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[Before the match started John Cena would take a moment to address the fans. Cena would acknowledge that over the last few months he had been wrestling below par and put this down to his lack of motivation as well a number of acting roles that had landed on his lap. Cena though would be told to 'Shut The F*ck Up" by a large section of the fans and although the standard positive chants were give by the Cenation. Kalisto though would grow tired of having to listening to Cen'a spiel and would charge forward and begin the action by sending Cena to the mat with a Shining Wizard! The match wasn't the longest affair although it seemed that everyone that disliked Cena was taking the match as an opportunity to abuse him a much as possible. Cena would have a couple of spots worth talking about including pumping up his Reeboks and having his hand in front of his face or something. The match would come to an end with Kalisto knocking the spit out of Cena's mouth with a SAMURAY KICK but as Kalisto followed up with an attempt at his finisher Cena would shock everyone by grabbing hold of Kalisto in transition and sending him down to the canvass with an ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT and follow it with a pin to take the match. Cena would try to celebrate the victory, but only receive further abuse from the fans. JBL would also inform the viewers that not only was this Cena last match for a while, but Kalisto would also become a full-time member of the RAW Cruiserweight Division.]
WINNER: John Cena
Singles Match
Joe Hendry vs. Nick Aldis
[The aptly named 'Global Hero' Joe Hendry would be greeted with roars of delight from his cult following when he made his way down to the ring by openly mocking Aldis by having the theme-tune of UK TV Series Gladiators playing as he would make his way down to the ring dressed as a Roman soldier. The look on Aldis' face confirmed that he wasn't exactly thrilled by Joe's entrance, but at the same time would realise that he was the underdog in the match despite the fact that majority of people would rate Aldis as the more technically gifted wrestler. The match would allow Hendry to continue to interact with the crowd and increase his likeability rating as the 'Global Hero' whilst at the same time would let Aldis to make himself look extremely strong and talented in only his second match inside of a WWE ring. Aldis would go on to win the match with his finishing move THE TORMENTUM! Despite his victory it would be Hendry who would be greeted applause for the fans, which clearly frustrated Aldis who was annoyed that he wasn't the centre of attention.]
WINNER: Nick Aldis
Tables, Ladders & Chair Match (Pink Slip Match)
Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper & Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable,Jason Jordan, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso
[A Tables,Ladders and Chairs is always a match to get everyone's attention and with everyone's Pink Slip suspended above the ring there was no doubt that no one was going to take the match lightly considering any one could find themselves unemployed after the contest was over. One thing that was noticeable though was that despite The Usos and American Alpha both being talented teams, they were struggling to work together as a foursome. Meanwhile The Wyatt Family and Baron Corbin looked like a perfect fit, like a grotesque version of Cinderella and her glass slipper. Some of the most memorable spots from the match included; Baron Corbin hitting both of the Usos with a TWO-MAN END OF DAYS THROUGH A TABLE, Harper and Rowan both lifting up Chad Gable and removing him from the ring and onto the concrete floor with a DOUBLE CHOKESLAM, The Usos hitting Bray with a DOUBLE SAMOAN SPLASH whilst the leader of the Wyatts was lying on top of a table, not to forget American Alpha dropping Rowan onto an exposed turnbuckle (which ironically Rowan had removed himself) with GRAND AMPLITUDE!
The match would come to a conclusion in messy fashion as is so often the case with matches even ladders and more than three participants. Both members of the Usos would be holding their neck in excruciating pain after Rowan and Harper had charged at them both; using a horizontal ladder as a battering ram. Jason Jordan though had sacrificed himself by leaping off the turnbuckle and landing on one side of the ladder,the move not only would squash Harper underneath it but also cause a see-saw effecting causing Rowan to be taken out by the ladder as it returned to earth due to gravity. Gable and Bray Wyatt would pull and pull at each other, allowing for Baron to ascend the ladder and pull at the Pink Slips and bring the match to a conclusion.
With the Pink Slips in his grasp everyone was eager to find out who was going to handed their own slip and join the unemployment line to collect their weekly ration of bread and water. With Baron having won the contest, it was up to 'The Lone Wolf' to have the final say. Corbin would shock everyone though as the person he would send home packing was...Bray Wyatt. The announcement would result in the Usos and American Alpha laughing their heads off, whilst The Wyatt Family would just looked mortified at the realisation that Bray had just lost his job.]
WINNER: Baron Corbin
Tables Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Maryse w/ The Miz
[Interesting fact about Maryse, the last time she competed in a match was August 2011. So no matter how the match went there was no doubt that Maryse was going to have to shed her ring rust fast if she had any chance of leaving with the title belt in her possession. Maryse's husband The Miz offered her unlimited support throughout the contest, as well of course getting up to his usual tricks of offering distractions and generally trying to get into the opponent's head. Becky though did her best to avoid acknowledging The Miz, although this itself served as a distraction allowing Maryse to almost pick up a victory early on as she would hit Lynch with a FRENCH TKO before rolling up Becky with a schoolgirl-pin but the referee would remind Maryse that she could win by pinning Becky. Becky would seem to washed over with a surge of energy following her near-fall and really ramp up her offence. Lynch would start targeting Maryse's arm in much the same fashion she had with Eva Marie at Survivor Series. Becky would use a number of well-timed kicks to Maryse's left arm before sending the French Canadian to the mat with the BEXPLODER SUPLEX before taking hold of Maryse's left arm and locking in the DIS-ARM-HER!
Maryse's face would be a portrait of misery as she struggled in the hold, but The Miz would come to his wife's aid by grabbing hold of her leg until it was underneath the ropes which meant the referee was forced to end the match by rope-break. Becky would be infuriated by The Miz's involvement in the match and proceed to start arguing with the referee. This would allow Maryse to push herself up onto her feet and get behind Becky and hit the champ with the SKULL CRUSHING FINALE! The move would knock the crap out of Becky and she bounced off the canvass, although rather than be allowed to grab a table to finish off Becky, Maryse would find herself being prevented from doing so by her husband. The Miz would start arguing with Maryse and it was clear that he was annoyed that she was using his finishing move, whilst Maryse was shocked that The Miz was standing in her way of becoming champion. The referee would get in-between the The Miz and Maryse and demand that Miz leave the ring. In the ensuing confusion Becky had removed one of her wrestling boots and would smash it into the back of Maryse's head before springing off the ropes and wiping Maryse outwith a FLYING FIRE-ARM THROUGH A TABLE leaning against the turnbuckle to seal the deal and retain the title.]
WINNER: Becky Lynch – retains the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
No Disqualification Match (WWE World Championship Title Shot @ New Year's Revolution)
Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles
[With both men knowing that nothing was off the table in regards to what they could do to each other (due to the No Disqualification rule being effect) Randy didn't even finish making his way down the entrance ramp before he was greeted by Styles and both men would proceed to battle on the entrance ramp. Rather than wait for both men to reach the ring, the referee called for the bell showing a bit of leniency which no doubt was going to be needed for this particular contest. Both men would be going at it shot to shot on the ramp, in what looked more like a bar brawl than a wrestling match. AJ would show his resourcefulness by jumping up on the security barricade before spinning 180 degrees and taking Orton down with a Tornado DDT.Styles would then kick Randy in the face before forcing him to his feet only to be caught off-guard as Randy would strike AJ in the chin with a solid forearm smash that would send Styles reeling backwards into the barricade. Randy would then hoist AJ's leg up onto barricade and send him face first onto the entrance ramp with an Elevated DDT!
Eventually both men would make their way down to the ring and the fans would be treated to about five minutes of traditional action, although with the referee unable to actually pull both men apart or enforce any rope-breaks the match very much had a darker feel to it. Styles would look to gain an advantage as he spring-boarded off the ropes heading straight for Randy with a forearm smash only for Randy to show off his versatility as he connected with an unexpected RKO! Although would show his wrestling intelligence by rolling underneath the ring in order to prevent Randy from capitalising on the situation. Styles would be a little worse for wear and would try to escape Randy by climbing over the barricade and escaping into the fans as he would slowly start climbing the steps. Randy though would eventually catch him up AJ and both men would start throwing shots at each other at the top of the stairs. AJ would smash his knee into Randy's ribs before bundling him into the stair-rail and Orton would teeter at the top of the stairs desperately trying to regain his balance. Styles though would see an opportunity present itself and charge forward sending both himself and Randy to topple down the flight of stairs and actually crash into some (un)lucky fan in the food court below.
Both men would be slow to get back onto their feet, but fortunately the time was adequately filled by a number of replays of some of the action so far. Randy would be the first of the two men to fully get back onto his feet despite having taken the brunt of the fall and would drag Styles up to his feet and throw him into a nearby Hot Dog stand. Randy would then openly mock AJ by slapping him in the face before emptying a bottle of ketchup over Styles head whilst continuously slapping him in the face. Eventually Styles would snap and start fighting back although would himself temporarily blinded by the ketchup which would allow Randy to connect with an RKO ONTO THE HOTDOG STAND! Randy would drop over Styles in order to attempt, but the referee would make it clear that the match wasn't a falls count anywhere match and the match could only end in the confines of the squared circle. Randy would looked annoyed before dragging Styles up onto his feet and despite AJ not making it easy,both men would slowly return to the ring to continue the action.
With AJ looking worse for wear and on course for another severe beating at the hands of Randy, Styles found himself slowly lifted up onto the turnbuckle in a seated position. Randy would taunt the fans before grabbing hold of AJ and attempt to connect with an RKO-NO! Styles would defiantly kick Randy backwards before leaping off and landing on top of Randy with the SPIRAL TAP! AJ would somehow find some energy inside him and try to cover Randy, but to no avail as Orton would kick-out. Styles though would show no signs of giving up on what was likely to be his last legs if he ended up taking another major hit. Styles would take hold of Randy and connect with a Pele Kick before lifting Randy up and sending him down onto the canvass with the STYLES CLASH! Once again though Randy would break the count, with Styles looking at the referee in total disbelief. Out of nowhere Randy would leap up and connect with the RKO! Randy would look like a man possessed before taking a few steps backwards only to charge forward and kick AJ square in the head with a RUNNING PUNT KICK! The referee would intervene though as he would deem that Styles was knocked out and therefore bring the match to an end, not letting Randy do any further damage to a clearly incapacitated AJ Styles.
WINNER: Randy Orton – becomes #1 contender for WWE World Championship
Chairs Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship Match)
Apollo Crews (c) vs. Curt Hawkins (Christian Banned From Ringside)
[If we can take one thing away from the contest between Apollo Crews and Curt Hawkins it is that Apollo is an extremely dangerous man when a wielding a chair. Despite Hawkins trying his best to defend himself, all of his hard work against John Cena seemed to have amounted to nothing as Hawkins would be hit with chair shot, after chair shot, after chair shot and Crews seemed determined to cause Curt as much damage as possible. Mauro Ranallo would suggest that maybe Crews was trying to send a direct message to the rest of the roster that had any interest in becoming the Intercontinental Champion. With Curt looking in terrible shapes, Crews would become a true sadist by folding open chairs and seem to make a bed of chairs that were standing upright. Apollo would then take hold of Curt and wrench him up onto his feet before crashing Hawkins through the chairs with a SPIN-OUT POWERBOMB!
With Hawkins past the point of no return, Christian would appear out from the back and sprint towards the ring but slide onto his knees and hide behind the ring apron before the referee saw him. However Crews had spotted him and started signalling the referee. Christian realising that he might be about to be busted would escape underneath the ring apron and disappear under the ring. Crews would be adamant that Christian was under the ring, and try and convince the referee to pursue him. The referee wouldn't be too happy about the idea, but didn't take much convincing. Christian though had already managed to crawl through to the other side of the ring and would have a steel pipe in his hand. Christian would then skulk around the ring and catch Apollo completely off-guard with a STEEL PIPE TO THE HEAD before forcing Apollo back into the ring. Christian would spot the referee climbing out from under the ring and would sprint backstage without the referee being none the wiser. Hawkins would somehow have managed to get back onto his feet and was sitting on the turnbuckle with a steel chair in his hand and would leap off and land on Apollo with a HEAT SEEKING STEEL CHAIR! Hawkins would cover Apollo and gain the victory, although in less than pleasing circumstance for most of the viewers.]
WINNER: Curt Hawkins - new WWE Intercontinental Champion
[Before Curt could be given the title though Shane McMahon would emerge from the back and congratulate Curt on his title victory, but also tell the referee to restart the match and inform that this was because Christian had got involved in the contest. It would clearly be news to the referee, but he followed orders and call for the bell. Curt would look stunned as he had only just been given the title, only for Apollo to take a chair and wipe out Hawkins with a GUILLOTINE SHOT! Apollo would then hook over Hawkins legs and become a three time Intercontinental Champion in the process.]
WINNER: Apollo Crews - new WWE Intercontinental Champion
Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
The Hype Bros (Ryder & Rawley) (c) vs. World's Greatest Tag Team (Haas & Benjamin)
[The match for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles would go down as the match that never was. As Benjamin and Haas were standing like idiots waiting for The Hype Bros to make their way to the ring. After a while though it became apparent that Ryder and Rawley had no intention of coming down to the ring. Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon would make his way down to the ring and demand that The Hype Bros make their way down to the ring or face the consequences. Rather than suddenly appear from the back, the titantron would come to life with Rawley and Ryder wearing sombreros, wearing fake moustaches and holding maracas. Both men would be humming the tune of Cucaracha, whilst Shane would noticeably be steaming in the middle of the ring. Before Shane could interject to the nonsense going on screen, he would be flabbergasted when his sister Stephanie and RAW General Manager Mick Foley would also appear in shot also wearing the same ridiculous costumes. Ryder would let Shane know that unfortunately The Hype Bros wouldn't be competing tonight because they were currently in contract talks about a possible move to Monday Night RAW. The titantron would start going fuzzy then turn off only to be replaced with an image of Shane's face looking extremely peeved, as he just shook his head making it clear that Haas and Benjamin were going to have to wait bit longer for a shot at the titles.]
No Contest: The Hype Bros vs. Worlds Greatest Tag Team
Ladder Match (WWE World Championship Match)
Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dean Ambrose
[The match would start with all three men have an intense stare down in the middle of the ring, with Alberto making the first move and Dean following up for an intense lock-up whilst Ziggler would exit the ring rather than getting involved in the action and instead slide in a couple of ladders into the ring with it being clear that he was focused on getting the title sooner rather than later. Of course a Ladder match is a battle of attrition and the viewers would have to wait over twenty minutes before we reached the closing moment of the contest. Some of the more memorable highlights in the middle portions of the match included: Alberto trapping Ziggler between two rungs of one of the ladder and dropping down on top of Ziggler with DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP, Dolph would manage to exact his revenge on Alberto though by hitting him with a Stinger Splash sandwiching Alberto between himself and the steel ladder which Del Rio had been leaning up against in the corner. Of course Ambrose would have a highlight reel of his own which would see him dive through the rope and take out both his opponents who were fighting at ringside with AIR LUNATIC!
The closing of the contest would see Dolph sitting at the top of the ladder and pulling at the world title. Ambrose would be the first man to intercept Ziggler and both men would throw shots at each other before Dolph would force Ziggler off the ladder. Dolph would fall from the height and bounce right off the ropes and look like he was suffering from terrible whiplash as he was rolling on the mat looking to be really in a bad way. With Dean now on top of the ladder, it was Alberto that was left below and slowly start climbing up to meet Ambrose. Dean though leaped towards Alberto and connected with an original TORNADO DIRTY DEEDS which would cause both men to fall from a great height onto the canvass. The vibrations caused by the impact would cause the ladder to fall, and would subsequently land on top of Ambrose and trap him underneath. With Ambrose trapped and no one willing to aid him it was Dolph who was the first out of himself and ADR to get back up, although Del Rio wasn't far behind. Those extra few seconds though proved to be vital as Dolph would charged forward and send Alberto down to the mat with the ZIG ZAG! Ziggler would then smile as he would set-up a second ladder and start slowly climbing it, constantly checking over his should clearly anxious about his situation. Ziggler though would have nothing more to worry about though as he would unhook the title only for Del Rio to slam into the ladder, causing Dolph to lose grip of the title and fall off the ladder. The title though had fallen off its hook and was lying unattended in the middle of the ring, despite Del Rio being the only man on his feet Ambrose managed to hook the title with his feet before taking it into his hands. Del Rio looked on his shock as Ambrose was declared the champion, despite being trapped underneath the ladder. The referee would free Ambrose from his human bear trap allowing Ambrose to enjoy his moment of glory as the pay per view came to close.]
November 21st: Following Survivor Series, Karl Anderson and the rest of 'The Club' made it clear that a deal was a deal and on that basis Finn Balor was obligated by his word to re-enter the fold and become a fully fledged member of 'The Club'. Whilst cutting this particular promo Karl would introduce General Manager Mick Foley who would proceed to agree with everything that Anderson had said and made it clear that Balor had two choices; stay true to his word and join 'The Club' or vacate the Universal Championship. During the rest of the show Balor would struggle with his decision and confide with Sami Zayn about what he should do. Sami made it clear that as much as joining 'The Club' was bad news, it was surely a necessary evil compared to vacating the title. Finn nodded his head in agreement with Sami and would the show would end with Balor accepting the fallout of Survivor Series and officially becoming a member of 'The Club'.
November 28th: The following week all five members of 'The Club' would make their way out to the ring, where Karl Anderson would make it clear that the rest of 'The Club' were over the moon that Finn had once again become part of the most dangerous clique in the WWE Universe. Anderson would then make it known that not only had Finn joined the group, but had also take on the responsibility of being the group's leader. Balor would take the microphone off Anderson and make it clear that 'The Club' was no longer simply to be known as The Club, but rather 'The Balor Club'. This announcement got all the fans excited and this was also met with massive smiles from Gallows, Anderson, Fale and Yujiro. Finn would then invite his manager Truth Martini to join the group, and Martini would hold a book with a title that the camera would pick up which read 'The Book of Balor'. Finn would make it clear that 'The Balor Club' were not to be mistaken with a group of misguided eijits that were making loud noises in Japan, and would make it clear that 'The Balor Club' was very much a different kettle of fish. Turning his focus towards his own Universal Championship belt, Balor would make it clear that not only was he not scared of anyone. He would also make the point that despite having the strength of the four (not including Martini) other members of 'The Balor Club' he didn't need anyone to fight his battles for him and he wouldn't allow any interference to occur in the future. Balor would end the segment by requesting that General Manager Mick Foley find a suitable challenge for him to face at Roadblock: End of the Line.
Later on in the evening Foley would put together a Fatal Four match to determine a number one contender, although would surprise everyone by stating that all four entrants were men who had been deemed not worthy of a title shot for most of the year and this would be a chance of redemption for all those involved. Foley would reveal the four men as: the Big Show, Mark Henry, Titus O'Neill and Jack Swagger. The match would prove to be wholly entertaining considering that everyone involved knew just how important it was to win the contest. The match would see a phoenix rise from the ashes in the form of Jack Swagger and the smile on Swagger's face told the fans everything. That Swagger knew his career was on the up once again, and like a rat that had been trapped in a hole he might finally be able to escape for the darkness and return to the light once again.
December 5th: With Balor's title challenger confirmed as Swagger, Balor would stand in the middle of the ring alone and invite Swagger to join him. Swagger would accept Finn's invitation although it was clear that he was uneasy about the whole affair, and didn't fully trust Balor (in that the rest of 'The Balor Club' wasn't going to ambush him in the middle of the ring). Balor would compliment Swagger and actually say that out of all four entrants in last week's contenders' match, Swagger was the man he had been rooting to win and therefore was very much looking forward to their match in Pittsburgh. The segment would end with Finn offering his hand to Swagger and both men would shake hands although it was clear that both men were taking each other very seriously.
December 12th: With less than a week until the PPV, Finn would cut a promo in his full body paint and make it clear that he had no intention of losing the Universal Championship this Sunday at Roadblock, at the Royal Rumble or for the next calendar year. Balor though would find himself interrupted by Sami Zayn, who would ask how Finn was doing. Balor would be slightly off with Zayn, and make it clear that he wasn't in the mood for chit-chat and would end up walking away from Sami. By the look on Zayn's face it was clear that he was slightly dejected by Balor's behaviour, and despite Balor trying to keep up appearances something was clearly bothering the Universal Champion.
Singles Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Jack Swagger vs. Finn Balor (c) w/ Truth Martini
|| I'M A PAUL HEYMAN GUY STORYLINE ||
It was clear following the match against Sheamus and Cesaro that their was a significant amount of contempt held between Kevin Owens and Brock Lesnar. What complicated the situation was rather than pick a side Paul Heyman was determined to broker some sort of peace between both men, clearly unwilling to have to pick one over the other when both Brock and Kevin brought so much to the table. Despite his best efforts though Kevin and Brock showed absolutely no interest in playing ball and on a number of occasions leading up to Roadblock, bot men would be involved in a number of physical altercations where it was clear that all they were focused on was causing their opposite as much damage as possible. Heyman seemed to realise he was fighting a losing battle, and if he didn't pick a side he was in danger of lose both men as his clients instead of just the one. It wouldn't be to surprising when Paul would decide to remain with Brock (and considering the length of their relationship it would make a lot of sense). Kevin though was clearly upset that Heyman had decided to drop him though, and would make it clear that if Brock and Paul had any nerve then the 'alleged conqueror' would face him at the pay per view. Of course Brock would accept the challenge.
General Manager though would involve himself in the situation and in order to make sure no funny business took place would make a massive addition to the match by revealing that Stone Cold Steve Austin would return at Roadblock: End of the Line and officiate in the contest as the Special Guest Referee.
Singles Match (Special Guest Referee: Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. Kevin Owens
|| WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following the Cruiserweight Warfare match at Survivor Series, a match was instantly scheduled at Roadblock between new number one contender HoHo Lun and reigning WWE Cruiserweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. The real drama surfaced as a portion of the Cruiserweight Division seemed incensed that HoHo was getting a title shot (despite the fact that he had legitimately earned his shot).
Neville and former champion cruiserweight champion T.J. Perkins had become the spokesmen for the group of men doing their best to down-talk, discredit and badmouth HoHo. Perkins would be the first person to label the group as 'The Rudos' which would be appropriate because all of the members were heels, but Perkins would seem to use the name ironically almost as if it was a direct dig at the lucha libre style wrestling (and some keyboard warriors would suggest the reasoning for the name was a sneaky jab at Lucha Underground). The remaining group members would consist of Chris Sabin, Brian Kendrick, Evan Bourne and Drew Gulak.
All six men would start getting involved in HoHo's matches in the lead up to Roadblock as well as going out of their way to mock him either in person or on their own time on social media (and other similar outlets). Eventually though it became clear that some member of the Cruiserweight Division had Lun's corner and a counter group consisting of Jigsaw, Gran Metalik, Ricochet, Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher and Lince Dorado. The group wouldn't name themselves although Corey Graves would start referring to all six men as 'Cruiserweight Light'. With 'The Rudos' continued to behave inappropriately, 'Cruiserweight Light' would start coming to HoHo's aid and a rivalry formed between both groups. This would lead to Mick Foley deciding to make the Cruiserweight Title match at the PPV, a Lumberjack Match with both group to surround the ring in Dallas.
Cruiserweight Lumberjack Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. HoHo Lun
Lumberjacks: TJ Perkins, Neville, Chris Sabin, Brian Kendrick, Evan Bourne, Drew Gulak, Jigsaw, Gran Metalik, Ricochet, Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher & Lince Dorado
|| WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINES ||
Ever since Clash of Champions there has been a lot of different rivalries taking place amongst the female members of Monday Night RAW. Following the 'Hell in A Cell' PPV there was a still a lot of tension between the three parties of Paige, Niax Jax and Charlotte (with Dana Brooke). However with neither group involved in the actual program for the title at Survivor Series and then to not be scheduled to be involved once again at Roadblock, emotions were really starting to flare between all three sides. In order to let all three women blow off some steam Foley would set up a triple threat match, that would feature as part of the kickoff show.
Triple Threat Match
Nia Jax vs. Paige vs. Charlotte w/ Dana Brooke
Despite Summer Rae involvement in the match between Sasha and Alicia, Foley would not be swayed be Summer's involvement and proceed to give Alicia another shot at Sasha's title on RAW (November 21st). For the second time in as many nights Alicia was inches away from becoming the RAW Women's Champion only for Summer to once again get involved in the match and attack Alicia and thus cost her the match ending it via DQ. Rather than be thankful though Sasha took exception to Summer's involvement and proceed to chase her away from Alicia. It became clear that despite Alicia being the challenger and Sasha the champion that both women had a lot of respect for each other and were both highly annoyed that Summer had involved herself in their business. Sasha and Alicia would make it clear to Mick that he would need to find a solution for dealing with Summer. Summer on the other hand would make it clear that she had clearly proven that she was one of the smartest members of the WWE Universe and that if Foley had any sense he would of granted her a shot at the title a long time ago. Despite being goaded into putting her in the match, Foley would once again schedule a match between Sasha and Alicia to take place at Roadblock: End of the Line with the RAW Women's Title on the line. In order to prevent Summer from getting directly involved he would announced that Summer Rae would be placed in a 'Penalty Cage Box' for the duration of the contest.
Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Alicia Fox [Summer Rae inside a Penalty Cage Box]
|| WWE RAW TAG TEAM DIVISION STORYLINE ||
Roadblock: End of the Line would play host to a unique match in the form of a 6-Man Tag Team Gauntlet Match. The reasoning of the match given my Foley was that the WWE Board of Directors wanted the match to serve a test match for a possible future 6-Man Tag Team Tournament in the near future. Reigning RAW Tag Team Champions The Dudley Boyz would be the first team to sign up to the Gauntlet Match and be joined by their younger brother Spike Dudley. The Balor Club would put forward a team as well consisting of Anderson, Gallows and Yujiro, whilst the New Day would also agree to take part. The final entrants of the match would be 2MB (Jinder Mahal & Heath Slater) who would introduce Darren Young as the third member of the group and thus change the name of the group to 3 Man Band.
In the weeks building up to the pay per view, The Dudley Boyz would offer tag team title shots to all of the team involved in the Gauntlet Match. The first title match (November 21st) would see Bubba and D-Von successfully the belts against 3MB (Heath Slater & Darren Young) and also defend the belts successfully against Balor Club members Yujiro and King Fale (December 5th). The New Day would demand that they be given a title shot on the following episode of RAW only for General Manager Foley to remind all three men that they were still ineligible to challenge for the titles for another 286 days.
6-Man Tag Team Gauntlet Match
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray, D-Von & Spike) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. 3MB (Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater & Darren Young/ Bob Backlund) vs. The Balor Club (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson & Yujiro w/ King Fale)
|| WWE US /MILLION DOLLAR CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||
The first order of business following on from Survivor Series was that double champion Braun Strowman was extremely pissed off at Jericho for the part he had played in his own elimination, and Braun would make it clear that he had no intention of just letting Jericho get away with it. Jericho though seemed to show absolutely no interest in Braun and would make it cleat that the Codebreaker had been more than enough proof that he was head and shoulders above Strowman in regards to talent.
Whilst this was all taking place Rusev and Lana would be approached by Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase Sr. DiBiase would manage to convince Rusev that he was just the man he needed to aid him in turning him into a main attraction. Lana seemed to insist that Rusev was already a big star in the WWE, but DiBiase would appeal to Rusev's desire for gold and glory and make it clear that if Rusev was a big deal then why had he not even been part of the Survivor Series PPV. After this comment it didn't take much more for Rusev to agree to take on DiBiase, although Rusev would make it clear that if Ted wasn't able to deliver on his promises he would have no problem locking him in The Accolade.
After a conversation between GM Foley and DiBiase, Foley would announce that seeing as Braun was now a double champion he was going to be treated like one. This led to announcing that at Roadblock Braun would defend both his titles in a Two-Fall Match; the first fall would be for the Million Dollar Championship and the second fall would be for the US Championship. Foley would decide to place Jericho in the match despite Jericho going on record in stating he had absolutely no interest in competing for second rates titles. Rusev would also be placed into the contest, with Foley confirmed that Rusev had a rematch clause in his contract and so had been obligated to give Rusev the match before the end of the year. Foley though would add an additional person to the contest turning it into a Fatal Four way Two-Fall Match by adding Sami Zayn to the fold. Foley would make it clear that Zayn had been impressing him in recent weeks and couldn't think of someone who wasn't more deserving of a title shot.
Fatal Four Way Two-Fall Match (1st Fall: Million Dollar Championship / 2nd Fall: United States Championship)
Braun Strowman (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rusev w/ Lana & Ted DiBiase vs. Sami Zayn
|| BEST OF SEVEN SERIES STORYLINE ||
The embarrassment that Sheamus and Cesaro had suffered at the hands of Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series was an occasion that both men wanted to the back of their minds as soon possible. Unfortunately though 'The Establishment' had no intention of letting anyone forget about the moment where Sheamus hit Lesnar with not one, but two Brogue Kicks which had absolutely no effect on Brock whatsoever. Daniels and Kazarian would clearly be baiting Sheamus and Cesaro and it didn't take much convincing for a Tag Team match to be set-up between both teams to take place at the PPV. The truth going into the contest was that 'The Establishment' were currently one of the most talented teams based on recent form on Monday Nights.
Tag Team Match Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian
Triple Threat Match
Nia Jax vs. Paige vs. Charlotte w/ Dana Brooke
Tag Team Match
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
6-Man Tag Team Gauntlet Match
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray, D-Von & Spike) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. 3MB (Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater & Darren Young/ Bob Backlund) vs. The Balor Club (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson & Yujiro w/ King Fale)
Cruiserweight Lumberjack Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. HoHo Lun
Lumberjacks: TJ Perkins, Neville, Chris Sabin, Brian Kendrick, Evan Bourne, Drew Gulak, Jigsaw, Gran Metalik, Ricochet, Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher & Lince Dorado
Fatal Four Way Two-Fall Match (1st Fall: Million Dollar Championship / 2nd Fall: United States Championship)
Braun Strowman (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rusev w/ Lana & Ted DiBiase vs. Sami Zayn
Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Alicia Fox [Summer Rae inside a Penalty Cage Box]
Singles Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Jack Swagger vs. Finn Balor (c) w/ Truth Martini
Singles Match (Special Guest Referee: Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. Kevin Owens
Triple Threat Match
Nia Jax vs. Paige vs. Charlotte w/ Dana Brooke
[Drama and controversy would surround the match before it had even begun. With Nia and Paige both at ringside waiting for Charlotte to make her way from the back, footage would come from backstage to show Charlotte looking worse for wear with her personal assistant Dana Brooke tending to her. It was clear that Charlotte had been attacked and looked in a really bad way, and it didn't take a genius to realise that she wouldn't be able to compete tonight. The real question though, was who had been behind the attack because it would become clear that Dana had been only thirty seconds behind Charlotte and it was in that window that Charlotte had been attacked. Regardless though Paige and Nia would now find that they now only had to worry about each other, with the contest defaulting into a singles match. Paige and Nia didn't seem to be at all bothered by the earlier incident and if anything it allowed for both women to get a little bit more time under the spotlight which would lead to an interesting conversation between Byron Saxton and Michael Cole in which both men would comment that both Paige and Nia had a lot to gain, by Charlotte being injured and unable to compete. The match would reach its conclusion with Paige trying bring Nia down with a number of well timed kicks in what could be compared to a lumberjack bring down a broad oak with an axe. Paige would then proceed to spring off the ropes and charge at Nia, only for Jax to shock everyone by grabbing hold of Paige and sending her backwards over her shoulders with a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Jax would then drop down on top of Paige with a STANDING LEG DROP and remain on top of Paige to claim the match by pin-fall.]
WINNER: Nia Jax
Tag Team Match
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
[The match was interesting for a lot more reasons that the obvious one of The Establishment had been going to town in mocking Sheamus for his failure to floor Lesnar with the Brogue Kick. For starters The Establishment were already proving to be one of the most talented tag-teams on Monday Night RAW, following their incredible showing at Survivor Series. On the other hand a great partnership was blossoming between Sheamus and Cesaro, despite all the fact that both men had been involved in a long-term rivalry blended with the shame of being absolutely embarrassed by Brock less than a month ago. Daniels and Kazarain would look the far more superior team with lots of hot tags and well engineered double teams manoeuvres including; an aided neckbreaker, lariat combinations and also neckbreaker/powerbomb combination which almost resulted in the match coming to an abrupt end, but Cesaro was able to get his shoulders off the mat before it was to late. One thing that became apparent though was that both Daniels and Kazarian were supremely confident which would end up being their downfall. With The Establishment posturing and gesturing it would be Daniels who would be blindsided by Sheamus (and karma) with a BROGUE KICK that would knock Daniels flat on his face. This would give Sheamus and Cesaro the numbers advantage that would see the duo finish of Kazarian with a VERY EUROPEAN UPPERCUT followed up instantly with a BROGUE KICK! Cesaro would lie on top of Frankie, as Sheamus would prevent Daniels from getting involved, which would see the unlikely tag-team finally get the rub of the green.]
WINNER: Sheamus & Cesaro
6-Man Tag Team Gauntlet Match
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray, D-Von & Spike) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. 3MB (Jinder Mahal, Heath Slater & Darren Young/ Bob Backlund) vs. The Balor Club (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson & Yujiro w/ King Fale)
[The two teams that would start in the ring would be 3 Man Band and The Balor Club. It wouldn't take long though for 3MB too be completely and utterly embarrassed at the hands of the far more competent, skilled, talented and accomplished Balor Club. Mahal and Slater would find themselves have a two-on-one handicap mach at ringside with Luke Gallows, although Gallows was actually throwing around Heath and Jinder as if they were balls of string and he was an over enthusiastic tomcat. With Darren alone in the ring, he would be blindsided by Anderson with a Running Big Boot only for Yujiro to add insult to injury by hoisting up Young and hitting him MIAMI SHINE that would lead to 3MB being the first team eliminated from the Gauntlet Match.
Before The Balor Club had time to clap each other on the back and just generally throw up generic kliq hand signs, all three members of the Dudley clan would rush down from the back and proceed to throw all caution in the wind as they would go after Anderson and Yujiro. Gallows was still outside the ring and would have to climb back into the ring to even up the numbers. Once the referee had control of the match, the fans would be treated to an intense 6-Man Tag Team contest which would see both teams pull off some great moves including: Bubba and D-Von hitting Yujiro with a DUDLEY DEATH DROP with Spike to leap of the turnbuckle and add insult to injury with a DIVING DOUBLE FOOT STOMP! Anderson and Gallows would proceed to hit D-Von and Bubba with two sequential MAGIC KILLERS with Yujiro hitting Spike with a BUKKO NUKI GERMAN! Yujiro would manage to bridge the suplex and manage to gain a three count victory. Yujiro would be hoisted into the air by both Gallows and Anderson, whilst Bubba and D-Von would noticeably shun Spike as the trio made their way to the back.
The New Day would make their way out from the back and would be greeted with a massive pop from all the fans that love seeing three men wearing unicorn head-wear in colourful wrestling gear running towards the ring with musical instruments being played badly. Kingston, Woods and Langston all knew that this was an incredibly important match to win if they wanted to bring their careers back to life after losing to Strowman. It looked as though the New Day might have a chance after Gallows found himself trapped in the corner and all three men would combine their awesomeness to connect with the UNICORN STAMPEDE! Gallows though would manage to escape the punishment though and the pendulum of momentum would swing in favour of the Balor Club who would manage to secure the victory with Woods being chopped in half with the BOOT OF DOOM! The Balor Club would be extremely happy with the victory, and a note must be added that they fought cleanly in the contest without King Fale even having to get involved.]
WINNERS: The Balor Club (Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows & Yujiro w/ King Fale)
Cruiserweight Lumberjack Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. HoHo Lun Lumberjacks: TJ Perkins, Neville, Chris Sabin, Brian Kendrick, Evan Bourne, Drew Gulak, Jigsaw, Gran Metalik, Ricochet, Noam Dar, Jack Gallagher & Lince Dorado
[The Cruiserweight Division had proven to be one the biggest talking points in recent months and with yet another explosive match involving the Cruiserweights, the competitors weighing 205lbs or less that were going to be tonight's lumberjacks slowly made their way down to the ring with 'The Rudos' and 'Cruiserweight Light' coming out from the back separately. HoHo would noticeably get a very poor reaction for 'The Rudos' as all six men would get right up in Lun's face. 'Cruiserweight Light' would intervene though and an all out fight would almost break out before the actual match had even begun. ZSJ would get a much better response as he made his way out from the back and the two-time Cruiserweight Champion as always was extremely over with the fans in attendance. With the lumberjacks surrounding the ring neither ZSJ or HoHo was willing to take a risk that would cause them to leave the ring. Earlier spots would see a number of Missile Drop Kick and Leg Lariats fro Lun, whilst Sabre Jr. would start to focus in on Lun's arm with a majority of all of his offensive being focused on causing as much arm damage as possible, including hitting HoHo with a Penalty Kick but rather than a kicks being directed at the chest area ZSJ would boot Lun's right arm.
Eventually though the lumberjacks would finally get involved in the contest. HoHo and Zack would be fighting by the ropes and would end up falling through the ropes and down onto the concrete below. Instantly 'The Rudos' would pounce on HoHo like a pack of wolves, only for 'Cruiserweight Light' to jump to Lun's defence. Some of the highlights of the barrage would include Ricochet jumping off the ring steps and landing on top of Perkins, Kendrick and Evan Bourne with a 360 SENTON and Dar sending himself and Sabin over the barricade and over into the fan section with a RUNNING ENZUIGIRI! 'The Rudos' though would give as good as they got with Neville leaping off a crouching Bourne and hitting Dorado square in the jaw with a Super Kick! In all of the chaos ZSJ and Lun would make their way back into the ring, and each man took a moment to compose themselves after all of the excitement.
The match referee would be waving his hands in the air however, and he would end up calling over JoJo. JoJo would reveal that in all of the carnage the referee had actually reached ten in a count-out and therefore the match had ended in a double count-out and therefore the match was a draw. The referee handed Zack Sabre Jr. his title belt, although rather than celebrate the victory ZSJ would actually to be sympathetic to HoHo who was clearly distraught by the whole situation. 'The Rudos' though would be celebrating as if their team had won the World Cup final, as HoHo and ZSJ would leave the ring and head backstage together still in conversation.]
RESULT: Double Count-Out - Zack Sabre Jr. retains WWE Cruiserweight Champion
Fatal Four Way Two-Fall Match (1st Fall: Million Dollar Championship / 2nd Fall: United States Championship)
Braun Strowman (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rusev w/ Lana & Ted DiBiase vs. Sami Zayn [For the past three months Strowman has been on a meteoric rise up the ranking of the RAW roster, so for his challengers going into tonight's match he very much was the man they had to worry about. All three men though would be on the end of an early Christmas present as Braun would be attacked from behind by Reigns and Rollins as he was making his way down the entrance ramp. Strowman would do his best to defend himself, but 'The Shield' weren't a weak unit and where Reigns left space for opportunity Rollins was right next to him covering all of the bases. Roman and Seth would actually use both title belts against Braun who would be on the receiving of a UNITED STATES TITLE SHOT TO THE FACE and a MILLION DOLLAR TITLE SHOT TO THE FACE at the same time. The well timed two-pronged attack would send Braun onto his back. A ringside official would weasel in and grab hold of the titles, that would allow for the match to officially get underway. 'The Shield' though were clearly not finished with Braun as they would slowly drag him towards the top of the entrance ramp, only for both Rollins and Reigns to lift him up and throw him off the main stage with a DOUBLE POWERBOMB that would send the 385lbs man beast through some tables that were playing host to some electronic equipment. Rollins would pull a white spray paint can from his pocket and tag "Victim" across Braun's chest before walking away laughing amongst each other, as Braun was attended to by a group of EMTs. The action in the ring would prove to be as equally as exciting, especially as Jericho, Zayn and Rusev all appeared to be motivated with the fact that Strowman was temporarily down for the count which could prove to be all the time they needed to claim one of the titles for themselves.
There would be some solid back and forth action for a good seven minutes before the first fall would take place that would begin with Jericho having the spit knocked out of his mouth with a HELLUVA KICK that would cause Jericho to limp in the corner and tumble through the ropes as he would hold onto the ring apron trying to recompose himself. Zayn though would turn to knock Zayn over with a Spinning Heel Kick! At this point Ted DiBiase Sr. would climb onto the ring apron and bait away the referee. This would lead to Lana to entering the ring from the opposite side and as Zayn was getting back to his feet only to hit him where the sun doesn't shine with a LOW BLOW! DiBiase Sr. would immediately drop off the apron as Rusev would take hold of Zayn and hold him in THE ACCOLADE! The low blow clearly had a part to play in the submission hold, but in only a matter of seconds Sami starting tapping out.
WINNER: Rusev - new Million Dollar Champion
Rather than continue fighting Rusev would take hold of the Million Dollar Title and proceed to head backstage with DiBiase Sr. and Lana in tow. It was clear that Rusev was content with the Million Dollar Championship, although this was most likely due to DiBiase Sr. now being in the Bulgarian's ear. Rusev would even take time out of his walk, to laugh at Strowman who was still looking worse for wear below the main-stage. This had left a worse for wear Zayn struggling to get to his feet whilst Jericho swooped in for the kill as he charged forward and connected with the CODEBREAKER! Jericho would then spring off the ropes and land on top of Zayn with a Lionsault! Jericho would showboat to the fans, only to be caught totally off-guard as Zayn was someone on his feet as he would hit a Reverse STO and then transition the move into a KOJI CLUTCH! Jericho arms would be sprawling in the air, as he was fighting to survive and reaching desperately for the ropes. Jericho would manage to brush the ropes with his feet and the referee would enforce the rope-break. Jericho and Zayn would juke it out for a while longer and Jericho would be adventurous he would attempt another Lionsault although Zayn would be on his feet and dodge the assault. The mistake would allow Zayn to take hold of Jericho and hit the BLUE THUNDER BOMB and hold Y2J down for the cover and bring the match to a finish.
WINNER: Sami Zayn - new WWE United States Champion
Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Alicia Fox [Summer Rae inside a Penalty Cage Box]
[With Summer Rae sealed within the confines of the penalty cage box, Alicia and Sasha were finally able to have a match without any interruptions and it would prove to be worth the wait. The match would be be back and forth with some great spots including; Alicia being hit with a Diving Double Knee Drop whilst she had her feet caught in the top of the penalty cage box, Sasha being throw through the ropes with a Handstand Headscissors Takedown, Banks being sent off the turnbuckle with an ELEVATED FOXY BOMB, not to mention Banks hurtle over the rope and taking out Sasha with a Diving Crossbody Splash! The match would reach it's conclusion with Foxy failing to connect with a signature Scissors Kick, which would allow for Sasha hit Alicia with a Double Knee Backbreaker only to follow it up with the BANK STATEMENT! Alicia did her best to resist, but after about thirty seconds or so she started tapping out. With the match having reached its conclusion, Alicia would being helped back to her feet by Banks and both women would shake hands before embracing each other in the middle of the ring. Summer though would emerge from the penalty cage box and with a chair in her hands attempt to blindside Banks and Fox. Summer would miss her shot though, which would give the opening for Sasha to send the chair back into Summer's face with a Roundhouse Kick before Alicia would send floor Banks with a WATCH YO' FACE! Sasha and Alicia would shake hand for the second time, as the segment came to an end.]
WINNER: Sasha Banks - retains WWE RAW Women's Championship
Singles Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Jack Swagger vs. Finn Balor (c) w/ Truth Martin
[With Jack Swagger being involved in the Universal Title picture there was a lot of negative comments made by the fans about what on earth Swagger was doing in a major championship match. Despite this though Swagger put on a good showing clearly knowing just how important this match was, as in many ways this could be his last stab at the big one. Some of the early highlights from Swagger would see him focus on some of his technical wrestling moves including; abdominal stretches, double chickenwings as well as a number of knees bar before finally working his focus on Balor's ankle with the PATRIOT LOCK! Balor would eventually manage to break out of the submission hold, and start to turn the match around in his favour. With Balor on the ascendancy and nearly the entire WWE Universe behind him it didn't take long for Swagger to find himself on the end of a heavy assault which would all be ended with Balor landing on top of Swagger with the COUP DE GRACE to bring the match to an end and retain the Universal Championship.
Before Balor had time to savour the victory all of the lights in the arena would go out, and the music belong to The Undertaker would start playing over the PA system. When the lights came back on Jack Swagger was nowhere to be seen, but standing in front of Balor was the Dead Man. Balor didn't blink even for a second, as the Undertaker was holding a microphone and would inform Balor that at the Royal Rumble he would "REST...IN...PEACE!" Balor though wouldn't have to worry about getting into a physical altercation as he would soon have the cavalry of Anderson, Gallows, Fale and Yujiro rushing down to the ring. All four men would cover all four sides of the ring cutting off all the exits before sliding into the ring only for the lights to go out once again. When the lights came back on The Undertaker was no where to be seen, although Balor's was the only member of the Balor Club standing with the other four wiped out cold as Finn would check on his friends although would require some help from ringside officials as the scene came to an end.]
WINNER: Finn Balor - retains WWE Universal Champion
Singles Match (Special Guest Referee: Stone Cold Steve Austin)
Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. Kevin Owens
[The contest was nothing other than a straight grudge match between Lesnar and Owens with both men butting heads like two alpha males desperate to mark their territory and unwilling to simply let the other walk away. With the extra elements of Heyman winding up Brock/winding up Owens, not to forget Stone Cold as the special guest referee. The match would begin with Brock and Kevin trying to outdo each other by showing off their physical strength. Whether it was Lesnar pulling off a number of different suplex variations to Owens showing his athletic prowess despite his size with Enzuigiris and Cannonballs that would show signs of wearing Lesnar down, if only a little bit. Both men though are both known for bending the rules to their advantage, although Austin would have none of it and would referee to every letter of the law. One thing that must be noted is that neither Owens nor Lesnar was best pleased by Austin's interventions but Stone Cold gave as good as he got and would get right back in their faces before they got ahead of themselves.
Both men would pull off some big spots during the middle portions of the contest. Owens would be on the receiving end of not one, not two, but three different F-5 finishing moves. After each one Lesnar would try and cover Owens, but to no avail as each time Kevin would manage to kick out of each pin. At the same time Owens would use a number of his signature powerbomb whether it being throwing Lesnar directly into the turnbuckle, powerbombing Lesnar onto the ring apron as well as nailing Owens with the signature POP-UP POWERBOMB! Kevin would also not be able to capitalise on his own power-plays as Lesnar would show just how tough he was by breaking every pin attempt, in just the same fashion as Owens was capable of doing.
The match would start coming to a close when Lesnar would charge at Owens only to miss his target and instead nailing Stone Cold with a Running Clothesline. Heyman would see an opportunity present itself though and would toss Brock a trash can lid. Lesnar would proceed to charge forward and crash the lid into the side of Owens' head before raising it high before bring it down again leaving a dent in the aluminium. Lesnar would then toss the evidence away and grab hold of Owens around the wait and throw him over his shoulders with a BELLY-TO-BACK SUPLEX followed another BELLY-TO-BACK SUPLEX and then another BELLY-TO-BACK SUPLEX only to add insult to injury by connecting with a fourth but even more devastating RELEASING GERMAN SUPLEX! Owens would look ripe for the picking, only for Lesnar to be spun around by Austin and rocked with an almighty STONE COLD STUNNER which would be greeted with a massive pop from the fans. Austin would then start stomping mud holes in Lesnar before giving him double middle fingers to finish off his iconic taunt. In his rage Austin would drag Owens and slump him on top of Lesnar, but would seem to change his mind and before make the three count which would allow Lesnar to manage to roll away before Austin changed his mind again.
When Lesnar got back onto his feet both he and Austin would exchange words, although would seem to be happy to let bygones be bygones. Owens though would show absolutely no care for the conversation taking place and charge forward sending both Austin and Lesnar sprawling sideways. The bump would allow for Owens to catch Brock off guard and toss him up with the POP-UP POWERBOMB! As Owens would turn around though good ole Stone Cold would repay Owens the favour by hitting the Canadian with the STONE COLD STUNNER, clearly as retribution for being knocked over moments before. One thing was for certain and that was that Austin wasn't playing favourites in this match.
When Lesnar and Owens were back to their feet they both seemed to have come to terms that messing with Stone Cold was a recipe for disaster. To make matter worse signs of exhaustion were starting to show in what had turned into a real battle of attrition. Owens would botch another Pop-Up Powerbomb attempt though, which would allow Lesnar to get behind Owens and throw him into the turnbuckle with a perfectly placed Overhead Belly-to-Belly Suplex before mounting the turnbuckle. Lesnar would be greeted with a massive reception as he stood on the top rope only to land directly on top of Owens with a rare SHOOTING STAR PRESS! The impressive aerial assault would be the final nail in the coffin, as Lesnar was able to secure the victory. Stone Cold wouldn't get involved in anymore shenanigans and would actually help Owens towards the back with another referee, as 'The Conqueror' would stand in the middle of the ring with Heyman raising Brock's hand in the air as the show came to finish.
|| WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE || With Dean Ambrose the new WWE World Champion and Randy Orton the number one contender, a trip down memory lane would remind folks that both men had been on the same page all the way back in September when they had got involved in the title match between Ziggler and AJ Styles, and had effectively prevent AJ from becoming the world champion. Both men would go on record in the ring together that they had both been working together on the basis of preventing 'some indie legend' from simply getting to jump to the front of the line just because some internet trolls thought he was the messiah of professional wrestling. To make matters worse both men were boasting that they had been the figureheads behind Daniel Bryan being removed from office and seemed more interest in being friends rather than two men competing for the same prize. Shane McMahon though was far from pleased and inform both Dean and Randy that at New Year's Revolution they wouldn't be able to go into the match with the attitude that it was going to be a 'friendly rivalry' by booking the contest as a First Blood match. Despite the added stipulation it was clear that Ambrose and Orton were very much on the same page, and it was going to take more than a little bit of blood to damage their relationship.
First Blood Match (WWE World Championship)
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Randy Orton
|| ELIMINATION CHAMBER SET-UP ||
+ Those That Work Hard Will Be Rewarded Storyline + Smackdown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon would make it extremely clear that as much as he enjoyed match making he was looking forward to the new Smackdown Live General Manager being announced at New Year's Revolution. Shane though would confirm that with the return of the New Year's Revolution Pay Per View; an Elimination Chamber match would feature as part of the evening's show although rather than all six entrants competing for a title, the winner of the match would become the number one contender for the WWE World Championship and face the champion at the Royal Rumble. Shane would immediately place Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio and AJ Styles into the match making it clear that all three men had gone out of their way to impress him in recent months and that it would be a miscarriage of judgement if they weren't part of what was set to be a match that would kickstart 2017 with a bang.
+ The Rise of Curt Hawkins Storyline + Many members of the WWE Universe had made it clear that they were less than pleased by what had take place at the TLC PPV in regards to the Intercontinental Championship. Some fans held the view that because Christian had got involved in the match, Hawkins reign (irrespective of how short it was) should be removed from the records and the match should have ended immediately by way of disqualification. Other sets of fans though made the point that if the referee hadn't spotted Christian, then technically in the wrestling business it is only cheating if you get caught (with a lot references being made to the late Eddie Guerrero). This section of fans made the point that Hawkins should still be in possession of the Intercontinental Title and that Shane McMahon had no right to restart that the match irrespective of him being the Smackdown Live Commissioner. No matter which side of the argument you sided with, it became very clear that the battle between Crews and Hawkins was far from being over.
All of the drama that had been created on social media and other online sources would lead to Shane booking another match between Hawkins and Crews to take place on Smackdown (13th December) that would see Curt reclaim the title albeit with help from his mentor Christian; who would distract the referee that would allow Curt to hit Crews with a Low Blow unseen by the referee only to follow up with the Taste of Pain! Christian involvement though would result in Crews being absolutely furious and it wouldn't take much convincing for Shane to give Apollo a rematch for the title the following week (20th December) although once again Christian would be prevented from getting involved by Shane ordering a team of security to prevent anyone from attending the match at ringside. Christian and Curt would accuse Shane of favouritism, although Shane couldn't care in the slightest about what either man had to say to him. Curt though seemed unable to beat Crews without Christian's help and Crews would reclaim the title and in doing so become a four time WWE Intercontinental Champion. With the rivalry between both men intensifying Shane would inform both men that he was entering them into the Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution, in which the winner of the contest would receive a WWE World Championship shot at the Royal Rumble PPV.
+ We Are The Wyatt Family Storyline + At the TLC PPV Baron Corbin had shocked everyone when he had chosen not to fire either of the four opponents, but instead sent the head of Wyatt Family Bray Wyatt to the front of the unemployment queue. This of course had led to a backlash with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan being furious and proceeding to try and take out Baron during the following episode of Smackdown Live (6th December). Although he was out numbered though Baron would manage to fight off both Harper and Rowan and manage to escape in order to fight another day. A week later Baron Corbin would cut a promo making it clear that with Bray Wyatt no longer a member of the roster, the Wyatt Family was dead and that Luke Harper and Erick Rowan were just two lost boys. Corbin would mockingly make a reference to Bray as Peter Pan and that without the leadership of a full grown man in fancy dress, Rowan and Harper were like a pair of lost sheep. The insults clearly incensed and it was clear that they were looking for blood.
Shane ever being the opportunist though would instruct all three men to come to his office and demand that a cease fire take place for the rest of the night. Shane would then ask all three men if they had any interest of ever being a world champion with none of the three being stupid they all made it clear that one day they hoped they would make it to the top of the mountain. Shane would look pleased and suggest a match idea; a triple threat match between Harper, Rowan and Corbin. The winner of the contest would earn the final place in the scheduled Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution in which the winner would get a world title shot at New Year's Revolution. In turn the loser of the triple threat would have his contract terminated immediately. All three men agreed to the match, although it became clear that The Wyatt Family (or The Lost Boys as Corbin referred to them) believed that they had the two-on-one advantage going into the contest.
What would actually take place though was Harper and Rowan would seemingly lose focus in the fact that if Baron was the man that was beaten he would have his contract terminated, largely due to the fact that both men had never been this close to a world title opportunity and without Bray Wyatt whispering into their ears or controlling them like a lion tamer they became lost in their own greed and desire for glory. This would ultimately blind them in a truly devastating contest which would actually see Baron Corbin win the contest by hitting Luke Harper with the End of Days, but rather than pinning Harper he would instead cover Erick Rowan who had been laid out just moments earlier by Harper with Discus Lariat. After the contest Baron Corbin would take great pleasure in celebrating the fact that he had been solely responsible for the departure of a second member of the Wyatt Family, but taking to microphone would make it clear that he would not rest until Luke Harper was no longer part of the WWE Universe and the Wyatt Family would be nothing more than a distant memory.
Elimination Chamber Match (WWE World Title Shot @ The Royal Rumble)
AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
|| SMACKDOWN GENERAL MANAGER STORYLINE ||
Immediately following the TLC Pay Per View, Shane McMahon would noticeably making finding a replacement General Manager one of his main priorities. A fortnight following the PPV (20th December) Shane would reveal that he had a short-list of four men to take on the role as the new Smackdown Live General Manager and would proceed to invite all four men to the ring. The role call would consist of former dual-brand General Manager John Laurinaitis, Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, Road Dogg (who was known to already be involved as part of the Smackdown creative team) and lastly Kurt Angle. As you can imagine the WWE Universe lot their mind when Kurt Angle made his first WWE appearance in eleven years. Shane would give all four men an opportunity to speak to the fans before explaining how a new General Manager would be decided. Shane stated that every single member of the Smackdown Live roster would cast a vote during the New Year's Revolution PPV and before the night ended the new General Manager would be announced. Shane would make it clear that all four men only had two weeks to campaign and convince the Smackdown Live roster that they were the best man for the position.
Smackdown Live General Manager Election
John Laurinaitis, Kevin Nash, Road Dogg & Kurt Angle
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Many members of the WWE Universe had been hoping that Maryse might be given a second chance at the Smackdown Women's Title, but Commissioner McMahon would decide to take traffic in a very different direction. Shane would make it clear that the Championship Scramble match that had been the marquee main-event at Survivor Series had proven to be a massive success, although at the same time had created a situation in which some the Smackdown Live women were in a no man's land of not being able to call themselves one time champion but at the same time being officially recorded as interim champions. This would lead to Shane suggesting that all four interim champions should be given another chance at challenging for the title, although with Eva Marie still out injured this would result in Bayley, Naomi and Alexa Bliss being the only interim champions able to be part of Shane's idea. Shane would put together a triple threat match that would take place (13th December) with Naomi, Bayley and Alexa Bliss fighting for a shot at the Smackdown Women's Title. The triple threat match would prove to be a great match that could easily have featured as part of a pay per view card and when all was said and done it would be the more experienced member of the roster Naomi who would win the match and book herself a title shot at New Year's Revolution. Shane though would personally congratulate all three women on putting on one of the best matches he had seen as Smackdown Live Commissioner and decide to also reward Bayley and Alexa Bliss with a match against each other that would also feature as part of he New Year's Revolution Card.
Singles Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley Lynch
Singles Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Naomi
|| MARRIAGE COUNSELLING STORYLINE ||
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was the night that Maryse would return to in-ring action and it was also so nearly the night that Maryse left with the Smackdown Women's Championship. What the history books won't tell you is that it wasn't that Maryse had fail to match Becky Lynch in terms of the quality required to become the champion, but more that her own husband had got involved when she hadn't needed it which would have allowed Lynch to employ some less than ethical tactics in order to retain the title belt. One thing that was clear during the episode of Smackdown Live following the TLC Pay Per View was that Maryse was less than pleased with her husband involvement in her match. With neither The Miz or Maryse being the most relaxed of individuals, a full blown argument would take place backstage and it would take an intervention from Tyler Breeze to calm the situation down.
The following week Tyler would seem to have befriended Maryse and with both being Canadian rather than speaking English they would actually be conversing in French Canadian. The Miz though would appear from the locker-room area and become extremely disturbed by the situation and come off as incredibly insecure as he would demand that Maryse come with him and would forcefully pull his wife away from Tyler. Miz though would seem to pull Maryse a little bit stronger than he should of done and she would end up falling over herself and onto the fall. This would result in Tyler getting right in The Miz's face and making it clear that treating a woman in this manner was unacceptable. The Miz though would tell Tyler to mind his own business, only for Maryse to thank Tyler for being a gentleman before seemed to say something rude to The Miz in French before walking away furiously. The Miz would rush after her, but not before telling Tyler that he would be keeping an eye on him.
On the following episode (20th December) Breezango would be competing in a tag-team match against The Usos. Much to everyone's surprise Maryse would come out from the back and would proceed to show her support for Tyler with a miniature Canadian flag in her hand. It was hard to tell if she was genuinely supporting Tyler or whether she was just torturing her husband. Whatever her reasoning behind her actions, it was clear that Tyler welcomed her being at ringside for him. On this basis it wasn't at all surprising when a disturbed Miz came out from the back and start shouting at Maryse and insisting that she go backstage. When Maryse straight up refused The Miz snatched the minature Canadian flag from his wife and threw it on the floor and started stamping on it. Despite The Miz being one of Smackdown's resident heels he got a massive pop from the fans after he desecrated the Canadian flag. Maryse though looked her husband in complete disbelief, only for Tyler Breeze to clearly take offence to the action and leap through the ropes with Suicide Dive and send The Miz crashing into the barricade. This would lead to both Tyler and Miz fighting each other at ringside, which would lead to the referee bring an end to the match via disqualification. Tyler and The Miz would eventually be separated with The Usos holding back The Miz, whilst Fandango would convince his tag-team partner to walk away. Noticeably though Maryse would ask Tyler if he was okay and seemingly ignore her husband, before making her way backstage on her own.
With just five days to go until New Year's Revolution, The Miz would play host to his infamous show Miz TV where he would invite Tyler Breeze as his guest. Tyler not being stupid though would turn up with his tag-team partner Fandango. The Miz would mock Tyler, openly calling him a coward for having to bring back up with him to an interview segment. Tyler though wouldn't hold anything back though and ask The Miz where his wife was and why she wasn't in the ring with him tonight. This comment really got under Miz's shirt and if it had just been himself and Tyler in the ring a fight would probably have broken out on the spot. The segment though would be interrupted by Maryse who would make it clear that ever since the TLC PPV a rift had been created between herself and her husband and she was starting to doubt their relationship. At the same time Maryse made the point that throughout her career she had only surrounded herself with winners. Maryse would then comment that she would interested to see who out of her husband and Tyler was the real winner and who was the real loser before heading backstage. This of course would lead to a match being set-up between both men, although with the consequences of winning or losing the match very much remaining as unknown variables.
Singles Match
Tyler Breeze w/ Fandango vs. The Miz
|| WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP'S STORYLINE ||
One situation that Shane McMahon was struggling with was keeping the Hype Bros in check. Rawley and Ryder had refused to show-up at the TLC PPV to compete in their scheduled title match against the World's Great Tag Team, with it having been revealed that they had instead decided to instead have a meeting with Stephanie and Foley about a possible move to Monday Night RAW. Shane would make it clear that until their contracts changed Zack and Mojo were part of the Smackdown Live roster and if he booked them in a match he expected them to show up. Zack Ryder however would disagree with Shane and make it clear that both himself and Mojo had absolutely no problem in defending their title against team that deserved shots, but were unwilling to compete in a match where the only Smackdown authority figure clearly had an agenda that involved Haas and Benjamin becoming the champions. Shane would choose to fight fire with fire and would state that if The Hype Bros refused to face the WGTT then they would have to defend the belts every week until a new champions were crowned, that would respect his authority. The Hype Bros would have a string of successful title defences beating The Vaudevillians (6th December), The Usos (13th December) & American Alpha (20th December).
Rawley and Ryder would seem to become even more motivated and even more focused in refusing to accept Shane's demands each and every week, although on the last Smackdown Live show of the year (27th December) Shane would standing in the ring flanked by WGTT with a massive smile on his face as he would invite The Hype Bros out from the back. Shane would reveal that a massive backstage deal had taken place between and his sister Stephanie (RAW's Commissioner) and only publicly known part of the deal was that The Undertaker had become part of the RAW roster. Shane wouldn't be willing to reveal the big benefits that he had acquired for this trade although would reveal that had part of the deal he had a cease and desist deal in regards to The Hype Bros contracts. This effectively meant that Ryder and Rawley no longer had any power over Shane, which would lead to Shane O'Mac informing Zack and Ryder that at New Year's Revolution they would be defending the Smackdown Tag Team Titles against The World's Greatest Tag Team and that the match could only be ended by pin-fall or submission (no-count outs) as well as if The Hype Bros tried to deliberately end the match by disqualification they would still lose the titles. Ryder and Rawley were furious by the stipulation, but there was nothing they could do it about and it seemed that they had bit off more than they could chew.
Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
The Hype Bros (c) vs. World's Greatest Tag Team
|| DAWN OF A NEW ERA STORYLINE ||
This storyline would only begin a week shy of the New Year's Revolution PPV (27th December) and begin with a Kane standing in the middle of a darkened ring. Kane would make it clear that he was less than pleased with the manner in which he had been treated by former General Manager Daniel Bryan, as well as Smackdown's Commissioner Shane McMahon. Kane would make it clear that he had no intention of being disrespected by management in 2017 as much as he had been dismissed and ignored in 2016. Kane would also make it clear that he wasn't the only person who felt this way and would be joined by Viktor and Konnor of The Ascension. Kane would make a point that both men had been one of the most dominant tag-team in NXT, but has been sent to back of the queue ever since the WWE Draft had taken place. Kane would though introduce a fourth man (who had previously been hiding underneath a cloak and black mask). The man was revealed as Rankour (formerly Kenneth Cameron) a former member of The Ascension. Kane would make it clear that all three of his acolytes had been given a baptism in fire and that together the four of them represented something very different, an uprising. Kane would end the segment by revealing the name of the group as 'Rubicon'. During the next few days Shane McMahon would book a match exclusively on WWE.com in which Rubicon members Viktor, Konnor and Rankour would compete in a 6-Man tag team match against new WWE European stars Joe Hendry and Nick Aldis. Hendry and Aldis would be joined by a man who would be making his WWE in-ring debut and was no young lion; Douglas Williams.
6-Man Tag Team Match
Rubicon (Viktor, Konnor & Rankour) w/ Kane vs. Joe Hendry, Nick Aldis & Douglas Williams
|| SICK KITTEN STORYLINE ||
From what started as an empathetic conversation between Nikki and Natalya in which Nattie was asking Nikki what Daniel Bryan was up to after losing his job which would be countered by Nikki asking Nattie for an update in regards to Tyson Kidd would be rudely interrupted by Carmella. The Princess of Staten Island would make snoring sounds in the background whilst the conversation was taking place. Once Nikki had left the area, Carmella would get right up in Natalya face and make it clear that nobody cared about Tyson Kidd anymore and that Nattie should just do with a favour and put him in a sack and toss him the river (which Carmella would explain is the best way to cure a sick kitten). The comments would send Natalya over the edge which in hindsight were Carmella's attention and a fight would breakout between both women. Nikki would do her best to break up the fight, but would need assistance from some staff backstage to pull Natalya and Carmella apart. The argument was all that was needed to great the foundations for an additional match for the New Year's Revolution PPV. Natalya though would request that the match be a submission match and Carmella would happily accept the ruling although it wasn't clear if this was merely to show face considering Natalya was very much a submission specialist.
6-Man Tag Team Match
Rubicon (Viktor, Konnor & Rankour) w/ Kane vs. Joe Hendry, Nick Aldis & Douglas Williams
Main Show:
Singles Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley
Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
The Hype Bros (c) vs. World's Greatest Tag Team
Singles Match
Tyler Breeze w/ Fandango vs. The Miz
Singles Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Naomi
First Blood Match (WWE World Championship)
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Randy Orton
Smackdown Live General Manager Election
John Laurinaitis, Kevin Nash, Road Dogg & Kurt Angle
Elimination Chamber Match (WWE World Title Shot @ The Royal Rumble) AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
[Although the build to the contest was the longest it was clear by the fury in which Natalya wrestled that there was no part of her being that liked Carmella in the slightest. Whilst Natalya screamed as she vented her anger and frustration in her opponent's direction, Carmella seemed to actually enjoying getting underneath Niedhart's skin which led to a vicious cycle being created between both women. For an opening contest it wasn't the most exciting of matches, but that didn't stop the match from happening a number of interesting highlights. Natalya would warm up the crowd with a number of suplexes including a Double Underhook Suplex that would see Natalya drop Carmella back first onto the ropes only to catch her on the rebound an send her down to the canvass with a Snap Scoop Powerslam! Carmella though would give as good as she got by hitting Natalya with a multiple Superkicks seemingly more focused on hurting Natalya rather than winning the contest. Despite a conclusion to the match only possible by submission, Carmella and Natayla had not been too interested in bring the match finish. The match result would look set in stone when Natalya had Carmella trapped in the middle of the ring and had locked her in a SHARPSHOOTER! Carmella though despite all her efforts would manage to swivel her hips and loosen Natalya's grip allowing her to escape. In a snap movement Carmella would connect with a REVERSE STO before locking Nattie in the CODE OF SILENCE! Natalya had a look of sheer defeat across her face as she realised she had no other choice other than to tap out. Carmella though would have to forcefully separated from Natalya as she had no intention of letting go on her own devices. Carmella looked incredibly pleased with herself as she stood defiantly in the ring, whilst Natalya was being attended to by the match referee.]
WINNER: Carmella
6-Man Tag Team Match
Rubicon (Viktor, Konnor & Rankour) w/ Kane vs. Joe Hendry, Nick Aldis & Douglas Williams
[Rubicon or Ascension depending on your point of view clearly were feeling the pressure of needing to win the contest, and this point was reiterated with a video clip showing Kane talking to Viktor, Konnor and Rankour earlier in the night making it clear that a win for the Rubicon was imperative. On the other hand the British team of Hendry, Aldis and Williams were all on top of the world, clearly thrilled to be on the evening's card. The match wasn't the most intense of contests, but at the same time the action continued to warm up the fans that had already taken their seats during the evening's Kickoff Show. Some of the more interesting talking points included Viktor being hit by a double-team combination by Adlis and Williams that would see Aldis connect with a Running Arched Big Boot followed up by Williams throwing Viktor over with a German Suplex! Rubicon would hit an impressive three man move in which Konnor and Viktor would throw up Joe Hendy with NUCLEAR FALLOUT only for Rankour to spring off the bottom rope and land on top of Hendry's head with head stomp in a move that Michael Cole would reveal to be known as KRANIUM KRUSHER! The match would reach its conclusion with Douglas Williams leaping off the turnbuckle and hitting Konnor with a REVOLUTION DDT! Hendry and Aldis would be quick out gate and charge Viktor and Rankour knocking the both of them off the apron. This would allow Douglas to have the freedom to wrench Konnor up onto his feet only to connect with CHAOS THEORY and follow it up with a pin-fall. Hendry, Aldis and Williams would celebrate their victory as a collective as they made their way backstage.
Viktor, Konnor and Rankour would remain in the ring however, as fire and brimstone in the form of Masked Kane would make his way from the back. Kane would take to the microphone and make it clear that one member of the Rubicon must step forward and accept the punishment in order to atone for the trios loss. Rankour would be the first to step forward and he would be greeted with a hand to the throat by Kane only to be hoisted up into the air and be nailed by an almighty CHOKESLAM! The move was followed up by Viktor and Konnor both kneeling down on the canvass only for Kane to raise his hands up in the air and slam down as fire jets bursts out of the turnbuckles in Kane's signature fashion as the Kickoff Show came to a close.]
WINNERS: Douglas Williams, Joe Hendry & Nick Aldis
Main Show:
Singles Match
Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley
[If one thing can be said with any certainty, it is that the Smackdown Women's Division is currently stacked especially with non-title match like this on the cards. Both Alexa and Bayley were keen to start the new year in impressive fashion and it was clear that the crowd were extremely interested in what both women both women were able to bring to the table. The storytelling of the contest was aided by Alexa taking on the classic heel role and Bayley playing the role of the 'Bayley face'. Alexa would rely on dirty tactics and bending the rules in order to get an unfair advantage, whilst Bayley would wrestle clean and follow the referee instruction at each and every turn. Alexa would impress with moves from her arsenal including Glitter Blizzard, Insault To Injury as well as a number of modified neck wrenches. Bayley though wouldn't shy away fro unleash the best from her own move-set by using a lot of high intensity move including running double axe handles, running back elbow and diving clotheslines to cornered opponents. The match wasn't the longest affair but every moment throughout the contest was exciting. The match would ramp to a conclusion after Bayley found herself on her back after finding a high knee to the face from Alexa. Bliss would ascend the turnbuckle only to leap off and planet herself on top of Bayley with TWISTED BLISS! When Alexa achieved the one, two and three some of the fans were a little surprised that Bayley hadn't come back and escaped the pin. At the same time though Alexa was continuing a fine run of form that she had been on since Backlash and had continued her form into the new year. On the other side of things Bayley look disappointed by the loss, but that didn't stop her from smiling as she interacted with her fans after the match.]
WINNER: Alexa Bliss
Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships)
The Hype Bros (c) vs. World's Greatest Tag Team
[Finally Benjamin and Haas had their match for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles and it was clear that neither of the Hype Bros were at all happy with the situation. None the less the match proved to be quite the spot fest with both teams working as strong units rather than being seen as lone superstars. The match would begin with the World's Greatest Tag Team controlling the match from the get go and Mojo quickly found himself being cleverly controlled in the confines of the WGTT's corner. Using quick tags in order to retain control Haas and Benjamin slowly started grinding down Rawley down and would do so with tag-team manoeuvres including the Star Spangled Banner, Broken Arrow and a number of other combinations that involved Shelton connecting with Superkicks that would be followed up by a variety of different suplexes from Haas.
A miscommunication between Shelton and Charlie would allow for Mojo to escape though and this would lead to Ryder get involved in the match and evening up the momentum of the contest. The champions would start making an impact of their own and nearly claimed a victory when they hit Haas with their double-team finishing move HYPE RYDER! Benjamin though would come to his partner's aid and stop the match from coming to an end before an attempt could be made by nailing Rawley with a SUPERKICK only to then follow up charging at Ryder and taking him to the mat with the PAYDIRT! Shelton though would be left frustrated when he tried to make a cover only for the referee to inform him that he wasn't the legal man and would need to tag himself in if he wanted to continue.
The match would end with Charlie Haas standing on top of the turnbuckle looking to attempt some sort of aerial takedown only for Mojo to charge forward on the outside of the apron and shove Haas off. In his fall Charlie would bounce off the steel steps before falling onto the floor below. Haas would look to be in excruciating pain as he catch Shelton off-guard with the ROUGH RYDER! Ryder would then roll up Shelton and in doing so would achieve the three count and wrap up the match. Rawley and Ryder would both look extremely happy with themselves as the referee would hand them back their Smackdown Tag Team championship belts as both men would celebrate by getting 'hyped'.]
WINNERS: The Hype Bros - still WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions
Singles Match
Tyler Breeze w/ Fandango vs. The Miz
[The conflict between Tyler Breeze and The Miz was one that had been instigated by The Miz's wife Maryse, although for the first time since becoming part of the active roster she had chosen to stay backstage rather than accompany her husband to the ring. Without his wife at his side it was clear that The Miz had been mentally affected by his current situation. The match between both men would see Miz wearing the other shoe in that it was Fandango that was able to provide distraction and run interference for Breeze, whilst The Miz was forced to fight on his own without any help. Despite the clear numbers game working against him, The Miz seemed to almost be rediscovering himself in the contest and would even pull out one of his old finishing moves the MIZARD OF OZ to bring the match to an end. The Miz though refused to stop fighting just because the match had come to an end, and it would take Fandango to force himself in front of Tyler in order to get The Miz to desist in is assault. As the Miz headed towards the back though, it was clear by the looks he was giving both Tyler and Fandango that the situation between both parties was far from being over.]
WINNER: The Miz
Singles Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Naomi
[Becky Lynch is no doubt one of the most popular members of the WWE Universe and now in possession of the Smackdown Women's Title her popularity had only risen, and many were quick to make the judgement that Naomi had absolutely no chance of leaving with the title. And for the most parts that prediction was right as Becky would control the match for the most part. Becky would slowly wear down Naomi with a combination of different kicks and lariats in what was an explosive and fast paced way of defending her title belt. Becky would look as if she was treating Naomi as nothing more than a rag-doll as she was throwing her from side to side with Japanese Arm Drags before finally snapping Naomi with a BEX-PLODER! Becky would then bridge up her shoulders whilst continuing to put downwards pressure on Naomi that would be all that she needed to win the match and continue her reign as the Women's Champion.]
WINNER: Becky Lynch - still WWE Smackdown Women's Champion
First Blood Match (WWE World Championship)
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Randy Orton
[It is often that two known friends compete one on one for a World Title, and with both Dean and Randy knowing that in order to win they must make the other bleed this match was going to add a whole new dynamic to their friendship. The match though would start slowly with it clear that both men were slightly unsure how to go about fighting each other, although both men were known for their violent dark streaks so the fans were slightly surprised how civil both men were being to each other. Eventually though the goodwill both men seemed to share for each other would end as Randy Orton would charge forward a connect with a RUNNING PUNT KICK rather than let Ambrose get back up to his feet and it would become clear that the white flags of peace were no longer being waved.
Memorable moments from the mid-portion of the match included Randy and Dean battling outside of the ropes on the apron go blow for blow only for Randy to go Gung-Ho as he would would connect with an RKO that would send both himself and Ambrose crashing onto the concrete below. The announcer's table would also have a part to play in the match as Dean would whip Randy into the table and the impact would cause Orton to bounce off like a fly only for Dean lift up Orton only to drop him face first onto the top of the table's surface. Dean would then remove the covers from the table only to be dragged up on top of it only for Dean to send them both crashing through the table with the DIRTY DEEDS! Despite all the damage that both men were inflicting on each other as things stood there had been no traces of any blood.
Both Dean and Randy though were determined to keep on fighting around the debris of the damage announcer's table and Randy would wrap a wired cord around Ambrose's throat and would start to choke him out and by the manner in which Dean's arm were flailing it was clear that he was starting to fade rapidly. In one last attempt Dean smashed Randy square in the nose, and despite Dean looking to be on the edge of consciousness crimson liquid started to appear from Randy's nostrils. The referee spotted the blood instantly and called for the bell immediately. As Randy started to taste iron he realised what had transgressed, and instantly released Dean from his grasp. Dean would struggle to regain his breath as the referee handed him the world title belt. Randy would help Dean up to his feet and both men would look worse for wear, but despite everything both men would smile at each other as they shook hands surrounded by the debris of the announcer's table around them.]
WINNER: Dean Ambrose - still WWE World Champion
Smackdown Live General Manager Election
[The General Manager Election results would take place in the middle of the ring with all four candidates standing in each of one of the four corners. Smackdown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon would stand in the middle of the ring and read out the results. The person that would be first to leave the four horse race would Road Dogg with 17% of the votes. Road Dogg would shrug his shoulders on hearing the results and make his way towards the back. The second man to be eliminated from the race would be John Laurinatis who had only achieved 20% of the votes cast. John had look slightly more disappointed by the results but would accept the decision and proceed to shake hand with Shane before heading backstage. With Kevin Nash and Kurt Angle now coming in a little bit closer both men smiled at each other and shook hands wishing each other good luck before Shane would start to read out the final results. Shane would reveal that only 1% separated both men, but that it was Kurt Angle who was the new Smackdown Live General Manager with 32% of the votes. Kurt Angle would take to the microphone and make a short speech. Kurt would make it clear that he had big plans for Smackdown and would do everything in his power to make Smackdown the dominant brand of the WWE Universe.]
Elimination Chamber Match (WWE World Title Shot @ The Royal Rumble)
AJ Styles vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Curt Hawkins vs. Apollo Crews vs. Baron Corbin
[The Elimination Chamber match was one that everybody in the WWE Universe had been licking their lips about in anticipation as their handed been an Elimination Chamber match for nearly a year and a half. The first four men to make their way out from the back would be AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews and Alberto Del Rio and all four men would step into separate chambers with all four men set to be released whenever the random selector would open their cell doors. This would of course mean that the first men that would enter the ring would be Dolph Ziggler and Curt Hawkins. Hawkins would quickly find himself with his back against the wall as Dolph would be quick to go on the offensive and would be quick to try and inflict as much damage as possible to Hawkins and would smartly chose to use the chamber's structure to dish out the most amount of damage. Dolph would hit Curt with a repeated number of SUPERKICKS before nailed Hawkins with BLONDE AMBITION that would result in Curt bouncing off the metal and looking much worse off for it. Dolph would then take hold of Curt and roughly throw him back over the ropes and into the ring only for the lights to dim and the countdown to begin. The lights would flicker between all four pods before it would finally stop and Apollo Crews would be the third man to enter the fold.
With Hawkins in seriously bad shape it would be Crews and Ziggler who would lock horns in the middle of the ring, which actually play to Hawkin's advantage as he would be allowed to recover. Crews and Ziggler would fight like two bulls in a china shop with both men desperate to reek havoc and seemingly obliterate each other off the face of the earth. Crews would utilise his GORILLA PRESS DROP a number of times that would include him dropping Dolph directly onto the ring ropes as well as one time where he would actually send Dolph over the ropes and onto the steel grating surrounding the ring. Ziggler though would give as good as he got though including dropping on to of Crews with a number of elbow drops, drop kicks and stinger splashes in what would be a clear attempt from Dolph to keep the match as fast paced as possible. Dolph would proceed to lay out Crews with a ZIG ZAG and attempt a cover only for Crews to push his shoulders up, although he still seemed unable to fully get back up onto his feet. This would allow for Dolph to slowly scale on top of one of the pods clearly with the intent of jumping off it. Underneath him though was Alberto Del Rio who would see an opportunity and grab hold of Dolph's leg stopping him from moving. Unknown to Dolph Hawkins was back on his feet and was almost at the top of the pod. With Dolph struggling to free himself from Del Rio's clutches he was caught out by Hawkins who would grab hold of Ziggler and send them both off the top of the pod with the LAUGH RIOT! Falling from such a great height would cause an almighty thud as both men's bodies rebounded off the canvass, as Apollo was only just getting back onto his feet as the countdown had started again and it would be Baron Corbin who would emerge as the fourth man to enter the fold.
Corbin would look like a scavenger as he stood above the three fallen men around him and would first take hold of Dolph and nail him the END OF DAYS! Dolph had already been suffering full effects of the high impact move from Hawkins, so had absolutely no resistance to offer as he became the first man to be eliminated from the contest.
*Dolph Ziggler Eliminated*
Baron would smile at Dolph Elimination and proceed to turn his attention to Crews and charge forward and knock Crews down to the mat with a Big Boot! Corbin would prevent Crews from getting back onto his feet and drop him with clothesline after clothesline until Crews seemed to be able to offer no real fight left. Corbin to be relentlessness and force Apollo up onto his feet only to hit him with END OF DAYS! Curt Hawkins though had managed to get back onto his feet and would charge forward and knock Corbin over from behind with an Enzuigiri! Corbin would be noticeably be stunned by the assault from behind only for Hawkins to keep Corbin down with a sharp Superkick knocking Baron reeling backwards. Rather than follow up on Corbin, he would turn his attention towards Crews instead. Hawkins would climb up onto the turnbuckle and proceed to land on top of Crews with a HEAT SEEKING ELBOW and continuing his downwards pressure would manage to hold Crews down for the three count.
*Apollo Crews Eliminated*
Hawkins would look noticeably delighted with himself at managing to defeat Crews, with the knowledge that he was capable of beating the Intercontinental Title clearly running through his mind. Curt would have much time to savour eliminating Crews, as the countdown started again and this time it was Del Rio who emerged from the chamber pod and ADR smiled at AJ Styles who was starting to look frustrated at still being locked up. In his distraction though Hawkins would springboard off the ropes and nail Del Rio with a Flying Dropkick! As ADR would bounce off the pod, Styles would smile and give Del Rio the middle finger. Hawkins and Del Rio would continue to fight for a few moments only for Baron Corbin to climb over the ropes and get involved in the melee. And it take too much longer until the countdown began again and the final chamber pod opened up and AJ walked out of it. AJ would quickly jump out of the wave though as Curt Hawkins would send Corbin through the glass of the chamber pod with an impressive SPEAR! Corbin would look like someone who had been in a car wreck as he looked mangled inside the pod. AJ, Curt and Alberto would all seem to come to an agreement as they would drag Baron up and throw him into the ring. Curt would force Baron up and hit him with TASTE OF PAIN followed by AJ leaping off the turnbuckle and landing on Corbin with the SPIRAL TAP only to be followed by ADR grabbing hold of Baron's arm and locking him in a CROSS ARMBREAKER! After sustaining so much damage it didn't take long for Corbin to tap out clearly unwilling to fight the hold any longer.
*Baron Corbin Eliminated*
As Baron made his way out of the chamber as the door was opened the referee in charge of the door was blindsided by Christian who entered the chamber with a steel chair in his hand. Christian would charge forward and charge at Del Rio and connect with a CHAIRSHOT only to carry on charging forward and also drop Styles with another CHAIRSHOT! Christian then proceed to give Curt a brief pep talk before handing Curt the steel chair. Christian was being ushered out of the ring by a group of referees, but as he was passing Del Rio who was just about getting back to his feet Christian would spike ADR with the KILLSWITCH before climbing out of the chamber and letting the referees closing up the chamber behind him. Hawkins still holding the chair would proceed to deliver chairshot after chairshot to Alberto. Hawkins would then drop the chair and flip ADR on to his back and hold him down for the cover and achieve the pin-fall.
*Alberto Del Rio Eliminated*
With Hawkins and Styles confirmed as the final two, the WWE Universe was now with the knowledge that either AJ or Curt would be facing Dean Ambrose at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View. And it must be said that as it stood it was Curt that looked the man that was in the much better position, only he would be caught totally off-guard as he approached Styles he was caught off guard and floor with a Pele Kick! AJ would be quick in his attack and leap onto the ropes only to spring back off them and connect with a PHENOMENAL FOREARM! The move would hit its target although Hawkins would drop to one knee rather than fall off his feet. AJ would smile menacingly as he would grab hold of Hawkins and take hold of Curt and hit him with the STYLES CLASH! AJ though would be left looking stunned though as Hawkins would manage to kick out of the pin. Styles would turn his attention to the steel chair that was still in play and proceed to wedge it against the turnbuckle before taking hold of Hawkins and hurting him face first into the steel chair. As Hawkins rebounded off it AJ would take hold of Hawkins and seemingly obliterate him with another STYLES CLASH! This time though Hawkins would offer nothing else and the match would come an end.
*Curt Hawkins Eliminated*
The Elimination Chamber would slowly start to rise up above the ring, as AJ would stand victorious with the knowledge that he was finally going to get his shot at the big one in less than a months time.
WINNER: AJ Styles - new #1 contender WWE World Championship
[The WWE Network Exclusive "Masquerade Brawl" began with a singles contest between NXT's up and comer Andrade Almas take on a man relatively new to the WWE Universe (albeit one appearance at No Mercy as part of the European Exhibition contest). The match was an extremely one-sided affair with it being clear that Mr. Cottonbelly was being used as nothing more than a talent enhancement and was successful in making Almas look strong and full of potential for greater things. Almas would claim the victory by hitting Cottonbelly with a Running Double Knee Smash whilst Cottonbelly was slumped in the corner in a seated position. After the contest Almas would take to the microphone and cut a short promo with the central point being that the WWE shouldn't be playing host to freak-show that would allow any idiot with a mask to just turn up and become part of the WWE Universe, and that he wouldn't be seen dead in a mask pretending to be some sort of 'caped crusader'. The promo was clear done with the sole purpose with putting Almas over as an anti-hero for the WWE Universe to rally around despite him being a heel.]
WINNER: Andrade Almas
Singles Match
Sin Cara vs. Kalisto
[The bad blood between Sin Cara and Kalisto had seemingly be triggered after the two men had ceased to work in unison as the Lucha Dragons, although all the feelings of resentment and hatred had risen to the surfaces when both men had crossed paths during the Cruiserweight Warfare match at Survivor Series. Both men put on an exciting fast paced match that acted as a real example of everything the Cruiserweight Division was all about. All the stops were pulled in the high octane clash with highlights from both men including Sin Cara hitting the Dragon Bomb and Kalisto planting his former partner with the Salido Del Sol. The match would reach a clean ending with Sin Cara leaping off the turnbuckle only to have his head almost kicked clean off his shoulder as Kalisto connected with a Samuray Kick to win the match. After the contest though whilst Sin Cara and Kalisto were still recuperating Neville, Brian Kendrick & Chris Sabin (all of the group 'The Rudos') would storm the ring and proceed to jump both men in the middle of the ring systematically taking them apart before throwing them both out the ring and taunting the fans in Winter Park who were showing a large amount of animosity for the trio that were representing the Cruiserweight Division's heel faction.]
WINNER: Kalisto
Singles Match
Havok vs. Dia Garcia
Havok and Dia Garcia would both make their first ever appearances as part of the WWE Universe. Both women bring two very different styles to the ring with them, but despite the obvious contrasts both women were able to work together and organically put on an interesting match in which both women were allowed to shine and look strong without their counterpart suffering. The commentary team would inform the viewers at home that both Havok and Dia Garcia would be joined the NXT roster although no certainty was placed on what sort of contracts either had been offered. When push came to shove though it was Havok that would take the match by laying out Dia with the Demon Drop! As a closing note it must be noted that Havok came away look fierce and powerful in a fashion that hadn't been seen from many women in the WWE Universe in recent year and would be a welcomed addition to the NXT roster.
WINNER: Havok
Tag Team Match
The Hurricane & Rosey w/ Super Stacy vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Big E) w/ Kofi Kingston
If any tag team that was part of the current WWE Universe was suited to face the tag team of The Hurricane and Rosey it was The New Day. The playful side to Kingston, Woods and Big E was only further complimented by the costumer crusaders of The Hurrican, Rosey and Super Stacy. The New Day have been seemingly been on a downward spiral since losing to Braun and in turn not being able to compete for the Tag Team Titles as punishment for the loss. The match itself would play host to a number of comedic elements with various props and gags being used to emote feelings of joy and happiness amongst the fans in attendance in what would possibly seen more often than not as part of a Pro Wrestling Guerrilla event. The match would come to a conclusion with Super Stacy distracting Xavier Woods with her female charms that would allow The Hurricane to stun Big E with a Shining Wizard only for Rosey to finish the affair with a Diving Leg Drop!
WINNERS: Rosey & The Hurricane w/ Super Stacy
Cruiserweight Tornado Tag Team Match
The Rudos: Manik & DrewShot Gulak vs. Cruiserweight Light: Lince Dorado & Jigsaw
The tensions between 'The Rudos' and 'Cruiserweight Light' had allowed for the Cruiserweight Division to become so much more than something focused around a singular title. With three of 'The Rudos' having got involved in the aftermath of the Sin Cara-Kalisto contest earlier in the night, it was clear that 'The Rudos' already had a lot of heat and that the majority of fans in attendance and those watching at home were praying for 'Cruiserweight Light' victory. All four men were involved in some great spots during the match which included Jigsaw hitting Manik with Jig 'n' Tonic, DrewShot Gulak seemingly destroying Dorado's body and soul with Gu-Lock, Manik also inflicting some hurt to Dorado with Death From Above and finally Dorado taking both Gulak and Manik out with a Lynxsault. It was after this Lynxsault that Jigsaw would also leap of the turnbuckle and finish off Manik by landing on top of him with Cancun Tornado giving all members of 'Cruiserweight Light' something to smile about.
WINNERS: Jigsaw & Lince Dorado
Singles Match (WWE United States Championship)
El Generico (c) vs. Chris Jericho
After El Generico (Sami Zayn) had won the United States Championship at Roadblock: End of the Line his first title defence would be against none other than wrestling great Chris Jericho. Both men would put on a captivating contest that would prove perfect to cap off a great and unique night of wrestling action being showcased on the WWE Network. Jericho though would refuse to play along with the 'El Generico Gimmick' and at every attempt possible would try to yank off Generic's mask but to no avail. These attempts at unmasking the United States Champion would ultimately play a factor in why Jericho wasn't successful in winning the title. In yet another failed attempt at ripping off the mask Jericho would be left massively embarrassed as he would be hit with his own finishing move The Codebreaker! The fans would demand that El Generico take Jericho over to the turnbuckle and he would comply with their demands and finish off Jericho by nailing him onto the turnbuckle with the Brainbustaaaaaaaah! After the match El Generico would remove his mask transforming himself back into his Sami Zayn character and the fans would celebrate the victory with him by singing along to his theme tune as Masquerade Brawl came to a finish.
WINNER: El Generico - still WWE United States Champion
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|| WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Roadblock: End of the Line proved to be game changer for the RAW brand, with The Undertaker not only have joined the Monday Night roster but also being confirmed as the man that would challenge Balor for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. Following the event of the night previous it was clear that all five members of the Balor Club were less than impressed with the Undertaker's return especially the fact that the Dead Man had seemingly taken Anderson, Gallows, King Fale and Yujiro out when the lights had been turned off in the arena. (19th December) Balor would make the point that The Balor Club had been wrong for getting involved in the confrontation between himself and the dead man, but at the same time the Undertaker had no business just turning up and demanding a title shot based on his reputation alone. One thing that became clear though was that the other members of the Balor Club seemed less than pleased by Balor's comments when he had said that they shouldn't have turned up at the closing of the Universal Title match at the PPV twenty-four hours earlier. Balor would close the segment by making it clear that he would never run away from a fight, but that there so many members of the roster that were so much more deserving of a title shot ahead of an old washed up geriatric.
For the next two weeks The Undertaker wouldn't make an appearance on RAW, although it was clear that the Balor Club held a lot of ill-will towards The Dead Man. Finn would do his best to try and calm down his troops, but the rest of the group seemingly led by Anderson would make it clear despite what Balor thought on the situation they would attack the Undertaker on sight.
The Undertaker would finally emerge from the shadows (9th January) by arriving to RAW on a custom chopper. Before he could even turn off the engine of his motorbike though Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows would blindside Taker with steel baseball bats and pummel him with shot after shot forcing the Dead Man to the ground. What would surprise everyone though was that Rollins and Reigns would emerge and come to Undertaker aid and both men's appearance would be enough to encourage both Balor Club members to flee the scene of the crime. Later on in the night Mick Foley would set-up a main event that would see The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) take on The Balor Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) in what would prove to be an exciting contest. When things started to go against Anderson and Gallows, King Fale and Yujiro would appear from the back clearly with the intention of coming to the aid of their brothers in arms. The light in the arena would be shut off and when they came back on the Undertaker would have seemingly have recovered as he would floor both King Fale and Yujiro with a set of Big Boots. Taker cutting both men off would allow for The Shield to maintain control of the match and go on to win the contest. Balor would sprint from the back only for the lights in the arena to shut down. When they came back on though in typical fashion The Undertaker was nowhere to be found, which left Balor clearly frustrated and angry about the whole situation.
The following week (16th January) Balor would make it clear that if The Undertaker was going to be facing him at the Royal Rumble then they were going to do so on his terms. Balor would make it clear that if The Dead Man was being given a shot at his title shot based solely on his reputation then he was going to have to do so by competing in one of the more challenging of match types. The Universal Champion would challenge The Undertaker that they would compete for the title in a Sixty Minute Iron Man Match at the upcoming PPV. Balor would make it clear that he was aware that The Dead Man was not present tonight and so would expect an answer next week.
As so many would expect from The Undertaker, he would accept Balor challenge on the following episode of RAW (23rd January). The Undertaker would make it clear that not only was he going to become the Universal Champion this coming Sunday, but he was also going to main-event Wrestlemania because the eventual Royal Rumble winner would be out of their mind if they didn't choose to fight him at Mania. Balor though would interrupt the Taker, and tell The Dead Man to not get ahead of himself because come Sunday he was going to find out just exactly what it meant to come face-to-face with 'The Demon King'.
60 Minute Iron Man Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor (c) vs. The Undertaker
|| WWE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Ever since the Smackdown Live exclusive PPV Backlash AJ Styles has been on a journey of twists and turns that have been stopping him from becoming the World Champion, with Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton being the two men mostly responsible. With Styles overcome all of the odds and winning the Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution he had found himself sitting pretty with the knowledge that he was now the number one contender and set to face Dean Ambrose and finally get some revenge (having already managed to give Orton his just deserts at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. AJ would make a big entrance on the episode of Smackdown following New Year's Revolution (3rd January) and make it clear just how focused he was on becoming the WWE World Champion at Royal Rumble. As you would have expected it didn't take long for Ambrose to make his way out from the back and let Styles know exactly what he thought of him. AJ though wouldn't give Dean enough time to say anything of any real consequences as AJ would slide out of the ring and charge at Ambrose with both men fighting on the entrance ramp. Smackdown's newly crowned sheriff Kurt Angle though would seem to have absolutely no problem in coming out from the back and demanding that both men stop fighting which would surprisingly lead to both men to pull away from each other without having to be restrained by any members of the security team. Kurt would make it clear that he wasn't going to let the Smackdown roster to behave in the same manner that they had during Daniel Bryan's tenure as General Manager. Kurt would inform both men that next week they would be playing a game of 'Pick Your Poison' in which both men would pick each other's opponents.
On the following week's show (10th January) AJ would find himself going one on one with Rubicon's leader Kane. AJ and Kane would battle in a gruelling contest in which Viktor, Konnor and Rankour would play a part in distracting AJ without doing anything wrong. Despite the odds stacked against him though Styles would come away with the W. Ambrose's chosen poison would Baron Corbin. Both men would put on a fairly entertaining contest although Corbin would win the contest, but only by way of Disqualification as Ambrose would seemingly grow bored of the match and instead decide to attack Baron with a steel chair.
Following the matches from Styles and Ambrose's poison selections Kurt Angle would invite both men to the meet him in the ring the following week (17th January). Kurt would openly acknowledge that AJ had come a long way since they had last crossed paths (but of course he wasn't allowed to reference where the two had previously met) although would insult both Styles and Ambrose by saying that the level of 'top guys' had clearly slipped dramatically since he had left the company over a decade ago. Kurt was saying that he wasn't going to force the WWE Universe to have to settle with watching a sub-par contest for the WWE World Championship at the Royal Rumble and would announce the match for the title at the Rumble would now be a triple threat match with Curt Hawkins announced as the third entrant in the contest. Both Dean and AJ wouldn't be sure whether to be annoyed at the introduction of a third man or laugh at the fact that it was Curt who had been added to the contest. Angle though make it clear that if anyone was deserving of a shot at the title it was Curt, for the manner in which he had risen up the Smackdown Live ranking in recent months. With just a week to go Styles and Ambrose would seem more concerned in mocking Hawkins (24th January) than worrying about each other. Hawkins with Christian by his side though would make it clear that despite what both men thought of him he had every intention of making the most the biggest opportunity of his entire career, and would go on pay homage to Christian for being the best mentor that a guy could hope for whilst trying to become a somebody in the WWE Universe.
Triple Threat Match (WWE World Championship)
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Curt Hawkins w/ Christian
|| WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following the Double Count-Out at Roadblock: End of the Line between Zack Sabre Jr. and HoHo Lun, it wasn't all that surprising when RAW's General Manager Mick Foley would give Lun a second shot at the Cruiserweight Title. The match would take place a week after the PPV (26th December) in what would see HoHo put on one hell of a performance, however it just wouldn't be enough as ZSJ would win the contest and successfully retain the title. Following the contest Sabre Jr. would shake hands with HoHo before taking hold of a microphone. Zack would make it clear that he was less than pleased with the way that 'The Rudos' had treated HoHo, and although he wasn't a fan of factions he recognised that 'Cruiserweight Light' as doing the what was best for the division by fighting the darkness seeking to corrupt the Cruiserweights. Although Zack wouldn't go as far as say he was joining the group, it would be clear that he didn't see them as the enemy. It wouldn't be all that surprising when HoHo Lun the following week (2nd January) would officially become the newest member of 'Cruiserweight Light' faction. On the other side of the coin 'The Rudos' would see another man join their ranks in the form Cedric Alexander.
A week later (9th January) Mick Foley would book a Fatal Four Way that would seemingly involve four men that weren't part of either of the Cruiserweight Factions, in the form of Akira Tozawa, Rich Swann, Kushida and Will Ferrera with the winner promised a shot at ZSJ's title. The match would be an exciting affair with Kushida winning the contest and earning a Cruiserweight title shot. For the next two weeks in build up 'The Rudos' would do their best to try and convince Kushida to join their faction. Kushida though showed no real interest in joining the group and would put on an act of not understanding English at times, even when he had been speaking broken English on seconds earlier which gave his character some depth. The match between ZSJ and Kushida would officially be made part of the Royal Rumble card and would further increase the prestige of the newly formed Cruiserweight Championship.
Singles Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Kushida
|| WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||
There can be no denying that since joining RAW, The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) have been one of the most impressive tag-team on the roster. It wouldn't be all that surprising when the duo were booked to face The Dudley Boyz at the Royal Rumble with the title belts up for grabs. Both Daniels and Kazarian would play mind games with Bubba and D-Von with their main focus of their attacks being based on the champions' age and weight. Of course these sort of comments would only rile both men, which of course is exactly what The Establishment had been hoping for as the Royal Rumble got closer and closer and it was clear that they were under the champions skin coming into the Royal Rumble weekend.
Tag Team Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Dudley Boy (Bubba Ray & D-Von) (c) vs. The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
With Becky successfully having beaten Naomi at New Year's Revolution, the Smackdown Woman's Champion found herself being summoned by new General Manager Kurt Angle. Kurt made it clear that Becky had the potential to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and with him making the decisions on Smackdown Live she would be given the best platform possible in becoming one of the future greats. Becky would make the point that she didn't need any help in reaching the top of the mountain, although Kurt would make the point that he might not possess anything to make her a better wrestler but he did have the power from blocking her path during every step of her journey. When Kurt would offer Becky a handshake, Lynch would refuse to take it making it clear that she had no interest in making any deals with the devil. In later weeks it would emerge that Kurt personality selected Alexa Bliss as the woman he wanted to lead the Smackdown Live and would book her to face Lynch at the Royal Rumble.
Singles Match (WWE Smackdwn Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
|| ROYAL RUMBLE SET-UP ||
RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Smackdown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon would make a number of joint announcement in regard to this year's Royal Rumble match. The McMahon siblings would announce that this year's Rumble Match would consist of forty entrants instead of the usual thirty. The pair would also make it clear that not one participant entering the Rumble would be revealed until that person made their way down to the ring as an official entrant. The pair though would confirm that whoever did win this year's Royal Rumble would headline Wrestlemania 33.
LIV MORGAN & ALIYAH vs. BILLIE KAY & PEYTON ROYCE (Kickoff Show) After losing to Liv Morgan, Ember Moon and Aliyah previously the Iconic Duo of Billie and Peyton were on the warpath and attacked Daria Bernato backstage for her 'error'. Billie and Peyton said that they weren't going to wait for someone to translate to Asuka that her title is there's, instead they're going to continue to run the division and outshine her and the others. Liv Morgan found a new leash of life after her victory, putting the two ladies on notice that after Mickie and Ember, have had their fun the title shot is her - much to the amusement of the Aussie natives, who reminded her that Ember won their six woman tag team match, and neither of them were pinned. Liv dragged Aliyah into her battle, who said that she was looking to continue making a name for herself and that all seemed to be going so well.
Liv and Aliyah had momentum and importantly, the crowd on their side but the Iconic Duo had them on the ropes in the latter stages of the match. Liv had fired up and went to hit "The Worm" as a throwback to the Attitude Era, Billie Kay would intervene and hit her patented big boot but as the referee warned her off. Liv went to make a tag as Aliyah dropped off the ropes, leaving her so-called friend high and dry. Peyton Royce would seal the deal with a Electric Chair facebuster for the victory. Aliyah would leave with a smirk on her face blowing a kiss to Liv who was down and out, while the Aussies ignored the situation and enjoyed the spotlight for themselves.
WINNERS: Peyton Royce & Billie Kay
WESLEY BLAKE vs. KILLIAN DAIN w/ SANITY (Kickoff Show) Since being inducted into Sanity, Killian Dain hadn't really gotten a chance to show us what was so special about him. However Eric Young promised that at Takeover, the whole world would see the spectacle that Sanity had acquired. However leading into Takeover: San Antonio, there was little to no talk of a match taking place. Young continued to promise that we would see the wrath of Killian, but the victim wouldn't know it yet. Flash forward to the kick-off show, Texas' own Wesley Blake would throw open a Texas Bull-rope match and pander to the crowd as a local hero. Unfortunately for the former tag team champion, Killian Dain had made up his mind and answered the call. Sanity watched on as Killian unleashed his anger, quickly destroying Blake in the bull-rope stipulation before man-handling him post match! Dain planted Blake with a lifting inverted DDT after the match as the members of Sanity stood tall.
WINNER: Killian Dain w/ Sanity
TYE DILLINGER & ??? vs. THE REVIVAL Since losing the NXT Tag Team Championships, The Revival had been seething with rage and the fact that the NXT Universe seemed to invest in Tye Dillinger rather than them, had Dawson and Wilder seeing red. The Revival would threaten Dillinger backstage before attacking him in a 2-on-1 after the Perfect 10 scored a victory on NXT. Tye would soon fight back and say that he was tired of being the punching bag of NXT, and that if The Revival were any sort of tag team champions, they wouldn't have to blind-side one man alone - even if he was the Perfect 10. The Revival would then respond, issuing a challenge in which Dillinger would have to find a tag team partner as they headed to Takeover.
The Revival remained confident that Dillinger would struggle to find a tag team partner, and were equally unimpressed when No Way José came out alongside with the two now combining chants "No Way Jose/Ten". The match was one of the shorter bouts of the night at Dawson and Wilder dominated the duo, only to be shocked with a quick roll-up victory from Dillinger himself to Dawson! The Revival refused to accept the loss while José and Dillinger looked equally as shocked at their own success. Commentary put over the fact that the NXT Tag Team Championships may have some new contenders heading into the future.
WINNER: Tye Dillinger & No Way Jose
ASUKA vs. MICKIE JAMES vs. EMBER MOON Mickie James was known as one of the best female wrestlers around the world, so when Asuka beat her at Takeover: Toronto, it was a dark day for the former WWE Women's Champion. William Regal however saw more to the story, and booked a rematch between the two women for the main event of NXT, that would take place two weeks after the women had first met in the ring. The undefeated Asuka would finally come undone as a Mickie-DT put the Empress of Tomorrow away for a three-count, but not under shady circumstances as the NXT Women's Champion had her foot on the ropes. Outraged, the Osaka native brought in her representation and delivered an ultimatum to Regal, Mickie and NXT officials - give her the title back or execute her contract. Referees confirmed what the world had saw, Asuka's foot was on the bottom rope and the decision was reversed, Mickie's reign as champion was ignored and Asuka's dominance looked to continue.
Meanwhile Ember Moon had her own point to prove, much like Asuka, she had yet to suffer a loss in NXT and while she appreciated Mickie's claim to a shot, she was tired of waiting to be rewarded. Ember's backstory had been explored in more depth as she revealed that she was called upon to enter NXT and dethrone Asuka, and that it was written in the stars that one day she would do so and give the NXT Women's division, hope that had been lost in Asuka's charge. Ember deemed herself a vigilante, and that Asuka's call for a challenge had been answered. Of course, during this time, Mickie grew weary of Ember's heroics, and while Ember tried to help Mickie, it often divided the two further.
So it came to be that the three would face the music in San Antonio. No love loss between the three, it was a complex bout, that saw Mickie James being ruled out of the contest after Asuka hard targeted her arm to a degree where the referee deemed her unable to continue. The crowd was irked by Asuka's actions but as the champion turned to see Ember Moon in front of her, a slobber knocker would ensure. Both women pulled out the stops, with Asuka kicking out of the Eclipse - something no woman had done, but after missing with her infamous hip attack - Ember pulled out a reverse Alabama slam that sealed the victory. The crowd popped as the Texan celebrated her win.
WINNER: Ember Moon - new NXT Women's Champion
BOBBY ROODE vs. RODERICK STRONG If Bobby Roode had taught us anything since her arrived through the land of the golden ropes, it's that he was in a word...'glorious'. However Roderick Strong was quick to remind Roode that he wasn't Tye Dillinger and he wasn't about to be shoved to the back of the line in the hunt of the NXT Championship. Roode has reminded Strong that he was fresh meat in the NXT division, and he might have done a 'thing or two' in a high-school gymnasium, but while he (Strong) was performing to a crowd of five - Roode was making NXT great again. Of course Roderick Strong would continue to prove that he wasn't someone to be messed with inside the squared circle, leading William Regal to book the two for Takeover. Both men were clearly cut for a NXT Championship shot, so this match would edge the bragging rights towards one man's name.
In the spirit of glory, Robert Roode made his grand entrance to the Takeover event, with the words 'GLORIOUS' burning (literally) in the background as he was carried to the ring on a throne by several masked servants. Roderick on the other hand, had a slightly less innovative entrance but the cogs of making him a likeable babyface seemed to have worked, given the reaction from the crowd. In a back and forth match, the two men slugged it out, however just as it seemed that Roderick had the Strong Hold locked in, one of the masked servants came up onto the apron and distracted the referee and Mr. NXT. Roode used the opportunity to low-blow his opponent and hit the Glorious Bomb for the three count.
A bemused Roode was quick to celebrate, trying to draw attention away from the finish and make his victory look legitimate as he exited to a chorus of boos. The masked servant who had provided the distraction would then pull of his mask to reveal the Greatest Man who Ever lived - Austin Aries - the very man who had brought Strong in. A-Double dropped to his knees and laughed over Strong as the heat continued. WINNER: Bobby Roode
#D.I.Y. vs. THE AUTHORS OF PAIN w/ PAUL ELLERING Following their impressive victory at the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, it was hard to argue that the pairing of Akam and Rezar were not worthy of a NXT Tag Team Championship opportunity. For months now, The Authors of Pain, lead by Paul Ellering had been a dominant and feared tandem. Ellering had warned that the next chapter was beginning, before approaching William Regal, and passive-aggressively warning him that 'pain' went hand in hand with ignorance. The Authors took it further the next week as Paul Ellering read the 'obituaries' of teams that had fallen to the Authors and issued an open challenge to any tag team past or present to to come out and pen their own page - enter The Dudebusters! Caylen Croft and Trent Baretta returned for one night only much to the delight of F.S.U. Despite a valid effort, The Authors would emerge victorious and Ellering demanded an answer from Regal, only for Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa to make their own way and state that they didn't need to wait on the General Manager, and accepted the challenge for San Antonio.In the weeks to come #D.I.Y. made it clear that they were up for the fight, but Paul Ellering would take it upon himself to make sure that the true threat of the Authors had been taken seriously. #D.I.Y. would then wrestle a non-title bout against Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins in quick fashion, only for Rezar and Akam to storm the ring (donning their skeleton masks from their live show days) and begin the attack on the Tag Team Champions. The Authors had sent their message, but only at Takeover would be determine if they would create history as Paul Ellering has hoped.
A eight tag team bout would take place on NXT's main event, featuring TM-61 and the champions against The Authors of Pain and the former champions, The Revival, who had their own agenda to put the spotlight back on them. The Authors would defeat their Tag Team Classic foes, injuring Shane Thorne and picking apart the bones for a three count. While The Revival (who had problems of their own with Tye Dillinger) reveled, it just confirmed that The Authors were just as dominant as they claimed. Post-match, a mysterious woman would appear with a box, Gargano noted how the woman looked familiar and upon unwrapping it, the champions would find a book that illustrated their demise as champions - the woman (Rachel Ellering) would laugh manically as the champions simply walked away.
Despite a nice build, the match itself was the shortest of the title bouts, with The Authors of Pain working over the champions, just as they had TM-61. Targeting Gargano, who they deemed as the weaker of the two while Ciampa could only look on and watch. Rezar and Akam kept Johnny Wrestling grounding, continuously focusing on the ankle with a series of power moves. Of course, The Authors could only dominate so much, once Ciampa had made the hot tag, it was time for #D.I.Y. to clear house, although the opponents were not as easy to take down as other opponents that they had previously faced. Paul Ellering watched anxiously at ringside as Ciampa was whipped into the turnbuckle, Rezar charging towards him only to miss! Akam went for a follow up spear, but took down his own tag team partner as the two fell to the floor. Tagging in his partner, Ciampa would take a run up with the knee while Gargano struggled to enter the ring to gear up for a superkick......ELLERING HAS HIS BOOK IN HAND AND CLOBBERS GARGANO! Gargano is shocked, but not down from the attack, but Ellering wasn't looking to hurt - he was looking for the disqualification which he achieves. The fans are annoyed at the ending of the match, especially as The Authors regain momentum as Akam delivers a targeted boot to Gargano's leg as they finished Ciampa off with The Last Chapter.
Of course it would appear that the battle was far from over, but even in their defeat The Authors of Pain still made a lasting impression on the NXT Tag Team Champions.
WINNERS: #DIY - still NXT Tag Team Champions
SAMOA JOE vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA The battle between Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakumara continued to rage on, and while critics faulted NXT's inability to use the vast range of top tier talent on the brand, it would appear that the NXT Universe thrived to see what promised to be the final instalment of the rivalry. It was all or nothing, the NXT Championship on the line in a Last Man Standing match, in which the loser would no longer be able to compete for the championship, so long as the victor held the belt. Both men brought the intensity and the determination needed for such a decisive stipulation and following a series of kicks, it wasn't long before the Samoan Submission Specialist was donning the crimson mask. Medics would intervene, however blood wasn't going to stand in the way of either man tonight.
Nakamura had a great entrance, filled with a live violinist and streamers as the crowds popped for the New Japan favorite. The atmosphere was quickly cut off by Samoa Joe, who entered to no music but instead a mixed reaction to the crowd. Though his attitude was questionable, many still felt that Joe had earned his stripes throughout the years of dedication and that he was right to revel in 'his moment.' After Mike Rome had finished the ring introductions Nakamura offered a handshake, this was quickly turned away by Joe, who received a quick kick to the face for his arrogance.
In the latter stage she of the match, Nakamura hit the Kinsasa from the second rope and looked to have the battle won, but something within Joe managed to get a shoulder in the air as war continued. Submissions were rife, with both men trying to encourage the other to pass out, but it would be the champion who would eventually retain after a daring Nakamura attempted a rarely-used springboard moonsault, only to miss and be booted right into the face by Samoe Joe, who would perfectly execute a Muscle Buster for the ten count.
Following the match, medics checked on Nakamura while Joe continued to celebrate, raising the NXT Championship in the air. Lights out! A air raid siren is heard, only for Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross (of Sanity) to appear at the top of the stage. When the lights came back on Eric Young stood in the ring laughing manically as he seemed to inform Joe that the title would soon be his. The cameras would fade as Joe looked unimpressed, and Sanity regrouped with a confidence in their stride.
