakovic smirks but as he turns around SAMI ZAYN USES A LADDER TO CATCH HIM WITH A SHOCK TORANDO DDT TO THE RING FLOOR! Loud cheers from the live crowd as Sami plays to the crowd before turning around with Kevin Owens standing behind him! A knowing smirk appears on both men's faces before they point towards the ring… LASHLEY RUNS THROUGH THEM WITH A LADDER!
Some boos from the live crowd but Lashley doesn’t care about stopping the reunion and looks to slide into the ring with the ladder in hand! Ali and Murphy are focused on battling each other so they don’t see Lashley coming until it is too late as he HURLS THE LADDER AT BOTH MEN! Murphy and Ali fall to the floor before rolling out of the ring as Lashley is left all alone looking at the briefcase! Lashley grabs the ladder and sets it up in the middle of the ready to make the climb…
KEITH LEE IS BACK UP AND STOPS LASHLEY FROM CLIMBING! Cheers from the live crowd who are getting behind the limitless one! Lashley looks annoyed that Keith is a problem for him again and swings at him BUT KEITH AVOIDS THE PUNCH BEFORE HITTING A MONGOLIAN CHOP CUTTING LASHLEY OFF! He falls to the mat clutching his chest as Keith heads partway up the ladder but stops a few steps off the mat AND HITS A DOOMSAULT TO LASHLEY!
The crowd pops as once again Keith Lee shows off his insane agility! Lashley rolls out of the ring leaving Keith Lee alone for now… AS DIJAKOVIC SLIDES INTO THE RING! The two frenemies come face to face with each other with Keith Lee still smiling as wide as a Cheshire cat. Meanwhile, Dominik Dijakovic looks angry and shouts at Keith Lee that this is his yard, not Keith’s. Keith just sticks his arms out and tells Dijakovic to try to stop him so he FIRES OFF ON KEITH LEE!
Keith Lee starts to fire back as the two giants exchange boos in the middle of the ring. The two men are evenly matched and are soon joined by MUSTAFA ALI and BUDDY MURPHY! Both men run past Keith and Dijakovic hoping to sneak past the pair onto the ladder climbing up fast… DIJAKOVIC AND KEITH LEE STOP FIGHTING EACH OTHER AND GRAB ALI AND MURPHY PULLING THEM OFF THE LADDER! Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic grab hold of one man each BEFORE HITTING DUAL POWERBOMBS AFTER CLINKING THEM TWO TOGETHER!
Ali and Murphy fall to the mat and roll out of the ring in pain leaving the two giants alone in the ring again! The two men return to facing each other as Keith Lee looks to take control of the battle UNTIL DIJAKOVIC BOUNCES BACK OFF THE ROPES AND HITS A CYCLONE KICK! Keith Lee is stunned but Dijakovic is not done grabbing hold of him as he kicks down the upright ladder and CHOKESLAMS KEITH LEE ONTO THE LADDER! Boos from the crowd but Dijakovic doesn’t care having stopped a huge threat in this match!
He looks at the ladder on the mat and starts to set it up in the middle of the ring… BUT AS HE CLIMBS IT ONE OF THE STEPS BREAKS DUE TO THE CHOKESLAM ONTO IT! Dijakovic looks angry, tosses and kicks the ladder over. He then gets his senses together and sees Lashley climbing onto the ring apron… USING THE BROKEN LADDER TO SEND HIM TO THE RING FLOOR AGAIN! Dijakovic tosses the ladder on the mat before rolling out of the ring to grab a ladder from the side of the hard camera…
ILJA DRAGUNOV RUNS INTO THE RING AND DIVES THROUGH THE ROPES LIKE A BULLET CRASHING INTO DIJAKOVIC AND THE LADDER! Ilja is living up to his name as the Mad Russian as he wipes himself and Dijakovic out in brutal fashion. We cut back to the ring as SAMI ZAYN and KEVIN OWENS slid into the ring holding a ladder in their hands! The two friends look at each other for a moment before giving each other a nod and placing the ladders in the corners of the ring leaning against the turnbuckles before turning to each other… AND START TRADING PUNCHES LIKE ONLY THEY CAN!
The crowd goes wild and we even hear a few fans start up a “FIGHT FOREVER” chant as they do battle in the middle of the ring until BOBBY LASHLEY RUNS INTO THE RING AND PLOUGHS THROUGH BOTH OF THEM WITH A SPEAR! Boos from the crowd for stopping the fight but Lashley doesn’t care instead lifting both of them up hitting a DUAL VERTICAL SUPLEX ONTO THE LADDER ON THE MAT BEHIND THEM! An insane show of strength from Lashley as Owens and Sami roll away to recover!
Lashley gets back to his feet and looks to go on the attack as Buddy Murphy slides back into the ring. Lashley picks up the ladder to toss it at Murphy… BUT ALI SPRINGBOARDS OFF THE ROPES AND LANDS ON THE LADDER ABOVE LASHLEY’S HEAD REACHING UP FOR THE BRIEFCASE! Lashley realizes what is happening and it distracts him allowing Murphy to connect with a BICYCLE KICK DROPPING LASHLEY AND BRINGING ALI CRASHING TO THE MAT BEHIND HIM!
Murphy and Ali look to trade kicks in the ring as Lashley rolls to the corner of the ring for the moment. Back on the outside of the ring meanwhile we can see Dragunov lay into Dijakovic with a series of hard chops… BUT DIJAKOVIC CUTS HIM OFF WITH ONE BIG BOOT! Boos from the live crowd for the boot as Dijakovic turns towards the ring… BUT DRAGUNOV GRABS HIM BY THE BOOT ANGERING DIJAKOVIC! He responds by booting Dragunov in the head and looks at the ladder next to them with evil intentions!
Dijakovic grabs hold of the ladder and sets it up as a bridge between the ring apron and the barricade! Back in the ring, we can see Lashley back on his feet but Murphy works with Ali to hit a DUAL SUPERKICK SENDING HIM OUT OF THE RING FOR NOW! Murphy spins Ali around looking for MURPHY’S LAW… BUT ALI SENDS HIM INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING… AS KEITH LEE APPEARS ON THE RING APRON AND GRABS MURPHY HITTING A SUPERPLEX FROM THE RING APRON OVER THE ROPES TO THE FLOOR!
Another loud pop from the live crowd who are enjoying the insane mix of power and speed that Keith Lee offers! Keith Lee gets back to his feet as he looks to SPRINGBOARD OUT OF THE RING HITTING A CORKSCREW PLANCHA! Elsewhere by the hard camera, Ilja is fighting off Dijakovic with punches as he looks to avoid being sent through the ladder bridge… BEFORE LOCKING IN A SLEEPER CHOKING THE LIFE OF DIJAKOVIC! The big man outside the ring tries to fight out of it but Ilja keeps the hold on Dijakovic until he passes out on the ring floor!
Back inside the ring, we can see Lashley looking to get back to his feet when Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens pick up the ladder with the broken step and RUN THROUGH BOBBY WITH THE LADDER! They smash it into his ribs causing Lashley to double over before SLAMMING IT DOWN ONTO HIS BACK! Kevin Owens is ferocious in his assault on Lashley’s back and it causes the ladder to break completely on the back of Lashley! Lashley rolls off the ladder but Owens grabs hold of him and IRISH WHIPS HIM INTO ONE OF THE UPRIGHT LADDERS… HULLEVA KICK FROM SAMI TO LASHLEY!
Lashley falls out of the corner and leaves the ring, leaving Sami and Kevin Owens alone in the ring. The two men look at each other when ILJA WIPES OUT KEVIN OWENS WITH A TORPEDO MOSCOW! A mixed reaction from the live crowd as Ilja and Sami Zayn come face to face in the ring as the pair exchange strikes! Whilst that is going on we cut to the outside of the ring and Ali has cleared the announce table and SMASHES KEITH LEE WITH SEVERAL CHAIR SHOTS TO KEEP HIM DOWN! Ali then tosses the chair away and climbs to the top of a nearby ladder… HITTING THE 054 THROUGH THE TABLE WIPING OUT KEITH LEE!
A huge holy shit chant as both men lie in the rumble as the commentary team wonder if Ali has taken them both out of this contest with that insane move! Back inside the ring, Ilja has Sami in the corner of the ring and is hammering away on him with a series of chops before looking to back up… HIGH KNEE BY BUDDY MURPHY! Buddy is all business as he scoops Ilja up and SENDS HIM THROUGH THE LADDER IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE RING WITH A DEATH-VALLEY DRIVER!
A massive mixed reaction for the insane move as the Mad Russian lays down and out whilst Buddy leans on the ropes for a moment. Sami has a bright red chest before looking to go after Buddy Murphy… BUT THE AUSSIE IS READY FOR IT SLAMMING HIM DOWN TO THE MAT! Buddy Murphy grabs hold of Sami Zayn and connects with a KAMIGOYE WIPING OUT SAMI! Buddy is on fire in this match as he takes a moment before rolling out of the ring to grab another ladder before setting it up in the middle of the ring!
He starts to climb the ladder in the middle of the ring and looks close to the briefcase when he is stopped by DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC! Dijakovic grabs hold of Buddy by the neck after bringing him to the mat… BUT BUDDY FIGHTS BACK WITH A KNEE LIFT TO THE HEAD! Dijakovic staggers back until he responds with a DISCUS LARIAT WIPING OUT MURPHY AND DROPS HIM TO THE MAT! Dijakovic then looks to the ladder and slowly makes the climb towards the briefcase!
Buddy Murphy gets back to his feet and makes his way around to the other side of the ladder as he looks to make the climb joining Dijakovic atop the ladder as both men try to knock one another down! Dijakovic looks like he is about to win out as he grabs hold of Buddy by the throat… BOBBY LASHLEY SLIDES BACK INTO THE RING AND PUSHES THE LADDER OVER SENDING BOTH MEN CRASHING OUT OF THE RING! Bobby looks serious as he puts the ladder back in the middle of the ring…
KEVIN OWENS APPEARS BEHIND BOBBY LOOKING TO GO FOR A STUNNER… BOBBY IS READY FOR IT AND LOCKS KEVIN OWENS IN A FULL NELSON HOLD CHOKING THE LIFE OUT OF KEVIN OWENS! Bobby is wrenching back on the hold and Owens is struggling due to the impact of the brutal move by Lashley… SAMI ZAYN SLIDES INTO THE RING HOLDING A LADDER! He lines up Lashley and clocks him in the back saving his best friend from the Hurt Lock!
Lashley stumbles on the mat but it is enough for Owens to escape from the hold and kneel on the mat choking due to the damage done via the Hurt Lock. Lashley turns around with a face of thunder as he glares at Sami who tries to smash him with the ladder… LASHLEY CATCHES THE LADDER BLOCKING THE ATTACK! Bobby then wrenches the ladder away from Sami and holds it in his hands ready to use it on the Underdog from the Underground… OWENS LOW BLOWS BOBBY LASHLEY!
A cheap move but it is all legal in this match as Kevin Owens and Sami both connect with SUPERKICKS SENDING THE LADDER INTO THE FACE OF BOBBY LASHLEY! Owens then has an idea as Lashley holds the ladder with KO climbing to the top rope and FLIES OFF HITTING THE BULLFROG SPLASH ONTO THE LADDER CRUSHING LASHLEY BELOW! Owens rolls off having to take a moment to recover whilst Lashley rolls out of the ring for now! Sami grabs the ladder from the mat and places it in the middle of the ring next to the other one as he starts to climb!
Sami looks to slowly climb up the ladder with purpose with Owens clutching his ribs before looking to head towards the ladder, grabbing his close friend’s leg trying to stop him from climbing. Sami hesitates for a moment before kicking Owens away… BUT MURPHY SPRINTS INTO THE RING AND CLIMBS UP THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LADDER! Sami and Buddy make it to the top of the ladder as they try to bring the briefcase down but neither man can quite bring the briefcase down from the hook!
As Sami Zayn and Buddy Murphy are battling atop the ladder, we can see Kevin Owens slowly climb up the other ladder looking to sneak in and pull down the briefcase himself… BUT DIJAKOVIC ON THE OTHER HAND, SLOWLY CLIMBS UP THE LADDER! 4 men make it atop the 2 ladders as they are all battling for control and to pull down the briefcase! No one can gain control of the briefcase as the battle carries on…
AS BOBBY LASHLEY SLIDES BACK INTO THE RING CLUTCHING HIS RIBS… STANDS BETWEEN THE LADDERS AND PUSHES THEM BOTH TO THE SIDE SENDING ALL 4 MEN CRASHING TO THE RING FLOOR! Lashley is all alone in the ring but has to take a moment to catch his breath… SPRINGBOARD DROPKICK FROM MUSTAFA ALI! Clutching his own ribs and in a ton of pain after the 054 through the ladder to Keith Lee, Ali makes his entrance back into this match! Ali gets back to his feet and looks to place the ladder in the middle of the ring… BUT LASHLEY IS BACK ON HIS FEET!
Lashley charges at Ali and looks to go for a SPEAR… ALI LEAPFROGS OVER HIM AND LANDS HALF-WAY UP THE LADDER! The crowd pops for the athletic skills of Ali, avoiding being split in half by Lashley but he knows he won’t be able to climb the ladder so he jumps off it hitting a DIVING TORNADO DDT TO BOBBY LASHLEY SPIKING HIS HEAD INTO THE MAT! Lashley rolls out of the ring as Ali takes a moment to recover before slowly making the climb up the ladder…
ILJA DRAGUNOV JUMPS ONTO THE LADDER BEHIND ALI AND GRABS HOLD OF HIM AS HE CONNECTS WITH A GERMAN SUPLEX FROM THE LADDER SLAMMING DOWN MUSTAFA ALI! The crowd pops for the wild offense as Ilja looks to pull something out of the pocket in his tights and WRAPS A METAL CHAIN AROUND HIS RIGHT HAND! He climbs up a couple of steps before jumping off the ladder hitting Ali with a SUPER H-BOMB!
Ali rolls out of the ring clutching his face and looks in a lot of pain after the brutal move from the Mad Russian! Ilja gets to his feet and screams to the crowd, firing himself up ready to fight everyone! We can see Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Buddy Murphy all climbing onto the ring apron in succession but each one gets knocked down by a punch from Ilja! The Mad Russian is on fire in this match… CYCLONE KICK FROM DIJAKOVIC WIPING HIM OUT!
Ilja falls to the mat as Dijakovic looks at Ilja before looking at one of the ladders down in the middle of the ring and places it between the ropes in a corner of the ring. He sets up a ladder bridge before walking over to Ilja as he grabs him with BOTH HANDS BY THE THROAT AND CHOKES HIM BEFORE LIFTING HIM UP AND CHOKEBOMBING HIM ONTO THE LADDER BRIDGE IN THE CORNER! Ilja’s back slams into the metal and the Mad Russian screams in agony!
Dragunov rolls off the ladder and rolls to the ring floor, clutching his back in a ton of pain leaving Dijakovic alone in the ring looking at the ladder in the middle of the ring! He is about to start climbing when Sami Zayn runs into the ring trying to stop him… BUT DIJAKOVIC COUNTERS WITH A LAWN DART SENDING SAMI FACE-FIRST INTO THE LADDER BRIDGE IN THE CORNER OF THE RING! Sami comes back off the ladder as Dijakovic boots him from the ring and walks back over the ladder ready to make the climb… KEITH LEE IS BACK IN THE RING!
Dijakovic pauses for a moment before looking up at the belt, having no intention of stopping his climb! Keith takes his time due to the damage from the 054 splash through the announce table by Ali but he makes it to the top just in time to stop Dijakovic! The big men do battle atop the ladder as they each try to knock each other down but neither man gives way… DIJAKOVIC GRABS KEITH LEE BY THE THROAT… KEITH LEE COUNTERS AND HITS AN AVALANCHE SPANISH FLY FROM THE TOP OF THE LADDER!
A massive “HOLY SHIT” chant from the live crowd the insane move as both men lay on the mat, not moving for the moment as MURPHY SNEAKS INTO THE RING! The Aussie superstar starts to make the climb up the ladder, slowly making it towards the top… KEVIN OWENS IS BACK IN THE RING AND STOPS HIM! Owens and Murphy exchange strikes as Owens takes control and looks to send Murphy into the LADDER BRIDGE IN THE CORNER… BUT MURPHY STOPS HIMSELF!
Murphy turns around as Kevin charges at him… FLAPJACK ONTO THE LADDER BRIDGE! Kevin bounces off but turns around to face Murphy… LASHLEY RE-ENTERS THE RING AND RUNS THROUGH BOTH OF THEM! Bobby then grabs hold of Murphy as he gets up putting him in position for a DDT… BEFORE HITTING OWENS WITH A NECKBREAKER AT THE SAME TIME! Both men roll out of the ring as Lashley turns around to see a rising KEITH LEE!
Two giants in this match as Lashley looks to go for a SPEAR… BUT KEITH ONCE AGAIN IS READY FOR IT LEAPING OVER HIM… BUT ALI GETS CAUGHT AND SPEARED THROUGH THE UPRIGHT LADDER IN THE CORNER OF THE RING! Loud cheers for the move as Ali gets destroyed by the freight train that is Bobby Lashley! Keith Lee looks to take advantage of the moment and starts to climb the ladder again but Lashley shakes off the cobwebs and pulls Keith down stopping him!
The two big men brawl with each other in the ring as Keith teases getting Lashley up for the SPIRIT BOMB… BUT LASHLEY FIGHTS OUT OF IT! He sends Keith Lee backward and onto the ring apron with a CLOTHESLINE! Lashley then looks at the ladder bridge between the ring apron and the barricade having an idea. He steps onto the ring apron looking to grab hold of Keith… BUT HE FIGHTS BACK AND OVERWHELMES BOBBY… BEFORE GETTING HIM ON HIS SHOULDER FOR THE BIG BANG CATASTROPHE THROUGH THE LADDER BRIDGE!
Lashley is down and out in the rubble of the ladder as Keith Lee smiles and turns around towards the ring… DRAGUNOV HITS TORPEDO MOSCOW SENDING HIM CRASHING TO THE RING FLOOR! Ilja Dragunov gets cheers from the crowd as he fires himself up ready to climb the ladder and pull down the briefcase. He gets halfway up the ladder when he is stopped by DOMINIK DIJAKOVIC AGAIN! The former stablemates keep on getting in each other’s way in this match as Dijakovic hurls Ilja towards the ropes… BUT HE REBOUNDS OFF HITTING A LEAPING LARIAT DROPPING DIJAKOVIC!
Loud cheers from the live crowd as Ilja sees Dijakovic starting to get back up so he has an idea and rolls out of the ring, grabbing a ladder from the entrance ramp! He slides into the ring with the ladder in hand and SMASHES IT OFF DIJAKOVIC’S HEAD DROPPING HIM! He doesn’t stop there as he lays into Dijakovic with the ladder several times, crushing the ribs until Dijakovic has to roll out of the ring to recover! Ilja turns around… BUDDY MURPHY HITS A SHOTGUN DROPKICK SENDING THE LADDER INTO DRAGUNOV’S FACE!
Murphy looks to head towards the briefcase and climb to the top of the ladder but SAMI ZAYN AND KEVIN OWENS SLIDE INTO THE RING TIPPING THE LADDER OVER AS HE GETS INCHES FROM THE TOP SENDING HIM CRASHING TO THE RING! Murphy rolls out of the ring and once again we are left with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens alone in the ring. The two best friends look at each other with the crowd cheering again and there is almost a resigned smile from both of them as THEY FIGHT EACH OTHER WITH A FLURRY OF PUNCHES ONCE AGAIN!
The two men battle to loud cheers from the crowd as they see Dijakovic and Dragunov trying to get back on the ring apron… SO THEY PAUSE TO SEND THEM BOTH BACK TO THE RING FLOOR! Once they have been knocked off the ring apron Owens and Sami go back to battling with each other as Owens and Sami send each other out of the ring! The two men start to battle by the ring apron and Owens counters Sami hitting him with a STUNNER!
Kevin Owens takes a moment as he sees Sami still moving before looking at the ring apron and having evil intentions. Michael Cole brings up the pair’s history and how brutal a pop-up powerbomb would not just take Sami out of this match but potentially out of action for weeks! Kevin grabs Sami and teases going for the POWERBOMB ONTO THE RING APRON… BUT STOPS FOR A MOMENT! Kevin can’t do it to his best friend and puts him down… ALI CHARGES AT KEVIN OWENS AND KEVIN POP-UP POWERBOMBS ALI ONTO THE RING APRON!
Mostly cheers from the live crowd as Mustafa Ali slumps to the ring floor with Kevin Owens not showing any mercy to the former Cruiserweight Champion! Kevin Owens turns around as SAMI WIPES OUT KEVIN OWENS WITH A DIVING ASAI MOONSAULT FROM THE LADDER NEXT TO HIM! Owens pays for showing mercy to Sami as he takes a moment to bring down the ladder and places it next to them as a ladder bridge. He is ready to grab hold of Kevin Owens… BUT DIJAKOVIC APPEARS AND HITS A DOUBLE CHOKESLAM SENDING BOTH MEN THROUGH THE LADDER BRIDGE!
Loud boos from the live crowd as Dijakovic stands over the broken bodies of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens having potentially taken them out of this match. Dijakovic then climbs into the ring BUT DRAGUNOV RUNS THE ROPES AND HITS TORPEDO MOSCOW! Dijakovic staggers and slows down as Ilja Dragunov chops Dijakovic a bunch of times before using all of his strength to get him up… RUSSIAN BOTTOM ONTO THE LADDER BRIDGE IN THE CORNER OF THE RING TO DIJAKOVIC!
The crowd loudly cheers for the power move before Ilja looks at the ladder in the middle of the ring and slowly starts to make the climb! He gets closer and closer and closer to the top of the ladder… BUDDY MURPHY SLIDES INTO THE RING AND CLIMBS THE LADDER UP THE OTHER SIDE! Ilja tries to get hold of the briefcase and pull it down but Murphy meets him at the top of the ladder as the two men start to do battle, desperate to be the one to pull down the briefcase!
Both men are firing off with a bunch of hard blows with Ilaj’s chops looking like they might knock Buddy off the ladder… BUDDY COUNTERS HITTING A KNEE LIFT STUNNING ILJA! Buddy grabs hold of Ilja and lifts him onto his shoulders hitting an AVALANCHE MURPHY’S LAW FROM THE TOP OF THE LADDER DROPPING ILJA WITH A HARD THUD! Dragunov is broken on the mat and slowly rolls out of the ring as Murphy uses the ropes to get back to his feet!
He slowly makes it back to the ladder getting a loud pop from the live crowd, taking his time to make it to the top. He is inches away from making it to the briefcase… DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT KIETH! The camera catches Keith Lee appearing at the top of the ladder as Murphy tries to lay into him with a series of punches but Keith shrugs them off! Keith grabs hold of Buddy and looks to lift him onto his shoulders… BUDDY TRIES TO FIGHT OUT AND MAKES ONE LAST GRAB FOR THE BRIEFCASE…
BIG BANG CATASTROPHE SENDING MURPHY CRASHING TO THE RING MAT!
KEITH LEE STANDS ATOP THE LADDER…
AND PULL DOWN THE BRIEFCASE!
Winner: Keith Lee (26:13)
The crowd loudly cheers as the former NXT and North American Champion Keith Lee has become Mr. Money in the Bank! He stands atop the ladder and holds the briefcase in the air with a confident smile on his face.
Michael Cole: Keith Lee has become Mr. Money in the Bank!
Corey Graves: What an impact immediately from the NXT superstar!
Michael Cole: And look at the carnage around the ring, everyone in this match shortened their careers for a chance to hold what Keith Lee has in his hands.
Corey Graves: NXT is called the future of WWE for a reason, and we might be basking in its glory as soon as our main event later tonight!
Keith Lee carries on his celebration as the crowd starts up a “Bask in his glory” chant before we cut to the backstage area.
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We see THE BLOODLINE’S LOCKER ROOM door open and ROMAN REIGNS leave the locker room soon followed by JACOB FATU! They are soon approached by CATHY KELLEY looking for an interview.
Cathy Kelley: Roman, we just saw Keith Lee win the Money in the Bank briefcase. Are you at all concerned ahead of tonight’s main event when you fight Daniel Bryan?
Roman shakes his head.
Roman Reigns: If Keith Lee wants to waste his golden ticket on trying to take my title, it will be the biggest mistake he will ever make.
Jacob Fatu steps forward.
Jacob Fatu: I love Roman and no one is going to stop the Bloodline from taking all the gold!
Jacob gets closer to Cathy causing her to back up slightly.
Jacob Fatu: I’m going to show Chad what happens when you have something we want. We take it and we… What are you looking at?
The camera pans over and we can see STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN watching in the background! Austin has a smirk and a beer in hand as he looks at Fatu directly before turning to Roman Reigns.
Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Rock always warned me about you.
Jacob Fatu: If Dwayne had any sense, he’d keep my name out of his mouth!
Stone Cold doesn’t flinch as Roman puts an arm around Jacob and looks at him with a nod.
Roman Reigns: I’ll handle this, go win the United States title.
Jacob looks at Roman and then once again at Stone Cold before nodding as he leaves the hallway, heading towards the ring. Stone Cold then slowly walks up to Roman, coming face to face with the Tribal Chief.
Stone Cold Steve Austin: Should I be grateful you told your attack dog to leave? I was looking for a warm up before I open a can of whoop ass on Cena!
Roman smirks, shaking his head.
Roman Reigns: No, just a reminder who has the power in WWE ever since you and my cousin retired for good.
The two men are face to face, with neither man backing down from the other.
Stone Cold Steve Austin: Just remember, I beat your cousin’s ass more times than I could count at WrestleMania. I’ll gladly do it tonight if you step out of line later too.
Both men stare each other down before Roman turns around returning to his locker room whilst Austin takes a sip of his beer and we cut to the ring for the 2nd match of the evening.
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JACOB FATU storms out to boos from the crowd with a scowl on his face and looking every bit the rampaging force, he truly is ahead of his United States title match tonight as he steps into the ring.
Corey Graves: Jacob Fatu has been nearly unstoppable since debuting on SmackDown last year under the guidance of his tribal chief Roman Reigns.
Byron Saxton: Fatu is a dangerous man and his list of victims is getting longer by the day.
Corey Graves: Braun Strowman, Big Cass and Matt Riddle. All have fallen victim and been taken out by Jacob Fatu!
Byron Saxton: But all of them are powerhouses whilst his opponent tonight is much more of a technician in the ring!
CHAD GABLE makes his way out getting loud cheers from the live crowd, posing with the United States title holding it proudly in the air at the top of the entrance ramp. He walks to the ring, looking a little nervous but doesn’t back down when it comes to staring down Jacob Fatu.
Corey Graves: Chad Gable has been a fighting United States Champion, proving he can beat men twice his size thanks to his amazing technical ability and submission skills.
Byron Saxton: He has truly learned from Kurt Angle and followed in his footsteps, becoming one of SmackDown’s best superstars.
Corey Graves: But Jacob Fatu is a force of nature of the likes Gable has yet to face in the ring.
Byron Saxton: Gable, I feel will have come into this match with a game plan but will he be able to execute it?
Both men stand in the ring as the referee lifts the United States title into the air for the usual title announcements before calling for the bell to get this match underway!
United States title match:
Chad Gable © vs Jacob Fatu
The bell rings as Jacob Fatu charges in looking to go right on the attack… BUT GABLE MOVES OUT OF THE WAY JUST IN TIME! Fatu stops himself just before the turnbuckles as Gable looks to go after the right leg with a CHOP BLOCK… BUT FATU NO-SELLS IT! Jacob responds by slowly turning around to Gable who backs off for the moment BUT FATU GRABS HOLD OF HIM AND SLAMS HIM INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING! Fatu follows up by CRUSHING GABLE IN THE CORNER OF THE RING TO LOUD BOOS!
Fatu stays on top of Gable with a series of KNIFE EDGE CHOPS BATTERING THE CHEST OF GABLE! He fires off a series of chops… GABLE LEAPS UP AND TRAPS THE RIGHT ARM OF FATU LOCKING IT IN A HANGING ARMBAR! Gable wrenches back on the hold as the referee counts to 5 before Gable lets go of the hold and drops to the ring floor! Fatu grabs his arm looking annoyed as the United States Champion is doing whatever he needs to survive.
Chad Gable gets back to his feet outside the ring thinking about what he is going to do next… JACOB FATU RUNS THE ROPES AND DIVES THROUGH THE ROPES WIPING OUT GABLE WITH A SUICIDE DIVE! Fatu gets back to his feet and roars as he looks at the crowd before picking up Chad Gable and IRISH WHIPPING HIM INTO THE STEEL STEPS! Fatu is not done there as he charges in and CRUSHES THE HEAD OF GABLE WITH A HIP ATTACK INTO THE STEEL STEPS!
Gable’s head has been crushed between the steps and hips of Jacob Fatu! The commentary team says Fatu is like a runaway train, you can try to stop him but sometimes all you can do is delay him! Fatu picks up Gable off the floor, placing him onto his shoulder before hitting a FALLAWAY SLAM ONTO THE RING APRON! Gable winces in pain, taking a massive beating early on but Fatu is far from done.
He climbs onto the ring apron and runs along it hitting a CANNONBALL SENTON CRUSHING GABLE! The commentary team says it might not just be Chad Gable’s title reign that is in danger but his career tonight! Fatu pushes Gable back into the ring and makes the cover 1 2 Gable kicks out! Fatu doesn’t look happy at the kick out and tells Chad that was his chance to be let off easy before scooping Gable back onto his shoulder… GABLE COUNTERS INTO A CRUCFIX PIN!
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FATU KICKS OUT!
Gable nearly escaped with his title and Fatu is furious at nearly being caught out! He charges at Gable looking to take his head off but Gable avoids it by countering with a BRIDGING GERMAN SUPLEX! 1 2 Fatu kicks out! Gable doesn’t want to mess around and grabs the right leg of Fatu looking to go for the ANKLE LOCK… FATU KICKS THE CHAMPION AWAY AND SENDS HIM INTO THE ROPES! Fatu gets back to his feet clocking him with a SUPERKICK! Fatu makes the cover 1 2 Gable kicks out!
Chad Gable is in big trouble with Jacob Fatu snarls at him ready to end this match. Fatu looks at the crowd and shouts some abuse at the crowd before HITTING A HANDSPRING MOONSAULT CRUSHING GABLE! Fatu hooks the leg 1 2 Gable kicks out! Fatu doesn’t even think about easing up on the champion for a second as he grabs hold of Gable and GUTWRENCHES HIM OFF THE MAT BEFORE SLAMMING HIM DOWN WITH A POWERBOMB! Fatu hooks the leg 1 2 Gable kicks out!
Fatu snarls looking at Gable on the mat, ready to end this match! Jacob runs towards the corner of the ring and does his signature double jump ready for the MIGHTY MOONSAULT… GABLE GETS HIS KNEES UP BLOCKING THE MOONSAULT! Fatu stumbles back to his feet as GABLE GOES FOR THE CHOP BLOCK TO THE RIGHT LEG AGAIN AND THIS TIME LOCKS IN AN ANKLE LOCK! Gable wrenches back on the hold trying to force a tap out from Fatu!
Fatu is in a ton of pain as Chad looks to grapevine the ankle lock and escapes from this match but Fatu makes it to the ropes forcing a break! Chad keeps the hold on till 4, showing his desperation in this match and how much deep water he is in! Gable backs away from Fatu who shouts in pain, with the ankle lock doing some damage to the Samoan Werewolf but it also might have just fuelled his rage! Gable looks to go on the attack but Fatu stops him in his tracks with a HEADBUTT! Fatu makes the cover 1 2 Gable kicks out!
Jacob Fatu lays into Gable with a few punches, almost angry that he was starting to mount a fight back against his challenge! Fatu yanks Gable off the mat and slams him down with a SPINOUT SLAM! Fatu makes the cover 1 2 Gable kicks out! Jacob meanwhile heads back to the corner of the ring and looks to line up Gable before hitting a SWANTON BOMB CRUSHING THE UNITED STATES CHAMPION! Fatu follows up and makes another cover 1 2 Gable kicks out!
Fatu is starting to get annoyed that Gable refuses to go down from this onslaught! Fatu drags Gable off the mat and BIEL TOSSES HIM TOWARDS THE CORNER OF THE RING! Gable lands by the turnbuckles as Fatu looks to crush him with a RUNNING HIP ATTACK… GABLE MOVES JUST IN TIME! Fatu shouts in pain as Gable grabs hold of Jacob and hits him WITH CHOAS THEORY!
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FATU KICKS OUT!
Gable nearly escaped from this match with his United States title around his waist but doesn’t waste any time as he looks to grab Fatu from behind looking for the ANGLE SLAM… FATU COUNTERS INTO A POP-UP SAMOAN DROP PLANTING GABLE TO THE MAT! Fatu doesn’t make the cover straight away though as he looks furious that he came this close to losing this match. Gable is struggling to get back to his feet and this leads to Fatu grabbing hold of him SLAMMING HIM WITH A SAMOAN SPIKE! Fatu makes the cover
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GABLE KICKS OUT!
Fatu punches the mat in annoyance whilst Gable is coughing and spluttering due to the spike to the throat! Fatu grabs hold of Gable and locks him in a NERVE HOLD looking to do more damage to the neck and shoulder area of Gable… BUT THE CHAMPION MANAGES TO COUNTER AND GETS FATU IN THE ANKLE LOCK! Gable wrenches back on the hold and tears away on the right leg of Fatu, knowing this might be his last chance to keep his title!
Gable wrenches on the hold as Fatu tries to power through to the ropes… SO GABLE MANAGES TO LOCK IN THE GRAPEVINE! Gable is putting everything he has left into this hold, desperate to get Fatu to tap out but the Samoan Werewolf grits his teeth and refuses to give in as more damage is done to his right ankle! He knows he can’t make it to the ropes so he twists his body around and KICKS AWAY ON GABLE UNTIL FINALLY THE CHAMPION BREAKS THE HOLD!
Gable has to fall back as Fatu struggles to get back to his feet, wincing in pain due to the damage done to his right leg throughout the match. Fatu charges at Gable limping slightly as he does and it gives Gable the chance to counter with an INSANE ANGLE SLAM! Gable takes a few seconds exhausted from the beating he has taken during this match but before he can even make the cover…
FATU RISES BACK TO HIS FEET FULL OF ANGER! Gable looks in total shock that Fatu won’t stay down and this allows Fatu to connect with a HEADBUTT! Gable is staggered due to this as Fatu grabs hold of Gable and lifts him up into the air as he plants him with a SPINEBUSTER! Fatu doesn’t make the cover though heading to the corner of the ring looking for the MIGHTY MOONSAULT… BUT HIS RIGHT LEG BUCKLES! Fatu has to pause… AND THIS ALLOWS GABLE TO MEET HIM UP TOP!
Gable lays into Fatu with strikes trying to stagger him on the top rope, getting desperate but Fatu doesn’t fade instead HEADBUTTING GABLE AND STUNNING HIM! Fatu then grabs hold of Gable and hits him with an AVALANCHE SPANISH FLY! A “HOLY SHIT” chant from the live crowd as Fatu rolls away from Gable after a few seconds and winces slightly. Gable isn’t moving but Fatu wants to make sure this is over once and for all! He leaps up to the top rope and this time hits the MIGHTY MOONSAULT ON GABLE! Fatu hooks the leg
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Winner via pinfall and new United States Champion: Jacob Fatu (9:26)
Loud boos from the live crowd as Fatu rises to his feet slightly limping due to the damage done to his right leg throughout. He hoists the United States title into the air whilst Chad Gable remains down on the mat.
Byron Saxton: Jacob Fatu has done it. He has won his first gold in the WWE and he has done it dominantly tonight!
Corey Graves: We talked about Jacob Fatu being a force of nature since coming to SmackDown as part of the Bloodline and my god did, he proved that right tonight!
Byron Saxton: Gable truly gave it everything he had tonight but he could not find a way to stop the Samoa Werewolf.
Corey Graves: And this has to be a worrying omen for Daniel Bryan as all the male members of the Bloodline hold gold!
Jacob Fatu carries on his celebrations in the ring, still limping as he does celebrate before we cut elsewhere backstage!
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We cut to the backstage area as we can see The World Tag Team Champions SHELTON BENJAMIN and CEDRIC ALEXANDER doing a final warm-up ahead of the tag team warfare match up next. MVP is giving them some final instructions as TOM PHILLIPS comes over to them looking for an interview.
Tom Phillips: Montel last night was a rough night for The Hurt Business with all of your other clients losing their gold.
MVP looks furious already but let’s Tom carry on with his interview.
Tom Phillips: Now the last titles in your group’s hands are the tag team titles. What is your plan going into this match?
MVP: Our plan? Our plan is to hurt people.
Shelton walks over to Tom and takes the microphone from his hands.
Shelton Benjamin: I have been in this business for many years. Setbacks happen.
He lifts his tag team title into the air with Cedric following after him.
Shelton Benjamin: Tonight, we will be the first ones out in that ring…
Cedric Alexander: And the last ones standings.
MVP smirks, happy at his clients’ confidence before turning back to Tom Phillips.
MVP: It’s time.
MVP signals to his champions and The Hurt Business head to the ring for the 3rd match of the night as we cut to the commentary team at ringside.
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Michael Cole: Well, The Hurt Business are feeling confident and determined to keep their tag team titles but they face a tough time as the confirmed number one entrants into this match.
Elias: Tag team warfare is a chaotic environment and I can see any of these 8 teams walking out with the titles!
Michael Cole: For those unfamiliar with the rules of this match, 2 teams will start the match with a new team entering every 2 minutes.
Elias: The match will be fought under tornado tag team rules with eliminations occurring via pinfall, submission or disqualification! Plus if your partner is eliminated, so are you!
Michael Cole: The last team remaining in the match will walk out with the World tag team titles!
Elias: Let the warfare begin!
THE HURT BUSINESS slowly marches out to the ring, led by MVP who has an expensive suit on. SHELTON BENJAMIN and CEDRIC ALEXANDER hold their World Tag Team titles in the air before putting them on their shoulders, walking with a purpose ahead of entering tag team warfare.
Michael Cole: Wade Barrett made this match as punishment due to The Hurt Business’s actions on Raw, attacking The Street Profits and British Strong Style during a tag team match laying them out.
Elias: And they will have to survive from the start of the match right to the end if they want to keep their tag team titles.
Michael Cole: Also, there is the added pressure of holding the last gold with The Hurt Business’s possession.
Elias: They were the first within the group to hold gold and now they are the last. If I were them, I would try to take every team out as they enter and get things over quickly!
THE STREET PROFITS make their way out getting loud cheers from the live crowd. MONTEZ FORD and ANGELO DAWKINS lift their red cups into the air before heading to the ring, looking more serious than normal.
Michael Cole: The Street Profits have talked about coming this close on so many occasions and falling short of winning tag team gold.
Elias: Some people are calling them the greatest tag team ever to not win tag team gold.
Michael Cole: We heard Montez and Angelo both feel that if they can’t do it tonight, it might be time to call it a day on their tag team.
Elias: They have a tough task starting right from the beginning of the match especially in such a chaotic environment.
The Street Profits step into the ring with the title announcements being done in the background as they stare down the champions. Once they are done the referee calls for the bell and it is time for tag team warfare to begin!
World tag team titles tag team warfare match:
The Hurt Business © vs The Street Profits vs British Strong Style vs The Ungovernables vs Jeff Jarrett and Heath Slater vs Breezeango vs Lucha House Party vs Dolph Ziggler and OMOS
Both teams look at each other in the first few seconds, not wanting to make an early mistake in this match. The two teams talk within their tag teams and discuss their plans before Montez Ford goes after Cedric Alexander whilst Shelton Benjamin battles with Angelo Dawkins! Both teams are throwing hands with each other, having had a lot of problems with one another over the last year. Dawkins grabs hold of Shelton and sends him into the corner of the ring with an Irish whip!
Cedric is also sent into the corner of the ring by Montez Ford before Angelo Dawkins signals to the crowd as he stirs things up and HITS A STINGER SPLASH CRUSHING THE HURT BUSINESS IN THE CORNER! Angelo follows it up by hitting an ENZIUGIRI TO ALEXANDER! Cedric rolls out of the ring as Montez follows up with a JUMPING CLOTHESLINE! Shelton falls out of the corner as Montez heads up ready to go for FROM THE HEAVENS EARLY…
CEDRIC GRABS SHELTON PULLING HIM OUT OF THE RING! The crowd boos but The Street Profits have no intention of letting The Hurt Business rest as they run the ropes and HITS A DUAL SUCIDIDE DIVE TO THE OUTSIDE WIPING OUT THE CHAMPIONS! The crowd loudly cheers but The Street Profits remain focused on the goal as Angelo grabs Cedric Alexander and rolls him back into the ring whilst Montez stays on the attack outside the ring laying into Shelton Benjamin!
Angelo lifts up Cedric inside the ring and holds him in the air for a few seconds before connecting with a BODY SLAM! Angelo makes the cover 1 2 Cedric kicks out! Angelo is in control as he leaps into the air hitting a CORKSCREW JUMPING ELBOW TO CEDRIC! Dawkins makes another cover 1 2 Cedric kicks out again! Meanwhile, that is going on Shelton catches a charging Montez Ford and hits him with a T-BONE SUPLEX WIPING OUT MONTEZ FORD!
Angelo in the ring carries on laying into Cedric with a series of punches to keep him grounded whilst Shelton climbs to the top rope behind Dawkins! Shelton lines up Dawkins who gets pushed towards the corner by Alexander… SHELTON HITS A DIVING CLOTHESLINE! Boos from the crowd as the veteran cuts Angelo off before checking on Cedric Alexander before they hit a DOUBLE SUPLEX PLANTING ANGELO DAWKINS! Shelton makes the cover 1 2 Angelo kicks out! The crowd cheers on the Street Profits as the crowd counts down ahead of the next entrants!
Michael Cole: Dolph Ziggler spent the majority of last year fighting in the Cruiserweight division even holding the title for the first time ever.
Elias: He said himself he has a new goal: help OMOS win some gold for the first time in his career.
Michael Cole: Ziggler is a former tag team champion in his own right and has years of experience for OMOS to learn from.
Elias: But does Ziggler have experience in a match like this?
Ziggler walks behind OMOS, looking to stay behind the giant for the time being. Cedric and Shelton have their eyes on the new team coming to the ring allowing The Street Profits to both get to their feet behind The Hurt Business and catch them with a DUAL DROPKICKS DROPPING THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS! Cheers from the live crowd but the mood soon changes as OMOS STEPS OVER THE ROPES AND INTO THE RING ACROSS FROM THE STREET PROFITS!
The tag team looks at each other before looking to charge at the giant but he SWATS THEM AWAY LIKE FLIES KNOCKING THEM DOWN! Ziggler takes the moment to sit in the corner and watch the giant go to work! OMOS grabs hold of Montez and lifts him over his head before GORILLA PRESS DROPPING HIM TO THE RING FLOOR! OMOS turns around Cedric Alexander tries to take him down with a SUPERKICK… BUT OMOS NO-SELLS IT AND SLAMS HIM DOWN WITH A CHOKESLAM!
OMOS makes the cover 1 2 SHELTON BREAKS IT UP! The veterans try to lay into the giant with a few kicks and stomps but OMOS remains unfazed as he rises up through them… ZIGGLER ATTACKS SHELTON FROM BEHIND! Ziggler finally wakes up and hits a LEAPING REVERSE STO whilst DAWKINS TRIES TO POUNCE OMOS… BUT HE JUST BOUNCES OFF HIM! Ziggler makes the cover on Shelton 1 2 Shelton kicks out! OMOS meanwhile grabs hold of Dawkins and locks him in a nerve hold on the mat!
He presses on the hold and looks to make Dawkins tap out… FORD DIVES OFF THE TOP ROPE AND HITS OMOS WITH A FRONT DROPKICK SENDING HIM BACKWARDS! Ziggler looks in shock as he looks to go back after Montez but he uses his tag team partner to hit a SHIRANUI ON ZIGGLER PLANTING HIM TO THE MAT! The crowd cheers as Ford makes the cover on Ziggler 1 2 Ziggler kicks out! The Street Profits discuss what to do next but OMOS WIPES THEM OUT WITH A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE AS THE CLOCK TICKS DOWN!
Michael Cole: It’s time for a Lucha House Party!
Elias: I have to say these two might be underdogs in this match but their speed plus agility could give them an edge in such a chaotic match!
Michael Cole: Kalisto has experience holding gold, maybe he can lead the Golden Lynx to his first gold.
Elias: Meanwhile, it looks like MVP is talking some strategy with clients outside the ring!
The camera shows MVP telling Shelton and Cedric to back away for now as they stay on the outside of the ring. Meanwhile, OMOS stands in the middle of the ring almost beckoning Lucha House Party to try to bring him down! LINCE DORADO and KALISTO get to the ring apron as they BOTH SPRINGBOARD OFF THE ROPES HITTING DUAL DROPKICKS TO KNOCK OMOS OFF HIS FEET! Ziggler looks to come after the luchadores but they connect with a HIGH-LOW combo to wipe out Ziggler!
Lince makes the cover on Ziggler 1 2 OMOS GRABS HOLD OF LINCE AND RIPS HIM OFF THE COVER! The giant gets Lince above his head and HURLS HIM AT A RISING STREET PROFITS KEEPING THEM DOWN FOR THE MOMENT! Kalisto turns around and tries to come after OMOS jumping onto him… BUT THE GIANT CATCHES HIM WITH BOTH HANDS AND HITS THE JKCB! OMOS makes the cover
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Eliminated via pinfall by Dolph Ziggler and OMOS: Lucha House Party (4:48)
And just like that, Lucha House Party has been eliminated from this match! The crowd boos as OMOS stands tall with a stoic look on his face. Cedric is more than willing to step into the ring to fight him but MVP and Shelton tell him to stay outside the ring, saving himself from a fight with the giant. Montez looks to Angelo as they can see Ziggler getting back to his feet… SHELTON AND CEDRIC GRAB HOLD OF ZIGGLER DRAGGING HIM OUTSIDE OF THE RING!
The Hurt Business laid a two-on-one beating to Ziggler outside the ring, looking to isolate him from his bodyguard. OMOS is distracted seeing this, allowing Montez and Angelo to jump him from behind, laying into him with several shots! The Street Profits are laying into the giant with several strikes and laying a beating on him before both grabbing hold of OMOS, struggling to get him up but they manage to lift him onto his shoulders hitting a MAGIC KILLER! Montez and Angelo stay on for the cover
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OMOS STILL POWERS OUT!
The Street Profits stand in front of the giant as Ziggler carries on getting beaten down outside the ring as the clock ticks down ahead of the next team…
Michael Cole: We are into the 2nd half of the entrants in this match and Zelina Vega is leading out The Ungovernables representation in this match!
Elias: Zelina wants gold back in the Ungovernables after the group lost their tag team titles last year.
Michael Cole: Angel and Humberto are still a new pairing within the group but know each other well as cousins.
Elias: Humberto says he has finally understood what Angel has been preaching to him. Will that bring him his first WWE gold?
The tag team sprint down the entrance ramp as OMOS has The Street Profits in position for a DOUBLE CHOKESLAM… HUMBERTO LEAPS OFF THE ROPES HITTING A SPRINGBOARD HEADBUTT KNOCKING DOWN THE GIANT! Angel is then quick to follow up by hitting a DIVING MOONSAULT TO OMOS! Angel stays on for the cover 1 2 OMOS kicks out! The giant is down for the first time and rolls out of the ring for the time being as The Ungovernables get to their feet across the ring from The Street Profits!
The Street Profits attempt to take down the Ungovernables, but their pace is too much for them, having been in this match from the start, and they get taken down with a pair of dropkicks, sending them crashing out of the ring! The Ungovernables pose in the ring when THE HURT BUSINESS SNEAKS UP BEHIND THEM AND ATTACKS THE DUO TO BOOS FROM THE CROWD! Zelina Vega shouts abuse at MVP at ringside but he shrugs going: It's just business!
Shelton grabs hold of Angel and lifts him up slamming him down with a RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX whilst Cedric slams Humberto down with a MICHINOKU DRIVER planting the Ungovernable to the mat making the cover 1 2 Humberto kicks out! Cedric and Shelton talk to each other before making their way back over to Angel looking to eliminate The Ungovernables from this match! Shelton grabs hold of Angel and looks to hit him with a GERMAN SUPLEX… ANGEL LANDS ON HIS FEET AND HURRICARANAS A CHARGING CEDRIC ALEXANDER!
Cedric rolls out of the ring as Shelton charges in at Angel… ANGEL LEAPFROGS OVER HIM AND CATCHES HIM WITH A DROPKICK! Angel looks to follow up by grabbing hold of Shelton but Cedric is back to his feet and KNEES ANGEL IN THE BACK STAGGERING HIM! Cedric grabs hold of him ready to go for the LUMBAR CHECK… HUMBERTO SLIDES INTO THE RING AND PULLS ANGEL TO SAFETY! Both men land in front of Cedric and Shelton ready for a fight…
OMOS RETURNS TO THE RING AND RUNS THROUGH THE UNGOVERNABLES WITH A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE! Ziggler rolls back into the ring catching Shelton Benjamin with a ZIG ZAG whilst OMOS hits Cedric Alexander with a BIG BOOT! OMOS looks to do more damage but THE STREET PROFITS slide into the ring! They try to attack OMOS but he fights them off! Ziggler sends Montez out of the ring as OMOS gets Dawkins up and CHOKESLAMS HIM! OMOS makes the cover
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DAWKINS KICKS OUT!
OMOS considers doing more damage but Ziggler notices the clock ticking down and they prepare for the 6th team in this match!
Michael Cole: Breezango has discussed in interviews their disappointment about never winning gold in WWE.
Elias: Both men feel like they are towards the end of their careers but I feel it would take a big upset to pull off the victory tonight.
Michael Cole: And they head to the ring with a rampaging giant called OMOS standing in their way!
Elias: OMOS might win this match single-handedly whilst Ziggler watches in the background!
Tyler Breeze and Fandango finish posing at the top of the entrance ramp before sprinting to the ring. They get on the ring apron looking at the giant in front of them, a bit wary of getting in his way! Ziggler tells them to step into the ring when… THE OTHER 3 TEAMS IN THE MATCH ENTER THE RING BEHIND OMOS AND ZIGGLER! The Ungovernables and Hurt Business, under the instruction of their managers, attack OMOS with Breezango helping as they battle him 6-on-1!
Ziggler looks to try to help but The Street Profits target the former World Heavyweight Champion keeping him isolated from the big man! OMOS is being attacked 6 on 1 but mounts a bit of a fight back sending Cedric, Fandango and Humberto backwards… SHELTON, BREEZE AND ANGEL HIT A TRIPLE SUPERKICK! OMOS falls over the ropes as they follow him to the outside. Meanwhile, Ziggler tries to fight back but ANGELO PLANTS HIM WITH A SPINEBUSTER! Montez goes up top as Dawkins lifts Ziggler into an electric chair position… DIVING BLOCKBUSTER FROM MONTEZ TO ZIGGLER! Ford hooks the leg
1
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OMOS TRIES TO GET TO THE RING…
3
Eliminated via pinfall by The Street Profits: Dolph Ziggler and OMOS (9:15)
OMOS is too late and the pairing has been eliminated from the match to loud cheers from the fans! The giant is not happy though and starts to destroy everyone at ringside he can get his hands on! MVP grabs Shelton and Cedric as he pulls them away from the carnage but OMOS goes on a tear wiping everyone in sight out until security comes to pull him away from the ring. The Hurt Business enters the ring after the cost is clear with a smirk on their face as the clock ticks down…
Michael Cole: And our penultimate entrants into this match are British Strong Style!
Elias: The British superstars aren’t just after the tag team titles but they are also after revenge on The Hurt Business!
Michael Cole: A few weeks ago, The Hurt Business took out and injured Trent Seven.
Elias: We know Pete Dunne has no problem breaking the fingers of anyone. What is he going to do to someone who injured one of the few people he actually likes?
British Strong Style sprint to the ring and go right after The Hurt Business as they look for revenge right from the start! The two teams exchange strikes with the crowd behind the British duo as they overwhelm the tag team champions who have been in the match since the start. Pete Dunne grabs the right hand of Cedric as he twists the arm on the mat as the crowd cheers loudly, ready to see a finger break… BUT CEDRIC FIGHTS HIM OFF! Tyler meanwhile gets Shelton up and slams him down with an EXPLODER SUPLEX! Bate hooks the leg 1 2 Cedric breaks it up!
Cedric keeps his team in this match as he grabs hold of Tyler Bate teasing, he is about to go for the LUMBAR CHECK… BUT BATE FIGHTS OUT OF IT! Shelton gets back to his feet though and looks to go for a SUPERKICK… BATE DUCKS AND COMES BACK FROM THE ROPES HITTING A 1-VS-2 AAX BOMBER! Both members of The Hurt Business fall to the mat as Tyler looks over to Pete to discuss what to do next… ANGEL AND HUMBERTO LEAP INTO THE RING KNOCKING THEM DOWN!
The Hurt Business rolls out of the ring leaving British Strong Style with The Ungovernables as the high-fliers lay into Dunne and Bate with a series of fast-paced kicks keeping the Brits down. The crowd boos but Zelina Vega gives them instructions as Humberto and Angelo work over them on the mat, locking them into submission holds in the middle of the ring! Meanwhile outside the ring, we can see Breezango fighting with The Street Profits as the clock ticks down ahead of the final entrants into this match!
Michael Cole: And the final team enters the match. Elias, I don’t think people will be too happy if this duo walks out of tonight as the tag team champions.
Elias: Jeff Jarrett is known to a lot of wrestling fans as a scumbag who will do whatever it takes to win a match.
Michael Cole: There may be disqualifications in this match but Jarrett is an expert in bending the rules to his advantage.
Elias: Plus, Heath Slater is a multiple-time tag team champion in his own right through the years as well!
Jeff Jarrett and Heath Slater stand at the top of the entrance ramp, taunting the fans at first being more than happy to take their time going to the ring. Back inside the ring British Strong Style have managed to escape from the submission holds The Ungovernables had locked them in and sent them out of the ring before looking at Slater and Jarrett taking their time outside the ring, telling them to get in the ring already… SHELTON AND CEDRIC ROLL UP BRITISH STRONG STYLE FROM BEHIND!
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BATE AND DUNNE KICK OUT!
British Strong Style were nearly caught out by the tag team champions! The Brits get back to their feet and look fired up as they catch The Hurt Business members with a pair of SNAP SUPLEXES! Pete Dunne teases going for a finger break to Shelton… BUT JARRETT AND HEATH SLATER SLIDE INTO THE RING ATTACKING BRITISH STRONG STYLE! The crowd boos at the two men pummel the Brits with a bunch of punches whilst The Hurt Business rolls out of the ring for now.
Jeff Jarrett can be seen shouting instructions to Heath Slater and guiding him through the beatdown, with the former one-man band doing what Jarrett says. Jarrett grabs hold of Pete Dunne and teases going for the STROKE… BUT DUNNE GRABS HOLD OF THE RIGHT HAND OF JARRETT TO LOUD CHEERS FROM THE CROWD! Jarrett begs off… BUT PETE DUNNE BREAKS HIS FINGERS TO LOUD CHEERS! Dunne then teases going for the ARMBAR… BUT SLATER BREAKS THE HOLD!
Jarrett rolls out of the ring for a moment leaving Slater alone to try to stomp on Dunne but Tyler Bate spins him around and DROPS HIM WITH AN EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! Tyler then signals to the crowd about Slater going for a spin and puts him onto his shoulders hitting him with the UFO! Slater spins around for a good few seconds as the crowd cheers this one… BREEZE AND FANDANGO HIT DOUBLE SUPERKICKS DROPPING BATE! Breeze makes the cover 1 2 Dunne breaks it up!
Pete Dunne keeps British Strong Style in the match as Slater rolls to the corner looking to get his bearings back. Dunne fires off a series of forearms to the heads of Breezango trying to fight the veterans off but they counter grabbing hold of his arms hitting a DOUBLE RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP! Fandango makes the cover 1 2 Dunne kicks out! Fandango and Breeze talk about what to do next as Dunne and Bate roll out of the ring leaving Slater alone with Breezango… JARRETT DRAGS BREEZE OUT OF THE RING AND SLATER ROLLS UP FANDANGO!
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HEATH SLATER HOOKS THE TIGHTS
3
Eliminated via pinfall by Jeff Jarrett and Heath Slater: Breezeango (14:17)
Boos from the live crowd but Jarrett and Slater have worked together to score an elimination in this match! Fandango argues with the referee that his tights were hooked but the referee didn’t see it so Breezango is eliminated from this match. Jarrett rolls back into the ring looking to talk to Slater and plan their next attack… MONTEZ FORD LEAPS OFF THE TOP ROPE AND WIPES BOTH OUT WITH A CROSSBODY! Montez makes the cover on Slater! 1 2 Heath kicks out!
Montez Ford gets back to his feet getting loud cheers from the live crowd as he fires himself up! He looks to grab hold of Jeff Jarrett on the mat ready to take out the hated duo… SHELTON BENJAMIN ATTACKS MONTEZ FROM BEHIND! Shelton lays into Montez Ford with a bunch of clubbing blows as Angelo tries to re-enter the ring to help Ford… BUT CEDRIC SENDS HIMSELF AND THEM OVER THE ROPES TO THE OUTSIDE! Jarrett meanwhile gets Slater to roll out of the ring with him and they go into hiding for now!
Shelton grabs hold of Montez in the middle of the ring and lifts him up ready to go for the T-BONE SUPLEX… MONTEZ COUNTERS WITH A FLOAT OVER DDT! Montez hooks the leg 1 2 Shelton kicks out! Montez shakes his head but heads towards the corner of the ring as he looks to line up Shelton for FROM THE HEAVENS… CEDRIC CLIMBS ONTO THE RING APRON… HITTING A SUPERPLEX TO THE OUTSIDE STOPPING MONTEZ FORD!
A big high-risk move as Cedric saves his partner… BRITISH STRONG STYLE SLIDE INTO THE WITH SHELTON GETTING TO HIS FEET! MVP tells Shelton to get out of the ring but Bate blocks him with a EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! Pete Dunne grabs hold of him and hits an X-PLEX PLANTING THE CHAMPION! Dunne then looks to Bate who hoists Shelton onto his shoulders as DUNNE HELPS HIM HIT AN ASSISTED BURNING HAMMER! Dunne hooks the leg
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3
Eliminated via pinfall by British Strong Style: The Burt Business (15:54)
A huge pop from the live crowd as the World Tag Team Champions have been eliminated from this match and we are guaranteed new tag team champions tonight! Meanwhile outside the ring, we can see Dawkins checking on Montez Ford outside the ring, still feeling the effects of that brutal superplex to the outside. The crowd then loudly boos as JEFF JARRETT USES THIS MOMENT TO CHEAP SHOT DAWKINS AND BOOTING HIM IN THE HEAD!
Jeff grabs hold of Dawkins and sends him into the steel steps one-handed as the heat gets even louder from the live crowd! Jeff winces in pain grabbing his right hand as he instructs Heath to do more damage to Montez… BRITISH STRONG STYLE LEAVE THE RING AND ATTACK JARRETT AND SLATER! The crowd loudly cheers as the Brits lay a beating on the heels before Dunne grabs Jarrett to roll him back into the ring. Bate lays into Heath Slater outside the ring with a series of uppercuts!
Back in the ring, Pete Dunne grabs hold of the right hand and arm of Jeff Jarrett as he once again locks in the ARMBAR! He wrenches back on the hold and looks to try to force the Hall of Famer to tap out… HUMBERTO CARRILLO LEAPS OFF THE ROPES THE TOP ROPE HITTING A ROUNDING MOONSAULT! Jarrett rolls out of the ring as Humberto makes the cover on Dunne
1
Bate turns around…
2
ANGEL LEAPS THROUGH THE ROPES WIPING OUT BATE
3
Eliminated via pinfall by The Ungovernables: British Strong Style (17:25)
And we are down to the final 3 teams in this tag team warfare match! Zelina Vega has a cocky smirk at ringside, commenting that The Street Profits are struggling after being here from the start whilst Jarrett has broken fingers! Wisely the veterans have hidden out of view as Zelina tells Angel to get Slater back into the ring. Angel nods and rolls the former one-man band into the ring as the crowd cheers for the Ungovernables, finding Heath Slater that unlikeable even two on one!
Heath Slater realizes he is in big trouble and begs off the cousins, hoping for mercy from the pair. They both look at each other and scoff… ANGEL BOOTS HIM IN THE FACE WITH A LOW SUPERKICK! Garza makes the cover 1 2 Slater kicks out! He tries to roll out of the ring but Humberto grabs hold of him, stopping him from escaping as the crowd enjoys this with Humberto sending him into the corner of the ring with SNAKE EYES! Angel follows up by running to the corner and connects with a HESITATION DROPKICK CRUSHING HEATH!
Heath is on the ropes as Zelina tells them to focus… ANGELO DAWKINS WIPES OUT HUMBERTO CARRILLO WITH A POUNCE! Carrillo goes flying and leaves the ring as Angel looks to leap onto Angelo down counters with a POP-UP SPINEBUSTER! Dawkins makes the cover 1 2 Angel kicks out! Dawkins looks fired up as Slater rolls back to the outside of the ring for now leaving Angelo with Angel alone in the ring! Dawkins grabs hold of Angel lifting him off the mat and SLAMS HIM DOWN WITH A SPINNING NECKBREAKER! Dawkins hooks the leg
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HUMBERTO LEAPS OFF THE ROPES AND HITS AN ELBOW DROP TO BREAK THE HOLD!
The crowd can’t help but pop for the high-flying offense of Humberto, doing whatever is needed to keep his team in this match! Angel rolls out of the ring for now leaving Humberto in there as he lays into Dawkins with a series of kicks. He grabs hold of Dawkins looking to grab him on the mat and locks him in a MUTA LOCK! He wrenches back on the hold with Dawkins crawling to the ropes in pain.
It takes some time but he gets to the bottom rope to break the hold… JARRETT CLOCKS HIM WITH AN UPPERCUT AS HUMBERTO BREAKS THE HOLD! Boos from the crowd for the cheap shot as Dawkins stumbles backward whilst Heath Slater sneaks into the ring and grabs hold of Humberto hitting him with the WAKE-UP CALL PLANTING HUMBERTO TO THE MAT! Heath gets ready to go into the cover…MONTEZ FORD REAPPEARS AND HITS A STANDING SHOOTING STAR PRESS TO THE BACK OF SLATER! Ford makes the cover
1
JARRETT TRIES TO BREAK THE COVER…
2
BUT DAWKINS STOPS HIM!
3
Eliminated via pinfall by The Street Profits: Jeff Jarrett and Heath Slater (19:48)
Loud cheers from the live crowd as they now know Jeff Jarrett isn’t walking out of this match with gold around his waist. Jarrett looks furious and kicks away Angelo Dawkins as he glares at Montez, who is still in pain after the Superplex to the outside of the ring. Montez gets back to his feet using the ropes as Jarrett leaves the ring in anger. Dawkins sees Angel trying to get back into the ring and slides to the outside looking to cut him off whilst Montez signals to the crowd he is going up top…
JEFF JARRETT SLIDES INTO THE RING AND SMASHES A GUITAR OVER HIS HEAD! Loud boos from the live crowd as the referee shouts at him. The ref looks at Zelina who makes it clear this has nothing to do with her as Jarrett walks off happy with his handiwork. Jarrett storms off as Zelina shouts to Humberto to try to get her client to take advantage and he quickly makes the cover. The referee looks annoyed but then eventually starts to count
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DAWKINS BREAKS THE COVER SAVING THE MATCH!
The crowd loudly cheers as the Street Profits’ hopes of tag team gold remain alive! Dawkins looks to grab hold of Humberto but he gets attacked from behind by ANGEL GARZA! Montez is down and out after the beating he has taken this match leaving Angelo to fight alone! The commentary team mentions people have talked about Montez carrying Dawkins but if they want their first titles, Dawkins will have to carry the load as he gets put down by a DUAL SUPLEX! Angel makes the cover 1 2 Dawkins kicks out!
Zelina Vega outside the ring can be seen giving instructions to her clients, telling them it is time to finish this! Angel grabs hold of Dawkins and locks him in position for the WING CLIPPER… DAWKINS ROLLS THROUGH INTO A ROLL-UP! 1 HUMBERTO BREAKS IT UP STRAIGHT AWAY! Dawkins nearly escaped with the tag team titles as Humberto looked to grab hold of him… DAWKINS COUNTERS WITH A RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX!
Dawkins gets back to his feet seeing Angel charging in and sends him into the ropes behind him with a STUN GUN! Angel bounces off the ropes as he gets back to his feet at the same time as Humberto and Dawkins wipe them out with a DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE! Dawkins gets to his feet and shouts, getting a huge pop from the crowd, fired up as he looks to win the tag team titles for the Profits! Dawkins looks at Angel who gets to his feet first and connects with a SPEAR!
Dawkins doesn’t make the cover as he sees Humberto Carrillo getting back to his feet and looks to grab hold of him by the neck to go for the SPINNING NECKBREAKER… HUMBERTO CARRILLO COUNTERS HITTING A STANDING SPANISH FLY! Humberto pulls off the insane move out of nowhere before slowly crawling onto Angelo Dawkins and makes the cover
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DAWKINS KICKS OUT!
The crowd goes wild as Dawkins refuses to go down easily in this match! Zelina Vega outside the ring cannot believe but in the corner of her eye, she can see Montez Ford trying to get up. She looks to Humberto who goes to argue with the referee and provides a distraction... ZELINA LEAPS OFF THE RING APRON HITTING A HURRICARANA SENDING MONTEZ FORD INTO THE STEEL STEPS KEEPING HIM DOWN! The boos get really loud now as Angel runs up behind Dawkins and hits a LOW SUPERKICK TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD!
Angel then talks to Humberto Carrillo and tells him to keep guard whilst he climbs to the top rope. Carrillo nods as Angel steadies himself on the top rope before flying off looking for a FROG SPLASH… DAWKINS GETS HIS KNEES UP TO BLOCK IT! Angel rolls over as Humberto charges at Angelo who hits a POP-UP SPINEBUSTER! Angelo then grabs hold of Angel lifting him off the mat and hits THE SILENCER! Dawkins hooks the leg as tightly as he can!
1
Angel moves towards them…
2
MONTEZ FORD GRABS HIS LEG STOPPING HIM!
3
Eliminated via pinfall by The Street Profits: The Ungovernables (23:29)
Winners and new World Tag Team champions: The Street Profits (23:29)
The crowd goes wild as Angelo Dawkins gets off of Humberto Carrillo and lies on the mat for a moment before he is joined by Montez Ford as the duo share a hug in the middle of the ring. The referee soon passes them the World Tag Titles, and the duo proudly lifts the belts into the air. Meanwhile, outside the ring, we can see Zelina scolding her tag team about their performance tonight.
Michael Cole: The Street Profits have finally become tag team champions!
Elias: They started the match with the former World Tag Team Champions, the Hurt Business, but they ran the entire gauntlet to finally get their hands on tag team gold.
Michael Cole: Zelina Vega will be very annoyed that her clients did not bring gold back to the group.
Elias: Well, she will need to focus on what’s to come but it has been a rough two nights for her clients so far!
The Street Profits carry on their celebrations in the ring to the delight of the live crowd as we can see a sea of red cups being lifted into the air before we cut to the backstage area…
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To see MVP watching the end of the match backstage on a monitor not looking happy before being interrupted by TOM PHILLIPS who looks to get a few words from him.
Tom Phillips: MVP, this weekend has seen The Hurt Business go from holding all the male titles on Raw to holding none…
MVP: Tom, if you are about to ask me how I am feeling after another loss you will find out why we are in the hurt business when I hurt you!
Tom gulps, clearly a bit nervous after the explicit threat from MVP and stumbles to his next question.
Tom Phillips: I wanted to ask what is next for you and The Hurt Business?
MVP takes a moment to take a deep breath and sigh.
MVP: Business has ups and downs. We will regroup and we will get back our gold.
MVP glares at Tom Phillips causing him to gulp again before walking off and we cut back to the ring for the 4th match of the evening.
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*CAFFEINE*
TEAM KICK makes their way out first, getting a decent pop from the live crowd. TEGAN NOX smiles and takes her time talking to some of the fans in the front few rows. DAKOTA KAI meanwhile, sprints to the ring at a fast pace, excited for in-ring action tonight.
Elias: Team Kick, since its debut on Monday Night Raw, has shown that they belong at the top of the Women’s division, fighting and pushing some of the best wrestlers in the world to their limits.
Byron Saxton: They had already made a name for themselves in NXT as a team, holding the WWE Women’s tag team titles for a joint record length with the MMA Horsewomen.
Elias: Team Kick, however, hasn’t been able to win back those tag team titles, and each time they have tried, they have fallen just short.
Byron Saxton: But tonight, they have the chance to become tag team champions again, this time against two women who have each held the tag team titles 4 times!
THE BOSS ‘N’ HUG CONNECTION makes their way out to large cheers from the live crowd. BAYLEY and SASHA BANKS show off their tag team titles to the live crowd, with Bayley especially playing to the kind in the front row and taking pictures with them.
Elias: Without these two women, we might not even have Women’s tag team titles.
Byron Saxton: They paved the way and fought to get these titles made, becoming the first-ever tag team champions.
Elias: But over the last two years, they have had a lot of ups and downs, with them breaking up, but now these two seem to be on the same page once again.
Byron Saxton: I’m just glad to not have Corey in my ear screaming about not trusting Sasha Banks!
The champions step into the ring across from the challengers as the usual title announcements are done. The two teams talk to each other and agree to a handshake before the bell. Once in their corners, Sasha starts for the champions whilst Tegan Nox starts for Team Kick as the referee rings the bell to get the match underway.
Women’s tag team titles match:
Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection © vs Team Kick
Tegan and Sasha both circle the ring, taking their time to size each other. Both women have respect for each other and know one mistake could be costly in this encounter. They lock up in the middle of the ring as they both battle for control, with Sasha bringing Tegan down to the mat and grinding her down… BUT TEGAN FIGHTS OUT OF THE HOLD! Tegan gets back to her feet as Sasha smirks slightly and holds up a finger. Tegan looks ready for round 2 and they lock up again!
They are evenly matched as they battle this time and end up making it to the ropes! Both women hold on for a few seconds before giving each other a clean break! Tegan and Sasha both head away from each other with a smile on their faces, enjoying the challenge they are offering to each other. They both make their way to the middle of the ring and lock up for the 3rd time in the middle of the ring. Banks this time loses her footing and this leads to Tegan sending her down to the mat with a SIT-OUT FACEBUSTER!
Tegan makes a quick cover 1 Banks power out! Sasha shows she is going to need a lot more to stay down as Nox smirks and rolls to the corner, bringing Dakota Kai back into the match. Kai sizes up Banks who gets back to her feet but we can hear Bayley calling from the ring apron, wanting to be tagged into the match! Kai with a smile, points at Bayley and tells Sasha to go ahead, allowing the tag to happen! Bayley steps into the ring as the crowd cheers loudly, wanting to see these two collide!
Both men lock up in the middle of the ring as Bayley tries to grapple them and take control of the exchange, but DAKOTA SLIPS OUT AND SENDS BAYLEY ONTO HER KNEE WITH A BACKBREAKER! Dakota doesn’t cover straight away and runs the ropes, hitting a KICK TO THE CHEST DROPPING BAYLEY! Kai makes the cover 1 Bayley kicks out! Kai has a smile on her face and looks over to her corner with a slight smile before Irish whipping Bayley into the corner of the ring! Kai then heads back over to the corner of the ring and tags in Tegan Nox!
Tegan hops over the ropes and is ready to go on the attack as KAI IRISH WHIPS HER INTO BAYLEY ALLOWING TEGAN TO HIT A HIGH KNEE IN THE CORNER! Bayley slumps in the corner of the ring as Tegan lays into her with a series of kicks, keeping the pressure on Bayley. Banks tries to run into the ring to help her tag team partner but KAI CUTS HER OFF WITH A DROPKICK! The commentary team points out the individual skill of the champions but wonders if Team Kick is a better unit!
Tegan then sends Bayley out of the corner and Kai connects with a SCORPION KICK dropping the Hugger. Tegan makes the cover 1 2 Bayley kicks out! The challengers are looking like they are taking control of this match as Tegan lays in a few more kicks to the chest of Bayley… BUT SHE SWEEPS THE LEG SENDING TEGAN CRASHING BACK TO THE MAT! Bayley looks to the corner and sees that Sasha is not back up, so turns around, catching an oncoming Dakota with an ELBOW TO THE HEAD!
Dakota stumbles back as Bayley grabs hold of Tegan and sends her back to the champion’s corner of the ring! Bayley then turns her attention back to Dakota and sends her out of the ring with a clothesline! Tegan tries to come out of the corner but Bayley clocks her with a RUNNING CLOTHESLINE IN THE CORNER! Sasha reappears on the ring apron and Bayley makes the tag, bringing her best friend back into the match! Bayley lays in a few more clotheslines before backing away… RUNNING METEORA IN THE CORNER!
Sasha drives the knees into the skull of the challenger with a wicked smirk on her face before tossing her out of the corner and making the cover 1 2 Nox kicks out! Sasha has a smile, though as she looks to get to work, dragging Tegan off the mat and working over her spine! The commentary team wonders if the Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection is looking to set up for the Bank Statement, but Tegan fights back, escaping from the hold for now and tags Dakota back into the match!
Dakota hops over the ropes and goes after Sasha Banks but the Boss counters with an ARM DRAG dropping Kai to the mat! Banks is quick to follow up with a knee to the head before making a quick cover 1 2 Kai kicks out! Banks heads to the corner of the ring and tags Bayley back into the match. Bayley runs the ropes and hits a SLIDING ELBOW TO THE HEAD OF KAI KEEPING HER DOWN! Bayley makes the cover 1 2 Kai kicks out! The champions look to be in control as Bayley brings Kai off the mat.
Bayley lifts her off the mat and slams her down to the mat with an EXPLODER SUPLEX! Bayley makes another quick cover 1 2 Kai kicks out! We can see Tegan Nox ready to break it up but she stays where she is for now as Banks is ready to cut her off. Bayley looks to bring Kai back towards the corner but Dakota counters, sending Bayley into the corner and runs to the corner tagging Tegan back into the match whilst Banks! All 4 women are in the ring as they look at each other and start to brawl!
The crowd goes wild as the two teams lay into each other, with the commentary team putting over how much being tag team champions means to both of these teams! Bayley and Kai end up brawling over the ropes to the ring floor whilst Banks goes to SLAP TEGAN BUT SHE COUNTERS WITH AN ARM DRAG! Tegan holds onto the arm as she looks to transition into a CHICKEN-WING HOLD… BUT SASHA FIGHTS BACK AND HEADS TOWARDS THE CORNER FOR A TAG… BUT KAI HAS SENT BAYLEY INTO THE BARRICADE OUTSIDE!
Sasha Banks turns around and TEGAN HITS A SUPERKICK! Banks drops to the mat as Tegan Nox is quick to follow up by heading to the top rope and DIVES OFF HITTING THE MOLLY-GO-ROUND! Tegan makes the cover 1 2 Banks kicks out! Tegan gets back to her feet as Dakota is back on the ring apron and she tags her tag team partner back into the match. They each grab hold of an arm of Sasha Banks BEFORE HITTING A KNEE EACH TO THE HEAD OF BANKS! Kai makes the cover 1 2 Banks kicks out!
Sasha Banks is struggling on the mat as Kai lays into her with a series of kicks. Bayley looks to come back onto the ring apron but Kai cuts her off with a kick, sending her crashing to the ring floor as the challengers stay in control! Kai lifts Banks off the mat and sends her back towards Team Kick’s corner with a SIT-OUT POWERBOMB! Kai makes the cover 1 2 Banks kicks out! Kai looks to the corner with a smile on her face and tags Tegan Nox back into the match.
Tegan sees Sasha trying to get back to her feet and connects with a kick to the BACK OF HER HEAD! Tegan then puts Sasha Banks on her shoulder, hitting MISERY BUSINESS (FIREMAN’S CARRY FACEBUSTER)! Tegan rolls away as Dakota Kai flies off the top rope and connects with a DIVING SPLASH! Tegan makes the cover as Dakota stops Bayley from breaking it 1 2 Banks kicks out again! Tegan has a smile on her face and teases going for the SHINEST WIZARD… BUT BAYLEY SENDS KAI INTO TEGAN CAUSING A COLLISION STOPPING TEGAN!
Bayley is showing her experience and a bit of craftiness as she brings Sasha back to the corner of the ring, tagging herself back into the match! Bayley steps into the ring and is quick to send Kai to the outside of the ring before focusing on Tegan Nox, hitting her with a RUNNING DOUBLE AXE HANDLE! Bayley comes back off the ropes and connects with several more, keeping the pressure on Tegan Nox! Tegan stumbles back to her feet, leading to Bayley hitting a DDT PLANTING NOX TO THE MAT! Bayley makes the cover 1 2 Nox kicks out!
Bayley signals to the crowd getting loud cheers from the fans, before she grabs hold of Tegan getting ready to go for the BAYLEY TO BELLY SUPLEX… BUT TEGAN FIGHTS OUT OF IT WITH A SERIES OF FOREARMS! Bayley stumbles backward before Tegan runs over to the corner and tags in Dakota Kai! Both members of Team Kick charge in looking for a DUAL SUPERKICKS ON BAYLEY… BUT SHE DUCKS IT AND CONNECTS WITH DUAL CLOTHESLINES!
Cheers from the live crowd as Bayley grabs Tegan Nox and sends her out of the ring to the floor before hitting Dakota Kai with a ONE-HANDED BULLDOG SLAMMING HER DOWN TO THE MAT! Bayley rolls her over and makes the cover 1 2 Kai kicks out! Bayley looks to the corner of the ring as Sasha is back on the ring apron, and she makes the tag to her best friend! Bayley then heads to the top rope and FLIES OFF HITTING TEGAN NOX WITH A DIVING CROSSBODY OUTSIDE THE RING… WHILST SASHA LOCKS DAKOTA KAI IN THE BANK STATEMENT!
Sasha wrenches back on the hold as she looks to force Dakota to tap out and make sure the tag team titles leave WrestleMania around the waist of the Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection! Kai struggles on the mat and noticeably looks for her teammate, but she is still down outside the ring! Kai fights through the pain though and crawls to the ropes, grabbing hold of it forcing a break… SASHA BREAKS THE HOLD… BUT BAYLEY DIVES OFF WITH AN ELBOW DROP AS KAI ROLLS OVER! Bayley rolls away as Banks drags Kai into the middle of the ring and makes the cover!
1
2
KAI KICKS OUT!
Banks remains calm whilst Bayley is noticeably agitated by the kick out. Sasha heads to the corner of the ring and makes the tag to bring Bayley back into the match. The Hugger instead of working with Sasha, charges straight at Kai and lays into her with a series of punches to the head. Sasha is a bit confused by this but as Bayley lifts Kai off the mat… KAI FIGHTS OUT WITH SOME FOREARMS OF HER OWN! She sends the champion back and turns around to the oncoming Sasha Banks, hitting her with a SUPERKICK SENDING HER OUT OF THE RING!
Kai turns around to Bayley and catches her with a KICK TO THE SKULL DROPPING HER TO THE MAT! Bayley falls to the mat on her knees and Kai is quick to follow up with an AXE KICK! Kai rolls over and heads to the corner, tagging Tegan Nox back into the match. Tegan runs into the ring and connects with a BASEMENT PENALTY KICK smashing Bayley with it! Tegan hooks the leg 1 2 Bayley kicks out! Tegan and Dakota Kai have a few words with each other before looking to end this match!
Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox each grab hold of Bayley as they send her into the corner of the ring before Dakota Kai charges in, connecting with a KAIO KICK! Kai moves out of the way as Tegan Nox follows up with a CANNONBALL SENTON CRUSHING BAYLEY IN THE CORNER! Tegan drags her out of the corner and makes the cover 1 2 Bayley kicks out! Dakota climbs onto the ring apron, grabs the tag rope and tags back into the match as she grabs hold of Bayley and they hit a DOUBLE LIFTING DDT! Kai makes the cover
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BANKS BARGES PAST NOX TO BREAK THE HOLD!
Sasha Banks keeps the tag team titles in play for the champions, but Tegan grabs hold of her and they start to brawl to the outside of the ring, leaving Kai and Bayley alone in the middle of the ring. Kai has a smile on her face, laying in a few strikes before she grabs hold of Bayley and looks to get her off the mat into position for GO TO KICK…BAYLEY FIGHTS OUT OF THE MOVE AND COUNTERS WITH THE BAYLEY TO BELLY! Bayley makes the cover
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Kai kicks out!
Bayley looks annoyed at the kick out but heads to the corner of the ring whilst Sasha manages to hit Tegan Nox outside the ring with the BACKSTABBER! Bayley gets back to her feet and grabs hold of Kai, looking to hit her with THE ROSEPLANT… BUT KAI FIGHTS BACK SENDING BAYLEY TOWARDS THE CHAMP’S CORNER INTO THE TURNBUCKLES… BANKS BLIND TAGS IN! Kai is quick to follow up with a KAIO KICK TO BAYLEY… BANKS SNEAKS UP BEHIND HER AND HITS THE BACKSTABBER! Banks makes the cover
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TEGAN HITS THE MOLLY GO ROUND TO BREAK THE HOLD!
Tegan Nox saves the match for the challengers! Sasha rolls off the cover as Kai rolls towards the corner of the ring, looking to recover. Sasha Banks gets back to her feet as Tegan Nox grabs hold of her by the throat and HITS A CHOKESLAM DROPPING SASHA BANKS! Tegan though isn’t the legal competitor and sees Bayley getting up outside the ring, running the ropes and WIPING HER OUT WITH A SUCICIDE DIVE! Tegan heads back to her corner of the ring and tags into the match as Kai rolls out of the ring!
Tegan Nox lines up Sasha Banks and charges in looking for the SHINEST WIZARD… SASHA AVOIDS IT AND COUNTERS SWEEPING THE LEG BEFORE LOCKING IN THE BANK STATEMENT! Sasha Banks gets the hold locked in tight as she wrenches back on the neck of Tegan as she tries to force the Welsh superstar to tap out! Tegan is in a ton of pain in the middle of the ring and there is no sign of Dakota Kai to save her as she remains trapped in the middle of the ring!
Tegan is in a ton of pain and looks to lift her arm BUT SHE ISN’T TAPPING! She gets an arm free and using her arm, manages to get enough free space within the Bank Statement to HEADBUTT HER WAY OUT OF IT! Loud cheers for the unique offense of Tegan as she does whatever it takes to escape from the hold! Sasha rolls back, clutching her head but Tegan grabs hold of her and PLANTS HER WITH THE BITTER END! The commentary team mentions Pete Dunne teaching her as she hooks the leg
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BAYLEY BREAKS THE COVER!
Bayley saves the match just in time! Banks is struggling on the mat as Bayley lays into Tegan with a series of chops and sends her back to the challenger’s corner! Bayley heads to the other corner and hops over the ropes… WHILST KAI BLIND TAGS INTO THE MATCH BEHIND BAYLEY’S BACK! Bayley tags out as Sasha rolls out of the ring and charges at Tegan hitting her with a RUNNING CLOTHESLINE! She backs away from Tegan in the corner… DAKOTA ROLLS HER UP!
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Bayley barely kicks out!
Dakota nearly outsmarted the champions and Bayley looks furious as she charges at Dakota Kai BUT SHE GETS CAUGHT WITH A SCORPION KICK! Bayley falls to the mat as Dakota heads to the corner of the ring and lines up Bayley for a DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP… AND CONNECTS! Dakota hooks the leg
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Bayley kicks out!
Dakota shakes her head but stays focused on getting the job done as she heads back to the corner and tags Tegan Nox back into the match! Both of them look at Bayley on the mat and each grabs hold of her arms, ready to hit a DOUBLE KNEE BUT BAYLEY DUCKS CAUSING THEM TO COLLIDE KNEES! Both are in pain as Bayley sends Kai out of the ring quickly with a clothesline before turning back to Tegan Nox and HITS THE ROSEPLANT! Bayley hooks the legs with a smile
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KAI BREAKS THE COVER JUST IN TIME!
Kai keeps the match alive and tries to grab hold of Bayley but the Hugger counters with a BAYLEY TO BELLY WIPING OUT KAI! She then turns around to Tegan Nox and is ready to go for another ROSEPLANT… BUT TEGAN NOX COUNTERS INTO A ROLL-UP!
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BAYLEY ROLLS THROUGH!
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TEGAN ROLLS BACK THROUGH!
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BAYLEY ROLLS BACK THROUGH!
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BAYLEY STICKS OUT HER ARM WITH BANKS GRABBING IT TO HOLD ON AND KEEP TEGAN DOWN!
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Winner via pinfall and still WWE Women’s tag team champions: Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection (16:14)
A loud mixed reaction after the bell, but The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection have retained their WWE Women’s tag team titles tonight! Bayley and Sasha Banks both have a smile on their faces as they celebrate the victory in the ring. Meanwhile, Dakota Kai slides into the ring and checks on her friend Tegan.
Elias: The Boss ‘N’ Hug Connection is truly doing whatever it takes to make sure they walk out of WrestleMania with the tag team titles this time.
Byron Saxton: Team Kick will not be happy when they find out how they lost this match!
The camera pans back to Team Kick getting to their feet in the ring and they soon catch a replay of this finish of the match with the champions cheating to retain! Bayley and Banks remain happy but we see Team Kick in the ring, pointing at the titantron and arguing with the referee before we cut to the backstage area to see…
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THE MMA HORSEWOMEN are being led through the arena with their suitcases by SHAYNA BASZLER holding the Women’s Universal title front and centre. MARINA SHAFIR and NATALYA follow behind, with Natalya especially looking a bit worse for wear after her match with Beth Phoenix last night. The group soon stops walking as the camera pans over to show THE MAN BECKY LYNCH STANDING IN FRONT OF THEM! Shayna has a scowl on her face and steps forward, locking eyes with Becky Lynch! Shayna doesn’t say a word, leading to Becky speaking first.
Becky Lynch: It’s OK Shayna, unlike that friend of yours Ronnie, I ain’t pregnant, so I’ll be able to fight back against all 3 of you!
Shayna smirks for a second.
Shayna Baszler: Ronda and I were never friends; she was just someone useful to help us get to the top.
Becky doesn’t flinch, not particularly caring for Ronda getting betrayed.
Shayna Baszler: And I’ve got no need to fight you. I’ve already got this.
She lifts the Universal title into the air, with Becky noticeably not taking her eyes off her former title.
Shayna Baszler: So why don’t you go home and play mom instead of trying to be the man?
Becky looks annoyed and turns back to Shayna Baszler.
Becky Lynch: Shayna, I just came here to get a front row seat to see each one of you get your asses kicked.
She looks at Natalya first.
Becky Lynch: Nattie, I’m shocked you're still standing after the beating Beth gave to you.
Natalya: She got lucky Becky, she got lucky!
Becky doesn’t even flinch and turns to Marina.
Becky Lynch: Marina, well done on actually making it past the first few women. Maybe kissing Shayna’s ass is working better than kissing Ronda’s!
Marina glares at Becky, not even looking to rise to it.
Becky Lynch: And you Shayna, I look forward to seeing Rhea rip that title from your grasp.
Becky storms off, walking past The MMA Horsewomen, leaving them all standing there furious before we cut to a video package for the 5th match of the night.
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We begin the video package by seeing the formation of the Ungovernables faction, with Andrade Cien Almas and Cesaro being the founding male members. We see the group’s success over time, with Andrade winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and then the Universal title, whilst Cesaro became World tag team champion with Ilja Dragunov. We see clips of the duo arguing and arguing until we see the group turn on Cesaro and Ilja, kicking them out of the group. We then get a quick recap of the matches on TV leading up to WrestleMania before cutting to the ring for the match!
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CESARO marches out to cheers from the live crowd in Superman-based colours, as he stands at the top of the entrance ramp and does his signature shotgun arms taunt. He looks confident and sure of himself before heading down the entrance ramp.
Michael Cole: Cesaro has been around in the WWE for several years, but tonight is his first one-on-one WrestleMania match!
Elias: Cesaro showed during his time in the Ungovernables that he is one of the strongest and best superstars on the Raw roster, even coming close to winning the WWE title last year.
Michael Cole: But tonight, he faces a very different challenge when he steps into the ring one-on-one with Andrade.
Elias: It’s a challenge Cesaro has wanted for months, with Andrade avoiding him until tonight.
ANDRADE CIEN ALMAS walks out onto the stage slowly in a white suit and black mask covering his face, joined by ZELINA VEGA, who looks furious already after a rough weekend for her clients. Andrade slowly takes off the mask and the top half of his attire before walking to the ring with Zelina following behind him.
Michael Cole: Andrade Cien Almas rose to the top last year, holding the Universal title for half a year.
Elias: And a lot of the credit can go to the guidance of Zelina Vega.
Michael Cole: But you can also say the help of Cesaro and Ilja was a big factor in the success of Andrade too.
Elias: I’ve also gotten word that if Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo try to get involved, Sami Zayn and Ilja Dragunov are backstage ready for a fight, even if they are a bit worse for wear after the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Andrade steps through the ropes and stands across from Cesaro. We see a quip from Cesaro about Andrade being alone for once and El Idolo responds that he doesn’t need anyone to help him tonight. The referee then calls for the bell to get this match underway!
Grudge match:
Andrade Cien Almas w/Zelina Vega vs Cesaro
Both men take a few seconds after the bell rings, circling the ring and taking their time, not wanting to make an error early on. Both men meet in the middle of the ring and grapple with each other as they battle for control. Andrade tries to outskill Cesaro, but The Swiss Superman not only matches him in technical skill but also overpowers him to lock him into a HEADLOCK! He wrenches on the head of Andrade before lifting him up and SLAMMING HIM DOWN WITH A KARLIN LIFT! Cesaro hooks the leg 1 Andrade kicks out!
Cesaro is quick to keep the pressure on the former Universal Champion as he works over him on the mat. He grabs hold of Andrade and looks to lift him up into the air… ANDRADE FIGHTS OUT OF IT AND LANDS ON HIS FEET IN FRONT OF CESARO! Andrade leaps up after landing on his feet and connects with a HIGH KNEE TO THE JAW! Andrade makes the cover 1 Cesaro powers out almost immediately, sending Andrade backward!
Andrade looks a bit shocked and annoyed that Cesaro was able to overpower him so easily! Cesaro gets back to his feet and looks to swing for Andrade… EL IDOLO DUCKS AND RUNS TO THE ROPES AS CESARO TURNS AROUND LOOKING TO GO ON THE ATTACK… ANDRADE DOES THE TRANQUILO POSE IN THE ROPES! Boos from the crowd as Cesaro looks annoyed with the games Andrade is trying to play. Cesaro charges at Andrade, who slips onto the ring apron and avoids Cesaro hitting a HANGING SOCCER KICK!
Cesaro stumbles backward as Andrade hits a SLINGSHOT SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK sending Cesaro crashing to the mat! Andrade makes the cover 1 Cesaro kicks out! Andrade gets back to his feet and looks to keep the pressure up with some fast-paced kicks to the chest of Cesaro… BUT CESARO CATCHES THE RIGHT LEG OF ANDRADE AND SLAMS HIM DOWN TO THE MAT! Cesaro then looks to transition into a SHARPSHOOTER… ANDRADE DESPERATELY KICKS HIM AWAY!
Andrade is quick to scramble out of the ring and regroup as he talks to Zelina Vega outside the ring. Cesaro inside the ring looks annoyed, but it soon turns into a smirk as he taunts Andrade, even offering to open the ropes for him! Andrade steps forward, angry as Zelina grabs hold of him and looks to keep her client calm for the moment. Andrade tells Cesaro to back away from the ropes, which causes the Swiss Superman to hold his hands up and back away as Andrade climbs back into the ring.
Cesaro and Andrade lock up once again in the middle of the ring as they battle for control one more time. Andrade thinks he has the technical edge on Cesaro but the Swiss Superman once again takes control of the exchange and transitions into an ABDOMINIAL STRETCH! He wrenches on the mid-section and back of Andrade, putting pressure on him as Zelina shouts some instructions from outside the ring in Spanish! Andrade struggles in the hold but manages to fight back with a series of elbows… CESARO COUNTERS WITH A EUROPEAN UPPERCUT DROPPING ANDRADE!
Cesaro makes the cover on Andrade 1 Andrade powers out! Both men have a lot of gas in the tank in this match, determined to prove they are the better man tonight. Cesaro lays in a few follow-up strikes to the head before looking to lift him off the mat and DEADLIFTS HIM OFF THE MAT HOISTING HIM UP INTO THE AIR! Cesaro holds him up in the air for a few seconds, even walking around the ring with Andrade before planting him with a VERTICAL SUPLEX! Cesaro makes a cover 1 Andrade kicks out!
Cesaro is in control of the match, needing to do a lot of work as Zelina looks to get his attention, but the Swiss Superman knows her tricks well so he focuses on attacking Andrade and sends him into the corner of the ring! Cesaro is not done there, he charges in and SMASHES ANDRADE WITH A EUROPEAN UPPERCUT IN THE CORNER OF THE RING! Cesaro gets a bit of room and heads to the other corner of the ring… BUT ANDRADE MOVES JUST IN TIME CAUSING CESARO TO SMASH HIS RIGHT ARM INTO THE RING POST!
Cesaro shouts in pain due to the damage done to the right arm from that collision and we can see both Andrade/Zelina smirking as they sense an opening in this match! Cesaro turns around clutching it as Andrade leaps to his feet and DROPKICKS HIM INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING! Cesaro’s back slams off the turnbuckles and Andrade senses a chance to go for SEEING SHADOWS… CESARO IS READY FOR IT AND COUNTERS WITH A REVERSE POWERBOMB SNAKE EYES!
Andrade slumps in the corner of the ring but Cesaro has to take a moment to rest his right arm before he goes back after El Idolo with a few EUROPEAN UPPERCUTS WITH HIS LEFT ARM! Andrade starts to fall back but manages to fire back a series of OPEN-HANDED CHOPS! Andrade is managing to take control because Cesaro is having to use his non-dominant hand currently and manages to follow it up with a SNAP NORTHERN LIGHTS SUPLEX! Andrade makes the cover 1 Cesaro powers out!
Andrade is getting a bit frustrated that Cesaro doesn’t seem to stay down in this match! Andrade looks to the rising Cesaro and starts to lay into him with a series of open-handed chops! Cesaro is on the back foot due to these chops and is forced to fight back with a EUROPEAN UPPERCUT WITH HIS RIGHT ARM! Cesaro winces in pain due to having to use his right arm and ANDRADE MAKES HIS PAY WITH A SPINNING BACK ELBOW! Cesaro falls to the mat as Andrade hooks the leg 1 2 Cesaro kicks out!
Still no 3 count for Andrade but he is getting closer to putting the Swiss Superman down and has a smirk on his face! He grabs hold of Cesaro on the mat and starts to twist the right arm of Cesaro, putting him in awkward positions whilst talking trash in his ear the whole time! Cesaro is in a ton of pain due to this limb work by Andrade but looks to reposition his body… ANDRADE MOVES HIS BODY AND SLAMS CESARO DOWN TO THE MAT WITH A RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX!
Andrade is starting to take control of the match as he leaps back to his feet and SMASHES INTO CESARO WITH A DROPKICK INTO HIS RIGHT ARM! Pinpoint accuracy to the damaged right arm of Cesaro! Cesaro falls to the mat and clutches his right arm by the ropes as ANDRADE RUNS ACROSS THE RING AND USES THE ROPES TO HIT AN ASSISTED DOUBLE FOOT STOMP TO THE ARM! Andrade has now found his target and plans to go after it relentlessly!
Andrade gets back to his feet as Cesaro clings to the ropes for a moment and Andrade lays into him with a series of stomps! The referee counts to 5 with Andrade finally letting up and walking away as he goes to argue with the referee! Whilst that is going on, Cesaro rolls out of the ring looking to recover… ZELINA VEGA LEAPS UP AND HITS A HURRICARANA SENDING CESARO INTO THE STEEL STEPS RIGHT SHOULDER FIRST! Loud boos from the live crowd as Zelina makes her presence felt at ringside!
The referee turns around and sees Cesaro down by the steel steps as Zelina feigns innocence. The referee clearly doesn’t buy it, but can’t prove Zelina was involved in this scene. Andrade makes his way onto the ring apron and taunts the fans with a cocky smirk on his face before running along the ring apron, hitting a DIVING METEORA SMASHING HIS KNEES INTO CESARO’S HEAD AGAINST THE STEEL STEPS! The crowd loudly boos as Andrade rolls back to his feet and carries on his goading of the live crowd!
Andrade returns to Cesaro as the commentary team says the co-leader of the Ungovernables won’t want to win this match via countout as he grabs hold of Cesaro and sends him back into the ring. Andrade climbs to the top rope and looks to leap off, going for a MOONSAULT… CESARO ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY… ANDRADE LANDS ON HIS FEET AND CONNECTS WITH A MOONSAULT ONTO CESARO! Andrade makes the cover 1 2 Cesaro kicks out!
The crowd cheers loudly as Cesaro is on the ropes but he keeps alive in this match! Andrade grabs hold of Cesaro and looks to carry on his work by grabbing the arm, twisting it around the neck of Cesaro, working over his head! Cesaro knows he can’t last in this hold long and tries to find a way out but Andrade transitions into a HANGING DDT! Andrade makes the cover 1 2 Cesaro kicks out! Andrade is getting very cocky and carries on milking the reaction from the crowd… CESARO HEADBUTTS ANDRADE BACKWARD!
The crowd goes wild as they are happy to see Cesaro starting to mount a fight back as he gets to his feet and lays in a series of EUROPEAN UPPERCUTS WITH HIS LEFT ARM! Cesaro is firing off the uppercuts in rapid fashion as Andrade falls back before Cesaro runs the ropes and hits a LEAPING EUROPEAN UPPERCUT DROPPING ANDRADE! Cesaro makes the cover 1 2 Andrade kicks out! Cesaro winces in pain but grabs hold of Andrade’s legs, ready to go for the CESARO SWING…
ANDRADE FIGHTS OUT OF IT SENDING CESARO BACKWARD! Cesaro is a bit dazed as Andrade gets back to his feet and hits a LARIAT DROPPING CESARO! Andrade makes the cover 1 2 Cesaro kicks out! Andrade takes a moment to rub his jaw, looking annoyed. Cesaro manages to rock him a few times and runs off the ropes, connecting with a BASEMENT DROPKICK! Andrade makes another rapid cover 1 2 Cesaro kicks out once again!
Zelina outside the ring, shouts to Andrade to end this match and he nods, doing what she says as he looks to drag Cesaro off the mat in position for the HAMMERLOCK DDT… CESASRO COUNTERS AND SENDS ANDRADE INTO THE AIR… SWISS DEATH! Andrade is planted to the mat as Cesaro has to take a moment to clutch his right arm, which is in even more pain. Andrade is struggling on the mat as Cesaro punches some feeling back into his arm before DEADLIFTING ANDRADE OFF THE MAT AND HITS A BRIDING GERMAN SUPLEX! 1 2 Andrade kicks out!
Cesaro is back in control of the match but he is still struggling slightly due to the damage done to his right arm through this encounter. The Swiss Superman lays in a few strikes with his left hand before making his way over to Andrade’s legs and grabs hold of his legs, locking in a FIGURE FOUR LEG LOCK! Cheers from the live crowd and even a few woos from the fans in attendance as Cesaro looks to put pressure on the back/legs of Andrade!
Cesaro pulls back on the hold, though he struggles a bit due to the damage done to his right arm, putting most of the pressure on his left arm! Andrade looks to move his body and tries to reverse the pressure of the hold… BUT CESARO IS TOO POWERFUL AND HE CAN’T DO IT! Andrade realizes he needs to get to the ropes and crawls to them before grabbing hold of the bottom rope to force a break! Cesaro breaks the hold as Andrade clings onto the ropes for the moment and struggles back to his feet.
Andrade is hanging on the ropes and turns around as Cesaro clocks him with a EUROPEAN UPPERCUT WITH HIS LEFT ARM! Cesaro is then quick to follow up with a STUN GUN, planting Andrade onto the top rope, and he slips down to the second rope! Cesaro smirks and signals to the crowd as he runs the ropes before hitting Andrade with SWISS-1-9! Andrade stumbles backward as Cesaro heads to the corner of the ring and lines him up DIVING EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! Cesaro moves into the cover
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Andrade kicks out!
The commentary team notes that Cesaro had to lose his left arm once again and wonders if he might have gotten the 3 count if he was able to safely use his right arm. Cesaro looks at Andrade on the mat and grabs hold of him, looking to pick him up for the RICOLA BOMB… ANDRADE LAYS IN A SERIES OF PUNCHES TO THE SKULL TO ESCAPE FROM CESARO’S GRASP! Cesaro is forced to let go of Andrade, who gets back to his feet and grabs hold of Cesaro planting him with a LIGER BOMB! Andrade makes the cover 1 2 Cesaro kicks out!
Andrade gets back to his feet looking angry because Cesaro is giving him a tough fight tonight! Andrade looks at the fans with disdain as he grabs the Swiss Superman off the mat and hits a VERTICAL SUPLEX… ANDRADE LIFTS CESARO UP WITH A SMIRK BEFORE HITTING ANOTHER ONE… AND THEN LIFTS CESARO UP AGAIN HITTING THE THREE AMIGOS! Andrade stays on Cesaro and makes the cover 1 2 Cesaro kicks out!
Andrade is annoyed again and lays into Cesaro with a series of open-handed chops, keeping the pressure up on the Swiss Superman! Andrade then runs the ropes and looks to follow up with a METEORA… CESARO GETS UP AND GRABS ANDRADE’S LEGS COUNTERING INTO THE CESARO SWING! The crowd goes wild as Cesaro spins Andrade around the ring with the crowd counting along as he spins him around and around… BEFORE TRANSITIONING INTO THE SHARPSHOOTER!
Cesaro wrenches back on the hold as Andrade screams in pain in the middle of the ring, with Zelina shouting at him in Spanish! Andrade tries to power out of the hold but Cesaro sits down with his full force, leaving Andrade stuck in the hold for even longer! Andrade looks to crawl towards the ropes with the pain etched in his face… BUT CESARO PULLS HIM BACK TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Andrade is in a ton of pain as Cesaro has his grip on the hold but is noticeably in pain himself as his grip slightly loosens…
ANDRADE GETS A FOOT FREE AND BOOTS CESARO IN THE RIGHT ARM FORCING A BREAK! Cesaro stumbles back clutching his right arm in agony as the commentary team says the damage done during the match might have saved Andrade in this match! Andrade can’t take advantage due to the damage from the sharpshooter and has to roll to the ropes. Cesaro meanwhile, rests on them on the opposite side of the ring, each man having taken a lot of damage during this match.
Both men make their way to the middle of the ring and lock eyes with each other before they start exchanging strikes! Andrade uses his right hand to chop Cesaro whilst the Swiss Superman fires off uppercuts with his left arm! Both men battle in the middle of the ring with the crowd booing Andrade and cheering for Andrade as they exchange blows. Andrade starts winning the exchange due to being able to use his dominant hand... CESARO CONNECTS WITH A HEADBUTT ROCKING ANDRADE!
Loud cheers from the live crowd as Andrade is rocked! Cesaro runs off the ropes and connects with a YAKUZA KICK DROPPING ANDRADE! Cesaro makes the cover 1 2 Andrade kicks out! The crowd cheers Cesaro on as he looks to grab hold of Andrade and this time looks to set him up for the NEUTRALISER… ANDRADE COUNTERS WITH A HEAD-SCISSORS AND SENDS CESARO INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING! Andrade gets back to his feet and charges at Cesaro, hitting SEEING SHADOWS! Andrade smugly drags Cesaro out of the corner and makes the cover!
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Cesaro kicks out!
The crowd loudly cheers as Cesaro stays alive, angering Andrade but he doesn’t waste any time grabbing hold of the right arm LOCKING IN A FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Andrade wrenches back on the hold with all of his power as Zelina outside the ring has the biggest smirk on her face and screams at Cesaro to tap out! Andrade has the hold locked in tight as Cesaro tries to move his body to make it to the ropes and gets closer to the ropes… BUT ZELINA PULLS IT AWAY FROM HIM RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE REFEREE!
The referee heads over to the ropes and gets into it with Zelina Vega as Andrade releases the armbar and transitions into LA MURETA (Omoplata/armbar combo)! Andrade has the lethal hold locked in tight as Zelina backs away with a big smirk on his face and wrenches it back even further, putting pressure on the right arm and head of Cesaro! Cesaro is in a ton of pain as the crowd wills him on to fight out of the hold but Andrade won’t let him near the ropes…
CESARO USING ALL HIS POWER RISES TO HIS FEET AND LIFTS ANDRADE INTO THE AIR BEFORE BUCKLE BOMBING HIM WITH ONE ARM! Cesaro rolls back from the corner of the ring, clutching his arm whilst Andrade is slumped in the corner of the ring from the buckle bomb! Cesaro winces but knows there is work to be done as he charges at a rising Andrade and clocks him with a LEFT ARM EUROPEAN UPPERCUT! Cesaro then drags him out of the corner and gets him in position for the NEUTRALISER… AND PLANTS HIM TO THE MAT! Cesaro makes the cover on Andrade
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ZELINA GRABS ANDRADE’S FOOT AND PUTS IT ON THE ROPE!
The crowd boos extra loudly as Andrade is kept alive thanks to his manager at ringside! Cesaro looks over and sees Zelina smirking to herself outside the ring, leading to him rolling outside the ring and confronting his former manager! He exchanges words with Zelina, who looks to respond with a SLAP… BUT CESARO CATCHES HER HAND! Zelina looks a bit worried as Cesaro counters and puts Zelina over his head in a GORILLA PRESS POSITION…
ANDRADE DIVES THROUGH THE ROPES WITH A BULLET TOPE! Boos from the crowd as Andrade saves his manager from getting some comeuppance before grabbing hold of Cesaro and rolling him onto the ring apron. Andrade has a smirk and steps through the ropes, standing in front of Cesaro as he tries to rise up and drags him through the ropes… HANGING LA SOMBRA! Andrade plants Cesaro's skull first into the mat and makes the cover
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Cesaro kicks out!
Andrade looks shocked and angry as Zelina back on her feet, screams in Spanish for Andrade to finish this! He gets back to his feet and grabs hold of Cesaro by the head, ready to go for one more LA SOMBRA… BUT CESARO COUNTERS WITH A RICOLA BOMB! He plants Andrade to the mat with force as he sees Zelina… so grabs Andrade and HITS A SECOND RICOLA BOMB TAKING HIM FURTHER AWAY FROM THE ROPES! Cesaro makes the cover
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3
Winner via pinfall: Cesaro (22:48)
The crowd loudly cheers as Cesaro gets back to his feet and lifts his left arm into the air, with his right arm still in a lot of pain after this battle with Andrade Cien Almas tonight. Zelina outside the ring, slams the mat, furious about the loss but Cesaro doesn’t care, earning one of the biggest wins of his career.
Michael Cole: Cesaro has defeated a former Universal Champion in Andrade Cien Almas tonight!
Elias: And he proves his decision to leave The Ungovernables was the correct one.
Michael Cole: Andrade and Zelina threw everything they had to overcome Cesaro tonight, but it wasn’t enough!
Elias: You have to wonder what is next for both men now after this match.
Cesaro is celebrating at the top of the entrance ramp whilst Zelina Vega fumes in the ring with Andrade!
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We cut to a recap video reviewing the 2021 Hall of Fame inductees, including Kane, Molly Holly, Great Khali, RVD, and Ossy Osbourne. We even get a few clips of each entrant talking before we cut back to the ring.
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The Hall of Fame theme music plays as KANE, MOLLY HOLLY, THE GREAT KHALI, ROB VAN DAM and OZZY OSBOURNE all walk out onto the stage in very fancy attire. Ozzy noticeably has a guitar in his hand as Michael Cole stands in front of the Hall of Famers with a microphone.
Michael Cole: I would like to take this moment to ask for another round of applause for the 2021 Hall of Fame line-up!
The crowd loudly cheers for the legends, who smile and politely accept the applause from the live audience. Michael Cole looks like he is about to carry on when he is interrupted by…
BILLIE KAY makes her way out to boos from the live crowd. One half of the Iiconics has a microphone in her hand as she walks out onto the stage and gets in the face of Molly Holly!
Billie Kay: Molly, you had a fine career and some would say it was legendary; however I wouldn’t call it iconic!
Loud boos from the crowd as Billie carries on.
Billie Kay: I came out here because I looked at the lineup for this year’s Hall of Fame and realized one person is missing: Peyton Royce!
The boos get even louder as Billie looks at the fans with disgust.
Billie Kay: Why are you booing me? I’m right!
Billie points at herself getting even more heat from the fans in the crowd.
Billie Kay: Peyton is still in her prime, but she has already had a Hall of Fame career and she should be rewarded in her time of need.
All of the new Hall of Famers roll their eyes as Molly Holly asks Michael Cole for a microphone.
Molly Holly: Billie, I got a lot of respect for a girl trying to make her way around here, but to get into the Hall of Fame? You have to earn it.
A cheap pop but a loud one from the live crowd.
Molly Holly: And you two are talented enough to do that. Right now, though? You need to focus on yourself and not your injured friend.
Billie looks furious at this line but before she can say anything else, we get another interruption from…
JEFF JARRETT AND HEATH SLATER WALK OUT ONTO THE ENTRANCE RAMP TO LOUD BOOS! RVD and Kane noticeably roll their eyes whilst Ozzy and Khali look a bit confused by the interruption from the tag team. Jeff has his own microphone as he points at the new Hall of Famers.
Jeff Jarrett: I hate to agree with the young lady, but she is right! The standards for the Hall of Fame have truly slipped!
Heath nods along as the crowd loudly boos Jarrett.
Jeff Jarrett: Back when I went in, it was true stars but now when I look around, I see former ECW superstars and a musician who cannot hold a candle to me!
Ozzy Osbourne just bursts out in laughter in response to this statement, whilst RVD rolls his eyes causing Heath Slater to borrow the microphone!
Heath Slater: Don’t you roll your eyes at a legend like Jeff Jarrett!
Rob Van Dam can’t help but laugh in response as Slater carries on.
Heath Slater: It is time you people showed him the respect he is due before…
GREAT KHALI CHOPS HIM IN THE HEAD DROPPING HEATH SLATER! The crowd cheers as Jarrett looks worried and turns around into a guitar shot to the head from OZZY OSBOURNE! Billie Kay tries to run away but Molly hits her with a RUNNING LARIAT! Kane meanwhile grabs hold of Jarrett and Slater planting them on the entrance ramp. RVD finds a ladder and climbs it nearby before hitting a FIVE-STAR FROG SLASH! The crowd goes wild as the Hall of Famers stand over Jeff Jarrett, Heath Slater and Billie Kay before we cut to the commentary team at ringside.
Byron Saxton: Well, it is always good to see Jeff Jarrett get his comeuppance!
Corey Graves: But what about Billie Kay? She was just trying to spread the good word for her best friend Peyton!
Byron Saxton: I’m sure but it is time to focus on our next match and I don’t think these two will be friends after this bout!
Corey Graves: The O.C. co-leaders are at each other’s throats and something has to give tonight. Let’s see how we got here!
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We cut to a video showing the losses and failures AJ Styles/Finn Balor had during 2019/2020, leading to them reforming The O.C. We then see Finn Balor winning the United States title from Chad Gable before losing it back to him as we see clips of the arguments between the co-leaders play out. We then see AJ accidentally eliminating Finn from the Royal Rumble before seeing Finn eliminating AJ on purpose in the Elimination Chamber. Finally, we see the promo where both men agree to this match and the loser leaves the O.C.!
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FINN BALOR makes his way out first, getting boos from the live crowd. In his signature leather jacket, joined by one half of the Good Brothers in KARL ANDERSON he walks to the ring with a scowl on his face ahead of his clash with co-leader AJ Styles.
Corey Graves: Finn Balor and AJ Styles have been at each other’s throats these last few months with it now coming to a head tonight!
Byron Saxton: The loser of tonight’s match will be forced to leave The O.C. and the group will have only one leader at the top of it.
Corey Graves: My money is on Finn Balor tonight. The first ever Universal Champion and the original leader of the O.C. all the way back in Japan!
Byron Saxton: But he faces a multi-time world champion who is truly Phenomenal!
AJ STYLES walks out getting a mixed reaction from the live crowd and he is joined on his way to the ring by LUKE GALLOWS! AJ doesn’t really acknowledge the crowd before stepping into the ring across from Finn Balor. Meanwhile Luke Gallows heads towards his tag team partner Karl Anderson as they sit by the barricade, having their own front row seat as they find out who will be leading the O.C. after WrestleMania.
Corey Graves: AJ has won many titles in WWE and is a multiple-time world champion, but he was not the original leader of this group.
Byron Saxton: I remember hearing from some people that one of the reasons Finn Balor left Japan is because the group turned their back on him at the behest of the new leader, AJ Styles!
Corey Graves: And if that is true, this partnership never had a chance to work in the first place!
Byron Saxton: Neither of these men would have had much trust in the other to begin with.
AJ Styles and Finn Balor both pace around the ring as the referee then calls for the bell to get this match underway!
Loser leaves The O.C:
AJ Styles vs Finn Balor
Both men walk towards the middle of the ring and stare each other down. Finn Balor talks a bunch of trash in AJ’s face but the Phenomenal One stays silent, not rising to the bait. Finn carries on running his mouth until AJ socks him in the jaw stopping Finn in his tracks. Finn grabs his jaw and starts to throw hands with AJ! Both men trade punches in the middle of the ring, as the crowd is noticeably more behind The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles, in this brawl.
AJ gets Finn by the ropes and looks to go for a CLOTHESLINE SENDING HIM OVER THE ROPES TO THE RING FLOOR OUTSIDE! Finn lands on his feet but AJ doesn’t go after him, instead shouting at Finn, telling him that time it was on purpose. Finn looks angry and paces around as The Good Brothers watch on by the ringside barricade, having words with one another. Finn Balor looks to storm back into the ring but AJ pounces and lays into him with a series of stomps as he tries to re-enter!
AJ grabs hold of him and lifts him off the mat, looking to go for an ARGENTINE POWERBOMB… BUT FINN USES THE ROPES TO HIT A TORNADO DDT! Finn follows up with a cover 1 AJ kicks out! Finn gets right back to his feet and starts to pepper AJ with a series of kicks on the mat before running the ropes and connecting with a BASEMENT DROPKICK! Finn makes another cover 1 Styles kicks out! Finn Balor has a cocky smirk on his face now that he has control and gets in AJ’s face…
AJ PUNCHES HIM IN THE JAW! Finn Balor stumbles back as AJ kips back up to his feet and hits a SPIN KICK DROPPING FINN! AJ makes the cover 1 Finn kicks out! AJ climbs onto Finn on the mat and lays into him with a series of punches to the head! AJ grabs hold of Finn and lifts him off the mat, hitting him with a SNAP SUPLEX SENDING HIM INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! Finn’s back bounces off the turnbuckles as AJ follows it up with a LOW ANGLE FOREARM SMASH IN THE CORNER!
AJ gets back to his feet and it is quite clear the crowd is loudly behind him as he lays in a few more punches to the head of Finn Balor before he drags him out of the corner and connects with a HIGH-ANGLE BELLY TO BACK SUPLEX! AJ makes the cover 1 2 Finn kicks out! Outside the ring, you can see The Good Brothers still watching the match intensely as the commentary team wonders who they are hoping to win and become the solo leader of The O.C.
AJ seems to be ready to bring this match to an end early, though as he heads to the corner of the ring and signals, he is going for the PHENOMENAL FOREARM… FINN CATCHES HIM WITH A DROPKICK IN MID-AIR! Finn Balor makes the cover 1 2 AJ kicks out! Finn looks annoyed and looks to the Good Brothers outside the ring, who remain silent for the moment, just watching this unfold. Finn follows up with a series of kicks to the chest of AJ before finishing off with a RUNNING SOCCER KICK! Finn makes the cover 1 2 AJ kicks out!
Finn is in control of the match now and tells AJ he was never made to be the leader before grabbing hold of him and slamming him down to the mat with a RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX! AJ gets back to his feet but Finn is quick to jump to a standing position as he SHOTGUN DROPKICKS STYLES INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING! Finn Balor isn’t done there and heads to the opposite corner of the ring before hitting AJ Styles with a HESITATION DROPKICK!
Finn Balor smirks before grabbing hold of AJ and tossing him back towards the corner of the ring. Finn hops over the ropes and stands on the ring apron before pointing up top as he lines AJ up for the COUP D’GRACE… AJ ROLLS OUT OF THE WAY TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE RING! Finn Balor isn’t done and runs the ropes before diving over them with a SUICIDE DIVE AS HE WIPES AJ OUT! Boos from the crowd but Finn has a cocky smirk before rolling AJ back into the ring.
Finn looks to the watching Good Brothers and noticeably shouts at them that they should be following his leadership. Neither man reacts as Finn Balor climbs onto the ring apron once again. Finn looks to use the ropes to hit a SLINGSHOT DOUBLE FOOT STOMP… AJ AVOIDS IT AGAIN AND HITS A DRAGON SCREW LEG WHIP! He cuts Finn’s momentum off and looks to lock him in a KNEEBAR! AJ wraps his body around the left leg of Finn and starts to wrench back, looking to force a tap out!
Finn is quick to manoeuvre his body and gets his right leg free as he starts to KICK AJ UNTIL HE BREAKS THE HOLD! AJ rolls back as Finn gets back to his feet and slightly winces due to the damage done to his left leg. Finn looks at AJ by the ropes and tries to follow up with a running kick… BUT AJ AVOIDS IT BEFORE PLANTING FINN WITH A NECKBREAKER! AJ makes the cover 1 2 Finn kicks out! AJ is back in control of the match and now it is his turn to look at the Good Brothers on the outside.
He shouts about leading by example before running off the ropes again and hitting another LOW-ANGLE FOREARM SMASH! AJ hooks the leg 1 2 Finn kicks out! AJ looks to the crowd and grabs the left leg of Finn Balor getting WOOs from the live crowd but Finn fights back with a series of kicks! AJ stumbles back as Finn gets back to his feet and DROPS AJ WITH A SLINGBLADE! Finn gets back to his feet and reruns the ropes, catching AJ with another one as he tries to return to his feet!
Finn follows up with a quick cover 1 2 AJ kicks out! Finn looks to stay in control of the match and lifts him off the mat, grabbing him in a headlock before transitioning into a SPINNING HEADLOCK ELBOW DROP! Slamming AJ down to the mat before making the cover again 1 2 Finn kicks out! Finn is getting a bit frustrated as he seems unable to put the Phenomenal One down tonight. He lays into AJ with a bunch of stiff strikes, putting the pressure on him… AJ GRABS HIS LEFT LEG AND HITS A DRAGON SCREW LEG WHIP!
AJ doesn’t stop at one and keeps hold of the left leg, hitting another one as he slams Finn into the mat. AJ then is quick to transition as he looks to go for the CALF CRUSHER… FINN SCRAMBLES TO THE ROPES GRABBING HOLD OF THEM FORCING A BREAK! AJ holds on for a count of 2 but is quick to release the hold as Finn clutches his left leg by the ropes. Finn shouts he is in a ton of pain and calls over the referee as AJ looks on in the background unimpressed.
The referee checks on Finn with AJ clearly unimpressed, wanting to get on with the rest of this match. AJ turns away shaking his head for a moment and this allows FINN TO SPRING UP AND HIT A FOREARM SMASH TO THE BACK OF HIS HEAD! AJ crumples to the mat with the live crowd booing due to the cheap shot from Finn Balor. Outside the ring, The Good Brothers also look unimpressed with this turn of events. Finn soaks in the boos from the crowd and brings AJ down to the mat with a DDT! Finn makes the cover 1 2 AJ kicks out!
Finn has a big smirk on his face and he knows this is the time to take advantage of the opening he created as he climbs to the top rope, lining up AJ for the COUP D’GRACE… AJ GETS BACK TO HIS FEET AND CLOCKS FINN BALOR! AJ climbs onto the top rope and starts laying into Finn with a series of punches to the head. He then grabs hold of Finn before flying off the top rope with a SUPERPLEX! Loud cheers from the live crowd as AJ slams down Finn Balor before crawling over into the cover 1 2 Finn kicks out!
AJ gets back to his feet and grabs Finn Balor off the mat as he looks to get him in position for the STYLES CLASH… FINN LOOKS TO FIGHT OUT OF IT WITH A SERIES OF KICKS TO THE HEAD! AJ is forced to let go of the hold as Finn Balor hits a PELE KICK! AJ stumbles back as Finn looks to grab hold of him ready to go for 1916… AJ FIGHTS OUT AND HITS A PELE KICK OF HIS OWN! Finn is stunned as AJ grabs hold of him and scoops him up… STYLES CLASH! AJ makes the cover
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Finn kicks out!
AJ nods looking a bit annoyed but looks to stay focused as he goes to the leg of Finn Balor and teases going for the CALF CRUSHER… BUT FINN ONCE AGAIN DESPERATELY FIGHTS TO STAY OUT OF THE HOLD! Finn hops back to his feet but AJ is ready laying into him with the PHENOMENAL BLITZ BEFORE FINISHING OFF WITH A DISCUSS CLOTHESLINE! AJ makes another 1 2 Finn kicks out! AJ then signals to the crowd and heads to the ring apron ready to go for the PHENOMENAL FOREARM…
FINN MOVES JUST IN TIME AND CATCHES AJ AS HE TURNS AROUND WITH A JUMPING CORKSCREW ROUNDHOUSE KICK! The crowd can’t help but pop for the high-flying offense from Finn who runs to the ropes, a little slower than normal due to the damage done to his left leg throughout the match before making it to the top rope as he lines up AJ for the COUP D’GRACE… AND CONNECTS WITH IT! Finn follows up with the cover
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AJ KICKS OUT!
Finn is furious and noticeably swears out loud before grabbing hold of AJ off the mat, getting him in position for 1916… AJ ESCAPES FROM THE HOLD AND LOCKS IN THE CALF CRUSHER ON FINN’S LEFT LEG! AJ is wrenching on the hold and has Finn Balor trapped in the middle of the ring as the fans shout for Finn Balor to tap out! Finn is in a ton of agony as The Good Brothers are watching intently at ringside as Finn looks to crawl to the ropes…
BUT AJ PULLS HIM BACK AND KEEPING FINN TRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Finn is screaming in pain and there is no escape from the CALF CRUSHER AS HE RAISES HIS HAND IN THE AIR… AND TAPS OUT… BUT THE REFEREE DOESN’T SEE IT AS KARL ANDERSON DISTRACTS THE REFEREE! AJ is confused as he sees Finn Balor tapping until he notices Karl Anderson distracting the referee, and he works out what is going on.
LUKE GALLOWS steps into the ring as AJ looks to get back to his feet but AJ avoids it and connects with a PELE KICK DROPPING HIM! The crowd loudly cheers as AJ stands tall… AS A MAN IN A HOODIE APPEARS BEHIND AJ STYLES AND CLOCKS HIM WITH A LEAD PIPE! The crowd loudly boos as the person pulls down their hoodie and reveals themselves as NXT UK SUPERSTAR JORDAN DEVLIN!
Jordan smirks as he looks at Finn Balor who gets up and hugs the Irish superstar! The commentary team mentions the history between the two men, with Finn being the one to train Jordan Devlin at the start of his career. Jordan and Luke soon leave the ring as Karl stops distracting the referee as Finn Balor grabs AJ off the mat and hits him with 1916! Finn makes the cover
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Winner via pinfall: Finn Balor (12:39)
Loud boos ring out from the live crowd as Finn Balor gets to his feet with a smug smirk on his face, soon joined in the ring by The Good Brothers and Jordan Devlin as they all celebrate in the ring together!
Byron Saxton: Finn Balor has won and is now the sole leader of The O.C. but it looks like the decision was made for AJ!
Corey Graves: Finn Balor seems to have organised a coup d’état and made sure he would walk out of WrestleMania the sole leader of the O.C.
Byron Saxton: But what will Buddy Murphy and Big Cass think about this?
Corey Graves: That might be why Finn has brought in another ally in Jordan Devlin.
The O.C. make it to the top of the entrance ramp and pose as a quartet, giving each other the “too sweet” whilst in the ring, we can see a furious AJ Styles glaring at them.
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We then cut backstage to see BUDDY MURPHY sitting down and watching a TV, with an ice pack on his neck. He is soon approached by KAYLA BRAXTON looking for an interview with the Aussie superstar.
Kayla Braxton: Hey Murphy, how are you feeling after the Money in the Bank ladder match earlier tonight?
Buddy looks dead ahead, staring at the TV and not even looking at Kayla Braxton.
Buddy Murphy: I’m in a lot of pain and I don’t just mean this.
Buddy points to his neck before putting the ice pack back on it.
Buddy Murphy: Once again, I was so close to breaking through. I was so close to reaching the next level, but I fell short again.
Buddy tosses the ice pack down to the floor before turning to face Kayla Braxton.
Buddy Murphy: Something has to change and I think what just happened is a sign of how I need to change.
Kayla looks a bit confused before asking her next question.
Kayla Braxton: What are your thoughts on what transpired just now?
Buddy takes a moment to sigh and think through his words before responding to the question.
Buddy Murphy: I ain’t going to have to pretend to be a saint or have always done the right thing.
He nods to himself before carrying on.
Buddy Murphy: But tonight was meant to be showing who should take the O.C. forward. It was meant to be who is the better man.
Buddy chuckles to himself before carrying on.
Buddy Murphy: Finn though, couldn’t allow that to happen because he knew that he wasn’t the better man.
Buddy gets to his feet with an angry look on his face.
Buddy Murphy: When Finn recruited me to The O.C., he sold me this speech on how he would help both of us get to the top.
Buddy rubs his jaw, angry at himself too maybe?
Buddy Murphy: But all Finn ever cared about was Finn Balor and maybe The Good Brothers will see that. Maybe his new friend Jordan will too. Me though?
Buddy points at himself.
Buddy Murphy: I’m leaving The O.C. and I’m doing what is best for my career from now on.
He pauses for a second before turning back to Kayla.
Buddy Murphy: Daniel Bryan was right. He saw firsthand what I could do and my potential in the ring. I’m going to be watching the main event closely as I hope he wins because I think he might have more to teach me.
Buddy Murphy smiles to himself and walks off, bringing the interview to an end as we cut back to the ring for the 7th match of the evening.
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THE HOUSE OF COUTURE makes their way out next, getting boos from the live crowd. JINNY and AMALE look at the live crowd with disdain on the way to the ring before stepping through the ropes, ready for this tag team match.
Corey Graves: Jinny and Amale will have to be feeling confident as the experienced tag team in this encounter.
Byron Saxton: They have shown their prowess on NXT UK and I think that will be key if they are to walk out of this match with the victory.
Corey Graves: Plus, Bianca Belair comes into this match with damage to her ribs, which these two will try to take advantage of.
Bryon Saxton: That might not be all they try to take advantage of in this match!
VANESSA HUDGENS walks out looking a little nervous, but she gets loud cheers from the live crowd, which she waves to. Jinny in the ring dares Vanessa to step into the ring now, but Vanessa wisely stays at the top of the entrance ramp for now.
Corey Graves: Vanessa is truly out of her element tonight!
Byron Saxton: I mean, we saw the success Bad Bunny had last night, Corey!
Corey Graves: Yes, but that was against another celebrity, not two trained WWE superstars.
Byron Saxton: Well, if her partner has anything to say about it, she won’t even step into the ring tonight!
BIANCA BELAIR makes her way out skipping and twirling her hair, getting huge cheers from the live crowd! She looks to Vanessa and gives her tag team partner a hug before they head to the ring together, with Belair out in front of her tag team partner.
Corey Graves: Belair has not made any friends since coming to SmackDown, which is why she has had to turn to Vanessa Hudgens for help in fighting the House of Couture.
Byron Saxton: Well, the E.S.T. was more than willing to fight them alone, but Shawn Michaels refused to sanction a handicap match for tonight’s show!
Corey Graves: I mean, this is basically a handicap match either way Byron.
Byron Saxton: Hey, anything can happen in the WWE!
Once at the ring, the two women step inside the ropes with Bianca Belair making it clear she is starting for her team. After a few words, Amale starts for the House of Couture as the referee rings for the bell to get this tag team match underway!
Tag team match:
Vanessa Hudgens and Bianca Belair vs The House of Couture
Amale has a cocky smirk on her face as she makes her way over to Belair, who easily overpowers the French superstar and sends her back across the ring! Amale looks a bit taken aback but gets back to her feet… BELAIR HITS A BIG BOOT, SENDING HER BACK INTO THE HOUSE’S CORNER! Belair points at Jinny in the corner and dares her to step into the ring. Jinny scowls before tagging into the match and comes face to face with Belair!
Belair looks to grab hold of Jinny but she manages to escape from the grasp with a few shots to the damaged ribs of Belair! Belair puts down Jinny who responds by SLAPPING HER IN THE FACE! Belair responds by smirking as she grabs Jinny and scoops her up into the air, teasing a very early K.O.D… JINNY ESCAPES FROM HER GRASP BY PULLING BELAIR’S HAIR! Loud boos from the crowd, and the referee tells Jinny off, who scrambles to the corner to tag Amale back in!
Jinny and Amale both look to charge at Belair BUT SHE WIPES THEM OUT WITH A DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE! Cheers from the live crowd as on the apron, Vanessa applauds and cheers loudly for her tag team partner. Belair scoops Amale off the mat and holds her in the air for several seconds before SLAMMING HER DOWN TO THE MAT! Belair makes the cover 1 2 Amale kicks out! Belair is in total control of the match so far and grabs Amale on the mat, looking to send her into the corner!
The commentary team notes however it wasn’t her own corner, wondering if she is avoiding tagging Vanessa into this match if she can help it. Belair lays into Amale with a series of wicked forearm smashes in the corner as she gives the Frenchwoman a bit of a beating in the corner of the ring. Jinny on the ring apron shouts some abuse to Belair, which makes her take her eyes off the ball for a moment… AMALE HITS A STIFF KICK TO THE INJURED RIBS STUNNING BELAIR!
The crowd boos as Amale quickly follows up with a BICYCLE KNEE as Belair is bent over! Amale makes a quick cover, pressing her arms down on the ribs as she does it 1 Belair kicks out! A very quick kick out from Belair and Amale reacts quickly as she runs to her corner to tag Jinny back into the match! Jinny runs into the ring and BOOTS VANESSA OFF THE RING APRON TO LOUD BOOS FROM THE CROWD! Belair looks angry and ready to charge over…AMALE CHOP BLOCKS BELAIR STOPPING HER!
Jinny doesn’t stop there as she runs the ropes and connects with a HIGH KNEE PLANTING BELAIR! She makes the cover 1 2 Belair kicks out! The crowd is loudly booing as The House takes control of the match. Jinny grabs hold of Belair and sends her back towards the corner of the ring with an Irish Whip before laying into Belair with a series of stomps to the mid-section! Jinny then makes another rapid tag to Amale, who joins in with a series of stomps herself!
Both women grab hold of Belair and lift her into the air, planting Belair with a DUAL SUPLEX! Amale makes the cover 1 2 Belair kicks out! The commentary team wonders if Belair needs to take a break in the match and tag in Vanessa Hudgens. Amale poses and taunts the crowd before hitting a RUNNING ROLLING SENTON RIGHT ONTO THE INJURED RIBS OF BELAIR! Amale makes the cover 1 2 Belair kicks out! The French superstar gets to her feet and looks directly at Vanessa Hudgens, daring her to enter the ring!
The celebrity for now, wisely stays on the ring apron as Amale walks over and tags Jinny back into the match! She sees Belair getting to her knees and catches her with a TOUCH OF COUTURE (Koppou kick)! Jinny makes another cover 1 2 Belair kicks out! Jinny shakes her head and taunts the fans, ready to end this as she grabs Belair off the mat ready to go for the FASHION LINE… BELAIR DUCKS AND COUNTERS WITH A POWERSLAM!
Belair doesn’t make the cover straight away as she gets to her feet in pain… AMALE RUNS INTO THE RING AND HITS A BIG BOOT SENDING BELAIR BACK… AND SHE SLAPS THE HAND OF VANESSEA HUDGENS BY MISTAKE! Belair and Vanessa both look a bit shocked as the referee confirms it's a tag! Amale and a rising Jinny get to their feet, both laughing. Belair tries to step forward, but the referee tells her to get back as JINNY CHEAP SHOTS VANESSA HUDGENS!
The crowd loudly boos as Belair argues with the referee and gets attacked by Amale taking those two women out of the ring! Jinny meanwhile grabs hold of Vanessa Hudgens by the hair, getting loud boos from the live crowd and HITS HER WITH A X-FACTOR! Jinny makes a cocky cover 1 2 Hudgens kicks out! Jinny looks almost shocked that Hudgens managed to survive but picks her up looking to go for the FASHION LINE… VANESSA COUNTERS INTO A ROLL-UP!
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JINNY KICKS OUT!
Jinny looks furious, she was nearly shown up by the celebrity and charges back at her… SLAP TO THE FACE STUNNING HER! Jinny stumbles backward and Vanessa Hudgens catches her with a SIT-OUT FACEBUSTER! The crowd cheers for the shock move before we see Belair get back onto the ring apron and Vanessa sprints over quickly as the E.S.T. RE-ENTERS THE MATCH ONCE AGAIN!
Jinny has a face of fear and quickly scrambles over to the corner to tag Amale back into the match! Amale enters the ring as they try to target Belair BUT SHE WIPES THEM OUT WITH A DOUBLE SPEAR! The crowd cheers loudly as Vanessa acts as the cheerleader for Belair, who grabs her ribs before grabbing both Amale and Jinny, LIFTING THEM OFF THE MAT ONTO HER SHOULDERS… HITTING A DOUBLE K.O.D! She plants both of them on the mat to loud cheers before covering both of them!
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Winners via pinfall: Vanessa Hudgens and Bianca Belair (6:12)
The crowd loudly cheers as Bianca Belair returns to her feet and celebrates the victory over The House of Couture tonight. Vanessa Hudgens joins her in the ring to celebrate, and they share a hug before she raises the E.S.T.’s arm into the air.
Corey Graves: Belair has done it tonight!
Byron Saxton: She came into this match with damaged ribs and a tag team partner who has never wrestled before, but she showed why she is one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Corey Graves: And Vanessa Hudgens even held her own when she had to step into the match!
Byron Saxton: She might have a future as a WWE superstar if she wants it!
Corey Graves: Well up next we have what is seen as a true dream match.
Byron Saxton: Stone Cold Steve Austin takes on John Cena. Let’s see how we got here!
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We start with clips of Stone Cold Steve Austin on Raw, talking about wanting revenge on Randy Orton for punting him in the skull, but the Viper had gone into hiding. John Cena would then come out and issue a challenge for WrestleMania, which Austin would accept. The rest of the video package shows the main highlights of their careers before we get the final face-off between the two men with John Cena hitting the Attitude Adjustment to stand tall on the final Raw.
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JOHN CENA makes his way out first, getting a loud mixed reaction from the live crowd. He smiles looking at the reaction and says that’s the WWE Universe he loves shrugging. He runs to the ring before chucking his shirt and hat into the crowd for whichever child or adult is lucky to catch it.
Michael Cole: John Cena is one of the greatest superstars of all time and a true legend of the business.
Elias: But he faces one of the few superstars who can compete with him for the title of greatest of all time!
Michael Cole: And John Cena is heading into enemy lines tonight, fighting Stone Cold in Texas.
Elias: It’s a testament to how popular Cena is that he is not getting booed by everyone here tonight!
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN marches out getting the biggest pop of the night from the live crowd. He lifts his hands into the air and takes his time walking to the ring, soaking in the reaction from the live crowd before going to each corner, raising his fists into the air.
Michael Cole: Stone Cold’s last match was nearly 20 years ago; you do have to wonder if there will be some ring rust on his part.
Elias: But even with ring rust, Stone Cold is one of the greatest superstars I’ve ever seen, if not the greatest.
Michael Cole: He will need to roll back the years to defeat John Cena, who is determined to get back into the World title picture.
Elias: It is worth mentioning that John Cena over the last few years, has suffered more losses than he is used to. Could tonight be another big one?
Stone Cold hops off the ring rope and stands in front of his opponent, with Cena letting out a slight smile. Stone Cold remains stoic and focused as the referee calls for the bell to get this dream match underway!
Dream match:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs John Cena
Once the bell rings, we get a good few seconds of the legends staring each other down whilst the live crowd chants “HOLY SHIT”! Both men stare at each other refusing to take their eyes off each other, as they wait for the other to make the first move. After half a minute, Cena goes to strike first but Austin fires back with a series of wild fists, overwhelming the leader of the C-Nation! Stone Cold teases going for a STUNNER EARLY… BUT CENA PUSHES HIM OFF SENDING THE RATTLESNAKE BACKWARD!
Cena looks for a moment to catch his breath, but Austin has no intention of doing that hitting him with a LOU THRESZ PRESS AND HAMMERING AWAY WITH A SERIES OF MUNTED PUNCHES! Austin is turning back the clock as he gives Cena a battering right from the start of this match! Stone Cold gets back to his feet and the crowd starts to chant at the legend, telling him “You still got it” before Austin sees the rising Cena hitting him with a CLOTHESLINE SENDING HIM OVER THE TOP ROPE!
Stone Cold has no intention of letting up and leaves the ring as he follows John Cena as they start to brawl around the ringside area. Cena tries to keep up with Austin but this is his wheelhouse, and he sends Cena over the ringside barricade into the crowd! The crowd goes wild seeing Cena and Austin up close as they go for a good old walk and brawl. The commentary team mentions the referee is being lax on the rules, not wanting to be the man to end this match on a countout!
Austin and Cena are carrying on their battle, with it becoming very quickly clear that this brawling suits Austin a lot better than Cena. At one point during the brawl, Stone Cold stops and asks the fan to pass him a beer, which he drinks to a loud pop from the crowd! He then sees another fan offering him a drink and he looks at it, realising it isn’t beer SO HE TOSSES IT INTO CENA’S FACE! The crowd loudly cheers as Cena stumbles backward before Austin hits a STUN GUN ONTO THE RINGSIDE BARRICADE!
Cena bounces back towards Austin, who charges at him and sends him back to the ringside area with a CLOTHESLINE! Cena stumbles into the ringside area, struggling to his feet as Austin dives off the barricade hitting a DOUBLE AXE HANDLE! Cena falls to the ring floor as Austin has taken control of the match. We hear the referee telling Austin to bring the match back into the ring but he responds by FLIPPING THE REFEREE OFF TO LOUD CHEERS FROM THE CROWD!
Stone Cold grabs hold of John Cena looking to do more damage but Cena counters, sending Austin into the steel steps! He gets a mixed reaction but Cena doesn’t rise to it, instead taking a few moments to rest due to the damage done to him by Austin’s brawl! Austin stumbles up from the steel steps as Cena runs into him with a LARIAT WIPING OUT AUSTIN! Cena then grabs hold of him and sends Austin back into the ring. Cena climbs to the top rope behind him and DIVES OFF THE TOP ROPE HITTING A DIVING ONE-HANDED BULLDOG! Cena makes the first cover of the match 1 2 Austin kicks out!
Cena gets back to his feet with a smile on his face but is ready to start to take control of the match. He grabs hold of Austin off the mat and looks to lift him up BUT AUSTIN COUNTERS SENDING CENA INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING! Austin lays into him with a series of punches to the head, peppering Cena with blows. Cena slumps in the corner as the referee tells Stone Cold off for not listening to his count… AUSTIN RESPONDS BY STOMPING A MUDHOLE ON CENA IN THE CORNER OF THE RING TO A HUGE POP FROM THE CROWD!
Stone Cold is stomping away on Cena and giving him a beating, with the commentary team commenting that no one brawls better than Stone Cold. Austin backs away as Cena falls out of the corner and Austin connects with a STANDING POINTED ELBOW DROP! Austin hooks the leg 1 2 Cena kicks out! Austin gets back to his feet and soaks up the cheers from the live crowd before sizing Cena up from behind as he signals, he is ready to go for the STUNNER…
CENA COUNTERS PUSHING HIM INTO THE ROPES BEFORE PLANTING HIM WITH THE PROTOBOMB! Cena hooks the leg 1 2 Austin kicks out! Cena is back on his feet and signals to the crowd that he is done letting Stone Cold take control, going “You Can’t See Me” and runs off the ropes hitting Austin with TWO LEAPING SHOULDER TACKLES OFF THE ROPES! Cena then grabs hold of Austin and plants him down to the mat with a SIDE SLAM! Cena then stands over the prone Austin going “You can’t see me” …AUSTIN FLIPS HIM OFF AND KICKS HIM IN THE HEAD!
The crowd loudly cheers as John Cena stumbles backward and Austin follows it up by grabbing hold of him, hitting him with a SPINEBUSTER! Austin makes the cover 1 2 John Cena kicks out! Austin plays to the crowd again before sizing up John Cena from behind and looks to lock him in the MILLION DOLLAR DREAM! Stone Cold gets the hold locked in tight as he tries to make Cena pass out! The crowd wills him on as the commentary team notes how rare a submission loss for Cena is!
Cena is struggling in the hold and looks like he might fade… UNTIL HE SENDS AUSTIN INTO THE TURNBUCKLES SEVERAL TIMES FORCING A BREAK! Austin lets go of the hold as Cena stumbles away from the corner, coughing and spluttering a little! He turns back to Austin who comes out of the corner and counters a SPINEBUSTER ATTEMPT WITH AN INVERTED ATOMIC DROP! Stone Cold stumbles back and JOHN CENA CATCHES HIM WITH A ROCK BOTTOM! Loud cheers from the crowd for the shock move as Cena hooks the leg
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STONE COLD KICKS OUT!
Cena nearly gets the win with a move from a man who has a lot of history with both men in this match! Cena though remains focused and looks to stalk Austin from behind as he sizes him up for an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! He waits for Stone Cold to get back to his feet and lifts him up… AUSTIN SLIPS BEHIND HIM AND CATCHES CENA WITH A STUNNER! Cena falls to the mat as Stone Cold now hooks the leg
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JOHN CENA KICKS OUT!
The crowd is a bit shocked but Austin remains calm and stays on Cena, laying into him with a series of MOUNTED PUNCHES TO THE HEAD! Austin drags Cena up off the mat and teases potentially going for a ROCK BOTTOM OF HIS OWN… BUT CENA FIGHTS OUT OF IT! Austin stumbles backward as Cena looks to scoop him up for the ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT… AUSTIN ESCAPES AGAIN AND LANDS BEHIND CENA GOING FOR ANOTHER STUNNER… CENA COUNTERS WITH AN RKO! Cena hooks the leg
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STONE COLD KICKS OUT!
Cena is looking to use his old rival’s tricks from over the years to find a way to finish off Stone Cold, but nothing is putting the legend away! Cena has him down on the mat, though and looks to grab hold of his neck… LOCKING HIM IN THE STF! Cena wraps his arms around the neck of Stone Cold as he tries to get the legend to tap out! Cena is pulling back on the hold as hard as he can, but there is no quit in the Rattlesnake who crawls and crawls to the bottom rope before grabbing hold of it to force a break!
Cena keeps the hold locked on for an extra few seconds before breaking it, with a little frustration creeping onto his face as he can’t seem to find a way to keep Austin down! He looks to go back on the attack… BUT AUSTIN SENDS HIM INTO THE ROPES WITH A STUN GUN! Cena stumbles back off the ropes and comes face to face with Austin WHO HITS HIS OWN ROCK BOTTOM! Austin though chooses not to make the cover and instead LOCKS IN A SHARPSHOOTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING!
Stone Cold locks the hold in tight and looks to put as much pressure on the back of Cena, using the signature move of one of his greatest rivals! Cena is in a ton of pain and trapped in the middle of the ring but he refuses to give up! Cena feels the pain of the hold but crawls and crawls to the ropes, looking for a way out of this hold. Stone Cold tries to pull it back… BUT CENA MAKES IT TO THE BOTTOM ROPE AND FORCES A ROPE BREAK!
Stone Cold keeps the hold in tight for a few extra seconds, really pulling it back before he has to let go of the hold. The referee tells Stone Cold off for his actions before he pushes past the referee and lays into Cena with a SERIES OF MUDHOLE STOMPS HAMMERING DOWN ON THE LEADER OF THE C-NATION! Stone Cold storms away from Cena and looks to stalk him ready to go for another STUNNER READY TO END THIS… CENA GETS BACK TO HIS FEET… STONE COLD GOES FOR THE STUN… CENA COUNTERS INTO AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! Cena hooks the leg
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STONE COLD KICKS OUT AGAIN!
John Cena seems stunned that Stone Cold has managed to survive one more time! Cena takes a moment to sit on the mat and wonders what it will take to put away the legend for a 3 count. John Cena takes a moment before looking to the top rope having an idea! Cena grabs hold of Stone Cold who is down on the mat and drags him towards the corner of the ring. Cena gets Stone Cold on his shoulders and climbs to the top rope ready to go for a SUPER ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT… BUT STONE COLD FIGHTS OUT OF IT! Stone Cold lays in some punches before HITTING CENA WITH A SUPERPLEX! Loud cheers as Austin crawls onto the cover
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JOHN CENA KICKS OUT!
The crowd is shocked but Stone Cold gets back to his feet and lifts Cena up off the mat KICKING HIM IN THE STOMACH… STUN… NO CENA LOOKS TO GO FOR THE ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT… AUSTIN SLIPS OUT THE OTHER SIDE AND HITS THE STUNNER! Austin hooks the leg
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Winner via pinfall: Stone Cold Steve Austin (12:31)
The crowd loudly cheers as Stone Cold Steve Austin slowly rolls off of John Cena, with a look of relief on his face. Cena meanwhile, stays down on the mat for the moment as the entire stadium cheers for Stone Cold on his return to the ring tonight.
Michael Cole: Stone Cold Steve Austin has managed to turn back the years tonight and has defeated John Cena!
Elias: It took everything he had to overcome his fellow legend, but Stone Cold has walked out of this dream match the victor.
Michael Cole: And you do have to wonder what is next for John Cena. He saw a victory tonight as his chance to get right back into the World title picture.
Elias: He will have to come up with another plan if he wants to get number 17!
Stone Cold gets back to his feet after the victory and has a pair of beers in his hands as he looks to celebrate in typical fashion. John Cena behind him slowly gets to his feet and looks disappointed before coming face to face with Austin. Cena looks at Austin, who finishes the beers and offers him a handshake. Austin looks at the hand for a few seconds and shakes his head before signalling for two more beers. He passes on to Cena as they open the beer and cheer in the middle of the ring as Austin carries on his celebration!
Michael Cole: As close to a show of respect as you are ever going to get from Stone Austin!
Elias: He has never had a problem dropping his opponents after the bell, so John Cena must have truly earned his respect tonight.
Michael Cole: But right now, we are about to see two women collide who have little respect for each other!
Elias: The Women’s Royal Rumble winner Rhea Ripley is on a collision course with Women’s Universal Champion Shayna Baszler. Let’s see how we got here!
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The video package shows Rhea Ripley winning the Women’s Royal Rumble and the tear she went on in the match, breaking her own elimination record for a Royal Rumble within the match. We then see Wade Barrett announcing the news of Charlotte Flair vacating her Women’s Universal title due to injury and the confirmation of the Iron Survivor match at Fastlane to see who would become the new Women’s Universal Champion.
Shayna Baszler would be shown defeating Tegan Nox, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott and Nia Jax to walk out of the match as the Women’s Universal Champion, setting her up to fight Rhea Ripley. Both women would exchange words on the Raw leading up to WrestleMania 37, and we would see Shayna Baszler making a point to target Rhea Ripley's right leg to injure her ahead of the Showcase of the Immortals.
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RHEA RIPLEY marches out getting loud cheers from the live crowd. She has a smirk on her face but she noticeably slightly limps when she walks out to the ring. After doing her foot stomp on the entrance ramp, before being joined by TEAM KICK! DAKOTA KAI and TEGAN NOX talk to their ally in the recent weeks before the trio walks to the ring ahead of this title match.
Michael Cole: Rhea Ripley put on one of the most dominant performances we have ever seen in Royal Rumble history to win and earn this title match.
Elias: But she might need to pull off an even greater feat if she wants to defeat Shayna Baszler tonight.
Michael Cole: Shayna and the rest of the MMA Horsewomen have taken full advantage of the numbers game to take over the women’s division since they formed.
Elias: Shows some brains on the challenger’s part to make sure the numbers are even before the bell rings.
SHAYNA BASZLER makes her way out with her signature smug smirk and lifts the Women’s Universal title into the air. She is soon flanked by her MMA Horsewomen teammates NATALYA and MARINA SHAFIR! The dangerous trio starts to walk to the ring with Rhea Ripley and Team Kick staring them down the entire way.
Michael Cole: Shayna Baszler lost that title at Starrcade to Charlotte Flair, but after turning on Ronda Rousey and taking advantage of an opportunity that presented itself, she was able to become a two-time Women’s Universal Champion.
Elias: Shayna and Ronda both wanted to be the alpha in the group and with Ronda Rousey taking time off to give birth to her child, it has left Shayna alone at the top of Monday Night Raw.
Michael Cole: And Shayna has shown she will do whatever it takes to keep hold of her Women’s Universal title.
Elias: That damage she did to Rhea Ripley is going to be like a bullseye for her all match, with Shayna likely focusing on that throughout this encounter with her submissions.
Shayna Baszler steps into the ring with Rhea Ripley as the usual title announcements are done for the Women’s Universal title. Outside the ring, The MMA Horsewomen and Team Kick trade words but inside the ring, Rhea Ripley and Shayna Baszler remain silent. Once the announcements are done, the referee calls for the bell and the penultimate match of the night is underway!
Women’s Universal title match:
Shayna Baszler © w/The MMA Horsewomen vs Rhea Ripley w/Team Kick
The bell rings and Rhea Ripley goes right on the attack as she charges at Shayna Baszler and CLOBBERS HER WITH A WICKED BIG BOOT! Shayna is almost caught off-guard as Rhea Ripley lays in a series of stomps to the Women’s Universal Champion! She is laying a beating on Shayna, who rolls out of the ring looking to get a bit of a breather! Shayna rolls next to her teammates in the MMA Horsewomen and chats to them for a bit as Rhea Ripley stands in the middle of the ring with her arms out wide, daring Shayna to re-enter the ring!
Shayna takes her time before climbing onto the ring apron and slowly re-enters the ring as RHEA CHARGES TOWARDS HER SO SHAYNA DROPS OFF THE RING APRON! Rhea looks annoyed by this as Shayna backs away and goes for a walk around the ring, talking some trash to Rhea Ripley. Rhea considers chasing after her outside the ring, but we can hear Team Kick telling her to be patient. Shayna takes her time before re-entering the ring as Rhea looks to go after her… SHAYNA SWEEPS THE LEG OUT FROM HER!
Shayna Baszler has a wicked smirk on her face and looks to go right after the right leg of Shayna as RHEA BOOTS HER AWAY WITH THE LEFT LEG SENDING HER INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING! Rhea hops back to her feet and CLOBBERS SHAYNA WITH A CLOTHESLINE SMASHING THE CHAMPION! Rhea is not done there as she follows up with a SERIES OF KNEE LIFTS in the corner of the ring using the left knee before hitting a SNAPMARE SLAMMING SHAYNA BACK TO THE MAT!
Rhea then runs the ropes and connects with a BASEMENT DROPKICK! Rhea makes the cover 1 2 Shayna kicks out! Rhea Ripley has a smirk on her face as she is enjoying the chance to lay a bit of a beating on Shayna as she drags her off the mat and SLAMS HER BACK DOWN ON HER LEFT KNEE WITH A BACKBREAKER! Rhea makes the cover 1 2 Shayna kicks out! Rhea is overpowering Shayna Baszler and looks to lock her in a CRAVATE HOLD WRENCHING ON SHAYNA’S BACK!
Rhea stretches Shayna Baszler, looking to give her a taste of her own medicine. She wrenches back on the hold as Shayna looks to try to escape from the hold, so Rhea transitions into A SERIES OF KNEE STRIKES WITH THE LEFT KNEE BEFORE FINISHING OFF WITH A BOOT TO THE BACK! Shayna is in pain but Rhea runs off the ropes and hits a LOW BIG BOOT WITH HER RIGHT BOOT! Rhea winces slightly before making the cover 1 2 Shayna kicks out!
The commentary puts over the fact that Rhea Ripley is in total control of this match and laying a beating on Shayna Baszler during this match! Rhea smirks to herself and looks to grab her off the mat for a GERMAN SUPLEX… BUT SHAYNA FIGHTS OUT WITH A SERIES OF ELBOW STRIKES SENDING RHEA BACKWARD! The challenger stumbles and Shayna looks to take advantage of this, hitting a JUMPING KNEE STRIKE! Rhea falls to the mat as Shayna makes the cover 1 Rhea powers out!
Shayna is a bit taken aback by how easily Rhea kicked out of that shot before choosing to stay focused as she runs off the ropes looking to… RHEA TAKES HER HEAD OFF WITH A WICKED LARIAT! Shayna falls down to the mat as Rhea rubs her jaw, looking a bit annoyed that Shayna managed to catch her out! Rhea looks at Shayna on the mat and picks her up this time HOLDING HER IN THE AIR! The crowd loudly pops for this as Rhea walks around the ring for 20 seconds before dropping Shayna with a VERTICAL SUPLEX! Rhea makes the cover 1 2 Shayna kicks out!
Rhea Ripley has a smile on her face and is relishing her total control of the match, feeling like it is only a matter of time before she walks out of this match with the Women’s Universal title. She teases the crowd and looks like she is about to size up Shayna Baszler for the RIPTIDE… NATALYA OUTSIDE THE RING SWIPES AT HER LEG DISTRACTING RHEA RIPLEY! She turns around and threatens the MMA Horsewomen duo outside the ring… ALLOWING SHAYNA TO HIT A CHOP BLOCK TO THE RIGHT LEG OF RHEA!
Rhea crumples to a knee as Shayna has a wicked smirk and follows up with a PENALTY KICK to send Rhea down to the mat before making the cover 1 Rhea powers out! Rhea is still showing a lot of fight and Shayna quickly goes for a different tactic as SHE STOMPS ON THE RIGHT LEG OF RHEA BEFORE SHE CAN GET TO HER FEET! Rhea can be heard shouting in a ton of pain as she grits her teeth and Shayna starts to TWIST THE RIGHT LEG KEEPING HER GROUNDED!
She wrenches back on the hold as Rhea Ripley is in a ton of pain due to the damage the Women’s Universal Champion is doing to her already damaged right leg. The commentary team mentions this would have been the game plan right from the start of the match, taking the legs away from Rhea and making it harder to overpower Shayna tonight. Rhea has to maneuver her body to make it to the bottom rope and looks to force a break from Shayna… BUT SHE HOLDS ON TILL THE COUNT OF 4!
Shayna finally breaks the hold with a smirk on her face, whilst Rhea struggles leaning on the ropes for support. Rhea looks to get a breather as Shayna looks to keep the pressure up by grabbing hold of Ripley and connecting with a RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX! Rhea lands on the mat behind her and Shayna gets back to her feet SMASHING HER WITH A PENALTY KICK! Shayna makes the cover pressing on the right leg 1 2 Rhea kicks out! Rhea stays alive but further damage is being done to her right leg after that kick out!
Shayna has an evil smirk on her face and looks to keep Rhea grounded as she leaps into the air before HITTING A DOUBLE KNEE DROP TO THE HEAD TO KEEP THE CHALLENGER GROUND! Shayna makes another quick cover pressing the leg 1 2 Rhea kicks out! Shayna is quick to react to the kick out and grabs hold of the right leg of Rhea Ripley as she starts to twist it, doing a ton of damage to Rhea as she locks in a KNEEBAR WRENCHING BACK ON THE HOLD AS SHE TRIES TO FORCE A TAP OUT!
Rhea is in pain as the hold is pulled back and Shayna looks happy to inflict as much pain as possible onto the challenger! A wicked smile is on her face as Rhea crawls to the ropes and eventually gets to the bottom rope again, forcing another break. Shayna again makes a point to make full use of the 4 count as she pulls it back before finally breaking the hold! The referee confronts Shayna about this, and they argue taking Rhea out of the eyeline… NATALYA SLAPS RHEA RIPLEY ON THE ROPES!
Loud boos from the crowd as Team Kick get right in the face of the MMA Horsewomen outside the ring, with the two teams arguing with each other outside the ring! Shayna meanwhile grabs the distracted Rhea Ripley and lifts her off the mat, hitting a GUTWRENCH SUPLEX SLAMMING HER DOWN! Shayna doesn’t let go of the hold and transitions into a SECOND ROLLING GUTWRENCH SUPLEX STAYING ON FOR THE COVER! 1 2 Rhea Ripley kicks out!
Shayna has taken total control of the match now, with the damage to the right leg putting Rhea horrendously on the back foot during this encounter! Shayna wrenches back on the hold and keeps Rhea Ripley grounded on the mat, working over the Royal Rumble winner here! Rhea is struggling to fight out of the hold as Shayna is cranking the pressure on but Rhea is using all of her strength to push off the mat and try to escape from the hold…BUT SHAYNA BREAKS IT AND CHOP BLOCKS RHEA’S RIGHT LEG DROPPING HER AGAIN!
Rhea screams in pain and Shayna Baszler relishes the damage she is inflicting on the challenger! Outside the ring, we can see Team Kick look concerned for their ally in recent months and the commentary team notes both of them know how serious injuries to your legs can be, especially in the face of someone as vicious and brutal as Shayna Baszler. Shayna is quick to follow up by SNAPPING RHEA’S HEAD BACK TO THE MAT AND HITTING ANOTHER KNEE DROP!
Shayna is not letting Rhea get any breathing room and even stands above her, taunting the challenger… HEADBUTT FROM RHEA ROCKING SHAYNA! Shayna stumbles backward and Rhea is quick to follow up with a BIG BOOT SENDING SHAYNA OUT OF THE RING FOR NOW! Rhea winces in pain and rolls back to the middle of the ring, unable to take advantage! Rhea sits in the middle of the ring, trying to get feeling back into her right leg, whilst Shayna smirks outside the ring, talking to the MMA Horsewomen.
Shayna slowly comes back into the ring with an evil smirk on her face, ready to go after Rhea Ripley some more, but the Aussie superstar is back on her feet laying into Shayna with a few punches to send her back… BUT SHAYNA CATCHES HER AND COUNTERS INTO A SPINEBUSTER DROPPING RIPLEY! Shayna makes the cover 1 2 Rhea kicks out! Shayna has a smirk on her face, but Rhea refuses to go quietly into the night, as Shayna grabs hold of Rhea’s arms AND STOMPS ON THE FACE OF RHEA GROUNDING HER TO THE MAT!
Rhea drops back down to the mat as Shayna makes another cover 1 2 Rhea kicks out again! Shayna is a bit annoyed but stays on the attack as she grinds down Rhea on the mat and works over her again, with the challenger struggling to mount a fight back in this encounter! The commentary team says this is the first time we haven’t seen Rhea dominate a match and it shows how lethal the submission expertise of Shayna is that she can ground even Rhea Ripley!
Rhea looks to move her body and fight out of the hold, but Shayna SMASHES HER IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD WITH A FOREARM SMASH! Shayna looks to lift her off the mat, going for another GERMAN SUPLEX BUT RHEA FIGHTS BACK REFUSING TO BE LIFTED UP BY SHAYNA AND FIRES OFF A COUPLE OF HEADBUTTS WITH THE BACK OF HER HEAD! Shayna falls back as Rhea grabs hold of her and SENDS HER INTO THE TURNBUCKLES WITH A RELEASE BACK SUPLEX!
Shayna’s back bounces off the turnbuckles as Rhea follows up with a WICKED BIG BOOT IN THE CORNER WITH HER RIGHT LEG! Rhea winces after doing the move, but she is willing to hurt herself if it means she walks out of WrestleMania 37 as the Women’s Universal Champion! Rhea shakes off the pain and SLAMS HER SHOULDER REPEATEDLY INTO SHAYNA IN THE CORNER! She slams into Shayna several times, making full use of the referee’s count here!
The referee tries to tell her off but Rhea goes right back on the attack, yanking Shayna out of the corner and hitting her with a SHORT-ARM CLOTHESLINE… BUT HOLDS ON AND YANKS HER UP TO PLANT HER WITH ANOTHER ONE… BUT STILL HOLDS OUT! She pulls Rhea back in and HITS A RIPCORD DROPKICK DROPPING THE CHAMPION TO THE MAT! A slight wince from Rhea as she makes the cover on the champ 1 2 Shayna kicks out!
Rhea is in control of the match once again and the crowd is going wild, looking to see her overcome Shayna Baszler! Outside the ring, we can see Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai cheering her on. At the same time, Marina Shafir and Natalya have a scowl on their faces, possibly discussing Plan B. Rhea grabs hold of Shayna and looks to pick her up, teasing THE RIPTIDE… SHAYNA GETS OUT OF IT WITH A BOOT TO THE RIGHT LEG! Rhea loses her grip for a second, but it is enough for a JUMPING KNEE FROM SHAYNA! The champ makes the cover 1 2 Rhea kicks out!
The smile that was on Shayna’s face a bit earlier in the match has been replaced and now she has a look of anger on her face, perhaps not expecting Rhea Ripley to give her this much of a fight in this match. Shayna signals to the crowd that she is ready to end this and looks to size up Rhea for the KIRIFUDA CLUTCH… BUT RHEA USES ALL HER STRENGTH TO GET TO HER FEET AND BACKS INTO THE ROPES SENDING BOTH OF THEM CRASHING TO THE FLOOR TO BREAK THE HOLD!
Both women lay down and out on the ring floor for a few seconds, selling the impact of this match! The seconds for both women go over to check on them before looking at each other. Shayna and Rhea end up on their feet at the same time as they trade strikes outside the ring, with Rhea dominating due to her power advantage. Shayna looks to go for the leg again but Rhea is ready and scoops her up SLAMMING HER ONTO THE RING APRON WITH A SPINEBUSTER!
A brutal impact as Shayna slumps to the ring floor and Rhea winces in pain! The referee gets to a 7 count in the ring and Rhea, thinking quickly, slides in and out of the ring to break the count, knowing she can’t win the title on a countout! Rhea rolls out of the ring, but is blocked by MARINA SHAFIR! She mouths off at Rhea Ripley, who glares at her before HEADBUTTING HER DROPPING MARINA SHAFIR! A loud pop from the crowd as Rhea dares Natalya to step forward but wisely she backs off.
Rhea grabs hold of Shayna struggling to lift her up at first off the ring floor due to the damage done to her leg, but she gets her off the ring floor and is about to roll her back into the ring when SHAYNA COUNTERS WITH A FACEBUSTER PLANTING RHEA TO THE FLOOR! Shayna rolls away and rises up using the steel steps for support as she catches Rhea as she raises with a SPEAR PLANTING HER! Shayna then rolls back into the ring and tells the referee to count Rhea out!
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Rhea struggles to her feet…
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BUT SHE MAKES IT INTO THE RING JUST IN TIME!
Shayna lays into the challenger with a series of stomps as Rhea makes it through the ropes looking to keep the pressure up… BUT RHEA RISES THROUGH IT AND TAKES SHAYNA’S HEAD OFF WITH A WICKED LARIAT! The crowd goes wild as Rhea Ripley roars and grabs hold of Shayna, pulling her in as she tries to escape hitting a RIPCORD HEADBUTT! Shayna is staggered by this as Rhea Ripley pulls her back in and SLAMS HER DOWN WITH THE RIPTIDE! Rhea winces slightly due to her leg and makes the cover
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NATALYA PUTS SHAYNA’S FOOT ON THE ROPES TO SAVE HER TITLE!
The crowd loudly boos Natalya but the referee doesn’t realize what she did! Rhea Ripley saw it and got ready to confront her, but she didn't have to as TEAM KICK HAVE HAD ENOUGH ATTACKING THE MMA HORSEWOMEN! They beat the hell out of Shayna’s cohorts and brawl with them towards the backstage area, removing the seconds from the rest of this match. Back in the ring, Rhea shakes her head and grabs Shayna on the mat, ready to end this… BUT SHAYNA GETS DESPERATE AND RAKES THE EYES OF RHEA RIPLEY!
Rhea lets go of Shayna as the crowd loudly boos the champion for the cheap attack. Still, she doesn’t care, happy to do whatever it takes to make sure the Women’s Universal title stays around her waist! Shayna yanks Rhea Ripley up off the mat and slams her down with a SPINEBUSTER! Shayna though doesn’t make the cover and instead looks at the right leg that has been causing Rhea so much pain LOCKING IN THE ANKLE LOCK AS SHE WRENCHES IT BACK!
Shayna has the hold locked in tight and pulls back on it, looking to force Rhea to tap out! The Nightmare is in a ton of pain but refuses to give up as she tries to get her right leg out of the hold, but Shayna has it locked in tight and EVEN MANAGES TO GRAPEVINE THE HOLD PUTTING ALL THE PRESSURE ON THE DAMAGE RIGHT LEG OF RHEA! She is screaming in pain but Rhea can see the ropes within touching distance! She reaches out and crawls with them, seeming so far away even though she is so close…
AND GETS HER HAND ON THE BOTTOM ROPE! Shayna keeps the hold locked on and wrenches it back for the full time limit before finally breaking the hold at the count of 5! Shayna gets back to her feet and gets in the referee’s face as they argue about her continued full use of the time. Still Shayna doesn’t care, clocking Rhea from behind with a series of FOREARMS! Shayna then grabs Rhea to tease that she is going for a GUTWRENCH POWER… BUT RHEA COUNTERS PLANTING SHAYNA WITH A MICHINOKU DRIVER! Rhea winces slightly in pain but makes the cover
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SHAYNA KICKS OUT!
Rhea nods her head with her right leg still in agony, but she knew this was not going to be easy! She looks to Shayna and lays in a series of punches to the head of the champion, looking to keep her neutralised before lifting Shayna off the mat and LOCKING HER IN THE PRISM TRAP! Rhea yanks the hold back as the crowd cheers her on, as she looks to make the submission magician tap out! Shayna is in agony in the middle of the ring and can’t get to the ropes as Rhea is pulling back with everything she has!
Shayna is screaming in agony as Rhea is putting everything she has into this hold and there is no one outside the ring to save Shayna this time! Shayna is in a ton of pain and shakes her head, not wanting to tap out BUT LIFTS HER ARM… RHEA’S RIGHT LEG BUCKLES AND SHE DROPS SHAYNA REALISING THE HOLD! The damage done throughout the match and in the previous weeks keeps Shayna Baszler alive in this match and she knows it as she grabs Rhea HITTING THE GUTWRENCH POWERBOMB! Shayna rolls onto the cover unable to hook the leg
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RHEA KICKS OUT!
Shayna looks annoyed that Rhea kicked out as the commentary team mentioned her not having the energy to hook the leg might have cost her the victory tonight! Shayna shakes her head but as Rhea Ripley tries to get back to her feet, SHE LOCKS IN THE KIRIFUDA CLUTCH! Shayna gets her lethal hold locked in tight around the neck of Rhea as she looks to choke the life out of the challenger! Rhea Ripley is in the middle of the ring with no ropes in sight!
Shayna is wrenching the hold back with everything she has and the Royal Rumble winner is struggling to survive! The commentary team says Rhea is going to have to break out of this hold as she is nowhere near the ropes and Rhea tries to get back to her feet SLOWLY RISING… BUT HER RIGHT LEG BUCKLES ALLOWING SHAYNA TO LOCK IT IN EVEN TIGHTER! Shayna is fully pulling back on the hold as Rhea looks like she is starting to fade, and the referee grabs her arm to see if she is still awake dropping it…
BUT RHEA REFUSES TO LET HER ARM DROP! Rhea uses the last bit of her energy to try to rise back to her feet, fighting through the pain and gritting her teeth. Shayna tries to give it one last squeeze… BUT RHEA TRANSITIONS INTO AN ELECTRIC CHAIR FACEBUSTER DROPPING SHAYNA! Rhea has to take a minute to deal with the pain in her right leg, but she grits her teeth and grabs Shayna as she rises back up… RIPTIDE TO SHAYNA BASZLER! Rhea drops into the cover
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Winner via pinfall and new Women’s Universal Champion: Rhea Ripley (22:21)
The bell rings and the live crowd erupts as we have a new Women’s Universal Champion! Rhea Ripley lies in the middle of the ring next to the downed Shayna Baszler, with both women putting each other through hell to walk out as champion tonight.
Michael Cole: Rhea Ripley is the new Women’s Universal Champion, but my god did she have to fight through the pain to do it!
Elias: Shayna Baszler had one plan throughout the match and that was to target the right leg, trying to break it but Rhea Ripley fought through the pain to walk as champion.
Michael Cole: It is a testament to the strength Rhea Ripley has because we have not seen many women manage to defeat Shayna Baszler since she came to the WWE.
Elias: It is a great company for sure, but Rhea might prove to be in a world of her own!
Rhea Ripley has passed the Women’s Universal title and lifts it into the air, celebrating her victory to scores of pyro. Shayna Baszler sulks out of the ring, looking back at Rhea Ripley with a flash of anger before shaking her head and heading towards the backstage area.
Michael Cole: A great WrestleMania moment, but we are done for the evening as we have one more match tonight, our main event!
Elias: Daniel Bryan won the Men’s Royal Rumble and now he will come face to face with Roman Reigns, the Men’s Universal Champion. Let’s see how we got to this point!
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The video package begins with Daniel Bryan entering the Royal Rumble at number 1, followed by Keith Lee at number 2. Both men last the majority of the match before Bryan eliminates Seth Rollins to win, earning his WrestleMania main event tonight. We cut to Daniel Bryan in the ring, delivering a promo where he discusses being close to the end of his career and this might be his last chance to win a Royal Rumble or even a World title at WrestleMania.
We then cut to Roman Reigns interrupting him in recent weeks, talking about his hatred for Daniel Bryan and how the fans turned on him, with clips of the boos Roman got when he won the Rumble, plus when he defeated Daniel Bryan at the Elimination Chamber PPV after his Rumble win all those years ago. We then cut back to clips of the Roadblock PPV with Roman Reigns pinning Aleister Black inside the Elimination Chamber with the help of Seth Rollins to become Men’s Universal Champion!
Roman would gloat and stand tall with the Men’s Universal title for the next few weeks as we see the Bloodline ruthlessly attacking Alpha Academy, with Roman setting them after Bryan and his allies, looking to prove they are superior. Bryan would refuse to back down even after Jacob Fatu injured Matt Riddle, taking him out of the Money in the Bank ladder match and after Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Garcia on the go-home SmackDown, Daniel Bryan cut a fiery promo promising to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37.
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DANIEL BRYAN makes his way out, getting a huge pop from the live crowd. He is welcomed by the live crowd with a chorus of “YES” chants, which brings a humble smile to his face. Daniel Bryan is soon joined by Alpha Academy members: KURT ANGLE, CHAD GABLE and DANIEL GARCIA who share a hug with the Royal Rumble winner before heading backstage.
Corey Graves: Well, it looks like Daniel Bryan is going to the ring alone tonight.
Byron Saxton: He wants to win the Universal title tonight and he wants to do it by himself because he knows how good he is.
Corey Graves: Be that as it may be, Roman Reigns is not going to be above using The Bloodline to retain his title tonight.
Byron Saxton: I’m sure Alpha Academy will be watching in the back in case Roman tries to get The Bloodline involved!
ROMAN REIGNS marches out, getting the loudest boos of the night. He stands at the top of the entrance ramp and lifts the Men’s Universal title into the air, looking at the crowd plus Daniel Bryan with disdain. He is soon joined by the male members of The Bloodline: JACOB FATU, JEY USO and JIMMY USO who have their United States and WWE Tag Team titles on display, lifting them into the air. Roman turns to the rest of The Bloodline and gives them a nod, sending them to the back with Jacob noticeably limping slightly as he heads backstage.
Corey Graves: Well, it looks like the Tribal Chief wants to do this all by himself!
Byron Saxton: We shall see if that lasts, but maybe the chief feels he has a point to prove tonight.
Corey Graves: Roman feels slighted by the love the WWE Universe gives to Daniel Bryan and has never given him!
Byron Saxton: The crowd loves Daniel Bryan because he has never hidden who he is. Roman tried to pretend to be something he was not and the WWE Universe saw right through it!
Roman Reigns steps into the ring as he passes the Men’s Universal title to the referee, who holds it up while the usual title announcements are done. Neither Roman nor Bryan take their eyes off each other as the belt gets passed to the timekeeper. Both men circle the ring before the bell is called to get the WrestleMania 37 Night 2 main event underway!
Men’s Universal title match:
Roman Reigns © vs Daniel Bryan
Bryan and Roman stare at each other, with Bryan smiling whilst Roman seethes with rage, staring at the challenger. Bryan almost goads Roman daring him to charge forward, but Roman is smarter than that, happy to take his time. He looks to move forward and grab hold of Bryan, as the challenger locks up with him and they battle for control in the middle of the ring. Roman overpowers Daniel but the challenger uses his technical expertise to free himself from Roman, sending him backward with an EUROPEAN UPPERCUT!
Roman stumbles slightly as Bryan responds with a DROPKICK… NO ROMAN BATS HIM AWAY CUTTING HIM OFF! Bryan lands on the mat and Roman is quick to follow up with a JUMPING ELBOW DROP! Roman makes the cover 1 Bryan kicks out! Roman scowls, but he knows deep down how much it will take to keep Bryan down for a 3-count. He grabs hold of Bryan and wrenches him by the head, locking him in a NERVE HOLD ON THE MAT PRESSURING THE CHALLENGER!
He is grinding down Daniel Bryan on the mat and makes a point to put extra pressure on the neck of Daniel Bryan. The commentary team wonders if Roman Reigns is sick and twisted enough to try to reaggravate the injuries Bryan has had in the past. Bryan tries to escape from the hold, fighting out of it BUT ROMAN COUNTERS WITH A POP-UP SAMOAN DROP PLANTING BRYAN BEHIND HIM! Roman makes the cover 1 Bryan kicks out!
Roman looks to grab hold of Bryan and looks to grind him down on the mat again but this time Bryan is ready for it and counters, hitting Roman with an ARM STUNNER! Roman stumbles back clutching his arm, as Bryan gets back to his feet and runs the ropes, hitting him with a RUNNING DROPKICK! Bryan follows up with a cover 1 Roman powers out! Bryan is a lot calmer than Roman and looks to go on the attack as he gets ready for a series of kicks… BUT ROMAN IS READY GRABBING HIS LEG AND HITS A LEG-FEED SAITO SUPLEX!
Roman looks angry and charges at Bryan as he rises back to his feet, sending him into the corner BACK-FIRST! Roman isn’t done there and follows him up with a series of SHOULDERBLOCKS! Roman backs away from the corner before the 3 count BUT FOLLOWS UP WITH A SERIES OF CLOTHESLINES! He hammers Daniel Bryan with full force, looking to hurt the challenger. The commentary team says Roman has a hatred for Bryan that we have rarely seen from the Universal Champion.
Roman Reigns drags Daniel Bryan out of the corner of the ring BEFORE TOSSING HIM ACROSS THE RING WITH A BIEL TOSS! Roman runs the ropes and hits a BASEMENT DROPKICK! Roman gets back to his feet but doesn’t make the cover instead mounting Daniel Bryan and CLOBBERS HIM WITH A SERIES OF MOUNTED FOREARMS TO THE HEAD! Roman is peppering Bryan with a series of forearms to a point that the referee comes over to tell him off!
Roman glares at the referee as he gets off of Daniel Bryan and gives him a death glare! The Universal Champion turns back around and grabs hold of Daniel, locking him in a CRAVATE BEFORE SMASHING HIM WITH A SERIES OF KNEE STRIKES BATTERING THE CHALLENGER! Roman hammers him with the knee, really laying into him BUT BRYAN GRABS THE LEG AND HITS A WICKED DRAGON SCREW LEG WHIP! Bryan then follows up with a WICKED KICK TO THE HEAD! Bryan makes the cover 1 Roman kicks out!
A lot more damage still needs to be done to Roman to keep him down for good and Bryan looks to grab hold of the legs of Roman, locking him in a MODIFIED SURFBOARD STRETCH! Bryan looks to wrench back on the hold as he wears down and looks to work over the limbs of Roman in the hold! Roman though is much more powerful and looks like he is about to break out of the hold… BUT BRYAN TRANSITIONS INTO A DOUBLE KNEE STOMP WITH ROMAN’S LEGS STILL TRAPPED!
Daniel Bryan rolls away from Roman, who winces in pain due to the damage done to his knee. Bryan looks to follow up with a ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE HEAD… ROMAN LOOKS TO GRAB HIM FOR ANOTHER SAITO SUPLEX… BRYAN COUNTERS WITH A HURRICARANA SENDING ROMAN INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! Roman’s head hits the turnbuckle and he turns around as Bryan hits a JUMPING KNEE STRIKE TO THE HEAD IN THE CORNER!
Roman slumps in the corner of the ring and Bryan looks to keep the pressure up as he lays into the Universal Champion WITH A SERIES OF STOMPS IN THE CORNER OF THE RING! Roman has slumped down and Bryan is being vicious to him, with the crowd cheering with delight! Bryan makes full use of the count, getting to the 5 before stopping as the referee tells him off. Bryan doesn’t stop there though and charges in hitting a HESITATION DROPKICK! He rolls Roman out of the corner and makes the cover 1 2 Roman kicks out!
Bryan has a slight cocky smile on his face, feeling like he is making progress in wearing down Roman Reigns. Bryan grabs Roma by the head and teases going for a SERIES OF ELBOW STRIKES… BUT ROMAN BLOCKS IT AND CLOCKS HIM WITH A RIGHT-HAND SENDING BRYAN BACK! Bryan stumbles a little bit and Roman hoists him into the air, slamming him down with a SPINEBUSTER! Roman makes the cover 1 Bryan kicks out again!
Roman is getting annoyed that Bryan seems determined to not even come close to staying down and lays into him with a series of hard strikes to the head! Roman then hoists Bryan off the mat and SLAMS HIM DOWN OVER HIS KNEE WITH A BRUTAL NECKBREAKER! Loud boos from the crowd as the commentary team mentions Bryan’s history with concussion and neck issues, but it seems Roman is showing no mercy. Roman doesn’t make a cover instead grabbing hold of Bryan, locking him in another NERVE HOLD!
Roman Reigns is grinding down Daniel Bryan on the mat and looks to really target his opponent’s neck, really putting extra pressure on the challenger. Bryan tries to get out of the hold, but Roman SLAMS BRYAN DOWN ON THE MAT MAKING SURE TO DAMAGE THE NECK SOME MORE! Roman grabs hold of Bryan and locks in the NERVE HOLD AGAIN! Bryan is noticeably in pain as Roman is locked in on the head and neck, maybe not just looking to keep his title but to end the career of Daniel Bryan.
Roman increases the pressure of the hold as Bryan winces in pain, but gets an arm free so ELBOWS ROMAN TO ESCAPE FROM THE HOLD! Bryan fires off a series of EUROPEAN UPPERCUTS, sending him back before running the ropes looking for another DROPKICK… ROMAN COUNTERS INTO A SICK LOOKING POWERBOMB! Roman makes the cover 1 2 Bryan kicks out! Roman sits next to Bryan on the mat and for the first time tonight, Roman Reigns smiles.
Roman’s smile gets even bigger as he can see Bryan touching his neck and slowly stalks his prey, ready to do even more damage to the challenger! Roman grabs Daniel and lifts him off the mat locking him in a FULL NELSON HOLD AS HE WRENCHES ON THE NECK AND SHOULDERS OF BRYAN! Roman holds Bryan and uses his size advantage to press the hold to the max! Bryan is struggling in the hold but using his ring IQ GETS HIS LEGS ON THE ROPES AND USES THEM TO FLIP INTO A COVER!
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ROMAN KICKS OUT!
The crowd is disappointed that Bryan didn’t pick up the win but Roman Reigns has a face full of fury that he was nearly caught out. Bryan gets back to his feet… BUT NOT FOR LONG AS ROMAN RAKES HIS HEAD OFF WITH A WICKED LARIAT! Roman glares at Bryan and the commentary team wonders if the champion is letting his anger and bitterness affect his performance tonight. Bryan though, uses his head and looks to roll out of the ring for some breathing room… BUT ROMAN HAS NO INTENTION OF LETTING UP!
Bryan tries to get to his feet outside the ring… BUT ROMAN CLOBBERS HIM WITH A WICKED LARIAT TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD! Roman bends down and lays into the challenger with a series of punches to the head, getting loud boos from the live crowd. Roman then drags Daniel Bryan off the ring floor and LOOK AT THE RING APRON WITH TWISTED INTENTIONS! Roman hoists Daniel up into the air and hits him with a SWINGING SIDE SLAM ONTO THE RING APRON!
Roman Reigns has a wicked smirk on his face but he isn’t done as Bryan tries to sit back up, looking to recover from the damage done to him. Roman lines up Daniel Bryan and clocks him with the DRIVE-BY DROPKICK! Bryan now slumps to the ring floor in pain and lies in agony. Roman heads back into the ring, telling the referee to count Bryan out. The referee is a bit unwilling, not wanting to end the WrestleMania 37 Night 2 main event on a countout, but starts the count!
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BRYAN IS STILL NOT MOVING!
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BRYAN SHOWS THE FIRST SIGN OF LIFE!
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BRYAN MAKES IT INTO THE RING JUST IN TIME!
The crowd goes wild as they are delighted that Bryan is still in this match and has managed to break the count… BUT ROMAN STARTS ANGERILY STOMPING ON HIM AND LAYING A BEATING ON THE CHALLENGER ONCE AGAIN! The crowd loudly boos Roman and even the referee tells him to back off but the Universal Champion gets in the referee’s face and shouts some abuse at him! Roman goes back on the attack as he picks Bryan up and SLAMS HIM DOWN WITH A VERTICAL SUPLEX! Roman makes the cover 1 2 Byran kicks out!
Roman is in complete control of the match now after the slam onto the ring apron and the Universal Champion knows it, looking to truly hurt Daniel Bryan now! He grabs hold of Bryan and locks him in a CRAVATE POSITION BUT THIS TIME TRANSITIONS IT INTO A CHOKE AS HE GOES AFTER THE NECK AND BACK OF BRYAN THIS TIME! Roman pulls on the head of the challenger, keeping him from fighting back before transitioning it into a NECKBREAKER OVER HIS KNEE! Roman makes the cover 1 2 Bryan kicks out!
Roman looks at Bryan with disdain and grabs him as he rolls away, pressing him on the mat before laying in several FOREARM STRIKES TO THE HEAD! Brutal shots from Roman as the commentary team mentions the potential whiplash, causing even more damage to the head and neck of Bryan! Roman then drags Bryan off the mat, looking for another FULL NELSON LOCK BUT BRYAN IS READY AND COUNTERS WITH AN ARM STUNNER TO THE RIGHT ARM!
Roman stumbles backward as Bryan DROPKICKS the right arm of Roman Reigns! Roman falls to the mat as Bryan looks to grab hold of it and lock in an ARMBAR… BUT ROMAN PUNCHES HIM AWAY TO BREAK FREE OF THE HOLD! Roman looks annoyed and shakes his right arm before catching Bryan with a DROPKICK OF HIS OWN! Roman makes the cover, pressing down on the head of Bryan 1 2 Daniel kicks out! Roman has an angry look on his face and looks to carry on his attack, wrenching Bryan off the mat in a HEADLOCK!
Roman is pulling him by the head and neck, wrenching him off the mat and hoping to do as much damage as possible to the weak spots of Bryan before transitioning into ANOTHER NECKBREAKER! Roman makes the cover again 1 2 Bryan kicks out! Roman gets up from Bryan and looks to the fans as he points at the downed Bryan, asking the live crowd if this is their hero! He shakes his head looking at them with disdain, before grabbing hold of Bryan and resuming his assault.
He lifts Bryan into the air before slamming him back down with a BELLY TO BACK SIDE SLAM! Bryan lands with a hard thud as Roman hooks the leg 1 2 Bryan kicks out! Bryan is holding his head and neck, wincing in pain as the crowd gets concerned about the Royal Rumble winner, the longer this match goes on. Roman senses he might be able to end this match soon and heads to the corner, lining Bryan up before charging in for a SPEAR…
BUT BRYAN LEAPFROGS OVER HIM! Roman stops himself before he collides with the turnbuckles, but BRYAN GRABS HOLD OF HIM AND SLAMS HIM DOWN TO THE MAT WITH A BRIDGING DRAGON SUPLEX! 1 2 Roman kicks out! Roman rolls away from Bryan, but the Royal Rumble winner shakes his head, ready to do some damage to the Universal Champion as he starts BATTERING HIM WITH THE YES KICKS! Bryan lays into the chest of Roman with a series of rapid strikes as the crowd loudly chants yes as he does it!
Bryan keeps hammering away on the Universal Champion and Roman doesn’t have an answer to it as Bryan finishes off the sequence with a ROUNDHOUSE KICK TO THE SKULL! Bryan follows up with the cover 1 2 Roman kicks out! The crowd though is strongly behind Bryan and he is fired up as he looks to grab hold of Roman, ready to lock in the YES LOCK… BUT ROMAN OVERPOWERS HIM AND KNOCKS BRYAN AWAY SENDING HIM TO THE MAT!
Roman rubs his jaw, not happy about nearly being caught out and once again mounts Daniel Bryan LAYING INTO HIM WITH A SERIES OF MOUNTED FOREARMS! Roman is vicious in his attack and absolutely batters Bryan on the mat! The crowd is raining down boos with the referee warning Roman once again before Roman finally gets up from Bryan and instead gets in the referee’s face, arguing with him! Roman tells the referee that he is the Tribal Chief and he will do what he wants… BYRAN ROLLS HIM UP!
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ROMAN ROLLS THROUGH!
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ROMAN DEADLIFT BRYAN OUT OF THE SCHOOLBOY AND POWERBOMBS HIM!
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BRYAN KICKS OUT!
Roman snarls, not happy that Bryan doesn’t seem to have any intention of giving up in this match and looks to go back on the attack, grabbing hold of him as he looks to keep the pressure up with another NERVE HOLD… BRYAN KICKS HIM IN THE HEAD! Roman went to the well too many times! Roman is staggered and Bryan acting quickly, heads up top as he lines Roman up in the middle of the ring… DIVING FRONT MISSILE DROPKICK! Byran takes a second to clutch his head and neck before making the cover 1 2 Roman kicks out!
Bryan stays calm and looks at Roman’s right arm, having a new plan of attack! He clobbers Roman IN THE HEAD WITH A LETHAL PENALTY KICK BEFORE GRABBING THE RIGHT ARM AND LOCKING IN AN ARMBAR! Bryan wraps his entire body around the right arm of Roman and wrenches with everything he has! The commentary team mentions that Roman relies a lot on his punches and power moves. If Bryan can take that away, he might be able to find a way to leave as Universal Champion tonight!
Roman screams in pain as Bryan has the hold tight and knows exactly how to make this submission hurt as much as possible! Roman looks towards the ropes to try to find an easy way to force a break but he is nowhere near the ropes and Bryan has the hold locked in as tight as possible! Roman is screaming in pain as the armbar is twisted even more, but using his legs and superior power, Roman gets to his feet and SLAMS BRYAN DOWN WITH A ONE-HANDED POWERBOMB TO BREAK THE HOLD!
Roman rolls away to the corner of the ring, wincing in pain and not able to make the cover straight away, whilst Bryan lies on the mat for the moment. Roman shakes his right arm, which is in a ton of pain… AND BRYAN POUNCES WITH A DROPKICK INTO THE RIGHT ARM SENDING ROMAN OUT OF THE RING! Roman crashes to the ring floor with a hard thud as Bryan looks to the live crowd who cheers him on and Bryan runs the ropes before diving to the outside HITTING A SUCICDE DIVE WIPING OUT ROMAN!
Bryan gets back to his feet and signals to the live crowd who cheer him on and he signals he is going to go for it again, so runs back into the ring and dives through the ropes…THIS TIME ROMAN CATCHES HIM IN MID-AIR AND SLAMS HIM DOWN ONTO THE RING-FLOOR! The cheers from the live crowd turn to boos as Roman has a look of pure rage on his face and scoops up Bryan DEADLIFT POWERBOMBING HIM ONTO THE BARRICADE BEHIND HIM! Bryan slumps to the ring floor in front of Roman, who glares at him before rolling into the ring and barking at the referee to count Bryan out!
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BRYAN CRAWLS TO THE RING APRON!
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BRYAN USES THE RING APRON AND ROLLS INSIDE JUST IN TIME!
The crowd goes wild and this seems to wind up Roman even more who shouts at the crowd and says he will destroy their champion. He grabs hold of Bryan whilst he is in the ropes and CLOBBERS HIM WITH A SERIES OF PUNCHES TO THE HEAD! Roman is beating down on him as the referee counts him down but Roman doesn’t even let up, getting to the 5 count! The referee goes over and pulls Roman off him leading to an argument between them before we cut back to Byran WHO HAS BEEN BUSTED OPEN!
The fans gasp as they realize that Roman has opened up Bryan but the Universal Champion looks at his challenger bleeding and has the biggest smile he has had all match! Roman slowly walks over to Bryan with a sinister smirk on his face as he drags Bryan away from the ropes and scoops him up, hitting him with a SCOOP POWERSLAM ONTO HIS BACK! Bryan winces in pain as Roman makes the cover 1 2 Bryan kicks out! Roman is now smirking, though sensing he might be close to victory!
Roman grabs hold of Bryan and looks to lock in his GULLITONE CHOKE HOLD…BRYAN COUNTERS AND REVESES INTO AN ARM-TRAP ABDOMINAL STRETCH! Bryan makes sure to wrench back even harder on the right arm as Roman screams in pain. Roman tries to get out of the hold with a BACK HEADBUTT… BUT BRYAN DOESN’T LET GO! Bryan pulls even harder on the right arm, really looking to hurt Roman… BUT ROMAN BREAKS THE HOLD BY BACKING UP AND SLAMMING BRYAN INTO THE CORNER OF THE RING UNTIL HE FINALLY LETS GO!
Bryan slumps in the corner as Roman backs away clutching his right arm, which is suffering severe damage. He turns around, seeing Bryan struggling in the corner of the ring and lines him up HITTING A SERIES OF CLOTHESLINES WITH HIS LEFT ARM! The commentary team notes that Roman will have less power than normal with these clotheslines. Still, with the damage already taken by Bryan, it might be enough. Roman then looks to grab Bryan out of the corner… BUT BRYAN COUNTERS WITH A WICKED HEADBUTT DROPPING ROMAN!
Bryan clutches his head, maybe injuring himself even more, to try to survive the Universal Champion. Still, Byran is fired up as he looks to the turnbuckle behind him and climbs to the top rope! He lines up the prone Roman Reigns on the mat and DIVES OFF HITTING THE DIVING HEADBUTT! Bryan is willing to put his body through hell if it means walking out of WrestleMania 37 with the Universal title! Bryan rolls back over and makes the cover, pressing on Roman’s right arm 1 2 Roman kicks out!
Bryan rolls off of Roman and wipes some of the blood away from his eyes, feeling the exhaustion as we go past the 20-minute mark! Bryan looks at Roman struggling on the mat and thinks about what to do next. He looks to go after the right leg of Roman and tries to grab hold of it… BUT ROMAN GOES TO KICK HIM AWAY… BUT BRYAN QUICKLY COUNTERS GRABBING IT AND HITTING A DRAGON SCREW LEG WHIP INTO A HEEL HOOK!
Bryan wraps the hold on tight as Roman screams in pain, with the lethal hold being twisted around his left leg! The commentary team says Bryan is trying to take out the leg now after wearing down the arm, so Roman loses the power to all of his offense! Roman can feel his tendons in agony from the hold as Bryan pulls back on it with everything he has, blood dripping down his face! Roman though, uses everything he has to crawl to the ropes, struggling due to the damage to his right arm. Every movement is agony for him… BUT THE CHAMPION MAKES IT TO THE BOTTOM ROPE!
Bryan though, doesn’t let go of the hold straight away and wrenches it back some more to the delight of the live crowd, making full use of the 5 count! The referee tells the challenger off, but Bryan gets in his face and SHOUTS HE HAS UNTIL 5! This gets a huge pop from the fans who hear it as Roman is struggling on the ropes and BRYAN FOLLOWS UP WITH A FLURRY OF KICKS PEPPERING THE CHAMPION WITH A SERIES OF STRIKES TO THE BACK!
Bryan is fired up but is noticeably wincing in pain due to the damage done to his head, back and neck, knowing he can’t keep going forever and backs away from Roman as he heads to the corner of the ring, starting up another YES chant! Roman stumbles to his feet, staggered by the damage done to him throughout this match as Bryan charges in looking for the BUSAIKU KNEE… ROMAN AVOIDS IT AND COMES BACK OFF THE ROPES CATCHING BRYAN WITH A SPEAR! Roman winces in pain due to his leg and slowly rolls over into the cover
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BRYAN KICKS OUT!
Roman looks almost stunned and can’t believe Bryan is still fighting to stay alive in this match! He looks at the referee but just shakes his head as he is told it was just a 2 count. Roman looks at Bryan on the mat, who hasn’t moved after the kick out and grabs him off the mat, getting him in position for a JACKHAMMER… BRYAN FIGHTS TO GET OUT OF THE HOLD AND DDT’S ROMAN INTO THE MAT! Bryan takes a moment to recover and heads to the corner charging at Roman… BUSAIKU KNEE! Bryan connects and hooks the leg
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ROMAN KICKS OUT!
Bryan rolls off of Roman but doesn’t get angry instead staying focused as he looks at the down Roman Reigns, grabbing hold of him as he looks to LOCK IN THE YES LOCK… ROMAN DESPERATELY FIGHTS OUT OF THE HOLD WITH EVERYTHING HE HAS LEFT! Bryan stumbles backward as Roman leaps into the air and HITS A SUPERMAN PUNCH! Bryan rolls across the ring as Roman winces and his left leg plus right arm are in pain, but he is ready to end Bryan going for a SPEAR… BRYAN MOVES… ROMAN TAKES OUT THE REFEREE!
Roman gets up and looks angry rather than upset, and he hits the referee but Bryan doesn’t let him react long as he hits him with a DRAGON SUPLEX SLAMMING ROMAN DOWN ON THE MAT! Bryan then grabs hold of Roman and LOCKS HIM IN THE YES LOCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Bryan wrenches back on the hold and Roman TAPS OUT! Bryan though knows there is no referee, so wrenches the hold back to the delight of the live crowd… UNTIL THE USOS RUN DOWN THE ENTRANCE RAMP STOMPING ON DANIEL BRYAN FORCING HIM TO BREAK THE HOLD!
The crowd loudly boos as the WWE World Tag Team Champions lay a beating on the challenger, giving their Tribal Chief Roman, time to roll out of the ring to recover. Bryan is struggling, having been in a war and The Usos set him up hitting a DOUBLE SUPERKICK TO THE CHALLENGER! Jey shouts to Jimmy to get him up and the two men tease going for the 1D… WHEN CHAD GABLE AND DANIEL GARCIA RUN INTO THE RING LOOKING TO SAVE DANIEL BRYAN!
The Alpha Academy members lay into the tag team champions and they end up brawling out of the ring, leaving Daniel Bryan down on the mat alone… AS ROMAN CLIMBS BACK INTO THE RING WITH A SMIRK ON HIS FACE! The referee is still down on the mat, but Roman looks to end Daniel Bryan as he lifts him up off the mat, ready to CRUCFIX POWERBOMB HIM… BRYAN COUNTERS INTO A ROLL-UP…
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ROMAN KICKS OUT!
Roman looks furious that he was nearly caught out by Bryan, who keeps using his technical expertise to outsmart Roman Reigns! Roman looks furious and looks to go for the SUPERMAN PUNCH AGAIN… BRYAN MOVES AND ROMAN LANDS AWKWARDLY ON HIS BAD LEG! Roman screams in pain and turns around into the BUSAIKU KNEE! Bryan wipes out the Universal Champion and makes the cover
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JACOB FATU DIVES OFF THE TOP ROPE CRUSHING THE REFEREE AND STOPPING THE COUNT!
Huge boos from the live crowd as the New United States Champion keeps the match alive for Roman by taking out the referee! Daniel Bryan is confused but soon sees the towering presence of Jacob Fatu behind him and works out that’s why there is no count! Bryan gets to his feet as Jacob noticeably limps towards him due to the damage done to his leg by Gable. Bryan lays into him with a series of EUROPEAN UPPERCUTS PEPPERING JACOB FATU WITH A SERIES OF STRIKES… BUT FATU NO SELLS IT AND COUNTERS INTO A POP-SAMOAN DROP!
Bryan crumples on the mat as Jacob Fatu stands over him and talks a whole bunch of trash whilst Roman is still down on the mat, rolling to the corner that Fatu came from. Fatu continues attacking Daniel Bryan, with the Royal Rumble winner struggling to fight back here and getting a wicked beating. He lifts Daniel Bryan up and SLAMS HIM DOWN TO THE MAT WITH A WICKED THROAT THRUST TARGETING THE NECK OF BRYAN! Fatu then looks to the corner, taking his time due to the damage done earlier tonight…
BUDDY MURPHY RUNS DOWN THE ENTRANCE RAMP AND LEAPS TO THE TOP ROPE HITTING HANGING SOCCER KICK KNOCKING FATU OFF THE TOP! Fatu lands with a hard thud as Bryan rolls out of the way, looking confused but Buddy Murphy follows up the attack by lifting up Jacob Fatu off the mat and HOISTS HIM INTO THE AIR PLANTING HIM WITH MURPHY’S LAW! A huge pop from the live crowd as Bryan looks at him and nods as Buddy nods back… ROMAN HITS A SUPERMAN PUNCH KNOCKING OUT BUDDY MURPHY!
The crowd loudly boos and the camera quickly focuses on Roman’s hand to show that he is wearing the BRASS KNUCKLES! The referee is still down and Bryan tries to get back to his feet… SUPERMAN PUNCH WITH BRASS KNUCKLES! The crowd loudly boos as Roman tosses away the evidence and looks to wake up the referee, but he is still out after the mighty moonsault from Fatu. Roman screams for a referee to come out, and finally one runs down to the ring, sliding inside as he starts to count!
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DANIEL BRYAN KICKS OUT!
Roman looks furious and shouts at the referee, but he makes it clear it was a 2 count! Roman gets in his face, but he refuses to back down, running his hands through his hair, furious that he hasn’t been able to finish off Bryan. Roman’s mood gets worse as the crowd starts to loudly cheer for Daniel Bryan and will him on, almost making Roman on the verge of snapping! He walks over to Bryan, who is barely moving on the mat and drags him up looking for the GUILLOTINE CHOKE!
Roman is choking the life out of Bryan and tells him to tap out! Bryan is barely awake though, still dazed and rocked after the brass knuckles shot with the referee going in close to check on him… BUT BRYAN FIGHTS OUT OF IT AND COUNTERS HITTING ANOTHER ARM STUNNER TO BREAK THE HOLD! Roman stumbles back as Bryan uses the last of his energy to bounce off the ropes, hitting the BUSAIKU KNEE! Roman falls to the mat as Bryan lies next to him… but doesn’t make the cover, instead locking in the YES LOCK!
Bryan wrenches back on the hold and Roman Reigns is trapped in the middle of the ring with nowhere to go! The crowd is going wild, hoping and maybe sensing we might be about to get a title change! Roman tries to move to the ropes BUT HE IS TRAPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! Roman though doesn’t want to give up and instead tries to power back up to his feet… BUT HIS LEFT LEG CAN’T DUE TO THE PAIN! Roman screams out in agony and looks to be on the verge of passing out…
BUT HE TAPS OUT INSTEAD!
Winner via submission and new Universal Champion: Daniel Bryan (29:35)
The crowd goes wild and Daniel Bryan lets go of Roman Reigns, lying on the mat for a few moments to soak in the fact that he has won in his second-ever WrestleMania Main Event! Roman Reigns rolls out of the ring in pain as the crowd erupts in YES chants!
Byron Saxton: Daniel Bryan has done it! He has defeated Roman Reigns and we are looking at the new Men’s Universal Champion!
Corey Graves: Daniel Bryan had to not only fight Roman Reigns, but he had to deal with the entire Bloodline too!
Byron Saxton: Well, we might not have gotten a new champion if it wasn’t for Alpha Academy having Bryan’s back tonight.
Corey Graves: Not only that, but we saw Buddy Murphy helping him as well! Did Buddy take his advice?
Bryan is finally up on his feet, still bleeding from his forehead but he is given the Universal title, looking at it longingly before raising it into the air. He has a big smile on his face and is soon joined in the ring by the rest of Alpha Academy and Buddy Murphy as they celebrate in the ring. Roman Reigns meanwhile, watches on from the top of the entrance ramp with a face of fury as WrestleMania 37 comes to a close and we fade to black!
EWR Rating:
77%
