WWE: Home Of Excellence [ARCHIVED PROJECT]

[CakeWalker]

April 30th 2017

+ Eight Man Tag Team Match +
|| Team America (Jordan, Gable, Haas & Benjamin) vs. Rubicon (Kane, Konnor, Viktor & Rankour) ||

Vengeance would begin with the interesting contest between Team America and Rubicon in what was a cross between a ruthless stable and a group of patriots fighting under the collective banner of the American flag. With only one fall needed to end the contest and no eliminations it wasn’t surprising that the opening match was a hard felt contest. Under the guidance of Kane it was clear that the rest of Rubicon were a serious force to be reckoned with and would play a smart game by controlling the match and keeping as much of the action in their own corner and do so by using a range of double team moves whenever necessary. Some of the moves would include Konnor and Rankour hitting Haas with the FALL OF MAN, Rankour and Viktor nailing Benjamin with a two-man clothesline combination and Viktor and Konnor nailing Jason Jordan with the SOUL DRIVER! It must be noted that Kane was taking on the role of general, whilst doing his best to avoid actually getting into the ring.

Of course Rubicon weren’t able to control the match through its entirety and after Konnor botched an attempt of pulling Gable back towards the corner he would manage to tag in Haas. Rather than letting the match play out fairly Kane would send the rest of Rubicon to enter the fray straight away. Viktor would be the first to charge forward only to be dropped by Shelton Benjamin with a SUPERKICK, whilst Jordan would grab hold of Konnor and throw him over with HOOSIER DADDY! Rankour though wouldn’t fall and instead would drop Haas with a stiff punch before taking hold of Gable and drop him to the mat with VELVET NOISE!

With so many bodies on the deck Kane would slap Rankour on the back and tag himself in and would drop Jordan instantly with a Big Boot! This would result in just Rankour, Kane and Shelton being the only three still on their feet. Rankour would attempt to gain the good grace of his master only to be caught off guard as Shelton would flip over Rankour with a T-BONE SUPLEX!Benjamin had barely anytime to recover as Kane would of Shelton and hoist him up in the air with a CHOKESLAM! With everyone else down on the canvass Kane was able to claim the victory and claim a strong victory for Rubicon.

WINNER: Rubicon (Kane, Viktor, Konnor & Rankour)

+ Singles Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship) +
|| Luke Harper © vs. Nick Aldis ||

Harper’s second reign as the Intercontinental Champion would arguably begin with a fairly cushy title defence against British talent Nick Aldis. Nick Aldis would be fighting on the back foot for most of the contest with spots including; dropping Harper on his head with the MAG DADDY DRIVER, as well as a number of stiff European Uppercuts and Rebound Clotheslines! Harper would dominate the contest for much of the match and on countless occasions knock Aldis to the mat with multiple drop kicks, as well as grinding down the Brit with a multiple of suplex variations. The match would come to an end with Harper wiping Aldis out with a DISCUS CLOTHESLINE, only for Aldis to stand up and be dropped onto his back with another DISCUS CLOTHESLINE!As Aldis would push himself back up he would stagger on his feet only to be smashed down hard onto the canvass with the TRUCKSTOP! The spinning side slam would bring the contest to an end and result in Harper successfully defending the strap. After the match Harper would be joined in the ring by Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt and the trio would celebrate the victory with Rowan and Harper forcing Aldis back up onto his feet and handing him to Bray as if he was a sacrifice which would lead to Wyatt sending Aldis to the mat with SISTER ABIGAIL!This would be followed by all the lights in the arena flickering, before returning to normal with all three members of the Wyatt Family nowhere to be seen.

WINNER: Luke Harper (still WWE Intercontinental Champion)

+ Tornado Tag Team Match +
|| Nikki Bella & John Cena vs. Eva Marie & Dolph Ziggler ||

The intensity of the rivalry between Nikki and Eva & Cena and Ziggler meant that the match already had all the combustible elements needed for a really great contest. With the match being fought under tornado tag rules, there was no time off for anyone involved allowing for the contest to effectively becoming two singles match taking place at exactly the same time, Ziggler wouldn’t even let Cena enter the ring as he would out John with a Suicide Dive through the ropes. This would result in Nikki and Eva fighting in the ring and Dolph and John fighting outside of it.

Dolph and Cena fight on the entrance ramp and it was clear that all they wanted to do was hurt each other, rather than actually wrestling. Nikki and Eva would on this basis get a lot of the attention as they tangled up in the middle of the ring. In this encounter though Nikki wasn’t as dominant over Eva as she had been in recent weeks. Some of Eva’s more impressive spots would include: removing Nikki off the the turnbuckle with a Tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown, a snap suplex that almost resulted in a nearfall and a rolling cutter that would cause Nikki’s neck to catch the bottom rope.

Dolph and John on the other hand and climbed off the entrance ramp and were actually fighting below it. Cena had been on the up and had been smashing Ziggler into the metal and had shown no sign of letting off. In a desperate attempt to escape the feeling of being trapped in a corner Ziggler would go on to rake Cena’s eyes before sending John reeling with a perfectly timed Superkick before taking Cena and dropping him onto unfolded table with the BLONDE AMBITION!

With Cena laid out, Ziggler would change his focus and make his way back to ring which and come to Eva’s aid in effectively out-powering and outnumbering Nikki. Eva would take hold of Nikki only for Dolph to kick Nikki brutally in the head with the Superkick before even continued to hold onto Nikki and would send her down to the canvass with SLICED RED #2! As Eva looked set to cover Nikki, out of nowhere Cena would grab hold of Eva and pull her out of the ring only to take hold of onto his shoulders and send her down onto the concrete with the ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT! Dolph however still in the ring would drop on-top of Nikki and using his body weight was able to smother Nikki long enough to claim the victory for both himself and Eva. Cena though would show no interest in letting Dolph enjoy his moment as he would chase Ziggler out of the ring in order to check on his long-term girlfriend Nikki Bella.

WINNER: Dolph Ziggler & Eva Marie

+ Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships) +
|| The Hype Bros © vs. The Usos w/ Naomi ||

Both teams put on a fairly even contest with the Hype Bros showing just exactly why they had been champions for so long, whilst the Usos showed the competitive edge that was needed to be a serious threat to the tag team titles. Naomi meanwhile wasn’t actually physically getting involved in the contest, but instead was acting as the hype man for her husband and brother-in-law which would aid in getting the fans onside. The real talking point of the match would result in Ryder tagging himself in which seemed to upset Mojo and would result in both men having an argument. So much so in fact that Mojo would grab hold of his partner and throw him down to the canvass with a Tilt-a-whirl Powerslam! Everyone including the Usos would look on stunned as Mojo would mouth something to Ryder before climbing out of the ring and heading towards the back. The Usos would take hold of Ryder like two vultures feeding on the scraps by climbing up onto the turnbuckle and in unison jumping off and successfully hitting Ryder with a DOUBLE SAMOAN SPLASH! And then in the blink of an eye the referee was calling for the bell and Naomi would bring the Smackdown Tag Team Championship belts and hand them to the Usos before raising their arms in air in pure jubilation.

WINNERS: The Usos w/ Naomi (new WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions)

+ Street Fight +
|| Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin ||

The street fight between Orton and Corbin was exactly what is said on the tin ‘a street fight’. The match would begin in the arena’s parking lot with the garage doors open with easy access to the street. As you might have expected it didn’t take long for both men to have an interaction with the number of automobiles that lined the street. As both men were fighting on top of a fancy soft-top Baron would send Randy through the material with a devastating END OF DAYS! Randy would struggle to escape the carnage as he would be forced out of the car by Corbin. A little bit later on into the contest next to a much more heavy looking off-road vehicle that Randy would lift up the hood up before sending Corbin down onto the engine with an RKO! As the match would carry on down the street until they reached a bridge crossing over a river. Both men would tangled on the edge only for Randy to charge forward and knock both Baron and himself off the bridge and down into the water by way of a short-armed lariat. By the time the referee had managed to figure out a way to get down to the bridge with the camera crew closely behind, two seriously hurt looking Corbin and Orton would be trading blows looking seriously cut up and in a whole lot of pain. Orton and Corbin would be exchanging blow after blow, as both men looked as if they were going to fall over each other. Randy would out of nowhere catch Baron out with an attempt at an RK-NO! but instead Corbin would push Orton over instead which would result in Orton face hitting a rock on the side of the river and busting him wide open. Corbin would then attempt to climb up the bank only to slip and in a mass confusion get caught in the current as he would find himself being pulled down the river. With Corbin being pulled away and Orton down for the count the referee would signal that the match had come to an end and was ruling it a No Contest, although it certainly hadn’t been a disappointment despite the outcome.

RESULT: No Contest

+ Triple Threat Match(WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship)+
|| Alex Bliss © vs. Becky Lynch vs. Emma ||

The co-main event was the much anticipated triple threat match between Becky, Alexa and Emma. For Becky and Alexa it was the third consecutive PPV in which both women had competed for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. With Emma added to the mix the match had a little extra depth of the unknown making the match that little bit more interesting like a cocktail with a secret ingredient. Some of the most exciting parts from the middle portions of the contested would include: Lynch would nail Alexa in the corner with a Flying Fire-arm, Emma would add insult to injury by nailed Alexa only moments later with an Emma-mite Sandwich! Alexa would give out as good as she got by tossing Becky to one side with an Over-the-shoulder arm drag as well as sending Emma toppling over the ropes and out of a ring with a heavy handed Forearm Smash! Emma though really made it clear that she was to be treated with respect as she would manage to lock champion Bliss in the EMMA LOCK which almost resulted in Alexa tapping out if it hadn’t been for Becky intervening at the last possible moment.

The final moments of the contest were worth writing home about. Emma would found herself down on her back as Alexa and Becky would be going at it in various different chain wrestling moves before Becky would seem to gain an advantage and force Alexa into a corner and proceed to smash her in the mouth with stiff forearm shots before spinning Alexa around and throwing her into the turnbuckle with the BEX-PLODER! Becky would then drag Alexa out from the corner and proceed to lock in the DIS-ARM-HER and it looked as if Alexa had just about enough of the the move only for Emma to come rushing forward and kick Becky in the side of the head with a well placed Soccer Kick! The move stunned Becky enough to send her back long enough for Emma to take hold of Alexa and lock in the EMMA LOCK which led to Alexa tapping out seconds later.

Emma would look incredibly happy with herself as she was handed the Smackdown Women’s Championship and would proceed to climb up onto the turnbuckle and kiss the title before lifting it up over her head. Meanwhile Alexa was nursing herself outside the room looking incredibly annoyed about having lost the title, whilst at the same time looking like someone that was lucky to still be standing.

WINNER: Emma (new WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion)

+ Steel Cage Match (WWE Championship)+
|| Curt Hawkins © vs. The Miz w/ Maryse ||

As the cage was lowered down and Curt Hawkins and The Miz found themselves locked inside, it was apparent by both men’s facial expressions that they were actually relishing the opportunity of fighting inside the cage. Early stages of the contest would see both men feeling each other out testing the integrity of the steel structure which would include a number of irish whips and catapult into the cage. Curt would even hang The Miz upside down on the turnbuckle and proceed to dropkick Miz’s head into corner of the cage.

Both men would push each other to the limit with a number of unique spots that one would only seen during a cage match. The Miz would throw Curt over the ropes sandwiching the champion upside down between the ropes and the cage before leaping off the turnbuckle and smashing into Hawkins with a diving crossbody which looked like it hurt The Miz more than it was meant to. Hawkins would look as if he might have done enough damage to The Miz when he dropped The Miz on his head with the LAUGH RIOT! Instead of covering The Miz Curt would proceed to scale up the cage. Rather than climb down the other side and end the contest there and then Hawkins would leap off the cage and land on top of The Miz with the HEATING SEEKING ELBOW!The sheer gravity of the dive knocked the wind out of Curt resulting in both The Miz and Curt rolling around on the canvass in clear discomfort.

At this point Maryse would be seen arguing with one of the referee at ringside that as guarding the cage door before catching the referee by surprise and pushing him over. Maryse would then proceed to take hold of the keys to the cage and start undoing the padlock that was holding the chain in place before pulling it away and opening up the cage door. Maryse would then enter the cage and attempt and lean over her husband and try to shake him back to life. Hawkins however was already getting back to his feet, although Maryse had her back to Curt and didn’t see him coming until it was two late and she crumpled onto the mat as he ran into her like a knife through hot butter as he connected with an almighty SPEAR! Another referee meanwhile had picked up the chain at ringside and was sealing up the cage door once again, despite Maryse still be locked in side.

Curt would start dragging Miz up to his feet and push him into the corner and proceed hit The Miz repeatedly with a number of chops to the midsection with the slaps being heard in the cheap seats. Maryse would appear just behind Curt although it was noticeable that she was still struggling but catch Hawkins completely off-guard as she connected with a LOW BLOW! Despite being hurt The Miz would step forward and grab hold of Hawkins and throw him down to the mat with the SKULL CRUSHING FINALE! The Miz looked set to have the match all wrapped only to be left looked stunned as Curt would lift up his shoulders at the last possible moment. The Miz was furious with the referee and would proceed to start shouting and screaming him with it being very clear that he was adamant that he had achieved the three count.

Despite Curt having survived it was clear that the numbers were now working against him now that Maryse was also locked inside the cage. It was at this point that everyone would look on stunned as large knife would appear through from underneath the ring and noticeably start cut a hole although both The Miz and Maryse were preoccupied with stomping down on Hawkins. As the material fell away the space would be filled with smoke before the looming figure of Mil Muertes would pull himself up from out of the hole before proceeding to take hold of The Miz and nail him him THE FLATLINER! Mil would then turn to Maryse who was noticeably screaming in his face in complete and utter fear only for Mil to grab hold of Maryse by the hair and pull her into the hole as more smoke would shroud the win as both Mil and Maryse would disappear underneath the ring.

Whilst all this had been taking place Tyler Breeze had been pulling at the chain of the cage door and for the second time in the night the cage door had been pulled open once again. Tyler would then reach into the cage and door his best to try and drag Curt along the floor towards the exit. As Curt would stir he would start fighting back, not realising that Tyler was trying to help him, and proceed to lash out at Tyler with ha number of kick before taking hold of Breeze and hitting him with the TASTE OF PAIN! It was only after hitting the move that Curt realised that Tyler had been answering his call about anyone coming to his aid. With Curt distracted by Tyler, The Miz had been crawling along his belly and was edging closer and closer to the cage door. As The Miz looked certain to fall through the door, one of the camera men would grab hold of the cage door and slam it back closing smashing The Miz in the face. The blow from the door was so hard in fact that the Miz’s nose was visible bleeding. The cameraman would proceed to remove his hat revealing himself as none other than Christian.

Curt would turn around and realise what had just taken place and smile at Christian before climbing onto the turnbuckle only to leap off and land on top of The Miz with a HEAT SEEKING ELBOW! 1, 2, 3, DING DING DING! As the cage would be raised up slowly the referee would grab hold of the WWE Championship and proceed to hand the title to Curt who would look completely exhausted as he would drop to his knees and rest the title over his shoulders as Christian would enter the ring the ring and proceed to drag Curt up to his feet as both men would embrace each other as the show came to a conclusion.

WINNER: Curt Hawkins (still WWE Champion)​

 

[CakeWalker]

+ NXT published its schedule for the remainder of 2017: TakeOver:Redemption (Philadelphia); TakeOver: Brooklyn III; TakeOver:Sanity (Houston).

+ WWE also announced its pay per view schedule for the remainder of 2017. For Smackdown Live No Mercy will return as a brand exclusive event (in September) whilst TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs has been dropped and instead replaced by Cyber Sunday (which has been absent for just under a decade). RAW will bear host to Night of Champions (October) & Armageddon (December).

+ With the absence of pay per views like Money in the Bank, Hell in the Cell, Elimination etc. it has been assumed that the WWE is stepping away from gimmicky named events, although a large contingent of fans have been left asking if this is the end of the Money in the Bank initiative.

+ Voices from the rumour mill have suggested that William Regal may be on his way out in terms of his on-screen presence with NXT although it is unclear what the reason behind this is, some have suggested that there may be a link between the UK Championship Tournament and perhaps the WWE wanting to set-up a more permanent territory in the United Kingdom.

+ NXT injury list has been updated and it was revealed that Sawyer Fulton is no longer injured, however there is no confirmation on whether or not he will be rejoining Sanity.

+ The WWE creative teams has also revealed that at NXT: Tokyo the all the championship belts will be replaced by new up to date championship designs.

+ It has been rumoured that Alexa Bliss & Becky Lynch have had some sort of major disagreement backstage and a resolution is being sought to build any bridges between both women, who are seen as pivotal members of the Smackdown Live roster.

+ WWE Creative have also suggested that Randy Orton is due to break his silence very soon about his reason for aligning himself with the Wyatt Family, although a point has been made that the sense of the unknown has brought a new edge to Orton's persona.

+ Eva Maria and the WWE have had intense meeting in regards to her signing a new contract and it is unclear if Eva will remain with the company. It is publicly known that her contract runs out at the end of 2017, although it is clear that the WWE is keen to keep the 'Red Queen' on their books.

+ WWE.com has suggested that the WWE Draft that will take place on the RAW following Payback is being tweaked and that the number of trades might no longer be as restricted as it was previously suggested. It was also revealed that NXT Draft picks would be take place on the same night, rather than two separate shows as was previously announced.

+ The upcoming United Kingdom Championship Tournament will be a sixteen-man event that will take place over two days. Not only will the winner becoming the inaugural United Kingdom Champion but they will win a contract with the WWE for a minimum period of twelve months.

+ It has also been rumoured that a number of roster cuts are set to take place in regards to the 205 Live roster.​

 

[CakeWalker]

|| THE BALOR CLUB STORYLINE ||


With Styles achieving his dreams of becoming the Universal Champion at Wrestlemania it wasn’t all that shocking when the following night (April 3rd) that he would kickoff RAW by standing in the middle of the ring surrounded by the four men that had pitched their tents in his camp during last night’s main-event (King Fale, Yujiro, Adam Cole & Cody Hall). Styles would make it clear that he wasn’t surrounded by Balor Club rejects. He would also make it clear that no one standing in the ring considered themselves being part of any version of The Bullet Club. Styles would make it clear that he and the four other men in the ring with him, were part of a much older, illustrious and more notorious group. Everyone in the ring would smile at this point before music belonging to the New World Order would start playing, as Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Scott Hall would make their way from the back wearing the famous black and white from head to toe.


Nash and Scott would proceed to make their from the back and enter the ring and do the rounds of embracing everyone before finally coming to AJ and throwing up the original clique hand signs. Styles would then proceed to hand the microphone over to Nash. Kevin would make it clear that once upon the nWo had been the most dominant faction in professional wrestling and that as of right now the black and white was back in business and that AJ would be taking control of the group. Nash would make it clear that a number of incredibly talented men had chosen to align themselves with Styles. Hall would then take the microphone and have a short but direct message for anyone listening and that was that “you are either with the nWo or you are an enemy of the nWo.” The segment would end with everyone in the ring revealing themselves as wearing nWo t-shirts underneath the various coats and jackets that they had been wearing.


Following the announcement that the nWo had returned to the fold, it wasn’t at all shocking that Finn and the rest of the Balor Club would have their opinion to give about the New World Order’s return. Balor would make it clear that he took it as a personal insult that Styles had won the right to call himself and his band of cronies The Bullet Club only to throw it away like it was a piece of garbage and instead decided to resurrect the infamous nWo. Balor would make it clear that The Club’ was the top group on RAW and that they weren’t just going to sit back and let these usurpers come in and try and steal their spot. During the evening show one match would take place that would see the ‘Guerrillas of Destiny’ (Camacho & Tama) take on Cody Hall & Adam Cole in a match that would not only add fire to the rivalry between both factions but also allowed both teams to make their in-ring debuts. Hall and Cole would go on to win the contest, although they would do so after Cody's father Scott would provide illegal interference whilst Nash would distract the referee. It would be a good closing to the show, and also a sign that further shenanigans were on the cards between both group in the week to come.


The following week (April 10th) it wasn’t at all surprising that the Guerrillas of Destiny would have something to say and they cut a promo backstage making it clear that the victory that Cole and Hall had achieved last week was cheap and only prove that the nWo were the weaker of the two factions. Tama would demand that Hall and Cole meet them out in the ring and they have a direct rematch without anyone else getting involved. Only a short time later the rematch would take place although in this encounter it would be Camacho and Tama that would claim an important revenge victor for The Balor Club. Following the victory Finn, Anderson and Gallows would make their way out from the back to celebrate with the Guerrillas of Destiny. Balor would thank both Camacho and Tama for restoring the balance in the force before turning his focus to AJ Styles and the Universal Championship. Finn would announce that next week he would be using his rematch clause and would be taking back ‘his’ Universal Championship. Balor would make it clear that winning the title wasn’t just about glory, but also about restoring the balance of power. Finn would make it clear that the nWo had always been and would always continue to be a cancer. Balor would then sound like a recruitment officer as he would offer the hand of peace to all members of the RAW roster and that like minded individuals would be considered for membership. A majority of the focus during the show (April 17th) was on building up the rematch for the Universal Championship between Styles and Balor. When it came time for the contest it certainly was an interesting encounter. Both men would pull out all the stops in a very explosive match. Both men would have their moments in the sun with memorable spots including Balor landing on top of Styles with the Coup De Grace and Styles would spring off the ropes with take Finn down to the mat with Phenomenal Forearm! The match would come to an end with Styles transitioning himself out of Balor’s clutches and instead sending Balor down to the canvass with the Styles Clash and thus successfully retaining the Universal Championship. Before Styles could enjoy the victory he would find himself being attacked from behind by Anderson with Gallows just behind him. Luke and Karl would take hold of Styles and decimate him with the Magic Killer! Before anything else could happen the rest of the nWo would charge down from the back which would result in Gallows and Anderson pulling Balor out of the ring and escaping into crowd. As the show came a close it must be noted that it was King Fale that looked the most angry out of all of the black and white members standing in the ring.


As it might have been expected the talking points on the following week’s episode (April 24th) were more focused on the manner in which Universal Champion AJ Styles had been attacked instead of the way in which he had defended the strap. The show would would start with King Fale cutting a promo outside of the arena making it clear that the nWo considered the manner in which Styles being a declaration of war. King Fale would declare that until the Balor Club had been removed that RAW would fall into a State of Emergency before insisting that it was about time everyone else on the roster picked a side before it was too late. The camera would then zoom out to show Adam Cole, Cody Hall, Tama, Camacho and Styles standing behind Fale and all five of them would put on balaclavas. The identity of all five men was obvious considering the black and white that they were wearing, but it was clear that the masks were more about intimidation than anything else. Fale would smash open one of the fire exit door that they had been standing in front as the nWo would charge through the backstage area and proceed to knock down a number of security guards that had been blocking their path before Fale would kick ‘The Balor Club’ locker-room door off its hinges before the nWo would storm the room like a well drilled assault team. Much to everyone’s surprise the room would be empty apart from a TV monitor in the middle of the room that would turn on and show Balor laughing his head off. Finn would make it clear that in the digital age The Balor Club had eyes everywhere and knew exactly what the nWo were going to do before they even did it. The cameras would then turn to as the sound of something rolling could be heard before there was an explosion and what looked like some sort of grenade went off and released a tonne of smoke. This would result in the nWo coughing their guts up before as they would exit the room. As soon as they left the room they would find themselves being picked off one by one by The Balor Club who would attack each members of the the black and white dropping them to the floor and kicking the crap out of them. The segment would end with Balor forcing one of the cameras to capture his image as he stood in front of the fallen nWo and make it clear that this is what lied in wait for anyone that aligned themselves with the nWo.


Following the abject failure of the black and whites attempt at revenge last week, it wasn’t at all surprising that the nWo would be less than happy a week later (May 1st). AJ and the rest of the nWo would feature in a promo in which Styles would make it clear that on March 21st the New World Order would get Payback (a fitting name for the PPV). Styles would make it clear that as much as he would enjoy smashing the Universal Championship into the side of Finn’s head, the hatred that the nWo felt for the Balor Club was about so much more than just championship gold. Styles would challenge although rather than challenge he would demand that at Payback the Balor Club face the nWo in 5-on-5 Tables & Stables Match (in essence an elimination tables match). Styles would make it clear that he didn’t care if Balor didn’t like the idea, because only a coward wouldn’t turn up to the match. Later on in the night Mick Foley would book a six man tag-team match pitting The Guerrillas of Destiny and Karl Anderson against Adam Cole, King Fale and Yujiro. The match was an intense contest in which all six men would be physically beating the crap out of each other rather than just wrestling. The intensity of the match reached boiled point as King Fale would bring an end to the contest via Disqualification by taking hold of a steel chair and proceeding to smash it into all three members of the Balor Club before taking hold of Anderson and taking him out with the Grenade! Fale would take hold of a microphone and make it clear that the only thing that mattered in this war was the final victory and that only an idiot would believe that Payback would be the final battle, but if anything would simply be the first battle to hold any real gravity to it. Nonetheless Fale would make it clear that this wouldn’t stop him from enjoying himself at the upcoming PPV.


In the build up to the contest (May 8th) the WWE Universe would be given a closer look at two of its newer members Cody Hall and Adam Cole. Cody Hall was painted as the son of the Scott Hall and it was clear that he was being painted as another second generation superstar although being the son of an Outsider meant that Cody Hall was a slightly different kettle of fish. Adam Cole on the other was painted as being a bit of an unknown. A man who had made a name for himself in the smaller promotions and that had been unhappy with being a side character during his time in Japan. It could have even have been suggested that Adam Cole was as much of a risk as an asset to the nWo (although if you were to take a walk down memory lane that same could be said about Scott Steiner and countless others during the group tenure in WCW). What both men had in common was the clear desire for the black and white to be successful as they both realised that the nWo failing wasn’t not the start that their WWE careers needed. Both men would also go on to make their singles debuts with Hall gaining a victory of R-Truth and Cole gaining over Xavier Woods. After Cole’s victory though he would find himself being attacked by the Guerrillas of Destiny. Rather than the entire nWo army emerge it would only be Japanese sensation Yujiro that would run out from the back wielding a steel pipe and chase Tama and Camacho away. With one last episode of RAW to go until Payback it was clear that tensions were really start to boil over. During the go-home show (May 15th) a lot of build-up would take place reminding the fans of everything that had taken place between the Balor Club and the New World Order leading up to Payback.

TABLES & STABLES MATCH
THE BALOR CLUB (Finn Balor, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Camacho & Tama)
vs.
nWo (AJ Styles, King Fale, Yujiro, Adam Cole & Cody Hall)


|| UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||


Ever since Roadblock: End of the Line Sami Zayn has had a new lease of life since becoming the United States Champion. Following a successful title defence at Wrestlemania there was no denying that Sami was well and truly a force to be reckoned with. One man however the night following Wrestlemania (April 3rd) would have absolutely no problems in telling the WWE Universe exactly what he thought about Sami Zayn. This man was none other than Chris Jericho. Jericho would make it clear that ever since the new year Zayn had been getting in his way and stopping him from being recognised as the greatest wrestler of all time. Jericho though would make it clear that there was one man on the roster that knew Sami more than anyone and was the man that would give the United States what it needed, another version of himself. It was at this point that Jericho would invite Kevin Owens into the shot and let Owens share his own thoughts on the situation. Kevin would make it clear that ever since he and Sami had joined the WWE their friendship had come to an end although would make it clear that this was old news and that everyone knew that. Kevin would then make it clear that from here on out he would be doing everything in his power to bring Zayn’s career to an end. Before Owens or Jericho had time to react though Zayn would come charging into the shot and knock both Owens and Jericho over. Zayn would then grab hold of Owens by the scruff of the neck and throw him face first into a stack of folded up chairs that would send Owens to the floor. Owens though would get a jail out of free card as Vince McMahon and a team of backstage security would get in between Zayn and Owens making sure they couldn’t get anywhere near each other. Jericho though would manage to push through until he was face-to-face with Vince who was now holding the position as RAW Commissioner. Jericho would make it very clear that he wasn’t going to just sit back and let Zayn go ahead and start attacking people unwarranted and made it clear that either Vince deal with the situation or he would find another way to get what he wanted. Vince was less than thrilled with the manner in which he was being spoken to and made it clear that he would come up with some sort of solution at some point this evening.


After a number of matches and different story-line segments the cameras would return to Vince’s office where Sami Zayn, Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens were all sitting down in front of Vince although they were noticeably separated by a line of security right down the middle of the room. Vince would make it clear that he was less than pleased by Sami’s action but at the same time made it clear that he was well aware of the history between both Sami and Kevin. It was this point that Vince would surprise everyone by putting down an offer on the table, an offer for Zayn. Vince would make it clear that Sami was without a doubt one of more talented men on the roster and that he had been keeping a close eye on him since he had left NXT. Vince would offer Sami the hand of friendship and much to everyone’s shock Sami would turn at both Jericho and Owens and smile before standing up and shaking Vince’s hand. At this point Vince would just signal at security with one motion of his hand that would be followed by security taking hold of both Owens and Jericho and removing them from the room with force.


The following week (April 10th) Sami Zayn would be found looking extremely corporate as he was dressed in a smart looking suit, wearing a pair of Aviator shades and the United States Championship resting over his shoulder. He would be joined by Commissioner Vince McMahon who would look very happy with himself. Vince would cut a promo making it clear that he was more than happy to let the Balor Club and the New World Order fight amongst themselves and play pretend; like kindergarten kids playing Cowboys and Indians. Vince would make it clear that Sami was currently representing the WWE business interests (with it being clear that his interests were one and the same). A little later in the night Jericho and Owens would meet with General Manager Mick Foley. Jericho would make it clear that he demanded that Mick Foley rectify the situation between Kevin and Sami and put both men in a match for the United States title. Foley would make it clear that he was forced to remain impartial and wouldn’t be taking sides. However, Foley would agree that the idea of putting Sami in a match against Kevin Owens was a great idea. Foley would inform Jericho that on next week’s show Owens would face Zayn in a non-title match and if Owens won then he would earn the right to challenge Sami for the title.


The match between Owens and Zayn would open the show (April 17th) without any hype or segment and would be a great contest. The match would show the hatred that both men felt for each other, whilst at the same time not be a five star match in order to leave the fans wanting more. What would really prove to be an exciting twist that fans might not have expected was that Sami would go on to actually win the contest. This would leave Jericho looking disappointed whilst Owens would look furious and proceed to attack Zayn whilst he was celebrating and knock him out of the ring with a clothesline before taking hold of Sami wipe him out with an Apron Powerbomb! The move was certainly a throwback to the pair’s rivalry in NXT although before Kevin was allowed to do any further damage a security team led by Vince would come out from the back and come to Sami’s aid.


The feud would take a pause for a week (which was most like due to WWE Creative wanting more focus to be given to the rivalry between the Balor Club/nWo. The week after that (May 1st) Kevin Owens would cut a promo making it clear that despite having lost a fortnight ago, if it hadn’t been for Vince’s security team, Sami would have found himself in hospital struggling to eat through a straw. Owens would make it clear that just because he hadn't earned the right to challenge for the title didn’t mean that he wasn’t the man most deserving of one. Owens would end by making it clear that when it came to important matches, it would also be him rather than Sami that would leave with their hand held high. It seemed that the mind games had an effect on Sami, as whilst having a conversation with Vince later on in the night Zayn would make it clear that he wanted this feud with Kevin to come to and, and that on this basis turning him down at not facing him at Payback was only going to make matters worse.Vince would make it clear that he was the authority on RAW and that if Owens overstepped the mark then he had the power to deal with the situation. Sami would agree to think on the situation although it would be made clear by Vince that during next week’s show the man that would be facing Sami was Payback would have to be revealed.


It seemed that Vince had pulled out all the stops to try and convince Sami not to face Owens at Payback, as his son-in-law Triple H would be present on RAW (May 8th). Hunter though would seem to shock Vince by making it clear that if Sami wanted to be remembered as a great champion then it was his job to stamp down on anyone and everyone that challenged or opposed him. Vince would start having a go at Hunter, with it being quite clear that this wasn’t what they had talked about. Hunter would laugh off Vince’s comments and make it clear that if Sami wanted to fight Owens, then that is exactly what he should do. Sami would seem happy with Hunter’s advice and leave the office leaving Vince and Triple H talking amongst themselves, although Vince’s tone was noticeably far more aggressive than Hunters. Not long after Sami would talk backstage with Charly Caruso and reveal that at Payback he would be facing Owens for the United States Championship and not just in any match. However, Zayn would make it clear that he wouldn’t reveal the stipulation of the match until the contract signing that would take place next week at the go-home show.


On the last episode of RAW before Payback (May 15th)Mick Foley would host the contract signing for the match between Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens for the United States Championship, before revealing the the match would be a ‘No Disqualification Iron Man Match’ Owens would speak first making it clear that he looked at Sami in the way a killer whale looks at a seal; just another victim. Owens would then look smug with himself before signing the contract and standing next to Jericho. Sami wouldn’t even share his thoughts on the situation and would proceed to sign the contract before leaping over the table and taking Owens off his feet. In the confusion Jericho would look stunned which would allow Sami to take hold of Jericho and toss him over the ropes before taking hold of Owens and slamming him through the table by way of a Spin-out Powerbomb! Owens would look like a crumpled mess as he lay on top of the broken table, as Sami would end the segment by lifting his title above his head and looking extremely motivated just in time for this weekend’s PPV.

NO DISQUALIFICATION IRON MAN MATCH (WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP)
Sami Zayn © vs. Kevin Owens w/ Chris Jericho

|| RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||

There is no denying that Gurv and Harv were extremely annoyed that Vince had cancelled the match at Wrestlemania and by doing so cost them a shot at the the tag team titles. To make matters worse Vince would show little to no interest in the Bollywood Boyz and despite Gurv and Harv being extremely polite about the situation, Vince would laugh off both men and make it clear that the only people that would be deciding who would be challenging for the Raw Tag Team Championships would be the current champions The Establishment and it became obvious that both Daniels and Kazarian were extremely smug with Vince’s decision. Eventually the champions would decide to address the situation (April 24th) by cutting a comedic yet straight talking promo. Christopher Daniels would be wearing a fox hunting costume and a monocle whilst Frankie Kazarian would wear a smoking jacket and what looked like it might have been one of Sherlock Holmes’ signature hat. Daniels would start the promo being saying that it wasn’t often that dignified and distinguished gentlemen were expected to compete with men of the lower classes that were most certainly batting above their weight and way above their station in life. Daniels would make it clear that the Bollywood Boyz should be grateful of the opportunities that they had already been given, even if that as just being mentioned in the same sentence as The Establishment. Frankie though would make the point that The Establishment were the most talented tag team in the history of sports entertainment and that it was wholly evident due to the lack of class that present day wrestling fans had that both himself and Daniels would only face criticism for not agreeing to give the Bollywood Boyz another shot at their title belts. Daniels would end the promo by confirming that the match would take place at Payback.

In the remaining weeks The Establishment would continue to be pompous and present themselves as if they were both blue blooded and of noble stock although it wasn’t clear if this was a new gimmick or whether this was just being done at Harv and Gurv’s expense. What was clear though was that the Bollywood Boyz were less than pleased in the way they were being treated, but were very much aware that if they over-stepped the mark that they might find themselves without a shot at the title (considering that Vince had given The Establishment the final say on the matter).

TAG TEAM MATCH (WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS)
The Establishment © vs. The Bollywood Boyz


|| RAW TAG TEAM TURMOIL STORYLINE ||


Vince McMahon was enjoying his role as RAW’s commissioner and this became even more clear when he announced that at Payback a Tag Team Turmoil Match would take place to decide a new number one contender for the tag team belts. Not only would the winners earn the right to challenge for the gold, but Vince would make it clear that they would also earn his favour in the same manner than Sami Zayn had. A number of teams would agree to take part in the match, and although there wasn’t one story-line that connected all the team together like a massive jigsaw puzzle, there was a number of interesting points to be made for a number of the teams involved.

Sheamus & Cesaro: The men that had previously been in a long standing best of seven series, had slowly found that they were extremely compatible as tag-team partners although as of yet hadn’t made a name for themselves as a duo.

Big Show & Mark Henry: Both men agreed to team up together in what seemed like nothing more than a desperate attempt to remain in the spotlight and stay relevant

The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Regins): The Shield had been on a roll as of late and had looked fairly impressive although it was clear that some of the fans had been hoping that both men would part ways and focus on their singles wrestling once again, more Rollins than Reigns in most case.


The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von): This would be the a return to the WW for Bubba and D-Von who had been on a break from a company following their reign as the tag team champions.


Shining Stars (Epico & Primo): Epico and Primo re-branding as the Shining Stars hadn’t exactly been working as of late, although the team had outlasted Breeze Mango ( which I suppose was something to be proud of).


R-Truth & Darren Yung: A number of promos and adverts had resulted in Bob Backlund been abandoned by Darren Young and instead Darren having been rebranded as Yung and teaming up with R-Truth. The gimmick was that R-Truth was more similar to his Ronn Killings persona whilst Darren Yung was playing the role of a posh and well spoken African American, but putting on an act as if he was street. The gimmick wasn’t over just yet, but there certainly was potential for something to come about from the unique partnership.


Sting & Goldust: Sting for the last few months had taken Goldust under his wing and was doing his best to try and get Goldust to move away from his comedy element and embrace a darker side of himself. Goldust hadn’t been very receptive as of late, but it was clear that he was doing his best to try an impress Stinger.


Enzo & Big Cass: Enzo & Big Cass were probably the most popular babyfaces team on RAW, although apart from that accolade they hadn’t done much of anything as of later.

TAG TEAM TURMOIL MATCH #1 CONTENDER'S MATCH
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Big Show & Mark Henry vs. The Shield vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Shining Stars vs. R-Truth & Darren Yung vs. Sting & Goldust vs. Enzo & Big Cass

|| WWE 205 LIVE STORYLINES ||

Following Noam Dar’s victory at Wrestlemania it wasn’t at all surprising that the next match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship would be a match against former champion Zack Sabre, Jr. The match would be presented as the Battle of Britain between England and Scotland and although a lot of the rivalry was lost on a lot of the American fans but a lot of the European fan base would enjoy the build-up which was clearly yet another attempt at adding extra hyping to the upcoming United Kingdom Championship Tournament. It was also clear that at it stood that Dar and Sabre, Jr. were without the very best that the Cruiserweight Division had to offer.

Singles Match (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
Noam Dar © vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.

With 205 Live offering an extra hour each week (including advertisement breaks) the rest of the Cruiserweight Division were really given a platform to shine on a much more personal level. One rivalry that the fans really took an interest in was between Neville and Akira Tozawa. Neville offered a very aggressive style and approach, whilst Tozawa was likeable whilst at the same time very athletic. The storytelling was done without any words being spoken between the two, but instead by by both men’s physicality in the ring.

Singles Match
Neville vs. Akira Tozawa.

The other rivalry that gauged the fan’s interest was between Rey Mysterio and Ricochet. Ricochet would debut his ‘King Ricochet’ gimmick and would claim to be the royalty of the Cruiserweights and to add insult to injury would make xenophobic comments about Mysterio’s Mexican heritage. This resulted in a very passionate and fiery Mysterio making it clear that not only was this about putting Ricochet in his place for insulting him, but for insulting a whole nation of hardworking people. Going into the contest it was clear that King Ricochet had very little respect for Mysterio was a person, but would make it clear that he respected everything that Rey had achieved as a wrestler despite his Mexican origin. Of course Ricochet’s viewpoint would only further escalate the hatred between both men.

Singles Match
Rey Mysterio vs. King Ricochet

The last major story-line involving the Cruiserweight would take place on both RAW and 205 Live and would surprisingly involve Braun Strowman. Braun would make it clear that he had no respect for the Cruiserweight Division and challenge any and all takers to meet him at Payback in an Open Invitation Gauntlet Match. If a member of the 205 Live was able to beat him then that man would be awarded a future shot at the Cruiserweight Title, however Strowman would make it clear that every man that he defeated would have their contract terminated instantly. It would be revealed by Vince McMahon that he had granted Braun to power to put together this match as a reward for successfully retiring the Undertaker (which would give Vince even more heat).

Open Invitational Gauntlet Match
Braun Strowman vs. Cruiserweight Division.

|| WWE RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||

Much to many fans disappointment despite Trish having won the title at Wrestlemania, Stratus wouldn’t be scheduled to appear on RAW until April 17th. With this two week gap without the champion in play, a three-way rivalry would emerge between Sasha. Charlotte and Nia. Sasha would make it clear that she was the woman must deserving of the first shot at Trish, but it was clear that both Nia and Charlotte felt that Sasha had already had her time in the sun and now it was time for her to move over. Of course Sasha would be unwilling to back down, although it would emerge that Banks didn’t actually have a rematch clause and therefore was going to have to earn another shot just like everybody else. The trio would end up having a triple threat match (April 17th) although the match would end up being thrown out and ending in a ‘No Contest’ as Charlotte, Nia and Sasha would end up fighting outside of the ring and refuse to get back in the ring despite the referee’s insistence. The fighting would eventually come to an end when Trish would finally emerge with the RAW Women’s Championship over her shoulder. Trish would make it clear Charlotte, Nia and Sasha all had qualities that would make them deserving of challenging for her title. However, Trish would make it clear that the challenger or rather challengers for her title had already been decided. Trish would infuriate all three women though when she would announce that the big reveal would take place in three weeks time.

With two weeks to go until Payback (May 8th) the tensions between Charlotte, Nia and Sasha had only worsened. Trish would make her out from the back with General Manager Mick Foley and go on to announce that at Payback she would be defending the title in a Six Pack Elimination Match. Trish would make it clear that the match would be blend of the old and new as she would reveal that Charlotte, Nia and Sasha were the hottest three women on the RAW roster and therefore on this basis they would be taking part in the contest at Payback. Foley would smile at this point and then make it clear that this meant that there was two places left in the contest and that with three newbies in the ring and one veteran clearly the match had space for two more veterans. This would result in Lita and Victoria walking out from the back and the crowd roaring loudly in sheer excitement at the prospect of what was going to take place at the PPV.

In the final week of build-up (May 15th) a six woman tag team match would take place between the New Generation and the Old Generation with the team of Trish, Lita and Victoria picking up the victory on the go home show. However, rather than celebrate the victory it would be Victoria who would turn on Trish and nail her with Widow’s Peak only for Lita to take hold of VIctoria and obliterate her with the Twist of Fate! This would result in Lita looking like the strongest of all six of the womrn leading into Payback.

Six Pack Elimination Match (WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP)
Trish Status © vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax vs. Lita vs. Victoria
​

 

[CakeWalker]

May 21st 2017

Open Invitational Gauntlet Match
Braun Strowman vs. Cruiserweight Division

Singles Match
Akira Tozawa vs. Neville

Tag Team Turmoil Match #1 Contender's Match
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Big Show & Mark Henry vs. The Shield vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Shining Stars vs. R-Truth & Darren Yung vs. Sting & Goldust vs. Enzo & Big Cass

Singles Match
Rey Mysterio vs. King Ricochet

Tag Team Match (WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS)
The Establishment © vs. The Bollywood Boyz

Six Pack Elimination Match (WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP)
Trish Status © vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax vs. Lita vs. Victoria

No Disqualificaiton Iron Man Match (WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP)
Sami Zayn © vs. Kevin Owens w/ Chris Jericho

Singles Match (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
Noam Dar © vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.

Tables & Stables Match
THE BALOR CLUB (Finn Balor, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Camacho & Tama)
vs.
nWo (AJ Styles, King Fale, Yujiro, Adam Cole & Cody Hall)​

 

[CakeWalker]

TAJIRI vs. ANGELO DAWKINS ● Following the success of the live pre-shows, it was announced that there would be a follow-up amongst the NXT Panel Show, counting down to the land of the golden ropes' journey to the land of the rising sun. Mike Rome would introduce Japanese wrestling legend and WWE fan favorite, Tajiri, to the ring where the Japanese Buzzshaw would address a respectful crowd. Tajiri would only get so far before Angelo Dawkins stormed the ring and claimed that he was the O.G. of NXT and that he has had to watch his peers rise above him while his opportunities are taken up by has-beens. Dawkins says tonight is a special night for Tajiri and the Tokyo Dome because it'll mark his retirement match. Tajiri laughs before kicking Dawkins right in the head and accepting his challenge. A referee runs down to the ring as the match begins, Tajiri jumps straight in for the pin but only manages a two count. A short back and forth match with Dawkins using his size and youth to his advantage, but he is no match for the native of Japan, who hits a beautiful Buzzsaw Kick straight to the face of Angelo Dawkins for a three count.

Winner via pin-fall after a Buzzsaw Kick: Tajiri.​

Post-match, William Regal makes his way to the ring to applaud Tajiri's efforts. The General Manager of NXT puts Tajiri over as not only being one of his friends and favourite assistants, but a true legend and asset to the business. Regal himself is then cut off by Sanity who enter through the crowd, much to the enjoyment of the live audience. Eric Young raises his NXT Championship high and proud as he dismisses Regal's claims, stating that he is a legend to the business not Tajiri. The Messiah of Sanity tells Regal that he should be honoring him, but warns him that Sanity grow stronger each day and Regal becomes weaker. William Regal reminds Eric Young that he has a match to prepare for, but Young snubs the invitation and arrogantly brags that he doesn't need to prepare, it's Samoa Joe who needs to prepare for him! Young says that NXT will march to the beat of his drum, and that William Regal needs to wake up and realize what is about to happen. The British Brawler shoo's Sanity, who are beckoned out by Young while Regal continues praising Tajiri.....Nikki Cross runs and grabs Regal by the legs as Eric Young ushers him into the turnbuckle. Nikki Cross begins to bind the GM's hands to the ropes as the NXT Champion laughs. Tajiri naturally goes to the aid of Regal, fighting off Alexander Wolfe who dives at him, but is given a signature spray of green mist for his efforts. Tajiri's fightback is short-lived however when Killian Dain spins him around and hits a double-handed chokeslam while the fans look on in shock. Eric Young begins to shout at Tajiri, who on the mat before picking him up for a YOUNGBLOOD! Sanity begin to sense something as Samoa Joe storms the ring, but Dain acts as a human shield allowing the others to leave the ring. Joe and Dain exchange shots before The Samoan Submission Machine throws Dain face-first into the turnbuckle as musters his strength to throw him out of the ring.

Sanity gather Killian, while Samoa Joe looks P.O.'ed and Regal screams for medical attention for Tajiri, demanding that someone untie him from the ropes. The screen fades to black a it appears it has officially kicked off on the kick-off show. We head to the NXT TakeOver panel where the events are discussed.

MURPHY vs. WESLEY BLAKE ● Following their championship loss against Ember Moon back in Orlando, Peyton Royce & Billie Kay had not been the same. The two of them attempted to make excuses over their loss, much to the amusement of the likes of Liv Morgan and Daria Berenato. However one person that was more than happy to offer a shoulder to cry on was fellow Australian, Murphy, who reminded them that he was a great before Wesley Blake messed things up for him. Murphy re-iterated that he wasn't accusing the Iconic Duo of having a weak link, but more that he didn't want to see such a promising set of starlets give up and fade into the forgotton territory. Murphy would also commend the two for making a difference to the women's division, noting how the crowd were never going to cheer for two girls from Down Under no matter how hard they worked, because they can't play the 'Uncle Sam' Card. Murphy accused NXT of being biased towards flash in the pan talents, while they were ignored. Royce and Kay seemed to understand where the former NXT Tag Team Champion was coming from and thanked him for his efforts, he would offer his services anytime.

The following weeks would see a excitable Kay and Royce approach Murphy and advise that perhaps it's time that he made people remember exactly what he was about. Frosty at first, Murphy said he wasn't here to sit on his backside and collect a paycheck but with the likes of Hideo Itami and Shinsuke Nakamura clogging up the cameratime, there was nothing left for him. The Iconic Duo would then tell Murphy to make things happen for himself. Later that same night, Murphy would interrupt a singles match between Steve Cutler and Tian Bing, cutting short the latters victory lap. The ignored Superstar would hit a Brainbuster on Bing and stand above him shouting that it was time for change.

Naturally, William Regal wasn't going to allow this to slide and booked Tian Bing in a match against Murphy, who would defeat the Chinese talent in quick fashion. Following the match, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce would come out and congratulate Murphy. In a backstage segment, the two gushed over what a role model Murphy was for grabbing the opportunities that he should've gotten a long time ago, Murphy states that it's time people abided by Murphy's Law. Wesley Blake however would interrupt and call Murphy a brat, and jibed that there was a reason that he was forgotten about. Murphy claimed that he was the M.V.P. of B.A.M. and it was him who got them the championships, but states he's on the up now that he's ditched the hick for his chicks. Billie and Peyton advise Blake that he should put his money where his mouth is and wrestle Murphy in the pre-show.

In the build-up, Blake would get a rare victory on NXT Television by defeating Kona Reeves where Murphy provided commenary alongside Alex Riley and Tom Phillips. Wesley Blake would take the microphone and tell Murphy that he would accept his challenge and beat him faster than he beat Reeves.

In the pre-show, both men provided tough competition for the other but as Blake was on a roll, climbing to the top for a Frog Splash he was distracted by Peyton Royce and Billie Kay who were holding signs up for the "NXT's Best Kept Secret". Blake would miss the frog splash and would instead be hit with the Murphy's Law brainbuster for the three count victory. Following the match, Murphy took the microphone and said that the people of Australia were always looked down upon, seen as criminals but what was criminal was the company overlooking himself and the Iconic Duo. Murphy said he's grabbing the brass ring and he's showing it to the world, because he is the best kept secret and it was time for everyone to hear all about it.

Winner via pin-fall after a Murphy's Law: Murphy.​

AUSTIN ARIES vs. ONEY LORCAN ● After losing to Roderick Strong in Orlando, Austin Aries was on a smear campaign, suggesting that Strong had won his match as a fluke and would refuse to face him in case the rematch had a different outcome. One man who had little time for this was Oney Lorcan, who surprised the NXT Universe at Orlando by defeating "The Superhuman" Dan Matha by submission. Following another victory on NXT, defeating Sean Maluta it became apparent that Lorcan was making a name for himself in the ring. Backstage, he was making an enemy in Aries after interrupting his interview and telling "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" that the divas division was over a long time ago. Lorcan was angered by how Aries came to NXT and expected to be treated like royalty, suggesting the same of Bobby Roode, Jay Lethal and and Eric Young. Lorcan said that he always had the talent, but there was just something about him that people didn't get, so he worked his way up through the ranks while Aries et al kicked and stomped their feet.

Austin Aries fought back, suggesting that in this world there are greats, Hulk Hogans, Andre the Giants, Stone Colds and Shawn Michaels before adding himself to that calibre and saying that Lorcan is down with the Brooklyn Brawler, the Colin Delaney's and the Roderick Strongs. A-Double would even go as far to say that Lorcan's name istelf screamed pedestrian, but that's because Oney played the lion in the ring and the mouse backstage. Bobby Roode would soon get involved as he heard what had been said about him by Lorcan and challenge him to a match. Lorcan and "The Glorious One" would put on a great match, so much so Aries would get actual heat when he attacked and caused the disqualification. Roode would leave Aries alone in the ring to continue the onslaught against Lorcan until security had to drag him off before bones were broken.

The next week Oney Lorcan would approach William Regal and demand a match against Austin Aries and said he wasn't taking no for an answer. Regal admired Lorcan's new drive and made a match between the two later that evening, however Aries would refuse the match and Lorcan won by forefit. When interview by Andrea D'Marco the week after, A-Double said that he wasn't going to waste him time shining a spotlight on an unknown like Lorcan. The camera would pan over and the two found themselves brawling once more, this time Oney getting the upper hand. Oney said that he was on the up and he may have been an unknown before, but he doesn't care if he's wrestling on a pre-show or a mainshow because he'll make it main event level and Aries will finally get the beating he's long overdue.

In the finale of the pre-show, it was a hard-hitting affair. Austin Aries would seem to be one step ahead of Lorcan each time until he went for a corner dropkick and missed, allowing Lorcan to hit a series of running back elbows to his opponent in the corner. Dragging him to the center of the ring, he would make the cover and yet only muster a two count. Aries would pull out some dirty tactics raking the eyes of his opponent and hitting a Discus Five-arm, but this wasn't enough to put Lorcan down. Aries would climb to the top rope and look to end things with a 450 Splash! 1..2......But somehow Lorcan would get the shoulder up in time, and when Aries went to follow up with the Last Chancery, Oney would manage to get to the ropes before the move was properly locked in. Aries would go on the attack only for a surprise roll-up by Lorcan, who would secure the victory with a surprise three count. Lorcan would make a hasty exit from the ring as he looked across the arena, utterly shocked as he received applause from the Tokyo Dome. Austin Aries on the other hand threw up a fuss in the middle of the ring as he began to criticize the referee, now seeing himself on a pay-per-view losing streak.

Winner via pin-fall after a roll-up: Oney Lorcan.​

PROUDLY PRESENTS...

[ SATURDAY 20th MAY, 2017 ]

RODERICK STRONG vs. JAY LETHAL ● When Roderick Strong defeated Austin Aries at TakeOver: Orlando, many assumed this was his rise to the top. However when Jay Lethal made his NXT debut, it would set the Messiah of the Backbreaker back. Naturally Strong was anxious to find out why Lethal was determined to ruin his moment in the sun and confronted him backstage in a WWE.com exclusive. "Black Machismo" said that had arrived to set a standard, he told Strong that he was 'good', but he was better and the fans needed to be reminded of what it was to watch a premier athlete. Roderick Strong would return to the ring at the episode of NXT, he would defeat "The Superhuman" Dan Matha is a good match but once again Jay Lethal would put in an appearance. This time when Strong confronted him backstage Lethal critiqued his match, and was less than favourable with his review. Strong pointed out that it was him who was victorious at TakeOver, that it was him that came to NXT first but Lethal retorts that it was him who entered the Royal Rumble to thousands of adoring fans as he eliminated the very man that made NXT what it was (Triple H). Jay Lethal said he was about to bring NXT up to his level, and next week he would prove it in his grand debut.

The following week Jay Lethal made his way to the ring, his opponent would be Steve Cutler. When the bell rang, Lethal hit the showers, losing his debut to a count-out, while Cutler was seemingly happy with his fluke victory, it didn't last long as Lethal explained that he was here to set a precident and Cutler was not on par with him to even consider wrestling. Cutler was visibly irked by this, but Lethal just laughed and said he would wrestle when the company found someone who he could consider an actual threat. The week after Jay Lethal didn't even bother to show up for his match against Trent Barreta of the Dudebusters, instead he appeared on the titantron and said he wasn't tarnishing his record by entering the ring with someone that didn't even match his skills. By this point, Strong had heard enough and went to William Regal, suggesting that the General Manager was wasting his money on someone that didn't come to play fair. Regal said that unfortunately life wasn't fair and if Lethal doesn't show up there's not a lot he can do. However, he will make sure that he does find someone worthy to face him.

When Strong suggested he would be the one to step up to the plate, Regal put him in a match against Eric Young himself! In a roaring main event Strong was able to actually defeat the NXT Champion when Samoa Joe provided a distraction, it was now official and Lethal reluctantly accepted the challenge. The following week Samoa Joe teamed with Bobby Roode and Roderick Strong to take on Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain of Sanity. Sanity would win the match when Lethal attempted to interfere causing Strong to chase off his foe. Meanwhile Roode would take out Joe, leaving him vulnerable to a three on one attack by the NXT Champion and his cronies.

Mr. NXT was fired up and he cut a promo saying that he was more than enough of a challenge for Jay Lethal, so much so that Lethal had to try and take him out. Strong said that he beat the champion, and that makes him gold standard and now Lethal would have to prove that he's on his level when they met in the ring at TakeOver: Tokyo.

Roderick Strong would enter the ring to a good response from the crowd, he was certainly rising through the ranks of NXT and a win tonight would surely solidify a future championship opportunity. Strong awaits his opponent when an unfamiliar theme is heard and out from the curtain.....Truth Martini!? Martini says that Roderick Strong has been talking the talk but tonight he faces lethal consequences and that the truth will be unveiled tonight when he faces his brand new client.....JAY LETHAL. This time Lethal, now sporting a blonde shorter cut makes his way out to the ring. With Martini on his side, Lethal had certainly found a way to shake-up the dynamics on the match. Although many would ponder why he needed a manager if he was 'cut above' as he liked to make out.

Martini would be a speakerphone throughout the match, but he wouldn't interject proceedings and allowed for a great opening bout. Although he would have to watch through his fingers when Strong hit a Sick Kick for a near fall. Determined, Strong looked to prove why he was Mr. NXT by lifting Lethal up for a vertical suplex, possibly going for the Strong Breaker....but Lethal was able to wiggle his way out and drop out of the move delivering a brutal slap. Following up with a handspring elbow, it would seem that the tables had turned in this match. Lethal looked for a release Dragon suplex but got a elbow in the face for his efforts and shoulder block that sent him down. Roderick has Lethal in a fireman's carry position but once again Lethal drops down and shoves his opponent into the referee - LOW BLOW! Martini applauds his client while "The Greatest First Generation Wrestler" hits a Lethal Combination, he hooks the leg and scores the three count earning his first victory in the company.

Following the match, the referee raised Lethal's arm, completely unaware of what had transpired. Martini would enter the ring, shoving the referee aside and celebrating with his client. Strong would recover looking completely aggitated by what had just happened as he tried to reason with the referee .

Winner via pin-fall after a Lethal Combination: Jay Lethal.​

ANDRADE ALMAS vs. SIN CARA ● HONOR VS. CAREER ● Although he technically served as a member of the Raw roster, Sin Cara had found his way back in NXT following TakeOver: Orlando, saving The Hurricane from being unmasked at the hands of Andrade Almas. The former NXT Tag Team Champion would stick around on the golden brand, appearing alongside The Hurricane who deemed him as a fellow hero (acknowleding Sin Cara's legacy in Mexico). When questioned about the conditions of his match, the stipulation of having to unmask, The Hurricane replied that he was a man of his word and that the forces of evil had overcome those that were pure an innocent in Orlando. However, justice had been served by Sin Cara, and that was a sign that the mask was not to be removed. Almas was none too pleased with the segment, and accused The Hurricane of lying to all the fans who paid to see him unmask. "Cien" further slated the Green Crusader and said that it was the lies, the fakery and the deceit that spurned his hatred for the Luchadors of Mexico and now the poster boy of that industry - Sin Cara - had entered the fray. Almas said that NXT didn't need a hero when it had an idol in the shape of the modern day Luchador, and that he would defeat Sin Cara and prove why he was the best thing to derive from Mexico, and once he was done he would not only rip the mask off of The Hurricane but rip his face off shortly afterwards.

Sin Cara & The Hurricane would team up to face the make-shift team of Andrade Almas and "The Drifter" Elias Samson, but when the going go tough, Almas got going and left Samson to take the fall. The Hurricane would hit "The Eye of the Hurricane" before tagging into Sin Cara who would hit a diving senton off of the top ropes for the victory. Almas would take the microphone again and congratulate the duo, but warn them that their Justice League was fast coming to an end. William Regal would soon enter the picture and interrupt Sin Cara and The Hurricane in a backstage segment, in which he took us all back to the stipulation of the Orlando match. Regal said his hands were tied and hero or not, Hurricane made a legal and binding agreement. The Hurricane promised he would unmask in the center of the ring, but the Full Sail University crowd would chant "No!" repeatedly as the resident superhero went to unveil his true identity. Almas would interrupt just in the nick of time and laugh, he said he was fair and would make another offer. This time The Hurricane could keep his mask on, but he wanted to face Sin Cara and prove who the best wrestler in Mexico really was. Sin Cara would enter the arena and the two would dual in Mexican. The Hurricane would finally ask what was happening and be informed that Cara had accepted the challenge on the basis that if Almas loses he will bow and show honor to Cara and leave the luchador community alone. However if he wins, Sin Cara will be banished from WWE Television.

Sin Cara would his winning ways as he threw open a challenge to anyone who would fight him, out would come a debuting El Vagabundo. Cara would make light work of the new masked superstar before Vagabundo tried to attack post-match, only for Cara and Hurricane to expose him as Elias Samson. Samson hurried to the back while 'HurriCara' posed before the crowd looking good as we headed towards Tokyo.

The match itself was quite the spectable, Sin Cara's entrance was very well received by the Tokyo Dome who were into the novelty of the feud. The Man with No Face entered the ring alone, before Andrade Almas made his way out to some good heat. The positives didn't stop there, the match itself would see plenty of spots. Sin Cara had hit a senton to the outside before rolling Almas back into the ring, looking to put the Idol away but only scoring the two count. The two men would battle further as the two men stood on the top turnbuckle, Cara looked to hit a moonsault slam only to be distracted by a hooded figure coming through the crowd. Commentary put over that the man was Elias Samson give the long dark tufts of hair that peaked out of the hood, the one-time El Vagabundo stood on the apron and shoved Cara down hard from the top. The referee would call for the disqualifcation as Almas hit a DDT from the top rope. "STAND BACK THERE'S A HURRICANE COMING THROUGH!" blares across the arena, the fans are excited for the hero to make the save when.....the masked figure pulls down his hood.......it's The Hurricane! Almas brings Sin Cara to his knees to allow The Hurricane to hit a Shining Wizard.

At this point, the fans are beyond confused but The Hurricane throws off his hood to reveal he is no longer wearing The Hurricane attire, he slowly slips off his mask to reveal that he is in fact Gregory Helms (to no one's surprise). Looking to Andrade Almas, Helms extends his hand and the two firmly shake, showing the bird of a new alliance. Almas takes the microphone and says he is a man of his word and he will honor the DEATH of Sin Cara's career and the death of old-school Mexican wrestling. Helms takes the microphone and announces that he is also a man of his word, and it was time for the man behind the curtain to show himself and that playing the villain had become a lot more fun.

Winner via disqualification through interference: Sin Cara.​

#D.I.Y. © vs. NO WAY JOSÉ & TYE DILLINGER vs. THE REVIVAL vs. THE AUTHORS OF PAIN w/ PAUL ELLERING
● NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS ●

The NXT Tag Team Championships had not been so sought over since they arrived onto the brand, and #D.I.Y. found themselves with a huge target on their back after The Revival, The Authors of Pain and No Way José & Tye Dillinger all decided that they wanted an opportunity for the gold. For The Revival, this was a chance to make history again and become the first ever three-time Tag Team Champions and scored some payback on Gargano & Ciampa, who had taken the titles from them in the first place. For Dillinger and José, they had come so close to winning the belts at Orlando, this was their second chance to prove that they weren't just two likeable wrestlers thrusted together but a working team that would go the distance to get it done. The Authors of Pain were also looking for a second chance, while many in the NXT Universe felt that Akam and Rezar squandered their opportunity for the belts when Paul Ellering caused a disqualication, the Authors felt that there was a purpose to everything and with their rebuild back into contendership it was surely their time to claim the championship as their own. Of course in spite of all these threats, #D.I.Y. wasn't about to run away and hide from the challenge.

#D.I.Y., Tye Dillinger and No Way José would wrestle The Revival and The Authors of Pain in a match that got out of hand very quickly. Dillinger and José worked together as a unit, but unfortunately they couldn't work with the champions and ended up costing them the match at the hand of Scott Dawson who would pin Ciampa for the win. Hot-headed as ever, Ciampa would begin shoving José and Tye around prompting a brawl between the two face teams. The Authors would stand back as Paul Ellering just smiled, with The Revival retreatig to the back. The following week William Regal announced that all four teams would be competing against each other at TakeOver: Tokyo but there would first be a contract signing between all four teams, the first of its kind in NXT history. Naturally the segment ended with all four teams errupting into a brawl with The Authors of Pain powerbombing the champions through the table while Dillinger and José battled The Revival on the outside.

Despite the attack, #D.I.Y. would still be able to compete against "Mr. Terrfic" Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss in a decent non-title bout. Following the match, the champions said that they clawed their way into the company and they battled their way to the top of the division, they have beaten all of the others teams in the past and they weren't about to give up now. That same evening Dash Wilder accompanied Scott Dawson to a one on one bout against Tye Dillinger with José in his corner. The Revival used dirty tactics to score a victory on Dawson's behalf but after the match, No Way José would even the score up until the arrival of The Authors of Pain. Instead of attacking, Paul Ellering would take the microphone and say that the ink had now dried and their destiny's were set, the chapter was complete and in Tokyo it would be the championship ceremony for Akam and Rezar.

Backstage Paul Ellering would further his own personal rivalry with William Regal, mocking him and saying that the GM tried to put the roadblocks in place to stop his army from conquering NXT and while the other two teams were obstacles, they would be obliterated. A stressed-out Regal said that he had enough to deal with having Eric Young and Sanity running riot without having to bother with Paul Ellering and his securtiy team. Ellering simply tutted and shook his head before departing.

On the night, a video package revealed each teams motives and mind-sets going into the match. The Revival proclaimed they ruled the division and no matter how hard anyone tried, they weren't about to be pushed aside. Tye and José stated that they were underdogs, but they were hungry for victory and they would show everyone exactly why they were the unstoppable perfect ten's. Ellering would simply state that the finale would commence tonight. Gargano and Ciampa would hold up their titles and announce that this was the prize they all wanted, but the belts were theirs only theirs. #D.I.Y. built its way up from nothing and tonight they would prove that they were the premier tag team in NXT.

With so many men involved, it would have been easy for the match to become a clusterf*ck, however the match itself was structured and well received. The teams were placed on all four corners, with two men wrestling at any one time. Popular spots included No Way José trying to take out The Authors of Pain with a flying crossbody and instead being thrown into the crowd. Tye Dillinger scoring some pay back on the hot-headed Tomasso Ciampa by hitting a Tye Breaker for a near-fall. The Revival also impressed as ever, taking on The Authors of Pain and providing to be a legitimate threat to them as they were able to use their savvy to targer the legs of Akam and Rezar to lock in some good ol' fashion submission maneuvres. The ending comes when Dash Wilder finds himself on the receving end of a Fastball Punch, courtesty of No Way José, Dillinger stalks their opponent and hits a belly-to back suplex for a two count after Akam breaks it up with a powerful splash on Tye. José breaks up the fall before Dawson enters the fray and throws him out of the ring.Akam and Dawson battle it out while Wilder rolls out of the ring.

Ciampa re-enters and throws the two mens heads into each other before using Akam as a human shield to shove Dawson out of the ring. The referee has to maintain control as Tye and Wilder are the legal men. Ciampa tags Wilder to become the legal man now, he sizes up Dillinger for a running knee smash.....FULL NELSON BOMB from Akam from behind. Akam drags Ciampa to the corner and tags himself in as he climbs the ropes and looks down at Dillinger.....BIG SPLASH! Gargano pulls Dillinger out of the way and tags him in now as we now have Gargano and Ciampa as the legal men. Gargano hits the running cutter and hooks the leg...1..2.....Paul Ellering causes a distraction, but Scott Dawson pulls him off the apron before Rezar attacks The Mechanic. Meanwhile, Ciampa and Gargano fight off Dash Wilder who falls onto No Way José on the outside, taking him out. It's #D.I.Y. and Akam once again.....SUPERKICK by Gargano! Ciampa goes for the running knee but Rezar drags him out of the ring. Gargano hits a baseball slide on Rezar but he turns into a big swinging sidewalk slam..1..2.....3.....IT'S OVER!

Following the match, Paul Ellering can't believe what's happened as the referee brings the titles to Akam. The Revival looked annoyed as they storm off, leaving the scene. Ciampa looks frustrated as he looks at Gargano in the ring. Ellering manages to get Rezar into the ring as The Authors celebrate and Ellering raises his book to the air.

Winner via pin-fall via a swinging sidewalk slam on Johnny Gargano and new NXT Tag Team Champions: Akam and Rezar, The Authors of Pain.​

EMBER MOON © vs. ASUKA ● NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP ● Ember Moon had done the unthinkable and ended Asuka's reign of dominance over the NXT Women's division and captured the title in the procees. Asuka had vowed the get her title back and since defeating Mickie James in a brutal Falls Count Anywhere match at Orlando, Asuka was back on victory road. "The Female Assassin" Ember Moon had also overcome the odds, successfully defending her Women's title a second time against The Iconic Duo. Post- match Ember had graciously accepted Asuka's challenge to wrestle her in her home country of Japan. However she wasn't going to let the novelty get the best of the situation and cost her the championship. On the way to Tokyo, Ember was greeted with another challenge in the form of Aliyah who had developed somewhat of an attitude since taking out Liv Morgan. Asuka and Aliyah teamed up to face Liv and Ember in a tag team match which saw Aliyah create a distraction that allowed Asuka to pick up a victory by submitting Morgan with the Asuka Lock. Aliyah would then claim that it was her smarts that got them the victory and told Asuka that she deserved the championship, Ember would welcome the challenge and chime that she didn't just claim to be the top female of NXT like Asuka did as she would actively defend her title.

Aliyah would show her improvement in the ring as she challenge for the NXT Women's Championship, however Moon would Eclipse her to retain the championship once again. After the match, Ember would hold her title to the sky before looking out and noticing Asuka stood at the top of the entrance ramp - no words, just glances exchanged. Asuka would one up Moon by coming out with a victory of her own as she defeated indie talent Solo Darling in a short fashion on NXT, following her victory she would be interviewed over her thoughts on challenging for the title in her homeland. The Empress of Tomorrow stated that she was the pinnacle of the division, she was the one that the girls queue up to face not Ember Moon. Asuka noted that the draft is coming up and if she got drafted, the division would die a painful death, she would also say that the belt was more than an accolade but like a child to her and that Asuka's baby would be coming home to her where her career began - Japan.

The NXT Women's Champion wasn't going to take these comments lying down, Moon said that Asuka wanted to keep everyone guessing on whether she would be the respectful veteran or the lunatic she had become but whichever one entered the Tokyo Dome, she would still walk out as champion. Moon puts over the fact that they've never competed one on one, but reminds her that the last time the title was on the line, she (Asuka) lost it. Ember put over that Asuka had earned her rematch, but continued to say that she hadn't earned her title back and that while Asuka may have dominated, she has rejuvinated the title by acting as a fighting champion. Asuka would interrupt the backstage interview and the two would errupt in a brawl that spilled out into the ring, Regal demanded that the two be pulled apart as they stared each other down while be dragged away from one another.

Japan would appear to be a more respectful affair with Asuka getting a hometown welcome complete with streamers, while Ember also got a good reaction from the crowd, despite not being a hometown hero. At the start of the match Ember would offer her hand to Asuka, who would look around the crowd before accepting - something she had struggled to do many a time in the past. A solid women's wrestling affair that saw two of the best that NXT had to offer finally square off one on one with no distractions. Ember would execute a dangerous suicide dive to the outside, hitting the guard rail as well as taking down the challenger. However this would plant the seeds for the ending of the match. Asuka missed with a spinning kick only to be scooped up for a Reverse Alabama Slam, the same move that won Moon the title back in San Antonio. Asuka would manage to struggle free and lock in an Asuka Lock but Moon was able to struggle through the pain despite her arm issues. Following a rope break, Asuka went for another spinning kick but Moon caught the leg and flipped her opponent over a she climbed to the top.....ECLIPSE!....No! Asuka would fall onto the ropes and knock Ember down as she was now caught on the top....Asuka with a run up....FRANKENSTEINER! The champion lands hard as Asuka makes the cover for the three count.

After the match, the Japanese crowd celebrate as Asuka bursts into tears clutching her beloved title. Rising back to her feet she looks down upon Ember and smiles, she goes to leave the ring but turns around and helps Moon back to her feet. There's a brief moment of respect between them, but Ember is clearly devastated by the loss. The Empress of Tomorrow pats the former champion on the back and departs.

Winner via pin-fall after a Frankensteiner, and new NXT Women's Champion: Asuka.​

​

NO MAN CAN WALK SO LONG IN THE SHADOWS
THAT HE CANNOT COME INTO THE LIGHT

COMING HOME...
...SOON.

​

ERIC YOUNG © vs. SAMOA JOE ● NXT CHAMPIONSHIP ● Samoa Joe had lost his NXT Championship back at Orlando, to a man who was fast tightening his hold over the NXT brand - Eric Young. Sanity had vowed that takeover wouldn't just be the name of special editions of the show, but actually foreshadowed what was to come. The Mad Messiah of Sanity-turned-NXT Champion addressed the crowd on the first episode of NXT following Orlando, he said that he had entered the company jumping through hoops much like Killian Dain, Nikki Cross and Alexander Wolfe who stood beside him but now it's time for the NXT Universe to dance to the beat of Sanity's drum. Young said that he was always in the shadows, always seen as 'too young' or 'too nice' compared to the likes of Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe but he had just beaten them and now the throne was his to sit on.

It wasn't long before Samoa Joe would respond to this, he said he wanted to cut the B.S. and the theatrics and get back to winning his championship in his rematch. Young deemed "The Samoan Submission Machine" as hot-headed and claimed that he never really knew how to act as a champion, but he is going to reep the benefits of holding the grand prize. Young says he makes the rules now, not Joe and he is going to enjoy every second of his dominance on the golden brand. Young says Samoa Joe will not get his rematch, and he says the crowd doesn't deserve to see that match because it's not what Sanity want. Joe claims he'll take on any one his team if it means getting back his belt, but Young laughs and simply says that Joe doesn't understand - Sanity call the shots and he isn't getting his title back - because things work his way now. William Regal would then interrupt the confrontation and say that he is the one calling the shots and Samoa Joe is contractually obligated to have a rematch, therefore Young's demands are null and void. Young simply looks to Regal and scoffs that he might have the desk and the pen to push, but a contract is worth nothing compared to a true prophet. Young says everything he says is binding, and he doesn't need the approval of William Regal. Regal announces that Joe will get his rematch and if he can beat Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain in a handicap match then he will get to choose as and when that rematch happens.

Of course, Sanity throw the match out of the window and the trio attack Samoa Joe to cause a DQ finish. Regal interrupts again and says as a result of their bad behaviour, he gets the power back and Samoa Joe will take on Eric Young at NXT TakeOver: Tokyo. In this time, Samoa Joe would go on a rampage as he interrupted a match that saw Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain and Nikki Cross against Heavy Machinery and Ruby Riot. Joe would chase off Heavy Machiney before taking out each member of Sanity, but just as the numbers game looked to overwhelm him - "GLORIOUS" - out comes Bobby Roode. "The Glorious One" helped clear house, but it didn't seem that Joe or Roode were appreciate of one another's support. Roode would later claim he helped because Sanity are getting too much attention, and he needed to nip it in the bud. Roode also stated that he was never pinned during the triple threat match and therefore he should still hold a claim to the title. William Regal responded while that was a valid claim, he didn't have a legal right to wrestle for the belt unlike Samoa Joe. This appeared to leave a sour taste in Roode's mouth.

Eric Young was placed in a match against Roderick Strong, who had his own problems with Jay Lethal. The match was a non-title bout but it would shock the NXT Universe when Samoa Joe made his way through the crowd and distracted the NXT Champion long enough for a roll-up victory. Following the match, Roode seemed annoyed that someone else was getting an opportunity to face the champion other than him. A week later, Sanity redeemed themselves thanks to interference from Jay Lethal that didtracted Strong in a six man tag match. Bobby Roode walked out on his tag team partner, the former champion, allowing Sanity to capitalize. Samoa Joe caught up with Roode backstage in a heated confrontation, "The It Factor" said that he was looking after number one and Joe stated that once he had his title back he would be coming after Roode. Meanwhile Sanity appeared in an unknown location surrounded by more 'members' as Young preached that the purge was nigh and that NXT was his.

Bobby Roode would be interviewed about who he wanted to win the Tokyo match, but Roode said he wasn't even going to bother leaving the country to watch the match. Roode said that he was nobodies side kick and nobodies stand-in and that he didn't care who won the match because neither were Glorious like him.

On the night, Sanity entered the arena as commentary took us back to the pre-show where they attacked Regal's good friend Tajiri in his home country while forcing Regal himself to watch. Samoa Joe cleared the ring, but it would seem that the G.M. had a trick up his sleeve as he announced that if Sanity even set foot in the arena then Eric Young would immediately have to vacate the title. Alexander Wolfe would snatch the microphone from him and say that while the Brit had won the battle, he would never win the war that was fast approaching. Nikki Cross manically told Regal that she hoped his little friend didn't suffer as they exited the arena. William Regal and Eric Young would stare each other down from across the arena before Mike Rome made the formal introductions. The match would be scrappy and violent, Samoa Joe had not lost his spark since his apparent face turn and seemed to take it to the champion, who took most of the punishment throughout the match,

It seemed clear that the Tokyo crowd's support lay firmly with the challenger, however Young was a tactician and his manipulation would find a way to turn the tables on the former champion. Young would shove Joe into the referee and rake the eyes of the "Samoan Submission Machine" before throwing him face down into the turnbuckle and taking his time as he began to lay in some heavy chops to his chest. "The Bearded Terror" would look to follow up with a superkick, but instead was scooped up and thrown to the outside by Joe, who proceeded to hit a suicide dive through the ropes in a homage to their first encounter just over a year to the day! The crowd applauded Joe who looked like he meant business tonight, he threw E.Y. through the guard rail as the WWE Universe gasped and security had to be on stand by to stop the fans from getting caught in the crossfire. The two men threw fists while the referee made the count to ten, commentary would put over how Young has the champions advantage however. The advantage didn't stop E.Y. from getting into the ring first of all as he stomped on the fingers of Samoe Joe to stop him from climbing back in. Joe would catch the leg and drag Young back out of the ring to stop the count reaching ten, he would then get some payback as he chopped Young's chest against the ring item before the two each tried to climb back in......again they are exchanging chops and fists at this point......Joe lifts Younh up.....MUSCLE BUSTER ON THE APRON! It's the hardest part of the ring, even commentary have to wince at the move now as Joe rolls Young into the ring and hooks the leg...1....2...........HE'S DONE IT! HE'S WON BACK HIS.....no, the referee doesn't quite make 3.

Instead, Joe gets back to his feet looking furiously at Eric Young, he waits for the champion to get back to his feet and looks for a Coquina Clutch but Young backs Joe into the corner.....he takes a run up.....Joe counters into an S.T.O....or an S.T.Joe in this case. Joe doesn't wait for Young to get back to his feet and simply locks in the Coquina Clutch, there's a struggle and it looks like "The Mad Messiah" may tap out at any moment but Young manages to extend his foot onto the ropes to break the count. The referee has the prize the challenger away, buying E.Y. valuable time to recover and get back to his feet. Young charges, shoving the referee aside and blindsiding Joe with a dropkick, he locks in a Figure Four in the center of the room but it seems like Joe has more in the tank as he crawls to the ropes and breaks the hold. Both men get back to their feet, it looks like Young is going to end it with a Youngblood but can he really muster the strength to lift Joe....he goes for the wheelbarrow, but Joe is able to grab the ropes and seats himself backwards on the turnbuckle....Young runs into an elbow but Joe takes too much time getting into position......BELLY TO BACK GERMAN SUPLEX FROM THE TOP ROPE! E.Y. bridges it into a pin.......1.......2......3! Joe landed awkwardly as the bell tolls.

We see backstage William Regal is watching through his fingers while Eric Young is reunited with his championship. Nikki Cross, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe make their way down to the ring as Dain lifts Young onto his shoulders. Even the Tokyo Dome seem enchanted by Sanity and their dominance as we're left to wonder if anyone can stop the cult of Sanity.

Winner via pin-fall after a bridging Belly-to-Back German suplex from the top rope, and still NXT Champion: Eric Young.​

HIDEO ITAMI vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA ● Hideo Itami had been out of action for some time, however when he was cleared to return to the ring, he took a detour from NXT and instead wrestled across WWE Network specials and even took part in the Royal Rumble. Shinsuke Nakamura meanwhile had set the black and yellow brand on alight, living up to his moniker as the "King of Strong-Style". At Takeover: Orlando, a scorned Itami had interrupted Mr. Regal's announcement that the next event would take place in his homeland of Japan. "The Black Sun" felt that he was the original big-money player that had graced NXT from afar, and that Nakamura replaced him. Shinsuke Nakamura at this point was a two time NXT Champion, having won his second title in Osaka, Japan. Both men were naturals in the ring, but it was apparent that Nakamura had quickly risen to the top where Itami had stalled on more than one occasion because of injuries. Following their initial confronation, Hideo Itami would make his return to NXT and address the crowd, he said that "The King of Strong Style" would be no more come Takeover, and he would humiliate his opponent in the Tokyo Dome. Nakamura wouldn't take these words lightly and said that he couldn't wait until Tokyo to embarass Itami, but once again the two would be prevented from fighting by William Regal who said both men would take place in exhibition matches that evening. Shinsuke Nakamura would face Nick Miller of TM-61 in an impressive match, Miller would inevitably lose in the traditiona 'tag team star force to go solo' plot that the WWE loved so much with Shane Thorne out on injury for the foreseeable future. Earlier in the night, Itami had a much shorter bout, sorely needed to jet-set him back into the picture with their 'co-main event' spot, "The International Sensation" easily defeated Tough Enough winner Josh Bredl - billed as Bronson Matthews - who was barely allowed to do more than taunt his opponent. Following the match, Itami would tell Nakamura to "beat that".

The two would meet again backstage in a staredown, no words needed. The two would keep their distance following that, with WWE acknowledging their history in Japan and focusing on the prestige of the stars rather than pitting them in matches. Backstage had felt that it would work out better for the duo if they were kept apart, to build up the anticipation of the two going head-to-head in the Tokyo Dome. Of course when the night came, the crowd were on their feet for both men. Hideo Itami came out to a positive reaction, despite the fact that he had been booked as the de facto heel for this storyline, but true to form this was nothing in comparison to the reaction Nakamura received when "The Rising Sun" began to play across the arena. Both men entered the arena to streamers in the traditional fashion Japanese fashion, for this match it would appear that the formal introductions would be done purely in Japanese without Mike Rome on standby. The bell would ring, and the two men would approach each other with Nakamura offering the hand. Itami would look at his opponent, then around at the crowd, following some careful throught he would accept and the top went back to their respective corners.

Itami goes to strike with a kick to the side of Nakamura, but "The King of Strong Style" lifts his leg to block the move. Itami goes again, this time using the other side but Nakamura captures the leg and hits a dragon leg whip to take his opponent down. Nakamura gets to his feet, putting one hand behind his back while Itami retreats in the corner, the former two time NXT Champion welcomes Itami forward as the two lock up but it quickly heads towards the ropes, where the referee calls for the two men to break it up. Itami striks with a slap of disrespect to the face of his opponent, the crowd are in shock as Nakamura comes off the ropes and simply throws Itami down to the ground. Back to his feet, Itami tries a kick but it's blocked, Nakamura tries this time but achieves the same result. The two men exchange forearms and begin to shove one another, causing the referee to intervene once again. This time Nakamura capitalizes as she gets the knee to the gut of "The Black Sun", he strikes with a second and a third as he pushes him to the corner and continues with a barrage of knees until Itami is seated. Nakamura looks around the crowd as he strikes with a Vibration Boot, much to the excitement of the crowd. He drags Itami forward but only manages the two count.

Nakamura looks around the crowd as he plans his next move, he misses with a knee drop as Itami makes it back to his feet and hits a dropkick - simple but effective. He follows up with a powerful running Yakuza Kick before he begins to show off to the crowd - a new side we've seen from the more modest of the two men. Itami gets to the top rope but misses with a diving double footstomp, he manages to land on his feet while Nakamura rolls out of the way, both men run the ropes as Nakamura greets Itami with a spinning heel kick. Shinsuke now with a springboard moonsault, but this time Itami rolls out of the way and "The King of Strong Style" lands on his feet, he goes on the attack but runs into a powerslam by Itami who locks in a Boston Crab in the center of the ring, looking to ground his opponent.

Nakamura tries to make his way towards the ropes, the end is in sight as he extends his arm but Itami drags him back to the center. Nakamura pushes himself off the floor and rolls through the move sending Itami stumbling to the second rope. Nakamura unleashes a few of his own kicks including a spinal tap to the back of Itami. Hideo tries to get back to his feet, but Nakamura keeps coming at him with the kicks.....one side, then the other, then.....BAM! Itami catches the leg and hits a powerbomb into a two count. Nakamura rolls to the corner, but this only allows for further pain as Itami hits a hesitation dropkick him, trying to get a three count but Nakamura gets the shoulder up. Itami pulls Nakamura up, and the two go nose-nose, this allows Itami to pull Nakamura in....GO TO SLEEP! HE LOOKS FOR THE G.T.S.....Nakamura drops down.....BACKSTABBER! The leg is hooked..1.....2.....No, Itami stays alive in this match but Shinsuke is heading for the top rope.......KINSHASA FROM THE TOP ROPE!......Itami dodges and sits himself on the second rope now, screaming to the crowd and demanding "The King of Strong Style" get back to his feet......TORNADO DDT RIGHT ONTO THE SECOND ROPE! STUN GUN EFFECT! Nakamura is grasping his throat as Itami lands on the apron and quickly darts up to the top again....DIVING DOUBLE STOMP!.....1...2............NO THREE!

Itami is visbily angered, he drags Nakamura up looking for the G.T.S again but for a second time, Nakamura escapes the move and this time hits a desperate enzuigiri and regains control with a flying cross armbar. The fans are on the edge of their seat, but Itami manages to reach the ropes to break the hold and the two men have to go back to the drawing board, find a new way to grind the other one down. The two men lock up again....snapmare by Itami.......corkscrew kick! Nakamura is down, but he waits for him to get back to his feet.....SHOTGUN KICK! Nakamura ducks and scoops Itami up, throwing him into the turmbuckle. He seizes his opportunity, Nakamura waits for Itami to stumble back into him....INVERTED EXPLODER SUPLEX! Itami is lying face down, Shinsuke rallies the crowd and waits in the corner for the first signs of life before taking a run up.....KINSHASA!..1....2........3!

The streamers are out in foirce as Nakamura celebrates his victory, he cannot believe it and neither can Itami who is writhing around the ring in pain. All of a sudden, the music of Sanity is heard as Eric Young makes his way down to the ring on his own......BOBBY ROODE! HE SAID HE WASN'T IN THE COUNTRY! BOBBY ROODE ATTACKD ERIC YOUNG FROM BEHIND! William Regal comes out and looks down and smiles at the floored NXT Champion before Roode poses to the crowd and departs. Regal continues to make his way down to the ring as he shakes hands with Shinsuke Nakamura before helping Itami to his feet and shaking hands with him. Hideo goes to leave the ring, but Shinsuke drags him back and the two men shake hands but this time the respect is there. The streamers continue as TakeOver goes off the air.

Winner via pin-fall after a Kinshasa: Shinsuke Nakamura.​

​

Tajiri def. Angelo Dawkins​	Kick-Off Match​
Murphy def. Wesley Blake​	Kick-Off Match​
Oney Lorcan def. Austin Aries​	Kick-Off Match​
Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini def. Roderick Strong​	Singles Match​
Sin Cara def. Andrade Almas​	Honor vs. Career Match​
The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) w/ Paul Ellering def. #D.I.Y. (Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) © , No Way José & Tye Dillinger and The Revival (Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder)​	Four Corner Tag Team Match for the NXT Tag Team Championships​
Asuka def. Ember Moon ©​	NXT Women's Championship Match​
Eric Young © def. Samoa Joe​	NXT Championship Match​
Shinsuke Nakamura def. Hideo Itami​	Special Feature Match​

 

[CakeWalker]

May 21st 2017


KICKOFF SHOW

Open Invitational Gauntlet Match
Braun Strowman vs. Cruiserweight Division


The Open Invitational Gauntlet Match was set-up very simply. If any member of the Cruiserweight Division managed to do the impossible and beat Braun than they earn themselves a shot at the title. On the flipside every member of the 205 Live roster that lost to Braun would have their contract terminated immediately. The first man that would answer Braun challenge would be Jigsaw. Jigsaw would clearly have his heart in the right place, but would be annihilated by Braun after only a few minutes as Braun would seemingly cripple Jigsaw with a RUNNING POWERSLAM before bring a sudden end to Jigsaw’s WWE career.


*Jigsaw’s Contract Terminated*


The next man out was former title challenger HoHo Lun, although his time fighting for the Cruiserweight Title would bear no relevance to the manner in which Braun would dismantle HoHo. Braun would force Lun to tap by locking him in the LIFTING ARM TRIANGLE CHOKE only to add insult to injury by tossing him away with an over the shoulder toss.


*HoHo Lun’s Contract Terminated*


The third man to make his way out from the back was Brian Kendrick, and unlike would HoHo and Jigsaw would offer much more of a challenge for Braun. Kendrick’s approach to the match was all about surviving and avoiding confrontation and every now again quickly attacking Braun before fleeing again. This tactic would ultimately fail as Kendrick would attempt an aerial assault only to be caught in mid-air by Strowman and thrown down to the canvass with a Flapjack! And just like that Kendrick third run with the company had come to an end.


*Brian Kendrick’s Contract Terminated*


Sabin would sprint out from the back and slide into the ring only to be knocked out cold with a solid BIG BOOT from Braun and in just a matter of seconds Sabin found himself out of her job.


*Chris Sabin’s Contracted Terminated*


For well over a minute no one else had emerged from the back and it looked like no one else in the Cruiserweight Division was willing to come out from the back in the fear that they too might lose their jobs. It seemed that the backstage staff had decided that match had reached its conclusion as Strowman’s music would start playing and the leviathan would raise his hand in the air and start celebrating his victory and considering he had brought the end to four more men’s careers it wasn’t surprising that Strowman was looking very dangerous at this point in time.

WINNER: Braun Strowman

Singles Match
Akira Tozawa vs. Neville


The match between Tozawa and Neville was a very technical contest and one where both men looked extremely strong from start to finish. Both men would act like mirrors to the other, with the ability to change their style to counter their adversary. Some of the more standout moments from the contest included: Tozawa effectively using Neville’s finisher against him as he leaped off the turnbuckle and landed on top of the Brit by connecting with Corkscrew Shooting Star Press, Neville would also do his best impression of Tozawa as he would openly mock Akira by using the Japanese man’s theatrics before connecting with a Diving Headbutt! The match would reach its conclusion with Tozawa looking as if he had lobbed Neville’s head of it’s shoulders with a Shining Wizard before finishing the contest by nailing Neville with the TOZAWA DRIVER!


WINNER: Akira Tozawa

Tag Team Turmoil Match #1 Contender's Match
Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Big Show & Mark Henry vs. The Shield vs. Dudley Boyz vs. Shining Stars vs. R-Truth & Darren Yung vs. Sting & Goldust vs. Enzo & Big Cass


The Tag Team Turmoil match would begin with four team in each of the four corners: The Shining Stars, R-Truth & Darren Yung, Big Show & Mark Henry and Sting & Goldust. With four teams involved and an intent to eliminate as many teams as possible a number of hot tags would take place with all teams involved valuing the importance of not needing to constantly be in the thick of it from start to finish. Mark Henry and the Big Show would start the match all guns blazing and proceed to send the first team out of the contest. In perfect symmetry Henry would nail Primo with the WORLD’S STRONGEST SLAM, whilst Show would destroy Epico with the KO PUNCH with Show covering Epico to remove the Shining Stars from contention.


*Shining Stars Eliminated*


The next team to emerge from the back Enzo & Big Cass, and it was clear that the fans were extremely excited about seeing two of the more energetic members of the Raw roster emerge from the back. Big Show and Mark Henry would find themselves attacked on two fronts as both Sting & Goldust and Truth & Yung had been unsure about who the legal men were and so had decided to enter the ring at the same time. The referee had decided to take it upon himself to make sure Henry left the ring, which left Big Show in a four on one handicap situation. Show would find himself being demolished in a succession of finishing moves. Yung would connect with the HEATWAVE, followed by Goldust connecting with FINAL CUT, followed by Sting taking hold of The Big Show and silencing him with a SCORPION DEATH DROP!

*Mark Henry & The Big Show Eliminated*


With two teams already in the ring it would be Goldust and R-Truth that would face each other in the ring, which would be the first time that both men that faced each other since the Golden Truth tag-team had fizzled out into nothing. Meanwhile the Shield would make their way out from the back as the sixth team to get involved in the contest. Quite a bit of time would pass before the next elimination took place and by this time everyone had at least had some time inside the ring. With Rollins and Reigns in the match it was clear that both men had established themselves as a competent team and as soon as they had some control would seemingly be unwilling to relinquish it. Rollins and Reigns would work together and would hoist up Enzo Amore and hit him with a DOUBLE POWERBOMB and thus remove him from contention.


*Enzo & Big Cass Eliminated”


The Dudley Boyz would finally return to the company although their return would serve as a distraction that would allow for R-Truth to shock everyone as he would nail Reigns with a CORKSCREW SCISSOR KICK and proceed to cover Roman for an extremely cheap elimination.


*The Shield Eliminated*


To make matters worse Sheamus and Cesaro would start their entrance walk, before the Dudleyz had even finished theirs just to show just how quick Reigns had been eliminated. Bubba Ray and D-Von however seemed to be infuriated that Sheamus and Cesaro had cut their entrance music short and would turn back and proceed to charge and attack the Swissman and the Irishman on the entrance ramp leaving Sting and Truth battling it out in the ring. Sting despite his seniority would take R-Truth apart like a well trained physician and would take Truth down with a one handed bulldog before locking in the SCORPION DEATHLOCK and forcing Truth to tap out.


*R-Truth & Darren Yung Eliminated*


By the time the elimination had occurred Sheamus and Cesaro and The Dudley Boyz had made their way to the ring despite a lot of tension between the teams. Sting being the intelligent wrestler would proceed to take Sheamus in allowing both teams to work out their problems. The Dudleyz and Sheamus and Cesaro would show little interest in letting Goldust and Sting have any part of the contest and instead it was clear that both legal teams just wanted to hurt each other. Ring rust would start to show however as D-Von would find himself rocked by the BROGUE KICK which would lead to his elimination from the contest and reducing the contest to it’s final two teams.


*Dudley Boyz Eliminated*


The match would reach its conclusion with Cesaro performing the Cesaro Swing on Sting only for Goldust to leap over the ropes and nailed Cesaro with short-arm lariat before grabbing hold of Cesaro and tossing him towards the turnbuckle. Sheamus would run to his partner’s aid and attempt to take out Sting with another BROG-NO! Sting would dodge the kick and instead nail Sheamus with the SCORPION DEATH DROP! This respite would allow for Goldust to set Cesaro up perfectly and knick all of the wind out of him with SHATTERED DREAMS and in a blink of an eye the contest was over and Sting and Goldust were the new #1 contenders for the titles. The odd duo would celebrate the victory with full knowledge the winners of the match between the Establishment and the Bollywood Boyz would be waiting for them. What the win also meant was that the team were effectively ineligible from the tomorrow night’s draft.


WINNERS: Goldust & Sting


MAIN SHOW

Singles Match
Rey Mysterio vs. King Ricochet


The intensity of the hatred between Mysterio and Ricochet resulted in both men looking to do as much damage as possible to the other. On this basis the match would be the neatest of cruiserweight encounters, but rather a match in which both men look intent on causing each other as much misery as possible. With Ricochet being the heel it wasn’t all that surprising when he would employ illegal tactic in order to gain an advantage however at times even Mysterio seemed willing to bend the rules if it got him any sort of advantage.The match would come to a conclusion when Mysterio would connect with the 619! In the sheer force of the kick Ricochet would end up knocking the referee over. Mysterio would look furious as he realised he wasn’t able to get the victory and in a rage would slide out of the ring and grab hold of a steel chair. Ricochet meanwhile would look a little bit wary as he got back to his feet to see Mysterio holding the chair. At this point Rey would smile as he saw the referee stirring as he would bang the chair on the canvass before throwing it at Ricochet. As Ricochet caught the chair Mysterio would feign injury and drop to the mat. The referee would get up as soon as he heard the sound of the chair and without any further thought would instantly call for the bell resulting in the match ending by DQ. Mysterio would roll underneath the ropes to escape and celebrate his victory, whilst King Ricochet would look furious as he would start arguing with the referee incensed by the decision.


WINNER: Rey Mysterio via Disqualification

Tag Team Match(WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS)
The Establishment © vs. The Bollywood Boyz


Going into the contest both teams now knew that the unique team of Goldust and Sting would be waiting for which team left Payback with the tag team titles. The Establishment looked extremely strong throughout the contest and ever since Daniels and Kazarian had joined the WWE Universe they had down been the most fluid and cohesive tag team on both Raw and Smackdown. Their combined ability to read the situation for their partners and tag each other in and out resulted in a number of great spots. This would result in the Establishment pulling all their best moves from their arsenal including: hitting Harv with the BEST MELTZER EVER, wiping out Gurv with CELEBRITY REHAB as well as hitting a number of double dropkick connections whenever they possibly could. That being said both Gurv and Harv brought their own competitive edge to the contest although it was clear that after their last encounter with the Establishment all their trick and best plays had been forecast and strategist for meaning that they would often fall short just when it mattered most. It therefore wasn’t all that surprising when when The Establishment wiped out Harv with the BAD ELIMINATION before Daniels covered him for the victory. The loud mouthed duo would celebrate their victory in the only manner that as expected of them; by letting everyone know just how great they were and making as much noise as possible.


WINNERS: The Establishment - still WWE RAW Tag Team Champions

Six Pack Elimination Match (WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP)
Trish Status © vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax vs. Lita vs. Victoria


In many respects the contest for the Raw Women’s Championship was the most anticipated of the night considered the blend of the old versus new that made the match such an interesting affair. The first real talking point of the contest would be the first elimination. Nia Jax had been building up a head of steam and was taking out everyone whether it was ejecting them from the ring to knocking them over in order to be the only woman on her feet as often as possible. It wasn’t surprising on this basis that after a while all of the other started to circle Nia until they resembled a pack of wild hyenas. Nia to her credit would do her best to fight everyone off and even manage to wipe out Banks with a POP-UP SAMOAN DROP! Nia would eventually run out of steam however as she would be grabbed by Lita and plunged to the mat with the TWIST OF FATE! Charlotte would show her skillful level of playing it sly when it was needed as she would take hold of an already hurting Banks and lock her in the FIGURE-EIGHT LEGLOCK! It wouldn’t take much for Sasha to eventually tap out, which would result with Charlotte bearing her teeth as a massive smile appeared across her face.


*Sasha Banks Eliminated*


The hyena effect was very much still in effect though, as Nia would find herself fighting off the remaining four women like a big old bear swatting away a group of pesky bees. With Jax feeling the effects of Lita’s finisher and still lying on her back. Reigning champion Trish would shout at Lita and Victoria who would listen to Trish and lift Nia up to her feet only to betray Trish as she looked to take out Jax with a kick as Victoria and Lita would break rank. Victoria would connect with a vicious Headbutt only for Lita to follow up by taking hold of Trish and sending her down to mat with the LITA DDT! Victoria would look very happy with herself only for Charlotte to leap off the turnbuckle from behind her and take out Victoria with the NATURAL SELECTION! Charlotte would then curl over Victoria and achieve the second elimination of the contest and by virtue become the most dangerous force in the ring considering she had now eliminated Sasha and Victoria.


*Victoria Eliminated*


And yet the desperation to remove Nia from the match continued none the less, although now there were only three hyenas left arguably two if Charlotte was considered as being more of a weasel. Despite the definitions you might want to use Jax still found herself like a trapped lion with Trish, Lita and Charlotte circling around her. Trish would finally hit the spot as she would make Nia wobble on her feet as she connected with the CHICK KICK only for Lita to take Jax down to the mat once again with TWIST OF FATE! Trish though would see an opportunity present itself as she took hold of Lita and hit her with STRATUSFACTION! Before Trish had time to react, Charlotte would once again steal the glory as she would roll-up Lita and earn yet another elimination for herself.


*Lita Eliminated*


The one person that was smiling more than Charlotte though was Nia who had managed to survive the waves of attack on her person. Her celebration would be short lived however as she would find her legs taken out from under her with a number of tree trunk chopping kicks from Charlotte that would send Nia down to the mat. Charlotte would then spring off the bottom rope only to drop down onto Jax’s leg with all her body weight with an impressive double leg drop before locking Nia up in the FIGURE-EIGHT LEGLOCK! Nia would clearly be struggling only to saved as Trish would charge forward as she nail Charlotte in the side of the head with a heavy footed soccer kick! Trish would then take hold of Charlotte and throw her to the side before taking hold of Nia and locking her in the SHARPSHOOTER! It wouldn’t take much contorting of Jax’s body until she would desperately start tapping out.


*Nia Jax Eliminated*


With Trish and Charlotte standing as the final two everyone in the arena looked on with anticipation knowing full well that this was now entering dream match territory and it was clear by the looks on both Trish and Charlotte’s faces that they both knew it. Both women were showing signs of real exhaustion although it was clear that they were both determined to keep on fighting. Trish would come at Sasha with a CHICK-BLOCKED! Charlotte would catch Trish’s leg and push it away forcing Trish to spin around only for Charlotte to send Trish down with the NATURAL SELECTION! Charlotte would go to cover Trish, but would only manage to achieve a two-count as Trish would kick out at the last possible moment. Charlotte would would not let lay off Trish as she would leap in the air and land on top of Trish with a double knee drop before locking her into the FIGURE-EIGHT LEGLOCK! Trish would do her best to fight the hold and even at one point manage to twist her hip and reverse the submission only to Charlotte to turn back over once more. This time Trish showed little fight and would finally tap out. Confetti would start to fall from above the ring as Charlotte would push her way up to her feet and look as if she was on the verge of tears as she was handed the RAW Women’s Championship.


WINNER: Charlotte - new WWE RAW Women’s Champion

No Disqualification Iron Man Match (WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP)
Sami Zayn © vs. Kevin Owens w/ Chris Jericho


Despite Jericho being at ringside rather than get involved in the match he would sit next to the timekeeper and enjoy his ringside seats. Zayn and Owens would fight each other like two strays alley cats and wouldn’t hold anything back. Considering the thirty minute time-limit it would take a considerable amount of time before the first point would be a awarded to either participant. The exchange would see Kevin hits Zayn with a POP-UP POWERBOMB only to drag back up to his feet only to throw him up in the air once more and hit Sami with another POP-UP POWERBOMB! Much to everyone’s surprise including Kevin’s Sami would manage to lift up his shoulders. Owens would be furious and punch the canvass before hauling Sami up and tossing him against the turnbuckle before charging forward and connecting with a Cannonball! With Zayn looking dazed and confused Owens would smile and wait like a hunter stalking his prey. As Sami stood up up Owens would hit Zayn with the CODEBREAKER (a move adopted from his close friend Jericho) before going to the cover and finally achieved the first point in the contest.


*Kevin Owens 1 - 0 Sami Zayn - 22:37*


Despite Owens having taken the lead and Zayn having suffered some serious damage it would be Zayn that would be on the ascendancy from this point onwards. Owens would continue to fight in the only way he knew how, but would be left stunned as out of nowhere he would be cut down by Zayn with the Yakuza Kick! Zayn would spring onto the turnbuckle only to leap off and connect with a Split Legged Moonsault and follow it up with a cover and a successful pin-fall.


*Kevin Owens 1 - 1 Sami Zayn- 28:51*


With very little time between Sami levelling up the playfield it wasn’t surprising to many that the match would end in a draw. Owens and Zayn would look furious at the fact had come to an end and despite Zayn being announced as the winner it was clear that Zayn and Owens wanted to carry on fighting. Even the crowd had started chanting ‘Five More Minutes’ until eventually interim RAW Commissioner Vince McMahon would appear from the back. Vince would make it clear that as much as he would love to treat the fans to ‘Five More Minutes’ time was money and that there were still two more matches scheduled for the rest of the evening and on that basis Zayn and Owens would have to continue this rivalry on another day, Owens looked like he was going to say something he might regret, which would result in Jericho dashing into the ring and stopping Owens from doing something silly.


RESULT: Draw - Sami Zayn retains WWE United States Champion

Singles Match (WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)
Noam Dar © vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.


There can be no denying that Zack Sabre, Jr. was the man that had helped build the prestige of the newest championship in the WWE Universe. It was on this merit that it wasn’t all surprising that as always ZSJ was very popular despite the fact that he was going into the match without the title around his waist. To strengthen the contest and the 205 Live brand it was clear that being the Co-Main Event was really putting the Cruiserweight Division on the map. Both Noam and Zack would feature in a number of memorable spots; Zack would pull off a number of his kick variation with the most memorable being Dar lying stomach down onto top of the steel steps and being kicked in head by ZSJ with a PENALTY KICK! Dar would show his championship authority by almost forcing Sabre, Jr to tap out after locking in the CHAMPAGNE SUPERKNEEBAR if it hadn’t been ZSJ managing to grab hold of the bottom rope at the last possible moment when only seconds before it had looked like he was about to tap out.


The match would come to a finish with Dar being caught off guard as he would be smacked right in jaw with a Rolling Elbow before ZSJ would grab hold of Dar and send him tumbling to the ground with the SABRE DRIVER only to take hold of Dar’s arm and locking in the CROSS ARMBREAKER it didn’t take long before Dar was tapping out and ZSJ had become a three time Cruiserweight Champion.


WINNER: Zack Sabre, Jr. - new WWE Cruiserweight Champion

Tables & Stables Match
THE BALOR CLUB(Finn Balor, Karl Anderson,Luke Gallows, Camacho & Tama)
vs.
nWo (AJ Styles, King Fale, Yujiro, Adam Cole & Cody Hall)


With the knowledge that the only way to win the match was for all members of either the Balor Club or the nWo to be send through a table. This of course meant that a large number of table were present around the ring, some that were folded up and some that had already been set-up. With all ten men standing in the ring it was clear that the evening’s main-event was going to be nothing short of chaotic making a play-by-play commentary almost impossible. The first man to find himself being eliminated from the unique contest would end up being Yujiro who would fall victim to the Guerrillas of Destiny, as Camacho and Tama would send him through one of the tables with GUERRILLA WARFARE!


*Yujiro Eliminated*


The next elimination would be more of an accident as Luke Gallows would be holding Adam Cole and look to send him through a table with a powerbomb only to lose his footing, this would result in Cole grabbing hold of the top rope whilst Gallows would slip off the apron and crash through one of the table and effectively eliminate himself.


*Luke Gallows Eliminated*


After these two early eliminations it was Styles that really rallied his troops and would seem to give them a much needed morale boost. Ths would result in Cody Hall going on a rampage and taking hold of Anderson, Balor, Camacho and then Tama with four RAZOR’S EDGE in a row. Styles would then instruct Cole to set-up a table in the vertical up in the corner of the ring before dragging Anderson up to his feet and sending him straight through the table with a hard hitting irish whip.


*Karl Anderson Eliminated*


The number advantage for the nWo wouldn’t last long however as it would be Cody Hall who would be kicked off the ring apron with a double footed dropkick from Tama that would send Cody falling through the table resulting in both stables having three men each,


*Cody Hall Eliminated*


The contest would become even more violent as it was clear that both the Balor Club and the nWo really didn’t want to lose this important match. This would lead to a lot of hard action and it would be ten minute before the next elimination would take place. The elimination would catch everyone out slightly however as Styles would find himself lying on top of one the table outside the ring after being forced onto it by Camacho. Balor would then climb onto the turnbuckle and leap off and land on Styles with the COUP DE GRACE and thus removing the Universal Champion from the contest.


*AJ Styles Eliminated*


King Fale would become incensed by AJ being removed from the contest and go on a rampage and proceed to pick up Camacho and nail him through a table with the BAD LUCK FALL!


*Camacho Eliminated*


Before grabbing hold of Tama and also sending him splintering through the wood with the GRENADE!


*Tama Eliminated*


This would result in Finn Balor being the final member of the Balor Club, whilst King Fale and Adam Cole were the final two members of the nWo still left in the contest. The number game would work against Balor who would clearly be struggling to fight off what had become a two front attack. Balor would escape the pair only to climb back into the ring, as Fale came after Balor he would be knocked off the ring apron with a PELE KICK that would send Fale crashing through a table and removing him from the contest.


*King Fale Eliminated*


Tension was at boiling point with Balor and Cole standing in the ring as the final members of their respective teams. The action would be short and sweet with both men working the other other. Balor would nail Cole with the 1916 whilst Cole would the FLORIDA KEY! It looked as if Finn was on course for claiming an all important victory for his group as he knocked the window out of Adam with a Football Kick before taking hold of a table and setting up in the ring. As Balor went to drag up Cole he would be caught out though as Adam would deliver a stiff forearm shot to Finn before taking hold of the former Universal Champion and sending him straight through the table with the PANAMA SUNRISE!


*Finn Balor Eliminated*


As the bell was rung and the theme music belonging to nWo start playing as the rest of the New World Order would return from the back to celebrate the important victory. Cole would be lifted up onto Fale and Hall’s shoulders, whilst Yujiro would grab hold of a microphone and hand it to Styles. Styles would end Payback by making it clear to everyone watching that the nWo was here to stay but that the door was open to anyone in the back that wasn’t interested in joining the black and white.


WINNER: Adam Cole (sole survivor for the nWo)
​

 

[Chris]

That's how you cut down your Cruiserweight roster

 

[CakeWalker]

PROUDLY PRESENTS...



[ MONDAY 22 MAY, 2017 ]
PART ONE

The "Now. Then. Forever." introduction leads us into what promises to be a night of intensity, a night of luck and a night full of surprises as the Draft is upon us! Following a short video package, we are greeted by the ever-lovely Renee Young who looks to chair this draft, she looks up from her papers and beams a smile to the WWE Universe.

RENEE YOUNG
"Welcome one and all to this very special night here on the WWE Network, I am here in the WWE Draft Center Live, the Superstars of SmackDown Live and Raw are backstage eagerly anticipating what's to come here tonight. However, I simply couldn't host this little event without inviting over a few friends, so without further ado, my first guest is usually found on Monday Nights right beside Michael Cole and Byron Saxton. He's done it all, he's called matches for NXT, Raw and SmackDown Live, will he be drafted tonight - who knows? Mr. No Days Off himself....COREY GRAVES!

There's a feint applause from the camera crew and production team overseeing the event. Corey Graves smiles and he takes the compliment.

COREY GRAVES
"Why thank you Renee, it's a pleasure to be here! This is the first Superstar Shake-up since the draft took place nine months ago. Tradition always states there's a few surprises in store, I don't doubt that tonight will be any different.

RENEE YOUNG
"I think you're right there Corey, and just before we get stuck into it, please allow me to introduce my second guest at this time. He is a true wrestling icon, a Hall-of-Famer, and a whizz on the B.B.Q. It could only be ''Good Ol' J.R.' himself - Jim Ross."

JIM ROSS
"Thankyou, it's great to be back! And for once I can sit here safely, knowing I'm not in any danger of being drafted anywhere."

Both Corey and Renee smirk, while J.R. gives a brief chuckle as he refers to his infamous draft/swap with Michael Cole. A move that didn't particularly sit well with many in the WWE Universe.
RENEE YOUNG
"So just a few little pointers before things get started, as Corey said tonight's draft will be a shake-up of Superstars. That means rather than taking it all back to the beginning, there will be a specific number of draft picks so if your favorite Superstar isn't picked, then they'll stay on the current brand. Once again, managers and tag teams will count as one pick UNLESS this is stipulated otherwise."

COREY GRAVES
"...And for the first time ever in WWE History, the draft will feature call-ups from the NXT Brand. Talent from Raw and SmackDown Live will not be elgiible to be drafted to NXT, but there will be names from my old stomping ground on their way to the red and blue brand."

JIM ROSS
"And what an opportunity for these young talents, not only do they have a bigger stage to perform on but a chance to make a big first impression! And NXT certainly has a lot of unique athletes that could act as a real asset to whichever brand they're drafted to."

RENEE YOUNG
"Right? Eric Young, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Nakamura and Itami are household names in wrestling and they could be right here this time next week, or appearing on Tuesday Nights."

COREY GRAVES
"Well it's not just the established names, but the No Way José's, The Revival, The Authors of Pain. Talent created in front of our very eyes could be about to implode on the main roster."

RENEE YOUNG
"Get involved on social media, we've listed them all of them at bottom of the screen for you. Use the hashtag #wwedraft and let us know your thoughts as it happens. Speaking of which, we'll be getting all the backstage gossip and interviews after each round of drafts.And one final thing in this draft, unlike the initial brand extension in which the draft signings were picked by the general manager and/or commissioner. These draft picks will be completely randomized, no hidden agendas, no conspiracies and no backstage politics will contribute towards any of these picks, that means champions could change brands in the blink of an eye." she exhales. "Now, I've addressed the formalities, shall we get to it gentlemen?"

JIM ROSS
"Certainly."

COREY GRAVES
"Let's do this., I believe in a change to tradition it will be SmackDown Live that draws first..."


The screen begins to flicker as members of the Raw and NXT roster randomize on-screen. The SmackDown Live logo appears on the top right corner to indicate their draft is first. Suddenly the screen flashes and....

SETH ROLLINS
HAS BEEN DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

RENEE YOUNG
"Now that is how you kick-off a draft! Seth Rollins will be coming to Tuesday Nights for the first time!"

JIM ROSS
"I've seen Rollins from day dot on NXT, he was a helluva talent then and he's only improved throughout the years. He's been a United States Champion, NXT Champion, Tag Team Champion and a WWE World Heavyweight Champion, I think business is about to pick up on SmackDown Live."

COREY GRAVES
"I would be lying if I said this wasn't a huge loss for Raw, but where does this leave Roman Reigns now? The two Shield members were looking at conquering the Raw tag team divsion. What I'm interested in now, is how Dean Ambrose will take the new if he remains on SmackDown himself."

RENEE YOUNG
"Dean and Seth have always made a great team, in fact all three members of The Shield have been a force to be reckoned with. The problem is Seth Rollins has a tendency to come across....how do I say it....a bit of egomaniac, so if he does plan on approaching Dean Ambrose, he's gotta do it in the right way if he's going to stand any chance of keeping The Shield alive."

JIM ROSS
"From my what I've seen over the years, the draft offers a unique opportunity to reinvent ones self and refocus your goals. If I were Seth Rollins, who has had the backing of the McMahons, has held championship title after championship title, I would use the move to SmackDown to refocus on myself rather than thinking of buddying up with Dean Ambrose."

COREY GRAVES
"But for every Bubba Ray, there's always a Reverend D-Von"

JIM ROSS
(chuckles) "Or a Michael Cole..."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well we will have SmackDown's Tom Phillips and Raw's Charly Caruso on stand-by backstage, so hopefully we can catch up with Seth and our other draftees throughout the show. Now ladies and gentlemen, its time for Raw to pick, lets see who's going to Monday Nights!"

JOHN CENA
DRAFTED FROM SMACKDOWN LIVE TO RAW

RENEE YOUNG
"Oh. My. God."

COREY GRAVES
"This draft isn't hanging about! Raw shoots and it scores."

RENEE YOUNG
"This has to shake things up for Raw now, doesn't it?"

COREY GRAVES
"Well there's still potential for things to change, but Raw has the main players - we have Brock Lesnar and The Bálor Club, we have the N.W.O., Charlotte Flair, Sami Zayn and now we have the Doctor of Thuganomics himself."

JIM ROSS
"Well it's certainly interesting, of course a huge plus for Raw to acquire John Cena - the man lives and breathes for WWE. Over on SmackDown we've seen John Cena and his partner, Nikki Bella, go to war with Dolph Ziggler and Eva Marie. Will Nikki join him? Who knows! But it now means John Cena can go back to what he does best and that's achieving his goals, I mean he's never held the Universal Championship in his career, you have to know that will be his mission from here on out."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well I'm still in shock, it just goes to show the draft can really select anybody! Before we move on, Tom Phillips has caught up with SmackDown's first pick - Seth Rollins. Let's see what he has to say about the big move...

+ + + + +

We cut backstage to the image of Smackdown Correspondent Tom Phillips standing next to Seth Rollins.

TOM PHILLIPS
"Seth Rollins you have been the first pick in the WWE Draft two years in a row, although this year’s draft is more of a shakeup rather than a traditional draft process. The first question I have to ask you Seth is what does it feel like to be such a valued commodity?"

Seth would smile at the comment clearly enjoying the praise that was being passed his way.

SETH ROLLINS
"I have had a tough year on RAW and when I was last year’s first pick I very much expected to find myself fighting for a world title or holding it more often than not. Instead, Foley and Stephanie turned their back on me and tossed me to the side. Joining Smackdown Live gives me the opportunity to put my career back on track."

TOM PHILLIPS
I have to ask you about Roman Reigns, is this the end of the Shield?

SETH ROLLINS
"No, although unless Roman joins me on Smackdown Live it would seem like our time as a tag-team is currently on hold although last time I checked Dean Ambrose is part of the Smackdown Live roster…"

Before Tom could ask Seth anything else, Rollins would just pat Phillips on the shoulder before walking out of shot leaving Phillips standing by himself as the feed returned to the ‘Draft Center’.

+ + + + +

RENEE YOUNG
"Interesting...."

COREY GRAVES
"Well Seth Rollins better cross his fingers and toes and hope that Dean Ambrose is in a good mood when asks for that reunion."

JIM ROSS
"Well it's time to get the third pick underway I believe and to keep things fair, Raw is going first this time around."

RENEE YOUNG
"Let's see who it is!"

DOLPH ZIGGLER
DRAFTED FROM SMACKDOWN LIVE TO RAW

COREY GRAVES
"SmackDown you are treating us tonight!"

RENEE YOUNG
"Another big loss for the blue brand, but you know what? We have Seth Rollins already, I have a feeling that he's not going to be the only surprise tonight."

JIM ROSS
"Let's not forget either, John Cena has just been drafted to Raw and now Ziggler is following in his footsteps. I have a feeling that their bad blood is only going to simmer over to Monday Nights."

COREY GRAVES
"Dolph is always at his best when he's not pandering to the crowd, remember when he was "The Show-Off"? You can't do that when you're shaking hands and kissing babies and we've seen that on SmackDown Live these past few months. Personally I cannot wait to see what he does, be it with John Cena or anyone else on the brand."

RENEE YOUNG
"We will find that out shortly as I'm hearing in my ear now that Charly Caruso has found John Cena and she will be interviewing him shortly. In the mean time, who's for another draft pick?

COREY GRAVES
"Don't mind if I do!"

SCOTT DAWSON & DASH WILDER, THE REVIVAL
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO SMACKDOWN LIVE


RENEE YOUNG
"We have a call-up!"

JIM ROSS
"And what assets they are, the SmackDown tag team division better be watching the tapes. I must say I am a fan of these two men are their ambition to bring back a more traditional style of mat wrestling in fact....

Dash and Dawson of the Revival would be wearing headsets as the approach Graves, Young and J.R. in the studio.

COREY GRAVES
"Hello gentlemen.

RENEE YOUNG
"Well if you haven't noticed already, it looks like we have The Revival joining us now on-set. Welcome!"

JIM ROSS
"First off I want to congratulate you both on joining Smackdown Live and becoming the first members of the NXT roster to join the main roster."

DASH WILDER
"Thanks J.R."

SCOTT DAWSON
"Yeah thanks Jim, it means an awful lot coming from you."

JIM ROSS
"I think the first thing that has to be asked is whether you expected to be drafted tonight?"

DASH WILDER
"I think I can speak for both of myself and Scott when I say that we were extremely confident that we were going to be brought up to the main-roster. Honestly being the first NXT pick is a great honour for us both and I am confident that we will be able to show Kurt and Shane what we can bring to Smackdown Live."

COREY GRAVES
"As a member of the RAW team I must admit that I am bitterly disappointed that I won’t be seeing you on Monday Nights, but enough about me and my feelings. Now that you find yourself as part of the Smackdown roster, what is the first thing that you are looking to achieve?"

SCOTT DAWSON
It would be a cliche to say that the Smackdown Tag Team Championships are in our sights and that we have come to Smackdown to win the titles, but I think that is the target for any tag-team in sports entertainment. Honestly I would love for us to have a match with the World’s Greatest Tag Team and I think getting a victory over two veterans would really solidify us a team to watch out for - in fact, I'm pretty darn sure that would make us The World's Greatest Tag Team, right Dash?"

DASH WILDER
Exactly! I just want to wipe the smirks of American Alpha’s face. If those two idiots really think they are better team than us both then they have another thing coming. Pretty sure we proved that in NXT, and if they've got memory loss in the bright lights on Tuesday Nights, I'll happily remind them."

SCOTT DAWSON
"Actually I agree with you there. I would love to slap that grin right of Jordan’s stupid face."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well it's clear that things are going to shake-up in the tag team division, so welcome to Smackdown Live. It is great to have you on the best brand in the WWE Universe. Before you gentlemen go, I just have to ask; if you could sum up your draft to SmackDown in one word what would it be?"

DASH WILDER
"Future."

SCOTT DAWSON
"Revival!"

RENEE YOUNG
"Thank you fellas, we're heading backstage now where John Cena is about to tell us what he makes of his move back to Monday Nights!"

+ + + + +

The shot would now open with the RAW logo in the background as John Cena was standing next to Charly Caruso wearing a red tee with the RAW logo emblazoned across it. Both Charly and John would each have microphones and a very casual vibe could be felt coming from the pair.

JOHN CENA
"Before we get started Charly I have to welcome you to the WWE, I don’t believe we have been formally introduced"
.
Charly was slightly taken aback by what John was saying, although she remained professional rather than coming off as flustered.

CHARLY CARUSO
"Thank you very much for the kind words and we welcome you back to Monday Night Raw. How does it feel to be the first name drafted?"

John would smile before replying.

JOHN CENA
"Well you know it might be totally at random, but it's still very humbling to be picked first for anything. I am fully committed to RAW and I want to go on record in saying that my ultimate goal is be the WWE Universal Champion before next year’s Wrestlemania, anything less would be a failure from my perspective. I might forty this year but I…

Before Cena could say anything else Dolph Ziggler would appear in the shot and proceed to bundle Cena to the floor before mounting him and delivering a number of punches into Cena’s side until eventually a number of officials would intervene and pull Ziggler away. Although Dolph wasn’t miked up, a fragment of what he said was picked up on Caruso microphone.

DOLPH ZIGGLER
"...you thought you could escape me you coward..."

The cameras abruptly cut off and we're taken back to the studio.

+ + + + +

JIM ROSS
"Bah gawd, what a coward. Give the man his moment."

COREY GRAVES
"Dolph was drafted to and he's showing right there that it's his moment, not John Cena's. Sometimes there's such a thing as being too nice, John Cena is a huge talent but sometimes his downfall can be his nice guy attitude."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well he's not done too badly off of it, has he?"

COREY GRAVES
"I'm not justifying Dolph's actions tonight, I'm just saying he's made his mark and he's giving me a reason to watch Raw next week. He's lit the fire and I want to see how this was burns out."

RENEE YOUNG
"We will keep you updated on any developments from this saga, and for all the latest information just head to WWE.com. Now, lets see who number five is and I believe we're back to Raw...."

BAYLEY
DRAFTED FROM SMACKDOWN LIVE TO RAW

JIM ROSS
"Another fine pick for Raw, I mean I've never met a person who isn't a fan of her."

COREY GRAVES
"Well put this date in your calendar."

RENEE YOUNG
"Wait, are you actually saying you don't like Bayley?"

COREY GRAVES
"There's no denying she's an incredible young woman, don't forget I called that Ironwoman match when she won her NXT Women's Title. I'm just not a fan of Bayley's scphiel, the headbands, the woe-is-me-always-the-underdog routine. Last night Charlotte Flair, the Queen beat five other woman - one of which, the legend, the Hall of Famer, Trish Stratus - to win her fifth Women's Championship. Bayley's got to do more than a pump up a few inflatable toys to stand next to that."

JIM ROSS
"Bayley's never backed down to Charlotte in the past. If anything, she's always been underestimated by the Raw Women's Champion, if anything I believe Charlotte should be worried."

DANA BROOKE
DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE


JIM ROSS
"Oh it's not looking like a good night for Charlotte Flair..."

COREY GRAVES
"Why are you making it about Charlotte again? This is Dana Brooke we're on about."

RENEE YOUNG
"Now-now boys, play nicely. Although Corey, when you think Dana Brooke it is natural to pair that with the Raw Women's Champion."

COREY GRAVES
"Funny because when I think of Dana Brooke, I think of bodybuilding, I think of the Arnold Classic and I think of a bright young star who has been waiting to break out."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well Dana can rest assured she won't be bumping into Bayley anymore, but one person who will be is our very own Charly Caruso who is joining her now. Don't worry Corey, we'll be catching up with Dana very soon!"


RENEE YOUNG
"I'm siding with J.R. on this one, Bayley doesn't put on an act, she's the first one to sign the T-Shirts or have her picture taken when she arrives at the arena, she's the last one to leave when she's done the same on the way out. Don't mistake her kindness for weakness."

Graves shakes his head and rolls his eyes.

COREY GRAVES
"Where did you see that? Tumblr?"

RENEE YOUNG
"Lets agree to disagree and move on. It's time for draft pick number six..."

+ + + + +

Bayley stood next to Charly; now with the knowledge that she was part of the Raw roster.

CHARLY CARUSO
"Bayley welcome to Monday Nights! Since you left NXT and joined Smackdown you found yourself on the periphery whilst Eva Marie, Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss fought over the Smackdown Women’s Title. Now you find yourself here on Raw you must be hoping to be making more of an impact?"

BAYLEY
"When they tolf me I was coming up to SmackDown, it was like my dreams had come true. I had been NXT Women's champion, I had main evented a WWE pay-per-view and then I was about to wrestling on SmackDown Live, and I don't like to get too bogged down but it did start to feel like no matter who called the shots - Shane, Daniel or even Kurt Angle - I just seemed to go back to being the girl who wasn't qualified enough to challenge for the belt. I don't rest on my laurels, I work hard for every opportunity, so it was disheartening to feel like I was put back into the same position where I started. Now, I'm not planning on fading into the background ever again, especially now Charlotte has something I want..."

CHARLY CARUSO
I am sure that you have what it takes to challenge for the RAW Women’s Championship.

BAYLEY
"Well I intend on giving Charlotte a challenge, that's for sure. Before I sign off though I just want to wish everyone the best of luck during this evening’s draft process and before I go I think we need to hug it out."

Bayley would proceed to throw her arms around Charly and hug it out.

+ + + + +

COREY GRAVES
"You think that's normal?"

JIM ROSS
"In this day and age, the world needs more people like Bayley."

COREY GRAVES
"If there were more people like Bayley, I'd be shopping for real estate on the moon."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well as promised, Tom Phillips is with Dana now ....and ummm....from what I'm being told, be warned she's her usual charming self."

+ + + + +

Dana Brooke and Tom Phillips were standing next to each other with the news that she was the first woman to be drafted to Smackdown Live.

TOM PHILLIPS
"Dana welcome to Smackdown Live as the first woman to join Smackdown you must be in good spirits?"

DANA BROOKE
"Any brand where I don't have to share a locker room with Bayley, is a better place to be! Although the jokes on her, Raw was a nightmare and I can't wait to see the back of it."

TOM PHILLIPS
"Well of course, you were under the tutelage of Charlotte, who became Raw Women's Champion for the fifth time last night at Payback. How does it feel to know that your partnership will be coming to an end?"

Dana would smile before replying rather bluntly.

DANA BROOKE
"Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte! That's all anyone wants to talk to me about. You want to talk about her tutelage? I went to her thinking she would teach me some of those infamous Flair family chops or y'know a figure four leglock, not make me carry her bags and bring her coffee. I've already played second fiddle to Emma, now I've been through the same with Charlotte. I am the future of women's wrestling, and it's high time people learnt exactly that."

TOM PHILLIPS
"You mentioned Emma, what are your feelings in regards to your former mentor now being the Smackdown Women’s Champion?

Dana didn’t look at all pleased by being reminded of this fact and instead of answering Tom would shove him out of the way and walk off out of sight.

+ + + + +

RENEE YOUNG
"Always a pleasure, never a chore to speak to Dana Brooke."

JIM ROSS
"She's certainly adopted the attitude of the bulldog chewing a wasp, but I hope it works out for her."

COREY GRAVES
"It will work out for her, Dana's worked her way up through the Performance Center and she's paid her dues. Raw might not have been great for her, but she's young and she's been aligned with two women that now hold the major women's titles - she might have exaggerated there but I think she's learnt a few tricks from ringside. It's time to see what she's made of.

RENEE YOUNG
"Well ladies and gentlemen that is all we have time for! We will be back tomorrow night for the second round where we will announce the final six names of the draft. Keep your eyes peeled, because Draft Center Live never sleeps, tomorrow afternoon before the second round begins with the three of us, WWE.com will host the interlude where further draft picks will be announced! For now though, thank you to Corey and to J.R. - we'll be back tomorrow, see you then."

END OF PART ONE


​

 

[CakeWalker]

PROUDLY PRESENTS...


[ TUESDAY 23 MAY, 2017 ]


Last night, six names were drafted live on WWE Draft Center Live on the WWE Network. Tonight, a second show will list the final six names in the draft. However exclusively on WWE.com and social media, we are able to reveal further names drafted across the Raw and SmackDown, which also includes pick from the NXT brand. The drafted Superstars, selected at random are listed as follows:

MICKIE JAMES
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO RAW

GURV & HARV SIHRA, THE BOLLYWOOD BOYZ
HAS BEEN DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

MANDY ROSE
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO RAW

WESLEY BLAKE
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

HIDEO ITAMI
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO RAW

REY MYSTERIO
HAS BEEN DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

ELIAS SAMSON
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

R-TRUTH & DARREN YOUNG, YOUNG TRUTH
DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

NICK ALDIS
DRAFTED FROM SMACKDOWN LIVE TO RAW

SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

ASUKA, NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPION
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

+ + + + +

PART TWO

The "Now. Then. Forever." brings us to the concluding edition of Draft Center Live, following the earlier announcement on WWE.com that featured further drafted Superstars. The scene opens up where Jim Ross and Corey Graves sit alongside Renee Young in the Draft Center.



RENEE YOUNG
"We are back, and thank you for joining us once again here at WWE Draft Center Live, tonight we will find out the final few names that will be heading over to either Raw or SmackDown to compete. Before we get into that, however, I just want to talk to you guys about the news over on WWE.com. So once again I am joined by Corey Graves of Raw, and our unbiased Hall of Famer, Jim Ross, and we are going to discuss what happened earlier today - eleven further names announced and I have to say there were a few shockers in there. We will also be getting an update on John Cena, following a backstage attack as seen on last nights show, at the hands of Dolph Ziggler."

COREY GRAVES
"I cannot wait for that. Back on the draft though, a few surprises there and I think a lot of that is down to NXT. The three of us ourselves have all worked at NXT at some point in our careers and what began and continues to proceed to make the stars of tomorrow in this company, is also presenting us with the M.V.P.'s of this generation of wrestling and I think its the opportunities that these talents will have on the main roster that excites me the most."

JIM ROSS
"I completely agree with you there Corey, NXT is a special place and you get the people who ask why a talent would want to leave NXT where there is such a cult-like following. Raw and SmackDown have aired for years, you go on the road, you have your depth in the divisions and you are really on the main stage. I'm excited to see what they can do, in particular our Japanese talents in Nakamura, Itami and Asuka."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well of course Hideo Itami and Shinsuke Nakamura main-evented TakeOver: Tokyo in one of the matches of the year. Now, we have Itami on Raw and Nakamura on SmackDown, so I guess it's good news for them or in particular Itami, who felt overshadowed by Nakamura upon his return."

COREY GRAVES
"It's always humilating having to eat humble pie, but we live in an era now where there's not just room for one talent of any type of nationality - this roster has expanded beyond all-American talent. If I were Hideo Itami, I would focus on the future and not what happened at Takeover. For "The King of Strong Style", I would watch out for him if I were in the SmackDown locker room, he's a definite contender for Curt Hawkins' WWE Championship."

RENEE YOUNG
"Okay and with Asuka, of course we've just seen her defeat Ember Moon in Tokyo to win back the NXT Women's Championship. Asuka makes history as the first multi-timed NXT Women's Champion, but what happens from here? This is a move that will surely have consequences for "The Empress of Tommorrow" as well as the SmackDown and NXT brands?"

JIM ROSS
"We've heard Asuka refer to the NXT Women's Championship as her child, it obvioulsy isn't something she's about to give up, so whether she can pull double duty on both brands remains to be seen. Now, I've gotten word that she is currently in talks with Sho Funaki, who we've seen down in NXT acting as her official spokesperson and there are talks being held between the two as well as Shane McMahon, Kurt Angle and William Regal."

RENEE YOUNG
"And before we continue with the draft lets discuss some other names seen on WWE.com today, so SmackDown has inherited The Bollywood Boyz, Young Truth, of course Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka, we've also now got former World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio and from NXT there's Elias Samson and Wesley Blake."

COREY GRAVES
"I've seen a lot of talk on social media since the news broke saying how SmackDown has gotten the better end of the deal. As a member of the Raw roster I have to disagree, I think we mentioned before that the draft allows reinvention. Just because you're not a fan of someone on one brand, it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't enjoy them on the other if they change up their style. I mean SmackDown has really benefitted from the draft with Asuka, Nakamura, with Seth Rollins and The Revival. However I feel like SmackDown are benefitting from an influx of NXT talent rather than watering down or knocking the Raw product."

JIM ROSS
"Well just to bring this back to the issue at hand, I think the tag team division is definitely one to watch on SmackDown. Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder don't look like they're reuniting anytime soon, The Uso's need new challengers and now there's three teams all ready and raring to go."

COREY GRAVES
"And just to add, we've seen Rey Mysterio pretty much focused in the Cruiserweight division, which is where it all began for him in this company. Without that, unless he goes down the tag team route then my guess is that he'll be another one that Curt Hawkins needs to watch out for. We've seen Mysterio go through so much in this company, constantly begin overlooked and underestimated and I think his homecoming to SmackDown is really going to put his name back on the map."

RENEE YOUNG
"I can see that happening! Well let's take a look at Raw, so Monday Nights are now welcoming Hideo Itami, Nick Aldis, Mickie James and from NXT, Mandy Rose. In comparison not as many names in quantity but that could be evened out here tonight."

JIM ROSS
"Exactly right, I mean it's about quality not quantity. Remember when Raw traded several Superstars just to get Triple H back? Of course this is randomly generated but I think Hideo Itami and Nick Aldies are definitely main event material. We've seen Itami get so far, but never held gold around his waist, mainly due to injury. I would like to see him take it a little bit further and prove why he is one of the company's biggest signings. Nick Aldis on the other hand, he's always been impressive but I don't even think we've seen 50% of what he can do in the ring, another young talent with head and shoulders of potential."

COREY GRAVES
"Then you have Mickie James, who by no shadow of a doubt is likely to sit alongside yourself J.R. in the Hall of Fame. Mickie came into this company, slightly off-balance but impressed very, very quickly. Of course she left under a dark cloud, the whole 'Piggie James" affair, but she's come back and I think Raw is her natural home. In NXT she boldly took on Asuka, not once or twice but three times and came so close to beating her each time and if it wasn't for Asuka's backstage politics, we could've called her a champion. Then you have Mandy Rose, who isn't afraid to say what's on her mind either, she allied herself with the right people to get a shot at the title, it didn't work out but I am stoked to say that I will be getting to see Mandy Rose on a weekly basis when I call her matches."

RENEE YOUNG
"Oh I bet you are! Well gentlemen, the time is upon us. Again get involved on social media, all the information is on your screen now and let us conclude the draft...."

PAIGE
DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE


RENEE YOUNG
"So the women's division continues to grow on Tuesday Nights..."

JIM ROSS
"Paige made history as the first ever NXT Women's Champion, she won the then-Divas championship on her debut and more importantly broke the record of that time. Add to that her contribution in the Divas Revolution and the Women's Evolution, I would say I'm excited to see her at her peak again!"

COREY GRAVES
"Paige has achieved so much in her young career, has she fallen off the radar on Raw? You could argue she has. There's a lot that is mentioned online, across social media but Paige is strong and she is fierce. There's so much potential for her, imagine Asuka vs. Paige? And J.R. you mentioned that Paige won the NXT Women's Championship back at NXT Arrival, the same woman she defeated now holds the SmackDown Women's title. Emma is now the one to beat, just imagine that match..."

RENEE YOUNG
"We will have Tom Phillips with us via satellite shortly to get more from Paige herself. For now though, lets take a look back at last night when Charly Caruso caught up with John Cena over his new home on Monday Nights...."

+ + + + +

The shot would now open with the RAW logo in the background as John Cena was standing next to Charly Caruso wearing a red tee with the RAW logo emblazoned across it. Both Charly and John would each have microphones and a very casual vibe could be felt coming from the pair.

JOHN CENA
"Before we get started Charly I have to welcome you to the WWE, I don’t believe we have been formally introduced"
.
Charly was slightly taken aback by what John was saying, although she remained professional rather than coming off as flustered.

CHARLY CARUSO
"Thank you very much for the kind words and we welcome you back to Monday Night Raw. How does it feel to be the first name drafted?"

John would smile before replying.

JOHN CENA
"Well you know it might be totally at random, but it's still very humbling to be picked first for anything. I am fully committed to RAW and I want to go on record in saying that my ultimate goal is be the WWE Universal Champion before next year’s Wrestlemania, anything less would be a failure from my perspective. I might forty this year but I…

Before Cena could say anything else Dolph Ziggler would appear in the shot and proceed to bundle Cena to the floor before mounting him and delivering a number of punches into Cena’s side until eventually a number of officials would intervene and pull Ziggler away. Although Dolph wasn’t miked up, a fragment of what he said was picked up on Caruso microphone.

DOLPH ZIGGLER
"...you thought you could escape me you coward..."

The cameras abruptly cut off and we're taken back to the studio.

+ + + + +

RENEE YOUNG
"Well Corey as our contributor representing John Cena's new home on Raw, what is the update here?"

COREY GRAVES
"Well I was able to get a word with some of the medical staff that were on the case and fortunately, despite that awkward fall and the attack that followed there is no permanent damage to John Cena. Of course this makes for unfortunate news for Dolph Ziggler, I tried to find out if there would be reprecussions from this, but nothing has been confirmed at this time. John Cena won't be forgetting it anytime soon though, you've got my word on that."

JIM ROSS
"The sheer hypocrisy of it all boils my blood, Ziggler calls Cena a coward shortly after attacking him! Ziggler likes to think of himself as a 'show-off' but there's nothing impressive about attacking a man when his back is turned."

COREY GRAVES
"Sometimes you have to do, what you have to do. John Cena has held nearly every title apart from the Universal Championship, he has main-evented, he's starred in films, he's got mainstream recognition. Dolph Ziggler, he's held Tag Team Championships, Intercontinental Championships, the WWE Championship but he's not had one iota of the attention that Cena has, so if he wants the Universal title he has to put his name out there. Remember while John Cena was main-eventing pay-per-views, Ziggler was going between being a cheerleader and a golf caddy."

RENEE YOUNG
"When you put it like that, it's hard not to feel bad for Dolph Ziggler but John Cena has worked for everything he's achieved. I have to side with J.R. on this one when he says sneak-attacking a man, isn't main-event or Universal Championship calibre. Now ladies and gentlemen, it's time to continue with the second draft pick of this evening's show..."

EVA MARIE
DRAFTED FROM SMACKDOWN LIVE TO RAW

COREY GRAVES
"YES! YES! YES! Thank you!"

RENEE YOUNG
"Just a little bit excited about this then?"

COREY GRAVES
"Excited? Renee, as soon as we're done here I am submitting my resumé to become the director of the Women's division on Raw. Then I'm creating tag team championships for them and pairing Eva and Mandy together! Red and Gold!"

JIM ROSS
"Eva Marie has always been the center of controversy, but I do feel like she can't do right for doing wrong, she does continue to improve and she's even held the Women's title over on SmackDown. Eva might not be part of the Four Horsewomen, she may not have contributed greatly in the Women's evolution, but she does like to talk the talk and insert herself where the spotlight appears. I wouldn't put it past Eva Marie to step up to someone like Charlotte Flair."

RENEE YOUNG
"We've seen Eva Marie on Total Divas over on E! It really does appear that she's an outsider looking in, but if we cast our minds back Eva Marie always had an ally in Nia Jax and that's when she was always at her strongest. I can see a reunion happening there if I'm honest! Speaking of reunions, Paige has reunited with Tom Phillips backstage so let's take a look and see what's happened...Tom?"

+ + + + +

There appears to be no sign of Tom Phillips, instead Paige is stood beside a smartly-dressed Alberto Del Rio, who dons a very notable lime-green bowtie. Of course, the dirtsheets have heavily reported on the real-life couple, but it would appear that now WWE were turning the tables and taking advtange of the news coverage by acknowledging their relationship for the first time on-screen. Del Rio would take the microphone himself and carry out the interview himself in a satirical fashion.

ALBERTO DEL RIO
"Ah Renee, how nice of you to join us! Unfortunately Tom couldn't be here to conduct this historic interview, he suddenly came into a vast amount of money that he just couldn't wait to cash-in" Del Rio smiles nervously, it becomes apparent that he has paid Phillips off to take the interview himself. "Now at this time I am joined by the single most beautiful and talented senorita, not just in this company but the entire professional wrestling industry - Paige!"

PAIGE
"Well thank you for that introduction, that was really quite something there."

ALBERTO DEL RIO
"Now Miss Paige, besides brightening up my days on SmackDown Live, what are you hoping to achieve in the women's division?"

PAIGE
"Quite honestly, I have been denied opportunity after opportunity one way or another because people want me to be something I'm not. Am I expecting that to change? No. The thing is the WWE Universe fell in love with me for that exact reason, I stood up when it mattered and I wasn't afraid to be different. So what's the big deal now? If they're going to try and drown me out, well it's like you've said to me before, I'll just scream louder."

ALBERTO DEL RIO
"You're right I did say that, and do you know why? Because I know I speak the truth, so when I tell you how special you are, I know it can only be true. No one else will understand it, but we will rise above it. I will make you the woman that you want to be."

PAIGE
"And if I don't get there, I'll just have fun kicking the teeth out of certain ladies along the way. Take Nattie for example, she patters along like she's so important reminding us of the Hart family. No one cares Natalya, I did in one night what it took her years to achieve when I won the Divas title and what has she done since apart from play Florence Nightingale to her husband? Well Nattie, if you care that much I'll happily put you in a hospital bed right next to him."

Alberto smiles, as if he knew Paige was going to say that. Given her relationship with Natalya in the past, it strikes the WWE Universe as odd as to why she has now taken issue with her for no reason.

ALBERTO DEL RIO
"Natalya has never been a true friend to you, she's never supported you no matter how much she makes out she's a leader. You're right not to trust her, and if Tyson Kidd wasn't already on the injured list, I would gladly put him there myself for you. What people will want to know is, what are we....I mean, you going to do about Emma?"

PAIGE
"I've beaten Emma before, back when all she could do was point her hands. I'm glad to see she's put a little bit more time into expanding her arsenal and actually done something that once again, I achieved before her...winning a title. If I'm being honest, I don't really intend on wasting my time on Emma, but if I have to do it to become SmackDown Women's champion, so be it. One thing I would be interested in though if Asuka, I've never face her before but if she thinks she can bring the NXT Women's Champion to SmackDown, bearing in mind it was practically snatched out of my hand when I came to the main roster....she's got another thing coming....and if she thinks her legal team got results, well she's not seen anything yet."

ALBERTO DEL RIO
"No expenses spared."

Alberto kisses Paige, but she places her hand over the camera, to block out the WWE Universe. The scene fads to black as we head back to the Draft Center.

+ + + + +

RENEE YOUNG
"What did I just watch there?"

COREY GRAVES
"It looks like a puppet show to me. Still, nice to know Tom Phillips is getting a pay-rise."

JIM ROSS
"We alluded to the concern raised by Paige and her relationship with Alberto Del Rio earlier, the fact that they've gone public tonight and just the dynamic between them doesn't sit right with me."

RENEE YOUNG
"That and she's threatening Asuka with legal action over the NXT Women's Championship? On what grounds?"

COREY GRAVES
"I get that she may be annoyed, when she won the Divas title and came up to Raw, she was forced to vacate the NXT Women's title. I don't know if Asuka being drafted puts her at fault, but J.R. mentioned earlier than Asuka is negotiating. To me, Paige is starting a psychological war."

SAMOA JOE
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO RAW

COREY GRAVES
"Now this is what I'm talking about!"

RENEE YOUNG
"A huge gain for Team RAW, The Samoan Submission Machine!"

JIM ROSS
"Now this is a man who fought for his place in this company for more years than I care to remember. Finally, he hammered that door down and now he's achieved success in NXT, he might not have won in Tokyo, but he certainly gave it his all. I'm excited to see what he will achieve, I can only eeing A.J. Styles and Samoa Joe reunited - the things they could do, they could put on a real slobberknocker.

COREY GRAVES
"Well the two men have never faced each other in a WWE ring, and it has dream match written all over it!"

RENEE YOUNG
"Again, another loss for NXT. Do you think they can recover after the draft?"

COREY GRAVES
"Of course they can, NXT is producing stars by the minute and with this draft, the more names that are called-up, the more chances it gives to the guys in NXT and at the Performance Center to step up and break-out."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well before we break-out another draft pick, brace yourselves fellas, we've only got Eva Marie with us!...."

Eva Marie was standing backstage with a headset with ‘The Red Queen’ getting questions from the studio. One thing was for certain and that was that Eva was loving her moment in the spotlight.

RENEE YOUNG
"First of all Eva, congratualtions you've had a great year of SmackDown Live, we've really seen you come into your own and you did prove the critics wrong by winning the Women's Championship. What expectations do you have now you're heading back to Raw?"

EVA MARIE
"Well the Red Queen is back in her kingdom on the red brand, this is the realm of All-Red Everything. Now you can cut the goody-two shoes act Renee - yes, I have had a great year on SmackDown, but I also heard you say how I've isolated myself? Renee, royalty doesn't need to associate with the lower levels of society, I choose to stay away from them because quite frankly no one deserves to be in my presence."

Renee rolls her eyes, fortunately Eva Marie isn't able to see this.

COREY GRAVES
"Well speaking as a fan, I think it's great to have you on Monday Nights. We've spoken tonight about the John Cena/Dolph Ziggler feud, now you and Nikki Bella were part of that intense rivalry. What happens now?

EVA MARIE
"We may now be on different shows on different nights, but the fact of the matter is Nikki Bella will never stop hating me. From day one on Total Divas, there was this tension just bubbling away and for what? Because her and her idiot sister thought that I looked too similar to them? That's how I became the All-Red Everything, I created a brand while Nikki and Brie created an army. I don't need to tell you guys how manipulative and conniving those two are, the truth of the situation is they came up with no wrestling experience and tried to block any of the newer girls while they used their boyfriends to get more and more attention. I may have been held under their grip at one point, but I'm on the other side and quite clearly I'm in a better place. Meanwhile, Nikki's got a dodgy neck and Brie's up to her neck in dirty diapers. Of course, just because the two of them aren't calling the shots anymore, it doesn't mean that they aren't continuing to try and poison the rivers. Now I know everyone knows that I would probably be able to beat both of them single-handedly, but from what I hear Brie doesn't believe in babysitters. Sooooo I've got an announcement, before this draft I actually drew up the papers and sent them to Mr. McMahon and Mr Angle, and it's a challenge to Nikki Bella and her army for August 20th - Summerslam. Nikki, I want this ended once and for all - I want you in a career vs. career match and you can choose to decline it, but that will only prove further that I am the better woman, but don't keep me waiting I'm a busy woman."

Eva’s announcement was fierce although it was clear that it hadn’t been expected or perhaps even scripted. Which left JR with a short end of a stick.

JIM ROSS
"That's a big ole challenge you've offered up there, and no doubts the folks at home will be eagerly listening for a response from Nikki Bella. Now, pardon me for asking but my question is closer to home - there have been certain rumours in the back that have speculated on your relationship with Dolph Ziggler. Now you're a married woman Eva, but what's being said is that you and your husband have actually separated because of these rumours, is there any truth here?"

Eva looked furious at this line of questioning, she places her hands on her head-set and begins to remove them.

EVA MARIE
"No comment."

Throwing the head-set down, Eva departs leaving an awkward atmosphere in the studio.

COREY GRAVES
"Great work you two, offend the guest. Nice once."

RENEE YOUNG
"After that, I think it might just be best to see who the next pick is..."

CHRIS JERICHO & KEVIN OWENS - JERI-K.O.
DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE

RENEE YOUNG
"So we have a former Universal Champion, and the first ever Undisputed Champion on Tuesday Nights."

JIM ROSS
"I don't beleive Chris Jericho has ever been exclusive to SmackDown, I may be wrong, but he's certainly a great addition. Many believe that Jericho has passed the torch to Owens, but there's still plenty in the tank for him, I believe."

COREY GRAVES
"Add to that the fact that Kevin Owens was doing great things LONG before he buddied up with Chris Jericho. Now, for me I've always seen these two as frenemies, there's just always some underlying thought in my head that could see either one turn on the other at any moment. Call me a skeptic, but I think SmackDown may be the stage for that to happen."

RENEE YOUNG
"I get where you're coming from, the size of their egos is second to none. I mean their partnership has worked to their advantage so far, it may just work out for them?"

JIM ROSS
"These are two men that could go out there alone and conquer, if they were to stay as a team then Jimmy and Jey Uso may be in trouble!"

RENEE YOUNG
"Well lets go backstage no where Charly is with Samoa Joe, catching up on his thoughts after his draft announcement."

+ + + +

CHARLY CARUSO
"Samoa Joe, you join RAW as a two-time NXT Champion, a seasoned veteran in the ring with a bright future ahead of you. How are you feeing about making the main roster?

There is no response, instead Samoa Joe stares into space.

CHARLY CARUSO
"....Okay? Well with names like Roman Reigns, A.J. Styles, Brock Lesnar, John Cena on the roster, who would you most like to challenge first?

Again, there is no response from Joe. Once again, Charly is forced to awkwardly move on.

CHARLY CARUSO
"We saw you fail to reclaim the NXT Championship back in Tokyo, but with the move to RAW do you have aspirations of becoming Universal Champion?"

Still nothing.

CHARLY CARUSO
"....I see, well thank you for your time this evening."

Samoa Joe doesn't even acknowledge Charly, instead he simply walks off as she looks on.

+ + + + +

JIM ROSS
"Well it would appear that Samoa Joe has brought his bad mood with him..."

COREY GRAVES
"I don't know whether he's upset at his loss at TakeOber, or whether it's his feud with Eric Young and Sanity, or whether this is him in a good mood. I know Joe's a talented performer, he's determined, he's got ruthless aggression so maybe that's what we're seeing tonight."

RENEE YOUNG
"I was starting to think Samoa Joe had turned a corner, but it seems like he's reverted back into just this Terminator mode."

COREY GRAVES
"And if there's one thing you don't want, it's a dangerous Samoa Joe!"

RENEE YOUNG
"For all the latest information just head to WWE.com. We'll be catching up with Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho a little bit later but for now -"

TYE DILLINGER
DRAFTED FROM NXT TO RAW

COREY GRAVES
"The Perfect Ten!"

RENEE YOUNG
"Tye Dillinger to Raw, another loss for NXT but certainly a gain for RAW."

COREY GRAVES
"Tye is a bit of a goof, but he's worked every day to improve. I know he wants to be taken seriously, has he gone about it the right way? I wouldn't say so, but he's been impressive down in NXT when he went after the Tag Team Championships, but it's time to see whether all that hard work is about to pay off, now he's back on his own."

JIM ROSS
"Tye Dillinger is a fan favorite, so he's already got the crowd on his side, there'll be a lot of people ready to put him down or overlook him. Dillinger now needs to convince them if he really wants to make it on RAW."

RENEE YOUNG
"I've seen Tye Dillinger throughout the years, I mean he was on ECW for a little bit and then that was taken from him. It's very easily to get consumed by that, but Dillinger has come back years later, not expecting that the foor would open for him again and he's really made it count this time.."

COREY GRAVES
"I just hope he doesn't milk it too much, don't sell-out your only catchphrase. You know what I'm saying?"

RENEE YOUNG
"I don't know if the WWE Universe will agree on that one, but gentlemen we have on more pick left! Find out who it is after we get back from catching up with Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens..."

+ + + + +

Tom Phillips was standing backstage with Jeri-KO (Chris Jericho & Kevin Owens) with both men looking extremely pleased with themselves and the news that they had joined Smackdown Live.

TOM PHILLIPS
"Thank you guys, I'm stood with Jeri-KO, Chris Jericho to my left and Kevin Owens to my right here. Now you've come over as a tag team, am I right to assume that the SmackDown Tag Team Champiuonships are in your sights?"

KEVIN OWENS
"Well that's some pretty solid detective there Miss Marple, don't you think Chris?"

CHRIS JERICHO
"I have to agree with you there Kevin, it sounds like Agatha Christie's biggest fan is joining us tonight."

TOM PHILLIPS
"....So is that a yes to my question?"

Kevin looked dumbfounded whilst Jericho revealed a silver clipboard that had ‘The List Of Jericho’ written on it in black calligraphic writing.

KEVIN OWENS
"What did you just say Marple?"

TOM PHILLIPS
"Well what I'm trying to find out is, if the two of you have any intention on challenging for the SmackDown Tag Team titles?"

Owens would face palm as Jericho would look furious.

CHRIS JERICHO
"YOU. STUPID. IDIOT. That's it! You've made the list."

Jericho would then appear to scribble Tom’s name down before the two best friends walked out of shot leaving Phillips looking confused by the whole affair.

+ + + + +

RENEE YOUNG
"What is it with these interviews tonight? Are we being cursed?"

COREY GRAVES
"Well thankfully because of the lack of response from Samoa Joe, I hear that Charly has managed to schedule time to catch-up with Tye Dillinger lets see if he is willing to comply..."

+ + + + +

CHARLY CARUSO
"Tye you look in great shape ahead of your move to Monday Night Raw. What are you personal thoughts over leaving NXT and becoming part of the main roster?"

TYE DILLINGER
"Thanks Charly, I feel absolutely amazing! NXT was a great experience for me, the fans took me into their hearts and I made a great friend of of José. I'm gutted that our team didn't do what we said and win the titles at Takeover, but the only way if up for "The Perfect Ten" from here. I've actually been cutting serious weight, which means now I am just under the 205 pound mark, which means..."

CHARLY CARUSO
"You can now appear on 205 Live and contend for the Cruiserweight Championship?"

TYE DILLINGER
"It certainly does! A few people say that I never did enough on NXT, that I under-achieved but I am "The Perfect Ten" and it's time to set the record straight and prove the haters wrong. I will stride to achieve excellence each and every Monday Night from here on out. Be it for the Universal title, the Cruiserweight title or any other title I see fit! TEN....TEN..."

Dillinger fires up at "Ten" chant backstage as Charly giggles, he departs to the echoes of his chant.

+ + + + +

JIM ROSS
"Well he certainly knows how to rally a crowd."

COREY GRAVES
"Urgh, so he is intending on going back to being a sideshow act..."

RENEE YOUNG
"You don't know that! Tye Dillinger is an excitable guy, he's clearly very happy to be part of Raw and the 205 Live experience, he's got everything going for him."

COREY GRAVES
"Except for a personality that doesn't make me want to rake out my own eyes."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well be that as it may, we've got the final pick right here. Right now, so without further ado..."

RUSEV with LANA
DRAFTED FROM RAW TO SMACKDOWN LIVE


JIM ROSS
"SmackDown is put on notice tonight!"

COREY GRAVES
"Ah man really? And Lana too!?"

RENEE YOUNG
"Well what a way to end the draft and end the show, Rusev is quite clearly a talent and I know Lana's been working hard at the Performance Center."

COREY GRAVES
"Rusev has all the potential to go far on SmackDown Live! He's already held the United States Championship, I think he's ready to take it further and lord knows Lana could definitely bring something to the women's division - she's a very smart cookie - without her, I don't know if Rusev would be where he was."

RENEE YOUNG
"Well what a show is has been, just before we go we actually have Rusev and Lana backstage now. From me, Corey and J.R. thank you so much once again for tuning in to Draft Center Live! It's been a pleasure."

+ + + + +

Tom stood next to Rusev and Lana who looked less than thrilled about their new situation.

TOM PHILLIPS
"I just wanted to take a moment to welcome you both to SmackDown Live, you are indeed the final draft picks of the night. How are you both feeling?"

LANA
"How are we feeling? Is this some joke to you Tom? Myself and my husband do not find this funny in the slightest. SmackDown Live can market itself all it wants, but we all know that Raw is the premiere brand and SmackDown is....second rate. Myself and my husband, we are not second rate and we do not feel like we deserve this apparent demotion."

TOM PHILLIPS
"I would beg to differ, it's not a demotion more of a different direction...."

RUSEV
"Are you calling my wife a liar?"

TOM PHILLIPS
"O-of course not..."

Lana gave Phillips a foul look.

RUSEV
"Good."

LANA
"We have been dealt a terrible hand tonight, but I'll deal with it. As always, my husband and I will find a solution to get us out of this situation."

END OF PART TWO​

1. Seth Rollins (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
2. John Cena (Drafted from Smackdown to RAW)​
3. Dolph Ziggler (Drafted from Smackdown to RAW)​
4. The Revival (Drafted from NXT to Smackdown)​
5. Dana Brooke (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
6. Bayley (Drafted from Smackdown to RAW)​
7. Mickie James (Drafted from NXT to RAW)​
8. Bollywood Boyz (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
9. Mandy Rose (Drafted from NXT to RAW)​
10. Wesley Blake (Drafted from NXt to Smackdown)​
11. Hideo Itami (Drafted from NXT to Smackdown)​
12. Rey Mysterio (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
13. Young Truth (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
14. Elias Samson (Drafted from NXT to Smackdown)​
15. Nick Aldis (Drafted from Smackdown to RAW)​
16. Shinsuke Nakamura (Drafted from NXT to Smackdown)​
17. Asuka (Drafted from NXT to Smackdown)​
18. Paige (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
19. Eva Marie (Drafted from Smackdown to RAW)​
20. Samoa Joe (Drafted from NXT to RAW)​
21. Jeri-KO (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​
22. Tye Dillinger (Drafted from NXT to RAW)​
23. Rusev & Lana (Drafted from RAW to Smackdown)​

+ A future NXT TakeOver has been scheduled to take place November 18th and will see the brand return to London, England.

+ Cedric Rogeau (son of 'The Mountie') had signed a contract with the company and has been placed on the NXT roster with immediate effect.

+ Canadian-born American actress Emeraude Toubia has been spotted training at the Progress Center although no confirmation has been given in regards to any sort of contractual agreement.

+ Wesley Blake and Tough Enough Winner Sara Lee were pleased to announce the birth of their first child a daughter who has been named Piper.

+ The upcoming United Kingdom Championship Tournament is set to take place in less than two weeks time in Blackpool, England. Sixteen men have officially signed contracts to take part in the tournament, whilst an international women's match is also scheduled to take place during the weekend.

+ It has also been announced that despite the Money in the Bank event not taking place this year, a number of MITB briefcases will be up for grabs at this year's SummerSlam Pay Per View.​

 

[CakeWalker]

Night One (June 2nd 2017)

Singles Match
Jimmy Havoc vs. Pastor William Eaver

[The first match of the United Kingdom Championship Tournament would be an interesting affair between two unique characters. Havoc and Eaver both brought their unique characters to the table and like two combustible elements and explosion took place inside the ring. One thing that was for certain and that was that the fans were extremely excited to be in attendance for the long awaited tournament. William Eaver would play his part and act as if Havoc was some sort of demon and in between moves would taunt Havoc by pretending to perform an exorcism. The fans clearly enjoyed what Eaver was doing, but eventually Havoc would seem to snap and go after Eaver with a more sinister streak which would involve Havoc actually biting Eaver’s ear and being reprimanded by the referee for his action. To make it even more bizarre Eaver’s ear was noticeably bleeding and Havoc would actually spit some out onto the canvass which would noticeably gross out a few women on the front row. The ear would act as a distraction for Eaver that would allow for Havoc to drop Eaver with the ROARING ELBOW and go on to win the contest and book himself a spot in the quarter finals.]

WINNER: Jimmy Havoc

Singles Match
El Ligero vs. Joe Hendry

[One thing was clear and that was that Joe Hendry ‘The Global Hero’ was less than pleased to be taking part in the tournament. Hendry would even take hold of a microphone and make it clear that he was annoyed with Kurt Angle for effectively demoting him by making him part of the tournament. Hendry ‘waffle’ would be interrupted though as El Ligero would charge out from the back and start the fighting on the entrance ramp. Once the both men were fighting on a level playing field it became apparent that Hendry’s recent months as part of the Smackdown Live roster had massively improved his wrestling game, as he was head and shoulders above the standard that El Ligero was able to bring to the contest. Hendry would make sure to use the two finishers that he had adopted from Kurt Angle to send a clear message. Firstly Hendry would hit Ligero with the HENDRY SLAM before forcing his counterpart to tapout once he locked him in the HENDRY LOCK to take the victory.

WINNER: Joe Hendry

Singles Match
Paul Burchill vs. Rob Terry

[The fans were treated to the return of Paul Burchill, who hadn’t been seen in the WWE Universe since early 2010. It was clear that some of the fans had certainly missed Burchill being part of the WWE although as is so typical of British fans a few pockets of fans would openly mock Burchill with ‘Ahoy’ chants clearly a reference to his previous gimmick as a pirate. Rob Terry on the other hand was muscular beast and it would be a lie to say he wasn’t getting female attention. The match itself was a back and forth affair with both men having their moments in the spotlight. Burchill would grab hold of Terry’s perfectly styled hair before pulling off a CURB STOMP! Terry though would be sure to give a good account of himself and would slam Burchill down onto the canvass with the AVALANCHE HOLD! The match came to a finish with Burchill throwing Terry down to the mat with a judo toss before locking in the ROYAL MUTILATION and forcing Terry to submit.After the victory Burchill would do a little jig in the middle of the ring as his own personal celebration for advancing to the next round.]

WINNER: Paul Burchill

Singles Match
Tucker vs. Jordan Devlin

[The encounter between Devlin and Tucker was an interesting affair considering it was effectively a battle between Northern Ireland and the Republic. To add a little bit of spice to the match Tucker would grab hold of the green, white and gold at the first opportunity and proceed to wipe the Irish flag on his backside and it was obvious that Devlin wasn’t extremely insulted by Tucker’s taunt. This would lead to Devlin losing control of himself and allowing his own personal rage to take hold of him. This would result in Tucker get the crap beaten out of him as Devlin would hit Tucker with a number of stiff forearm shots to the face before pushing him into the turnbuckle with a number of closed fist punches to the head before clambering up onto to the turnbuckle and crashing down onto Tucker with a Moonsault! Devlin would go on to win the contest and celebrate by reclaiming his country’s flag and wrapping it around his shoulders as he climbed onto one of the turnbuckles and raised his arms up high for all to see.]

WINNER: Jordan Devlin

Singles Match
David Finlay, Jr. vs. Trent Seven

[David Finlay, Jr’s involvement was a really head turned for a lot fans considering the fact that his father is the infamous Fit Finlay. Trent Seven though would make it clear just by his ring entrance that if the fans were going to be excited about anything, it should be that they get to see Trent Seven in the flesh. Finlay, Jr. would look impressive throughout the contest and in his general style it was clear that he had spent some time working in Japan which would involve a number of spots with the most notable being Seven spun down onto the canvass by way of a 360 Kamikaze which would result in a near-fall with it being plainly obvious to everyone in attendance that Trent was lucky to still be in the contest. After the devastating move Finlay. Jr. would drag Seven back up onto his feet only for Trent to tightly grab hold of David’s wrist and in one solid motion take the Northern Irishman off his feet with the SEVEN STARS LARIAT! Seven was quick to take hold of his opponent and roll him up to secure the victory and add his name to the list of those who had advanced to the quarter finals.]

WINNER: Trent Seven

Singles Match
Mark Andrews vs. Rampage Brown
[Not everyone realised it but Rampage was actually returning to the WWE (having had a short spell in ECW/FCW as Montly Lynch) and it was clear by the manner in which he dealt with Andrews that he was a man possessed as he would manage to secure the victory in a matter of minutes in what was the most one-sided contest of the evening finally silencing Andrews by sending the Welshman off the turnbuckle with a brutal SITOUT POWERBOMB!]

WINNER: Rampage Brown

Singles Match
Mark Haskins vs. Drew McIntyre

[When McIntyre stepped out from the back he was met with a massive ovation from the fans. It wasn’t that they were excited about seeing him (well actually it was partly due to that exact reason), but the main reason why they were going crazy was because Drew had been making quite a name for himself in the indies and it was clear that he should never have been released by the WWE. Haskins on the other hand seemed aware that he had drawn the short straw but that wouldn’t stop him from putting the performance of his life. Unfortunately for Haskins this meant nothing when he came head on with the CLAYMORE and found himself laid out as all McIntyre needed was the one, two, three and he had picked up a victory on his big return to the big boy table.]

WINNER: Drew McIntyre

Singles Match
Will Ospreay vs. Nathan Cruz

[The final contest from the first night of the tournament would see Ospreay and Cruz battle in quite the match-up. Both men knew that only one spot remained in the final eight and it was clear that both Will and Nathan had their hearts set on becoming the first ever United Kingdom Champion. Highlights from the evening final match included: Ospreay catching his breath on his all fours after being kneed in the stomach only for Cruz to kick Ospreay right in the jaw with EXIT STAGE RIGHT! Cruz though would be returned in kind for his punt kick when he would attempt to gain an aerial advantage over Ospreay only to be taken out with a Cheeky Nandos Kick only for Will to follow up the kick by wiping Cruz out wit the ESSEX DESTROYER! The match would come to a finish with both men punching each other at the same time only for Will to gain the advantage and take hold of Cruz Wrist only to transition it into a matching winning RAINHAM MAKER!

WINNER: Will Ospreay

Night Two (June 3rd 2017)

Singles Match
Jimmy Havoc vs. Will Ospreay

[The contest between Havoc and Ospreay was the perfect way to begin Night Two of the United Kingdom Championship Tournament. Havoc would do his best to employ dirty tactics in order to gain an advantage over Ospreay, but Will would scout every trick that Havoc tried to use by either standing through the ropes, hiding behind the referee or exiting the ring. These counter tactics would lead to Havoc becoming extremely frustrated that would result in him becoming less rational and more unhinged that would lead to him making a number of mistakes. This was all the Ospreay needed to take advantage of the situation and throw Havoc over with the ESSEX DESTROYER only to hook Havoc’s leg and achieve the cover.]

WINNER: Will Ospreay

Singles Match
Joe Hendry vs. Rampage Brown

[The manner in which Rampage had dealt with Mark Andrews in the first round was still fresh on everyone’s mind and it became clear that he was approaching Hendry in the same manner. ‘The Global Hero’ though wasn’t going to allow Rampage make light work of him or so he thought as Brown would catch Hendry out with a flurry of punches against the ropes only to take hold of Hendry and spike him down onto the canvass with a BRAINBUSTER! Hendry would kick-out or at least he thought he had. Rampage was already having his hand raised in the air by the referee, only for the referee to dash over and talk a clearly disappointed Hendry down.]

WINNER: Rampage Brown

Singles Match
Paul Burchill vs. Drew McIntyre

[The coming together of two former WWE employers was like a trip down memory lane, although neither men had actually been part of the WWE Universe at the same time. Nonetheless the match guaranteed that at least one of the duo would in the final four; Burchill though would look weak and out of shape in comparison to McIntyre who arguably was in the best shape of his career. McIntyre would seem intent on making an example out of Burchill and hit him with both the EGO TRIP and the FUTURE-SHOCK DDT with both moves really knocking the life out of Burchill. McIntyre would then finish off Burchill by forcing the former seafarer to submit by locking him in the IRON MAIDEN!]

WINNER: Drew McIntyre

Singles Match
Jordan Devlin vs. Trent Seven

[The final quarterfinal match was an interesting encounter between two men at very different stages in their careers although now despite everything that had taken place before this was the match that could make or break their careers. Jordan had a clear following of Irish fans in attendance and they would add an interesting element between Irish and English fans in the Empress Ballroom. Devlin would impress fans with a number of aerial attacks and dropkicks. Seven would actually steal a victory by transitioning out of powerlift hold and instead sending Devlin down to the canvass with SEVENTH HEAVEN which was all that was need to pick up the W.]

WINNER: Trent Seven

+ + + + + + +

Singles Match
Will Ospreay vs. Drew McIntyre

[For both men this was their second match of the night and if they were successful wouldn’t be their last. Ospreay seemed to approach the contest at less than 100% clearly tried to conserve some energy and this would result in him coming off as sloppy and a little bit lazy. McIntyre on the other hand was leaving nothing to chance and was pushing the pedal to the metal and would do so by pulling off a number of big moves using his height to his advantage. Ospreay’s lack of commitment would ultimately be what cost him as he would make his way forward in a jog rather than a sprint that would result in Drew dropping him with a CLAYMORE before dropping down onto Will and achieving the vital three count and thus booking himself a spot in the show’s finale.]

WINNER: Drew McIntyre

Singles Match
Rampage Brown vs. Trent Seven

[Rampage and Trent were both desperate to be part of the evening’s main-event although Seven was far more calm in his approach to the contest. Rampage continued to be aggressive and relentless in his attacks and it was clear that he was looking for a quick and swift victory. Seven though would frustrate Rampage by fleeing the ring and noticeably tiring out Rampage. In many ways Rampage beat himself because when it came down to the crunch he looked dead on his feet when Trent took hold of Brown and toppled him with the SEVEN STARS LARIAT! Seven would look extremely pleased with himself when the three count was achieved and it was confirmed that he would be facing McIntyre in the show’s main-event to become the inaugural United Kingdom Champion.]

WINNER: Trent Seven

+ + + + + + +

Fatal Four Way
Leah Owens (Northern Ireland) vs. Bea Priestley (England) vs. Kay Lee Ray (Scotland) vs. Nixon Newell (Wales)

[An all women’s affair had been rumoured to take place and with a representative from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it was clear that this was exactly the exhibition match that the fans had been hoping for. All four women were fighting for nothing but pride, but with so many bigwigs in the WWE Universe either in attendance or watching back home it was clear that they all wanted to put on their best performance of their life. The woman that would really stand out and make a great impression would be Nixon Newell that would look superior in comparison to her three adversaries and this was a piece of information that everyone else picked up and would result in Newell being targeted simultaneously. In the carnage of trying to remove Newell from contention Kay Lee Ray would send Nixon over the ropes and topple out of the ring with her with Priestley having helped in the process. This was all the opening that Owens needed to take hold Bea and hit her with an UNDERARM POWERBOMB to pick up the victory.]

WINNER: Leah Owens

Singles Match - WWE United Kingdom Championship
Drew McIntyre vs. Trent Seven

[The finale of the tournament would see McIntyre and Seven vying to become the first ever United Kingdom Champion and neither man would disappoint the onlooking fans. The match would be a high intensity affair with a number of high impact spots. McIntyre would play a smart game and do his best to tire out Seven which would be a smart move considering this would be the fourth match that both men had competed in within the last two days. At every opportunity possible Drew would hold Seven in the IRON MAIDEN in a desperate attempt to make Trent tap out. Meanwhile Seven would use his explosive speed to grind down McIntyre with a number of chops to the midsection as well as seeming to try and knockout out the large Scot with a Spinning Backfist! The contest would come to a finish with McIntyre looking to hit Seven with the Ego Trip only for Seven to transition out of the move and instead hold Drew’s wrist before charging forward and taking McIntyre’s head clean off with the SEVEN STARS LARIAT! The aftermath of the contest would result in confetti falling from above the ring and pyro going off around the ring as Trent was given the United Kingdom Championship belt by the match official. The show would come to an end with all of the fifteen other entrants off the tournament coming out from the back and congratulation Seven on his victory.]

WINNER: Trent Seven - new WWE United Kingdom Champion​

 

[CakeWalker]

|| WWE CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||

On the episode of Smackdown Live (May 2nd) immediately following the Vengeance Pay Per View, Curt Hawkins would come to the ring with his championship strap hanging over his shoulder and an unlit cigar sticking out the side of his mouth. Curt would slowly make his way down to the ring with a certain spring in his step before taking hold of a microphone and addressing the fans. Curt would make it clear that at Vengeance he had put on the performance of his life and if anyone still doubted him then they were just morons plain and simple. Curt’s celebrations would be cut short as he would find himself being interrupted by a certain Tyler Breeze. Breeze would raise the point that Curt had promised anyone that helped him retain the championship a shot at the belt and that he was cashing in on that title shot. Curt would laugh at Tyler and would make it clear that as much as he wanted to thank Tyler for getting involved, all he had done was get in the way rather than actually offer up any real help. Nonetheless Curt would make it clear that he was a man of his word and that if Tyler wanted a shot at his title then that was exactly what he was going to get. Curt would make it clear that after his battle in the cage he wasn’t ready to step back in the ring tonight, but at next week’s show he would willingly put the title on the line.

With the championship on the line (May 9th) Tyler would put on the showing of his life and it was clear that he was taking his shot at the title very seriously. Despite his best efforts Breeze would fall short of the mark and after being hit with the Laugh Riot would have nothing else left to give allowing Curt to keep hold of his championship belt a while longer. On the next episode of Smackdown Live (May 16th) General Manager Kurt Angle, who for a while now had been a thorn in Curt’s side, would reveal that after much deliberation a former acquaintance of Hawkin’s would be returning to Smackdown Live.

After the draft (May 23rd) Smackdown Live was pretty chaotic, although Kurt would make sure there was enough time to invite Hawkins to the ring and reveal the newest member of the roster, his former mentor Christian. Kurt would make it clear that all his preconceptions about Curt had been correct and he really was the selfish, cowardly, egomaniac that he had always deemed him to be. Kurt would remind everyone that at Vengeance if it hadn’t been for Christian then it would have been the Miz who would have left with the championship strap. Kurt would make the point that at no time since Vengeance had Curt come to his office and argued for Christian to have his job back. Kurt would make it clear that Hawkins had turned his back on Christian and on this basis this wasn’t the sort of man that the WWE Universe wanted as a WWE Champion. Christian would finally break his silence and noticeably side with Kurt. Christian would make it clear that after everything he had done for him, Curt had simply forgot about him because it was the easier route to take. Christian would then repeat Kurt sentiment that if hadn’t got involved in the contest it would have been the Miz that would have left Vengeance as the champion. Christian would then make it clear that Curt owed him a shot at the title despite Curt clearly not wanting a piece of him. Christian would reveal that the situation had already been dealt with and that at Judgement Day he would be challenging Curt for the right to become the WWE Champion. Curt was clearly unhappy about the turn of the events, but it was clear that he wasn’t going to shy away from the challenge.

It wasn’t surprising to anyone that Kurt would treat the whole situation as his own personal playground and book Curt Hawkins in a three-on-one handicap match (May 30th)against Rubicon (Viktor, Konnor & Rankour). As you would have expected the match didn’t go well for Hawkins and he got the hell of a beating. After the contest Kurt would appear on the titantron and applaud Curt for a championship performance, with Christian standing by his said no saying a word but appearing to be smiling if only for a second.

The shenanigans would continue the following week (June 6th) when Curt was due to take part in singles action, but before his opponent came out the local police force would storm the ring. Kurt would reveal that Curt had a warrant for his arrest and it had been triggered as soon as he had crossed state lines. Curt would be incensed by the whole affair and it seemed pretty obvious that the whole situation was nothing more than a ruse to try and get one over Hawkins and try and have some fun at Curt’s expense. With Curt’s hands behind his back and in handcuffs it was clear that he was in an extremely vulnerable situation. In the blink of an eye all of the lights in the arena went out and when they turned back on the police presence had disappeared by Curt was now handcuffed to the ring ropes with Christian standing opposites the champion wielding a kendo stick. Kurt would make it clear that Christian had no need to cause Curt any physical pain, because tonight was all about reminding Curt who was in control...himself; Kurt Angle.

It was clear that Curt wasn’t the least bit pleased of the recent goings on between himself and Angle and would cut a promo backstage (June 13th) making it clear that he was sick and tired of having to deal with all of this drama each and every week and that Kurt was driving him crazy. Curt would make it clear that once he was done with Christian, he would be coming after Kurt Angle. Of course would turn up an interrupt the promo and make it clear that no point in time would Hawkins ever lay his hands on him, not if he wanted to remain an employee of the WWE. Before anything else could be said or done Christian would appear out of nowhere and a backstage brawl would breakout between Curt and Christian. The fight would get pretty violent and eventually work its way into the food court. The fight would end with Christian throwing Curt into the refrigeration unit and locking the door behind him.

During the go-home show (June 20th) Kurt Angle would reveal that Curt would be resting at home because he was a little bit under the weather because he was suffering from a bit of a cold. Throughout the night Angle would make a mockery of Hawkins at every opportunity, although it was clear that his jokes were only being found funny by himself.

Singles Match - WWE Championship
Curt Hawkins © vs. Christian

|| WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||

After (May 2nd) Vengeance, Baron Corbin would make the point that he had never been his rematch for the Intercontinental Title. With Baron hot property at the moment it wouldn’t take much convincing for Angle to book the match for the following week’s show. (May 9th) Baron Corbin would put on quite the performance and almost leave with the titles if it hadn’t been for Randy Orton getting involved in the contest and sliding into the ring and hitting Baron with the RKO that would bring a match to the end by way of disqualification. In the aftermath Corbin was furious as he would demand another shot at the title, whilst the mystery of why Randy had aligned himself with the Wyatt Family was still an ongoing mystery.

On the next episode (May 16th) Kurt would make it clear that a clean match was going to take between Corbin and Harper and in order to stop any further nonsense from taking place would make it clear that if Orton, Wyatt or Rowan appeared at ringside the match would be ended immediately and that Corbin would be awarded the championship belt. With the title up for grabs once again, Baron wouldn’t mess up his second opportunity as he would thoroughly beat the crap out of Harper before hitting the End of Days and becoming a three time Intercontinental Champion.

Everyone’s answers would finally be answered as Randy would finally share his reasons for aligning himself with the Wyatt Family (May 23rd). Randy would explain that for too long he had been forced to take a back seat and let every single young lion and NXT hopeful just jump the queue and for some reason get a shot at the big time as soon as they left development. Orton would make it clear that both he and the Wyatts believed in the same value of chaos and all though their backgrounds and motivations were different together both parties were that much stronger when they worked together. Randy would make it clear that for far too long Baron had been allowed free reign and had made a mockery of hard working professionals and that he was bound by duty to bring an end to Corbin by any means necessary.

Following Randy’s “outing” the following week’s show (May 30th) Orton would make his way out to the ring with the rest of the Wyatt Family in tow. Randy would make it clear that the brutality that had taken place between himself and Baron at Vengeance was nothing in comparison to what was waiting for Corbin at Judgement Day. Randy would make it clear that he didn’t care in the slightest if Baron put up his title belt, just as long as he showed up on June 25th. Bray would take to microphone and make it clear that if Baron refused Randy’s challenge then he would live to regret that decision.

Baron of course wouldn’t surprise anyone (June 6th)when he would accept Orton’s challenge for a match at Judgement Day. Baron would make it clear though that the Intercontinental Title would be on the line because he was a fighting champion and he wasn’t going to stop being true to himself. Baron would make it clear though that he really hoped that Randy wasn’t going to have to rely on the rest of the Wyatt Family in order to claim a victory at the pay per view. Randy as many would of expected to would emerge from the back and make it clear that he didn’t need any help in order to deal with Corbin. Randy would make the point that in order for the problems between him and Baron to be settled they would both need to fight in a match in there would undeniably only one winner. A scaffold match. It was clear by the look on Baron’s face that if anything he welcomed the challenge and he was relishing the opportunity as he would just smile at Randy from the ring.

Scaffold Match - WWE Intercontinental Championship
Baron Corbin © vs. Randy Orton

|| THE MONSTER FROM BENEATH STORYLINE ||

Following the bizarre incident of Mil Muertes cutting a hole in the canvass at Vengeance and dragging Maryse down under the ring with him it wasn’t surprising that The Miz was slightly worked up by the whole situation. For the three weeks between Vengeance and the Draft a number of video packages would be aired clearly with the intent of driving The Miz up the wall. Footage would always include Maryse tied up in a darkened room with Mil Muertes and the silhouette of another female standing in the shadows seeming to whispering something in Mil’s ear. Of course all of this would lead to The Miz being extremely agitated and would demand to both Kurt Angle and Shane McMahon that the situation be dealt with. The Commissioner and General Manager would make the point that the situation was very much something very difficult to deal with until the identity of Maryse was revealed.

Finally some news would turn up (May 23rd) as Maxine, who hadn’t been seen since 2012, would make her return to the WWE Universe. Maxine would reveal that she was was Mil’s confidante and to backup her claim would lift some blonde hair up into the air with it not taking a brain surgeon to workout that the lock of hair was Maryse. Maxine would make it clear that as it stood Mil was enjoying his prize and would only consider giving it up if he would swap a prize for a trophy. It wouldn’t take too long for the Miz to come out from the back and join Maxine in the ring. The Miz would be furious and come off as almost threatening as he would demand that Maxine return Maryse to him. Maxine would make it clear that there was only one condition that The Miz would have to meet in order for Maryse to be returned to him and that was that he would have to sign a contract. The Miz would make it clear that he would sign anything as long as long as Maryse was returned to him. Maxine would smile and pull out of piece of paper and pen and hand it to The Miz, who wouldn’t even read it but instead scribble his name down and hand it back to Maxine. The ring would slowly be covered with smoke, so much in fact that it was impossible for any of the fans to see what was happening in the ring. When the smoke faded away Maxine was nowhere to be seen, but an unconscious Maryse was lying on the canvass. The Miz would look extremely emotional as he would be openly crying as he would take hold of Maryse and hold her in his arms.

In the weeks that followed Maxine would reveal that the contract that The Miz had signed a contract to face Mil at Judgement Day in Hardcore Match. To make the match even more interesting Maxine would reveal that if The Miz lost to Mil then he would have to bend the knee and swear his fealty to his new master. The Miz would make it clear though that losing to Mil was not an option and that he was going to enjoying making Muertes pay for every second that he had taken Maryse away from him.

Hardcore Match
The Miz vs. Mil Muertes

|| RIGHT TO FIGHT STORYLINE ||

Smackdown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon would make it clear that he was extremely pleased with the fact that Smackdown was without a doubt the most competitive brand when it came to women’s wrestling. Shane would make it clear that eight women would take part and that they would be randomly sorted into tag-team pairs. Shane would make it clear that eight would become four, and then four would become two. Shane would make it clear that the surviving team would then face each other at Judgement Day with the victor earning a shot at the Smackdown Women’s Championship.

The first round (June 13th)would see a team of Maryse and Naomi fall short as they would be eliminated by Carmella and the newest member of the Smackdown Live roster Leah Owens. The other contest would see the team of Becky Lynch and Natalya overcome a comprehensive challenge offered by Alexa Bliss and Tamina.

The go-home show (June 20th)would see Carmella and Leah Owens put on a hell of performance, but it just wouldn’t be good enough as the duo of Becky and Natalya would claim the victory and book a match against each other at Judgment Day. Instead of celebrating the victory Natalya would blindside Becky by charging at her from behind only to lock Becky in the Sharpshooter and forcing her to tap out. Eventually Natalya would be pulled away by the referee, but it was clear that some damage had already been done.

Singles Match
Becky Lynch vs Natalya

|| LEGACY OF NXT STORYLINE ||

After the draft (May 23rd) it wasn’t at all surprising that that there was a different feel to the Smackdown Live roster. One person that wasn’t shy about sharing her thoughts about another draftee was Paige. It became clear that Paige wasn’t very at all pleased that Asuka was still in possession of the NXT Women’s Championship. Paige would make the point that she had been forced to vacate the title when she had joined the main roster so on the same basis she expected (well if anything she demanded) that Asuka be relinquished of the belt. One thing was clear about Asuka and that was that she wasn’t the least bit welcoming about the idea of vacating ‘her title’.

Smackdown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon would bring clarity to the situation the following week (May 30th) and request that Asuka join him in the ring. Asuka would drag out her entrance and savour every moment of it before entering the ring. Shane would demand that Asuka vacate her title and make it clear that this was simply policy for anyone that left NXT and joined Raw or Smackdown Live respectively. Asuka clearly upset by the whole situation, but would act professional as she would hand Shane the title strap. As soon as Shane had possession of the title, Paige’s music would start playing and she would come out from the back with a massive smile on her face. Paige would openly mock Asuka with a cry-baby tears and at every opportunity laugh at Asuka expense. Eventually Asuka would snap and she would climb through the ropes and dash at Paige. The Brit though clearly wanted nothing to do with Asuka as she would sprint backstage before Asuka could get her hands on her.

Asuka (in broken English) would cut a short promo (June 6th) and make it clear that she solely blamed Paige for losing the NXT Women’s Championship and would do everything in her power to make Paige suffer. Paige with her boyfriend Alberto Del Rio in tow would offer Asuka a response and Paige would make it clear that the only reason that Asuka hated Paige so much was due to the fact that she was only NXT Women’s Champion never to have lost the title. Paige would make it clear that the history books never lied, and that she would always be remembered at the greatest NXT Women’s Champion of all-time and there was nothing that Asuka could do to change that.

Asuka was not someone to calm down once she had been aggrieved and would attempt to jump Paige backstage (June 13th) and would have been successful if it hadn’t been for Alberto who would pull his girlfriend out of harm's way and stand between both women like a buffer. Paige would laugh off Asuka’s sneak tactic and would make it clear that if she wanted a piece of her then she would have to meet her in the ring just like everybody else. By the manner in which Asuka was nodding her head it was clear that a match between both women wasn’t all that far away. Later in the night Shane McMahon would make it official and announce that a match between both women would take place at the upcoming pay per view.

Singles Match
Asuka vs. Paige w/ Alberto Del Rio

|| WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||

The night after the Draft (May 23rd) the team of Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens (Jeri-KO) would cut a promo backstage making it clear that they only had one thing on their minds and that was to become the Smackdown Tag Team Champions and that the current champion were not fit for purpose. These comments wouldn’t go unanswered as Jimmy and Jey would cut into proceeding and make it clear they were the best team in the WWE Universe. Owens would smile at this comment and make it clear that if both the Usos were so confident then they should put their money where their mouth is. The Usos would rise to the bait and state that they would put on their titles on the line tonight. At the first time of asking Jericho and Owens would absolutely destroy the Usos and claim the titles for themselves.

In the weeks that followed Team Jeri-KO would become the most obnoxious duo on Smackdown Live and make it clear that without a shadow of a doubt they were the most talented team in the WWE. To make matters worse Jericho would irritate the crap out of quite a few people and to add insult to injury would add a few of these individuals to the “List of Jericho”. Eventually though a discussion would start between Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle (June 13th) and the pair would talk candidly about which team would most be suited as contenders for the title. A decision would eventually be made and it was revealed that the team of Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson (The Revival) would be the team facing Team Jeri-KO at Judgement Day. This information would certainly make both Jericho and Owens laugh as it was clear that neither men thought that the Revival were a serious threat to their title reign.

Tag Team Match - WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Jeri-KO © vs. The Revival

|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||

Following Dana’s interview after being drafted to Smackdown Live it had become apparent that Brooke wasn’t exactly thrilled that her former mentor was the current Smackdown Women’s Champion. On the other side of the coin though it was clear that Emma was actually happy to be reunited with Dana and would make it clear that she wanted to bring Dana to the table and rekindle their friendship. Dana though would make it clear after a number of weeks of Emma trying to reignite their friendship that she simply wasn’t interested in what slowly became a clear indication that Dana was the heel and Emma surprisingly was the babyface in their feud (although not a face in the traditional sense), Despite all of the rejections, Emma would be relentless and would insist that she still considered Dana to be one of her best friends in the WWE. Eventually it would look as if a fight was finally going to break out as Dana would make it clear that she was sick and tired of Emma putting on a charade that they were close. Emma would continue to smile and be loving towards Dana and make a point that if they weren’t friends then why had she requested that at Judgement Day that she face Dana in her first title defence on her title reign. This of course would result confuse the hell out of Dana and it was clear that she was completely confused by the whole affair. Emma would make it clear that she genuinely still considered Dana as one of her best friends and hoped that no matter the result of the match at the PPV they would be able to hug it out afterwards.It was clear though that Dana still didn’t trust Emma, but certainly wasn’t going to refuse as shot at title gold.

Singles Match - WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
Emma © vs. Dana Brooke

|| WWE UNITED KINGDOM CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||

Following the successful two night event in Blackpool for the vacant title a rivalry between Trent even and Drew McIntyre would be created. Although the feud would not be seen on either of the company’s three brands footage would be made available on WWE.com of a number of runnings during both Progress Wrestling and Revolution Pro Wrestling events. Eventually it would be announced that a six man tag team match would take place featuring British Strong Style and The Black Label.

Six-Man Tag Team Match
British Strong Style: Trent Seven. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Black Label: Drew McIntyre, Jack Jester & Stevie Boy​

 

[CakeWalker]

June 25th 2017

KICKOFF SHOW

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Black Label: Drew McIntyre, Jack Jester & Stevie Boy vs. British Strong Style: Trent Seven. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate

Singles Match
Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley

Singles Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev

MAIN SHOW

Singles Match
Asuka vs. Paige w/ Alberto Del Rio

Tag Team Match - WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Jeri-KO © vs. The Revival

Singles Match
Becky Lynch vs Natalya

Hardcore Match
The Miz vs. Mil Muertes

Singles Match - WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
Emma © vs. Dana Brooke

Scaffold Match - WWE Intercontinental Championship
Baron Corbin © vs. Randy Orton

Singles Match - WWE Championship​

 

[CakeWalker]

June 25th 2017

KICKOFF SHOW

Six-Man Tag Team Match
Black Label: Drew McIntyre, Jack Jester & Stevie Boy vs. British Strong Style: Trent Seven. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate

[The first contest of the evening would see the return of the United Kingdom Championship Tournament finalists Drew McIntyre and inaugural champion Trent Seven find each other on opposite side of the ring. McIntyre would be joined by fellow Scots Jack Jester and Stevie Boy whilst Seven would be joined by Pete Dunn and Tyler Bate. The introduction of four new faces to the WWE Universe definitely showed that the company had intent on creating a stronger product in the United Kingdom and the platform of a pay per view was the best platform for it.

The match would see all four debutantes give a good account of themselves and it was clear that all of them were keen to impress considering the fact that they hadn’t been part of the original tournament. Tyler Bate would show his wrestling class and distinction by pulling of a number of combination wrestling moves before dropping Stevie Boy on his head and almost claiming an early victory with the TYLER DRIVER ‘97! Stevie Boy though would seem motivated by the near-fall and attempt to change the course of the match by hitting Bate with a return volley in the shape of a Shooting Star Press, although Bate would be pulled out of the ring by Seven preventing Stevie from following up with any sort of pin or submission attempt. Two men that were a little less uncouth in their approach to the contest were Jester and Dunne who would seek to prove their superiority by clashing outside the ring and seemingly taking turns at throwing each other into the ringside barricade with the clear intention of doing as much damage. The levels of the brutality would include Dunne dropping Jester down onto the concrete with the BITTER END, only for Jester to outdo his counterpart by dropping Pete on his head down onto the concrete steel steps with KNEELING REVERSE PILEDRIVER! Of course the match would end with McIntyre and Seven squaring off in the ring. The unconfirmed number one contender and the United Kingdom Champion would show everyone why they were arguably the best that the United Kingdom had to offer. The match would end with Seven taking hold of Drew into a wrist-lock with it clear that he was attempting to hit him with his short-arm lariat finisher only for McIntyre to escape only to rebound off the ropes and nail Seven with the CLAYMORE! The move would be all that was needed to bring the match to a conclusion and for Drew to pick up a victory for himself and the rest of The Black Label. After all three Scots had finished celebrating, McIntyre would request a microphone before making it very clear that he was without a question the only man deserving of a shot at challenging for Trent’s United Kingdom Championship. By the look that Trent was giving as he was being helped backstage by Dunne and Bate it seemed that he almost wanted nothing to do with ‘The Chosen One’.]

WINNERS: The Black Label (Drew McIntyre, Jack Jester & Stevie Boy)

Singles Match
Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley

[Despite everyone’s hopes of some sort of resolution to be reached between Mojo and Rawley it seemed that the Hype Bros time as a team had come to an end as both men were set to face each other. Much to everyone’s disappointment the match would never officially get underway as whilst Zack was making his way down to the ring he would be blindsided by Rawley from behind who would attack him where he stood on the entrance ramp. Zack would deliver a number of hard shots to the back of Ryder’s neck before charging forward and knocking Ryder off his feet with a Discus Punch! Before Ryder fell to the floor Rawley would prevent Ryder from falling over by grabbing hold of his arm. Mojo despite his ‘heel-tactics’ would pump up the fans by hyping them up only for an unknown man in full Football gear including helmet charging out from the back and nailing Ryder with a SPEAR! Everyone would look on in confusion only for the mystery attacker to pull off his helmet and reveal himself as none other than NXT’s Tino Sabbatelli. Tino would remove all his football attire only to reveal a Hype Bros Version 2.0 t-shirt, that Mojo would also reveal to be wearing. Both men would roll Ryder off the the entrance ramp before ‘getting hyped’.]

RESULT: No Contest

Singles Match
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev w/ Lana

[There can be no denying that every single member of the WWE Universe had looking forward to Nakamura making his Smackdown Liver roster and by use of a number of promotional videos and interviews had managed to get away with Nakamura not yet competing in a single match since leaving NXT. The match itself would be a great showing for Nakamura who would show everyone just exactly why he was one of NXT’s biggest success stories. Rusev on the other-hand would seem distracted not only be the fact that he was part of Smackdown Live but also by his own wife. It would be clear that despite Lana’s best intentions she was actually doing more harm than good. Shinsuke would be straight like an arrow and would pull off a number of high impact moves including a number of Running Knees Strikes whilst Rusev was in the corner, a volley of arm lariats and of course would tire out Rusev by locking in a Front Sleeper Holds. Rusev despite being being far from his best would almost manage to force Nakamura to tap out by locking him in THE ACCOLADE only for Lana to jump onto the apron and start cheering for her husband. The move had clearly been one of encouragement but the referee seemed less than pleased by Lana’s enthusiasm and would proceed to eject her from ringside. This would lead to Rusev releasing Nakamura as he would start raging at the referee, which would allow for Shinsuke to compose himself and recuperate before lining up Rusev and nail the Bulgarian with KINSHASA! Shinsuke would hook Rusev’s leg and claim the three count before celebrating the victory by dancing to his theme-tune much the enjoyment of all of the fans in attendance.]

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura

MAIN SHOW

Singles Match
Asuka vs. Paige w/ Alberto Del Rio

[The first contest of the evening’s main-show would see without the a doubt the two greatest women in the history of NXT go head-to-head in a battle of the ages. Despite Alberto being in attendance it became clear only on that Paige wanted to beat Asuka without any help from her ‘lover’. Both women would put on a very even contest and show just how much talent there was available on the Smackdown Live roster when the women were concerned. Both Asuka and Paige would have their moments in the spotlight that would have the fans on the edge of their seats. Asuka would spend most of her time focusing on submission wrestling in a clear attempt to wear Paige down. Some of these would include: a number of crossface chickenwing often controlled by bodyscissors, as well as a number of different armbars with the most notable being a seated Fujiwara armbar. Paige would dance to a very different tune however and it was clear that she was much more interested in hurting Asuka by the use of high impact moves whether it be an array of multiple headbutts, multiple short-arm clotheslines or running high knees to Asuka whenever she was cornered or grounded. One thing though was clear throughout the entire contest and that was that Asuka and Paige had very little love for each other. The match would end with Paige doing her best to get Asuka in the correct position for the Ram-Paige but Asuka scouted the move and would make sure she was one step ahead of Paige before finally catching Paige out as she would connect with a solid SPIN KICK!With Paige on the floor she would soon find herself rolled onto her back with Asuka lying on top of her to claim the three count.]

WINNER: Asuka

Tag Team Match - WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Jeri-KO © vs. The Revival

[For anyone that had thought that The Establishment were the most obnoxious team in the WWE Universe they would be sorely mistaken when the combination of Jericho and Owens became the Smackdown Tag Team Champions. The match would seem to be more about Jericho and Owens making themselves feel good then actually competing for the titles. Every time they tagged each other in they would take as much time as possible in switching places and each tag would involve a brotherly embrace. This clear tactic at wasting time clearly was annoying Dawson and Wilder, but the in-ring official would make it clear to The Revival that technically Jeri-KO were doing nothing out of the ordinary. Jeri-KO would be determined to outdo each other almost as if they were playing a friendly game of horse by pulling off more difficult moves in a clear attempt of trying to look better than the other. After Dash Wilder had been hit with the POP-UP POWERBOMB by Owens only to be hit with the LIONSAULT by Jericho, the tag team champions would seem to come to some sort of agreement and shake each other’s hand as if to signal a tie.

Of course The Revival were not ‘just another tag team’ and would show everyone why they had been such a force to reckon with on NXT. The team would show their capability as a duo rather than a singular individual by making sure to tag each other in whenever possible and pulling off a number of impressive double team moves whether it be a combination of Dawson performing a backbreaker hold whilst Wilder hitting a diving elbow drop to Dawson connecting with a belly-to-back suplex only to Wilder to follow it up with a diving leg drop! The Revival look like they had done enough to claim the title for themselves when they hit Jericho with the SHATTER MACHINE only for Owens to dive in and breakup the pin at the last possible moment. Dawson would chase after Owens with both men tumbling through the ropes, which would leave Wilder caught out as Jericho would take hold of Wilder and bend him over and lock in the the WALLS OF JERICHO! It wouldn’t take much force for Wilder to eventually tap out and Dawson to look towards the ring in clear disappointment. Owens though would show his true brutality by lifting up Dawson and hitting him with a POWERBOMB ONTO THE RING APRON before taking hold of the tag team titles and celebrating the victory with Chris in the middle of the ring.]

WINNERS: Jeri-KO - still WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions

Singles Match
Becky Lynch vs Natalya

[Both Becky Lynch and Natalya knew that they were just one win away from earning the ‘Right To Fight’ for the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam although both Becky and Natalya would still have to wait a little bit longer until they knew whether they would be facing Emma or Dana Brooke at the biggest event of the summer. Considering that the likes of Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Naomi to name just a few had fallen short of the mark it was clear that whoever won this evening’s contest was going to go into the contest the knowledge that a whole lot of hard work had already been put in. The match wouldn’t be the longest of the matches that took place during the evening show but that wouldn’t stop it from being a highly entertaining contest. Becky Lynch would show everyone she was a former Smackdown Women’s Champion whilst Natalya would show exactly why she had been a mainstay on the roster for now over a decade. Despite everything though the end of the match would be marred by controversy as Leah Owens and Alexa Bliss would involve themselves in the contest. Smackdown Live’s newest signing Owens would distract the referee as Bliss would appear spray something into Lynch’s eyes before sending her down to the mat with the SNAP DDT! Whilst this was going on Natalya didn’t get involved in the slightest, but as soon as Bliss left the ring she would grab hold of Becky and being the opportunist lock in the SHARPSHOOTER!At this point Owens would stop distracting the referee who would turn around just in time for him to witness Becky tapping out. Natalya would celebrate her victory, whilst Alexa and Leah would laugh amongst themselves as Lynch remained on the floor showing no signs of moving anytime soon.]

WINNER: Natalya

Hardcore Match
The Miz vs. Mil Muertes

[Before the match officially got underway the cameras would cut backstage to The Miz going after Muertes with a 2x4 wooden board wrapped in barbed wire. By the strikes that Miz was delivering it was clear that he was intent on dishing out as much pain as possible and it was clear that Mil had been totally caught out by Miz’s ambush. To make matters even more interesting Maxine would attempt to come to her confidante’s aid only for Maryse to appear to break Maxine’s noses by slamming her face into the wall. As The Miz would start dragging Mil in the direction of the ring, he would pause for a second and kiss his wife passionately before continuing to drag Mil outside from the back and onto the entrance ramp.

The match still had even started yet but Muertes and The Miz would start fighting on more of an even level and it was clear that both men had a lot of anger for each other. Muertes would show off his supreme strength and power by sending The Miz face first down onto the entrance ramp with the FLATLINER only to pick up the Miz once again and toss him off the ramp and send him crashing through a table set-up below. It was in this battered state that Mil was able to drag The Miz into the ring that would allow the match to ‘finally’ get started.

With the action in the ring a wide range of weapons were made available to both men. In one of these exchanges The Miz would be thrown face first into a steel chair that had been jammed up into the turnbuckle that had resulted in The Miz being busted wide open as he wearing the proverbial crimson mask. Despite the blood flowing profusely from The Miz’s head it was clear that nothing was going to stop him from continuing on, although it was clear the referee was worried about Miz’s personal safety. A nearfall did come though as The Miz would exact some revenge by sending both himself and Mil off the turnbuckle and through a wooden table via a SKULL-CRUSHING FINALE! Muertes would break the count although it was clear that both men were running low on energy just by the manner in which they were slowly getting back up onto their feet.

The match would come to a conclusion with Muertes holding his arms in the air and celebrating the fact that he had just cut The Miz down by connecting with the DAGGER IN THE HEART! It seemed though that Mil had taken too long to pin the Miz because as soon as he attempted to roll-up The Miz he would be caught totally off guard as Miz would have put on a knuckleduster and smashed it into the side of Mil’s face. Mil would look a little bit dizzy which would allow The Miz to get back up onto his feet and take hold of Mil only for the move to be reversed completely as Muertes would obliterate The Miz by hitting him with another FLATLINER! Mil would end the the segment by take holding of The Miz and wiping the blood off his face and onto his chest almost like a badge of honor.]

WINNER: Mil Muertes

Singles Match - WWE Smackdown Women's Championship
Emma © vs. Dana Brooke

[The contest for the Smackdown Women’s Championship would be best described as a burial and it would be the sort of match that a young Triple H would be proud of. It was clear that Emma was head and shoulders above Dana when both women stepped into the ring together and despite Dana’s talk it was clear that she wasn’t someone that was going to be walking the walking as she would find herself laid out by Emma almost in satirical fashion by way of the VEN-EMMA before Emma would get a little bit more serious by holding Dana in the EMMA LOCK and forcing her to tap out. After the bell was rung Emma would take hold of Dana and remove her from the ring like she was nothing but a piece of trash before celebrating her defence of the title in the middle of the ring.]

WINNER: Emma - still WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion

Scaffold Match - WWE Intercontinental Championship
Baron Corbin © vs. Randy Orton

[Due to the limitations of a scaffold match it wouldn’t be surprising to anyone that it wouldn’t be the longest match of the night. To make the evening’s contest even more brutal the ring had been stacked with tables that would be triple-decker meaning that the only thing that would cushion the loser’s fall would be the punishment of broken wooden and tears. The rivalry between both Baron and Randy was long standing and after a truly brutal street fight at Vengeance it was clear that both men saw the night’s contest as the place to finally settle who out of the two was the better man. Both men would try at every opportunity to throw the other off the scaffold and it was clear that the platform they were fighting on were slowly become unstable and more wobbly after each high impact move took place on top of them. Both men would hold nothing back and with no referee with them it was open season for both men. Corbin at one point would rake Randy’s eye and temporarily blind him before charging forward and hitting Orton with a BIG BOOT! The move would send Randy backwards but the Viper would instinctively hold on and prevent himself from falling off the demonic structure.

Of course The Wyatt Family would emerge from the back even if they were unable to actually provide any support. Nonetheless the visibility of Erick, Luke and Bray did noticeably distract Baron which would allow for Randy to actually gain a little bit of elevation off the fence of the scaffolding and nail Corbin with a majestic RKO! The match would end with Corbin on the ascendancy after holding Randy in a Bear Hug before transitioning the move into the END OF DAY-NO! At the last moment moment Randy reversed the move and grab hold of Baron’s wrist only to arm drag him forwards and trip him over with an outstretched leg. Momentum would do the rest which would result in Corbin toppling off the scaffolding and crashing down onto the tables below.

The segment would come to an end with Randy climbing down off the scaffolding and being presented the Intercontinental Title by Bray Wyatt. Randy would have a massive grin on his face as he would become the champion for only the second time in his career (the last reign ending in July 2004). The shot would end with a broken Corbin being tending to by EMTs, as the Wyatt Family and Orton would proceed to walk backstage with the championship belt being held aloft for all to see.]

WINNER: Randy Orton - new WWE Intercontinental Champion

Singles Match- WWE Championship
Curt Hawkins © vs. Christian

[The final contest of the night would see the master face the apprentice, the prodigy face the protege although it would be the lesser of the two who would be in possession of the WWE Championship. A lot of hard work had taken place between both that had finally resulted in Curt becoming the world champion at Wrestlemania. Now just two months later was the true underdog story going to come to a sudden end or was Hawkins going to finally silence everyone and prove that he was in fact the number one guy on Smackdown Live.

The match for the beginning and middle portions would see Hawkins in firm control of the contest, with Christian just looking a little bit slow with it being clear that he was definitely suffering from ring rust which is too be expected from anyone who doesn’t compete on a regular basis. Hawkins though was relentless in his attacks and it was clear that he wasn’t holding anything back with this being quite clear when Christian found himself sitting up against the turnbuckle trying to recompose himself only for Curt to charge forward and nail Christian with a diving double drop kick. Hawkins would even show an adventurous side to his approach as he would use a move from his own wrestling archive by planting Christian over with the UPSIDE DOWN FROWN that would result in a near-fall.

As both men were getting tired though Christian would make it clear that he hadn’t just come to compete, but he had come to win the title and after a clever reversal the fans would all get up onto their feet as Christian would end up nailing Curt with the KILLSWITCH! The fans would groan with disappointment however as Christian would be prevented from securing the historic victory as Curt would manage to enforce a rope-break by brushing his left leg against the ropes at the last possible moment. Hawkins would seem motivated by the fact that he had come so close to losing his title that he would fight his way back up to his feet and in a sudden turn of momentum would look to finish off Christian as he hit him with a finisher of his own the LAUGH RIOT! Curt would celebrate like he had already won the match, only to be totally caught out as by some miracle Christian had already got back to his feet and would cut Hawkins in half with a SPEAR! Christian would be quick in his follow-up by leaping onto the turnbuckle only to look for all of his ‘Peeps’ before leaping off with the intent of hitting a FROG SPLASH only for Curt to lift up both his knees and knock all of the air out of Christian's body.

Christian would hold onto his chest and stomach clearly winded whilst Hawkins would smile and being a little bit smarter than previous climb up onto the turnbuckle only to slam back down on top of Christian with a perfectly timed HEAT SEEKING ELBOW! However due to the sheer force of the move Curt would seem to bang his head slightly and actually find himself being rolled underneath Christian. Before either men realised what had happened the referee had made his three count and was signalling that it was Christian who had won the contest and was the new WWE Champion. Hawkins would look absolutely mortified as Christian was handed the WWE Championship for the first time in his career and would look overjoyed that despite all the odds he was leaving with the title in his possession. The show would end with Curt shouting at the referee whilst Christian would take his celebration into the crowd and would do so by hugging his wife Denise and it would appear that Christian was actually crying seemingly with tears of joy.

WINNER: Christian - new WWE Champion
​

 

[CakeWalker]

å

SANITY vs. HEAVY MACHINERY w/ RUBY RIOT - NUMBER ONE CONTENDER'S MATCH
Since Eric Young has captured the NXT Championship, the faction Sanity had made it clear that they would be taking over the NXT brand. Young was heading into a defense against Bobby Roode following "The Glorious One's" interference at the end of "The Mad Messiah's" match against Samoa Joe in Tokyo, and made it clear that he wasn't going to carry his team and that it was time that they stood up and fought for gold. Alexander Wolfe promised that they would show their worth to the team, to which Young took him on his word otherwise they would end up "just like Sawyer (Fulton)". While Sanity and The Authors would not cross path in the build up to the contenders match, Wolfe and Dain said that everyone saw The Authors of Pain as the most dominant tag team in NXT history, which was true until they came along because Sanity was born to rule, born to take over, Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight, better known as Heavy Machinery were no strangers to Akam and Rezar, in fact in a WWE.com exclusive they congratulated the duo after their title victory in Tokyo anss remimisced about their near victory during their last encounter. Paul Ellering dismissed Heavy Machinery, informing them that their part in his book had been written and dealed and there was no turning back, but Ruby Riot (manager of Heavy Machinery) would tell Ellering that his book would be torn to pieces and a the history books would be re-written.

William Regal booked Sanity against The Dudebusters, in a closely fought match. Undeterred by the size of Killian Dain, Trent Barreta and Caylen Croft nearly ran Sanity out of town but Wolfe used a lead pipe behind the back of the referee to seal their fate. Following the match Sanity beat down their opponents until William Regal interrupted and threatened to reverse the decision. Wolfe took the microphone and told Regal that they weren't playing by his rules anymore and they wanted what was theirs. Regal would book the contender's match, citing that Heavy Machinery provided the challenge for The A.O.P. back in Orlando and they would get the chance again. The following week, Heavy Machinery fended off Montez Ford and Patrick Clark, while Sanity (sans Eric Young) watched from the entrance ramp. Ford and Clark had been turning heads at the WWE Performance Center, so the match was surprisingly back and a forth. Post-match a brawl would break out with Nikki Cross, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe against Otis Dozovic, Tuker Knight and Ruby Riot. Multiple referees would have to intervene and break the trios up leading to a final showdown ahead of TakeOver as the two teams would face off.

However the Sanity vs. Heavy Machinery & Ruby Riot affair would lead to nowhere as Sanity attacked their opponents during their entrance. The segment turned into a hardcore affair, echoing the events of the week before. While the referees tried to handle the big men, Nikki Cross threw Ruby Riot through a table to seal her fate. Later, Eric Young applauded his 'soldiers' for fighting the good fight for Sanity but William Regal would catch up with them, speechless he simply shook his head and walked off. Heavy Machinery would send a final warning to Sanity in a backstage segment (without Ruby) and said they would end madness once and for all.

On the night of the Takeover pre-show, Heavy Machinery made their way to the ring to a good pop, Ruby Riot was present but had her ribs bandaged and played to the attack that had occurred previously. Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain made their way to the ring without Nikki Cross, who had her own big match on the main show. It would seem that in the match itself, Killian Dain's size was not the factor that Sanity thought it would be against Dozovic and Knight, who would actually steamroll over Wolfe and demand that the "Beast of Belfast" face them. One memorable moment would see Heavy Machinery perform multiple stinger splashes to Dain in the corner, but while Killian took the beating it would be Wolfe who played the role of the gamechanger. Using the same lead pipe from their match against The Dudebusters, Wolfe would take out Heavy Machinery causing the disqualification. Killian Dain would then use this to impressively deliver a double chokeslam to both members. It would appear that while they wanted to dominate the tag team division, Sanity weren't going to allow Heavy Machinery to be a position to ever challenge as they had to be forced off Heavy Machinery. Ruby Riot would call for help, when from behind she was ambushed by Nikki Cross! Cross delivered a brutal backstabber but thankfully Ember Moon (Cross' opponent for later in the evening) would make the save and chase her to the back. That being said, the damage was done, posing the question as to whether Heavy Machinery would be healthy enough to compete again? Let alone face The A.O.P. for the belts.

Winners via disqualification due to the use of a foreign object: Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight, Heavy Machinery.

MURPHY w/ ATKINS vs. NO WAY JOSÉ
Murphy had been on a mission to prove why he was the "Best Kept Secret in NXT", with The Iconic Duo at his side the former NXT Tag Team Champion was going from strength to strength. However when No Way José returned to singles action and 'stole the party' it appeared that Murphy was not best pleased with being upstaged. Following Tye Dillinger's call-up to the main roster, a series of vignettes would air for José stating that the party was swinging back into town, when the Dominican would return to Full Sail University there would be a grand entrance awaiting him with a bout to rival Mardi Gras. It was clear that José still had some bankability in him as he threw his new merchandise into the crowd, his opponent would be Kona Reeves, who brought the aggression but proved no match for the N.W.J. Following the match, José would announce that the party would continue, when out of nowhere Murphy would blindside him! The Villain from Down Under would snatch the microphone and denounce José, cricitizing the NXT Universe for turning their attentions to a man who simply a flash in the pan, he would then be joined by Peyton Royce and Billie Kay who accused the crowd of turning on them because they weren't cookie cutter stars like everyone else in the back, that they had a certain level of class that made them superior. Murphy would say that history dictated that Australia was a land for outcasts, but now they had evolved into superior beings but one thing would remain - they were still dangerous! With that, Murphy would hit the Murphy's Law brainbuster on José to ground him once again.

The next week Kona Reeves and Murphy would team up to face No Way José and Tian Bing in a tag team match, José would score his revenge by pinning Reeves for a second week in a row, leaving Murphy furious as Peyton and Billie attempted to calm him down. The Femme Fatale and The Venus Fly-Trap would distract later distract the victors, allowing Murphy to attack once more, this time hitting the Murphy's Law on Bing, As Murphy turned his attentions to José, he would receive a headbutt for his troubles and be left to retreat in humiliation, later venting backstage that he should not be made to look like a fool, The Iconic Duo vowed that they would sort his but Murphy didn't seem convinced at all. Murphy would go on to defeat Tian Bing a week later, with the Iconic Duo suspiciously absent, but No Way José was most definitely present as he announced that his party would not be rocked by Murphy but it would rage on past Redemption when he defeats him, confirming that he had been granted a one-on-one match where Billie and Peyton were banned from ringside.

At the pre-show, No Way José once again brought the party in a grand festival-styled entrance and got a big pop for his efforts. Murphy would then make his way out joined by Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, NXT's Best Kept Secret took the microphone and said that he would oblige by the rules and ushered Peyton and Billie to the back, The Iconic Duo feigned shock but told Murphy that they didn't trust him in a ring with a lunatic like José and seeing as they couldn't 'protect' him they found an alternative. From the back came a 6'6", 245 pound hulk-of-a-man called Atkins (Chris Atkins). The Iconic Duo patted him on the back as they departed while a smug Murphy used the opportunity to take down José before the bell.

However while Murphy dominated the early stages of the match, José was not about to be counted out as he rallied up the crowd and staged a comeback. The final moments of the match saw José escape a Murphy's Law and drop down to deliver another headbutt, he would scoop his opponent up for an Airplane Spin before delivering The Pitch (pop-up knockout punch)....1......2...but Atkins would place Murphy's leg on the bottom rope and notify the referee. José, fully aware of what was going on would attempt a baseball slide but Atkins instead viciously caught him and threw him back in the ring (avoiding a disqualification) and allowing Murphy to get back to his feet and hit a pumphandle slam for the victory. Following the match Atkins would enter the ring and lift Murphy onto his shoulder while The Iconic Duo would come out on the entrance ramp and applaud their fellow Australian. Commentary would put over how it seemed that Murphy's alliance was growing and maybe he was right to be feared.

Winner via pin-fall: Murphy.

DARIA BERENATO & EVIE w/ LIV MORGAN vs. KIMBERLY FRANKELE & BINKY BLAIR
Following the NXT Women's Championship being vacated, a tournament would be held to determine the two women who face-off for the belt at Takeover: Redemption. Ember Moon and Nikki Cross would evenutally overcome their respective battles to be announced as the two finalist, one of whom would walk out of the event champion. However, that wasn't the only thing to come out of the tournament, new feuds, friendships and rivalries had emerged as a result. William Regal announced that the ladies would have a chance to compete in a six woman tag team match on the pre-show, the teams would be Daria Berenato (who had turned heads during the tournament) alongside the ever-improving Liv Morgan and her new accomplice, Evie - who was quickly becoming a fan-favorite due to her plucky nature. Their opponents would be the "Est of NXT" Binky Blair, Aliyah and Kimberly Frankele, the latter of whom narrowly missed out on being in the finals. However Aliyah would ruthlessly cut off Mr Regal and inform him that she had no intention of competing in any match that wasn't for the belt. Aliyah said Liv Morgan had screwed her out of yet another opportunity and that she was championship quality, she didn't want to waste her time with juniors like Evie. With that Aliyah departed, leaving Binky and Kimberly looking unimpressed, Frankele - who had developed the gimmick of a conceited brat - told Regal that while she didn't need any tag team partners to prove that she was the future of the division she was going to be 'frank' with him (a newly developed catchphrase) and that she wasn't doing handicap matches. Binky echoed the sentiment saying that one of them would have to drop out, while none of the babyfaces looked like they were going come forward, Evie reluctantly said she didn't mind but Liv told Regal that Evie deserved a chance and that the two had been training together and she wanted everyone to see what Evie could do. Binky mocked Liv and said she wasn't in a position to be training anybody, but Morgan swiftly reminded her of who went further in the tournament. A squabble would break out, but William Regal intervened and told them to settle this in the ring.

The match itself was back and forth and would continue to showcase the skills of Daria Berenato, while continuing to introduce Evie to the NXT Universe. Liv Morgan played the role of cheerleader at ringside, while Binky Blair who had gone through the WWE Performance Center herself was also given more ring time to show off to the the crowd, in one particularly spot she would use her long hair as a whip to break up as submission hold Daria had locked in on Frankele. Daria would eventually make a hot tag to Evie, who would clear house and look to score her first victory in NXT when Aliyah came through the crowd and attacked Liv Morgan at ringside and distracted the New Zealand native. While Daria chased Aliyah off, Binky Blair speared Evie to the floor, allowing Kimberly to rush over and pin her opponent for the victory. Following the match Evie looked upset while Liv tended to her. Commentary would criticize Aliyah for getting involved in a match she said she had no interest in, Daria would come back and stare down both Blair and Frankele, taking the loss a little worse than her tag team partner.

Winners via pin fall: Kimberly Frankele & Binky Blair.

PROUDLY PRESENTS...

[ SATURDAY 22nd JULY, 2017 ]

AUSTIN ARIES vs. ONEY LORCAN vs. RODERICK STRONG vs. JAY LETHAL w/ TRUTH MARTINI - NUMBER ONE CONTENDER'S FATAL FOUR-WAY MATCH
Following the previous Takeover, these four men were becoming increasingly agitated with how they were being dealt with in terms of championship opportunities. It would start when Jay Lethal came out with Truth Martini to celebrate his victory over Roderick Strong. Lethal said he had set the standard and took us to a replay, telling the rest of the locker room to step aside or else they'll end up like Roddy Strong. Lethal said he didn't have time to give others their five minutes of fame, and called out Eric Young. The cackle of Sanity's theme was heard but Austin Aries would instead make his way to the stage and berate Lethal for trying to cut the queue. Martini questioned Aries on the last time he had won a match, which understandably didn't sit well with A-Double. Aries would challenge Lethal to a match the next week on NXT, but while this was going on, backstage Lorcan was informing Cathy Kelly about his own frustrations over being overlooked. Lorcan had scored a big victory over Aries at the Takeover pre-show and said that he had a ruthless aggression that the company thrived for, yet he was constantly pushed the back burner. The following week Aries and Lethal squared off in an intense match that would ultimately result in a double count-out, the two men continued to brawl until Roderick Strong made his way out to catch Lethal off guard and shove Martini into him! Lethal was left humiliated as Strong turned his attentions to Aries, who told him to back off and make his way to the back. Strong would turn his back only for Aries to sneak attack him and whip him into the steel steps on the outside. Then....ONEY LORCAN! Lorcan stormed out as Aries made a getaway, leaving Lorcan frustrated as he looked over at Lethal and Martini who made a hasty escape.

The following week Oney Lorcan had his own chance to get it done in the ring as he took on the debuting Cedric Rougeau (son of "The Mountie" Jacques Rougeau) in what looked to be a dominant showing for Lorcan, in spite of the size difference. Lorcan would back Rougeau into the corner to hit his repeated running back elbow's as he looked to hit a fifth, he would notice Jay Lethal and Truth Martini stood at the entrance 'scouting' the match. Lorcan would turn his attentions back to the match and looked hit another back elbow when Aries emerged from nowhere and shoved Rougeau aside, causing Lorcan to collide with the turnbuckle. The referee would warn Aries to head to the back, Rougeau would then hit a Fireman's Carry Cutter for a surprise three count! After the match, Rougeau would sneer at his opponent as he looked down at Lorcan and left the ring. Lethal would laugh as Aries rolled back into the ring and continued to attack Lorcan until Strong made the successful save.It was later announced in a WWE.com exclusive that the following week would see Roderick Strong and Oney Lorcan take on Jay Lethal and Austin Aries in a tag team match. Backstage Lethal said it was time for the Lethal Level to come out, and the WWE Universe would see not only that his opponents weren't anything on him, but even his own tag team partner wasn't worthy of working with him, unfortunately for him, Aries would overhear this and bickering would break out.

Roderick Strong would take a more stern outlook, he put himself over as the next NXT Champion and stated that he was happy to team with Lorcan but he had to do everything it took took to be the stand-out of the match. Strong stated how he took out Aries, and how he nearly had Lethal beaten but tonight he would right all the wrongs. Jay Lethal would make his way to the ring first, announced by Truth Martini. Roderick Strong would make his way out to the ring to a good pop from the NXT Universe, Oney Lorcan would follow up with another decent reaction while Austin Aries closed out the introductions with heat from the crowd.

The match itself didn't come across too clustered like some of the forums had imagined, the four ROH alumni got the show off to a raring start with plenty of good spots. The end would come after Jay Lethal and Roderick Strong slugged it out on the top rope, allowing Mr. NXT to take Lethal down with a HUGE backbreaker from the top. Aries would then deliver a stiff kick to Strong as he picked up the scraps of Lethal and made the cover - 1....2....NO! Oney Lorcan breaks the count, he jumps to hit feet and immediately begins to shoulder block Aries and Strong down to the floor up until the two flapjack him down and out. Martini tries to drag Lethal out of the ring to recover, leaving Strong and Aries alone,,,,Strong goes for a high knee before looking for the Sick Kick......Aries ducks it and dunks Strong out of the ring! Aries turns his attention back to Lorcan as he climbs to the top......450 SPLASH! 1...2....No! Lethal makes the break this time he stands back before rolling forward and hitting a diving DDT on Aries. Lethal looks around having cleared the ring as he notices Roderick Strong struggling back to his feet on the outside, it looks like Lethal is going to make a dive to the outside.......RUNNING ELBOW! Lorcan blocks Lethal and hits him hard as he locks in a Boston Crab!.....BOSTON CRAB LOCKED IN! Martini is trying to get Aries back into the match as Lethal screams in agony......he taps! He taps! Lorcan is your new number one contender.

Following the match, Oney Lorcan drops to his knees, he can't believe it and neither can the NXT Universe. Alex Riley really puts over the surprise result, especially over the "Lethal Level" himself, both Strong and Aries look disappointed as A-Double shoves Martini aside and hobbles to the back.

Winner via pin-fall, and the number one contender for the NXT Championship: Oney Lorcan

NIKKI CROSS vs. EMBER MOON - NXT WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT FINAL
Thanks to Paige, Asuka's glorious and trailblazing reign as Women's Champion had reached its end when William Regal gathered the women's division together and announced a tournament would declare the new champion. Regal stated that Asuka could not defend the title as she was now part of the main roster, he mentioned that he had invited her to hand over her title but the Empress of Tomorrow had refused, which he had half-expected. Regal opened a brief case in front of the women and held up the newly designed belt, starting that this was a new era for the women's division on NXT and the new belt would symbolize that. He put over how the women's division had pushed the company forward, and stood before him would be the woman that would take it to the next level. The Iconic Duo would then step forward and declare that they were the clear favorities to win, given how they were the most talented ones stood in the ring. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce then began to go along the line and diss their fellow competitors, but Liv Morgan would step forward with Daria Berenato and snatch the microphone from them, Liv told the Icons to shut up (and got a good pop from the crowd) while Daria said that she wasn't going to waste time talking, because she made her statements in the ring. Kay and Royce laughed, but when the faces (Daria, Liv, Evie, Ember Moon and Ruby Riot) walked towards them they made a hasty exit. Ember Moon would then pick up the microphone and say that she was the woman that beat Asuka, and that should count for something but nonetheless she would defeat each and every women in the tournament to prove why she is the pinnacle of the women's division of NXT.

THE TOURNAMENT (BACKSTORY)

Nikki Cross, who wasn't present for the segment was seen backstage with her Sanity bandmates, Eric Young had said that their mission for dominance was ever-growing and now Nikki would have to prove her worth by claiming the women's title. Nikki laughed menacingly as she was informed that next week she would begin her journey in the tournament. Cross would make her way out to the ring to face Kay Lee Ray - who was representing the UK division - in the ring Mike Rome asked Kay Lee how she felt about facing Nikki, who she had faced many times before, K.L.R. noted that Nikki had always been unpredictable but now she was simply deranged but she had beaten her before back home and she would do it tonight. This obviously didn't go down well as Nikki's entrance culminated in her beating K.L.R. around the ring before the bell. Cross would hit a swinging neckbreaker to advance before beating Ray further until Ruby Riot charged out from the back to break things up ahead of her own match, Nikki would yell at Ruby for 'ruining her fun'.

Ruby Riot would begin her NXT in-ring career taking on Binky Blair, a product of the Performance Center. Binky had put herself over as the diamond amongst the rough, stating she always got what she wanted. Despite an impressive performance and a hair whip that could be heard throughout the state, Riot would win her singles debut match to advance as she hit a sunset flip powerbomb for the three count. Following the match, she was interviewed backstage with Heavy Machinery, only to be attacked by Nikki Cross! Knight and Dozovic would fend Cross off, but the damage looked to be done.

Liv Morgan's journey to be taken seriously would also be explored, Liv discussed how she was always seen as the underdog but in this tournament she would be on top. Tessa Blanchard would interrupt and call Liv a 'no name' from Jersey, firing up the New Jersey firecracker. Blanchard said she wouldn't bother wasting her time on Liv, because she wasn't worthy of her presence, Liv reminded Tessa who was signed to the company but the Horseman's Daughter would state she would rob Liv of her self value, her place in the tournament and her spot in NXT. Unfortunately for Blanchard, the egg would be on her face, while she dominated the match, it was a hurricanrana DDT from Morgan that would see Liv advance to the next stage.

Aliyah had taken a dark turn in her character since turning on Liv Morgan, she became a more confident wrestler and had even wrestled for the title once before. Aliyah would be facing Evie, who congratulated Liv on her victory against Tessa Blanchard and introduce herself. Evie was quirky and excitable with a knack for putting her foot in it, as she began to talk about what a backstabber Aliyah was, only to be caught out by the woman of few words. Aliyah mocked Evie who had asked Liv to train with her, and said that if she looked to 'her' (Liv) for training, then their match would be all too easy. The booking of the match itself would make Evie look basic in the ring, however she would fire up and then get the crowd on side as she entered a whole new phase stunning the crowd. Liv had accompanied Evie to the ring to keep an eye on Aliyah, but Aliyah would complain to the referee that Liv was interfering before using this as a ploy to expose the top turnbuckle. Evie would regain control until Aliyah threw her opponent face first into the turnbuckle and locked in a Lotus Lock for the submission. Following the match we would see a vignette for Kimberly Frankele, who deemed herself the 'princess' of NXT. Kimberly said she was the perfect combination of beauty and strength, and that what she said goes, telling everyone to hail their new royal.

Kimberly, who had actually competed in various matches over the past few months would make her 'redebut' as she sported a tiara to the ring, but just when you thought it was all a bit 'diva-esque' she surprised us with her impressive move-set. The former Kimber Lee easily beat Solo Darling, who was over with the crowd in her 'furry' gimmick. Kimberly would score the victory and take a bow as she demanded applause from the crowd. It would appear that she was much more of a Beth Phoenix than a Kelly Kelly.

The Iconic Duo had been less active in the ring since aligning with Murphy, but they hadn't lost a touch when the tournament began. Murphy put over the two women as Australia's finest exports. Peyton Royce faced a mystery opponent, who showed up in the form of Leva Bates a.k.a. Blue Pants, who got a standing ovation upon her return, the match itself was a short affair but F.S.U. was very much backing the returning star. Peyton would hit an electric chair for the a decisive victory following a distraction provided by Billie Kay. Kay wasn't so lucky, her actions had consequences and Royce was banned from accompanying her to the ring against Daria Berenato. Prior to the match, Kay cut a promo about how she didn't need Peyton in her corner, especially against the flub that was Daria, she would throw the microphone towards Daria who blocked it and speared the Femme Fatale. Berenato would end up winning the match after a step up knee in the corner and took the microphone herself putting everyone on notice.

The final match of the opening round would see Ember Moon, the former champion take on Satana Garrett. Moon was determined as ever, though it was clear to see that she was frustrated that she wasn't getting the rematch that she felt she had deserved. Santana would get a promo package, highlighting her success on the indie circuit, at one point holding five championships at once. Moon would offer a handshake to Santana at the start of the match, Garrett would accept but immediately betray the Female Assasin, turning heel in the process. The match itself was back and forth, Garrett dropped down into the splits, kicking Moon in the jaw for a near-fall, she looked for a Shining Star Press (handspring moonsault) but would fall onto the knees of Ember who would then climb the ropes and eclipse her opponent for the victory.

The second round opened with a brutal match between Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot, two women who had hated each other from the moment they met. The two had already been at each others throats since Sanity and Heavy Machinery had come to blows and weeks prior to the match, Nikki had put Ruby through a table. The two women would main event, with the NXT Universe really building up support for Riot. Ruby would attempt a wind-up overheard kick but Cross transitioned it perfectly into a swinging fishermans neckbreaker for the win. Liv Morgan and Aliyah were also two women that could not stand one another, Aliyah had been arroganly mocking Liv and new signee Evie, since defeating the latter in the opening round, but Liv said she had always beaten Aliyah where it counted - and she was right once more - Liv shocked Aliyah with a roll-up for a three count while Aliyah argued with the referee. Peyton Royce would take on Kimberly Frankele in a rare heel-vs-heel match, Murphy had put pressure on Royce since Billie Kay had been eliminated and shown clear favouritism towards the Venus Fly Trap for this reason, with Kay banned from ringside it meant there was no gamechanger for Royce to fall back on and Princess Palmstrike would lock in a cross armbar to advance.

Daria Berenato and Ember Moon faced off in a match that really showed off the athleticism behind Daria, who had often found herself in the background of the dvision. Ember noted Daria's previous promo, saying that she had put the women's division on notice. Moon responded that she was listening, but while Daria is telling everyone what she's going to do, she was actually getting it done. In a long match, Berenato focused on keeping Ember grounded with submissions and strikes, but it was a missed-step up knee in the corner that grounded Daria and once again allowed for an Eclipse victory for Ember. Following the match, Ember raised Daria's hand and the two women shook hands.

In the semi-finals, Nikki continued to dominate as she destroyed Liv Morgan in a hard fought battle used as a way to legitimize Morgan as a serious contender, Ruby Riot would make the run in save after the match as Cross retreated to the back. Meanwhile, in another great bout, Ember would defeat Princess Kimberly Frankele, who threw a tantrum after the match as she stormed to the back in an ungracious fashion. Frankele would pass Nikki who simply stood at the top of the entrance ramp cackling as she looked down at Ember.


The match itself was already at breaking point due to Nikki Cross' attack on Ruby Riot in the pre-show, prompting Ember Moon to run in to make the save. The Female Assassin would be the first to make her way to the ring as she played up to the crowd, however Nikki Cross would crawl through the crowd and immediately attack Ember before she had even made it to the ring as she speared her into the HD panel on the ring. The referee tried to put a stop to it as he blocks Nikki from carrying out any further attack, Ember tries to roll into the ring to create some distance while the official warns Nikki she will be disqualified if she tries anything untoward. Tom Phillips puts over how deranged Nikki Cross really is, potentially sacrificing how she could have had jeopardised the whole tournament for this.

Despite the brutal attack, Ember was able to put up a competitive match against Cross, unveiling her beautiful tornado suplex from the turnbuckle to wow the crowd. Ember would climb to the top ready for to Eclipse the competition, having seen a more brutal and aggressive side form her after feeling that she shouldn't have had to fight through the entire tournament for this. ECLIPSE EXECUTED! 1....2.......Nikki has the foot on the bottom rope, Ember is furious as she begins to stomp at Nikki, lifting her up and looking for a Reverse Alabama Slam.....Nikki is able to wriggle free into a roll-up...1....2.....No! Ember breaks free before running straight into a swinging fisherman's neckbreaker, Nikki begins to laugh as she lifts Ember to her feet rather than going for a pin......SHE HITS ANOTHER ONE! Nikki retreats to the corner, laughing like a maniac still not going for the pin. Nikki Cross goes for a trifecta but this time she's stunned with a jawbreaker, Ember manages to his a superkick but falls to her feet as Nikki falls back into the corner. Moon is tired but she knows what she has to do, she rolls into a clothesline, the fans are on their feet for another Eclipse.......she goes for it, but Nikki stumbles into the ropes.....WHIPLASH NECKBREAKER! Ember stumbles into a straddled position and succumbs to the career threatening move. 1...2....3....This one is over!

A chorus of boos break out as Nikki jumps for joy, snatching the newly designed belt away from the referee and standing above Ember Moon, it looks as if though she's going to try something but instead she rolls out of the ring while backstage, watching on a monitor we see Eric Young applauding her with Wolfe and Dain at his side.

Winner via pin-fall, and new NXT Women's Champion: Nikki Cross.

SIN CARA vs. GREGORY HELMS w/ ANDRADE ALMAS
This had been a feud that kept on burning with hatred, Sin Cara's return to NXT was in the hope that it would revitalize his position upon his eventual return to the main roster. The initial concept that Sin Cara was a Mexican Superhero was highlighted again, and that was something that the company wanted to play upon. Thankfully, it seemed to be working as Cara's return prompted a boost in Sin Cara masks at live events and WWE Shop. The unveiling of The Hurricane into Gregory Helms following his betrayal at Takeover Tokyo prompted Helms to explain himself at the next edition of NXT. The former Cruiserweight Champion cited that he spent half his career trying to do the right thing, trying to instil justice and the fans loved it, but they loved a lie - a concept. Helms said when he was his true self, when he set the record with the original Cruiserweight title no one cared, which is something he shared with Andrade Almas, who had also spent his career behind a mask. Almas would join The Hurricane, the two trying to reason with the NXT Universe that they were simply purifying Sin Cara. Cara would appear on the stage, arms folded, simply staring down his rivals before turning his back on them.

The next week Andrade Almas would take on the returning El Local (Ricardo Rodriguez) with Gregory Helms in his corner, where it would appear that Helms was now the spokesman of the "Cien" brand. Before the match, Almas said he would cure his opponent like he should have done in their first encounter, and with Helms at his side, everyone on the main roster should be cautious. Of course, El Idolo dominated the match and looked to seal the deal when Sin Cara's music blared throughout the P.A. system. Roll-up by El Local!....1..2....3...One of the biggest upsets had just happened there and then! Local celebrated as Helms slid into the ring and hit Nightmare of Helms Street, scooping Almas up and telling him to unmask the winner of the match. Sin Cara's music would hit once again and the lights would go out, but no one was there.......Almas peeled the mask off to reveal.....SIN CARA!? (Masked of course) it would appear that El Local had switched out for Cara during the black out. Sin Cara would hop back to his feet, dropkicking Helms into Almas who would fall out of the ring. Helms and Sin Cara would begin to brawl up until the point that The International Sensation nearly knocked Helms out cold with a pele kick. It was announced that Sin Cara and El Local would team up to face Gregory Helms and Andrade Almas in a tag team match, but backstage Cathy Kelley announced that El Local had been attacked and unable to compete (While Almas and Helms played the innocent, laughing off of the camera as they fled the scene). The match became a handicap affair, with Cara impressing with his endurance but the numbers game was all too much in the end. Cara went to hit a senton bomb, unaware of a tag between Helms and Almas, who moved out of the way and allowed Helms to hit a shining wizard for the three count. Following the match, the 'purification' began until Regal appeared and said for every action there was a consequence and displaying footage proving that Almas and Helms had attacked El Local. William Regal said that the rivalry was becoming bitter and that he understood Almas' frustrations but at Takeover it would be Sin Cara against Gregory Helms.

In a backstage exclusive, Andrade Almas vented that he was on a winning streak yet unrewarded with any NXT Championship opportunity. "Cien" claimed he was born to be great and Gregory Helms' assistance could only make him better, but he should be the one to end the myth of Sin Cara. Helms would overhear this and reassure Almas that he would leave enough of Cara for Almas to pick apart.

The match itself was the shortest on the main-show, but the two stars were still able to find time to pack in a plethora of good spots, the most notable being a risky neckbreaker from the top rope by Helms onto Cara which got a "HOLY SH*T" chant going. Helms would hook the legs of the Myth of Mexico but only score a two count before Cara got his shoulders off of the mat. Gearing up, Helms looked for a Shining Wizard, but Cara was able to roll backwards and running at Helms with a sunset flip powerbomb....1..2.....but Almas would pull the referee out of the ring! The official warned to send Almas to the back, but in the meantime Cara would hit a springboard moonsault into "Cien" to take the Idol out for the count and possibly ruining one of his designer suits. The crowd popped for this as Cara fell back into the guard rail, celebrating with the crowd but Helms was waiting and he demanded his opponent get back into the ring.

Sin Cara trampolines back into the ring, the two men immediately begin to fight with Helms trying to hit a nightmare on Helms Street....but instead he starts to go for the mask! Sin Cara struggles free and rebounds off of the ropes into a La Mistica! He tilt-awhirls into a fujiwara armbar as Helms is trying to get Almas to intervene. Andrade is still attempting to get back to his feet and remains unaware of what's happening leaving Helms no choice but to tap out. Cara rolls out of the ring celebrating his victory while Almas, listening to the music, realizes what must have happened as he looks appalled! Andrade stands at the bottom of the ramp yelling in Spanish against his foe as he turns to Helms who is looking deflated in the ring, Helms tries to apologize but "Cien" throws up his hand and leaves Helms alone.

Winner via submission: Sin Cara.

For weeks an unknown source has been behind the 'redemption' vignettes, all discussing a 'homecoming' a chance to 'right wrongs' and so on. It clearly became impactful enough to become the theme of the entire event - but who was it? William Regal informed us that we would find out at Takeover: Redemption and with the dirtsheets highlighting that it was a returning superstar, the forums had been blowing up with speculation. Come the night itself, Mike Rome stood center stage as he announced that after a four year absence the returnee was none other than....

Derrick Bateman had last been seen on NXT: Redemption the last season of the show before NXT evolved into what it was today. It was no secret that Bateman had a stint in TNA, where he grew as a performer and proved that he really could go the distance. The NXT Universe were shocked as he thanked them for their time, he began by stating that he was one of the men that helped pave the way in NXT, he was the bright hope of the future that made NXT what it was and if it wasn't for the guys like him in the back, there wouldn't be Samoa Joe's or Jay Lethal's queuing up to steal their limelight. Bateman stated the first time round he didn't even get to look at the NXT Championship, let alone touch it but he's returning home to take what he feels he has earned and he wants the fans to come with him on his story of redemption. The fans begin to chant for Bateman, who puts Eric Young and Bobby Roode on notice and says that things are about to get 'mantastic' once more in NXT.

THE AUTHORS OF PAIN © w/ PAUL ELLERING vs. #D.I.Y. - NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Paul Ellering's prophecy had come true when the Authors of Pain had captured the NXT Tag Team Championships at Takeover: Tokyo. Gargano and Ciampa however weren't about to go down without a fight, they would interrupt Ellering's own celebration ceremony, where he proclaimed that Akam and Rezar stood on the top of the mountain, just where he said they would be. As you could imagine the interference didn't go down well, as #D.I.Y. (armed with microphones) deemed Akam and Rezar and 'mindless neanderthals' jumping to the orders of an old man whose flam burnt out a long time ago. Akam and Rezar would square up to the former champions but Ellering would warn them back and tell them that they wouldn't need to justify Johnny and Tomasso with a response. Ellering pointed out that the duo had a rematch clause, and came to the conclusion that was the reason they interrupted this momentous occasion, he said that they would get their shot when the Authors decided but until then he wasn't going to have them ride on the new champions' coattails, Ciampa would then tell Ellering that he wanted to hear Akam or Rezar speak for themselves. Akam would then take the microphone and tell him to 'turn around and head to the back'. Satisfied, Ciampa beckoned Gargano to go with him........before turning and laying the fists into the new champions. Ellering would grab a bottle of champagne from the table beside him and hammer it over the head of Ciampa, allowing Rezar to throw him out of the ring. Gargano was now trapped as he valiantly tried to take the two on, but to no avail as they punished him with a Last Chapter.

Backstage, Tomasso Ciampa apologized to Johnny Gargano for leaving him to face The Authors alone, while the E.M.T.'s tended to his head. Gargano brushed it off, citing that Ciampa was out for the count, but reminding him that they could not be deterred from getting back what was rightfully theirs. The Authors of Pain would also receive some unwanted attention from Heavy Machinery and Sanity, both of whom were gunning for the titles, but they proved their dominance when they squashed the Ealy Brothers in a quick non-title match. William Regal would inform Ciampa that he had sustained a concussion and wouldn't be able to compete in a planned tag team match, but instead gave Gargano an opportunity to take on an Author of his choice, Gargano allowed Ellering to make the decision as he does with everything else the champions did. Rezar would answer the challenge in a surprisingly competitive match where Ellering, Akam and Ciampa had been banned from the arena.Gargano would have the momentum of the NXT Universe on his side as he took a run up to Rezar only to be dropped into a double handed chokeslam, from the back Ciampa would make the run in and cause the disqualification as Paul Ellering sent Akam out to even the score. Backstage Regal would criticize the Sicilian Psychopath's action for going against doctors orders and threaten to call their rematch altogether, Gargano would try to calm his tag team partner down but Tomasso vowed that they would get their titles back and that it would be happening at Redemption.

William Regal would later be paid a visit by Paul Elllering who commended him for calling off the tag team title match due to Ciampa's injury, unsure of Ellering's intentions, the Brit allowed Ellering to ramble on about how it took him time to make the right decision but how the two men had finally turned a corner. Offended, Regal corrected Ellering and informed him that Ciampa was medically cleared to compete and given that it was him who had broken the bottle over his head, he compensated #D.I.Y. by booking their rematch for the championships. #D.I.Y would later be seen responding to the news when the mysterious woman (Rachel Ellering) known as The Waif on-screen appeared as the lights began to flicker, she warned them that dark forces dawned and while they walked alone there was something unseen following them. Ciampa barked that she was talking about their shadows but when the lights came back on Akam and Rezar were waiting and the Waif was gone! The two teams brawled until members of the locker room, referees and agents had to break the four apart.

WWE.com reported that the four men would be cleared to compete at Redemption, once again it demonstrated the different styles and attitudes of Gargano and Ciampa. Gargano more polished, controlled and tactical whereas Ciampa had become more aggressive and impulsive. Of course this played into the favour of The Authors who shared the same mind-set and goals thanks to Paul Ellering. The final moments of the match itself saw Ciampa and Rezar fight it out in the ring, Rezar hit a headbutt which obviously caused concern following Ciampa's concussion storyline. The Sicilian Psycho would strike back, but Rezar hit a second headbutt but this time Ciampa would get fired up as he began dishing out forearms and hitting a running arm DDT to grounf the big man. Akam and Ellering on the outside look concerned, but not as concerned as Gargano who worried for Ciampa following the blows to the head. Instead of going for the cover, Ciampa would lock in a Gullotine Choke to would see Rezar struggle while the NXT Universe cheered for #D.I.Y. Rezar would be able to back Ciampa head first into the turnbuckle....but this didn't seem to bother Tommaso who attempted a lariat but missed. Ciampa tried to follow up with an ambitious German Suplex. Gargano would tag himself in, which seemingly irked Ciampa.....Gargano came off the ropes with a dropkick allowing the German Suplex to be executed. Ciampa and Gargano seemed to have words while Akam tagged himself in and took both men down. Rezar would soon get back to his feet and the two would be able to execute their stereo powerbombs aka The Super Collider. Ellering would tell Akam to make the cover and end it once and for all....1.....2.....3! It was over!

Following the match we saw Sanity staring at the scene while The Authors raised the titles above their heads. Ciampa looked over at the referee in disbelief once he was able to get back up from the mat, he looked at Gargano as it looked like #D.I.Y. were about to become a thing of the past. Ciampa looked to leave the ring, but much like the Cruiserweight Classic, the two decided to put it behind them as he made his way back and hugged his tag team partner although whether there was still trouble in paradise was another issue.

Winners via pin-fall, and still NXT Tag Team Champions: Akam and Rezar, The Authors of Pain.

ERIC YOUNG © vs. BOBBY ROODE - LAST MAN STANDING MATCH | NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
Eric Young had overcome the obstacle of Samoa Joe, who had now begun his journey on the main roster, but there was another TNA alumni heading after his championship in the form of Bobby Roode. While Roode remained obnoxious and arrogant, he was winning the hearts of the NXT Universe enough to accept him as a de facto babyface/tweener after his appearance at Takeover: Tokyo. In the weeks that followed Eric Young warned the NXT Universe that many had come and gone vowing to take over NXT, but Sanity were one step closer each and every day. Eric Young berated William Regal for his clear bias and encouraging "The Glorious" Bobby Roode to invade his post-match celebration, but Young said that he was a snowball that was continuing to roll and grow and one day his triumph would be William Regal's misery. The Mad Messiah of Sanity said his soldiers would win this war and NXT would see through his eyes, the segment would be cut short as live via satellite (a homage to The Rock) and told Young that the people wanted someone who didn't have to fly to Florida to see them, someone who oozed charisma and someone who didn't look like they were begging for coins on the sidewalk. Roode proclaimed that he made his own rules and that they didn't fit with the image or the ethos of Sanity, so there was only one thing to do - beat Eric Young. E.Y. fought back stating that Bobby always had life served to him on a silver platter, while he had to claw for what he could get. Young called Roode a child, always wanting what someone else had but now it was high time that Robert Roode, Inc. was shut down and that the brat would learn his lesson if he had the guts to come out from behind the screen and learn his destiny. Roode answered that he didn't need to learn anything but Young would soon learn what is to be in the presence of a great, a true champion and someone.....GLORIOUS! With that streamers burst throughout the ring as Young was overwhelmed by the theme music of his new-found foe. The segment ended with Young looking humiliated as he tried to remind the NXT Universe who the champion was.

Backstage, Eric Young would also instruct Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross to join him on the path to gold or face ending up like 'him' (and allusion to Sawyer Fulton). Each member would vow not to embarrass their leader as Young proclaimed that he would be the father of a new generation of anarchy in NXT and if they served him then Sanity would reign free and everyone would march to their rules. While Jay Lethal, Austin Aries, Oney Lorcan and Roderick Strong all vowed that they would take his position at the top, as well as Bobby Roode seemingly next in line for a title shot, Eric Young announced that he would send a message to Bobby Roode, In a WWE.com exclusive, Roode is reported to have been in a near collision, with Bobby blaming Sanity for the affair. Roode accuses Young of taking it too far this time and says he isn't going to spend his time or waste his energy looking over his shoulder because Eric Young has lost his mind again. As he prepares to leave, Roode notices Dain and Wolfe laughing as he begins to square up to them leading to a parking lot brawl beatdown. Later on in the show, Young says that wasn't quite the message he had in mind, but fate works in mysterious ways as he defeated the ever-brash Angelo Dawkins (who openly challenged Young) in what some would consider a squash match. Following the match, Young lead a beat down on Angelo Dawkins and demanded to know who was next? Signalling that he was planning on being a fighting champion.

That would be proven correct a week later when Young announced that he would be holding another 'trial' tonight to see who deserved the title. He excused Aries, Lorcan, Lethal and Strong who were all looking to become number one contender and stated he needed a replacement for Bobby Roode. Young would go on to face Bronson Matthews (who had a tough enough chant going) in a more competitive match that saw the NXT crowd actually get behind Matthews, however in the end he would ultimately fail to topple the NXT Champion. This time, while Young was demanding Wolfe and Dain help him in an attack, Bobby Roode would make his way out to the ring and chase off the champion who escaped through the crowd. Bobby Roode would be seen in a WWE.com exclusive again, this time demanding that he gets a one-on-one match with Young, but Regal stated that the network executives are concerned that he may be biased against Sanity and with Roode only just coming back he would need to prove himself. Roode would issue his own open challenge as "The Superhuman" Dan Matha made his way down to the ring. Matha seemed impressive in the ring, with Roode carrying him well, dodging a Big Boot and instead hitting an impressive Glorious DDT for the victory. Roode would then take the microphone and beg the question as to whether overcoming the obstacle of "The Superhuman" was enough to get his match? Eric Young would make his way out and accuse Regal once again of trying to undermine him as champion, but he yelled that if this match was going to happen it would be under his rules and given how Roode like to think he was cut above, he was going to challenge him to a Last Man Standing match so he could 'unpretty' the pretty boy. Roode firmly accepted and said that he had always been better than Eric Young and while everyone loves to tell the story of how they stood side by side signing their contracts 'back in the day', he's been tired of E.Y. hanging off his leg the past decade and Redemption will be the time to shake it off.

Come the main event, both men lay it on the line, Eric Young makes his way to the ring alone while Bobby Roode's entrance is nothing short of glorious. Roode starts backstage as he passes various staff members, one starts humming while another begins to play the guitar and slowly we're introduced to "GLORIOUS DOMINATION" as Bobby slowly marches to the ring. Before he even steps foot inside the ring, Roode beckons Young to come and get him, but unlike his Sanity cohorts it would appear E.Y. had more restraint. The two intensely brawl back and forth throughout the match, neither going down for the ten count, no matter what weapons or moves had been used. Young tries to suplex Roode over the ropes and through a table on the outside, but the It Factor manages to wriggle out to join him on the apron.....GLORIOUS DDT! Young goes straight through but neither man is standing after that desperation move. Following a six count, Roode gets to his feet as he leans against the apron, but Young isn't far behind as Bobby attempts a lariat to the back of his head! Young telegraphs it and ducks behind Roode ramming him into the guard rail. Looking around the NXT Universe he places a chair onto Roode and begins to climb the turnbuckle, looking to go high risk to the outsde.....Bobby Roode gets to his feet and throws the steel chair straight into the gut of the champion - Young falls back as he decides to have a little bit of fun with the steel chair. Then suddenly......the sirens of Sanity are heard as Alexander Wolfe, Killain Dain and the newly crowned Women's Champion, Nikki Cross, decide to make their presence felt! The three match down to the ring distracting Roode who swings a chair to fend them off. Wolfe throws in the lead pipe that's become his favourite toy, but Young has not gotten back to his feet and Roode simply kicks it out. The referee is too busy trying to have a word with Sanity to continue the count, much to the dismay of Bobby Roode who forces him to resume counting. Roode positions himself on the other side of the ring as the referee continues his count, but Young begins to get back on his feet when.....A MAN WITH BANDANA APPEARS WITH THE LEAD PIPE AND SWINGS IT ACROSS THE HEAD OF THE CHALLENGER! The referee climbs out of the ring while Sanity help Young get back to a standing position. The man with the bandana is escorted by security as the referee has no choice but to make the count........9........10! The bell rings as the fans are angry at how Roode has been screwed tonight.

Oney Lorcan looks on backstage shaking his head while Sanity celebrate as Young claims his title back and Cross raises hers. Wolfe escorts Young out of the ring while Dain elevates him onto his shoulders. Meanwhile, the man with the bandana breaks free and heads back to the ring. He begins to shout at Roode and throws fists at him before demanding that Mike Rome pass him Roode's robe for him to try on. The man dons the robe and begins to peel his skull adorned bandana off, taking off his hat to reveal his long hair and face in the closing moments of the pay-per-view....

JAMES STORM WAS BACK.

Winner via knockout, and still the NXT Champion: Eric Young.​

 

[CakeWalker]

|| RAW WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||

Following the WWE Draft, the RAW Women’s roster would look incredibly stacked and with Charlotte as the champion it was clear that the division was going from strength to strength. Two women that would really make a strong impression as new members of the roster would be Bayley and Mickie James and it was clear that both women had the sights set on Charlotte and becoming the Women’s Champion. This of course would result in the likes of Summer Rae, Alicia Fox and Nia Jax suffering major hits in the unofficial ranking system and it was clear that the trio were less than pleased with the ongoing situation. One individual that was showing absolutely no signs of giving up her spot anytime soon was Sasha Banks and with a month or so to go until Extreme Rules (June 19th) Sasha would make it clear that if Charlotte was going to face anyone at the PPV it was going to be her, the former and longest reigning RAW Women’s Champion. Of course both Mickie James and Bayley would having something to say about the situation and all three women would start brawling in the middle of the ring. With Mick Foley injured in the hospital RAW sheriff Triple H would make it clear that all three women were more than capable in challenging for Charlotte’s title but rather than pick someone it would be best if all three women face each other in singles match over one night.

The round robin would take place the following week (June 26th) with the first match in the series seeing Bayley defeating Sasha Banks. Having lost the first match Banks would find herself facing off against Mickie James and despite putting on a magnificent performance would be caught off guard with a Mick Kick that would see her going down to Mickie James and thus removing herself from contention. This would of course mean that whoever won the match between Bayley and Mickie would be granted a title shot against Charlotte at Extreme Rules. The decider would never take place however as because of the infighting between the nWo and The Balor Club, Triple H would announce that instead Mickie and Bayley would face off on next week’s show.

Charlotte however would have something to say on that matter (July 3rd)as during the contest between Bayley and Mickie she would storm the ring accompanied by Nix Jax, Alicia Fox and Summer Rae with all four women holding steel chairs and proceeding to attack both Bayley and Mickie simultaneously resulting in the match ending the match as a No Contest. Charlotte was clearly directing traffic although it was clear that Nia, Summer and Alicia were not Flair’s underlings. Triple H though would be left furious about the whole situation although it was clear that neither Bayley or Mickie were in any state to restart their match and so Triple H would book a match to take place next week instead. Triple H though would make it clear that if anyone got involved in the contest they would be suspended for thirty day with no pay.

The threat seemed to fall on empty ears however as the second attempt of a match between Bayley and Mickie James (July 10th) would be scuppered as Nia Jax and Alicia Fox would come out from the back and with kendo sticks in hand would attack Bayley and Mickie for the second week in a row, although it must be noted that Summer Rae was nowhere to be seen. The match of course would be thrown out for the second week in a row, but the punishment would continue as Jax would hit both women with a pair of Standing Leg Drops! It was only after this that Triple H would come out from the back and instruct security to forcefully remove Jax and Fox form the building and make it clear that both women were suspended for the next thirty days. However, Triple H found himself in a sticky situation as there was just one episode of ‘RAW IS WAR’ left before the Extreme Rules PPV and a rightful number one contender still hadn’t been determined. Triple H would make it clear that he was hoping for third time lucky as he was booking Mickie and Bayley to face each other one more time at the go home show and Hunter would make it clear that one way or another a number one contender would be determined.

The go home (July 17th) show would finally see Bayley and Mickie finally face each other in a truly gruelling contest although it was clear that both women were still suffering from the previous two weeks of unprovoked assaults. The match would finally come to a conclusion with Bayley catching Mickie out and connecting with the Bayley-to-Belly to claim the victory and officially become the number one contender for Charlotte’s title. Bayley would get much time to celebrate though as she would be blindsided by Charlotte from behind who would slam a chair into Bayley’s back before locking in the Figure-Eight Leglock! It wouldn’t take much for Bayley to start tapping out, although it wouldn’t do much good as Charlotte would continue to lock in the hold until what can only be described as a snapping sound being heard in the ring. At this point Charlotte would release her grip only for a team of EMTs to fly out from the back and tend to a clearly injured Bayley.

A little bit later in the night Triple H would confirm that Bayley had actually dislocated her knee and that the doctors had ruled her out of competing at Extreme Rules. Hunter though would make it clear that he was unwilling to reward either Mickie James or Sasha Banks seeing as they had both already failed at meeting the required conditions needed to become the number one contender. Triple H would go on to announce that therefore the person that would be challenging Charlotte for the RAW Women’s Championship would be the same women that would be facing Nikki Bella at SummerSlam; Eva Marie. This announcement got mixed reaction although the arena would fall silent as Eva Marie would emerge from the back (having not made an appearance on ‘RAW IS WAR’ since being drafted from Smackdown Live).

|| THE NWO/BALOR CLUB STORYLINE ||

The night after Payback (May 22nd) was always going to be worth tuning in into especially for the aftermath of the match between ‘The Balor Club’ and the ‘New World Order’. The evening would begin with the nWo taking to the ring and last night’s sole survivor Adam Cole taking centre stage with a microphone in his hand. Adam would make it clear that despite being the last man standing last night the victory was all about the nWo claiming the victory and not personal glory. Cole would make it that the war was far from over between both groups, but a line in the sand had to be drawn as he would call out the entire roster. Cole would make it clear that you were either part of ‘The Balor Club’ or part of the ‘New World Order’ and that no one was safe it they simply chose to sit on the fence. All five men wouldn’t have to wait long until ‘We’re Coming Down’ the theme tune belonging to the Dudley Boyz would blast around the arena. Bubba Ray would make it clear that both himself and D-Von had been watching the drama unfold between both stables and had always known that they would have to pitch their tent in either camp. Bubba would make it clear that both he and his brother had always had an affinity for black and white and that they would be happy to join the nWo if a place was available. Styles would respond and make it clear that both Bubba and D-Von already knew an answer to the question, which would result in the Dudley’s taking off their tees to reveal that they were already wearing personalised nWo t-shirts. The opening segment would end with The Dudley Boyz joining their fellow nWo members in the middle of the ring.

A little bit later on in the night the cameras would find themselves in the Balor Club locker-room with all five members wearing Marvel ‘Avengers Assemble’ t-shirts. Balor would talk to the camera with a message for AJ. Finn would make it clear that he still very much had his sights set on the Universal Championship and at the next possible chance he would do everything in his power to reclaim the title belt. Balor would then bring up the Dudley Boyz and make it clear that he was pained that two men of such high esteem had decided to lower their worth and self value by siding with the New World Order. Balor would make it clear though that it wasn’t surprising that the Dudleys would side themselves with sewer rats, because true champions always sought out true champions. It was from here that Finn would announce that United States Champion Sami Zayn and RAW Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian were the three newest members of The Balor Club.

The following week (May 29th)it was clear that both camps had started to get quite serious in their recruiting processes. One of the signing would effectively result in another signing almost immediately. With the feud between Dolph Ziggler and John Cena having been traded from Smackdown Live to Raw it was clear that tensions between both men were far from over. When Ziggler was unveiled as the newest member of the nWo it didn’t take very long for it to be announced that Cena was now a member of the Balor Club. Other recruits of the night would include; Sheamus, Cesaro, Mark Henry and The Big Show would join the Balor Club whilst the New World Order sign up The New Day, The Shining Stars and the number one contenders for the tag team titles Goldust and Sting.

It would also become clear the Balor Club and the nWo were also looking to get members of the 205 Live roster to join their ranks. 205 Live would see (June 1st) a number of men join both stables. Neville and King Ricochet would join the black and white, whilst Balor would show how much of a fan he was of the Cruiserweights but get four members of the 205 roster to join the Balor Club. The four men in question would be; Jack Gallagher, Hideo Itami, Tye Dillinger and Lince Dorado.

On the first episode of the month (June 5th) RAW’s interim-commissioner and the chairman of the board Vince McMahon would announce that RAW was currently in a state of crisis and that with both the New World Order and the Balor Club assembling massive forces it was clear that the whole brand was on the brink of war and that it was going to take some serious negotiation to try and settle the situation. Vince though would smile and make it clear that peace was the last thing he wanted and would congratulate both Finn Balor and AJ Styles for making him a very rich man. Vince would then make it clear that next week’s show would see RAW being rebranded and to celebrate the new branding the show would begin with a Universal Championship match between Styles and Balor. Further signings for both stables would take place with Enzo and Big Cass joining The Balor Club and Strowman and Reigns joining the New World Order.

RAW’s rebranding would see the return of the ‘RAW IS WAR’ but in a more modern style (June 12th)and that show would begin with the Universal Championship match between Balor and Styles. Both men would put on a solid performance but would it wouldn’t be surprising when members of both stables would get involved resulting in the match ending in a no contest and absolute chaos ensuing in the middle of the ring. The fighting would come to a pause when out of the back would step Triple H who was wearing army combats and a plastic helmet. Triple H would announce that the WWE Board of Directors had appointed him as the temporary sheriff of RAW due to the recent goings on between the nWo and the Balor Club. Triple H would make it clear that he was there to be impartial and would be Switzerland between both stables. Triple H would then insist that both stables leave the ring and head to the back, otherwise there would be consequences. Later on in the the night RAW General Manager Mick Foley would be found at the bottom of a stairwell knocked out cold, without it being unclear who or rather what side was behind the attack.

With Mick Foley in the hospital, Triple H would take control of proceedings (June 19th) and reveal that all of the the four men’s titles belt would be contested between members of both stables. The first match that would be announced would be for the United States Championship. Triple H would confirm that reigning champion Sami Zayn (of The Balor Club) would go one-on-one with the nWo’s Adam Cole and that the match would be a Chairs match. A little bit later on in the night Triple H would reveal that despite current Cruiserweight champion Zack Sabre, Jr. not having aligned himself with either group that a member of each stable would still feature in the contest and therefore it would be a triple threat match. ZSJ would not shy away from Triple H and make it clear that he was less than pleased by the decision although it was clear that Triple H couldn’t care in the slightest and he would make it clear that the brand was now known as ‘RAW IS WAR’ and that during warfare nothing is ever fair. Triple H would then go on to announce that newly promoted Tye Dillinger would be representing The Balor Club whilst Neville would be the black and white member involved in the contest. During the evening some more infighting would take place between both groups with the most notable being a confrontation between Goldust, Sting, Strowman and Reigns against Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Big Show and Mark Henry. The fighting so uncontrollable that security chose not to step in and instead would let both sides fight amongst themselves rather than deal with the situation in hand.

It wasn’t therefore not at all surprising that on the following week’s show (June 26th) that number one contenders Goldust and Sting would have their tag team titles match against The Establishment confirmed as being contested for in a Ladder Match. The fighting between both groups was noticeably continuing to get worse with the two men showing the most amount of hatred and anger towards each other being Dolph Ziggler and John Cena with both men having to be separated after busting each other wide open whilst fighting in the lower floors of the arena in what is presumed to be the boiler room. Triple H would actually get involved in separating both men and make it clear that both men’s hatred for each other was something that would generate a lot of pay per view buys and that therefore he had no choice other than to pit both men against each other in a ‘Fans Bring The Weapons Match’. Triple H would make it clear that he wanted every single person attending Extreme Rules to bring anything they wanted to arena in the hope that either Dolph or John might end up using it on the other. Triple H would make it clear that a conservation was currently taking place between himself and Vince McMahon in regards to a showcase match between the nWo and the Balor Club at the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV.

With just three weeks to go until Extreme Rules (July 3rd) it would be accidentally revealed that Vince McMahon (current RAW Commissioner) was actually in cahoots with the nWo with it being revealed that he was the man that had instructed the group alongside the leadership of AJ Styles to attack General Manager Mick Foley. With this fact being revealed it would only take an hour or so for former Commissioner and Vince’s daughter Stephanie to return from her forced hiatus and claim that she was in fact the true commissioner of Monday Night RAW and in an act of strength would side herself with the Balor Club. With all of this political posturing taking place, Triple H who was acting as the neutral sheriff found himself in a very difficult position but wouldn’t shy away from his responsibilities by setting two massive matches. The first would be a massive 13-on-13 contest between the New World Order and The Balor Club in a first ever Falls Count Anywhere Elimination Match. The second match and final match invo
lving both the nWo and the Balor Club would be unveiled as the final ever Universal Championship match between reigning champion AJ Styles and Finn Balor as Triple H would announce that the match would be an “I Quit Match” and that the loser would be forced to leave RAW and most likely find themselves as part of the Smackdown Live roster. Triple H would make it clear that as the sheriff he saw this as the fairest way in trying to stabilize the ongoing war between both factions.

As you would imagine the final fortnight leading up to Extreme Rules would be nothing short of chaos with both stables holding nothing back and most matches featuring both stables resulting in no contests or having to be abandoned. Nonetheless it was extremely clear that with six matches having been sourced from just one major storyline that the ‘RAW IS WAR’ brand was arguably in one of the strongest positions it had been in since the turn of the millennium. One thing was for a certain though and that was that everybody would be tuning in to watch Extreme Rules on July 23rd.

July 23rd 2017

Triple Threat Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Tye Dillinger vs. Neville

Fans Bring The Weapon Match
Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena

Chairs Match (WWE United States Championship)
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Adam Cole

Ladder Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Establishment (Daniels & Kazarian) (c) vs. Sting & Goldust

Bálor Club: Camacho, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Tama, Sheamus, Cesaro, Big Show, Mark Henry, Jack Gallagher, Hideo Itami, Lince Dorado, Big Cass & Enzo Amore
vs.
nWo: Cody Hall, King Fale, Yujiro, Bubba Ray & D-Von, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods, Epico, Primo, King Ricochet, Strowman & Roman Reigns

Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Eva Marie

I Quit Match - Loser Leaves RAW (WWE Universal Championship)
AJ Styles (c) vs. Finn Balor​