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|| WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE || September 13th: World Champion Dolph Ziggler would make his way out from the back on crutches and a heavily bandaged head after receiving a severe beating from AJ just two nights previously at Backlash. Ziggler would go on record and categorically state that he had absolutely no part to play in Dean and Randy having got themselves in the world title match at the PPV. Of course though one man would disagree; AJ Styles. AJ would appear on the titantron and have a neck brace on and it would be apparent that the live footage was coming from his residence. He would make it clear that he didn't trust a single thing that Ziggler was saying and when he was cleared to return to the ring, the first thing he was going to do was take his frustration out on Dolph. Before Dolph could plead his case though, both Orton and Ambrose would make their way out from the back and join Dolph in the ring. Ambrose would put his arm around Ziggler, whilst Randy would look directly at the screen. Randy would tell Styles that his estimates of the situation were so wrong that he really had absolutely no idea what was going on. And in a the blink of an eye the already incapacitated Ziggler would be dropped to the mat with the Dirty Deeds from Ambrose before Randy would add insult to injury by viciously connecting with a Punt Kick to Ziggler's head. Ambrose and Orton would exit into the crowd as a medical team would come to Dolph aid and have to stretcher the world champion out of the ring, and later footage would show an ambulance with Ziggler inside it leaving the arena.
September 20th: With the World Champion in the hospital and the number on contender injured at home the rest of the Smackdown Live locker-room started showing a real interest in putting forward why they should be in contention for a shot at Ziggler's title. General Manager Daniel Bryan though showed no interest in what anyone else was thinking and instead was on the war path to find Randy and Dean. Eventually Daniel would manage to find Ambrose and grill him on the reason why he had attacked Styles at the Backlash. Ambrose though made no excuse and made it clear that the attack on Styles was payback for the chair-shot which AJ had given to him during his match against Kane a number of weeks ago. Ambrose would go on to make the point that if he and Shane hadn't shown clear favouritism towards AJ and hadn't tried to sweep the chair-shot under the carpet he would never have had to resort to doing what he had did at Backlash. Bryan would look less than impressed with Ambrose and inform him that he was going to fine him two weeks pay for his actions, although from Ambrose's facial expression it wasn't clear as if he even cared about being docked pay in exchange for exacting some retribution of his own.
Later on in the night footage would come from AJ Styles house where he would cut a promo and say that the doctors had given a him a medical and said that he would be able to return to compete in two weeks time and that he expected to be involved in the WWE World Championship irrespective of whether Ziggler was fit enough to compete. What would happen next was totally unexpected but also a throwback to the attitude era; as Randy Orton would visibly forcefully enter AJ's residence and proceed to beat the crap out of an already weakened Styles. AJ's wife would scream in fear for her husband as Randy would throw Styles about causing absolute chaos before taking hold of him and throwing him through the patio door causing AJ to smash through the glass and lie on the concrete floor outside surrounded by glass and cut from head to toe. Orton would stand over AJ with the segment closing with sheriffs arrived on scene and proceeding to put Orton in handcuffs and take him away.
September 27th: The show would start with Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon condemning Randy Orton's action and informing the fans that despite Orton having been released on bail he was currently suspended indefinitely from Smackdown Live. Shane would then turn to information regarding AJ and Dolph Ziggler health status. He would inform everyone that after being assaulted by Randy that AJ injuries were only superficial and that he would in fact be returning next week, something which everyone was happy about. Turning his attention to Dolph Shane would reveal that Dolph had not been cleared to compete at No Mercy and by doing so was no longer able to meet his obligations as WWE World Champion. It was from here that he informed that Dolph and he had mutually come to a decision of Dolph vacating the title belt. Shane would then reveal that during next week's episode of Smackdown Live two triple threats matches would take place. The first featuring Dean Ambrose, John Cena and Kane and the second featuring Alberto Del Rio, AJ Styles and The Miz and that the winner of both matches would face each other for the vacant WWE World Championship at No Mercy.
October 4th: With the World Title now vacant and just five days to go until No Mercy the evening scheduled triple threat matches were make or break for everyone involved. The first contest featuring Ambrose, Kane and Cena would be a solid contest although when push came to shove it was Ambrose that would leave with the victory and knowledge that he was once again just one win away from becoming a two time world champion. The second triple threat match meanwhile was not such a simple affair. With The Miz and Del Rio already in the ring, Styles would be making his ring entrance visibly with a slight limp when he would be blindsided by a man wearing police riot gear. The unknown assailant would proceed to smash Styles' with a night stick before laying him out with the RKO! At this point it became obvious who the attacker was and as Orton removed his helmet he would just smile like a maniac as he was bundled to the floor by security (on the grounds that he was actually suspended and therefore shouldn't be anywhere near a WWE ring). Styles would be in no fit state to compete resulting in a singles match taking place between ADR and The Miz which would be won cleanly by Del Rio meaning that at No Mercy; Dean Ambrose would take on Alberto Del Rio with the winner leaving with the world title.
Dean Ambrose vs. Alberto Del Rio
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S DIVISION STORYLINES ||
Considering the manner in which the Smackdown Women's Title ended at it was not surprising that there was a bit of ruckus for Daniel Bryan come the Smackdown after the pay per view. Of course Alexa Bliss was the holder of the title belt, but Eva Marie was adamant that she had won the match by pinning Natalya. Bryan would take a week to review the footage before telling Eva Marie the following week that he was upholding the referees decision and that Alexa would remain the Smackdown Women's Champion. Bryan though would be very understanding of Eva's decision and grant her a rematch at No Mercy for the title. As you might of expected upon hearing this news both Becky Lynch and Natalya would take exception to this ruling and demand that they also be be given another shot at this title. With Bryan looking as he might actually be considering the option, Eva Marie starting losing her mind on the realisation that a simple one on one title match might be slipping through her fingers. Fortunately though the rest of the Women's Division (Naomi, Bayley, Nikki Bella and Carmella) would barge into his office and make it clear that if Daniel was going to start offering charity then maybe he should have a good look at himself. Clearly not enjoying any criticism or the crowd mentality Daniel would force all of the division out of his office and tell them he would make a final decision during next week's show (September 27th).
The following week Daniel Bryan would request all the women to join him in the ring. Once everyone was in the ring including Smackdown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss Bryan would remind everyone that he called the shots on Tuesday Nights and the only person he answered to was Shane McMahon. DB would once again announce that Alexa Bliss would defend her title against Eva Marie at No Mercy, but in order for their to be no doubts on the winner both women would compete in a Submission Match.
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Eva Marie
Before anyone could anything else though DB would raise up his hand to signal he wasn't finished. He would then announce that another match would also take place at the pay per view. A six women tag-team match would take place with one team compromising of Natalya, Nikki Bella & Carmella facing off against Becky Lynch, Bayley & Naomi with the winner team all earning themselves future title shot at the women's title at the digression of Smackdown Management.
Despite having being eliminated second in the match at Backlash, Apollo Crews would be incensed by his losing of the title belt and make it clear that he had a rematch clause as part of his contract and that he demanded he get his rematch at No Mercy. Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan both agreed they saw nothing wrong with this request, especially because of the bravery that Apollo has shown previously in regards to putting the title on the line at Backlash (a match that had already gone down as one of the more memorable matches of 2016). When Corbin was asked for his thoughts in regards to Crews and defending the title he remained a man of few words, with the only phrase that he kept repeating week in and week out was 'just the beginning.' One thing was for certain though and that was that both men were going to put on a great contest for the fans in Sacramento, California.
Baron Corbin (c) vs. Apollo Crews
|| WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP'S STORYLINE ||
Following the truly chaotic open invitational cage match the following month leading up to No Mercy was almost peaceful in comparison. Inaugural champions the Hype Bros would both make the point that being the Smackdown Tag Team Champions was the great moment in both their careers and the fans would love the both for it. Although where the fans would be happy for Ryder and Rawley the rest of the locker-room would grow tired of both men talking about their victory at Backlash. After a series of what were labelled as "ranking matches" that weren't so much story based as setting up opponents for the champions at the pay per view. With less than a week to go until No Mercy it would confirmed that the Smackdown Tag Team Titles would be contested for in a Four Corner Tag Team Contest featuring current champions The Hype Bros, America Alpha, The Ascension and the Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan and Luke Harper).
The Hype Bros (c) vs. American Alpha vs. The Ascension vs. The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper) w/ Bray Wyatt
|| THE RISE OF CURT HAWKINS STORYLINE ||
Following Curt Hawkins victory over Rhyno at Backlash albeit with Christian's interference, a real interest about why had Christian decided to come out of retirement and why was he doing so as the manager of Curt Hawkins. Never one to shy away from an interview Christian would answer everyone's question on the first Smackdown Live after Backlash. Captain Charisma would inform 'his peeps' that once upon a time his blood brother Edge had been an Uncle figure to two young wrestler Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins and so in order to carry on a duty of care from one brother to brother. From here on out Christian was going to go out of his way to make sure that Curt was given the best chance of becoming one of the biggest names in the WWE Universe. One man that would be quick the spoil though would be Rhyno and demand that on next week's show he faced Hawkins in a rematch (and make it clear that Curt wouldn't win without Christian's involvement. Curt would go on to face Rhyno the following week and would look leap and bounds more impressive than he had at the PPV and would manage to win the match cleanly without any outside interference. Whilst, Hawkins was celebrating his victory though he would be blindsided by Rhyno who would connect with a Gore and only desist from his assault when Christian ran out from the back and came to Curt's aid. The following week (Sept 27th) Christian and Curt would cut a promo in which they would both make the point that despite Curt being disrespected by Rhyno last week after the match they weren't going to lower themselves to his level and play his games. Instead (Christian making this point) the focus would be for Curt to face bigger and better opponents and prove to management that he was capable of so much more. This would be followed by Curt picking up an equally impressive victory over Tyler Breeze, once again though Rhyno would try and attack Curt after the match this time by clambering from under the ring only to be blocked from entering by Christian which would be enough to convince Rhyno to retreat.
With five days to go until No Mercy, Christian and Curt would come out to the ring. Christian would recognise the fact that Rhyno was someone that wasn't going to disappear, but at the same time made the point that Curt didn't have anything more to gain from competing with 'The Man Beast'. On this note Christian would instead suggest that at No Mercy he face Rhyno in a Loser Leaves Smackdown match. A suggestion which Rhyno was quick to accept and thus would see Christian wrestler for the first time since March 2014.
Christian vs. Rhyno
Christian would then reveal that he had managed to get a sit down meeting Shane McMahon and convinced them to place Curt in the Intercontinental Number One Contenders Ladder Match where he would face off against Shelton Benjamin, Kalisto and John Cena.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Kalisto vs. Curt Hawkins vs. John Cena
|| EUROPEAN EXHIBITION STORYLINE ||
On the 1st October on WWE.com Triple H would make an announcement about a match that would take place at No Mercy. Triple H revealed that eight men of European origin had been invited to take part in the European Exhibition that would be contested in an over-the-top rope battle royal and that the contest would feature as part of the Kick Off Show. Triple H would then go onto reveal all eight entrant; Dutch wrestler Rezar, Damian O'Connor from Northern Ireland, German Alexander Wolfe and Englishman Hugo Knox. The point would be made the first four men to be announced were currently part of NXT, and Triple H would reveal that the next three entrants had agreed to take part in the Exhibition as honoured guests. They would be Welshman Rob Terry, English Nick Aldis and Scot Joe Hendry. Triple H said he had high hopes for the contest and hoped that this was the beginning of a stronger relationship between the WWE and European based promotions. Hunter would then reveal the final entrant in the the masked man Mr. Cottonbelly. The footage would end with all eight entrant posing for a group photograph with Triple H standing in the middle.
Rezar vs. Nick Aldis vs. Damian O'Connor vs. Hugo Knox vs. Alexander Wolfe vs. Rob Terry vs. Joe Hendry vs. Mr. Cottonbelly
||Tag Team Match ||
|| The Vaudevilliams vs. The Usos ||
|| Over The Top Rope Battle Royal ||
|| Rezar vs. Nick Aldis vs. Damian O'Connor vs. Hugo Knox vs. Alexander Wolfe vs. Rob Terry vs. Joe Hendry vs. Mr. Cottonbelly ||
Main Card:
|| Six Woman Tag Team Match (Smackdown Women's Championship Contendership) ||
|| Natalya, Nikki Bella & Carmella vs. Becky Lynch, Bayley & Naomi ||
|| Loser Leaves Smackdown Match ||
|| Rhyno vs. Christian ||
|| Four Corners Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships) ||
|| The Hype Bros vs. The Ascension vs. The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan and Luke Harper) w/ Bray Wyatt vs. America Alpha ||
|| Ladder Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Match) ||
|| Shelton Benjamin vs. Kalisto vs. John Cena vs. Curt Hawkins ||
|| Singles Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship Match) ||
|| Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Eva Marie ||
|| Singles Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match) ||
|| Baron Corbin (c) vs. Apollo Crews ||
|| Singles Match (WWE World Championship) || || Alberto Del Rio vs. Dean Ambrose ||
:: Tag Team Match ::
The Vaudevillians (Aiden English & Simon Gotch) vs. The Uso (Jimmy & Jey) [Both teams recently had found themselves in the periphery of the Smackdown Tag Team Division although this amounted to two different conclusions. For English and Gotch they had only been part of the main roster for just over half a year, so still had time on their hands to establish themselves as serious title contenders. For Jimmy and Jey though they were two time former tag team champions who hadn't touched title gold for twenty months and counting and therefore winning tonight would really play a pivotal role in putting them back on the right path. The Vaudevillians would have the first really chance of taking the match early on after a quick tag would allow for the duo to floor Jey Uso with the GENTLEMAN'S CONGRESS but a diving save from Jimmy would prevent the in-ring official from making the three count. The Usos would also make some noise in the ring by sending Simon Gotch over the ropes and onto the concrete with a DOUBLE SUPERKICK only to send English over the ropes also with a second DOUBLE SUPERKICK before taking the moment to pose and taunt their opponents that would be greeted with a number of chants in support of the Usos from the fans in attendance in the Golden 1 Center. With the momentum playing to the Usos benefit they would maintain control of the match and after ejecting English from the ring once more, they would lay out Gotch by Jey throwing him down to the canvass with a body slam only to be followed up by both the Usos clambering up onto the turnbuckle only to leap off and land onto Simon with the DOUBLE SAMOAN SPLASH! Jimmy would then make sure Aiden didn't reenter the ring, whilst Jey would hook Gotch's leg and achieve the referee's three count for a much needed victory.]
WINNERS: The Usos (Jimmy & Jey)
:: Over The Top Rope Battle Royal ::
|| Rezar vs. Nick Aldis vs. Damian O'Connor vs. Hugo Knox vs. Alexander Wolfe vs. Rob Terry vs. Joe Hendry vs. Mr. Cottonbelly ||
[The match as a concept had stirred quite a strong amount of interest especially from the WWE fans hailing across the Atlantic in Europe, but also from the members of the WWE Universe who would admit to also paying attention to the going on of NXT and the independent wrestling scene. The match would begin with total mayhem with all eight men desperate to get some sort of early advantage. Alexander Wolfe would be the first man to make a real impact as he would connect with a SITOUT POWERBOMB on Nick Aldis, before Wolfe could compose himself after a solid move he would found himself grabbed hold of by both Rob Terry and Hugo Knox as catapulted over the ropes and out of the ring.
*Alexander Wolfe Eliminated*
The unity between Terry and Knox would be short lived as Knox would offer his hand in the air to high five Terry only for the Welshman to reject Knox by the Terry by way of a JUMPING SPIN KICK that would cause Knox to teeter over the rope, as Joe Hendry would see an opputunity present itself in front of him and lift up Knox's leg causing him to topple out of the ring.
*Hugo Knox Eliminated*
Rezar would charge forward at Hendry, only for the Scot to duck and pull down on the top rope as he did so causing the Dutchman to trip over the ropes and fall out of the ring rather than rebound off them.
*Rezar Eliminated*
Aldis would only stir from his earlier assault from Wolfe only to be grounded once again this time via COISTE BODHAR from Irishman Damian O'Connor. On the other side of the ring Mr. Cottonbelly would have Joe Hendry locked in a DOWNTON LOCK and the Scot would be tapping out clearly in a lot of pain, but the submission meant nothing considering the rules for the match. With both men on the floor Rob Terry would clamber onto the turnbuckle clearly with the intent of leaping off, only to be shoved off and down onto the concrete below by Damian O'Connor.
*Rob Terry Eliminated*
O'Connor being the only man on his feet would take a page from Terry's book and climb up onto the turnbuckle and land on top of both Cottonbelly and Hendry with a DIVING ELBOW DROP! Due to Hendry having been still locked in Cottonbelly's leg lock the aerial attack caused more damage to both men that would have been expected. Aldis would get back to his feet again, and this time manage to sneak up behind O'Connor and pick him up only to place him onto his shoulders and throw him over the ropes and out of the ring with the TORMENTUM!
*Damian O'Connor Eliminated*
Aldis would point at O'Connor and openly mock him and lean over the rope to taunt the Irishman and add insult to injury, something which Damian wouldn't take to kindly to. Aldis would be caught off guard though as he would be grabbed from behind by both Cottonbelly and Hendry as they would attempt to lift Aldis over the ropes and out of the ring. And to make matters worse O'Connor would grab hold of Aldis and although being eliminated would proceed to aid in trying to remove Aldis from contention. Aldis leg would topple over and he would fall over the ropes but land on the apron however in the confusion of O'Connor's involvement Mr. Cottonbelly would lose his balance and eliminate himself in the process.
*Mr. Cottonbelly Eliminated*
Aldis would be standing outside the ropes and find himself in a precarious position, especially with Hendry on the other side of the ropes. Hendry would charge forward and attempt to shoulder barge Aldis off the apron only for Aldis to duck and dodge, but Henry would be versatile and turning on his axis charge back towards Aldis and connect with a LARIAT TO THE BACK and by doing so knock Aldis off the ring apron and out of the match.
*Nick Aldis Eliminated*
Joe Hendry would be joined by a referee who would raise Hendry's arm in the air as he was announced as the winner of the European Exhibition. The man known in Scotland as 'The Local Hero' would have a massive smile on his face, clearly realising just how important tonight's victory could prove to be. The fans in the arena would greet Hendry with a standing ovation and the Scot would perform a lap of honour around the ring as the Kickoff Show came to a close.]
WINNER: Joe Hendry
:: Six Woman Tag Team Match (Smackdown Women's Championship Contendership) ::
Natalya, Nikki Bella & Carmella vs. Becky Lynch, Bayley & Naomi [Although the teams had been put together by Daniel Bryan rather than by those involved picking their owns team, each individual entrant knew that by winning the contest they would earn a future title shot. The interesting point raised by David Otunga that not only would they earn a title shot, but would also know who else was in line a shot at the winner of Bliss/Marie. What was noticeable was that the match wasn't abut two teams fight each other but rather two trios struggling to co-exist in order to achieve the same goal. The match would give all six women the opportunity to impress with notable moments including; Carmella being floored with the BAYLEY-TO-BELLY only for Naomi to follow up Bayley's finisher with the SPLIT-LEGGED MOONSAULT although Nikki would stop the referee from making his three count. Becky would also fall victim to a succession of finishers firstly by being floored by the BELLA BUSTER by the 'Fearless One', to be followed by Natalya locking in the SHARPSHOOTER! Rather than waiting her turn though Carmella would attempt from a unique position the CODE OF SILENCE and for a few seconds Becky would look like she was being pulled apart in two different directions. Fortunately Bayley would come to Becky's aid and free her from her sticky submission situation.
The match would come to a close in an interesting frenzy. Naomi and Carmella would fight on the ring apron and in unique fashion 'The Princess of Staten Island' would connect with a ROPE-AIDED HURRICANRANA that would cause Naomi to fall of the apron and onto the concrete blow. Carmella still on the ring apron would find herself in an exposed position (on the No Man's Land of the ring apron) only to be removed with force with of an enzuigiri from Bayley (who was the legal woman for her team). The distraction of Carmella would allow Natalya to come from behind Bayley and throw her over her shoulders with a RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX! Natalya would attempt to gain the victory by pin-fall only for Becky to spring over the ropes and land on top of both Natalya & Bayley with a double leg drop that would force the referee to break his count. Becky's interference would cause Nikki to enter the fold and grab hold of Lynch and spin her around only to lift her up and lay her out with the RACK ATTACK 2.0. Nikki would turn to help Natalya up to her feet only for Bayley to come charging towards her and send both women toppling out of the ring by way of a SPEAR! Natalya would push herself up onto her feet and turn her attention back to Becky, only for Naomi to springboard off the ropes and floor Nattie with a LEG LARIAT! Naomi would then take hold of Natalya and try and lift her too her feet but before she could continue Carmella would charge forward looking to connect with a RUNNING BIG-NO! Becky Lynch would stop Carmella in her tracks with the BEXPLODER SUPLEX! This would allow for Naomi to take hold of Natalya and bring her down to the earth with REAR VIEW! At this moment Bayley who was the legal woman for her team would slide into the ring and drop on top of Natalya for the cover as Becky and Naomi would stand as protection for the one,two,three!
With the victory secured Bayley, Becky and Naomi were now in the knowledge that they had all earned themselves a shot at the Smackdown Women's Championship. All three women would hug and embrace each other in the middle of the ring savouring the moment, although the question remained how long would it take until they were forced to look at each as foes and not friends when the championship was on the line in the near future.]
WINNERS: Bayley, Becky Lynch & Naomi
:: Loser Leaves Smackdown Match ::
Rhyno vs. Christian [The reasoning behind Christian's retirement was well documented as being due to concussion so any fans with any logic would have known that the match between Rhyno and Christian wasn't going to be the longest nor was it going to put Christian in any real risk of hurting himself. On this basis Christian would look very cowardly throughout the match and at every opportunity avoid having to get involved in any physicality whether it was hide behind the the referee, force the referee to call rope breaks or roll out of the ring. Of course this would frustrate Rhyno and it would lead to him become motivated by his frustration. In attempt to chase after Christian, he would slide out of the ring only for Christian to connect with a DIVING DDT ONTO THE STEEL STEPS! Whilst this was taking place the referee had already started his ring count. Realising he had a window of opportunity presenting itself Christian would drag Rhyno over to the commentary table, before grabbing hold of the ring bell and laying it on the floor. Christian would then stand up Rhyno before sending him down to the floor once again in brutal fashion with the KILLSWITCH ON TO THE RING BELL! Christian would then slide back into the ring moments before the referee reached ten, and by doing so Rhyno was counted out and therefore the loser of the contest. Christian would request a microphone and demand that security come out from the back and remove Rhyno from the building. Due to the stipulation of the match they had to comply with the request, although it was clear from Rhyno's reaction that he was devastated with that fact.]
WINNER: Christian (results in Rhyno being removed from the Smackdown Roster)
:: Four Corners Tag Team Match (WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS) ::
The Hype Bros (Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley) (c) vs. The Ascension (Viktor & Konnor) vs. The Wyatt Family (Luke Harper & Erick Rowan w/Bray Wyatt vs. American Alpha (Chad Gable & Jason Jordan)
[For the Hype Bros the task of defending the titles was a much easier feet with only three other teams to contend with than the previous task of wining the Cage Match at Backlash a month previously. None the less the Wyatts, American Alpha and the Ascension showed absolutely no interest in letting Rawley and Ryder have an easy ride. One person that would be given his marching orders early than he might of expected was Bray Wyatt. Bray would attack Jason Jordan whilst he was having a breather and slam him down onto the concrete floor with SISTER ABIGAIL however the referee would catch Bray in the act and tell him he had to leave and go backstage. Much to the referee's frustration though Bray would refuse to budge which would lead to the referee calling over JoJo. JoJo would announce that due to Bray Wyatt refusing to listen to his instructions that the referee had no other choice but the disqualify all members of the Wyatts from the match. Of course Harper and Rowan would be enraged by this decision and proceed to take hold of the referee and obliterate him with THE WAY before heading towards the back. One thing was for certain and that was that the in-ring official looked unlikely to stir anytime soon. With Jason Jordan still in a severe pain from the damage sustained from Bray's assault, Chad Gable would himself in the firing line of both the Ascension and The Hype Bros who both figured out that Gable was the week link. The Ascension would look to finish Gable off for good as Viktor and Konnor would attack him from the front and the back at the same time in order to successfully perform their double team finishing move FALL OF MAN! Before either man would have time to react though Rawley would toss Konnor over the ropes and onto the floor, as Ryder would knock Viktor onto his back with a LEAPING CLOTHESLINE before climbing onto the turnbuckle as Rawley would lift up Viktor. Ryder would pose on top of the turnbuckle only to jump as both he and Rawley would perform the HYPE RYDER in perfect synchronicity with Ryder pinning him for the victory. Post match the Hype Bros would celebrate a successful title defence by doing what they do best 'getting hyped!']
WINNERS: The Hype Bros (Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley) - retain WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships
:: Ladder Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Match) ::
Shelton Benjamin vs. Kalisto vs. John Cena vs. Curt Hawkins
[The ladder match proved to be highly entertaining but at the same time took a turn for a worst or better dependent on your standpoint. With the rules of the contest allowing for the use of weapons, Hawkins was the first of the four to make use of them and would search underneath the ring and pull out a kendo stick. Surprisingly out of all the three men to target first it was 15-time world champion John Cena that Hawkins would go after and hit him repeatedly with the bamboo until Cena was forced to exit the ring in order to escape further punishment. However, Hawkins was relentless and would swap the kendo stick for a trash can lids only to now deliver heavy handed shots over the head and it was clear that Cena was in really bad shape only for Hawkins to add insult to injury by taking hold of John and lay him out with TASTE OF PAIN! As all of this had been taking place Shelton and Kalisto had been focusing on the task in hand in the ring and this had resulted in a number of ladders finding their way into the ring. This had also led to a number of unique ladder spots taking place including Kalisto throwing himself and Benjamin from the ladder with a TILT-A-WHIRL HEAD SCISSORS TAKEDOWN as well as Shelton leaping off the very top rope and successfully executing a 450 SPLASH!
With Cena lying at ringside pulverised, Hawkins would slide back into the ring moment after seeing Benjamin leap off the ladder and would smile realising the opportunity that had presented itself to him. Hawkins would take hold of one of the ladder and place it underneath the #1 contender's contract before making his way up to the top. Hawkins would get the shock of his life when on the other side of the ladder a bloody faced John Cena would appear and both men would throw combinations at each other at the top of the ladder, but it would be Hawkins who would make the first mistake and that was all that Cena needed as he would take hold of Hawkins and send both himself and Hawkins off the ladder and down onto the canvass by way of the EMERALD FLOWSION! The move would result in Cena and Hawkins looking like survivors of a horrific car crash, although despite everything John Cena actually looked like he was smiling despite clearly being in a large amount of pain. Hawkins however had his face down and lay on his belly and was uncontrollably twitching clearly a by product of falling from such a great height and being delivered down with such a great force at the same time. Benjamin had got back to his feet and was circling Kalisto waiting for his counterpart to get back up to his feet before charging forward with an attempt to connect with a kick only to be reversed and for Kalisto to counter with his finishing move SALIDA DEL SOL! As Kalisto would turn towards the ladder though he would be caught totally off guard as a steel chair shot would slam over Kalisto's back by none other than Hawkin's manager Christian who would then proceed to send him down to the mat via the KILLSWITCH! At this point Christian would revive Curt and encourage him to ascend the ladder, which Hawkins would do without and further threat and manage to pull at the contract and claim it for himself. Hawkins would climb down from the ladder, only for Christian to raise him onto his shoulders as both men would celebrate a life changing moment for Curt Hawkins.]
WINNER: Curt Hawkins w/ Christian - to become #1 contender for Intercontinental Championship
:: Singles Match (WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP) ::
Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Eva Marie
[As soon as the match was officially underway only one thing was for certain that was that that Alexa Bliss was the superior combatant and she would prove he champion's worth right from the get go. Whether it was pulling off standout signature moves including the GLITTER BLIZARD, INSULT TO INJURY and a TILT-A-WHIRL HEADSCISSORS TAKEDOWN it looked almost certain that Alexa was going to succesfully defend her championship. One thing became clear after the while and that was Alexa was becoming over confident and thus starting to take her foot off the pedal, which proved to be the worst cause of action. A poorly timed attempt at an STO from Bliss would work to Eva's advantage and despite everything would be greeted with a massive cheer from the crowd as she would throw Alexa down with the SLICED RED #2 although wasn't able to achieve a three count afterwards. The look on Alexa's face after breaking the pin count was one of complete disbelief although it also seemed to awaken a more focused volume of aggression from Alexa of which Eva was unable to offer any answer to resulting in the contested eventually be wrapped up by Bliss successfully performing the SNAP DDT! Alexa would celebrate the victory by raising her title strap above her head, only to be attacked from behind by a clearly frustrated Eva Marie with a solid CHAIR SHOT! Eve Marie would start stamping down on Alex before forcefully dragging Alexa to her feet only to send her toppling back down again (by picking up the Bliss's championship and charging forward) with a TITLE SHOT TO THE FACE! Eva would lift up the Smackdown Women's Championship above her head as if she had won the contest and would leave the ring with the belt still in her possession which would seem to enrage JBL who would demand that Eva Marie be detained for still Alexa's property.]
WINNER: Alexa Bliss - retains WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
:: Singles Match (WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP) ::
Baron Corbin (c) vs. Apollo Crews
[For many this contest was the proof that the NXT brand was hard proof that the third brand was more than capable in aiding in the development of the next generation of WWE superstars. It also meant that the WWE Universe was being treated to less accomplished wrestlers competing for the more prestigious titles. Crews though would be stunned after only a few minutes of action as Corbin would charge forward and drive his knees up into Crew's chest for laying him out with the END OF DAYS! Crews though would show that he wasn't someone that was going to fall so early on, like so many men before him and would break the pin-fall. Corbin though was adamant that he had held Crews down long enough to win the match and would start having an argument with the referee. This would result in Apollo walking over to the far turnbuckle and pull of its cover and exposing the metal work only to turn his attention back to Corbin and knock him over with a baseball slide. Corbin would then be grabbed by the scruff of the neck as Apollo would lift up Baron and look to cause some severe damage by connecting with a GORILLA PRESS DROP TO THE EXPOSED TURNBUCKLE which would cause Corbin's head to bounce off the exposed metal work. Apollo would carry on in his assault at he would lift up Baron again and this time nail him with the SPIN-OUT POWERBOMB! Crews would smile as he would fold over Corbin's leg and achieve the victory, and by doing so would become the Intercontinental Champion for the second time in his career. Crews would take the title off the referee and holding it tight like a father reunited with a lost child as he would cradle it in his arms.]
WINNER: Apollo Crews - new WWE Intercontinental Champion
:: Singles Match (WWE WORLD CHAMPION) ::
Alberto Del Rio vs. Dean Ambrose
[Ambrose would relish the thought of reclaiming the title he had lost at SummerSlam, whilst ADR hadn't held a world title since 2013 so winning tonight's contest would very much reestablish himself as one of the bigger names in the WWE Universe. And with Ziggler & Styles injured and Randy Orton suspended, there wasn't anyone else that would have an real reason to benefit from getting involved in tonight's main-event. Both men would put on a truly hard fought contest and the match would surpass the twenty-five minute before it would start coming to a climax. Ambrose and Del Rio would be battling on the turnbuckle as ADR had been attempting to connect with a superplex only Ambrose wasn't having any off it and instead would take hold of Del Rio and from a unique position send both men down to the canvass with MIDNIGHT SPECIAL OFF THE TURNBUCKLE! Rather than stop their though Ambrose would grab hold of ADR and continue to dish out punishment by sending him down to the mat once again this time with the DIRTY DEEDS! Ambrose would look very happy with himself as he would drop over Del Rio for the cover only for Del Rio shock everyone when he would grab hold of Dean's about and transition himself into perfect postion for him to singe in the CROSS ARMBREAKER! Considering how long the contest had gone on it wasn't surprising that Ambrose was finding it difficult to escape the hold, in an a desperate attempt though he would lift up his legs and by doing so put downward pressure on Del Rio forcing the referee to start his three count despite the CROSS ARMBREAKER still wrenching on Dean's arm. ONE...TWO...THR...TAP(EE)...TAP...TAP! The referee would call for the bell, but both ADR and Ambrose would raise their hands in the air both believing that they were the winner of the contest. As Ranallo, JBL and Otunga would go over the tapes and no one would be able to workout who had the match. The referee would seem to finally have made a decision and whisper into JoJo's ear as she would announce that Dean Ambrose had tapped out at the exact same time as the referee's hand had come down for the three count. This therefore meant that the match had end in a draw and that therefore the WWE World Championship would remain vacant. On hearing this news both ADR and Ambrose would looking extremely annoyed and start arguing with the referee, only for a security team to surround officiating referee Charles Robinson and escort him backstage. The PPV would come to an end mired in controversy and it was clear that a number of fans were not pleased by the decision and their would be loud boos and jeers heard as the show came to a conclusion.]
RESULT: DRAW - WWE World Championship remains Vacant
|| WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE || September 26th: Following Clash of Champions it would be Chris Jericho who would be the first man to make a move by showboating all the way out from the back as he made an obnoxious and pigheaded walk towards the ring. Once he had everyone looking at him and knew he was the centre of attention he would beam with a massive smile across his face. Jericho would make it known that now that he was finally in contention for a shot at a major title he wasn't going to let the opportunity slip through a fingers and demanded that Balor show his face and come joins him in the ring if he wasn't to intimidated by the being in the same ring as the greatest wrestler of all time. This of course led to Balor coming out from the back with Truth Martini in tow and state that he wasn't going to fall for any of Jericho's trick and remained on the entrance ramp. Balor would go on to make the point that after earning a victory of Triple H last night at Clash of Champions he was relishing the thought of taking out another wrestling great at Hell in a Cell. At this point Jericho would smile again and wag his fingers as Stephanie McMahon would make her way out from the back. Stephanie would once again remind Balor and Martini that despite Balor being the Universal Champion he didn't make the matches and that in fact that title match between Jericho and Balor would be happening much sooner than October 30th and instead that the Universal Championship would be up for grabs in next week's main-event. Rather than show annoyance at this though Balor just smiled and said he look forward to successfully defending his title belt once again.
Later on in the evening Balor and Martini would be walking backstage talking among themselves when they would find their way blocked by the figure of Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and recent Raw signing Yujiro. They would all be a moment of silence before everyone apart from Truth Martini would embrace and pat each other on the back in what would become the first on-screen interaction since Balor left NJPW and joined NXT. Noticeably though Martini would get involved in the greetings. After a minute or so both groups would nod heads and go their separate ways.
October 3rd: In the main-event both Balor and Jericho would compete in a hard fought contest that would put both men in a very good light. As always Truth Martini would offer encouragement to Balor, but not actually get physically involved in the proceedings. The match would be very back and forth although although Jericho would employ heel tactics and rake Balor's eyes. This would lead to Jericho looking as if he was starting to really turn up the heat by punching Balor square in the jaw before leaping off the rope and connecting with a Lionsault. As Jericho was about to drop onto of Balor though he noticed that Yujiro was walking out from the back, but rather than worry Jericho would go for the cover but Balor would continue to show his strength as champion and kick out. Once he was back to his feet Balor would notice Yujiro and slide out of the ring and intercept him. Through hand signals and shouting Finn would make it clear that he could handle the situation on his own. What Balor failed to realise was that the referee was very vigilant in his counting and before he knew it the bell was being rung and the referee indicated that Balor had been counted out. As you might have predicted Jericho lost his mind when he realised that despite winning the contest, Balor was still the champion. Truth Martini also was quick on the uptake though and picking up the Universal Championship made haste and advised Balor to join him in heading backstage as Jericho would continue to rage in the ring.
October 10th: Following Yijiro's interruption Finn would make his to the locker-room of Anderson/Gallow/Yujiro although just before entering he would ask Martini to just wait outside, stating it would make things easier. Rather than argue Truth would actually agree with what Balor had to say. Upon entering the room Balor would be met with a slow clap from Gallows only for Anderson to burst out laughing. Balor would make it clear that despite all of them going back a long way that he didn't need them to get involved in his matches and that he was more than capable of handling things by himself. Anderson and Gallows would look slightly offended by what Balor was saying, whilst Yujiro would smile throughout. All four men would come to agreement on the situation, although all four men would seem to leave on good terms.
Of course Chris Jericho would still be bitter and angry about what had taken place last week and barge his way into Mick Foley's office. Jericho would demand that Foley rectify the situation by putting him against Balor at the next possible opportunity. Mick would pat Chris on the back and say that a conversation had already occurred with himself and Stephanie and that at the pay per view Jericho would get another shot at the Universal Championship at that the match would be contested within the confines of the Hell in a Cell match so Jericho wouldn't have to concern himself with outside interference or count-outs. Jericho would also demand that he be given the opportunity to teach Yujiro a lesson in respect and Foley would grant his wish revealing that at next week's RAW Yujiro would make his WWE debut against Jericho.
October 17th: The contest between Yujiro and Jericho would give opportunity for Yujiro to look strong by having a good performance against Jericho whilst at the same time not needing to win the match on his debut. After the match though it seemed Anderson and Gallows would take offence to Yujiro's loss and look intent on causing some real damage to Jericho. Much to everyone's surprise including Jericho, Finn would run out from backstage and block Anderson and Gallows path and insist they head backstage. Both men clearly didn't enjoy being told what do but after some convincing would head backstage with Yuijro in tow. Despite his best effort of doing the right thing though Balor would be blindsided as Jericho would assault him from behind with a steel chair shot to the back of the head. Jericho would then take the steel chair and trap it over Balor leg before climbing onto the ring apron and proceeding to jump off it and land onto the chair and causing some severe damage. It was only a rush of security and referees that prevented Jericho from causing any further damage.
October 24th: With less than a week to go until Hell in a Cell, Mick Foley would announce that despite injuries sustained last week Finn Balor would still be defending his title at Hell in a Cell but in order to be at 100% he had been given the night off. This news would lead to Jericho spending the majority of the night making fun of Balor at every opportunity and even cutting a parody promo at Balor's expense. If Balor was watching at home there would be no question that he would be getting riled up by Jericho making a complete mockery of him live on RAW.
Hell in a Cell Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor (c) vs. Chris Jericho
|| BEST OF SEVEN SERIES STORYLINE ||
Following Clash of Champions Sheamus held a 3-1 lead in the series and was with the knowledge that he only needed on more win to win the whole thing. On October 3rd Cesaro would finally manage to get back to winning ways and gain a victory over Sheamus which would add another win to his tally but also give an important win after such an embarrassing loss at Clash of Champions. Cesaro would clearly have been motivated by the loss and would also pick up a second win on October 24th. The two match winning streak would not only level the series, and allow for the the series decider to be the final match in the series. Of course with Cesaro on the up, this would also mean that Sheamus was in a negative position in what had become a seesaw effect between both men. One thing was for certain now however and that was that an overall winner would be reached in Boston.
Singles Match (Best of Seven Series)
Cesaro vs. Sheamus
|| WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Perkins winning the Cruiserweight Title at Clash of Champions was interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly it meant that Sabre Jr. had been the belt's first champion for just over the first time, whilst at the same time resulted in T.J. officially becoming part of the Monday Night RAW roster and in doing so bringing the title belt with him. Over the next few weeks a number of wrestlers would officially join the Raw roster as part of the Cruiserweight Division. Seven men that had taken part in the Cruiserweight Classic: Gran Metalik, Rich Swann, Zack Sabre Jr,, Lince Dorado, Jack Gallagher, Noam Dar and Akira Tozawa would go on to sign contracts with the company. Signing from independent promotions would also see the signing of Will Ferrara, Ricochet as well as the returning of Evan Bourne to the company. Once the Cruiserweight roster had established in numbers; ranking matches would take place to determine two title challengers for Perkin's title. The two men that would top the rankings and earn title shots would be former champion Zack Sabre Jr. and Evan Bourne and that the championship would be up for grabs in a triple threat match.
Triple Threat Match (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Evan Bourne
|| MAHAL/SIHRAS STORYLINE ||
Following Jinder's failed attempt at becoming the United States champion and his mugging from both Harv and Gurv the following week he would barely get out of his car in the parking lot to find himself on the receiving end of another beating from the Sihra brothers. Both men would obliterate Jinder for the second time in as many days and finish him with a double superkick that would cause Jinder to go head first through the driver's door window and in do so have his face busted open and would don the proverbial crimson mask. Jinder would remain at home for a fortnight and on his return (October 17th) would cut a promo in which he made it clear that the Bollywood Boyz would pay for disrespecting him not once, but twice and he challenged them to a match at Hell in a Cell. The Bollywood Boyz would however give Jinder an answer on the spot and say that they accepted his challenge, although would point out that Jinder was short a tag team parter (a fact that both Gurv and Harv thought was hilarious). For the remaining two shows Jinder would do his best to convince members of the RAW roster to be his partner but every single person that he asked would reject him. To make matters worse Mick Foley would tell Jinder that if he couldn't find himself a partner then he would be forced to compete on his own. At the last possible moment though Jinder would be walking backstage and stop in his tracks as a familiar voice would say 'i heard you need a partner'. The camera would pull backwards to a shot Heath Slater shaking hands and embracing with Jinder as Slater would say how happy he was that the band was getting back together.
Tag Team Match
The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv) vs. 2MB (Jinder Mahal & Heath Slater)
|| WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
The aftermath of the New Day/Strowman match meant that Braun was due a spin of the 'Wheel of Fortune' to find out which title he would get to challenge for (taking place October 17th). The wheel would display titles belonging to both Raw and Smackdown as well as a number of discontinued titles. Braun would spin the wheel with a heavy hand and the wheel would spin around a number of title before landing on 'Million Dollar Championship. Braun would demand to know the meaning of this and Foley would inform Braun that by default due to there being no current champion he was no the reigning Million Dollar champion. Strowman would show his discontent of the title but take it none the less. Later on in the evening Rusev with Lana would make a mockery of Braun for walking around with a 'fake title' draped over his shoulder. Strowman would make it clear that if Rusev wanted a fight than he was more than happy to put the Million Dollar Championship on the line if Rusev wanted to take it from him. Rusev would laugh the suggestion off and state that he wouldn't force the fans to have to watch a contest and that that he would also put his US Title on the line meaning that the winner of the match would walk away with both titles although Rusev made it clear that as soon as he was crowned Million Dollar Champion he would dispose of it into the nearest garbage can.
Singles Match (United States Championship/Million Dollar Championship)
Rusev (c) w/ Lana vs. Braun Strowman (c)
The Dudley Boyz would be over the moon that they were now 25 time tag team champions and would continue to celebrate this fact with the bonus that their younger brother Spike Dudley has returned to the Monday Night RAW. Despite previous expectations Anderson/Gallows would make it clear that despite no longer being in possession of the titles that at the current moment in times they had no intention of trying to reclaim the titles and instead Karl and Luke would actually shake hands with Bubba and D-Von and despite everything that had taken place it was clear that there was a lot of respect between all four men despite their apparent differences. With the previous champions not challenging for the belts, it would be down to General Manager Mick Foley to decide the Dudley's first challengers at the pay per view. After much deliberation and a couple weeks of Foley sitting at ringside and watching a number of the tag teams in action Foley would announce that the Dudley Boyz would defend their titles inside the confines of the cell against the Big Cass and Enzo Amore.
Hell in a Cell Match (RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Big Cass & Enzo Amore
|| WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following the fact that the title wasn't officially contested at Clash of Champions the RAW Women's division were extremely keen for some form of resolution to be made in regards to whom would be involved in the next championship match for Sasha's title. As one might have expected Nia Jax would demand that she get another shot at the title and it would become clear that she actually seemed to have more anger towards Dana Brooke and Charlotte from stopping her from getting shot than with Sasha from being the champion. In another regard Sasha was adamant to prove she could beat Nia on her own, but at the same time was desperate to exact some revenge on Charlotte for blindsiding her prior to her match. And then with the added element of Paige the whole situation became more confused than a plate of tangled spaghetti. Paige made it clear that she was more than capable of beating Jax, whilst Jax wanted to quash Paige from making such claims. Equally Banks would be unhappy that Paige had decided to come to her aid, which in turn would lead to Paige questioning if Sasha was deserving of being the champion. Foley would make it clear that the whole situation was giving him a headache before sitting at his desk and pondering the situation. After a few minutes of silence he would announce that the RAW Women's Title would be contested for within the Hell in a Cell and would see Sasha defend her belt against Charlotte, Dana Brooke, Nia Jax and Paige. Foley would go onto make the point that the match would actually be a six women contest and that final place would be filled by the winner of the match featuring Alicia Fox and Summer Rae that would feature as part off the Kickoff Show.
Singles Match (Qualifying Match)
Alicia Fox vs. Summer Rae
Hell in a Cell Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke vs. Paige vs. TBD
|| Elimination Tornado Tag (Survivor Series Tag Team Captaincy Contract) ||
|| The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. Golden Truth (R-Truth & Goldust) vs. The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) w/ Kofi Kingston vs. Shining Stars (Epico & Primo) vs. The Social Outcasts (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel) vs. The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) ||
|| Singles Match (Qualifying Match) ||
|| Alicia Fox vs. Summer Rae ||
|| Tag Team Match ||
|| The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv) vs. 2MB (Jinder Mahal & Heath Slater) ||
Main Card:
|| Hell in a Cell Match (WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS) ||
|| The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) (c) vs. Big Cass & Enzo Amore ||
|| Singles Match (Best of Seven Series) ||
|| Cesaro vs. Sheamus ||
|| Triple Threat Match (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP) ||
|| T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Evan Bourne ||
|| Hell in a Cell Match (WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP) ||
|| Sasha Banks (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke vs. Paige vs. TBD ||
Singles Match (WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP/MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONSHIP)
Rusev (c) w/ Lana vs. Braun Strowman (c)
Hell in a Cell Match (WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP) Finn Balor (c) vs. Chris Jericho
++ Elimination Tornado Tag (Survivor Series Tag Team Captaincy Contract) ++
The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) vs. Golden Truth (R-Truth & Goldust) vs. The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) w/ Kofi Kingston vs. Shining Stars (Epico & Primo) vs. The Social Outcasts (Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel) vs. The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins)
[Despite being the first contest of the evening, the stipulation of the match was proof enough that the WWE Universe was already gearing up for Survivor Series in just three weeks time. All six teams involved knew that not only would winning the contest give them a position on the Survivor Series card, but also give them the power to select the RAW Survivor Series Tag Team participants. The first team to find themselves removed from the contest were the Social Outcasts by way of the Primo and Epico hitting Bo Dallas with THE SHINING STAR with both men holding down Dallas in order to achieve the pin-fall.
*The Social Outcasts Eliminated*
The Shining Stars despite achieving an early elimination found themselves on the end of a two pronged attacked as Primo would find himself nailed with a DOUBLE POWERBOMB from Reigns and Rollins, whilst at the same time was Epico was wiped out MIDNIGHT HOUR by the New Day. Although it wasn't clear which of the two was pinned first, what was for certain was that they had been removed from the contest.
*Shining Stars Eliminated*
Meanwhile the Golden Truth were eager to get revenge on The Establishment who they felt had embarrassed them at Clash of Champions. However Daniels and Kazarian were eager to finish the job and would look to silence Goldust and Truth once and for all as they proceeded to throw Goldust through the ropes before nailing Truth with CELEBRITY REHAB!
*Golden Truth Eliminated*
With three teams remaining (The Shield, The New Day and The Establishment) Michael Cole made the point that which ever team won the contest, the winners would be smart to involve the two other teams were currently sharing the ring with. The Shield would make the first move though which would prove to be their undoing as Reigns would attempt a running forearm splash, only to be grabbed in midair by Kazarian allowing for The Establishment to connect with a DOUBLE TEAM ALLEY OOP! Daniels though would be grabbed from behind by Big E and thrown over his shoulders with a BELLY-TO-BOOTY only for Big E to be wiped out by Kazarian with the FADE TO BLACK which Rollins would capitalise on by weaselling his way on top of Big E for the cover and thus eliminating the former RAW Tag Team Champions from the contest.
*The New Day Eliminated*
The Establishment and The Shield would stare each other down knowing that they were all that stood in each other's way now and to everyone in the arena's delight would start throwing slugs at each other showing absolutely no interest in going easy on each other. Kazarian would himself on the receiving end of a PEDIGREE from Rollins whilst Roman would have his blocked knocked off with the ANGEL'S WINGS from Daniels leaving just Daniels and Rollins staring at each other in the closing moments of the match. Daniels would knock over Rollins with a lariat before leaping off the turnbuckle and landing on top of Seth with the BEST MOONSAULT EVER and the crowd had their hearts in their mouths at the possibility of Daniels achieving the victory. Somehow though Reigns had crawled over to Kazarian and dropped his arm down over Frankie and that was all the downward pressure the referee needed to make his three count.
*The Establishment Eliminated*
Daniels would look at the referee in total disbelief, clearly dejected that he had only been seconds short of achieving victory for himself and Frankie but the referee just turned away from Daniels and instead lifted up Reigns and Roman's hand in the air to signal them as the winners.]
WINNERS: The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) - become the Survivor Series Tag Team Captains
++ Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship Match Qualifier ++
Alicia Fox vs. Summer Rae
[Both Alicia and Summer had found themselves on the periphery for a while now, and despite the brand split still weren't making a name for themselves so for both of them this was the opportunity they needed to get that chance even if it was just a small one to reestablish their name in the WWE Universe. The match wasn't the longest affair, but from the fans were treated too it was a short but sweet affair. Foxy would start the make on the up and try to wrap up the match early with a number of pin variations including small packages and schoolgirl pins but Summer Rae made it clear that Alicia was going to have to dish out some real damage for her to be beaten. Summer would force Alicia into the corner and hit her with a number of shots before forcing the breath out of her with a corner foot choke before letting off the pressure only to take Alicia right off her feet with a SPINNING HELL KICK! Rather than focus on Alicia and try to achieve the pin-fall she would instead show her immaturity by taunting the fallen Fox before directly responding the fans that were showing her disdain. Alicia would slowly push herself up to her feet and with Summer still interacting with the fans would charge at her and take her leg from under her before connecting with a perfectly timed OFFICER NASTY and that was all she wrote as the referee delivered his hand down to the mat three times and confirmed Alicia a place in the RAW Women's Title match later on tonight.]
WINNER: Alicia Fox - qualifies for the WWE RAW Women's Championship Match
++ Tag Team Match ++
The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv) vs. 2MB (Jinder Mahal & Heath Slater)
[The contest was the shortest of the entire evening as Heath Slater would insist that he start proceeding for the 'Two Man Band' and rather than argue with his friend, Jinder offered no quarrel to the request. Within the first ten seconds of the the contest leg man Gurv would look to almost decapitate Slater with a SUPERKICK, whilst Harv would enter the ring and send Jinder off the ring apron with a SUPERKICK of his own. Gurv would then achieve the pin-fall an in less than thirty seconds the Bollywood Boyz would have their hand raised high with the match already theirs.]
WINNERS: The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv and Harv)
++ Hell in a Cell Match (WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS) ++
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) (c) vs. Big Cass & Enzo Amore
[The first match inside the demonic cell structure would see the 25 time tag team champions defend their RAW Tag Team Titles against an ambition and hungry team of Enzo and Big Cass. The match itself lasted over ten minutes and would see both teams use the cage to inflict further damage to their opponents as well of course as seeing all the usual moves commonly used by both teams. Due to their being no disqualifications in this type of contest it was very hard for either team to achieve a pin-fall or submission without interruption from opposing tag-team partners. The match would come to a conclusion when the Dudley Boyz would attempt to hit Enzo with the Dudley Death Drop, but instead of Bubba connecting with D-Von's flapjack instead Bubba would be floored by Big Cass with a RUNNING BIG BOOT! At this same time despite Bubba not being their to complete the double team finisher, Enzo would still be smashed into the canvass by way of D-Von's FLAPJACK! D-Von and Big Cass would turn to face each other and throw a number of shot each other, only for someone to emerge from underneath the ring and that individual being none other than the runt of the Dudley litter Spike Dudley. The referee would look beside himself as he was unable to prevent Spike from getting involved and Spike would clamber up onto the turnbuckle and leap off clubbing Big Cass on the back of his head. Cass would look at Spike in shock, only for D-Von to grab hold of Big Cass and smash him with a SHORT-ARM LARIAT only for Spike to grab hold of Cass and springboard off the ring ropes and connect with the DUDLEY DOG! Whilst this was going on Bubba had pushed himself back to his feet and was smiling when he saw Spike connect with his unique bulldog before taking hold of Enzo and dragging him towards the turnbuckle and shouting over to D-Von as both men would work together to lift up Enzo and nail him downward with an AIDED SUPERBOMB! Meanwhile Spike would remain focused on Big Cass and leap off the middle rope only to land on top of Cass' stomach with a DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP! Everyone was starting to realise that the Dudley's were very much looking to retain their titles and they would finish the job once and for all by taking hold of Enzo and end the match with the DUDLEY DEATH DROP!
WINNERS: Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) w/ Spike Dudley - retain WWE RAW Tag Team Championships
++ Singles Match (Best of Seven Series) ++
Cesaro vs. Sheamus
[The best of seven series had proven to be one of the most interesting of RAW's current storylines and with the Sheamus and Cesaro at three points a piece tonight's contest would be the decider. The match would start in shockingly similar fashion to the match at Clash of Champions as Sheamus would once again charge at Cesaro at come at him with a BROGUE K-BLOCKED! Cesaro would catch Sheamus' leg in mid-air and spin Sheamus around 180 degrees on his own axis using the Irishman's momentum against him to and lift him up and send him down to the canvass with a rarely used RICOLA POWERBOMB! Cesaro would push Sheamus knee over him for a pin-fall but Sheamus would kick out before a three count could be made. The middle portion of the match would prove to be a bit more slow and gruelling than the exciting start that the fans had been treated to although spots which stood out included Cesaro finding himself tangled in the ropes as he was on the receiving end of the Beats of Bodhran before sending Cesaro off the ring apron and down onto the concrete with a well timed battering ram. Cesaro would have his own moments of his own including his iconic Cesaro Swing which would end with Sheamus being thrown through the ring ropes and out onto the concrete below. The match would come to a close with Sheamus and Cesaro battling each other on top of the turnbuckle only for Cesaro to knock Sheamus off with a European Uppercut. Cesaro would look to line up an aerial attack as he would slowly wait for Sheamus to get back to his feet. Sheamus looked wobbly on his feet as Cesaro to leap off only for Cesaro to be totally caught off guard as Sheamus would leap up and connect with a BROGUE KICK before dropping over Cesaro and achieve the victory and thus win the final match in the series.
As Sheamus was celebrating his victory he would help Sheamus back up to his feet and both men would exchange a few words before they would shake hands and then embrace. Both men though would look stunned as Brock Lesnar music would blast out over the PA system as the 'Beast Incarnate' would emerge from the back and be seen for the first time since his match against Randy at SummerSlam. Sheamus and Cesaro would instead of standing against each other as opponents would stand by side preparing themselves for Lesnar's imminent arrival. Brock would slide into the ring and charge forward dropping both men to the match with a DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE! Sheamus would be the first of the two to get up to his feet only for Lesnar to take hold of the Irishman and send him straight to the canvass with the F-5! Cesaro would also attempt to fight his way back up to his feet only for Lesnar to take hold of Cesaro and nail him also with the iconic F-5! Sheamus and Cesaro would lay motionless on the floor as Brock would stand over both men and raise his arms in the air and seem to snarl as the camera would focus in on him.]
WINNER: Sheamus - wins the best of seven series 4-3
++ Triple Threat Match (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP) ++
T.J. Perkins (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Evan Bourne
[The Cruiserweights as of late had proven to be a welcomed addition to the RAW roster as they offered an exciting and unique element that had been absent for a number of years within the WWE Universe. All three men were at the top of their game in the contest and due to the extra man there was never a dull moment. Exciting spots included Sabre Jr. hitting a seated Perkins with a strong footed PENALTY KICK, Bourne landing on top of Perkins and Sabre who had been fighting outside the ring with a CORKSCREW PLANCHA, as well as Perkins impressing everybody when he springboarded off the ropes and through Bourne down to the canvass with a beautiful 520 CORKSCREW SPRINGBOARD TORNADO DDT! The match had no dull moments and would end in equally as exciting fashion. The conclusion would occur with Perkins standing on top of the turnbuckle looking to leap off and take out ZSJ who had been lying on the mat after receiving an earlier kick to the face. Before Perkins had time to make his attack he was caught totally off guard as Bourne would grab hold of Perkins form behind and slam him down to the canvass with a Tornado DDT off the top of the turnbuckle. Then from a stationery position Evan would leap up into the air and connecting with a STANDING MOONSAULT landing on of Perkins. Before Bourne could begin his pin-fall though Sabre Jr. would come charging forward and punt Bourne in the side of the head with a PENALTY KICK! Zack would then quickly hook over Evan's leg and achieve the pin-fall to win the match and reclaim the Cruiserweight Title.]
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. - wins WWE Cruiserweight Champion
++ Hell in a Cell Match (WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP) ++
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Nia Jax vs. Charlotte vs. Dana Brooke vs. Paige vs. Alicia Fox
[As one would imagine the very first Hell in a Cell match involved female superstars would prove to be quite the contest. The summary of the match will begin at the fifteen minute mark when the match was starting to come to it's natural conclusion. Nia Jax throughout the match had looked to make a name for herself by causing Charlotte as much damage as possible, which had result in Charlotte and Dana fighting as a cohesive unit against Jax in what was almost a two-on-one handicap match (of course not including the other three participants). The three women in question had found themselves outside the ring and fighting in the space between the ring apron and steel cell itself. Charlotte and Dana would be up against the cage about to charge forward at Nia only for Nia to make her move first charging forward and taking both Dana and Charlotte out with a RUNNING BODY AVALANCE that would shock everyone but mostly Michael Cole who would almost go up an octave as the running assault had caused the side of the cell to break open and all three women to fall over lying on top of the broken part of the cell. With a gap created in the side of the cell, all six competitors were no longer trapped within the demonic structure. With Nia, Charlotte and Dana showing no signs of moving it was Paige, Sasha and Alicia who remained fighting each other in the ring although all three started moving outside the cage and it was Paige who took hold of the new territory by taking hold of a steel chair. Paige would swing the chair in Alicia's direction only for Fox to dunk out of the way, although Banks wasn't as fortunate as she would be hit with a STEEL CHAIR SHOT TO THE FACE!
Nia would seem to sense that something was going on around her and instinctively grab hold of the legs in front of her, and by doing so would hold Paige as if she was stuck in the mud. This would allow Alicia to grab hold of Paige and swing her on top of the crumpled bodies of Brooke and Charlotte with a Handstand Headscissors Takedown before grabbing hold of Sasha and dragging her back through the gap in the cell and rolling the champion back into the ring. Before Alicia was able to pursue though she would be spun around by Jax and grabbed into a Bearhug and seem to have all life squeezed out her her, before being ragdolled into the side of the cell. Banks had made her way up to the feet and would bounce off the ropes and dive through the ropes with a perfectly execute Suicide Dive causing both herself and Nia to bounce off the side of the cell. Charlotte and Dana had finally got back up to their feet only for Charlotte to betray Dana by hitting the BOW DOWN TO THE QUEEN although as Charlotte was going through the motion she would be hit square in the face by Paige with another hard STEEL CHAIR SHOT! Paige would then keep hold the chair leaving both Dana and Charlotte barely stirring on the concrete as she would slide underneath the ropes and back into the ring. Paige though would be thrown of keel though as Alicia had also entered the ring and would connect with a Spinning Heel Kick that would send the steel chair directly into Paige's face. With Paige bending over Alicia would scissor kick Paige on the back of her neck with the WATCH YO' FACE and look almost certain to have won the contest, only for Banks to grab Foxy from behind and connect with BANKRUPT before lying on top of Alicia and thus achieving the one,two and three!
Sasha would have a massive smile across her face as the referee would hand her the RAW Women's Championship and raise her arm in the air, as the camera would pan around the ring showing the complete and utter destruction that had been left in the wake of the match.]
WINNER: Sasha Banks - retains RAW Women's Championship
++ Singles Match (WWE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP/MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONSHIP) ++
Rusev (c) w/ Lana vs. Braun Strowman (c)
[Considering how exciting the RAW Women's Championship match had been, the contest between Rusev and Strowman wasn't quite as energetic, but what both men lacked in agility they made up for in their brute strength and power and it would almost become a competition between both men trying to show they could outdo the other whilst still inflicting a sufficient amount of damage to the other. Some of the more interesting moments would include Rusev digger down and using all his strength to send Braun off the top of the turnbuckle with a SUPER BULPLEX which would cause the ring to visibly shake as both men crashed down from the height onto the canvass. Rusev would be on the receiving end of an equally as damaging manoeuvre as Braun would force Rusev outside of the ring before lifting him up and dropping him face first onto the steel steps with a REVERSE CHOKESLAM! The match would come to an end with Rusev looking to singe Braun into his Camel Clutch submission only for Braun to transition out of the hold and instead lift up Rusev and begin choking him with the LIFTING ARM TRIANGLE CHOKE! Lana would look on and jump on the ring apron trying to distract the referee, but wouldn't be quick enough as Rusev had already started to tap. Braun wouldn't just let go of the hold though as instead would throw Rusev over his shoulder before taking both the US Title and Million Dollar Title into both his hands and raising them both above his head, without absolutely no emotion visible across his face.]
WINNER: Braun Strowman - retains the Million Dollar Championship and wins the WWE U.S. Championship
++ Hell in a Cell Match (WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP) ++
Finn Balor (c) vs. Chris Jericho
[During a video build up package the WWE staff had managed to fix the side of the cage that had been damaged by Nia Jax as best as they could although it was clear that it wouldn't take much force to break the cell once again. One thing was for certain though and that was that both Balor and Jericho put everything they had and everything they knew into trying to leave with the Universal Championship in their possession. Both men would use the whole ring to their advantage whether it was Jericho leaping off the ropes and connecting with a LIONSAULT or Balor jumping off the turnbuckle and taking out Jericho with an INAZUMA LEG LARIAT to the a more technical side with Jericho pulling off a number of suplexes and Balor instead relying on a number of different kick variations. Of course the match would proved to be very well rounded as both men would also show their strength in their ground game as Balor would utilise a High-end Fujuwara Armbar a number of times only for Jericho to either successfully force a rope break or on one occasion actually see Jericho transition himself out of the submission to be greeted with a massive pop by the fans in attendance. In all matches where submissions and Jericho are mentioned of course the fans were also treated to the WALLS OF JERICHO which Balor would only manage to escape by his fingers brushing against the bottom rope being all that was needed for the referee to enforce a rope-break.
As Balor and Jericho would continue to brawl in the middle of the ring and arguably both putting on the match of their lives Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows would emerge from the back and it only became apparent that Balor and Jericho were aware of their involvement when both men picked up steel chairs and started hitting the cell where it had been previously damaged clearly with the intention of gaining entry into the cell. Both men would turn in shock though as Bad Luck Fale would emerge from the crowd and the big man would clamber onto the announcer table only to leap off with a RUNNING SPLASH and force both Gallows and Anderson through the broken side of the cage causing it to buckle and break once more. Jericho would immediately pick flight over fight and rather than having to contend with Anderson, Gallows and Balor would slide out of the ring and proceed to climb up the outside of the cell and pull himself up onto the top. Balor instead of following right after Jericho would make his way over to Anderson and Gallows and get in the middle of them and Bad Luck Fale. Balor would clearly be heard shouting that he didn't need any of them to help him and he could handle this by himself. What was clearly noticeable though was that Fale seemed to be looking right through Finn and instead just staring at both Gallows and Anderson with a keen focus. Balor would seem to give up playing mediator and instead decide to climb up the cell in pursuit of Jericho.
Jericho and Balor would stare at each other at the top of the cell and there was a clear intensity between both men as they locked eyes with each other if only for a few seconds. Meanwhile below them Gallows and Anderson were starting to brawl with Fale, although Fale seemed to be leading both men slowly away from the ring and Luke and Karl couldn't help themselves as they chased him through the crowd. Jericho and Balor were taking shots at each other at the top of the cage, before Jericho would take hold of Finn and slam him down on the top of the cage with the CODEBREAKER! Of course though with both men at the top of the cell, the referee wasn't available to make the count although it seemed that Jericho wasn't aware of this.
Despite Anderson/Gallows and Bad Luck Fale out of show and fighting somewhere in the crowd, Yujiro would run out from the back and proceed to ascend the cell. With Balor still down, Jericho would see Yujiro coming and would meet him at the top of the cage although Yujiro was the far fresher man and using all his body weight pushed Jericho across the cage as both men would teeter on the edge of the cage with the announcer's table directly below them. Saxton, Graves and Cole would all stand up and back away from the table in expectation that someone was going to fall from a sky like a fallen angel with it's wing clipped by the almighty. Yujiro would try and force Jericho off the top, only for Jericho would move himself into a move advantageous position as he would nail Yujiro with the BREAKDOWN OFF THE TOP OF THE CELL AND THROUGH THE COMMENTARY TABLE! Corey Graves would be the only member of the RAW broadcast team that would even seem able to speaking, as Yujiro looked like a deer hit by a truck as his body shook almost uncontrollably as a group of EMTS rushed over to him with a real urgency in their step. Meanwhile Jericho just smiled to himself as he looked down at the carnage below. As Jericho would make his way back over to Balor he would pull the champion up to his feet, only for Balor to overpower Jericho and connect with the 1916 THROUGH THE TOP TRAP DOOR! Jericho would crash through the broken cell door and lie motionless in the middle of the ring, as Balor would look down from the top of the cell and proceed to climb down the trap door and drop down on top of Jericho with the COUP DE GRACE before dropping his back over Jericho to earn the pin victory.
As the Hell in a Cell structure was slowly lifted up above the ring, Balor would slowly push his way up to his feet and with open arms take the Universal Championship belt and lift it above his heads with a massive smile across his face as the PPV reached its conclusion.
WINNER: Finn Balor - retains WWE Universal Championship
|| WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE || 10th October (Smackdown Live): Following the contest at No Mercy between Dean Ambrose and Alberto Del Rio which had resulted as a draw and therefore the WWE World Championship had remained vacant. Keen to address the situation surrounding the title belt General Manager Daniel Bryan would make it clear that he was unhappy with all the controversy surrounding the championship belt at the current moment in time. DB would make it clear that he was extremely happy that because of the damage inflicted on Ziggler, that Dolph had been forced to vacate the title as well as AJ missing out on challenging for the title because of the actions of one man...Randy Orton. Despite being suspended Randy would be invited to the ring by Daniel, but rather than show up in person Randys would instead appear on the monitor. Randy would look less than pleased by what Daniel was saying, and make it clear he felt no remorse for guilt for his actions and instead his actions more than justified why he was the man most worthy of being the WWE World Champion. When Daniel tried to respond, Randy carried on making his point and would go as far as to question whether Daniel was really capable of being the Smackdown Live General Manager. Before DB could offer up a response though the transmission would cut out and Bryan would stare at a blank screen clearly angry and annoyed.
Despite his problems with Orton, Daniel would arrange for the evening's main-event to be for the WWE World Championship with a direct rematch taking place of No Mercy's main-event between Alberto Del Rio and Dean Ambrose. That match would go on for ten minutes before former champion Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles (who were both looking worse for wear) would make their way out from the back and slowly enter the ring with only looks of bad intentions. Del Rio would realise that neither men were after him, so being the survivalist that he was would be quick to exit the ring. Dean would stare defiantly at Ziggler and Styles but rather than take on both men instead would clamber out of the ring and leap over the barricade and escape into the crowd and would find himself being chased by both Ziggler and Styles who were in hot pursuit as the show would come to an end.
17th October (Smackdown Live): Randy would make himself known the following week and he would make his way out to ring. Once inside he would take hold of a microphone and says he was using his first amendment rights of freedom of speech in placing a vote of no confidence in Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan and would invite any fellow superstars who shared this opinion to come down to the ring and join him. Randy would be joined by Dean Ambrose which was no surprise to anyone at all considering how close the duo had proven to be in recent weeks. Orton and Ambrose would be joined by The Miz, Kane and Bray Wyatt. All men irrelevant of how little or how much they spoke made it clear that they had grown sick of Bryan's leadership or better put lack of it. As you would of expected it Daniel Bryan was not all all happy at being disrespected in this manner, but after briefly talking with Shane backstage had come up with a solution to deal with the situations. Daniel said that at Survivor Series he would put together a team of five men to fight against the five men in the middle of the ring, that were looking to undermine his authority with both teams competing in a traditional 5-on-5 elimination match. Daniel said that if his team won then all five members of 'Team No Confidence' would not take part of next year's Royal Rumble Match, whilst if the unthinkable took place and his team lost then he would step down from his position as Smackdown General Manager. The stipulation was a shocking one, but before anyone else could contend it Randy would accept the challenge. Daniel would find himself flanked on either side by Ziggler and Styles with it being clear that both men were very much becoming part of 'Team Bryan'.
24th October (Smackdown Live): The following week Daniel Bryan would officially welcome Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles to his team as well as introducing three further loyalists in the form of Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, Alberto Del Rio and quite a surprise final man in the winner of the European Exhibition match Scot Joe Hendry. Daniel would thank all men for siding with him, and would make it clear that he would show how grateful he was to all five men on the episode of Smackdown Live following Survivor Series. Although there was a hanging question of what would happen to all five men if they were to lose.
1st November (Smackdown Live): As part of the build up process Daniel Bryan would take a step back in order for no bias to be present, which would result in Shane McMahon micromanaging the build-up for this one particular match and announcing for the three weeks remaining until Survivor Series a number of singles matches would take place between members of 'Team No Confidence' and 'Team Bryan'. The first round of matches would see Randy defeat Apollo Crews, as well as Alberto Del Rio beating The Miz.
8th November (Smackdown Live): The second round of matches would see both sides each win a match for the second week in a row. This time with Ambrose defeating Smackdown debutante Joe Hendry and AJ Styles coming away with a victory over Bray Wyatt in impressive fashion considering the many suspected that Styles was still suffering from the house invasion instigated by Randy over a month ago.
15th November (Smackdown Live): With just a few days to go until Survivor Series Shane McMahon would make it clear that he had no intention of letting either side injure each other tonight ahead of what could prove to be a career changing match for both sides. Despite his best efforts at separating both sides though, both teams would end up coming face to face backstage and would end up having a mass brawl that quickly grew out of control. Eventually a large volume of backstage security would intervene and force both teams apart from each other, but that wouldn't stop Styles managing to get one last shot in as he would slap Randy right across the jaw one final time. One thing was for certain and that there was a lot pride on the line in regards to the match between 'Team No Confidence' and 'Team Daniel Daniel'.
5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match
Team No Confidence: Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Kane & Bray Wyatt
vs. Team Daniel Bryan: Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, Apollo Crews, Alberto Del Rio & Joe Hendry
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Despite Alexa beating Eva at No Mercy, it was the aftermath of the contest which really stood in everyone's mind and it certainly can't have helped proceeding that not only did Eva destroy Alexa in the ring with her own belt but then she had proceeded to take the title belt away with her. For the first few weeks following the pay per view Eva Marie would make promos and in-ring appearances with the Smackdown Women's Championship in her grasp. Each time Alexa would attempt to come after Eva, only for 'The Red Queen' to manage to escape with the title in tow each time. Eventually Daniel Bryan would get involved and in order to appease both sides would book a title match between Alexa Bliss and Eva Marie (1st November Smackdown). Despite everyone's expectations Eva Marie would shock everyone by managing to roll up Alexa in a schoolgirl pin and thus becoming the new WWE Smackdown Women's Champion. With only a few weeks to go until Survivor Series DB would find himself being asked by Bayley, Becky Lynch and Naomi when they would be given their titles shots, as well as Alexa Bliss demanding a rematch for the title. Daniel would inform all four women that at Survivor Series they would be competing in a Championship Scramble match.
WWE Smackdown Women's Championship - Championship Scramble Match
Eva Marie (c) vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi
|| THE RISE OF CURT HAWKINS STORYLINE ||
Following Hawkins' meteoric victory at No Mercy (even if Christian had been involved in the turning of the tide) Curt had found himself as the #1 contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Rather than rush into a match with Apollo Crews, with Christian in his right ear, Hawkins made it clear that he wanted to further prove his worth and dominance as part of the Smackdown Live roster by making an example out of John Cena. For a number of weeks Hawkins would make it clear that during the ladder match at No Mercy he had shown the entire WWE Universe that John Cena was past his best and in urgent need of retirement and that he was more than accommodating in being the man to begin the 'John Cena Farewell Tour'. As you would imagine Cena would not take kindly to the constant mockery and abuse that he was getting and would very quickly respond to Hawkins claim and welcome a match between the both of them at Survivor Series. Cena would have one condition, which Hawkins would accept despite Christian clearly not liking it; being that Christian would be banned from ringside for the entirety of the contest.
Singles Match
Curt Hawkins vs. John Cena (Christian Banned From Ringside)
|| SURVIVOR SERIES RAW VERSUS SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM STORYLINE ||
10th October (Smackdown Live): Following the No Mercy Pay Per View General Manager Daniel Bryan and Commissioner Shane McMahon would reveal that during the weekend they had been in discussion with their RAW counterparts Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon. Daniel Bryan would announce that at Survivor Series a 10-on-10 Survivor Series tag team elimination match would take place between Smackdown and RAW. Daniel Bryan would go on to invite the Smackdown Tag Team Champions Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley (The Hype Bros) to the ring. Rather than maintain a businesslike relationship DB and Shane O'Mac would proceed to offer high-fives to both Ryder and Rawley as they entered the ring. Daniel Bryan would go on to reveal that both he and Shane had decided to name The Hype Bros as the Captains of Team Smackdown Live. DB would then reveal that later on tonight a qualifying match would take place between The Vaudevillians and American Alpha with the winners earning place on Team Smackdown. The winners of this contest would prove to be American Alpha, and at the end of the match Gable and Jordan would be joined by Ryder and Rawley who would congratulate them on their victory by handing them both 'Team Smackdown' t-shirts.
17th October (Smackdown Live): A further two qualification matches would take place with the Usos defeating Wyatt Family members Luke Harper & Erick Rowan as well Breezango achieving a fortunate victory over the Ascension to become the fourth team that would be representing 'Team Smackdown' on November 20th. Daniel would welcome both the Usos and Breezango to the team before informing them as well as the WWE Universe that the fifth and final team would be decided next week as 'The World's Greatest Tag Team' would reunite and see Charlie Haas return to team up with Shelton Benjamin to face off against another two familiar faces of Paul London and Brian Kendrick.
24th October (Smackdown Live): The match between 'The World's Greatest Tag Team and London & Kendrick would act as a trip down memory lane for many viewers who would go onto social media in their thousands and make it clear that they would very much like to see London, Kendrick and Haas all be offered contract and return to Smackdown on a permanent basis. The match was explosive and full of great spots and would eventually be won by Shelton and Haas who would become the final members of 'Team Smackown'.
31st October (Monday Night RAW): With Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns (The Shield) as the Captains of Team RAW, General Manager would actually give full authority to both men to select the remaining four teams that would represent 'Team RAW'. With Seth and Roman both fully aware as to whom they would be facing at Survivor Series some suggested that they already had an early advantage going into the pay per view. Roman and Seth during the night would announce that both the RAW Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz, as well as new arrivals to the WWE and a team that had really impressed them at Hell in a Cell 'The Establishment' (the team of Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian). Rollins would make a point that all current six members of 'Team RAW' would be attending Smackdown Live undercover tomorrow night in order to scout their opponents.
1st November (Smackdown Live): During the evening's show all ten members of 'Team Smackdown' would assemble in the middle of the ring with Mojo Rawley take the microphone and cutting a promo making it clear that Rollins and Reigns and their stooges were cowards for attending tonight's show, but instead of coming out to the ring to confront them instead they were hiding among the fans. Opponents of a weaker mentality might of shown themselves at this point, but the insults weren't enough to goad the six men to come out of hiding especially in enemy territory.
7th November (Monday Night RAW): Rather than have the whole force of 'Team RAW' present Seth Rollins would be interviewed backstage by Tom Phillips. Seth would make it clear that he found 'Team Smackdown' both pitiful and laughable and made it clear that he and the rest of the team had enjoyed sitting with the fans despite having to watch a second-rate show. Seth would then go on to announce the fourth team that would make up 'Team RAW' revealing The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv) and the fifth and final team of Big Cass and Enzo Amore. Rollins would end the interview by stating that every single member of 'Team RAW' would once again be present tomorrow night at Smackdown Live, but would remain so undercover.
8th November (Smackdown Live): For the second time in a week 'Team Smackdown' would be wary and it was clear that all ten members were on edge and nervous about being on the end of an ambush or unforeseen from any of the ten men that represented 'Team RAW'. Much to all their anxiety and obvious frustrations the night would prove to be uneventful for 'Team RAW' as no members of rival 'Team RAW' would make any appearance whatsoever.
14th November (Monday Night RAW): For the second show in a row 'Team Smackdown' would find themselves being openly mocked this time by Big Cass, Enzo Amore and The Dudley Boyz. All four men would openly laugh at 'Team Smackdown' before revealing that despite what Seth and Roman might have said previously for the past fortnight not one member of 'Team RAW' had attended Smackdown Live because there was nothing about 'Team Smackdown' that couldn't be viewed on Youtube on one of the many Botchamania videos. The four would make a point that 'Team RAW' would once again not be bothering to show up to Smackdown Live, but said they were looking forward to winning the easiest match of the year.
15th November (Smackdown Live): With just six days to go 'Team Smackdown' would all dress up and parody all ten members of 'Team RAW' clearly doing their best to make a mockery off every single one of the men they would be meeting at the Air Canada Centre. Finally the fans were treated to what they had all been looking forward too as 'Team RAW' would appear from backstage and charge towards only to stop at the bottom of the entrance ramp and openly taunt 'Team Smackdown' to come and join them. Both teams would be left in a stalemate, with the knowledge that all the mind games were finally going to come to a head on Sunday.
10-on-10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match
TEAM SMACKDOWN: The Hype Bros, American Alpha, The Usos, Breezeango & The World's Greatest Tag Team
vs. TEAM RAW: The Shield, The Dudley Boyz, The Establishment, The Bollywood Boyz & Enzo and Big Cass
|| WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following the Hell in a Cell pay per view, the Cruiserweight decision would see a further increase in its numbers. Kalisto would become the only members of the Smackdown roster to join Smackdown, whilst at the same time Sin Cara and Neville would confirm their involvement as part of the Cruiserweight Division whilst remaining part of the Monday Night RAW roster. Further signings mostly announced on WWE.com would reveal the introduction of Kushida, Jigsaw, Chris Sabin, HoHo Lun, Cedric Alexander, Brian Kendrick and Drew Gulak. With just a few weeks until Survivor Series Mick Foley would announce that a Cruiserweight Warfare match would take place to determine a number one contender to face champion ZSJ at Roadblock: End of the Line. Foley would explain that a Cruiserweight Warfare match worked on a basis of a 20-man elimination match with eliminations occurring by pin-fall, submission or being thrown over the top rope and that entry to match would occur at 90 second intervals.
Cruiserweight Warfare
Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Chris Sabin vs. Drew Gulak vs. Evan Bourne vs. Gran Metalik vs. HoHo Lun vs. Jack Gallagher vs. Jigsaw vs. Kalisto vs. Kushida vs. Lince Dorado vs. Neville vs. Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann vs. Ricochet vs. Sin Cara vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Will Ferrera
|| BEST OF SEVEN SERIES STORYLINE ||
Following the conclusion of the Best of Seven Series (which had been won by Sheamus 4-3) no one had been expecting Brock Lesnar to return and hit both Sheamus an Cesaro with an F-5 each. What had turned into a great rivalry between Sheamus and Cesaro seemed to have turned into an unlikely friendship as both men stood in the ring together the night following the Hell in a Cell PPV. Both men made it clear that despite being butting heads for the best part of two months, there was absolutely no way they were going to just let Brock get away with attacking them in the way he did. Of course Lesnar with Heyman in tow would have absolutely no problem in answering the calls. Heyman would make it clear that 'The Conqueror' Brock Lesnar would look forward to taking apart Sheamus and Cesaro, but that Brock unfortunately only competed at pay per views. This sort of comment only led to ridicule from Cesaro and Sheamus, but rather than goad Lesnar into competing Heyman and Lesnar would laugh amongst themselves. Heyman would then tell both men that they if they wanted to 'exact revenge' then at Survivor Series they would face Brock in a tag-team contest. Sheamus and Cesaro would accept, but make a point that Brock was currently short a tag-team partner. Rather than reveal Brock's partner both men would simply head backstage.
The following week Sheamus and Cesaro would be interviewed backstage but before the interview could even begin both men would be jumped from behind by Kevin Owens who was wielding a wrench. What was noticable about Owens' appearance was that he was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with 'I'm a Heyman Guy' across it. Later on in the night Heyman and Lesnar would cut a promo in the ring, confirming that Kevin Owens was in fact going to be Lesnar's partner at Survivor Series.
Tag Team Match
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Brock Lesnar & Kevin Owens w/ Paul Heyman
|| BALOR VERSUS THE CLUB STORYLINE ||
31st October (Monday Night RAW): The night after Hell in a Cell proved to be an interesting one for Universal Champion Finn Balor. Rather than be accused of getting 'The Club' involved in the title match by Jericho, it would be Finn who would show his annoyance at Anderson, Gallows and Yujiro for sticking their noses where it didn't belong. In the same promo Finn would thank King Fale for stopping 'The Club' from getting to involved, but at the same time would make the point that he really didn't need any help at all.
Later on in the show 'The Club' would come face to face with King Fale and rather than break into a brawl as many would of expected Anderson offered Fale an olive branch to come back into the fold, making the point that Balor was clearly ungrateful but that Fale's skill-set wouldn't be undervalued by anyone in the club and that despite his recent actions they would all be able to put that all in the past. Fale would accept the invitation and thus rejoin 'The Club' (Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows & Yujiro). Not much after this interaction 'The Club' would cut a promo making it clear that they were willing to give Finn one last chance to assimilate and return to 'The Club' or they would declare all out war on the Universal Champion.
7th November (Monday Night RAW): One thing that Balor made clear to everyone that he didn't enjoy be given ultimatum, so rather than accept The Club's offer instead would invite Karl Anderson to the ring where he would suggest an alternative. Balor would challenge Anderson to a Four on Four traditional survivor series elimination match. The stipulation would be that if Balor's team won then 'The Club' would be forced to stop getting involved in Balor's matches or face punishment from management. It was the stipulation that if Balor's team lost that was the really kicker; if Balor's team lost then he would be forced to rejoin 'The Club.' Anderson would accept the offer which wasn't at all surprising considering having Balor rejoin the group was everything that 'The Club' had been trying to achieve in recent weeks. Following this deal, Balor would cross paths with Mick Foley and made it clear that he was going to pick three stacked superstars for his team and would reveal them all on next week's episode of RAW.
14th November (Monday Night RAW): With less than a week to go until Survivor Series Balor would reveal the three other men that would be part of 'Team Balor' at Survivor Series. Balor would introduce RAW's double champion (WWE United States Champion and Million Dollar Champion) Braun Strowman citing that Strowman was one of the hottest members of the RAW roster at this moment in time and he couldn't think of many people who were in better form. Balor would also reveal his good friend Sami Zayn as the second member of the team, whilst the third member of the team would prove to be a bit of a surprise in the form of Chris Jericho. Balor would make it clear that the match with Jericho had been the best match he had competed in since joining the main roster, and that he had always wanted to team up with Jericho and that this match was the perfect opportunity to achieve that dream.
4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Match
THE CLUB: Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, King Fale & Yujiro
vs. TEAM BALOR: Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn & Chris Jericho
|| WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
With Sasha still in possession of the RAW Women's Championship after a truly epic Hell in a Cell match, she found herself in a position of being three weeks shy of Survivor Series without a name title challenger. General Manager Mick Foley would personally congratulate Sasha on her defence in the first ever women's hell in a cell match in the history of the company, as well as making a point that all five challengers had put on a stellar performance. Foley would make it clear that Alicia Fox had impressed him the most out of all the titles challengers, and on this basis Alicia Fox would be facing Sasha at Survivor Series for the RAW Women's Championship. What was nice about the build up of the contest was that there was no bad blood between either Sasha or Alicia and it was clear that a lot of respect was felt between champion and challenger.
WWE RAW Women's Championship - Singles Match
Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks (c)
++ Cruiserweight Warfare (#1 Contendership Cruiserweight Championship) ++
Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Chris Sabin vs. Drew Gulak vs. Evan Bourne vs. Gran Metalik vs. HoHo Lun vs. Jack Gallagher vs. Jigsaw vs. Kalisto vs. Kushida vs. Lince Dorado vs. Neville vs. Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann vs. Ricochet vs. Sin Cara vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Will Ferrera
++ Singles Match ++
Curt Hawkins vs. John Cena
(Christian Banned From Ringside)
++ WWE RAW Women's Championship - Singles Match ++
Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks (c)
++ 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match ++ Team No Confidence:Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Kane & Bray Wyatt
vs. Team Daniel Bryan: Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, Apollo Crews, Alberto Del Rio & Joe Hendry
++ Tag Team Match ++
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Brock Lesnar & Kevin Owens w/ Paul Heyman
++ 4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Match ++
THE CLUB: Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, King Fale & Yujiro
vs. TEAM BALOR: Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn & Chris Jericho
++ WWE Smackdown Women's Championship - Championship Scramble Match ++
Eva Marie (c) vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi
++ 10-on-10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match ++ TEAM SMACKDOWN:The Hype Bros, American Alpha, The Usos, Breezeango & The World's Greatest Tag Team
vs. TEAM RAW: The Shield, The Dudley Boyz, The Establishment, The Bollywood Boyz & Enzo and Big Cass
1:Bobby Roode defeated Tye Dillinger - Singles Match 2: The Authors of Pain (Rezar & Akam) w/ Paul Ellering defeated TM61 (Nick Miller & Shane Thorne) - Dusty Rhodes Classic Tag Team Tournament Final 3: DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa) defeated The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) (c) - Two out of Three Falls for NXT Tag Team Championship 4: Asuka (c) defeated Mickie James - Singles Match for NXT Women's Championship 5:Samoa Joe defeated Shinsuke Nakamure (c) - Singles Match for NXT Championship
++ 10-on-10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination Match ++ TEAM SMACKDOWN:The Hype Bros, American Alpha, The Usos, Breezeango & The World's Greatest Tag Team
vs. TEAM RAW: The Shield, The Dudley Boyz, The Establishment, The Bollywood Boyz & Enzo and Big Cass
[Survivor Series would start with the massive RAW vs. Smackdown 10-on-10 elimination match and it would be a great match to warm up he crowd whilst at the same time offer a match that would hold no real value after tonight's show. The end of the contest would see only two teams remaining on each prospective team. Team Smackdown would be represented by The World's Greatest Tag Team (Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas) whilst Team RAW would have The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) fighting for them. The match would come to a conclusion with Haas tangled upside down on the turnbuckle whilst Benjamin would be hit with the CELEBRITY REHAB which would bring an end to madness that had opened the pay per view and left a wake of bodies in its path. Both Daniels and Kazarian would be extremely pleased with themselves on their victory, although when the rest of Team RAW attempted to join them in congratulations neither man showed any interest in their approaches and would exit the ring and make their way backstage much to everyone else on Team RAW's frustration.]
WINNERS: The Establishment - Team RAW win the match
++ Singles Match ++
Curt Hawkins vs. John Cena
(Christian Banned From Ringside)
[The match following Cruiserweight Warfare was always going to slightly suffer, but with Cena's star power mixed with Hawkins desire for greatness the fans were treated to an interesting contest. One thing was for certain though and that was that John was eager to right the wrongs of losing to Curt at the 'Hell in a Cell' PPV. The match would start with Cena on the offensive and Mauro Ranallo summarised that without Christian able to aid Curt, that Hawkins was starting to drown in a WWE ring. It looked as if Cena was going to achieve an early victory as after connecting with a Gutwrench Suplex he would drop down on top of Hawkins and lock him in an STF! Cena would start wrenching on Hawkins' neck like a frustrated wife trying to open a jar of marmalade. Hawkins though was defiant as he slowly crawled over to the ropes and would reach out for the bottom rope and earn his freedom by the referee enforcing a rope break. Hawkins would look tired after being held in the facelock for well over a minute an a half, but rather than look weaker Hawkins actually started looking stronger. Cena though would remain on top form as he would look to keep up on the momentum, only for Curt to rake Cena's eyes without the referee ever seeing the illegal move. And it was this slight opening, irrelevant of it being illegal or not that allowed for Curt to take hold of Cena and send him down onto the canvass with the LAUGH RIOT! Hawkins would climb up onto the turnbuckle and pause for a moment and taunt the fans before leaping off and landing on top of Cena with the HEAT SEEKING ELBOW! Hawkins aerial assault would be followed up by simple three count, and once again it was Curt Hawkins who was making the headlines. Curt would make his way towards the back and as he arrived at the main stage would be embraced by Christian who would be beaming with a smile as big as the Cheshire Cat's as Cena would remain on his back in the middle of the ring.]
WINNER: Curt Hawkins
++ Cruiserweight Warfare ++
Akira Tozawa vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Chris Sabin vs. Drew Gulak vs. Evan Bourne vs. Gran Metalik vs. HoHo Lun vs. Jack Gallagher vs. Jigsaw vs. Kalisto vs. Kushida vs. Lince Dorado vs. Neville vs. Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann vs. Ricochet vs. Sin Cara vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Will Ferrara
[The Cruiserweight Warfare match began with Sin Cara (1st Entrant) and Jigsaw (2nd Entrant) as the first and second entrants respectively, and with such a unique contest taking place it was clear that the Canadian fans were excited about the match and what it would mean for the Cruiserweight Division. Both Jigsaw and Sin Cara started the match fairly cagey, although after twenty seconds or so both men realised that this wasn't a match where waiting would be of any advantage. Neither man had enough time to really get a clear advantage over the other, but both men would be met with applause from the fans in their ability to transition and reverse each other's attempt at schooling the other. It was at this point that former champion T.J. Perkins (3rd Entrant) would emerge from the back as the next entry in the contest. Perkins would be quick to get involve in the actions with his first action being him leaping over the top rope and sending both Jigsaw and Sin Cara head over heels with a double-armed leaping lariat. One a clear adrenaline rush Perkins would use the momentum of the ring ropes to speed back and forth knocking both Jigsaw and Sin Cara over with shoulders checks and clotheslines as both men would try to get back to their feet. It wouldn't take long though for both Jigsaw and Sin Cara to realise that they would be stronger working together, especially with Perkins building up a head of steam. Jigsaw and Sin Cara would work as a unit and start pushing Perkins in the direction of the edge of the ring only to find them being interrupted by the next man to be part of the contest Kalisto (4th Entrant). Kalisto would enter the ring and before he had any time to compose himself, Sin Cara would pull away from Perkins and instead charge forward at his former Lucha Dragons partner and connect with a Running Enzuigiri! With Jigsaw struggling to contend with Perkins by himself, he would found himself on the end of a DETONATION KICK that would have all the power behind it to cause Jigsaw to teeter as he fell into the ropes. Rather than throw him over the ropes though Perkins would grab hold of Jigsaw and smash him down into the canvass with the SKULL CRUSHER before holding him down for the three count.
*Jigsaw Eliminated*
Only seconds after Jigsaw was removed from the contest, Rich Swann (5th Entrant) would enter the ring with a noticeable desire in his eyes and would assert his authority by going after everyone else in the ring, with it taking a Diving Headbutt from Sin Cara to finally stop Swann in his tracks. Swann, Sin Cara, Kalisto and Perkins would stare at each other from all four corners of the ring slowly pacing towards each other only for the music belonging to 'The Man That Gravity Forgot' Neville (6th Entrant) to play, as the Englishman would sprint down the entrance ramp and slide into the ring. After Neville's entry, the next entrants would be Lince Dorado (7th Entrant), Cedric Alexander (8th Entrant) and Gran Metalik (9th Entrant) would all enter the ring before any real action would take place. With eight superstars in the ring, it had become a bit of a rugby scrum and with a ring almost full to its brim it was clear that no one safe. In the confusion Kalisto would topple over the ropes with Gran Metalik, Sin Cara and Neville all lifting him up and tossing him out of the ring.
*Kalisto Eliminated*
Eliminations would then star to come thick and fast with Dorado taking out Alexander from above with a Lynxsault, with Perkins ever being the opportunist grabbing hold of Cedric and rolling him up in a schoolboy pin.
*Cedric Alexander Eliminated*
Meanwhile Neville would floor Sin Cara with a roundhouse kick, only for Gran Metalik to leap off the turnbuckle and connect with a CORKSCREW SENTON BOMB before draping his arm over Sin Cara and achieving the pin-fall.
*Sin Cara Eliminated*
With Neville clearly happy with his involvement in Sin Cara's elimination, both he and Gran Metalik would high five each other only for Perkins to grab hold of Metalik and with brute force throw the young Mexican over the ropes and out of the contest.
*Gran Metalik Eliminated*
Neville at the same time would find himself kicked square in the face by Swann with a Backflip Nika Kick only for Perkins to connect a clotheslines and send Neville sprawling over the ropes and onto the concrete below.
*Neville Eliminated*
With five eliminations in the space of sixty seconds the fans had been treated to a really great minute of action, as the fans would cheer Brian Kendrick (10th Entrant) would make his way towards the ring and mark the halfway point in terms of entrants. Kendrick entrance would result in an explosive introduction as he would immediately grab hold of Rich Swann and connect with his signature finishing move SLICED BREAD #2! A string of further ring entries would take place as Perkins, Kendricks, Dorado and Swann would all show their resilience and survivor's instinct. The order of entries would be Drew Gulak (11th Entrant), Will Ferrara (12th Entrant), Chris Sabin (13th Entrant) and HoHo Lun (14th Entrant) would all enter to the ring before the match would once again become a spot-fest. Another flurry of eliminations would take place as Chris Sabin would hit Gulak with the CRADLE SHOCK PIN to remove him from the contest.
*Drew Gulak Eliminated*
Whilst Brian Kendrick would find himself hit with a Tiger Feint kick from Lince Dorado, only for HoHo Lun to nail Kendrick with a SUPERKICK that would cause Kendrick to fall out of the ring.
*Brian Kendrick Eliminated*
HoHo Lun and Dorado despite the language barrier would start working as a unit and would go after Sabin first, but then would seem to change their mind and instead try to force Ferrara out of the ring. To everyone's surprise Lun would suddenly change his tact and connect with another SUPERKICK although this one would hit Lince Dorado square in the jaw and send the masked wrestler to fall out of the ring.
*Lince Dorado Eliminated*
As is always the case in these sort of matches Dorado's elimination would soon be followed by the arrival of Akira Tozawa (15th Entrant) which would instantly excite all of the fans as there can be no question that Akira is one of the most excited talents to emerge from the Japanese indie scene in recent years and Tozawa would back up all of his hype instantaneously of his entry into the contest. Charging forward he would hoist up both Sabin and Ferrara who were fighting up against the ropes and end up eliminating both men without either of the two realising what was going on until it was too late.
*Chris Sabin & Will Ferrara Eliminated*
Tozawa would have a massive smile on his face after accruing the double elimination. However the smile on Akira's face would disappear when Noam Dar (16th Entrant) would start walking out from the back with the blue and white flag of Scotland wrapped around his shoulders. As Tozawa gave Dar his full attention, meanwhile Rich Swann had found himself locked in a FIGURE FOUR DEATHLOCK from T.J. and despite his best efforts Swann would eventually submit from the sheer pain that was being exerted on his body.
*Rich Swann Eliminated*
Dar and Tozawa were having an epic battle in the ring and seemed intent on causing each other as much pain as possible. This in turn led to HoHo Lun and Perkins also swinging at each other right up until the next man enter into the contest. Evan Bourne (17th Entrant) would sprint out from the back, but would end up being the fastest elimination so far as he would charge at both Dar and Tozawa who would duck down and pull down the top rope they did so causing Evan to trip over the ropes and fall out of the ring and thus eliminate himself in the process.
*Evan Bourne Eliminated*
No more eliminations would take place until everyone else had entered into the ring Jack Gallagher (18th Entrant), Ricochet (19th Entrant) and Kushida (20th Entrant). With seven men left in the contest and no one else left to join them, commentary members Graves and Cole made the point that now was the time that those still in the contest would start jumping ahead of themselves and fantasising about challenging for the Cruiserweight Title at the next PPV. The man that was looking the most exhausted was third entrant Perkins, and it was clear that the former champion was starting to show signs of weakness. None the less it wouldn't stop Perkins leaping off the turnbuckle and smashing into Gallagher's face with an 86er and then followed up with a pin-fall.
*Jack Gallagher Eliminated*
The battle between Dar and Tozawa would finally come to an end as Dar would connect with a well executed Northern Lights Suplex and attempt to bridge it into a pin, although Dar would be caught off guard as Kushida would charge forward and hit Dar with a BUZZSAW KICK straight into the back of Dar's head. Dar would instinctively escape out of ring underneath the bottom rope, although Kushida would grab hold of Tozawa who was still down and lock in the KUSHIDA TAP which would soon be followed by Akira tapping out.
*Akira Tozawa Eliminated*
Kushida was still on the floor when Ricochet would crash on top of him with a 630 SENTON and in just a click of a finger Kushida found himself joined Tozawa on the long walk backstage.
*Kushida Eliminated*
With Dar still recovering outside of the ring it was Ricochet, Perkins and Lun that were led to believe by association alone that they were the final three. Lun would be the first to move and would catch Ricochet with a SUPERKICK but Perkins would duck down in order to avoid a portion of the same meal. It was at this point that Dar would leap up on to the apron and leap over the ropes directing himself at Perkins, only for T.J. to catch him off guard in mid-air with a Double Footed Dropkick! Perkins though would be completely caught off guard though as HoHo Lun would spin him round and drop him to one knee with a SHINING WIZARD! With Perkins down but not out, Ricochet would push himself back onto his feet only to knock Perkins over with a Superman Punch! At this point Ricochet would hook over Perkins' legs and earn the pin-fall elimination.
*T.J. Perkins Eliminated*
Noam would scramble forward seeing an opportunity present itself as he would cling onto Ricochet's leg and singe in a CHAMPAGNE SUPERKNEEBAR and immediately start wrenching at his socket. HoHo leaned against the ropes and rather than get involved was like a predator stalking its prey as he watching on in eager anticipation. Ricochet looked close to give up when Lun stepped forward only to back up again before getting involved as Ricochet tapped out no longer to take anymore punishment.
*Ricochet Eliminated*
Dar was barely back on his feet when Lun would finally charge forward and connect with a SUPERKICK!And that was all she wrote as HoHo would drop down over Noam and cover him for the pin-fall victory.
*Noam Dar Eliminated*
HoHo Lun would stand up with his hand raised in the air with a massive smile on his face knowing that he would be facing ZSJ at Roadblock: End of the Line with the Cruiserweight Championship up for grabs. Whilst HoHo continued to celebrate, Sabre Jr. music would start play and the Cruiserweight Champion would make his way down to the ring. HoHo and Zack would stare at each other in the middle of the ring, before ZSJ would offer his hand and both men would shake hands ahead of their scheduled title match at the Roadblock Pay Per View.]
WINNER: HoHo Lun - new #1 contender for WWE Cruiserweight Championship
++ 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match ++ Team No Confidence: Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Kane & Bray Wyatt
vs. Team Daniel Bryan: Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, Apollo Crews, Alberto Del Rio & Joe Hendry
[The political bearing of this match was as variable as the swing of a pendulum. If Bryan's team won, then the opposing team would not be participating in the Royal Rumble match next year. At the same time if Team No Confidence won then Daniel Bryan would no longer be General Manager of Smackdown Live. The start of the match would see earlier eliminations for both teams as The Miz and Bray Wyatt would find themselves eliminated for 'Team No Confidence' whilst the trio of Apollo Crews, Alberto Del Rio and former champion Dolph Ziggler would all be taking early baths. One man that was looking particularly impressive on his Survivor Series debut was Joe Hendry. The Scot was showing raw ability and talent that no had been expecting to see anytime soon and had been doing his best to give everyone a European Uppercut on behalf of Daniel Bryan. Hendry would really send a massive to everyone involved though when he would grab hold of Ambrose and send both himself and Dean down onto the concrete with a FREAK OF NATURE! The move would cause more damage to Ambrose than anyone would have expected, and 'The Lunactic Fringe' would find himself being counted out in the process. In regards to Kane though Joe Hendry learned a lesson in just exactly why so many people are scared of 'The Big Red Machine' as he would find himself being eliminated after receiving a truly brutal CHOKESLAM FROM HELL!
With AJ Styles the only man left in Team Bryan, the odds were looking against him as he still had to compete with both Kane and Orton and for a good seven minutes Styles was doing his best just to stay alive, but with no one to tag with he was losing in a battle of attrition. Kane would finally look to finish Styles off with a Tombstone although at the very last moment Styles would manage to transition himself out Kane's clutches and would start choking Kane as he was mounted on the big man's back. Styles though would dismount and knock Randy off the apron being springboarding back into the ring and knocking the spit right out Kane's mouth with a PHENOMENAL FOREARM! And that was all that was needed for Randy and AJ to become the final members of their respective teams. What was even more interesting was this finally gave Styles the opportunity he was after in getting some payback. The remainder of the contest would last less than a minute as Styles would leap off the corner turnbuckle with the intention of connecting with a Spiral Tap only for Orton to emerge from his own darkness and connect with a brutal RKO! Orton would smile menacingly before covering Styles and earning the victory.
Following the result Randy would celebrate by demanding a microphone be given to him, before offering a final farewell message to Daniel Bryan before heading backstage with a massive smile across his face.
WINNER: Randy Orton (sole survivor) - Team No Confidence wins
++ WWE RAW Women's Championship - Singles Match ++
Alicia Fox vs. Sasha Banks (c)
[The match between Alicia and Sasha told the story of a long standing champion come head to head with a women whose career was going through a noticeable resurgence. It was also a refreshing match for the fans, as for the first time in months Charlotte was nowhere near a Women's Championship contest. Sasha would start the match on the up with some notable spots including; a Diving Double Knee Drop whilst Alicia was trapped between the turnbuckles, a well executed Japanese Arm Drag not to mention smashing Alicia with a number of forehand chops to the midsection. Alicia though was resilient and every time Sasha attempted a cover or submission Foxy showed just how determined she was by surviving each one like a wave of Zombie in Call of Duty. Sasha was looking outstanding in the contest and with Alicia seeing stars and lying on her back it looked almost certain that she as leaving with the title still in her possession. Sasha would climb onto the turnbuckle and would be met with a massive cheer from the fans as she posed before leaping off headed straight for Alicia with a FROG SPLAS-NO! At the last moment Alicia lifted up both her knees, which knocked the wind right out of Banks. Banks wasn't completely grounded as she would be on both her knees as she would hold her stomach clearly winded, only to be caught out completely as Alicia had made her way back up to her feet and pulled off her scissor kick finishing move WATCH YO' FACE! And with the state that Sasha was in it looked like she was down for the count. Out of nowhere Summer Rae would enter the ring and completely blindside Alicia as she connected with a SPINNING HEEL KICK! The referee looked at Summer Rae in disbelief as he waved his arms in the air, ending the match by way of DQ. With Sasha and Alicia both down, Summer Rae smirked at both of them before grabbing hold of the title belt and looking at it for a moment before laying it on top of Sasha before exiting the ring.]
WINNER: Alicia Fox via DQ - Sasha Banks retains WWE RAW Women's Championship
++ Tag Team Match ++
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Brock Lesnar & Kevin Owens w/ Paul Heyman
[The match was certainly something that was worth waiting for, although a large amount of that interest was due to Lesnar's involvement. Despite the best of seven series both Sheamus and Cesaro were fluid as a team and would work in unison making sure to tag in and out as much as possible in order to remain fresh. On the other hand though Brock was so intent on getting the job done, that he was going out of his way to not use Owens. Kevin on the other hand was clearly getting angered by Brock for not using him as part of the contest, and there seemed to be a strange three way argument going on between Brock, Kevin and Heyman. The infighting though was certainly playing to Sheamus and Cesaro's benefits. Eventually Owens would snap but instead of fighting Lesnar would drop off the ring apron and say something to Heyman before trotting off backstage. Lesnar though was competing like a man possessed but realising he was abandoned Sheamus and Cesaro would ignore the referees pleas as they would both enter the ring together. Sheamus would be the first to make contact in the two pronged attack as he would nail Lesnar with a BROGUE KICK although to the Irishman' shock Lesnar would remain on his feet. Lesnar would bound off the ropes and hit Lesnar with a second BROGUE KICK but once again it would seemed to have no effect. Cesaro though would smash Brock with a European Uppercut. Finally Lesnar looked like he had grown tired of their childish games as he would take hold of Cesaro and throw him over with a Belly-to-Back Suplex! Brock would then turn his attention back to Sheamus and throw him up on his shoulders before benching pressing him up and tossing him out of the ring. Lesnar would then drag Cesaro up to his feet and nail him with an F-5 to seal the deal! After the match -Heyman would join Lesnar in the ring and push the in-ring official away before taking hold of Lesnar's arm and lifting it up into the air.]
WINNER: Brock Lesnar & Kevin Owens w/ Paul Heyman
++ 4-on-4 Survivor Series Elimination Match ++
THE CLUB: Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, King Fale & Yujiro
vs. TEAM BALOR: Finn Balor, Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn & Chris Jericho
[The atmosphere of the contest was a strange one, as it was clear that despite needing to win the match all four members of 'The Club' seemed unwilling to hurt Balor. Finn though had absolutely no problem in putting the pedal to the metal and causing as much damage to his former allies. One member of 'The Club' though that started being more aggressive with Balor was Yujiro and the commentary team would make a point that technically whilst working in Japan neither man had been part of the group at the same time. Yujiro would look set to hit Balor with Pimp Juice, only for Gallows to intervene and actually prevent Yujiro from connecting with his Snap DDT. This would result in Yujiro and Gallows arguing amongst themselves, that would allow for Balor to flee and tag in Strowman. Strowman though would forward like an upset rhinoceros and shoulder charge Gallows to one side. Turning his attention to Yujiro and picked him up and slammed into the canvass with a RUNNING POWERSLAM and in the motion eliminated him from the match.
*Yujiro Eliminated*
Strowman would not shy away from Gallows, although the two big men would put on a battle which mirror a tug of war competition. It didn't take long for chaos to spill over into the ring as Anderson, Fale, Balor, Zayn and Chris would all pile into the ring. As all seven men were colliding in the middle of the ring it had turned into a well and truly devastating slobber-knocker. And in all the confusion the referee clearly wasn't sure who was the legal man and who wasn't and seemed to almost allow the match to be fought under tornado rules for the time being. The next man to find himself removed from the contest though would be Gallows though, after he was weakened by Strowman with a LIFTING ARM TRIANGLE CHOKE before Zayn would connect with a HELLUVA KICK whilst Gallows was still in Strowman's clutches.
*Luke Gallows Eliminated*
With 'The Club' now outnumbered two-to-one the referee once again insisted that everyone get back in their corner. As Balor's Team was still getting out of the ring, King Fale would nail Zayn in the back of the head with a GRENADE and just like that he removed him from the contest with the subsequent pin-fall.
*Sami Zayn Eliminated*
Strowman and Jericho would both enter the ring at the same time, although both men would start arguing amongst themselves in regards to who was going to be the legal man. After a few moments Jericho seemed to let Braun have his own way, only to pull off a massive swerve and hit Braun with a CODEBREAKER! Balor would ook at Jericho in total disbelief, but Jericho would just flip Balor off before rolling out of the ring and making his way towards the back and would find himself eliminated in the process by way of count-out.
*Chris Jericho Eliminated*
With Braun still on his back, King Fale was doing the unthinkable by standing on the turnbuckle only to leap off and crash down on top of Strowman with a DIVING BODY SPLASH which he would follow up by hooking of Braun's leg for the cover, as Balor would fail miserably in coming to Braun's aid.
*Braun Strowman Eliminated*
Balor would now be the last member of his team as he found himself staring down Fale, as Anderson looked unsure who to encourage on the ring apron. King Fale would walk up close to Balor and both men would exchange words, before Fale would make a cut throat gesture with his fingers before pointing at Anderson which would follow with both men touching fists. As Balor starting making his way over to Anderson though, Karl would just smile as Fale would spring off the rips and cut Balor in half as he connected with a GRENADE! King Fale would drop on top of Balor and earn the three count and bring the contest to a close.
*Finn Balor Eliminated*
Karl would enter the ring and stand side by side with King Fale as they would throw up the iconic 'Kliq Hand Sign' and would be soon rejoined by Yujiro and Luke Gallows who would return from backstage and join their club-mates in the ring. Balor would finally get up to his feet and come face to face with all four member's of 'The Club' who would offer their hands out as a clear sign of peace. Despite knowing the terms of losing the match meant that Balor was obligated to become part of the 'The Club' Finn showed absolutely no interest in complying and exited the ring and took hold of his Universal Title belt before leaping over the barricade and disappearing into the fans as 'The Club' watch him in total disbelief.]
WINNERS: The Club (survivors Karl Anderson & King Fale) - Finn Balor must join 'The Club'
++ WWE Smackdown Women's Championship - Championship Scramble Match ++
Eva Marie (c) vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi
[00:00 - The contest's first two entrants would be reigning champion Eva Marie and Becky Lynch. In the opening five minutes neither women would earn a pin or submission. The best moment of the opening portion of the contest though would be when both Eva and Becky had toppled out of the ring and onto the concrete. Whilst on the floor Becky would lock Eva in a DIS-ARM-HER and would really crank the pressure on Eva's arm with the full knowledge that she wouldn't be able to achieve a submission outside of the ring. None the less Becky held in the arm-bar for as long as she could, even with Eva noticeably tapping out.
00:05 - Former champion Alexa Bliss would be the next to enter the championship scramble, although that wouldn't stop Becky from trying to break Eva's arm. As Alexa arrived on the scene she could climb up the steel steps and jump off and land on both Lynch & Eva with a Double Knee Drop! The move would instantly break up Lynch's hold of Eva, whilst 'The Red Queen' would clutch her arm clearly in a large amount of pain. Alexa would force Eva up and smash her in the jaw with a forearm smash and roll the champion into the ring, before charging forward and kicking Becky in her stomach noticeably winding her in the process. Bliss would then slide back into the ring and grab hold of Eva's arm and lock her in a SPARKLE ARMBAR! It would take only seconds for Eva to give up, with it clear that her left arm was really in a bad way by the way she was holding it almost as if it was broken.
CURRENT INTERIM CHAMPION: Alexa Bliss
00:07 - Becky would re-enter the ring, and whilst Alexa was celebrating her moment she would be blindsided by Becky with an axe-handle to the back of the head before 'The Lass Kicker' would grab hold of Bliss and plant her down onto the canvass with the BEXPLODER SUPLEX! Lynch would smile in clear delight as she would push down on Alexa for the cover, only to looked totally distraught as Alexa would break the count by raising her shoulders at the last possible moment. Alexa would actually seemed to be laughing despite still being horizontal on the mat as the next countdown for the next entrant had begun.
00:10 - The fourth entrant of the contest would be Naomi, and for a lot of people Naomi was the complete underdog in the contest although by the speed in which she ran down to the ring it was clear that she was extremely determined. One thing that was also clear was that she had clearly misjudged what she was running into as she would be met head on by Lynch who would catch Naomi with a well timed Fire-Arm! Naomi would remain on her feet only for Alexa to connect with a Diving Dropkick that would cause Naomi to topple through the ropes and out of the ring. As Naomi would get back up though she would find Eva huddled up against the ring apron and proceed to kick her a few times in the arm before sending herself and Eva back into the ring. At the same time Alexa had forced Becky into the corner and was connecting with a number of forearm chops right to Becky's midsection. With Becky and Alexa focused on each other, Naomi would have free reign to force Eva up to her feet only to send her right back down to the mat with the REAR VIEW and hold her down for the count.
CURRENT INTERIM CHAMPION: Naomi
00:14 - The ring announcement by JoJo that Naomi was the new interim champion, would instantly cause Becky and Alexa to break away from each other and look on at Naomi in total disbelief as Naomi push Eva back out of the ring and look at Alexa and Becky with a look of determination in her eyes.
00:15 - The final five minute of the contest would see Bayley finally enter the fold, although as she was making her down to the ring she would come face to face with Eva Marie who was being helped backstage by a pair of EMTs who had put Eva's left arm in a sling as they were helping her backstage to get further treatment. As Becky enter the ring she would grab hold Naomi and throw her to one side with a BAYLEY-TO-BELLY, and as Alexa charged forward she would also be thrown to one side with another BAYLEY-TO-BELLY. Bayley was clearly being fuelled by a massive adrenaline rush and as Becky Lynch approach her it looked like she to was going to be hit by the Bayley-To-Belly, but Becky would scout the move and duck and weave out of the way only to throw Bayley over with a Japanese Arm Drag, and then another and then another. Alexa would make her back to her feet without either Bayley or Becky being aware and would mount the turnbuckle and leap off nailed both Bayley and Lynch with a SPARKLE SPLASH! Alexa would first attempt to cover Bayley, but no avail and then try to cover Beckly but just as before she wasn't able to achieve a three count. Naomi would find her way back to her feet only for Bliss to hit Naomi with a SPLASH DDT! Before Alexa could cover Naomi though she was thrown off her feet with a Leg Lariat by Bayley, only for the world's greatest hugger to drop down over Naomi and steal the pin for herself and by doing so become the new interim champion.
CURRENT INTERIM CHAMPION: Bayley
00:18 - With just two minutes left on the clock the match had broken out into total chaos with the remaining four competitors desperate to leave with the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship. Bayley suddenly found herself up against the wall as she would be hit with three finishing moves in a row; the SNAP DDT, the BEXPLODER SUPLEX and A BAD PLACE before she would be thrown over the ropes and out of the ring (despite all the punishment the Smackdown commentary team pointed out that Bayley was still the interim champion). Naomi would be the first out of the three left inside the ring to make the next move as she would knock Becky over with a Spinning Heel Kick only for Alexa to kick Naomi in the midsection and send her head first into the ring ropes with a SNAP DDT! Alexa would botch the move though as she would inadvertently send herself and Naomi to spill out of the ring and down onto the concrete.
00:19 - With a minute to go Becky would remain as the only person still in the ring, although without a pin-fall or submission it would be Bayley who would leave with the title. Much to everyone's surprise though Eva Marie would emerge from backstage with a cast on her arm and catch Becky completely off-guard with a STIFF CAST SHOT TO THE FACE and with the referee unsure what to do and whether to judge the cast as an illegal weapon or not. After a few seconds though with Eva shouting at him he dropped down to make the three count.
CURRENT INTERIM CHAMPION: Eva Marie
Eva would stand defiantly with her hands raised in the air knowing she she was less than a minute away from retaining her title belt only for Naomi to come from behind Eva and judo toss her to the mat only to follow up on her attack by stamping down on Eva's cast and it didn't take long for the fresh cast to crumble and break. Naomi would be knocked out of the way though by Becky with a Back Kick only for Lynch to grab hold of Eva's injured arm and lock in the DIS-ARM-HER that had Eva tapping out instantly.
CURRENT INTERIM CHAMPION: Becky Lynch
00:20 - Becky got back up to her as the ring bell was rung and the match was brought to an end. The referee requested the title belt and handed it to Becky Lynch with the Irish native looking overcome with joy as tears started to flow as she made her way over to the turnbuckle and stood up on it and raised the championship belt over her head and met with roars of cheers from the crowd as a large amount of blue and white confetti fell from the roof of the arena and covered the ring as Survivor Series would come to a close.]
WINNER: Becky Lynch - new WWE Smackdown Women's Champion
|| WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
With Daniel Bryan no longer the General Manager of Smackdown Live it was clear that there was a lot of instability on Tuesday Nights and with only a two week gap between Survivor Series and TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Commissioner Shane McMahon made it clear that a replacement would not be announced until after the pay per view. Shane though would address the situation regarding the vacant WWE World Championship. Shane would make it clear that he was gravely annoyed with the unprofessional behaviour that Randy Orton and AJ Styles had shown in recent weeks, however he recognised that both men had a rivalry going on that the fans were interested in and so had decided that at the pay per view Randy would face AJ in a No Disqualification Match and that the winner of the match would get a WWE World Championship at New Year's Revolution.
No Disqualification Match (WWE World Championship Title Shot @ New Year's Revolution)
Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles
In regards to the actual championship Shane would put together a triple threat match that would see Alberto Del Rio and Dean Ambrose get third attempt at competing for the vacant title belt, whilst former champion Dolph Ziggler would be added as the third man. Shane said that Dolph had never willingly vacated the title, and now that he was fight fit was arguably the man most deserving of being involved in a WWE World Championship match. A lot of the focus was on the history between Dolph and Dean, whilst at the same time Alberto seem to actually enjoyed the fact that their wasn't any real pressure going into the contest. To make sure there would be no confusion as to who the winner of the match was, Shane booked the contest as a Ladder Match.
Ladder Match (WWE World Championship Match)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dean Ambrose
|| WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Curt Hawkins with Christian not far behind him, would be one of the first people to talk to Commissioner Shane McMahon and Hawkins would make it clear that he wanted his shot at the Intercontinental Title in Dallas at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. With Curt being the rightful number one contender, Shane would have no issue in granting Curt a shot at the title and would thus set-up a match between Curt and Apollo at the PPV. Shane though would though be unwilling to have Christian to be the fox in the hen house and would inform Christian that just like at Survivor Series he would be banned from ringside. Of course Christian was clearly upset about the situation, but Hawkins would convince him to settle down. Curt made it clear that if Christian was banned from ringside, then the match be a Chairs match. Shane would have no problem in granting Curt his wish, whilst Christian would just shrug his shoulders and bite his tongue.
Chairs Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match)
Apollo Crews (c) vs. Curt Hawkins (Christian Banned From Ringside)
|| WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP'S STORYLINE ||
Despite 'Team Smackdown' losing in the 10-on-10 Tag Team Elimination match at Survivor Series, Shane McMahon would make it clear that 'The World's Greatest Tag Team' (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin) had been head and shoulders above the four other team at Survivor Series including the current champions The Hype Bros. When Shane had been saying this during an announcement, he would soon find himself be interrupted by reigning Smackdown Tag Team champions Rawley and Ryder. Both men would make it clearly that they were deeply upset by Shane's word, but if he had such faith in Haas and Benjamin then they would gladly face the duo at the PPV. Shane dismissed both men and made it clear that irrespective of what they thought, he had already scheduled the match to take place between both teams at the PPV. Ryder would make it clear though that Shane had made a mistake underestimating The Hype Bros.
Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
The Hype Bros (Ryder & Rawley) (c) vs. The World's Greatest Tag Team (Haas & Benjamin)
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
With Becky Lynch the Smackdown Women's Champion a lot of people would of expected her first title defence to be against former champion Eva Marie. However, it would surface that the injuries that Eva had sustained at Survivor Series had resulted in her having a fractured Ulna and that she would be out of action for a minimum of ten weeks with it being likely that she would return sometime after the Royal Rumble. Turning to the rest of the Women's Smackdown division, Shane made it clear that as impressed as he had been with Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Naomi individual performances during the Survivor Series' main-event he was going to freshen up thing at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Shane would also make it clear that Carmella, Natyala and Nikki Bella had lost at No Mercy and therefore it would be unjust to simply give them title shots after they had lost the match at No Mercy. Shane would make it clear though that there was one woman on the Smackdown Live roster that former GM Daniel Bryan had looked passed and that was Maryse. Shane would go ahead and put together the program that would see Becky Lynch defend her title against Maryse in a Tables match.
Tables Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maryse w/ The Miz
|| WE ARE THE WYATT FAMILY STORYLINE ||
Bray Wyatt would cut a promo backstage with Rowan and Harper standing on either side of him. Bray would make it clear that ever since the draft that the Wyatt Family had grown stagnant, whilst their former brother Braun was going from strength to strength. In order to rectify the situation Bray would publicly make it clear that he considered Baron Corbin as one of the most impressive younger members of the Smackdown Live roster, and that if he were the general manager of Smackdown that Baron would be given a push towards the WWE World Championship as soon as possible. As a strong second place though Bray would offer the hand of friendship to Baron, which later on in the night would actually be accepted by Corbin in a promo of his own. Corbin would make it clear that he saw a lot of himself in Bray and that he would be more than happy to stand side by side with the Wyatts although wasn't quite ready to call himself a Wyatt just yet.
The following week the Wyatt Family and Baron Corbin would get into an altercation with American Alpha and The Usos whilst in the men's locker-room about something seemingly petty. Whatever the issue was it didn't stop all eight men from breaking into a brawl which had to be broken up by the remainder of the roster that were backstage. Shane clearly not happy about the fight backstage would call Bray Wyatt, Baron Corbin, Jimmy Uso and Chad Gable to his office. He would make it clear that he was growing tired of the lack of self control on Tuesday Nights and was therefore was going to make an example of everyone that had got into the fight backstage. Shane put together a four-on-four TLC match and that every single person's pink slips would be suspended above the ring, with the winning team getting to determine who would be offered best wishes in their future endeavours following the contest.
Tables, Ladders & Chair Match (Pink Slip Match)
Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper & Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable, Jason Jordan, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso
|| THE GLOBAL HERO STORYLINE ||
Despite Daniel Bryan being out of a job, Shane would go on record in saying that Joe Hendry had really impressed him from the European Exhibition to his performance at the Smackdown Live 5-on-5 Elimination Match. Shane would it clear that the European Exhibition match had been an experiment in trying to add another element to Smackdown Live and that Joe Hendry was very much the poster boy for Smackdown's European interests both commercially and in regards to talent relations. On this basis Shane said he was going to invite the man that had been the runner-up of the European Exhibition Nick Aldis and that Hendry would compete in a singles match against Aldis as part of TLC Kickoff Show.
point still stands tho
this is really a good BTB I am enjoying this and its not hard to keep up with.
