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Triple Threat Match (WWE World Championship)
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Curt Hawkins w/ Christian
Singles Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Kushida
Singles Match (WWE Smackdwn Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
Tag Team Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Dudley Boy (Bubba Ray & D-Von) (c) vs. The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
60 Minute Iron Man Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor (c) vs. The Undertaker
2017 Royal Rumble Match
40 Entrants
N.B. Feel free to predict as many winners as you can. The winner of the contest will win a mystery prize that will directly have an influence on this project.
Triple Threat Match (WWE World Championship)
Dean Ambrose (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Curt Hawkins w/ Christian
[Normally if the WWE World Championship was the first match on a PPV card you would expect it to suffer in prestige with such a stacked card, however this wouldn't be the case. The long-term rivalry between Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles blended with the recent rise of Curt Hawkins and his mentor Christian had resulted in a set-up for a really great triple threat match for Smackdown Live's top prize. The match though would begin with Dean and AJ going straight for each other, whilst Curt would actually climb out of the ring and converse with Christian clearly making an intelligent decision of not needing to get involved in the action from the get-go. The beginning of the match would see Ambrose and Styles fight with a real intent to injure the other and from the fashion in which they looked at each other it was almost as if they were suffering from blood lust. Hawkins though would play the smart game and only involve himself in the fighting when he could inflict as much damage as possible without putting himself in the firing line. This strategy of course would only last so long before both Dean and AJ would finally catch wind of what Hawkins was trying to do and instead they would uncharacteristically start working together in order to remove Hawkins from the equation. Dean would send Hawkins down to the canvass with DIRTY DEEDS only for AJ to springboard off the ropes and connect with a SUPERMAN SPLASH! The union would be broken almost instantaneously though as Ambrose would borrow a move from Randy Orton' arsenal by charging forward and connecting a RUNNING PUNT KICK to Styles' head whilst he only just starting to get up off the mat. Ambrose would attempt the cover, but AJ would show his resiliency by lifting up his shoulders just in the nick of time.
The intensity of the match would increase threefold as it reached it's mid-portions, with Curt Hawkins really starting to step forward and present himself as someone that belonged in the main-event tier of competition. Some of Hawkins highlights during this period included Hawkins getting Ambrose to pursue him outside the ring, only for Christian to blindside Dean with a heavy handed Lariat! Hawkins would then pick up the pieces by taking hold of the stunned Ambrose and sending him down to the concrete with the Upside Down Frown! Hawkins though would also be kind enough to give AJ Styles just as much attention as he was willing to give to Ambrose. The most prominent spot in question would see both Styles and Hawkins battling on top of the turnbuckle and Styles would botch a Styles Clash and end up tumbling off. This would allow for Hawkins to taunt the fans before leaping off the turnbuckle and landing on top of him with the HEAT SEEKING ELBOW! Of course both Ambrose and Styles would feature in a number of great spots as well, although it was clear that Curt Hawkins was being made to look as strong as possible during the contest (and having a victory over John Cena) only helped in putting him over even if some of the fans were unwilling to bite.
The match would come to a finish in quite a messy fashion. Hawkins would find himself on the receiving end of a beating Ambrose in the middle of the ring, only for Christian to climb onto the ring apron to distract the referee. In the confusion of Christian being where he was the referee would accidentally get knocked over by Ambrose as he was throwing Hawkins from side to side. This would give Christian the opportunity he had been looking for to get involved in the action as he would force Ambrose to release Hawkins only to for Curt to hammer Ambrose like a nail as he hit the KILLSWITCH! AJ Styles would climb back into the ring after previously being knocked out of the ring and charge forward although would miss Hawkins, but strike Christian. Christian would seem enraged as he would charge forward looking to hit Styles, although AJ would grab hold of Hawkins and pull him in front of him leading Christian to hit Hawkins with an almighty SPEAR! Christian would look mortified at what he had just done, but wouldn't have much time to check if Hawkins was alright as he would be floor Christian with a PELE KICK only to follow up by taking hold of Christian and sending him crashing down onto the canvass with the STYLES CLASH! Styles would turn to Hawkins looking to take the match only to be left stunned as Ambrose would sneak to his feet and slide Styles onto his shoulders before sending him crashing downwards with the MIDNIGHT SPECIAL! An exhausted looking Ambrose would slump himself over Styles long enough to win the match and in doing so remain the WWE World Champion.]
WINNER: Dean Ambrose - still WWE World Champion
Singles Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Kushida
[For many members of the WWE Universe that are no strangers to the Japanese wrestling scene, this was a match that they were particularly excited about. For a lot of fans though there was a general sense that Kushida was a man far more competently challenging ZSJ for the Cruiserweight Title. The match would begin with both men holding a fairly even standing in the match with both Sabre Jr. and Kushida fighting with a lot of intensity and fast paced moved that were clearly done with the intention of keeping the fans on the edge of their seats. Some of the memorable moments from match included ZSJ connecting with a number of kick combinations that would feature overhead to opponent's arm kicks, enzuigiris as well as some really impressive Feint Roudhouse Kicks followed up by legsweeps. Kushida would offer kicks of his own including a few Buzzsaw Kicks as well as a number of high impact Discus Elbow Smashes.
The match though really became interesting when both men starting focusing on their submission holds rather than just their mat wrestling in what would prove to be a really exciting part of the contest. It would begin with Kushida singing in the HOVERBOARD LOCK trying to wrench away at Zack's arm only for Sabre Jr. to escape the hold and return the favour by holding Kushida in place with a NEW SCHOOL ARMBREAKER! Kushida would manage to escape the hold that would leave both men were clearly aware of each other's potential in regards to submission expertise as they would stare at each other from opposite side of the ring and be met with mass applause from the fans in attendance. The submissions though would continue as Sabre Jr. would wrap himself around Kushida like a bow-tie and lock in an OCTOPUS HOLD only to transition the move acrobatically into the YOUNG BOY KILLER! Kushida would show signs of a struggle but would only manage to escape by his arm somehow brushing against the ropes leading to the referee enforcing a rope-break. Kushida would be quick by jumping on top of the turnbuckle only to come flying off it and nail ZSJ with the SUPERNOVA PRESS! When Kushida would go for the pin tough he would be totally caught out, as it became clear that ZSJ had been playing possum as he would grab hold of Kushida's arm and lock in the NEW SCHOOL ARMBREAKER for the second time of asking. This time though Kushida was unable to fight the hold and despite putting on one hell of a performance wouldn't be able to fight the pain much longer as he would start tapping out clearly in sheer agony. Kushida would hold on to his arm looking massively disappointment, as Zack Sabre Jr. would have a massive smile on his face as he was presented the Cruiserweight Championship by the in-ring official.]
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. - still WWE Cruiserweight Champion
Singles Match (WWE Smackdwn Women's Championship)
Becky Lynch (c) vs. Alexa Bliss
[Alexa Bliss was going into the match not only with Kurt Angle's blessing, but with a desire to reclaim a title that just under three months ago in November. Becky on the other hand was going into the contest knowing that despite being the champion, management (being new general manager Kurt Angle) was doing its best to bring an end to Becky's reign as soon as possible. The match was a highlight reel of both women's wrestling excellence with spots that included Becky nailing a cornered Alexa with the Flying Fire-Arm only to drag Bliss out of the corner and nail her with a back kick. Alexa would use her height combined with her speed to her advantage by sending Becky to the mat with Tilt-a-whirl head-scissors takedown that she would follow up with multiple foot stomps that she would put extra weight behind by using the ring ropes as leverage only to follow up with the INSAULT TO INJURY that would result in a near fall.
Alexa would be furious with the referee and would be adamant that she had held Becky down long enough to achieve the victory. The referee at the same time though was making it extremely clear that Alexa was not going to change his mind in the slightest. In the heat of the argument Alexa had managed to herd the referee so he had his back towards Becky, (which allowed for a woman that hadn't been seen since Survivor Series) none other than former Smackdown Women's Champion Eva Marie to slide into a ring and she would catch Becky completely off-guard as she grabbed hold of her and connected with SLICED RED #2! Eva Marie would smile sadistically as she stood over Becky and would seem to wink at Alexa before exiting the ring. Alexa would then bring her argument with the referee to an end and climb up onto the turnbuckle and leap off and nail Lynch with the SPARKLE SPLASH! The referee would bring his hand down once, then twice only to leave everyone in the arena including Alexa completely stunned as Becky managed to kick-out at the very last moment. This would lead to Eva Marie to actually stand up and look speechless at the realisation that the match was still going.
Becky would look look wobbly and be on her last legs as she struggled to get back to her feet, but would shock everyone when Alexa grabbed hold of Becky only for Alexa to be thrown into the turnbuckle with a CORNER BEX-PLODER! Alexa would be left hanging like a mangled mess as she found herself caught in the ropes as she found herself trapped in the corner. This would allow Becky to take a run up and add further insult to injury by nailing her with a Baseball Slide Kick! Alexa though would find a friend in Eva Marie who would pull Alexa out of the ring in order to prevent her from being pinned. The referee would be quick to exit the ring and make it clear that Eva Marie had no right to physically get herself involved in tonight's contest. Eva didn't fight the referee and was quick to comply with his demands, although with the referee distracted Alexa was giving a little extra time to recover due to the referee not having initiated the mandatory ten count. Becky though was showing absolutely no interest in waiting for Alexa to recover and she would throw herself over the ropes and land on top of Alexa with a Diving Crossbody! The move though would inadvertently catch the referee out in the crossfire as he would slump to the floor in a heap.
Becky would then take hold of Alexa and proceed to roll her back into the ring, although in the confusion of her aerial assault seemed to have forgotten about Eva Marie. Eva though certainly hadn't forgotten about Becky as she would pursue the champion and do so with the women's title in her hand and proceeded to lay Becky out with a TITLE SHOT TO THE FACE! With Becky laid out in the middle of the ring, Eva would shake Alexa trying to get her to move whilst at the same time the referee was starting to stir which was Eva's cue to exit the ring once again. The referee would enter the ring just as Alexa dropped over Becky to make the cover, only for Lynch to shock everyone by transitioning into a Possum-Pin followed by a quick one, two and three!
Alexa would look mortified at the realisation of what had just happened, whilst the look on Eva's face was more one of confusion. Becky though was quick to grab her championship belt and exit the ring and would be joined on the outside by the referee who would lift Becky's arm in the air and acknowledge her as the match winner.]
WINNER: Becky Lynch - still WWE Smackdown Women's Champion
Tag Team Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D-Von) (c) vs. The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian)
[The match between The Dudley Boyz and The Establishment had the feel of an old workhorse coming face-to-face with a young buck. Despite what the Dudley might have thought of themselves it was clear that they struggled to keep up with the pace that Daniels and Kazarian were setting and it soon became apparent that The Establishment were doing there best to tire out Bubba and D-Von as much as they possibly could. In regards to fight or flight both Christopher and Frankie showed absolutely no worry in being considered as acting cowardly if it meant avoiding any sort of conflict. One double-team technique of inflicting high impact & high velocity damage in quick succession was by either Daniels or Kazarian flooring either one of the Dudleys only to be followed by slingshot elbows from Daniels and slingshot leg drops from Kazarian although the order the combination was dependent on who was the legal man. The match would end with The Establishment sending a direct message to the rest of the RAW tag team division. First Bubba Ray would be seen off with full bodied CELEBRITY REHAB, only for D-Von to have the match finalised as the pair would connect with the BEST MELTZER EVER! Kazarian would hook over D-Von's leg and after a few seconds the bell was being rung and The Establishment were being announced as the new RAW Tag Team Champions. Daniels and Kazarian would look overjoyed as soon as they were presented the title belts and would celebrate in an extremely over-the-top fashion and it must be noted that they were showboating clearly with the intent of driving the Dudley Boyz crazy almost as if they were rubbing salt into an open wound.]
WINNERS: The Establishment - new WWE RAW Tag Team Champions
60 Minute Iron Man Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor (c) vs. The Undertaker
[Despite all the hype and all the build up that had gone into leading up to the contest between Balor and The Undertaker, the match would never officially begin. With Finn already waiting in the ring, the Undertaker would be making his way down to the ring in typical over-the-top and elaborate fashion only to be blindsided on the entrance ramp by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Both men would be wielding steel pipes and would strike The Undertaker over the back repeatedly before taking hold of him and driving him down onto the concrete the MAGIC KILLER! Anderson and Gallows though were showing no intent of being finished though as they would force The Dead Man back up onto his feet, as both men would smile as they would look towards the back as King Fale would emerge from the darkness only to pick up The Undertaker and throw him off the entrance ramp with BAD LUCK FALL! Before anything else could take place Finn Balor was shouting at Anderson, Gallows and Fale and wave his hands about in the air only for him to stop and for all four men to start laughing and exchanging hand gestures belonging to the Kliq as they would celebrate the destruction of the Dead Man who had not found the strength to sit up and look to be struggling with consciousness as he remain laid out below the entrance ramp. The segment would end with all four member of the Balor Club making gun sign and shooting them down at The Undertaker, almost as if they were imitating the actions of a firing squad.
NO CONTEST: Finn Balor vs. The Undertaker
2017 Royal Rumble Match
40 Entrants
[There is no question that the entire WWE Universe was looking forward to this year's Royal Rumble match, especially considering that this year's contest would feature an extra ten participants in what would be a 40-man Royal Rumble. The commentary team would be a mix of both Smackdown Live and RAW with Michael Cole and JBL taking up seats at the table, as well as a special guest just for the evening Jerry 'The King' Lawler. All three men would share their thoughts in regards to their predictions for the overall winner of the match before the first entrant would start making his way out from the back.
The Swiss wrestler made his way out from the back and despite knowing that he would have to outlast thirty-nine of competitors seemed to be in relatively good spirits. Cesaro would interact with the fans and high-five a couple of lucky fans before sliding into the ring and waiting for the second entrant to make their way out from the back.
The Miz would be the second man to trot out from the back and he would once again be without his estranged wife Maryse. The Miz on the other-hand looked extremely annoyed that he was having to enter the Rumble so early on into its proceeding. The Miz would make his way slowly down to the ring, almost as if he was trying to make some sort of point. Miz would enter the ring and not actually be attacked by Cesaro as JoJo would be allowed to make all the official announcements befoe the ring bell was rung and the match was underway. Cesaro would charge at The Miz and knock him backwards with a number of European Uppercuts sending him in the direction of the ring ropes. The Miz would showoff his in-ring intelligence by climbing through the middle ropes only to climb back into the ring underneath the bottom rope very much in the manner a mouse might escape from a cat by using size to it's advantage. The Miz would then escape in-between Cesaro's legs before shocking everyone by taking hold of Cesaro and hitting the SKULL CRUSHING FINALE! The Miz would look extremely pleased with himself as the fans in San Antonio would start counting down from ten until the next entrant made appeared from the back.
Yujiro of 'The Balor Club' would sprint out from the back and upon entering the ring would head straight for The Miz and knock him over with an arm lariat. The Miz would get back onto his feet only to be floored by another lariat. On standing up the third time though The Miz would forecast the move and duck underneath Yujiro's arm and instead come back at Yujiro with a Big Boot! Yujiro though would be quick to get up onto his feet only to be caught out as Cesaro would send Yujiro back-pedalling with a Discus Uppercut! The Miz would try and run at Cesaro from behind and direct him towards the ropes only for Cesaro to drop the Miz with a Spinning Side Slam! Cesaro would then drag up The Miz and proceed to swing him around with the Cesaro Swing and would continue to do so as the countdown would begin for the next entrant.
Dolph would get involved in the match by making sure everyone knew he was in town. First he would charge at Yujiro and connect with the ZIG ZAG that would prove to be more than enough of a reason for Cesaro to let go of The Miz. The Swiss wrestler hadn't left him enough time though to counter Dolph as Ziggler would charge at Cesaro and nail him with the ZIG ZAG! Dolph would then stalk the Miz and allow him to get back onto his feet only to drop him down to the mat with the BLONDE AMBITION! The Miz would instinctively roll out of the ring showing his experience as a veteran. Dolph though seemed intent on causing the Miz as much damage as possible as he would pursue The Miz by sliding underneath the bottom rope and then openly taunt The Miz before spiking him with a SUPERKICK! Dolph would then proceed to roll The Miz back into the ring before climbing into the ring once again. Ziggler though would be left looking like an idiot though as Cesaro would charge forward and connect with a huge clothesline and send him toppling over the ropes and out of the ring as the evening's first elimination.
*Dolph Ziggler Eliminated*
Cesaro would celebrate the fact that he had eliminated Dolph as the countdown clock would begin once more.
Rankour would slowly make his way out from the back and be flanked on either side by Viktor and Konnor as the three disciples of Kane's Rubicon would all make their ways towards the ring and it was clear that they all had the intention of entering the match despite the fact that it was only Rankour who was the legal man. The trio would all enter the ring together and would come face-to-face with Cesaro, Yujiro and The Miz who were all standing up ready for battle. All six men would go at it like loggerheads and it was clear that 'The Ascension' were doing their best to do as much heavy lifting for Rankour as they could. Viktor though would be the first person to feel the fury as Yujiro would rock him with PIMP JUICE! Konnor would taste a similar fate as well as The Miz would send him packing with the SKULL CRASHING FINALE! Rankour though would give as good as good as his brethren had been giving as he would lift Cesaro up and send him down brutally to the canvass with VELVET NOISE! As Rankour celebrated though his party would be cut short as The Miz and Yujiro would work in unison and send Rankour flying over the ropes and out of the ring.
*Rankour Eliminated*
All three members of Rubicon couldn't quite believe what had taken place as the fans were counting down for the next entrant to make his way from the back.
Shelton appeared from the back (with a red and white armband with the letters 'CH' on it which was definitely a tribute to his tag team partner who was currently injured). Shelton would be sure to make an impact by springing over the ropes and heading straight for Cesaro ditching him over with PAYDIRT! Shelton would then be quick on his feet to counter an oncoming Yujiro by dropping the Japanese wrestler where he stood with a solid SUPERKICK! The Miz despite all the damage he had already sustained though was quick to cut Shelton down before he gained too much momentum by dropping Shelton with a running high knee. The fans went absolutely wild though once the countdown stopped and theme music of the next entrant started playing...
...with none other than Seth Rollins making his way out from the back with a certain purpose in stride. There can be no denying that Rollins in recent months hasn't been considered as challenger for the Universal Championship but that fact hasn't kept him down and instead Rollins had gone on to reunite with Reigns to bring The Shield back to life. Rollins though despite not being seen by many as 'the man' anymore was greeted by a procession as he entered the ring. Rollins would be targeted by Cesaro and The Miz simultaneously, Seth would manage to bet The Miz away with a forearm smash but wouldn't have enough for Cesaro who would floor Rollins with a heavy handed uppercut. Mean while Yujiro was doing his best to shove Shelton out of the ring, although Benjamin was clinging on tightly to the ropes and showing absolutely no interest of exiting just yet as the countdown would begin again.
A lot of people were initially shocked when Andrade Almas was unveiled as the eighth entrant and it wasn't clear whether this was a sign of the young stud joining the main roster or just get an opportunity to shine in the sun. A couple of fans would be wearing wrestling masks and Almas would take offence to the situation and actually grab hold of ones of the masks and throw it on the floor before continuing to make his way down towards the ring. Almas wouldn't be given such a mass greeting to the match however, as Rollins and Cesaro were still going at it the most with everyone else just doing their best to survive. Almas would appear cool and collected though as he would join Shelton in trying to remove Yujiro from the ring but Yujiro was having none of it in his very first Royal Rumble match. One man who would noticeably start smiling though once the countdown had come to an end was Cesaro on seeing his partner...
...Sheamus who would charge forward and start dropping all challengers like flies. The first to face Sheamus' fury was Benjamin as he was nailed with a BROGUE KICK, with The Miz eating another BROGUE KICK and Sheamus would make it a hat-trick as Almas would be rocked with another BROGUE KICK! The onset of violence would be followed by Sheamus and Cesaro bonding with an exchange of words and perhaps making a battle plan of how to survive this battle together. Sheamus and Cesaro would have their little moment interrupted by Rollins and Yujiro who both clearly recognised the danger that both men represented as a pairing, only for Rollins to catch Yujiro out by nailing him with a PEDIGREE only for Sheamus to charge forward and rock Rollins with another BROGUE KICK!
HYSTERIA! That was the only word to describe the fans when Rey popped out of floor for the first time in two years. Mysterio would sprint at full pace down to the ring and springboard off the ropes and land on top of Shelton and whip him over with a hurricanrana. Rey would be be quick to carry on make a name for himself by bouncing off the middle rope and taking out The Miz with a split-legged moonsault. Rey would then gain some speed by rebounding off the ring ropes only to floor Yujiro with a dropkick. Mysterio though would have his party cut slightly short as he was grabbed from behind by Andrade who seemed intent on removing Rey's mask rather than actually unleashing any damage. The unceremonious mask removal though would be interrupted though as Benjamin would look to take Andrade's head clean off with a masterful SUPERKICK that would instantly put Shelton on the wrong side of the fans (although considering his current relationship with Shane McMahon it wasn't all that hard for the fans to dislike Shelton). Like clockwork the ninety seconds was up and another man started making his way out from the back.
Harper would make his way out from the back (and with Rowan & Wyatt) was no longer carrying any shared responsibility on his shoulders as he made the way out from the back clearly with the focus only being on himself. Harper though was rough in his demeanour as he entered the ring and savagely went after everyone in the ring dropping all eight other men with eight separate Big Boots! Harper looked amazing after the fashion in which he had treated everyone in the ring, but his moment of glory would come to a sudden end as the next entrant...
...King Fale stomped to the ring like a marching elephant and out the nine people looking in his direction only Yujiro was happy about it. As Fale entered the ring though all sense of chaos ensued as everyone seemed focused on removing Fale as quickly as possible, although with Yujiro coming to his compatriots aid the mass assault almost seemed to implode. In the melee of the confusion Sheamus would end up connecting with yet another BROGUE KICK this time smashing The Miz square in the jaw only for Cesaro to take out the trash by throwing The Miz over the ropes and out of the ring.
*The Miz Eliminated*
On the other side of the ring Shelton had been caught hanging over the ropes only for Rey to connect with the famous 619 only for Harper to drop Shelton to the mat with a Running Clothesline. Rollins would for some reason being on top of the turnbuckle with his eyes locked on Yujiro below him only for Rey to leap up onto the ropes and connect with a double-footed drop kick that would knock Rollins off the turnbuckle and down onto the concrete.
*Seth Rollins Eliminated*
Rollins looked somewhere between hurt and confused as he realised he had fallen so far short in this year's contest. To make matters worse the music started blaring signalling a third member of 'The Balor Club' was on their way to the ring...
...none other than Luke Gallows. Gallows was greeted warmly by King Fale and Yujiro as three members of 'The Balor Club' now stood united in the middle of the ring. The trio would move in unison like a bulldozer with the first person in their sights being Luke Harper who would get the shock of his life as Gallows and Fale would proceed to hoist Harper into the air and throw him over the ropes and eliminate him from proceedings.
*Luke Harper Eliminated*
'The Balor Bulldozer' as Jerry Lawler was coining the trio next made their way over to Shelton and it became clear that it was going to take some sort of miracle for Benjamin to get out of dodge. It seemed though that the Gods were listening as Sheamus would charge forward and nail Yujiro with yet another BROGUE KICK! Sheamus though was now the main focus of both Fale and Gallows as he would be pushed against the ropes and held their by Gallows only for Fale to send Sheamus toppling out of the ring a Running Clothesline!
*Sheamus Eliminated*
And just when things looked liked they couldn't get worse, they did.
Karl Anderson's entry meant that half of the men standing in the ring where now members of 'The Balor Club' which of course was very bad news for Cesaro, Benjamin, Almas and Mysterio who quickly realised that if they didn't work together they might not having anything to work with sooner rather than later. In effect this meant that a four versus four match had begun in the confines of the ring and the next ninety seconds were very back and forth although in that time nothing major took place. Everything was thrown out of keel though when entrant number fifteen started making his way out from the back.
Kane is no doubt one of the most dangerous men when an over-the-top rope elimination match is taking place and he brought his reputation with him as soon as he entered the squared circle. Kane would grab Mysterio and launch him with a brutal CHOKESLAM, then proceed to grab hold of Shelton and wipe him out with a CHOKESLAM. When Kane was approached by both Andrade and Yujiro he would grab hold of them both and lift them up into the air and nail them both with a DOUBLE CHOKESLAM! Cesaro would be the next man to come at Kane and he to would suffer at the hands of the Big Red Machine as he was lifted up and slammed down onto the canvass with an almighty CHOKESLAM! Kane just smiled as King Fale, Gallows and Anderson were now the only men still standing. Before anything else could be said or done though an almighty roar could be heard as...
...Braun Strowman would proceed to make his way out from the back and as he entered the ring it was evidently clear that he was a man on a mission as he would shock everyone by grabbing hold of King Fale and throwing him out of the ring as if he were nothing more than a rag-doll.
*King Fale Eliminated*
As Anderson and Gallows charged at Braun they would get a surprise as instead they would both tumble to the floor by way of a Double Clothesline! Kane would turn his attention to Braun and grab him around the neck only for Braun to break the hold and instead lift Kane up over the ropes and eliminate him from the contest with a CHOKESLAM of his own.
*Kane Eliminated
With two eliminations in quick succession it had quickly become clearly that Braun was the great white shark in the ring right now, it seemed that Shelton Benjamin had got the messaged as he to would be tossed out of the ring.
*Shelton Benjamin Eliminated*
With Cesaro going out shortly after.
*Cesaro Eliminated*
Braun looked like an absolute beast considering he had managed to eliminated four other men in the space of 90 seconds.
If Baron Corbin had been planning on this year being his year than he was sadly mistaken because as soon as he stepped into the ring he was taken hold of by Braun and held in the LIFTING ARM TRIANGLE CHOKE before being thrown out of the ring in one fluid motion becoming the quickest elimination of the evening.
*Baron Corbin Eliminated*
Corbin continued to look stunned on the outside, whilst out of the six men that were still in the ring five of them were slowly starting to circle around Braun as if they were all big game hunter looking for the kill. The circle got tighter and tighter until everyone pounced at the same time only to be throw backwards by Braun who looked almost identical to how the Incredible Hulk might look if he was tossing off any pests that might be irritating him.
'The Drifter' would make his entrance with a guitar in his hand and apart from the NXT faithful it was clear that not many people had the slightest clue how exactly Elias was, let alone what he was doing entering a Royal Rumble match. Whilst Samson was still making his way down to the ring Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would be hit by a Double Clothesline by Braun that would send the two big men of 'The Balor Club' toppling out of the ring and removed from the match in he process.
*Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows Eliminated*
Elias was still strumming his guitar before finally sliding into the ring still with his musical instrument in his hands and would head straight for Rey and nail him with a GUITAR SHOT that would send Mysterio to the floor and fragment the guitar into pieces. Samson would look incredibly pleased with himself only for Andrade Almas to come at him from behind and send him to the mat with a Swinging Neck-breaker! As Almas started to kick Samson in the ribs the countdown for the next entrant started to tick down.
The music belonging to The Hurricane would start playing and would be the second time the music had played that month (the first being at Masquerade Brawl) although the masked vigilante would be nowhere to be seen only for the camera to cut away from the entrance ramp to have a green spotlight shine down on one of the turnbuckle and show The Hurricane posing on top of it. Hurricane would then leap off in Almas' direction and throw him with a Tornado DDT before springing off the ropes and cracking Almas in the jaw with a SHINING WIZARD! The Hurricane would convince Rey to come to his aided and both masked men would lift up Andrade by his legs and remove him from the ring.
*Andrade Almas Eliminated*
Rey would then attempt an instant betrayal by trying to throw The Hurricane right after Almas, only for The Hurricane to block the move with a back kick that would cut Mysterio's attempt short as the fans started counting down once more.
Hawkins was in a foul mood as he made his way to the ring and considering the fashion in which his challenge for the WWE World Championship who could blame him for being a little bit pissed off. None the less though Hawkins had a spring in his step as he entered the ring and would charge at Mysterio and then The Hurricane knocking both men flat on their backs. Samson though would attempt to contain Hawkins only for Curt to send Samson to the deck with a TASTE OF PAIN! Hawkins though would be grabbed from behind by Yujiro who would plant Hawkins over with BUKKO NUKI GERMAN only for yet another man to enter the contest.
Owens got a great reception as he made his way down towards the ring with a loud continuous chants of 'Fight Owens Fight' sounding around the arena. As soon as Owens entered the ring he would make it clear that he meant business as he picked up Yujiro and threw him down with a POP-UP POWERBOMB, only to send Rey downwards with a second POP-UP POWERBOMB and take Hawkins down with a third POP-UP POWERBOMB! As Samson approached Owens he would get a nasty shock as Owens would grab hold of him and with a heavy hand throw him out of the ring.
*Elias Samson Eliminated*
The fans would cheer once again as the twenty-second entrant was revealed as...
...Christian! One person that looked less than pleased by Christian's arrival was his protege Curt Hawkins who would have a look of disgust across his face, despite still being on the mat. Owens and Strowman were going out of their way to best each other, shoving each other back and forth in order to show who out of the two of them was the stronger. Braun would then proceed to change the manner of the strength contest by grabbing The Hurricane around the neck and tossing him out of the ring (in what would be his 8th elimination of the contest.)
*The Hurricane Eliminated*
Owens though seemed determined to show Braun that 'whatever you can do, I can do better' as he would to take hold of Rey Mysterio and toss him out of the ring with a THROWING CRUCIFIX POWERBOMB!
*Rey Mysterio Eliminated*
After the elimination Owens and Braun almost seemed to share a moment of respect for the other only for the moment to come to an end as the ridiculous music belonging to...
...No Way Jose (yet another member of the NXT roster) although as soon as Jose entered the ring he would be floored by Yujiro who would springboard off the ropes with a DIVING HEADBUTT! Yujiro would by spun around by Christian who had remained fairly quiet so far only to hit Yujiro with the KILLSWITCH! Christian though would be taken hold of by Braun who would take a couple steps and throw Christian down with a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Whilst Owens was doing his best to try and remove Hawkins from the ring by hoisting his legs up over the ropes, although Curt was doing his best to fight Owens and stay in contention as the clock stared to countdown yet again.
The imposing figure that is Brock Lesnar made his way out from the back and it was fair to say that everyone in the ring took notice of his impending arrival, clearly recognising just how dangerous a man Brock could be in tonight's contest. Even notably Braun Strowman was paying attention of Brock and didn't break his eyes away from Lesnar as he slowly made his way down the entrance ramp. As soon as Brock entered the ring though it would be Strowman who would charge at Brock only for everyone to be stunned as Brock would take hold of Strowman and throw him over his shoulders a Release German Suplex! Brock would then grab hold of Hawkins and hit an F5, then grab Jose and hit an F5, and then Yujiro with an F5 and then finally Christian with an F5! Lesnar would stand over the fallen bodies surrounding him only to smile and point at the last man standing and the man whom he had locked head with not that long ago (at Roadblock) Kevin Owens. Owens wouldn't look the slightest bit intimidated however, as both me would stare each other down as the clocks slowly started ticking down behind them.
Apollo Crews arrival couldn't have been timed better as the Intercontinental Champion interjected a sense of uncertainty back into match as he would enter the ring and send Lesnar and Owens to the mat with two well timed enzuigiris! Having floored the two powerhouses seemed to be just the encouragement that everyone else in the contest needed and the motivation would lead to Yujiro nailing No Way Jose with a Big Boot that would send him sprawling over the ropes.
*No Way Jose Eliminated*
Meanwhile Christian and Curt were in some sort of discussion and it was clear that Christian was trying to calm down Curt and seemed that he had managed to exactly that as Curt would shake hands with Captain Charisma. As Curt walked in the direction of Yujiro though, he would be grabbed hold of by Christian who would proceed to toss him out of the ring.
*Curt Hawkins Eliminated*
Hawkins would looked beyond vexed as he looked at Christian in total disbelief at what had just taken place. Christian though would just smile as he pointed down at Curt and openly mocked him only for his gloating to be cut short as he would be grabbed from behind by Strowman who would proceed to lift Christian's legs up and toss him out of the ring.
*Christian Eliminated*
As Braun would celebrate his ninth elimination of the evening, the countdown for the next entrant would begin whilst Christian and Curt Hawkins would have to be pulled away from each other by match officials as it seemed their relationship of mentor and mentee had come to a sudden end.
Tyler Breeze would make his way down to the ring accompanied by his tag partner Fandango and both men would seem to have some sort of pep talk before Fandango would take hold Tyler's coat before Breeze would sprint down towards the ring and immediately go for Owens only to run into a human brick wall and be lifted up and delivered downwards with a POP-UP POWERBOMB! Owens wouldn't have time to capitalise though as out of nowhere the Miz (who had already been eliminated) would enter to the ring and push Kevin in the direction of Strowman who would demolish Owens with a CHOKESLAM! The Miz would then take hold of Tyler and throw him out of the ring.
*Tyler Breeze Eliminated*
The Miz would then climb out of the ring and dig underneath the ring apron and take hold of a steel chair and place it on the floor before dragging Breeze up and nailing him with the SKULL CRUSHING FINALE TO THE STEEL CHAIR! The Miz would then seem to whisper something in Breeze's ear, as he was being tended to by medical staff as he was very noticeably bleeding quite profusely from his forehead.
Randy Orton would sprint at full pace from the back as he slid into the ring and just by looking at his eyes you could tell that Randy was driven by desire. And he would show he was serious by taking down all of the five other men in the ring by hitting his RKO finishing move five time in a row. Randy would then turn his attention directly to Apollo Crews and charge forward at him and connect with a RUNNING PUNT KICK! Crews looked completely out for the count as Randy dragged him up to his feet and proceeded to eject Crews from the contest.
*Apollo Crews Eliminated*
Lesnar though was only just getting back up to his feet only to be smashed in his face by Strowman's knee. Brock would look up at Braun almost as if he was suffering from shock, before something seemed to snap in his hand and he started to slowly fight his way up to his feet and showing just how strong he truly was by managing to lift Braun up onto his shoulders. Braun though would manage to wriggle away at the last possible moment and using his body as a counterweight managed to throw Brock over with an arm drag.
Sami would charge down towards the ring and the crowd showed their support for one of their favourites by humming along to Zayn's theme song from the moment he headed out from the back until the moment he stepped into the squared circle. Zayn unsurprisingly would go straight after Owens and the former long time friend would start throw slugs at each other with punching bouncing left and right and with neither man showing any intent of stopping anytime soon. Orton though didn't seem at all pleased that they were stealing his camera time and proceed to grab hold of Owens from behind and hit him with another RKO! The momentum of the move would cause Sami to lose his balance which would prove to be the perfect opportunity for Yujiro to grab hold of Zayn and obliterate him with PIMP JUICE! Lesnar and Strowman were still scrapping with each other on the other side of the ring and both men were slowly approaching the ring ropes and putting themselves both in a precarious position. And then the lights in the arena went out completely.
The fans would started points upwards as the iconic Sting would start descending down from the rafters on a wire and drop into the middle of the ring wielding his jet black baseball bat. Sting would charge first at Randy and floor him with a shot to face, then Yujiro, then Zayn and then Owens. Sting would then spring off the ropes and leap up into the air and smash into both Brock and Braun with a Diving Double Clothesline that would send both powerhouses to tumble out of the ring and out onto the concrete below.
*Brock Lesnar & Braun Strowman Eliminated*
Brock and Braun couldn't quite believe what had just happened as they both seemed to be having separate temper tantrums not quite willing to accept the fact that they had been eliminated, only for Braun to turn his attention to Brock and grab hold of him and destroy him with a CHOKESLAM before heading off backstage clearly disgusted with himself despite managing to eliminate nine other men.
Rusev would make his way out from the back (in what would normally be the last entry of the Rumble) and would be followed by Ted DiBiase Sr. who was holding the Million Dollar Championship whilst Lana was waving the Bulgarian flag above her head as they would proceed in a procession down to the ring. Rusev would proceed to kiss Lana on the cheek before climbing up into the ring looking ready to fight. Owens would charge forward at Rusev only to rebound off and fall to floor with a body block. Rusev would then grab hold of Sami and floor with him a roundhouse kick showing the WWE Universe yet again than a man of his size was perfectly capable of being athletic and nimble when it was required of him. Sting though would smash his baseball bat into the back of Rusev's head before grabbing hold of him and sending him down to the mat with the SCORPION DEATH DROP!
AJ making his way out from the back marked his one year anniversary since joining the WWE and it was clear that Styles was hoping to end the night in celebratory fashion. Styles would leap onto the ropes and make an impact as soon as he entered the ring by dropping Owens with a PHENOMENAL FOREARM! Styles would continue to crack heads and take names by charging at Sami Zayn and dropping Zayn with a Discus Clothesline. Styles and Yujiro would come face-to-face and both men would pause in front of each other clearly not sure what to do considering it wasn't long ago that both men had been part of the same faction in Japan. The moment was brought to an end by Rusev though who would charge forward at both men and in tandem send them to the mat with a Diving Headbutt!
One of the more popular members of the NXT roster emerged from the back and comically he was holding up place cards that read 'The Perfect 32' on them that would be met with a halfhearted chant before Tye would step through the ring and officially enter his first ever Royal Rumble match. Dillinger would do his best to greet everyone else in the match with a forearm shot to the face, although his greetings would brought to a halt halfway through running through the order by Orton who would take hold of Tye and nail him with the Olympic Slam! Sting and Rusev would be battling on the edge of the ring only for both men to be grabbed off by Zayn, Owens and Orton and eliminated from the contest.
*Sting & Rusev Eliminated *
Orton ever being the opportunist would nail Sami with an RKO before smashing Owens with a Dropkick and following up by knocking Owens out of the ring with a short-arm lariat.
*Kevin Owens Eliminated*
Orton wouldn't even give Owens a second look as he turned his attention to the next entrant.
Roman was greeted in a less than welcoming fashion by the fans and it was clear that Texas State did not think highly of Roman Reigns. Roman though clearly couldn't care less and would show the San Antonio fans exactly what he thought of them by flipping a few of them off, before entering the ring. Reigns would say hello to Orton first by catching him in the head with a Superman Punch! AJ at the same time had been battling with Dillinger on the turnbuckle and from the height sent Tye down to the mat with the STYLES CLASH! Yujiro was continuing to look impressive (considering he had been the third official entrant in the contest) and he would show everyone just how serious he was by taking hold of United States Champion Sami Zayn and rocking him with the MIAMI SHINE!
Mil Muertes' entrance was ominous to say the very least although it was clear that all of the fans were extremely excited that Mil was now a part of the WWE Universe. Mil would enter the ring and immediately knock all of the air out of AJ with THE REAPER'S TRIDENT! The move would cut Styles in half, but Mil was pulsating with pure energy and the fans could feel it. Mil would charge at Tye and proceed to pick him up and hold him over his head and proceed to toss him over the ropes and out of the ring.
*Tye Dillinger Eliminated*
Yujiro was still playing with his food or rather toying with Sami as he had dragged him to the turnbuckle and was slowly doing his best to lift him over the ropes but was noticeably struggling on his own. To his surprise Reigns came to Yujiro help and both men would work together in eliminating Sami from the contest.
*Sami Zayn Eliminated*
Yujiro would play his situation smartly and exit the ring by climb through the ropes in order to stop Reigns from pulling off anything sneaky.
Jericho would have a beaming smile across his face as he would make his way slowly down to the ring and saddle up onto the apron and go straight for Roman and hit him with the CODEBREAKER! Jericho would turn to oncoming traffic in the form of Yujiro and drop him with a Spinning Heel Kick! Jericho though would feel the burn though as Mil charged forward and cut him in half with THE REAPER'S TRIDENT! Mil though would then take hold of Jericho with all of his strength and send Jericho over the ropes and out of the ring with a variation of a Samoan Toss!
*Chris Jericho Eliminated*
Mil though was far from finished dishing out the hurt as he would charge AJ and drop him with forearm smash only to take hold of AJ and throw him straight into the ring-post with Styles clutching onto his shoulder clearly in a large amount of pain. Yujiro though would interject between the two of them though as he would leap off the turnbuckle and drop Mil with a DIVING HEADBUTT!
Hideo got a massive reception from the fans as he emerged from the back and fifth member of the NXT roster too participate in this year's rumble would sprint at full pace down to the ring. Itami would charge at Yujiro and level him with a BUSAIKU KNEE KICK! Hideo would be quick to get up onto his feet would charge at Style and connect with a roundhouse kick only to spot Orton and Reigns battling against the ropes. Hideo would charge forward and drive into Reigns with another BUSAIKU KNEE KICK that would cause Roman to fall over the ropes but somehow recover and pull himself back into the ring.
Alberto would make his way down to the ring (and was yet again another man who had slowly been reestablishing himself as a main-event guy) and would enter the ring with an air of arrogance about him only to be sucker punched by Mil and toss out of the ring almost as soon as he had entered it.
*Alberto Del Rio Eliminated*
Alberto looked stunned whilst Jerry Lawler would be noticeably laughing his head off at the fact that Del Rio was the quickest elimination of the night. Mil was making quite a name for himself already and was proving to be a force to be reckoned with and it would seem that Reigns simply hadn't got the message as he would charge at Mil with a head of steam. Mil though would would duck down to dodge Reigns and pull down on the top rope, which would lead to Reigns falling over the ropes and standing in the no man's land of the ring apron.
Hendry would make his way down to the ring as Mil and Roman continue to battle on either sides of the ropes. 'The Global Hero' would pull off a very sly move by taking Roman's legs out from under him that would allow for Mil to charge forward and nail Roman with THE REAPER'S TRIDENT!
*Roman Reigns Eliminated*
Mil though wasn't eliminated as he had left the ring by falling through the ropes rather than over them. Mil would climb back into the ring, whilst Roman was forced to head towards the back. Mil though would get an unexpected surprise though because as soon as he entered the ring Hideo would almost take his head off with a BUSAIKU KNEE KICK! Mil would look slightly stunned by the kick, but much to Hideo's shock would be quick to get back onto his feet and almost as if he was in a fit of rage would take hold of Itami and send him sailing over the ropes and out of the ring only for Hideo to grab hold of the ropes at the last possible moment and pull himself back into the ring surviving from what looked like certain elimination.
The winner of last year's Royal Rumble was met with cheers from the fans although this time round winning the contest would not crown him as a champion. None the less Triple H walked to the ring with a certain gusto and as always it was clear that Hunter meant business when he entered the ring. Triple H would seem to say something to Randy and both men would seem to come sort of agreement and shake hands before Hunter would direct them in the direction of Mil Muertes. Triple H would take the first step forward only for Randy to complete swerve by grabbing hold of Hunter and hitting him with an RKO! Randy's betrayal though would have him chopped in half by Mil who would chop him down like a tree with THE REAPER'S TRIDENT! Joe Hendry seemed to have got a little bit too big for his boots as he was doing his best to throw Styles out of the ring only for Styles to clutch onto the ropes but to force Joe to follow him momentum and thus pay the ultimate price.
*Joe Hendry Eliminated*
Mil would once again find himself on the receiving end of an aerial assault for Hideo although this time Mil would manage to catch him in mid-air and proceed to eject Itami out of the ring in the same motion.
*Hideo Itami Eliminated*
Everyone's focus immediately turned towards the back as there was a really interest in who the final entrant of this year Royal Rumble was going to be.
Jay Lethal would step out from the back as the 40th entrant of this year's Royal Rumble and was greeted with a mixed reaction. The wrestling fans with knowledge of the independent scene certainly were excited, but for your average WWE fan they really didn't know who Lethal even was and he certainly seemed to suffer for it as he made his way down to the ring. Before Jay had even stepped into the ring though he would be knocked off the apron as he was trying to climb into the ring by AJ who had spring-boarded off the ropes only to return back and take Triple H out with the PHENOMENAL FOREARM only for Mil to add further damage by slamming into Hunter with THE REAPER'S TRIDENT! Hunter would exit the ring by rolling underneath the bottom rope in a sly attempt of get some breathing time without having to worry about everyone else still in the contest. Jay Lethal would finally make an impact by dropping Yujiro with an EnzuFury only to follow up the unique kick with a LETHAL INJECTION that would cause Yujiro to flop down onto the canvass.
Randy and AJ were contesting by the ropes and Randy would attempt to throw Styles out of the ring only for AJ to counter with a PELE KICK that would knock Randy off balance. At this moment Triple H would slip back into the ring and proceed to take hold of Randy and flip him out of the ring.
*Randy Orton Eliminated*
Triple H then followup by grabbing hold of AJ and hitting him with a short-arm clothesline only to drag Styles back onto his feet and slam him down onto the canvass with THE PEDIGREE! Triple H would then finally learn what it feels like to suffer at to a lesser known talent as Lethal would charge forward and hit Hunter with a Superkick that would cause Hunter to lean up against the rope. Lethal would suddenly be joined by Yujiro and both men would work together and proceed to eject last year's rumble winner out of the ring.
*Triple H Eliminated*
Lethal would be left looking stupid though as Yujiro would spring off the ropes and come back at Jay and send him toppling out the ring with a RUNNING BIG BOOT!
*Jay Lethal Eliminated*
Yujiro, AJ and Mil looked at each other knowing that they were all that stood in each other's way in regards to being in the Wrestlemania main-event. What made the final three even more interesting was that only one member of each brand was left in the contest, whilst Mil Muertes was arguably the hottest free agent in the WWE Universe at this moment in time. Not to forget that Yujiro and AJ both had a shared history in Japan. AJ and Mil were both relatively new arrivals in comparison to Yujiro who had been in the match for well over an hour now. Yujiro and Styles both seemed to realise that they were going to need to work together if they had any chance of getting rid of Mil, whilst Mil didn't look the slightest bit worried about the two other men that he was sharing the ring with. Styles would come forward and hit Mil with a Discus Clothesline but the move wouldn't have enough force behind it to knock Mil over only for Yujiro to grab hold of the dazed Muertes and send him down onto the canvass with PIMP JUICE! Yujiro would be left looked stunned though as Mil would sit up in a very similar fashion that both The Undertaker and Kane were both infamous for having done throughout both of their illustrious careers. Mil would stand up and grab hold of Yujiro around the throat before sending him down to the mat with the FLATLINER! Mil would turn his attention back to AJ and charge at him with his spear-like move The Reaper's Trident only for Styles to evade by leaping up over the oncoming masked leviathan and as Mil came back after bouncing off the ropes he would be surprised, as Styles would SUPERKICK him square in the jaw. Mil would remain on his feet however but would begin to start back pedalling towards the ropes. Yujiro was back on his feet once more and both he and Styles would exchange looks before they would charge forward at Mil only for AJ to stop his run short, effectively abandoning Yujiro which would result in Mil Muertes smiling as he grabbed hold of Yujiro and toss him over the ropes and out of the match.
*Yujiro Eliminated*
Mil would look at straight through Styles as if he wasn't even there and would look as if he was on the verge of smiling although he wouldn't quite get there. Styles though wasn't going to succumb to any mind games however as he would charge straight at Mil and start by smashing Mil in the jaw area with a number of forearm smashes before managing to get Mil to drop to knee only to drive his foot into the side of Mil's head with a well placed Spin Kick! Mil though despite all the damage he was taking would carrying on fight and push up to his feet once more and grab Styles around his throat and smash him down to the mat with a FLATLINER! Mil would stand above Styles and lift his hands in the air and shout out loud most likely as a bold statement of his intent only to be caught totally off-guard as Styles was quick to his feet as he would nail Mil with a PELE KICK! Mil would back pedal in a similar fashion to the way he had done earlier as Styles would leap up onto the ropes at a right angle to where Mil was standing and spring up onto the ropes and fly straight for Muertes with the PHENOMENAL FOREARM that would be all that was needed to knock Mil over the ropes and out of the ring.
*Mil Muertes Eliminated*
AJ would drop to his knees looking completely exhausted as a range of pyrotechnics would be set off to mark the fact that AJ Styles was in fact that sole survivor and therefore the winner of the 2017 Royal Rumble Match. AJ would eventually push himself up onto his feet and climb up onto the turnbuckle and have a massive smile across his face as he would point up to the Wrestlemania 33 with a massive smile across his face as the show would come to a close with a ray of confetti falling from the rafters and covering the ring in all different colours.
| ROYAL RUMBLE WINNER STORYLINE || 31st January (Smackdown Live): AJ Styles would appear on Smackdown Live as the man of the moment which wasn't at all surprising considering it was only two nights ago that Styles had done the unthinkable by winning the 30th annual Royal Rumble. AJ would stand in the middle of the ring and make it clear that at Wrestlemania 33 in Orlando, he would have his hand raised in the air and a world championship belt raised above his head when all was said and done. Before Styles could say anything else though he would find himself interrupted by Smackdown Live Commissioner and General Manager. Shane McMahon and Kurt Angle would both shake hands with Styles and both men would make it clear just how happy they were that because of AJ's win, Smackdown Live would now play host to this year's Wrestlemania main event. Styles though would smile to himself before making a finger wagging motion as he would perch in a sitting position on top of the turnbuckle. AJ would make it clear that he still hadn't made his mind up in regard to which champion he was intending to go after Wrestlemania, which of course would result in both Angle and McMahon looking mortified. Styles would pat both men on the backs before heading backstage only to turn around and wave at the fans before finally disappearing.
7th February (Smackdown Live): Current WWE World Champion Dean Ambrose would be in the ring as he would host another edition of 'The Ambrose Asylum' and would invite AJ Styles to the ring as his guest. Dean's line of questioning was very deliberate and it was clear that he was doing his best to try and get a reaction from Styles. Dean would first try and insinuate that AJ was a coward for running away from his battles and instead looking for an easier route to a world title on RAW. Style would laugh off this suggestion and actually insult Ambrose by making a point that arguably winning the Universal Championship was much more difficult job. Dean would then try a different approach and instead comment on Styles many failures in becoming the WWE World Champion being the main reason why he was so willing to abandon Smackdown Live and run off to Monday Night RAW. AJ would end the segment by making it clear that he would be influenced by no one but himself in regards to making his final choice, although he would be attending RAW next week in the hope of getting a preview of what the other brand might be able to offer him in terms of opportunities.
13th February (Monday Night RAW): AJ would meet backstage with RAW's General Manager Mick Foley. Foley would be much calmer in his approach in trying to convince AJ to join RAW and challenge for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania. Foley though would make the point that before AJ rushed into a life changing decision perhaps he should return to RAW next week following the PPV this coming Sunday; Fastlane. AJ would agree with Foley's term and would also confirm that he would be attending the PPV this weekend to see just what RAW had to offer him if he did decide to challenge for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania.
|| WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||
Following The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) having become new RAW tag team champions, The Dudley Boyz all seemed to have dropped off the face of the earth (or perhaps they had just been granted some time off). The Establishment would make it quite clear that they were the number one tag team in the WWE and it would take something beyond a miracle to dethrone them. After having said all of this both Daniels and Kazarian would be left laughing as 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal & Darren Young) would come forward and make it known that they felt that if any team was deserving of a shot at the titles it was them. Daniels though would seem happy to entertain 3MB with possiblity that they might be worthy of a shot at the titles. Daniels would tell the group that if all three members of 3MB could beat both himself and Kazarian in a 3-on-2 Handicap match (30th January) then he would give them a shot at the RAW Tag Team Titles. Despite Young, Mahal and Slater bringing their best game to the table they were simply no match for the champions who would send the upstarts packing.
The following week (6th February) The Establishment would find themselves on the receiving end of another similar challenge this time from The Shining Stars (Primo & Epico) although rather than having to fight off another team two weeks in row The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv) would interrupt proceedings by taking both Primo & Epico out at the same time with a Double Superkick. Gurv and Harv would make it clear that just like Daniels and Kazarian they had shown in recent months why the new teams were starting to place the older ones that had come stale and irrelevant and that if The Establishment wanted to defend their titles against a team that meant anything then they would face the Bollywood Boyz at Fastlane.
Kazarian would make the point that he liked that both Gurv and Harv had gumption and therefore The Establishment were more than happy to face the Bollywood Boyz at the upcoming pay per view, even if they would have to beat them and shatter their dreams in front of all the fans in Milwaukee. Daniels would add a stipulation to the contest though by saying that the match would be fought under fifteen minute match limit as the RAW Tag Team Champions would play host to a 'Fifteen Minute of Fame Match' and that if the match ended in a draw then both he and Kazarian would still remain in possession of the the title belts meaning that The Bollywood Boyz would have to win within that fifteen minute window if they were to be victorious.
Fifteen Minutes of Fame Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Establishment (c) vs. The Bollywood Boyz
|| WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following Zack Sabre Jr.'s successful title defence at the Royal Rumble, the champion would once again find himself pressed by both groups (The Rudos & Cruiserweight Light) in regards to which group he was going to side with in the ensuing battle between both of the cruiserweight division's factions. ZSJ would once again refuse to join either of the two groups and make the point that he still had no interest in aligning himself with either of the two factions. It would be revealed that, following Neville, Kendrick and Sabin having attacked both Kalisto and Sin Cara at Masquerade Brawl both men had decided to put their own differences to one side and join Cruiserweight Light. The Rudos would manage to rope in two new members convincing both Rich Swann and Akira Tozawa to join their group. This would mean that both factions now compromised of nine members each with only ZSJ, Will Ferrera and Kushida not current linked to either group.
A week after the Rumble (6th February) RAW's Commissioner Stephanie McMahon would stand next to Rey Mysterio in the ring and reveal that she had convinced that five time WCW Cruiserweight Champion and three time WWE Cruiserweight Champion had come to terms with her and signed a contract to officially become the newest member of the Cruiserweight Division. Stephanie would reveal as part of the contract negotiations Rey Mysterio would be challenging ZSJ for the Cruiserweight Championship at Fastlane. ZSJ would seem less than impressed by the announcement as he would come out to the ring only to be be left stunned at Rey would smash Zack with a hurricanrana before connecting with a 619! It was at this point that all nine members of 'The Rudos' would emerge from the crowd and slide into the ring but rather than attack all nine members would embrace with Rey and it became clear that Mysterio had joined the dark faction. To make matters worse though ZSJ was struggling to get up to his feet whilst in the middle of a snake pit with ten snakes ready to bite him at a moments notice. This of course would lead 'Cruiserweight Light' charging out from the back clearly looking to come to ZSJ's aid. Rather than break into mass conflict though Rey and the rest of 'The Rudos' would flee the ring before any further fighting could occur.
The following week (13th February) Mysterio would cut a promo backstage introducing Will Ferrera and Kushida as the two latest recruits to join 'The Rudos'. Rey would go on to make a point that Sabre Jr. was any inferior wrestling in comparison and that he was a fool for ever turning down 'The Rudos' and he would regret that decision once he lost the title at Fastlane and became another irrelevant name in the history books. Mysterio would be interrupted in person by Zack who would make it clear that he was relishing the prospect of knocking a so called 'wrestling legend' down a peg or two and proving to the WWE Universe once and for all why he was the most talented man in the Cruiserweight Division.
Singles Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
|| WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
With Alicia Fox having failed to won the RAW Women's Championship on the fourth time of asking at Roadblock: End of the Line, Alicia Fox would find herself in a strange position of being considered as someone who was unbeatable and she would continue to show her dominance by defending her twice in the space between Roadblock and the Royal Rumble. (26th December) Sasha would successfully defend the titles in singles action against Nia Jax (who for months had been vying for another shot at the title) as well as defeating Summer Rae (9th January).
Following the Royal Rumble (30th January) Rusev, Ted DiBiase Sr. and Lana would all come in the RAW General's Manager office and Rusev would lay down the Million Dollar Championship down on the table. Rusev would make it clear to Foley that nobody was more important to him than his wife Lana and suggested to Foley that he relinquish the Million Dollar Championship if Lana be granted a shot at Sasha for a shot the RAW Women's Championship. Foley would be intrigued by the offer, whilst Ted DiBiase Sr. would be left stunned by the suggestion and would pull back Rusev in a desperate attempt to change his mind. Foley would admit that the idea was interesting but wouldn't be able to make it possible on his own and would have to refer the idea to Stephanie McMahon.
The following week (6th February) Stephanie would invite Rusev and Lana to the ring and admit that she was particularly interested with their idea, with one of the main reasons being that she felt that the Million Dollar Championship belonged in a wrestling museum instead of around the waist of an active wrestler. At the same time Stephanie would publically acknowledge that Lana had been working her socks off in the performance centre and that she certainly had the potential inside of her. This would result in Rusev handing over the title and Stephanie officially booking the match between Sasha and Lana to take place at Fastlane.
Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Lana w/ Rusev
|| WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Considering the manner in which the contest between Balor and The Undertaker never officially got underway, it wasn't surprising that RAW's General Manager Mick Foley would have something to say about the situation (30th January). Foley would make it clear that he was less than pleased by the manner in which 'The Balor Club' had behaved and would demand that all six members of the group come out from the back and join him in the ring. It wouldn't take long for the troupe of Balor, Anderson, Gallows, Fale, Yujiro and Martini to make their way out from the back and join him in the ring. Foley would make it clear that someone was going to pay for preventing the WWE Universe from being treated to a Universal Title match at the Royal Rumble. Being the fair man that he was Foley would dismiss both Truth Martini and Yujiro citing that neither man had played any part in the match and therefore would not be caught in the crossfire. Foley would then turn to Balor and inform him that at Fastlane he would have to face The Undertaker although he wouldn't reveal any further details at this time. Balor would look on the verge of being about to say something, only for Foley to demand that Finn go backstage or face further punishment. Finn would acknowledge that Foley was straight talking and seem to whisper something to Karl Anderson before exiting the ring and heading backstage.
Foley would turn his attention back to Anderson, Gallows and Fale and offer them two options. The first being that between the three of them they could decide which one of them he could fire on the spot. The second option that Foley presented was the three men face a team of his choice. If they were to win they would all keep their jobs, but if they lost two would be sacked. 'The Balor Club' looked less than pleased with the option, but it hadn't been pretty clear from the get go that they weren't going to pick the first option. Karl would ask who exactly he had in mind for them to face, but Foley made it clear that no details would be revealed until an option was picked. Suddenly Gallows would grab hold of King Fale and throw him onto his shoulders in a Fireman's carry position as Anderson would charge forward as Fale would be floored with the Boot of Doom! Anderson would tell Foley that they had chosen the first option and it was up to Foley to figure out the rest, as Karl and Luke would exit the ring and head towards the back leaving a floored King Fale lying face down whilst Foley clearly couldn't quite believe what had taken place.
The following week (6th February) 'The Balor Club' (except for Yujiro) would come out to the ring once again although now they were now one man short having sacrificed King Fale the week previously. Finn would take to the microphone and demand that The Undertaker show his face before he had to pick someone else to fight at Fastlane. The gong of the Dead Man would start ringing and The Undertaker would walks out from the smoke and would stop on the entrance ramp. The Undertaker would ask Finn if he was scared of the fire because at Fastlane he would be getting burnt as he would reveal that when both men stepped into the ring at the PPV they would surrounded by fire as they would be competing in the first Inferno match in over a decade. Balor looked horrified at the thought of having to face The Undertaker in such a sadistic contest and it was clear that his stablemates were unable to offer him any real support. The Undertaker would then ask Balor if he was ready to 'Rest In Peace' before the lights in the arena would go out only to come on again only with The Undertaker have disappeared.
With just one show left before Fastlane (13th February) and the buildup for the Universal Championship well and truly underway Foley would inform Anderson and Gallows from his office that despite the fact that they had chosen for King Fale to have his contract terminated they would still be competing at Fastlane against a team of his choosing even if their jobs weren't on the line. Mick would usher people off screen to join him to reveal Goldust and Sting as the two men that 'The Balor Club' would be facing at the PPV.
Tag Team Match
The Balor Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. Sting & Goldust
Inferno Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor (c) vs. The Undertaker
|| WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
On the final episode of RAW before Fastlane (13th February), Mick Foley would announce that a very unique match would take place at Fastlane and that the WWE Universe would bear witness to a match that hadn't been seen in a very long time the Triple Cage Match. Foley explained that the US Title would be present in the top cage and that the only way for anyone to win the contest would be to exit the cage on the ground floor with the title belt in their possession. Considering how difficult it would be to retain the title Sami Zayn wasn't the best pleased that he was going to have to defend the title in a match like this, but despite the certain odds against him made it cleared that he would welcomed any challenge irrespective of what the odds against him winning might be. Foley would read out a list of seven other man that had had selected to take part in what would be a historic contest who would be: Chris Jericho, Rusev, Yujiro, Kevin Owens, Sheamus, Cesaro and Big E.
Triple Cage Match (United States Championship)
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rusev vs. Yujiro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sheamus vs. Cesaro vs. Big E
|| LESNAR/STROWMAN STORYLINE ||
In the aftermath of the Royal Rumble, Braun had shown his strength to everybody by eliminating nine other men (which if you looked at the maths meant that he had eliminated nearly a 1/4 of the entrants) had led to one man greatly taking an offence to so many people taking about how great Strowman was. And this man was Brock Lesnar. To make matters worse rather than rest his blame on Sting's shoulders for eliminating him, Brock had taken more offence to Strowman chokeslamming him after the matter of fact. The uncontrollable rage as certainly something that could not be controlled and Foley would seem to have no choice but book both men to face each other at Fastlane.
Triple Threat Tornado Tag Team Match (Winners Earn Shot At RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) vs. Big Cass & Enzo Amore vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Lana w/ Rusev
Fifteen Minutes of Fame Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazaria) (c) vs. The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv)
Singles Match
Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar
Singles Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
Tag Team Match
The Balor Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. Sting & Goldust
Triple Cage Match (United States Championship)
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rusev vs. Yujiro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sheamus vs. Cesaro vs. Big E
Inferno Match (WWE Universal Championship) Finn Balor (c) vs. The Undertaker
Triple Threat Tornado Tag Team Match (Winners Earn Shot At RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Shield (Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins) vs. Big Cass & Enzo Amore vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)
[Before the match begun, but with all three teams already having made it down to the ring, RAW's General Manager Mick Foley would emerge from the back with a big smile on his face making sure to give a cheap shout out to the fans in Milwaukee. Foley would then have a message for The New Day in which he would remind that because of their loss to Braun Strowman at so many months ago at Clash of Champions they were still serving a 365 day ban preventing them from challenging for the RAW Tag Team Championships and that on this basis even if they won tonight's contest they wouldn't be able to compete for the title until the year period was up. As would expect Xavier and Kofi were furious with the news. As soon as the match was officially underway Kingston and Woods would show their protest about their title ban by bailing from the ring and heading towards the back leaving The Shield and Cass & Enzo to compete in a traditional tag team match.
The match itself was nothing to write home about although it was an acceptable way for the the Pay Per View to kickoff. Highlights from the nights opening contest including: Enzo and Cass working together by performing a number of unique double-team moves each they would tag each other in with the best of these being their patented finishing move BADA BOOM SHAKALAKA! There is no denying that Seth and Roman work well as a unit although their standout moment came as individuals. Seth would pull out his high impact kick that had been his bread and butter during his time in NXT as he would get massive extension by nailing Big Cass in the head with AVADA KEDAVRA! Roman would also drop Enzo by running along the ring apron only to drop Amore like a fly as he connected with a Superman Punch! The match would actually end moments after the Superman Punch connects as Big Cass manage to counter a Pedigree attempt from Seth Rollins only to take hold of Rollins and lay him out with the EAST RIVING CROSSING before holding Rollins down long enough to claim the victory. Big Cass and Enzo Amore would celebrate in the ring together although Enzo was still noticeably shaken from the Superman Punch he had received from Roman but still had a massive smile on his face.]
WINNERS: Big Cass & Enzo Amore - earn a title shot for the RAW Tag Team Championships
Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)
Sasha Banks (c) vs. Lana w/ Rusev
[As you might have expected despite Lana having put the work at the Performance Center, Lana was absolutely no match for the WWE RAW Women's Champion. Lana to her credit would last longer than expected as the match would reach the seven minute mark before it became clear that Lana was well and truly done for as Sasha would send Lana back first into the turnbuckle with a Roundhouse Kick only to grab hold of Lana as she came wheeling back by hitting her with the a Straight Jacket Neckbreaker Slam! With Lana on the mat looking well and truly out of it, Rusev would look on his horror as Sasha dropped to the mat and took hold of Lana locking her in the BANK STATEMENT with not much time passing before Lana starting tapping out eager for her suffering to come to an end.
Post-match Rusev would tend to his wife and help her out of the ring, whilst Sasha would showboat with the belt as if she had won the most difficult match of her career. Sasha would be left looking completely shocked as her celebrations was interrupted by an iconic theme tune.
Oh, it's time to rock and roll. This time I'm in control! The fans would cheer almost in a frenzy of pure euphoria as out from the back stepped none other than the seven time former WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus. Stratus would hold her position at the top of the stage but make a hand gesture of the title belt which would be followed by her pointing at Sasha only to smile before point back at herself and finally up above her at the Wrestlemania 33 sign. This of course would lead to an ever bigger burst of excitement from the fans in attendance as it looked like the first match for the Wrestlemania weekend was set in stone.]
WINNER: Sasha Banks - still WWE RAW Women's Champion
Fifteen Minutes of Fame Match (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships)
The Establishment (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazaria) (c) vs. The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv & Harv)
[The Establishment were without a doubt an extremely intelligent tag team and even by giving the match a fifteen minute time limit both Kazarian and Daniels had been able to show just how smart they both were, as it was another way in which they were able to control the situation to their advantage. With the match underway The Establishment would continue to show their wrestling smarts by wasting as much time as possible at every
opportunity. Every time the crowd booed or jeered at Daniels of Kazarian both men just smiled and it was clear that they had no problem with being the bad guys, if anything they thrived from it. Delay tactics would include both men leaning through the ropes in order to initiate a rope-break which would allow them not only to get a breather but also seriously irritate Gurv or Harv dependent on which of the two was the legal man. Another approach that The Establishment utilised to waste time was by exiting the ring in order for the referee to start a countdown only to slide back into the ring after the eighth or ninth count which would not only annoy The Bollywood Boyz and the fans, but also it was clear that the referee was less than impressed by the mockery in which The Establishment were treating the contest.
Despite everything though as the match entered its final minute Daniels and Kazarian would both be taken by surprise. Both men had been wasting time outside of the ring only to re-enter the ring and by met by Gurv who would hit Daniels with a SUPERKICK, whilst Harv would hit Kazarian with an equally as impressive SUPERKICK! Gurv and Harv would then proceed to drag Daniels up to his feet and toss him through the ropes and out of the ring before scouting Daniels. When Daniels did finally get to his feet he would be nailed instantly with a DOUBLE SUPERKICK! Harv would stand guard making sure Frankie didn't interrupt, whilst Gurv would drop down on top of Daniels for the cover. The referee would bring his hand down for the two count only for the ring bell to be rung before he could bring it down for the third time. Gurv and Harv both looked like they were about to be sick as they both realised that they had been just one second short of becoming the tag team champions. Meanwhile, Kazarian had pulled Daniels out of the ring and both men would make their way to the back still in possession of the RAW Tag Team Championships, and both men would looked extremely relieved by that fact.]
MATCH RESULT: DRAW - The Establishment remain WWE RAW Tag Team Champions
Singles Match Braun Strowman vs. Brock Lesnar
[There can be no denying that the contest between Strowman and Lesnar was one that a lot of people in the wrestling community were paying attention to. Either Braun would live up to the hype and be capable of man handling someone as monstrous as Brock Lesnar or simply pay the price like so many men to have been cut down by Brock Lensar during the Beast Incarnate's career. What can be said with certainty however is that both men held nothing back from each other and it was clear that both Brock and Braun were fully aware just how important winning this match was in regards to what sort of match they would be part of at Wrestlemania if any. The match was all about power moves and both men were keen to show the fans who was the stronger out of the two of them, considering their muscle combined and body weight it was clear that both men had a lot on their plate when it came to trying to lift each other. Both men used a number of backbreakers, fallaway slams, press drops, suplexes, powerslams and running clothesline in order to tire each other out.
The match came to its conclusion in a very interesting fashion. Both men were starting to show signs of exhaustion, but that didn't stop Braun from charging forward at Brock and sending him in the direction of the turnbuckle with a Big Boot to Lesnar mid-section. Brock though wouldn't take the hit as an opportunity to compose himself as he would charge forward with an attempt to use all of his force by taking Braun off his feet with an uncharacteristic diving crossbody. Braun though would manage to catch Brock in mid-air and spin around before sending Braun down to the mat with a RUNNING POWERSLAM! Everyone in the arena would look on in wonder as Braun would drop down on top of Lesnar and with the 1, 2, 3 there would be a massive cheer from the crowd as Braun had done the unthinkable by defeating Brock.]
WINNER: Braun Strowman
Singles Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Rey Mysterio
[There can be no denying that Rey Mysterio return match had a massive amount of hype around it, although at the same time many of the fans of both the Cruiserweight Division and of Zack Sabre Jr. still didn't understand why Rey had been handed a title shot without having to earn it. Many people even suggested that for Rey to get a shot off the bat whilst the 'The Rudos' verus 'Cruiserweight Light' story was taking place just damaged the storyline as well as hurting the prestige of the new Cruiserweight Championship. What didn't happen in the contest between ZSJ and Mysterio was send the fans to sleep as everyone was treated to a fast paced and explosive contest. Some of the early moves from both men would include: ZSJ focusing on his variety of suplexes ranging from tiger suplexes, snap underhook suplexes, dragon suplexes and tiger suplexes. The focus on this side of his arsenal was clearly a deliberate attempt to separate himself from Mysterio's style in order to try and fight the match on his own terms. Rey though used his height and speed to his advantage whether it was using baseball slides, bulldogs, drop kicks and a number of aerial assaults in which he would come flying off the ropes to add momentum with a Springboard Moonsault being a good example of one of these attacks.
The ending of the contest was one that was perfect for a cruiserweight contest with it being high intensity and nothing held back from the other man. The action would begin with Zack Sabre Jr. wrapping himself around Rey in an OCTOPUS HOLD only for Mysterio to transition himself out of the whole and throw Sabre Jr. in the direction of the ropes with an arm drag which would result in Zack being in prime position as he was draped over the second rope. This of course led to a massive cheer coming from the crowd as Rey would charge forward and nail ZSJ with the iconic 619 which would send Sabre pedalling backwards before falling onto his back. Rey would then springboard off the ropes and attempt to land on top of Zack with a Diving Splash but would Zack would raise his knees knocking all of the wind of Rey. Despite suffering the full forces of Rey's tiger feint kick Zack was at an advantage with Mysterio being winded and ZSJ would run towards the ropes and spring back off them and take out the kneeling Mysterio with the PENALTY KICK! Zack would then roll-up Mysterio and do just about enough to take the victory and retain the title once again.
After the match Zack Sabre Jr. would hold his title above his head, before exiting the ring and grabbing a white t-shirt and putting it on with two words emblazoned on the front of it 'Cruiserweight Light' clearly acting as an indication that Zack had finally chosen sides in the ensuing cruiserweight division faction war.]
WINNER: Zack Sabe Jr. - still WWE Cruiserweight Champion
Tag Team Match
The Balor Club (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. Sting & Goldust
[The contest between 'The Balor Club' and the combination of Sting and Goldust was a strange one to say the least. Firstly it was unclear why facing two veterans was seen as a punishment for Anderson and Gallows. Also it was unclear that exactly Sting and Goldust had in common in order to work together as a tag-team. The match wasn't the longest affair although it became clear that the match was really being used an opportunity to introduce Goldust and String to the audience as dysfunctional duo as it soon became apparent that both men were very much not on the same page. So much so in fact that once Goldust had been tagged in by String, the golden one never got his partner back involved in the action again. Goldust's arrogance would of course be his undoing as he would tire himself out and soon find himself trapping in the corner of 'The Balor Club' and it would take long for the match to come to an end by way of the MAGIC KILLER!
After the contest with Anderson and Gallows celebrating on the entrance ramp, Sting would noticeably enter the ring and pull Goldust back to his feet and appear to be giving him some words of advice although not in the nicest of manners whilst Goldust look confused by the whole affair. The final thought had to be what was Mick Foley thinking by putting these two men together against such a well versed and inform team like Anderson and Gallows.]
WINNERS: Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows
Triple Cage Match (United States Championship)
Sami Zayn (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rusev vs. Yujiro vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sheamus vs. Cesaro vs. Big E
[The Triple Cage Match was without a doubt a match that was complete and utter carnage and as soon as all eight men entered the cage and the bell was rung it proved to be quite difficult for the fans to know where to look. With all eight men knowing that they would still have to climb two ladders, grab the title and then climb down the same ladders again it was clear that everyone realised just how difficult winning the contest would prove to be. What became clear from relatively early on was that Cesaro and Sheamus had come into the match with a game plan and were working together. The combination allowed for Sheamus to connect with a number of BROGUE KICKS that enabled Cesaro to become the first man to climb the ladder and enter into the second cage. The second cage was particularly interesting as it was filled with a number of dangerous weapons, with Sheamus grabbing hold of a steel chair and dropping it to Cesaro. The Swiss wrestler would use the chair to his advantage and drop anyone that came in his direction with Chair Shots before following suit and climbing up the ladder and entering the second cage. With the number decreasing in the lower-cage, a little bit more breathing room was mad available. One man though that wasn't be allowed anytime off was current United States Champion Sami Zayn who was being absolutely brutalised by Kevin Owens who had been throwing Sami into the side of the cage before nailing a seated Zayn with Cannonball as he was propped up in the corner of the cage. The senton though wouldn't just hurt Zayn as it was clear that Owens was feeling the full affects of the steel cage against his back. Yujiro and Big E strangely enough seemed to come sort of verbal agreement and both men would choose to climb the ladder in pursuit of Cesaro and Sheaus instead of fight each other for position. By this time though Sheamus had already climbed the second ladder and was now in the third smaller cage.
In what was previously a strong position Cesaro found himself out numbered by Big E and Yujiro and both men took hold of kendo stick and would proceed to beat Cesaro until he was unable to stand that would be followed by Yujiro grabbing hold of Cesaro and hitting him with PIMP JUICE! Almost immediately afterwards Yujiro would grab a pair of handcuffs and end up locking Cesaro to the the side of the cage. Above in the third cage Sheamus had grabbed hold of the United State Title but was clearly wary of climbing down into immediate danger. At the same time Jericho and Rusev were battling below and Jericho had managed to crunch Rusev with the CODEBREAKER! This would give Jericho the freedom to climb the cage and join Big E, Yujiro and locked up Cesaro. Kevin Owens and Zayn were still continuing to fight each other at ringside although it was Zayn who was starting to look on the ascendancy.
Jericho would make it clear that he had no intention of playing ball with either Yujiro or Big E and as Jericho got involved in the action the alliance between Big E and Yujiro would appear to come to a sudden end as Yujiro would find himself sent through the cage trap door and down into the bottom cage with the BIG ENDING which would actually end up taking out Rusev who had been attempting to climb the first ladder at the same time. Meanwhile Sheamus had emptied the contents of two trash cans and had found himself a pair of wire cutters and rather than climb into the viper's pit he was instead attempting change the rules of the match to suit his needs. When Sheamus was just about done cutting a hole through the top cage, he would find himself being interrupted by Jericho who would smash into Sheamus with a short-arm lariat and send both men through the hole and onto the outside top of the second cage. At the same time though Sheamus had lost hold of the US Title and the championship belt had fallen into the second cage with absolutely no one there to take hold of the belt.
Zayn had finally managed to get away from Owens and would be quick to climb up into the second cage and grab hold of the US Title before dropping back down into the lower cage. Rusev though would pummel Zayn only seconds after he touched the canvass by connecting with a Jumping Savate Kick! Rusev though wouldn't even have time to grab the title before he was thrown over by Big E with a BELLY-TO-BOOTY! At the same time Sheamus and Jericho were battling on top of the cage and Sheamus would attempt to connect with a Brogue Kick only for Jericho to catch his leg in mid-air although the forward momentum would result in both men falling off the side of the cage and slamming down through the announcer's table down below. As Big E was grabbing hold of the title he would slip underneath the ropes and approach the cage door, only for Kevin Owens to come charging towards Big E and send Langston into the side of the cage with a Body Splash! Yujiro and Sami Zayn would realise how close the match was to be finished as both men would exit the ring, only for Yujiro to smash both his knees into Zayn face before lifting up Zayn and sending him down onto the concrete with the BUKKO NUKI GER-NO! At the last moment Zayn reversed the move and instead lifted up Yujiro and nailed him with a SPIKE BRAINBUSTER! Zayn would then scout around him before grabbing the US Title before wrenching open the cage door and stepping out of the cage and bringing the match to a finish.]
WINNER: Sami Zayn - still United States Champion
Inferno Match (WWE Universal Championship)
Finn Balor (c) vs. The Undertaker
[With Finn and The Undertaker in the ring and the referee having done all the expected basics in regards to safety checks and championship belt presentation he would leave the ring, as the technical crew would set the fires that surrounded the ring in what would be the burning force in determining who out of the two wrestlers would be leaving with the Universal Championship in their possession. The match was a very cagey affair with neither man willing to get anywhere near the ropes, which wasn't surprising considering the fact that the closer they were to the ropes the hotter it was. One thing that seemed apparent was that The Undertaker wasn't a hundred percent committing to the match, although you weren't able to tell in terms of his professionalism but more in terms of the risks he was willing to take (clearly with Wrestlemania on the horizon this wasn't the time to put yourself on the line.) In order to aid with the story-telling of the match Balor would work well with Taker making sure that the veteran was complimented by his style despite being fast paced and explosive in his wrestling style.
The main-event was the longest contest although the interesting was certainly worth the wait. Balor had managed to hack Undertaker down like a lumberjack cutting down a tree with a number of well placed high kicks only to send to 'The Dead Man' onto his pack with a Pele Kick! Balor would then take a massive risk by climbing up onto the turnbuckle only to jump off and land on top of The Undertaker with the COUP DE GRACE! Much to everyone's shock although not complete surprise The Undertaker would sit up almost straight away which would cause Balor to back pedal, but rather than let The Undertaker to get back to his feet Balor would charge forward and attempt to hack him down with kicks once again although this time Taker was having none of it as he would fight his way up to his feet only to grab hold of Balor around his throat and slam him down with a CHOKESLAM! The Undertaker would drop down on top of Balor to attempt the cover only to smile as he realised that he wasn't going to win the match like that. Balor would show his willingness to do whatever it took to retain the title as he would reach up and rake Undertaker's eyes temporarily blinding him. With The Undertaker reeling back trying to regain his vision he would found himself leaning up against the ropes. Balor would then pull off a move that hadn't ever used in the WWE Universe as he nailed Taker with a Jumping Corkscrew Roundhouse Kick! The kick had enough power behind it to actually cause Taker to fall through the ropes, but still remain on the ring apron. Balor would then slip through the ropes and lift up a clearly hurting Undertaker and nail him on the ring apron with 1916 before Taker would fall out of the ring and into the fire.
The Undertaker would start rolling on the floor trying to put out the fire that had started on his trousers, although it didn't take long for a member of the ringside crew to grab a fire extinguisher and start to put out the fire. At the same time the fires were being turned off, before the referee would climb back into the ring and present Balor with the Universal Championship. Balor would look extremely pleased with himself as he would wipe some of the face paint off his brow before lifting the belt above his head as the show came to a close.]
WINNER: Finn Balor - still WWE Universal Champion
(NOTE: This was planned by myself and my former creative partner 'LG' but the results were written by LG - who for a short time wrote out the TakeOver results)
★ ONEY LORCAN vs. DAN MATHA ★ An impromptu match to kick off the NXT Takeover: Orlando pre-show, Mike Rome introduced the hometown hero, Dan Matha to the ring to a positive reaction from the crowd (namley because of his billing, given the limited amount of screen-time he had on NXT Television), The 6'7 Superstar would make his way to the ring and quickly hush the crowd telling them that this was the start of his very own Takeover and tonight he given the opportunity to get rid of the scum in NXT. The crowd would quickly turn against Matha and his bad attitude, as he bragged about his height and strength, so the crowd were relieved when Oney Lorcan had made his way to the ring. Lorcan snatched the microphone and told Matha he didn't care about how tall he stood, because "the taller they stand, the harder they fall", prompting a positive reaction from the crowd. Matha reminded Lorcan that he's made a name for himself as a 'good guy, who's never been good enough" and that when he was in the ring with the Super-Human of NXT, his flaws will be exposed. Lorcan simply told Matha that his arrogance was his flaw and that he was done talking, with that he dropped the microphone and a brawl ensued.
The Super-Human showcased some skill against Oney Lorcan, fighting back with a series of clotheslines, but he was visibly angered when Lorcan got back after every single one. The match itself was a short-lived affair with the main card being so stacked. However it achieved its mission in highlighting Lorcan as a unsung hero, with commentary providing the the narrative alongside the pre-match promo. Lorcan stunned with a top-rope European Uppercut, flawing Dan Matha and locking in a single leg Boston Crab in the center of the ring. Matha would use his strength to crawl to the ropes, but Lorcan mustered everything he could to wander forth back to the center and Matha would only have one option: to tap.
After the match Oney Lorcan celebrated a much deserved victory with the crowd before making his way to the back, as he did he smiled as he looked back to Matha clutching his back in the ring.
winner via submission, following a Boston Crab - Oney Lorcan
★ LIV MORGAN vs. ALIYAH ★ Unlike the opening bout of the kick-off show, this match had a little more context to it. Liv Morgan and Aliyah had arrived at the WWE Performance Center together, they had been friends from the beginning. The two had backed each other against "The Iconic Duo" of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. However it was last Takeover, in San Antonio where relations had soured between the two. During the kick-off show, Aliya and Liv Morgan tag-teamed once more, but this time the former would leave her partner high and dry, dropping off the apron and walking to the back during the match. Liv Morgan would eat the pin-fall and Aliyah simply watched and blew a kiss goodbye.
Over the next couple of weeks, the two women showed nothing but resentment for each other. Aliyah noted that Liv was always dragging her in to clean up her mess, and she was sick of playing the role of the side-kick. Liv Morgan on the other hand showed off her moves in the ring as she defeated as uncredited Kimber Lee in a singled match before calling out Aliyah, who would ignore the request to fight. The following week Aliyah set out to prove whatever Liv could do, she could do better as she defeated Evie with a Lotus Lock. Liv Morgan would storm the ring after the match just missing out on the opportunity of catching her friend-turned-foe, who escaped through the crowd. The next week Aliyah went on record, saying that Liv was a woman withour honor or dignity, and accusing her New Jersey roots of encouraging her to act like an animal, this time she wasn't so lucky as Liv had overheard the whole affair and the two would brawl backstage.
So when it came to the match it was an all-out brawl, Liv made her way to the ring to a good reaction from the crowd while Aliyah debuted a new cockier entrace as she blew a sarcastic kiss down to her opponent from the entrance ramp. A balanced match, Liv was able to show more of a move-set outside of her standard routine on television, and this helped the crowd get behind her more. The ending came when Aliyah headed to the top rope, looking for a moonsault only to miss! Liv would roll out of the way, look arouind the crowd and hit a Worm (a move she had adopted from Scotty 2 Hotty) this however would only muster a two count, thinking on her feet she went for a S.T.O., only for Aliyah to roll forward for a two-count of her own. Aliyah would look for her Lotus Lock as she crept up and pulled Liv back, but the referee was quick to make the rope break. The two women back on their, Aliyah went for a neckbreaker but was pushed back into the ropes while Liv fired up and hit a low dropkick sending Aliyah to her knees. From here Liv Morgan would hit the ropes and hit an impressive Headscissor DDT! With the legs hooked, Liv would pick up one of the biggest wins in her young career as she looked up to the ceiling as the moment settled in.
Getting to her feet, Liv would allow the referee to raise her arm in victory as she looked around at her old friend. Morgan pulled Aliyah to her feet and held out her hand, she held out her hand as a mark of respect as Aliyah looked around the crowd a clocks her with a STIFF FOREARM! She locks in the Lotus Lock as Liv screams out and the referee tells her to knock it off, Aliyah would eventually break the hold to a chorus of boo's as she blew a kiss, took a bow and made her exit.
winner via pinfall, following a Headscissor DDT - Liv Morgan
★ THE AUTHORS OF PAIN w/ PAUL ELLERING vs. HEAVY MACHINERY w/ RUBY RIOT ★
In the final match of the pre-show extravangaza in Orlando, Florida we would see The Authors of Pain - Akam and Rezar - take on the up-and-comers Tucker Knight and Otoz Dozovic, who were now known as Heavy Machiney. The latter had featured on NXT to a positive response back in the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and while they had originally been penned as heels, the crowd reaction had prompted a u-turn from creative. Following their disqualification back at San Antonio, Paul Ellering had demanded a rematch against #D.I.Y. for the NXT Tag Team Championships, however William Regal would block the move and advise that Ellering had cost his team match when he struck the champions with the book he carried with him. Regal warned Ellering that his actions would have consequences, and that perhaps he should note that in his book. Not one to take criticism kindly, let alone mockery, Ellering warned William Regal that he may have the desk and the name plaque, but it was he who puppeteered NXT and soon The Authors would make that known.
Heavy Machiney on the other side were getting more exposure on NXT Television, the big men were able to get over without going down the comedy route. Having picked up a victory over Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, Heavy Machinery made it known that the Authors weren't the only giants in the playground and said that they were throwing their name in the hat when it came to the NXT Tag Team Championships. Backstage, Paul Ellering and The Authors watched on unimpressed. Heavy Machinery would continue their success as they overcame a team of local enhancement talents, only to be approached backstage by the same mysterious woman who had aligned with The A.O.P. before (Rachel Ellering to the common eye) her connection to Paul Ellering hadn't been noted on-screen as part of this storyline, but once again she played the messenger role as she delivered a riddle to Knight and Dozovic. The scene was interruped by Heidi Lovelace, making her on-screen debut as Ruby Riot who asked the woman if there was an issue, Rachel would back off as Ruby told the duo that they wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.
Paul Ellering would have some stern words as he addressed Heavy Machiney, telling them that real giants make men shake, not just the ground. Ellering continued to further his prophecy that The Authors would take what was rightfully theirs, but this time Otis, Tucker and Ruby would make their way to the ring. Heavy Machinery reasoned with Akam and Rezar, pointing out that they're looking to blame everyone but Paul Ellering, the man who actually got them disqualified. At this point, Ellering accused Ruby Riot of putting these malicious thoughts into the dull brains of Knight and Dozovic and issued a challenge, that would of course become accepted. Ellering advised the challengers that they could have been something special if only they had better guidence and that this would be their down fall in Orlando.
The match itself was surprisingly entertaining given that there were four larger athletes in the ring. Alex Riley and Tom Phillips on commentary would put over the point that The Authors of Pain simply couldn't rely on brute power and strength to win the match. Heavy Machinery also benefitted largely from competing against the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners, and Ruby Riot did a good job at ringside in motivating a hyped crowd. Ruby's appearance at ringside would hint that the character played by Rachel Ellering would make an appearance, however this seemed to never prosper. Dozovic and Knight were looking for the win in the latter stages as Rezar had been hit by stereo big splashes, only for Akam to come tumbling into the ring and trying to clothesline the two out - only to fall straight back out of the ring when Heavy Machiney dodged the attack. At ringside, Paul Ellering would begin to harass Ruby, causing a distraction as Heavy Machinery looked for a double team attack on Rezar. Siezing the opportunity, Rezar would throw Dozovic into Knight, knocking him out of the ring as Akam slid back into the ring for a Last Chapter and the three count.
winners after a Last Chapter to Otis Dozovic - Akam & Rezar, The Authors of Pain
After the match, Ruby Riot looked demotivated as she checked on Tucker Knight on the outside. Paul Ellering simply shook his head and congratulated The Authors, who now would surely have a claim to the NXT Tag Team Championships. The scene fades as the kick-off show comes to a close....
PROUDLY PRESENTS
01 APRIL, 2017
★ ASUKA vs. MICKIE JAMES ★ FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE ★
Following their previous encounter at the Triple Threat match in San Antonio, Mickie James was removed mid-match at the hands of Asuka, who would go on to lose her championship to Ember Moon in the remainder of the match. In the weeks that followed Asuka was irate that she had lost her first ever match and her title in one night, so much so she had arranged for her 'representative' Funaki to reason with William Regal. The General Manager had enough of the Empress of Tomorrow and scorned her going out of her way to injure Mickie James, Regal would go on to say that Asuka has used every trick in the book, to which she threatened to sit out the remainder of her contract until she could return to Osaka. Regal called Asuka's bluff and told her to sit back and allow a division she helped create, carry on without her. Knowing what this would do to her, Regal smiled as she departed. Asuka would vow to win her title back from Ember Moon, but Moon said that Asuka would have to earn in rather than sit on the laurels of her rematch clause. Asuka would spend the next week putting plan into action as she locked in an Asuka Lock on Faye Jackson (who had been working a try-out) for a quick victory, commentary would hype the move as the same that put Mickie on the shelf. The next week Asuka told the NXT Universe that she made the Women's title something, but now she was without it, she was more valuable than the belt could ever be before bragging about how she beat 'the great' Mickie James and made it look easy. Just then, the signautre music of Mickie played out as the FSU crowd came to their feet, after a few seconds there was no appearance from Mickie or anyone for that matter. Asuka laughed and said that she had them fooled, and that no one would stand in her way from now on.
The next week after a victory against Kimber Lee, Asuka bragged again that she had run out of people to beat when Mickie James' music played again. Asuka laughed, having fooled the NXT Universe again and promised that no one was coming when she was cut off by "HARDCORE COUNTRY!".....the fans errupted into cheers as Asuka looked shocked as Mickie made her way out to the stage, donning an attire more similiar to her TNA run than her signautre WWE image. Mickie's arm was in a sling, but as she took to the microphone she told Asuka that while she was broken by her, she is on the mend and no matter what she tried there was no earsing Mickie James from WWE history. Mickie tells Asuka she might not have taken the title from her, but now Asuka has lost the title she'll realize just how the story goes - one moment you're in, the next you're out. Asuka argues that she is the NXT Women's division, with or without the title and Mickie knows that otherwise she wouldn't trying to cling on to a battle she already lost. Irked, Mickie challenges Asuka to the brawl to end it all at Takeover and this time it's Falls Count Anywhere! Asuka accepted and told Mickie that she had just made the biggest mistake of what was left of her career.
Heading into the match commentary pondered whether Mickie James really was 100% fit to compete, but as she entered the arena to her own music (which was something the company now seemed to embrace) Mickie was ready to fight. Asuka would make her way to the ring as Mickie confidently held the ropes open for her. The two would lock up in the ring as some great chain wrestling would take place, each woman trying to do out do the other until they both caught each other with a shoulder block - with neither woman going anywhere. Mickie tried to catch Asuka off guard with a Mick Kick but Asuka ducked and missed a jumping spin kick of her own. Already both women were getting frustrated. Mickie rallied the crowd as the two wrestled to the outside of the ring and Asuka would tackle her opponent into the barricade. Standing on top of it, she would grab Mickie's arm and drop down as Mickie screamed in agony. Climbing back over, she pinned James for a two count, but Mickie wasn't about to go down that easily! Asuka would get to the apron and wait for Mickie to get back to her feet as she delivered a shining wizard! Rather than going for the pin, Asuka would lock in a swinging full nelson as the crowd chanted for Mickie who backed Asuka into the apron to break the hold. Asuka went on the attack but Mickie used a matrix evasion and followed up with a series of dropkicks to get herself back into the match. Mickie rolls back into the ring to recooperate while Asuka does the same on the outside, but Mickie takes the chance to head to the top for a Thesz Press..1....2...no such luck for Mickie James. Aggitated, the two women battle to their feet until Mickie throws Asuka into the steps and the crowd pop, Mickie clubs away at her opponent until the Empress of Tomorrow catches a forearm and throws it down on the steps. Cruelly, Asuka shoves Mickie away from the steel steps as she creates a gap between the steps and the ring post, dragging Hardcore Country along, she bends the injured arm across the ring post and throws the steps into it! The referee stops Asuka from doing any further damange and consults with Mickie who is in obvious pain but wants to continue the match, Asuka rolls Mickie back into the ring, hearing everything she needs to and takes her straight back down with a Running Hip Attack....1...2....No! Mickie is staying alive for now.
Asuka hits a standing suplex as she poses to the crowd getting a mixed reaction, many enjoying her no nonsense attitude while some felt that she become accustomed to entitlement. Mickie's in the seated position...KICK FROM ASUKA! And another and a third! Mickie's bleeding from the mouth as Asuka makes another cover .... 1.....2....No! Asuka attempts to lock in another full nelson, but Mickie manages to club her way out as she swings Asuka to the turnbuckle only for the former NXT Women's Champion to springboard off with a missile dropkick! Mickie dodges out of the way! Looking around the crowd she puts Asuka in a side-headlock and looks to bring back an old favorite - a shout out to Trish Stratus - the Stratusfaction!......but Asuka shoves her over the ropes and dunks her onto the floor. Asuka joins her opponent on the outside, but as she lifts Mickie to her feet she gets a slap for her troubles, followed by a jawbreaker as the two brawl on the entrance ramp. Asuka connects with a spinning jump kick and follows up with a running hip attack. Once again she waits for Mickie to get back to her feet before trying for another hip attack, but Mickie catches her with a flapjack on the guard rail. Mickie knows it's know or never she tries her best to balance on the guard rail, crouching down and gripping on for dear life as Asuka gets back to her feet - Thesz Press! It's over...1....2.......No Asuka gets the shoulder up. The Belle of the Brawl picks Asuka up as she rallies the crowd, looking for the Mickie-DT on the outside.......Asuka tackles her straight into the guard rail as she circles Micke and locks in the Asuka Lock! There's no ropes to break the hold.....Mickie is out in the cold. There's no option as Mickie taps!
Asuka wipes her brow and looks to the ceiling as her arm is raised in victory. The crowd cheer after a fantastic match between the two. Asuka looks back down with a devlish grin on her face as Alex Riley points out that she had more than earned her rematch for the NXT Women's Championship. Asuka looks like she's going to walk to the back as the referee checks on Mickie, turning back the Empress of Tomorrow holds out her hand, while Mickie looks skeptical given her previous refusal to do so back in Toronto. Mickie accepts as Asuka helps her back on her feet and the crowd applaud the two. Mickie may have lost the match, but she finally won her opponent's respect.
Spoiler:
winner via submission, after an Asuka Lock - Asuka
IS NOT JUST ABOUT THE SURVIVAL OF OUR SOUL,
BUT THE REVIVAL OF A SOUL ONCE FORGOTTEN.
COMING HOME...
...SOON.
★ THE HURRICANE vs. ANDRADÉ ALMAS ★ MASK VS. MASK ★
Since his heel turn, Andrade "Cien" Almas' story was a rather unique one, not only did he have NXT to build his brand upon but he was given an opportunity to showcase his skills at the Masquerade Brawl in which he furthered his character by declaring his hatred of the Masked Lucha Libre traditions, instead Almas said that he was the modern Luchador and all he needed was the looks, the talent and the Lucha to prove why he was the one to watch in NXT. Next, Almas made a bigger impact competing in the Royal Rumble in which his anti-mask gimmick was furthered as he targeted Rey Mysterio and The Hurricane only for the two to end up with the last laugh when they eliminated him from the
main roster event. Undeterred, Almas would gloat about how he took it to a legend of Mexican Wrestling (Mysterio) and that he was going to unmask each and every masked wrestler until they are forced to bow before him. The next week Almas threw out an open challenge, given the shortage of masked wrestlers in NXT, anyone could have come out from the curtain. However the fans got a nice touch of nostaliga when they were introduced to El Local! Local who had previously tagged with Sin Cara before being replaced with Kalisto fought in a brief match.
Almas would look to unveil the man under the mask only for the lights to go out. Almas demanded the lights come back on, only to find El Local had vanished and left the arena furious at what had happened. The next week Almas would compete again, this time against a masked local talent and would go on to win in quick fashion again, this time Almas had prepared for a black out and unveiled his 'spotlight' which would behold the sacred unmaskings. "STAND BACK THERE'S A HURRICANE COMING THROUGH", the lights went out as Almas threw the local talent aside and saw the silhouette of The Hurricane in the entrace way as green mist poured around the arena. Almas went to meet the Caped One at the entrance only to find that he had disappeared when the smoke cleared. The week after Andrade was backstage with a grou of *ahem*...nerds, the group claimed to be Hurricane fans who had a forum designed to trace him and report sightings. It appeared that the Modern Luchador was trying to find the Superhero but when they failed to locate him, he took one of their hand-drawn comics and tore it up in front of them! Regal would later announce that The Hurricane had sent a signal that challenge Almas for a match at Takeover but "Cien" declared he would only compete on the basis that The Hurricane would unmask if he lost. The WWE Universe would have to wait a week longer for this to be confirmed as The Hurricane delivered a message via satellite telling his opponent that he had fought many a 'suited villain', and that NXT was a place of glory, a place worth fighting for and that he would not let it become polluted with the arrogant stench of Andrade Almas. The Hurricane finished by saying in order to overcome the misdeeds of evil, he will put his body, soul and indeed his mask on the line in Orlando! However there would be one condition: If Almas lost, he would have to begin wearing his mask again.
So when the time arrived, Andra "Cien" Almas made a grand entrace before the crowd wearing his La Sombra mask before tearing it from his face and throwing it to the crowd. Tom Phillips lamented his total disrespect for his heritage, but Riley applauded the Superstar for looking to the the future. Suddenly, the lights would go out as green mist would pour out through the Orlando crowd as The Hurricane swung into the arena (a la Paul Burchill in his pirate days). It seemed that creative were really trying to develop more of a mythology with The Hurricane rather than playing on the same tired cliches on the gimmick. Mike Rome introduced the stipulation as he held a contract signed by The Hurricane himself to say that he would unveil if he lost the match and that Andrade Almas would once again become La Sombra if he were to suffer a defeat.
The bell would ring and both men would immediately circle each other, the Modern Day Luchador getting the initial upper hand with a headlock transitioned quickly into an arm drag. Hurricane would rise to his feet and pose to the crowd, Enraged, Almas would run at Hurricane only to get dropped into the ropes where he follows up with a stiff dropkick to the face of the former La Sombra. Almas rolls out of the ring and orders the referee to check his face for blood, just as he approaches the officla, The Hurricane takes flight with a topé con hilo through the ropes. The Superhero gets back to his feet,but Almas battles and the two exchange forearms until a 6 count, where they both clamber back into the ring. Out of nowhere, Andras locks in a Fujiwar Armbar, but Hurricane makes a quick crawl for the ropes to break the hold. Almas waits for the Hurricane to get back to his feet, only to follow up with a headscissors transitioned into another Fujiwar Armbar, this time in the center of the ring.....the pressure is applied but Almas soon gets bored of waiting and releases the hold. "Cien" runs at Hurricane looking for school boy roll-up, possibly even the Brilliante Driver but Hurricane struggles out and comes off the ropes with a jumping neckbreaker. Looking around the crowd, he seats himself on the second rope and delivers a diving elbow to "Cien" who is in a seated position, making a cover now.1......2.....Almas impressively bridges out with a matrix evasion move and delivers headbutt before throwing Hurricane shoulder first into the turnbuckle and rolling him up for his own two count. El Idolo looks for a springboard moonsault, but spends too long showing off before executing the move that it allows his opponent to push his knees up right into the Luchador's gut.
The Hurricane spings back to his feet and fires up the crowd again as he climbs to the top rope.....OVERCAST! Diving somersault neckbreaker from the top rope and it looks like Almas went down hard from that one, he may have hurt his neck as Hurricane hooks the leg....1....2...No! Hurricane wastes no time, following up with a low dropkick as "Cien" slides out of the ring...the crowd are on their feet as he looks for a suicide dive, but this ime Andrada catches his opponent and throws him into the guard rail. Andrade Almas shows off to the crowd, as the boo's flood in, but he takes too long yet again as he's stunned with a stiff chop (compuslory Ric Flair sounds from the crowd adding to the effect)....SUPERKICK! Almas writhes in pain as the referee continues to make a count to ten. Hurricane climbs back to the ring but "Cien" trips him up and joins him on the apron.....GERMAN SUPLEX! The crowd look uncomfortable and the referee stops his count to check on The Hurricane while Almas gets back into the ring. Almas demands he should be declared the winner as it's been more than 10 seconds, but it appears this rule is written off, especially as The Hurricane rolls into the ring and weakly begins to pull himself up....MONKEYFLIP BY "CIEN" but he doesn't land in....Hurricane has his opponents shoulders down...1..2......Kick-out again and this time Andrade is furious.
Almas goes on the offence, but gets another shop from The Hurricane, who poses before wrapping his hand around Almas's throat. He's looking for the chokeslam but the Luchador Idol headbuts Hurricane and spins him into a lifting reverse DDT, landing hard on the already injurered neck. Cover....1....2........3! He's got it.
Following the match, the referee back Andrade Almas away from The Hurricane, but he's had enough and shoves the referee to the side as he goes for the mask, he's nearly got it off when the lights go out again!? When the arena is lit again....SIN CARA! The former NXT Tag Team Champion is on the top rope. Almas stops what he's doing and promises to back off, he goes to exit the ring but delivers a kick to Sin Cara on the rop rope, he joins him up top when......MOONSAULT SIDE SLAM BY SIN CARA! The crowd go wild as Almas rolls out of the ring, and Sin Cara checks that The Hurricane is still fully masked. The two celebrate together but Alex Riley warns that this HAS to have reprecussions following the stipulation that was made. The NXT Universe don't seem to care, as The Hurricane lives to fight another day.
winner via Lifting Reverse DDT for the pinfall - Andradé Almas
The champions would stick to their word, welcoming all comers as they defeated Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe in a non-title bout. The loss came when Samoa Joe took out Eric Young at ringside, the distraction proving fatal for Sanity, but it would be a loss that didn't seem to effect their momentum. The segment would end with Tye Dillinger and No Way José coming out at ringside and helping the champions celebrate. Tomasso Ciampa would later be seen squabbling with Gargano about this, while the latter saw it as a mark of respect, Ciampa felt that they were trying to muscle in on their moment to sell a few t-shirts and told his co-champion to get serious about their match at Takeover. Meanwhile the contenders would defeat The Dudebusters in a fun tag team bout to further their uprise, though The Revival would later storm the ring and ruin the fun. Gargano would make a run for the save, it was after a few moments of him getting the beatdown that Ciampa would join him. Tom Phillips played up the dissention between the champions due to their different opinions of the challengers. It was later ruled that The Revival would be banned from interfering at Takeover, otherwise a hefty fine would be sanctioned.
When Orlando arrived, the crowd really welcome the contenders as they made their way to the ring and of course #D.I.Y. remained ever popular in the eyes of the fans. The match started with a handshake between the four men, in what turned out to be a competitive back-and-forth bout. Ciampa would start off, showing some real aggression to No Way José in the early parts of the match, and mocking him at certain points, this wasn't necessary signs of a heel turn but helped bring some aggression to a face-face feud. Ciampa would isolate José in the corner and he delivered a clotheslines taking José down into a seated position.....RUNNING KNEE! José holds his face in pain while Ciampa offers the tag, he scoops his opponent up as Gargano sling-shots in with a spear! Cover.1..2....but Dillinger breaks things up. Gargano tells Dillinger to get out of the ring, as Ciampa tries to get the referee to take action. The distraction allows José enough time to get back to his feet and chops Gargano in the chest before following up with a sit-out powerslam for a two count. José tags in Dillinger who gets a "10" chant going, he climbs to the top rope looking for a Frog Splash!....He nails it....no.....Gargano gets the knees up and transitions it into a roll-up for his own two count. Johnny Wrestling gets back to his feet now, he goes for a DDT but Dillinger is able to overpower him and run him into the turnbuckle. The referee warns Dillinger back, but he climbs to the second rope to hit ten forearms much to the crowds delight, one again the referee warns "The Perfect Ten" back but Gargano gets a kick in on his opponent and slingshots with a dropkick. 1....2....No, Gargano makes a tag to Ciampa and the two look for stereo Superkicks....Dillinger ducks out the way and follows up with a double neckbreakers. Dillinger looks to capitalize with a powebomb on Ciampa, however the Sicilian Psycopath wriggles free and counters with a discus clothesline.
José calls for the tag as Ciampa locks in the "Rings of Honor" double underhook crossface, in which Dillinger can be heard screaming in pain trying to get to the ropes. Eventually Tye manages to get a rope break, before he rolls under the ropes to the apron in which he attempts to baseball slide the Canadian native but he misses when Dillinger slides out the way. Ciampa, now on the outside turns back as Dillinger hits a double axe handle from the apron and the two men now do battle on the outside. Forearms exchanged, Ciampa lifts Dillinger into a exploder pumphandle slam onto the apron! The crowd wince in pain, as Gargano yells to his partner to get back into the ring, to which he responds by re-entering the ring and locking in the Rings of Honor again....the crowd begin to chant "10" and No Way José gets on the second rope and gets his chant going. Almost like a Disney moment, Dillinger springs to life and manages to break the hold a second time. The Sicilian gets straight back on his opponent, looking to hit a running knee but Tye manages to roll his opponent up!
1....2.....3....The referee makes the count, but it appears it wasn't a 3, Dillinger can't believe it as he finds himself in his corner and tags in José. Dillinger whips José into Ciampa with a big shoulder block, the Venezualan then runs the ropes and hits a diving headbutt for a two count. Looking around the crowd, José powers up as he looks to hit the Fastbull Punch....he has Ciampa up but misses with the punch.....Ciampa gets behind José and hits a perfect trifecta of German Suplexes, the final one is transitioned into a pin attempt. Dillinger breaks the count and Gargano runs into the ring, the two men battling it out, but #D.I.Y. reform and Gargano dropckicks Dillinger into a German Suplex of his own, courtesty of Tomasso Ciampa. José wraps his arms around Ciampa and shoves him into Gargano, knocking him down and looks to roll up the champion..1...2.....Gargano just about makes the save now. The referee is trying to keep control of the situation, warning Gargano out of the ring but he manages to get onto the apron to make the tag, José goes on the offence but Ciampa bursts into action with an armdrag, he looks to Gargano as they "Meet in the Middle"....SUPERKICK FROM GARGANO! RUNNING KNEE FROM CIAMPA!1....2.........Dillinger now makes the save, Dillinger hits the Tye Breaker on Tomasso Ciampa but backs into a Hurts Donut from Gargano.
Gargano lifts José up but is met with a heart punch! Airplane Spin from the Dominican native now but Gargano spins out and manages to lock in the GargaNO Escape! José is on the mat. Dillinger is on the outside of the ring, there's no choice as the challenger is force to submit on this occasion. The NXT Universe celebrate a hard fought match as Ciampa and Gargano reunite with the belts in the center of the ring before turning their attentions to the crowd. Dillinger reccoperates and rolls into the ring to check on José, to which #D.I.Y. look on, as they offer a handshake and help their fallen opponents to their feet. The crowd take a second to savour the moment when THE REVIVAL! SCOTT DAWSON AND DASH WILDER STORM THE RING! The former two time champions begin to hammer away on the foursome in the ring......then from the entrance ramp.....Paul Ellering!? What's he doing here? It all begins to make sense when Akam and Rezar shove their way through the crowd and a four team brawl escapes. William Regal is seen in the shadows calling for security as Paul Ellering is heard saying "You want a war Mr. Regal!", laughing manically. The scene finishes with The Revival hitting a Shatter Machine on Tye Dillinger while The Authors of Pain hit a Last Chapter on José. #D.I.Y. hit stereo superkicks on both members of The Revival to take them out. Then the two teams from San Antonio's Takeover bout come face to face. Security pours through the ring as The Authors rereat......but Ciampa and Gargano are able to slingshot through the ropes with stereo spears and The Authors go down. Ellering is heard yelling at the champions, who reclaim their belts and exit to an appluase from the crowd.
winners via submission, following GargaNO Escape from Johnny Gargano to No Way José and still NXT Tag Team Champions - Tomasso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano, #D.I.Y.
William Regal would make an appearance alongside Shinsuka Nakamura, he acknowledged that many were disappointed that the "King of Strong-Style" had not been part of the card, but promised that Nakamura would make a comeback in a big way. Regal talked about the evolution of the NXT brand from development territory and creating new stars, to showcasing international talent and nourishing those talents. The British Brawler put Nakamura over as one of the best signings in NXT history and commended him on reaching the top so quickly, Regal says it is in an honour for him to be stood beside him tonight as he announces the next location for NXT will be.....TOKYO! Nakamura is grateful and says that he has worked so hard in America to become the best, and now he cannot wait to take his talents home and showcase them for his country. Nakamura is then cut off by a familiar theme of.....HIDEO ITAMI! Itami, who had yet to return to NXT despite making several network appearances and more recently competed in the Royal Rumble, would make his way to the ring. Itami seemed bitter and said that once upon a time, he was the signing that got everyone excited, he was hailed as the start of something big for NXT but when he was injured and no longer able to perform - he was replaced. Itami says he is excited for Tokyo because the crowd will see once again that he is the better star. The two men are about to go nose-to-nose when Regal interrupts, he says he can see where this is heading and announces that the first match named for Tokyo will test out the better man as Shinsuke Nakamura will take on Hideo Itami for the FIRST TIME in NXT history. The segment ends with the two men shaking hands, although both seem cautious to do so. Itami exits the scene while Nakamura looks on.
The Iconic Duo would later be approached by Mandy Rose, someone who shared an immense dislike for the new champion. Mandy vowed that she would help them to the top, but they would have to promise her first dibs at the championship - Billie and Peyton would pinky promise but the glances shared between them certainly suggested otherwise. Mandy would face Ember in a non-title bout later that week, to which the Australians would hijack commentary for and provide a distraction that ended up with Ember chasing the two out mid-match - declaring Mandy Rose the winner via countout! William Regal gathered the women and booked Mandy vs. Ember the following week for the title and this time, Billie and Peyton would be banned from interfering. The match would go ahead as planned, with Ember retaining and eclipsing Mandy but after the match it was an all-out brawl between the women. Daria Berenato would run to the aid of Ember Moon, having already had grievences with Billie and Peyton, who stabbed Mandy Rose in the back by sacrificing her to a spinebuster. Ember and Daria would look to one another in a tense face-off.
Billie and Peyton would mock Mandy Rose the next week by sending her a 'get well' soon card, but Daria would cut their banter short. Daria said she was fed up of little girls standing in the limelight, taking the attention away from the talent and challenged them to a number one contenders match, the two graciously accept pointing out that Daria is yet to win a match and inferring that it should make it easier. Angered, Daria withdrew her challenge and made it a handicap match! The Iconic Duo laughed but accepted the counter-offer. The bout itself, competitive for a handicap match, but predictable as Peyton provided the distraction for Billie to pelt Daria with a big boot for the victory. Following the match Ember said that she forecasted this event, and while they may felt she was running away, she welcomes the challenge and says she'll see Billie in Florida. Peyton pulls Moon back and tells her that they both won the match, so they'll be challenge together. Ember laughs but tells the two that there's nothing she'd love more than eclipsing the two of them in one night.
Come Orlando, Billie and Peyton would make their way to the ring first in their traditional stylings while Ember got the crowd pumped for action. The referee would ask Billie and Peyton to decide between themselves who would tag in first in this match, in what Tom Phillips described as an unorthadox title defense. Billie would go to lock up with Ember when Peyton tackled her out of nowhere! Billie would laugh and retreat to the corner while Peyton hair-dragged Ember around the ring. Ember would pull herself up in the corner, dodging a spinning kick from the Venus Fly Trap and instead rolling her up in a school-girl pin for the two count. Ember created some distance between the two as she smiled confidently, the two locking up and this time the champion would take control with a double underarm suplex! Billie Kay would begin to panic in her corner as she ushered Peyton over, but Ember was on a roll as she delivered a series of dropkicks to Royce, mustering another two count. Ember went for a springboard cross body, but Billie would pull on the ropes as the Women's Champion toppled awkwardly to the outside. The referee would begin his count and warn the Femme Fatale back, this match still had champions advantage in play so a countout victory wouldn't help the Iconic Duo here. Billie heckled Ember as she got back to her feet and onto the apron, provinding enough of a distraction for Peyton to attack. Hung up in the ropes, Royce would beautifully nail a rope-hung DDT on the champion..1....2......No! Moon gets the shoulder up to stay alive.
Tag made, Billie would enter the match as the two hit a double supex, this time it was Billie Kay who would get the two count. The Femme Fatale would get to her feet as she exhaled air onto her knuckles and hit her patented spinning forearm before tagging out to Peyton as the brought Ember to her feet and threw her back into the corner, where she would bounce off to a running knee from Peyton. Peyton would make another pin, for ANOTHER two count and it was clear that the Iconic Duo were getting frustrated as Billie Kay tagged back into the match, commentary commeding the pairing on their quick tags and keeping Ember down in this important match. Billie would look to hit her Big Boot, but Ember would catch her leg and shove her down, twisting it into a Boston Crab! Billie would write and crawl to the ropes where Peyton would help drag her over for a rope break. Angered, Moon grabbed Peyton by the hair and delivered some knees of her own (in the style of Paige) through the ropes. The final knee would knock Peyton off the ropes, but Moon would turn to an Eat Defeat! Cover...1.....2........Kick-out! Billie Kay would call Peyton Royce for a tag , Billie holding Ember for a one-handed bulldog into Peyton's knee but this time Ember would be able to elbow out and throw Billie to the floor. Peyton would try and attack, but the War Goddess would turn it into an impressive fallaway slam. Kicking back up to her feet, Ember would rally the crowd as she performed a suicide dive onto Billie Kay on the outside! Moon would roll back into the ring and get a two count on Royce, before they would battle back to their feet.
The two would go blow-for-blow, up until Ember whipped Peyton into the the turnbuckle, following up with her handspring elbow smash. The NXT crowd are getting excitable as she throws Peyton to the floor and climbs the ropes. Ember looks for the eclipse but Billie Kay pulls her back as she handsprings into a leg scissors to Ember on the top rope. Billie releases the hold long enough for Peyton to get back to her feet and hit an Electric Chair Driver!.......1.....2........3.......Wait, no it's not over!? Ember somehow managed to kick out and Billie's back in the ring now, both women are just hammering away on the champion. The referee warns Billie out of the ring and threatens to disqualify her while Peyton makes another pin-attempt, but gets the same result as before. Bringing Ember to her feet, Peyton looks for a Widow's Peak - shades of Victoria being demonstrated but Ember wiggles free and comes off the ropes with a headscissor takedown. Billie attempts to intervene but is given a sprinboard sidekick for her troubles and falls to the outside but Peyton manages to rake the eyes behind the referees back....roll-up.......1....2.......Ember breaks free and hits a stiff forearm as she sits herself on the top rope but Billie from the outside manages to pull Peyton to safety and joins her in the ring. The Iconic Duo stand on the second rope and begin to hammer away on Ember, it looks as if though they're about to superplex the champion but Ember manages to remian seated....boot Billie Kay straight in the face as she goes down hard and follow up with a lighter version for Peyton who stumbles over as an Eclipse is executed! Ember checks that Billie is down as she hooks the leg for the three count.
Following the match, Ember is handed her championship and holds it up to the NXT Universe while a tearful Billie checks on Peyton. Ember Moon would request the microphone from Mike Rome as she announced that she would be seeing Asuka in Tokyo! The crowd popped for the announcement of a second match at NXT Takeover: Tokyo. A backstage monitor shows Asuka's reaction as she looks to the cameras with an eerie smile.
winner via Eclipse for the pinfall on Peyton Royce, and still NXT Women's Champion - Ember Moon
★ RODERICK STRONG vs. AUSTIN ARIES ★
Roderick Strong was a talent on the rise in NXT, but so was Austin Aries. The Greatest Man that Ever Lived had been taken out with an eye injury a few months prior, leaving Strong to represent their tandem alone in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic match. Following their loss and elimination in the tournament, it would appear that Aries' views on Strong had changed, enough for him to interfere in Strong's match back in San Antonio, where he played a pivotal role in his loss to Bobby Roode. Austin Aries being Austin Aries of course would justify his actions as marking his ground, saying that he was the reason that Roderick Strong had ever made it into the company in the first place and instead of crying about it, Strong should be worshipping at his feet. Roderick would interrupt the interview and say to A-Double that the two had a lot to discuss, and that he'd prefer that they do it publicly. Later that evening, Strong invited Aries to the ring and the two would discuss what had happened and went over their history together. Mr. NXT said that he wouldn't be "Mr. NXT" had it not been for Aries and apologized but Aries refused the apology and said that the only way that he would consider an apology is if Strong got on his nees and worshipped him. The crowd, of course, stood firmly against the idea but Strong got down on his nees and began to beg, as Austin Aries lapped it up.....LOW BLOW! Strong would get his revenge for San Antonio by hitting an Olympic Slam backbreaker, proving just why he earnt the moniker "The Messiah of the Backbreaker".
Roderick later explained that he and Aries may have known each other a long time, but Aries has never 'known' him, because if he had he would have never believed that he would ever be grovelling on his knees to him. Strong says that he has come here with honor to fight the good fight, and Aries ruined that in San Antonio, but he won't ruin it at Orlando because William Regal had approved the match. In a separate segment, Aries tried to save his ego as he deflected and dismissed Strong's career, mocking that the two had known each other all that time and yet the world knew all about The Greatest Man the Ever Lived, but no one had ever heard of Roderick Strong. When Andrea D'Marco asked why Strong was brought in for the Tag Team Classic if he were not on his level, Aries immediately walked out of the sit-down interview, throwing his microphone off and saying he was "done" before they could even discuss the match at Takeover. William Regal would then play a preview of what was in store in the final NXT approaching Takeover: Orlando as Austin Aries and Bobby Roode teamed up to face Roderick Strong & Samoa Joe in the main event. The competitive affair was cut short when Sanity caused an interference, as Eric Young reminded Joe and Roode that he still had a part to play. However, many in the NXT Universe had seen weakness in Aries, that could've surely lead to Strong getting the victory had the anrachaic stable not intervened.
Come Takeover, Aries made his way to the ring donning his cape and entering to what would be his first Takeover event in months. Roderick Strong made a more moset entrance, but received a pop from the crowd nonetheless. The two men locked up in the ring, with Strong taking the early lead as Aries called for a time out, clearly psyched out but trying not to make that all too apparent. Locking up again, the two men put on a nice display of chain wrestling, Strong would wrench the arm of Aries as he twisted the arm to cause further punishment. Aries would hammer at Strong's arm as he gained control only for his opponent to carthweel over and deliver a beautiful Northern Lights suplex, bridged into a pin for the two count. Once more Aries would roll to the ropes and tell Strong to take five, but Mr. NXT wasn't about to wait around as he pull Aries into a belly-to-belly suplex and locks in a side headscissors - Aries isn't going to give up just yet and he impressively elevates him as he presses into the mat into a handstand position, pushing himself up out of the hold! Aries delivers a dropkick right to the face of Strong and laughs about the turning tide of the match. A-Double rolls over and locks in the side headlock, but the two men quickly get back to their feet, causing Aries to send Strong into the ropes with a shoulder block Strong gets back on his feet and charges, as Aries whips him into the ropes again....CLOTHESLINE BY STRONG...but Aries ducks it and dives over the next attack. Strong sneaks behind and shoves his opponent forward, Aries landing hard on his face as commentary remind us of his previous injury to his orbital bone. Strong looks to try for his patented Strong Hold boston crab, but Aries manages to roll back over and swipe Strong across the face.
Back on his feet, Aries takes a run up and looks to hit a monkey flip.......Strong goes over and lands right on his feet as the crowd pop, Strong turns around to an elbow in the face as he's pushed into the corner......RUNNING CROSSBODY TO THE CORNER, but Mr. NXT catches and Aries! He drops Aries to his knee, but maintans the hold as he throws Aries into the corner in a "Holy Sh#t" moment where we see Aries head bounce off the top turnbuckle. The referee checks on A-Double, but Strong looks for a cover...1...2...no! Strong pulls Aries back to his feet for a double underhook backbreaker and again goes for the cover, 1...2....but again Aries kicks out. Aries is revelling pain, while Strong is frustrated as he hits a sidewalk slam and looks around the crowd who are on his side, he doesn't go for the pin but this time throws Aries back to the turnbuckle with such force that Aries collpases to the floor. Strong hits a snapmare and tries again for the pin but gets a two count again, with Aries showing resiliance like no other. This time, Aries rakes the eyes of Strong and begins delivering forearms, Strong tries to take control but gets a dropkick for his trouble as Strong reccooperates in the corner.....I.E.D.! RUNNING DROPKICK as Aries connects in the corner. A-Double lifts Strong up and they exchange more forearms, but Aries hammers Strong with a clothesline out of nowhere followed by his theatrical Pendulum Elbow for a two count. Back on their feet, Strong manages to get the upper hand as he lifts Aries up for a backbreaker, but the move is broken with Aries repeatedly elbowing his way out, slipping behind he rushes Strong forward into the ropes....ARIES SPRINGBOARDS OVER AND SNAPS STRONG'S NECK INTO THE ROPES! The crowd boo's as Aries cleanses his hands over Strong. Back on the apron he masters a slingshort corkscrew splash for a near fall, Aries locks in the Last Chancery, but the referee shows Strong's legs are by the ropes, so he moves to Plan B and climbs the ropes.......looking around the crowd he yells that he is the real Mr. NXT......450 SPLASH! Misses! Strong crawls to his feet and executes a Death By Roderick gutbuster, Aries is hurt but manages to land on his feet......SICK KICK! The referee makes the count....1...2...No!
Strong brings Aries back up he looks for another Sick Kick but this time Aries dodges out of the way and stacks him up, he has his feet on the ropes but the referee is oblivious! 1...2...3! NO! The referee catches Aries with his foot on the ropes and stops the third count. The Greatest Man that Ever Lived is fuming as he rows with the official, who warns him of his behaviour. In the meantime, Strong is climbing back to his feet.......SICK KICK! But Aries telegraphs it and shoves the official in the way! The referee is down and Austin Aries hits a low blow on a concerned Roderick Strong and follows up with a Brainbuster! He makes the cover, but the referee is still down as a result of his actions, he stands up and shouts to the back as the fans are going crazy. Aries realizes that he won't get the win with no official and heads to the top rope, looking for the 450 splash as a new official makes his way to the ring......450 SPLA - NO - Strong gets his knees up and struggles back to his feet. Mr NXT looks around the crowd......SICK KICK! He connects finally and drops to his knees for the three count.
Following the match, the referee checks on Aries after the kick to the face, potentially hinting that his orbital bone may have been reinjured while Strong celebrates perhaps one of the most important victories since arriving in NXT. Strong looks around the crowd when all of a sudden the fans attentions are turned to a new theme and name playing on the titantron.
JAY FREAKIN' LETHAL!
Strong looks less than impressed about having his moment stolen, as the fans welcome Lethal who gestures to Strong that he's watching him. Mr NXT laughs it off, while Lethal turns his attention to the crowd and embraces the support
winner via Sick Kick for the pin-fall - Roderick Strong
"The Glorious One" said he didn't care to listen to what was going on, all he saw that someone else was cutting the line to his championship opportunity. Roode chuckled and said he's been in this situation before, stood out the front with the same guys. Samoa Joe thinking that he rules the roost, Eric Young following him around and trying to sponge off the good name of Robert Roode. Bobby continued to accuse E.Y. of throwing his name around to get his contract in the first place, and it was only when Roode kicked him to the kerb that Young found his delinquents to hang around with. Roode demands a championship shot right there and then and Joe accepts. The NXT Champion agrees that Young had made a career out of either trying to play dumb or the villain and it doesn't wash with him, he says the moment he attacked him at San Antonio - any claim he had to the title was gone. Later that evening, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode would face off for the title, however after a gruelling bout it would end in a double disqualification when Sanity attacked and laid both men out. Young would hold the title up and say that his work had just gotten a lot harder, but NXT would be pure again and Sanity will be restored.
The following week, Samoa Joe scored some revenge against Sanity when he cost Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe a non-title match against champions, #D.I.Y. Eric Young was understandably furious. Samoa Joe laid Young out and threw him off the entrance ramp, seemingly putting him out of action. Backstage, Roode reminded the champion that he had not beaten him, and Joe arrogantly jokes that he's had a lot going on. The following week Regal books Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a tag team match against Roderick Strong and Samoa Joe, the latter of which looked set to win when Sanity interfered and their very own messiah - Eric Young - came gliding out and said that he was gone but not forgotten. Roode turns on Young and goes to attack, but Sanity cut the affair short and lay the Glorious One out. Young finishes that if he didn't have a claim to the belt then, he most certainly did now. It would appear that William Regal agreed as he booked the triple threat match and initiated a contract signing. Each man stated their piece, this time Roode and Joe would team up to take out Sanity but when the numbers game started rolling, Roode left Joe in the ring. Thankfully the NXT Champion was able to outlast the 4 on 1 attack, but the segment clearly demonstrated that no man could trust the other at Takeover.
Bobby Roode would greet the Orlando crowd with his catchphrase in pyro, the word "GLORIOUS" illuminated the arena as he made his way to the ring to a mixed reaction. Out next, Sanity, lead by Eric Young, who had a more anarchaic and less flash entrance to the ring. And finally, Samoa Joe, the fans cheered the NXT Champion at a Takeover event for the first time in a long time. Joe would stop and glare at Wolfe and Dain, then at Cross as they peered and leered at him as he climbed into the ring. Tom Phillips put over how these three men have wrestled many times before, and how far they have come in their careers for this moment. Alex Riley agrees that all three men could headline Wrestlemania this time next year as Mike Rome leads the official introductions. Tom Phillips adds that NXT began with Seth Rollins at the inagural champion and tonight it will finish with one of these three men but first, the referee turns and orders Sanity out of the arena! Eric Young is stunned and tries to reason with the referee, while Dain and Wolfe hold Cross back as she hisses at the referee.
With Sanity removed from ringside, the match finally gets underway as Eric Young goes crazy and exits the ring, Samoa Joe goes to follow him but Roode ambushes him from behind and gets him grounded while laying in some stomps. Roode looks out at Young and seats himself on the second rope inviting him back into the ring, it appears that E.Y. declines the invitation as Roode turns back and is clotheslines out of the ring by an angry Samoa Joe. The NXT exits the ring (no count outs in this match) and brings Roode back to his feet before rushing him into the guard rail and turning to face Young. Joe charges and Young goes to meet him, blocking a forearm and returning the favour. A kick to the mid-section leaves the challenger doubling over in pain as Joe grabs Young and throws him into Roode in the guard rail. Sizing the two up he charges and spears them both through the guard rail, breaking the entire thing as the NXT Universe cheer the champion on. Commentary remind us that Joe can't make the pinfall on the outside and needs to get this back into the ring, which seems to be picked up by The Destroyer who rolls Roode into the ring for a two count. Young remains on the outside as the champion allows Roode to get back to his feet, Roode takes a run at him but his met with an exploder suplex for another two count. At this point Alex Riley puts over how dominant Joe has been thus far in the match.
With that being said, Joe notices Young hop up onto the apron and goes over just to have his fase washed across the ropes and run into the corner turnbuckle. Now he had control, Young took advantage by climbing to the top rope and hitting an elbow drop on Samoe Joe for a two count of his own. Frustrated, he climbed to the top rope again, this time with Roode in mind.....he flies off the top.....and misses as Roode rolls out of the way and gets back to his feet and hits a diving knee drop on both of his opponents, trying to choose who to pick away on first. Roode hooks the legs of Joe, but gets a two count and then tries on Young, but only manages the same result. Roode goes to nail Young with a swinging neckbreaker, but E.Y. shoves his fellow Canadian away from him straight into the NXT Champion who clobbers him to his knees.....BIG BOOT! Nearly takes the head off of Robert Roode. Before the champion can even think to make a pin, Eric Young runs straight at him, but is thrown to the corner.....RUNNING FOREARM SMASH TO YOUNG IN THE CORNER! Samoa Joe sits Young on the second rope now and chops him straight in the chest, and carries him off for a Musclebuster!.....
Roode hits a lariat to back of Joe's head as the champion stumbles, Eric Young manages to find his footing on the top rope as Roode manages to power Joe onto his shoulders....DOOMSDAY DEVICE! The fans pop for a shout-out to the Road Warriors while both Roode and Young scramble to make the cover, the other realizing that they won't let it happen. The two men exchange forearms above Joe, Roode throws Young into the ropes but E.Y. dodges through and looks to sling-shot off the top rope when The Glorious One telegraphs it and transitions it into a Roode Awakening - Rope Hung Neckbreaker! He hooks the leg....1....2.....but Joe makes the save. Turning his attentions to The Nation of Violence, Roode looks to hit another lariat to the back of the head but he is able to reverse it........COQUINA CLUTCH! LOCKED IN THE CENTER OF THE RING! Roode is wriggling around, writing in pain when Young pulls the referee aside and attacks the two men. Joe runs at Young, but is sent through the ropes out on the floor as the manic Messiah of Sanity looks round at Roode and drags him up slowly......YOUNGBLOOD! ELEVATED NECKBREAKER AND THIS ONE COULD BE OVER.....1....2......
But Samoe Joe this time pulls the referee out of the ring to stop the count, he quarrels with the official for a moment as disqualifications aren't completely thrown out of this match. In the mean time, the Bearder Terror climbs the top rope, looking to fly to the outside.....MISSILE DROPKICK! And both men look hurt by that one, it connects beautifully but Young lands badly. Thankfully the official was able to get out of the way, while Roode gets to the outside and rolls Eric Young back into the ring, he yells at him "YOU'LL NEVER BE GREAT LIKE ME! NEVER" and slaps him around the face, taking him into the turnbuckle and chopping him again and again. "The IT Factor" sits Young on the top rope and makes his own way up, the crowd cheer as it looks like a superplex could be on the cards.......YOUNG PUSHES ROODE DOWN AND HE LANDS HARD! He begins to yell back at Roode, unaware that Joe is now on the apron and delivers a shocking kick to his face. Young remains seated on the top rope, grasping his face.....MUSCLEBUSTER! 1....2......But just as Young gets his shoulder up, Joe transitions it into a Coquina Clutch but Roode joins in and locks in a Crossface on Samoa Joe! The crowd are tense as Joe is forced to remove the hold after a few moments, now it all relies on him. Roode follows up with a rolling Cutter as he laughs and displays himself to the crowd. Young rolls Roode up, the shoulders are down...1..2........3......!
Kick-out just before the three count is made, Roode can't believe it was nearly over in three seconds, he misses with a clothesline......A SECOND YOUNGBLOOD BY YOUNG NOW! But Samoa Joe is back on his feet and smashes Eric in the face with his eblow.....he tries to lock in the Coqunia Clutch but Young back him into the turnbuckle....SUPERKICK! Young locks in a Figure Four Leg Lock in the center of the ring, but Roode makes his way back and breaks things up....GLORIOUS DDT BY ROODE! HAS THE IT FACTOR DONE IT!? NO! Young clubs his way out the move now and the two men return to exchanging forarems, but Roode hits a neckbreaker. He turns his attentions to Joe and lifts him back to his feet, it looks like he wants to try the Glorious DDT again but Joe easily powers out and lifts Roode up to the ropes......MUSCLEBUSTER! But Young boots Joe in the stomach, Roode drops down hard and rolls to the outside. The NXT Champion pushes Young away and goes for a clotheslines......Young ducks it and somehow finds the power to hit his Youngblood finisher..1....2......3!
No joking this time around, Eric Young grins as he looks around the arena with pride. Robert Roode is on the outside, angrily looking on but clearly in a lot of pain. While the referee hands Eric Young the championship, his followers in Sanity rush to the ring as Young orders that they get rid of Samoa Joe. Killian Dain throws the now-former champion to the outside while Nikki Cross hands our new champion the microphone. Eric Young says that the purification has begun, that he has done the unthinkable and eradicated Samoa Joe, and now it won't just be the title he holds, but the whole NXT brand. Sanity's music hits as the derranged group thrash around the ring, leaving us to wonder what they have planned for the golden brand. Commentary bid us goodnight, as we fade to black and look ahead to Wrestlemania.
Winner via Youngblood on Samoa Joe for the pinfall, and new NXT Champion - Eric Young
Oney Lorcan def. Dan Matha via submission
Kick-Off Match
Liv Morgan def. Aliyah via pin-fall
Kick-Off Match
The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) w/ Paul Ellering def. Heavy Machiney (Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic) w/ Ruby Riot via pin-fall
|| WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following FastLane there was a lot of mixed feeling concerning the Triple Cage Match. Some wrestling sources felt that the match should of been much longer, whilst other critics suggested that the match was far to messy and was a match type that should of stay in the past (where it belonged). Irrespective of your own personal views of the match it had been Sami Zayn who had debatable done the impossible by retaining the United States Championship. The night after FastLane on RAW (20th February) Zayn cut a very passionate promo in the middle and made it clear that he was dedicating his victory to all of his fans with a message that without him he just wouldn't be where he was today. It was also very clear that the fans delighted by Zayn words and without any doubt he was one of the biggest babyfaces on Monday Nights. Just as Zayn looked ready to leave the ring though he would be interrupted by the music belonging to 'The Balor Club' as Yujiro would come out from the back accompanied by Truth Martini. Martini would make it clear that Zayn was incredibly lucky to still be in possession of the U.S. Title. Martini would make a point that Yujiro was without a doubt the hottest (fairly) new member of the WWE Universe and that his performance at the Royal Rumble in which he had managed to compete in the iconic match for over an hour was all the proof that was needed to back up his claim. Zayn though would make a clear cut comment that if Yujiro was this 'instant great' that Martini was suggesting then why was Yujiro not the United States Champion. Zayn would then make his point by lifting his title in the air and pointing to himself (almost as if to say "I am the man"). None the less Zayn made it clear that he never backed down for a fight and if Yujiro wanted a piece of him then he would welcome him as a challenger for Wrestlemania 33.
The following week (27th February) RAW General Manager Mick Foley would make it clear that when it came to booking matches it was himself and RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon that made all of the final decisions. Foley would make the point that Yujiro as of late had really impressed him, but he wasn't just going to just give him a title shot because he felt that deserved it. Foley would then make the point that at FastLane during the Triple Cage three other men had really stood out to him; Big E, Rusev and Chris Jericho. On this basis Foley announced that in order to settle the situation all four men would compete in a 'Teddy Long Holla Holla Tag Team Match' with teams consisting of Yujiro & Rusev against Big E & Chris Jericho with the winning team facing each other next week in singles action to determine the man that would be facing Sami Zayn at Wrestlemania 33! The tag-team match was a very exciting contest and at times all four men look very strong and the match could have finished at a number of different moments. The match would eventually be won with Yujiro taking out Jericho on the ring-apron with a baseball slide that would allow for Rusev to lock Jericho in The Accolade to end the match via submission.
The first episode of RAW in March (6th March) would see Rusev take on Yujiro in singles action with the winner set to face Zayn for the title at Wrestlemania. Sami Zayn would join commentary team of Saxton, Graves and Cole. The actual contest was fought clean without Lana or any member of 'The Balor Club' getting involved in the contest and Yujiro would continue to impress by claiming the victory and legitimately earning the right to challenge for the United States Championship (in what would be his first ever Wrestlemania). Zayn would remain with the commentary team, but stand on his feet and give Yujiro a stand ovation. It seemed though that Martini was stirring the pot as whilst Yujiro was making his way towards the back Martini would whisper something in the Japanese wrestlers ear which would result in Yujiro running towards Sami and diving over the table and jumping into Zayn. Both men would start fighting by the commentary table although Byron Saxton would get caught in the crossfire and look to have had his shoulder hurt by Yujiro during his diving attack. Eventually security would break up the fight between Sami and Yujiro, whilst a medical team would attend to Saxton and actually put his arm in a sling.
On the next show (13th March) Foley would reveal that Saxton had ruptured a muscle in his shoulder and would make it clear that he Yujiro was 100% responsible for causing the injury and it was irrelevant that the damage to Saxton hadn't been intentional. Foley though wouldn't actually punish Yujiro. bit would make it clear that if he laid just one finger on Zayn in the lead up to Wrestlemania then he would cancel the match without any second thought. No replacement for Saxton would be revealed which would suggest that a two-man commentary team of Graves and Cole would remain in the hot seats. The remainder of the weeks building up to Mania would see a lot of hype videos of Yujiro, with WWE managing to get the video rights to some of Yujiro work in the independents in what was clearly an attempt to put the Japanese wrestler over as much as possible. On the same basis not much hype was needed for Zayn considering how inzaynly popular he already was.
+ Singles Match (WWE United States Championship)+
|| WWE RAW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||
At FastLane Big Cass and Enzo Amore earned themselves a shot at The Establishment and would be given their shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships two week later (27th February) although despite their best effort they just didn't have what it took to beat Daniels and Kazarian which would lead to The Establishment retaining their titles. Following the contest though Harv and Gurv would make their way out from the back, with Harv taking to the microphone. Harv would make it clear that the only reason why The Establishment were still the tag-team champions was because of one mere second and that everyone in the WWE Universe knew for a fact that The Bollywood Boyz were the number one team on Monday Nights. This claim though would cause Daniels and Kazarian to burst out laughing. Daniels would make it clear that the rules of the match had been incredibly clear and on that basis anything that the "Bombay Boys" had to say was just excuses. It was clear that neither Harv nor Gurv took kindly to the clearly mocking nickname and Gurv looked like he was about to charge towards the ring, only for Harv pull his brother back. Not coming down to the ring would only lead to further taunting as Frankie Kazarian would make it clear that men that were scared of a fight were cowards. And on that basis cowards had no place fighting for championship gold. Gurv looked like a vein was going to explode out of his head as Harv did his best to calm down his brother and manage to convince him to head backstage. It was clear that this 'tactical retreat' was seen as a surrender by The Establishment who would continue to celebrate in in an incredibly obnoxious manner.
A couple of weeks later (13th March) a conversation would take place between Stephanie and Mick. Stephanie would make it clear that it was imperative that the RAW Tag Team Championship match was more successful that Smackdown's title match at Wrestlemania, making it clear that there were simply no excuses for her brother's brand beating he in the ratings considering how stacked that RAW roster was and would ask Mick who he had in mind at challengers for The Establishment's belts. Foley would suggest The Bollywood Boyz although by Stephanie's expression it was clear that was less than convinced by the suggestion. Foley though would argue Harv and Gurv's case and eventually Stephanie would seem willing to go with the suggestion. Stephanie though would smile and tell Mick that she was currently in negotiations with a third party and that she would personally make an announcement regarding the RAW Tag Team Title match on next week's show.
With RAW's Commissioner standing in the middle of the ring it was time for her announcement (20th March) regarding the tag team title match. Stephanie would confirm that The Establishment would be defending the titles against The Bollywood Boyz. Stephanie though would make it clear that the match type that both teams would be competing in would make this year's Wrestlemania one of the most memorable. Stephanie would make it clear that with this years showcase event being in Orlando the WWE and Disney had come to an agreement in that Disney would be making some exclusive WWE Soft Toys that would be throughout their retail outlets. As part of this deal a section of Disney Land Florida would be closed on April 2nd as The Establishment and The Bollywood Boyz would compete in the first ever 'Disneyland Deathmatch'. The announcement would lead to a lot of intrigue in regards to what exactly a Disneyland Deathmatch would be, and also if this meant that Disney might be taking a serious in the WWE as potential investment opportunity in the future.
+ Disneyland Deathmatch (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships) +
|| WWE RAW WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following Trish's shocking return and challenge to Sasha at Fastlane it was clear that Mick Foley and Stephanie and gone about bringing 'the big guns in' in an attempt to dethrone Sasha (who had been in possession of the RAW Women's Championship for seven months and as of yet hadn't looked at all likely of dropping it to anyone). As you might imagine with the introduction of Trish Stratus into a WWE storyline, Trish didn't start appearing on RAW on a weekly basis and instead the storyline was furthered by the involvement of other member of the RAW Women's roster. Not only the direct night after Fastlane, but the week later (27th February) Sasha would find herself confronted backstage by Charlotte and Dana Brooke. Charlotte would openly mock Sasha saying that she was looking forward to this year's Wrestlemania as it would be the worst night of Sasha's career; the night that she lost the RAW Women's Championship. Sasha though wasn't interested in anything that Charlotte or Dana had to say on the matter, and made it clear that if they wanted a piece of her then they could meet her in the ring. Charlotte welcomed the challenge, but would surprise Dana by accepting the challenge on her behalf. Later in the night Sasha would claim a victory over Dana, despite Charlotte's best efforts in trying to break the rules in order to benefit her protege.
After the match Trish Stratus would emerge from the back and make her way down to the ring, whilst Sasha would exit the ring clearly not interested in being involved in a possible three-on-one situation. Charlotte would welcome Trish to the ring and make it clear that she would be her number one fan come April 2nd. Trish however wanted to have nothing to do with Charlotte and therefore by association Dana. Trish made it clear that she had always loathed the Flair name and everything it stood for. Trish would then instead challenge Charlotte and Dana to a tag-team contest in two weeks time before turning to Sasha and suggesting that the champ be her tag-team partner. Sasha would fail to give a response with the the answer still up in the air.
Two weeks later (13th March) Dana Brooke and Charlotte would be waiting in the ring ahead of their match with Trish and supposedly Sasha Banks. Trish would come out from the back in preparation for her first match since 2011. Her entrance though would be cut short by Sasha who would come out from the back and make it clear that after some long and hard thinking she was going to treat the fans and fulfil their fantasies by for one night only being Trish's partner. Trish though would smile and make it clear that Sasha had waited to long in giving her an answer and would point to the back to reveal her partner for the night as...Lita. The fans would be thrilled to see two legends of women's wrestling in the ring once again and teaming up together. The match itself would be interesting in a tale of the 'former generation' against the 'current generation'. The match though would be cut short though and end in disqualification as out from the back would appear Tamina (who hadn't been seen since May due to injury) who would be wielding a two-by-four and proceed to slam the wood into Trish's back. In the ensuing chaos Charlotte and Dana would flee the scene, whilst Lita would come to Trish's aid only to be blindsided by Sasha who would hit Lita over the back with a steel chair. Tamina would proceed to take hold of Lita and eject her out of the ring, as Sasha would add insult to injury by locking Trish in the Bank Statement causing further damage ahead of Wrestlemania. After Sasha was happy with herself both Banks and Tamina would embrace in the middle of the ring as Sasha would hand Tamina a black tee. Both women would pull the shirts over their heads and they would be emblazoned with 'TEAM B.A.D.' which would effectively act as a catalyst that Sasha had turned heel.
The following week (20th March) Trish would cut a video package from her home saying that she was resting up, but if Sasha thought she had done enough to keep her from fighting at Wrestlemania 33 then she had another thing coming. Trish would make it clear that originally it had all about having one last match at Wrestlemania, but now her desire to win was personal.
+ Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)+
|| WWE CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
The rivalry between 'Cruiserweight Light' and 'The Rudos' had clearly reached a boiling point for RAW Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Stephanie would make a massive announcement that would shattered the foundations of what it meant to be a member of the Cruiserweight Division. Stephanie made it clear that it was illegal for Cruiserweight to congregate in group exceeding six or more on the basis that WWE security would be under the impression that a mob was being formed and therefore preventative action would have to be put into effect. It was clear that this announcement angered some of the key players in both factions e.g.; Brian Kendrick, HoHo Lun, Jigsaw, Noam Dar and Neville to name just a few. At the same time though it was clear that some more peripheral members of both factions might have something to gain from the announcement. Stephanie would reveal at at Wrestlemania the Cruiserweight Title would be up for grabs in a Ladder Match, and that a number of matches would take place to fill five available spots to challenge Zack Sabre, Jr. at the biggest event of the year...WRESTLEMANIA! A series of qualifiers would take place with: Neville, Akira Tozawa, T.J. Perkins, Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander all earning the right to challenge for the title come Mania weekend.
Stephanie would also make a big announcement in the lead up Wrestlemania in that post-Wrestlemania that Cruiserweight would be given their own supplementary show whilst still remaining as members of the RAW roster in a show that would be known as '205 Live' which was massive news for the future redevelopment of the Cruiserweight currently signed as well as a window of opportunity for any prospective signings.
+ Six Man Ladder Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship) +
(Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Neville vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander)
|| THE UNDERTAKER STORYLINE ||
In order to sell the fact that The Undertaker had suffered from his burns following his Inferno Match with Finn Balor at Fastlane (for the Universal Championship) it wouldn't be until two weeks later (6th March) that 'The Dead Man' would make his appearance on Monday Night Raw. The Undertaker would cut an honest promo in which he would admit that no man could beat time and eventually time caught up with everybody. On that note he announced that at Wrestlemania he would be competing in his farewell match as he had decided that at the age of 52 it was time to bring his career to an end. The Undertaker though made it clear that he was disappointed that he hadn't been able to go into Wrestlemania has the Universal Champion, but there was no denying that Finn Balor was one of the most talented members of the WWE Universe. Taker would end his in-ring promo by making it clear that he had one man in mind that he wanted to face before he packed it all in and that was a man that he personally saw as the most talented big man in the company...Braun Strowman.
The next week (13th March) Braun Strowman would have an in-depth interview with Tom Phillips. Braun would make it clear that he respected the man that The Undertaker used to be, but as of late the old man looked like someone that belonged more in an old people's home than in a wrestling ring. On the same note Braun would make the point that he wasn't going to turn away from the man that retired the Undertaker. Braun would then make a comment about Brock Lesnar referencing his victory at Fastlane making it clear that The Undertaker defeat at Wrestlemania was already set in stone considering the manner in which he had dealt with Brock only weeks previously. Braun would end the interview by requesting that The Undertaker meet him in two weeks team at the Wrestlemania Go-home show.
With less than a week until Wrestlemania 33 (27th March) Braun Strowman and The Undertaker would stand face to face in the ring like two giants that were once a common occurrence in the wrestling industry. Neither man would say anything or do anything to each other, but the silence between both men spoke volumes. The segment would end with both men pointing at the Wrestlemania sign hanging above the ring.
+ Singles Match +
|| WWE CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
In the gap between The Royal Rumble and Fastlane, Royal Rumble winner AJ Styles had been dancing around having to pick which belt he would be challenging for at Wrestlemania. Following the episode of Raw immediately after Fastlane it became clear that AJ had his eyes on only one prize; the Universal Championship. This announcement would effectively act as AJ's immediate departure to RAW which the following night on Smackdown Live (21st February) would result in Dean Ambrose coming out to the ring with his title belt in hand and making it clear just what he thought of Styles with words like 'coward', 'traitor' and 'bitch' being dropped multiple times. Ambrose would make the point that he was the number one guy on Tuesday Nights and had managed to prove that fact week in and week out ever since the brand split. Dean's monologue would be interrupted by Curt Hawkins though who would charge out from the back and make it clear that he had waited long enough for another shot at the title it was only because of an accidental spear by his mentor Christian that he hadn't walked away from the Royal Rumble at the WWE Champion. This 'excuse' as Ambrose put it, only proved that Hawkins really was a lesser man as he didn't have the stomach to realise that his biggest roadblock in his career wasn't him (Dean Ambrose) or WWE Management or himself (Curt Hawkins) but rather the man standing next to him (Christian). Dean made it clear that as long as Christian "had his back" then Hawkins would never become the WWE Champion. Notably Christian wasn't with Curt at the time this was all being said and it was clear that Hawkins was listening to everything that Dean had to say, although it was unclear whether he actually agreed with anything that was being said to him. The segment would end with Dean making it clear that he wasn't the decision maker on Smackdown Live and that is Curt really wanted a shot for the title then he would have to queue up like everyone else outside of Kurt Angle's office.
Later on in the night Curt Hawkins would be found walking into Kurt Angle's office with Christian not far behind him demanding that he be given another shot at the WWE Championship. Kurt Angle made it clear that he recognised that Hawkins as of late was one of the men that had really managed to step up to the mark in recent months, but at the same time he couldn't just give Curt another shot for no reason. Kurt would then expand on a point made earlier by Ambrose, in stating that if it hadn't been for Christian's involvement then perhaps Curt might have actually left the Royal Rumble with the title. Angle said that Curt had a choice of picking between the WWE Championship and Christian. Kurt said that he expected an answer on next week's show.
During the following week's show (28th February) Hawkins had been summoned to Kurt Angle's office to make a decision; challenging for the WWE Championship or keeping on Christian as his mentor. Curt's choice from his perspective was an easy one though as he was not a turncoat and therefore wasn't going to abandon just because Kurt was trying to force his hand. Kurt made it clear that he thought Hawkins was extremely foolish, because for all he knew this could be the the last opportunity that Curt had at the title. Hawkins though brought an end to the conversation by making it clear that he wouldn't be forced to do anything or blackmailed by anyone irrespective of their position. In the aftermath it was clear that Christian was a little bit surprised by Hawkins's decision, but Curt would make the point that Christian had been instrumental in his climb up the ladder and he wasn't going to forget that anytime soon.
A week later (7th March) Shane McMahon (the Smackdown Live Commissioner) would have a conversation with Christian. Christian would make it clear to Shane that he didn't want Curt to be punished because of any animosity between himself (Christian) and Kurt Angle. Christian made it clear that he was prepared to step down and bring an end to his contract with the WWE, if it meant that Curt would be granted another shot at the WWE Championship. Shane was clearly shocked by Christian's ability to give it all up for Hawkins and told Christian that he would address his concerns at the start of next week's episode.
At the start of the show (14th March) Shane McMahon would come out from the back and reveal that he had accepted the resignation of Christian. This announcement resulted in Curt Hawkins coming out from the back looking distraught by the news. Shane would go on and make the point that he was superseding Smackdown Live General Manager Kurt Angle's decision and would in fact be booking Curt to face Dean at Wrestlemania with the WWE Championship on the line. Hawkins would object to this decision but before he had time to say anything of any real value he would whacked from behind by Ambrose with a kendo stick before being dropped onto the main stage with the Dirty Deeds! Ambrose would then pick up the microphone and make it clear that he thought Shane's decision was unwise, because without Christian (Hawkins) stood absolutely no chance in hell of becoming the WWE Champion. The next two weeks would be filled with hype videos and a lot of self reflection, with Curt Hawkins making it clear that once he was in possession of the world title he would do everything in power to give Christian his job back.
+ Singles Match (WWE Championship) +
|| WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Following the Royal Rumble, Apollo Crews would take on Baron Corbin with the Intercontinental Title on the line (14th February) and Corbin would win the title for the second time in his career. It wasn't until a few weeks after Fastlane on Smackdown Live (7th March) that Corbin would bring up old news by demanding that Luke Harper come out from the back, with Corbin saying that both men had unfinished business. Corbin would make it clear that he was had every intent of removing all trace of The Wyatt Family (having got both Bray and Erick Rowan fired) and that he now had his sights set on Harper. Corbin would make himself very clear that he was willing to put his title on the line with Luke was willing to put up his contract as collateral. Harper clearly fully believe in himself and would welcome the challenge. A few weeks afterwards (21st March) GM Kurt Angle would spice up the contest by informing Harper that if he won the match not only would be becoming the Intercontinental Champion, but that also he would also offer Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan their contracts back. In order to appease Baron Corbin though Kurt would state that the match would be an Extreme Rules match.
+ Extreme Rules Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship) +
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
The fallout from the match between Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss at the Royal Rumble had sparked some really interesting talking points. Firstly, everyone was curious as to whether Eva and Alexa were on the same page or whether Eva had simply gone out of her way in an attempt to cost Becky the title. (31st January) Alexa Bliss though would holding nothing back by making it clear that she was absolutely furious that Eva had got involved in her chance at reclaiming the Smackdown Women's Championship and would demand that Eva face punishment for her involvement in the contest. Kurt Angle though would come out from the bank and make it clear that the only person that had benefited from Eva's involvement was herself (Alexa) and if she was really trying to use Eva Marie as a scapegoat then she had another thing coming. It was at this point that Eva Marie would come out from the back and let Alexa know exactly what she thought of her by going on record in stating that Alexa had actually asked her to get involved in the contest, with the promise that if Alexa won she would give Eva the first shot at her titles. Alexa would wholeheartedly deny the claims although it was clear by the manner in which she was acting that both women had been in cahoots.
Later on during the same show champion Becky Lynch would talk backstage with Renee Young would joke about both Bliss and Marie and thank both women for being involved in arguably one of the best matches of her career. Lynch would make it clear that there was a good eight weeks to go until Wrestlemania, but as it stood she would welcome any and all challengers that thought they had what it took to be the Smackdown Women's Champion. On the same note though Becky made it clear that unlike RAW, people had to actually earn title shots rather just be given them.
For a number of weeks that followed it was clear that Alexa and Eva loathed each other and a number of fights would break out between both women and it was clear that General Manager Kurt Angle was losing control of the situation. Kurt eventually put his foot down (28th February) by pitting Eva and Alexa against each other telling them both that the winner of the contest would become the number one contender and face Becky at Wrestlemania 33. Both women would put on a great match only for Becky Lynch to interfere the contest with a shillelagh and proceed to take out both Alexa and Eva. After the match was brought to an end, Becky would it clear that revenge was a dished best served with an Irish weapon in hand and that if Alexa and Eva thought that she had simply forgotten about what had taken place at the Royal Rumble then they were both sorely mistaken. Of course this would throw up the question of who would be facing Becky at Wrestlemania?
A week later (7th March) Becky Lynch would be called to the ring by Kurt Angle. Kurt would want to know exactly what Becky had been thinking my getting involved in the contest between Alexa and Eva. Becky made it quite clear that all she had done was repay a debt that had been owed to both women. Kurt though clearly wasn't happy with the answer and made it clear that he was the law of the land and he was just going to stand on the sidelines and get individuals like Becky running around in an attempt to control the narrative. Kurt would then tell Becky that because of her involvement in the number one contenders match, she would now face both women in a triple threat match at Wrestlemania.
In the build-up to the match it was clear that neither Alexa or Eva were very happy that both of them were challenging for the title and it was clear that both women would have preferred to just have to contend with Becky in singles action. On the other side of the coin Becky Lynch actually seemed to relish the idea of getting to beat up Alexa and Eva at the same time, and also made the point that by both of them in the match they wouldn't become an extra factor if they had decided to get involved into the match illegally.
+ Triple Threat Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship) +
|| WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS STORYLINE ||
In regards to Smackdown Tag Team Titles there wasn't actually any real story-line in place. Instead Shane McMahon had made the point that he wanted the brand's tag team titles be up for grabs in a Triple Threat Tag Team match. The contest would see inaugural Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Hype Bros be defending against American Alpha & Rubicon members (Viktor & Konnor) formerly known as The Ascension. Outside sources claimed that the match was a clear attempt at borrowing the formula used so often in Japan at the Toyko Dome show for the Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles.
+ Triple Threat Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships) +
|| WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
After Fastlane everyone was curious about who AJ Styles was going to decide to face at Wrestlemania 33's main-event. On the following evening's episode of RAW (20th February) everyone would finally be given the answer as whilst Finn and the rest of the Balor Club were celebrating Balor's victory over The Undertaker with all five members (Balor, Anderson, Gallows, Martini & Yujiro) of the Club enjoying their moment. The celebrations would be short lived though as AJ Styles would emerge from the back with a massive smile on his face. Styles wouldn't even beat around the bush as he would make his intentions from the start pretty clear that he would be facing Balor for the Universal Championship at Wrestlemania. Styles would make the point that there were a couple of familiar face in the ring and a couple he wasn't all that familiar with, but he was sure he was going to get to know them all a whole lot better in the weeks to come. Styles would then wave at all five men before heading off backstage.
Later on in the night Styles would feature in an interview segment, but would barely start speaking before he would find himself being blindsided by Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows who would look intent on inflicting as much damage as possible. Styles though would show his resilience and actually manage to fight his way back up to his feet, but instead of continuing to fight would proceed to flee the scene in order so that he would be able to fight another day.
On the next week's show (27th February) Finn Balor would be sitting in the 'Balor Club' locker-room talking with his manager and close friend Truth Martini. Martini would actually seem to be trying to convince Finn that the 'Balor Club' was holding him back and that he would become so much stronger when he started walking on his own two feet. Finn made it clear that he didn't want to hear this right now and that he had more important things to worry about than in-house politics. The scene would be interrupted by Styles though who would kick down the door to the locker-room and proceed to dive forward and smash right into Balor. Both men would start having a brawl in the locker-room and both men would manage to throw in a number of shots before security would eventually mob into the room and separate both men. Styles and Balor would noticeably be screaming at each other and it was clear that both men were already ready to go to war with each other just by the manner in which they were looking at each other.
With both sides having thrown stones that arguably could have been considered as warning shots it was clear that the intensity of the situation was really building up and this would become even more apparent on the following week's show (6th March). 'The Balor Club' would cut a pretty intense promo in which Finn would make it quite clear Styles was going to suffer for attacking him last week in the Club's private space. Balor would make the point that only recognised members of the club were ever allowed to enter that hallowed ground and it was for this reason that Styles was going to have to pay the price. The segment would be interrupted by Styles as the screen would be split in two. One thing that must be mentioned is that Styles was wearing a 'Bullet Club' tee and had a very smug look on his face. Styles would make it clear that whilst Balor had been playing superhero on NXT, he had been working his arse off in the independents. That he had been the number one man in Japan and that he had been the leader of 'The Bullet Club' the same group that Finn was masquerading as 'The Balor Club'. Styles would make it clear that time was running out for Finn as not only was he going to take the Universal Championship away from him, but also he would be taking back 'The Bullet Club'. At this point Balor would laugh his head off as would the rest of 'The Balor Club'. The look on Styles face suggested this was no laughing matter.
Towards the end of the show as 'The Balor Club' were looking to leave the arena in their convoy of cars, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows would find themselves attacked from behind by The Shield (Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) with Rollins and Reigns wielding steel pipes in their hands. For a second Balor looked as if he was going to exit the car and join in the fight, but Martini noticeably pulled Finn back inside as his car sped off out of the parking lot. The show would end with Anderson and Gallows getting one hell of a beating as the show came to a close.
Following last week's beating from The Shield (13th March) it would be announced that Anderson and Gallows were taking the week off in order so that they could nurse their injuries. With Yujiro busy with his on-going feud with Sami Zayn, Balor found himself in a position where he could only turn to Truth Martini for help. Styles would make an address from the middle of the ring and be flanked on either side by Reigns and Roman. Styles would make it clear that he wasn't part of The Shield and that Reigns and Rollins weren't part of his vision of 'The Bullet Club'. Styles would explain that the trio had come to an agreement and that they both had their reasons for coming together. Rollins would take hold of the microphone and make it clear that for too long Anderson and Gallows had been walking around backstage thinking they were the hottest thing since sliced bread and that Wrestlemania they were going to prove why a shield is stronger than any bullet. For the next two weeks a lot of build-up and hype packages would take place and it was clear that the fans were really looking forward to seeing Finn Balor and AJ Styles go one-on-one for the Universal Championship as well as The Shield taking on Anderson & Gallows in tag-team action.
Entrants: Alberto Del Rio, Apollo Crews, Dolph Ziggle, Kane, The Miz, Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, Cesaro, Curtis Axel, Sheamus, Rusev, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, John Cena, Sting, Brock Lesnar, Goldust, Nick Aldis & Joe Hendry
+ Tag Team Match+
+ Triple Threat Tag Team Match (WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships) +
+ Singles Match (WWE RAW Women's Championship)+
+ Extreme Rules Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship) +
+ Singles Match (WWE United States Championship)+
+ Six Man Ladder Match (WWE Cruiserweight Championship) +
(Zack Sabre, Jr. (c) vs. Neville vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Akira Tozawa vs. Noam Dar vs. Cedric Alexander)
+ Triple Threat Match (WWE Smackdown Women's Championship) +
+ Disneyland Deathmatch (WWE RAW Tag Team Championships) +
:: Over The Top Battle Royal ::
Wrestlemania’s Kickoff Show would begin with the 4th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and all twenty five entrants would start the match in ring. With a lot of big names involved in the night’s opening contest it was clear that the fans were already being treated to a star studded match from the get go. Of course with all matches of this type there would be a number of early eliminations that would take place that wouldn't majorly affect the outcome of the match. The men that found themselves in this initial elimination string were; Curtis Axel, Rusev, Apollo Crews, Nick Aldis, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio and both of the Usos.
With the herd thinning out everyone involved was given a little bit more space to breath. John Cena’s involvement for the first time since TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs was met with a mixed reaction but John Cena was noticeably different in his fighting approach (with the slight suggestion being offered that a heel turn might be on the cards). Cena would rack up a number of eliminations that would include him throwing Woods and Kingston out of the ring before eliminating the final member of The New Day by way of the Attitude Adjustment! The involvement of the unique team of Sheamus and Cesaro would also lead to a number of tag-team style eliminations that would see Mark Henry, Goldust, Joe Hendry & The Miz ejected from the contest. Notable mentions need to be given to Brock who would send everyone at least once to Suplex City! The more stunning and cunning Randy Orton meanwhile would manage to conserve energy whilst at the same time come to the aid of others in order achieve quick elimination. This would result in the likes of Kane, Shelton Benjamin and much to Cesaro’s anger Sheamus all be eliminated.
With so many big names still in the contest it had already become clear that a somebody was going to become the fourth winner of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. The talented pool would be cut down even more as ‘The Icon’ Sting would appear to have a surge of adrenaline and proceed to eliminate Owens and then Cesaro with the aid of Jericho. Jericho though would be coy and instead of offering a hand to celebrate with Sting would attempt to eliminate ‘The Icon; Sting though would show his resilience and cling on to the ropes only for Orton to come charging forward and toss Jericho over the ropes and out of the ring. The elimination would result in a final four of Orton, Cena, Sting and Lesnar all starting at each other from the four sides of the ring.
The close of the contest would be fast-paced and intense to say the very least. Randy would be the first of the four to really make an impact as he proceed to hit Cena, Sting and Lesnar with a successions ofRKOs! Cena would be the first of the three to push himself back up onto his feet only for Randy to come charging forward and connect with a brutal Running Punt Kick! Cena would look like he had been rendered unconscious as he would stay down on the mat and would show no signs of moving. Orton would start taunting the fallen Cena only to be grabbed from behind by Stinger and sent straight to the mat with theScorpion Death Drop only for Brock to grab hold of Sting from behind and toss him over the rope and out of the ring with an over-powered suplex. Sting would look like the victim of a car crash as he lay in a heap outside of the ring. Orton would come at Brock from behind and with a well placed lariat would send Brock over the ropes and out of the ring. Cena was looking worse for wear and struggling to get back to feet as he would charge at Cena with pure intent. Cena would have nothing to offer in terms of defence as he would forced over the ropes and out of the ring. Randy would have a massive smile on his face as the bell was rung as he realised he was the winner of the 4th Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
Winner: Randy Orton
:: Tag Team Match ::
With nothing but pride on the line it was clear that both ‘The Balor Club’ and ‘The Shield’ were fuelled by nothing other than pure hatred for each other. All four men arguably belonged much higher up the cards but considering how stacked this year’s card was it many ways both teams were just lucky to have made it onto the card in the first place. The match was fairly short and sweet in it’s length but from start to finish it was intense and violent from the get go. Anderson and Gallows would show everyone why they were arguably one of the most dominant tag-team currently active in professional wrestling and they would perform a number of unique tag-team manoeuvres including their signature finishing move theMagic Killer on Rollins that would result in a near fall. Roman and Seth in recent months had learnt to work as team rather than as individuals in recent months and it was clear that they might finally be close to being the force that was feared when the group originally joined the WWE albeit with Ambrose then part of the group. The match would end when Reigns looked to nail Anderson with a Spear and for a moment it looked like Karl was out for the count. At the last moment Gallows would break up the pin and in one fluid motion lift up Reigns and and throw him down with theGallows Pole that would inadvertently knock Rollins off the edge of the ring. The double impact would be enough to silence Reigns protests and bring the match to a conclusion.
Winners: The Balor Club (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson)
:: Triple Threat Tag Team - WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships ::
Ever since becoming the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder have been on an unstoppable run. Despite a number of impressive challenges the Hype Bros have showed absolutely no signs of losing their hold of the titles anytime soon. With American Alpha (Jordan & Gable) and Rubicon (Viktor & Konnor) involved in the contest there was no denying that the fans were in for quite the spectacle. To make the situation a little bit more complicated Rubicon’s leader Kane had come out to support his two acolytes and was join by his other acolyte Rankour. It must be noted that because of the match being fought under triple threat rules the match was technically being fought under no disqualification which meant that Kane and Rankour could both involve themselves in the contest without any repercussions It was clear that Kane had no intention of the duo formerly known as ‘The Ascension’ leaving without the tag team titles. Kane would whisper into Rankour’s ear which would result (in arguably the most savage member of Rubicon) grabbing hold of Jason Jordan and pulling him off the ring apron and proceeding to pummel Jordan directly in the face with a number of stiff punches. Rankour would then proceed to laugh as Kane would take hold of a chair and slide it underneath him only for Rankour to take hold of Jordan and send him directly down onto the chair with The Brighter Side of Suffering! Jordan looked like he was in a very bad way and Gable would end up tagging in Konnor only to throw himself over the ropes in order to come to partner’s aid only to be caught in mid-air by Kane who would smile at Gable before delivering him down to the concrete with an almighty Chokeslam! Kane would look very happy with himself as between himself and Rankour they had effectively taken American Alpha out of contention.
Within the confines of the ring the match had effectively become Rubicon versus current champions The Hype Bros although the commentary team was quick to make a point that American Alpha were still part of the contest. Rankour would continue to interfere in the contest, but it was clear that the referee had grown tired of both Rankour and Kane and would proceed to eject them both from the building. Kane would try to argue the point, but the referee would make it clear that wasn’t having any of it. The removal of the rest of Rubicon actually seemed to throw Konnor and Viktor off which was all the opportunity the Hype Bros needed to turn up the pressure on their challengers. It looked as if the reigning champions had done enough as Konnor would be taken out with theRough Ryder at the same time as Viktor was wiped off his feet by by Mojo with the Hyper Drive! As Mojo dropped on top of Viktor to make the pin he would have a massive smile on his face only to be left stunned as from the abyss Chad Gable would jump through the ropes to break up the pin-count.
With both members of Rubicon still off their feet, Ryder would be forced back into his corner as the referee would deem Gable as the legal opponent for Mojo. Unbeknown to Ryder, Jason Jordan had also made his way back to his feet and did his best to pull Ryder off the apron. Jordan though wouldn’t pull off the moves as Ryder would leap off the apron instead and take out Jordan with a short-arm lariat. Gable meanwhile was on the up and had managed to hit Rawley with the O’Connor Roll and he transitioned it into a bridgingGerman Suplex but at the very last moment Rawley would manage to kick out of the pin at the last possible second. Gable would look furious only to be taken off his feet as Ryder would charge forward and flatline Gable with theRough Ryder only for Mojo to drop on top of Gable and achieve the three count. As Ryder and Rawley were handed their titles they would beam with massive smiles and proceed to get extremely hyped much to the joy of the fans at ringside.
Winners: The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder) - still WWE Smackdown Tag Team Champions
:: Singles Match - WWE Raw Women’s Championship ::
The final match of the Kickoff Show would see Sasha Banks defend what had very much become ‘her’ RAW Women’s Championship against returning legend Trish Stratus. The match wasn’t the longest affair but it would be long enough for the fans to be treated to Stratus pulling off her signature spots including theChick Kick and Stratusfaction! Sasha though being one of the most inform members of the WWE Universe would arguably prove to the world that she is one of the most talented wrestlers of a generation and after a flurry of kick combinations looked as if she had done enough when she hooked Trish into the Bank Statement! At the last possible moment Trish though would push with all her strength and grab hold the bottom rope enforcing a rope break. It was at this point that Sasha would be caught off guard as Trish would fling Sasha off her feet and lock the champion in theSharpshooter! The expression on Sasha’s face said it all and she winced when Trish would actually pull Sasha further into the middle of the ring. Sasha would scream out in rage before she started to tap out. The fans would cheer in what would be the biggest pop of the night so far as the ring announcer would sound extremely excited as it would be announced that Trish Stratus was the NEW Raw Women’s Champion.
Winner: Trish Stratus - new WWE Raw Women’s Champion
Main Show
:: Extreme Rules Match - WWE Intercontinental Championship ::
The main show would begin with the contest between Baron Corbin and Luke Harper and there was more at stake than just the Intercontinental Championship. A win for Baron would see Harper lose his contract and Corbin accomplish his dream of ridding the WWE of the Wyatt Family whilst a win for Harper would result in Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt being resigned to Smackdown Live. With the added measure of an abundance of weapons at both men’s disposal it was fair to say that the fans were treated to an extremely violent and aggressive contest. A number of notable spots in the match would include Corbin charging forward at Harper only for Luke to take hold of Corbin and using his version of a spinning side slam The Truckstop would send Corbin through and already set-up table that had ironically brought into the play earlier on by Corbin. Baron of course would have his own spots which would include him trapping Harper within the ropes and proceed to bash him repeatedly in the abdomen with a steel chair.
The match would end with Corbin on the up and it looked as if Baron was on course to retaining the championship belt as he would break a kendo stick over Harper’s back before taking hold of the last member of the Wyatt Family standing and plant him down onto the lid of a trash can with the End of Days! Coribn would stretch out his arms and stand over Harper’s fallen body clearly enjoying his moment. It would become apparent that this would be his downfall as out from the crowd none other than Randy Orton would slide into the ring and grab hold of Corbin and plant him down to the canvass with an RKO! Randy would then smile as he took hold of Harper’s hand and draped it over Corbin and would cheer as the referee would make his count and declare Harper the winner and the new Intercontinental Champion. To make the situation even more interesting Randy would remove his hoodie to reveal a ‘Wyatt Family’ t-shirt underneath.
Winner: Luke Harper - new WWE Intercontinental Champion
:: Singles Match - WWE United States Championship ::
Sami has been the champion since Roadblock: End of the Line and many of his fans have been quick to make the point that ever since Zayn has been in possession of the title he has recapture some of the form that made him such a force to be reckoned with when he was in NXT. Yujiro on the other hand has been one of the hottest wrestlers in the WWE Universe since he joined the company and it would be a safe bet in Yujiro making some major waves at some point in the near future.
Both men would work in perfect symmetry as their opposing styles would come together to put on a really nail biting and spot filled contest. Yujiro would pull out all of the suplexes from his arsenal with the use of; belly-to-belly, german, karelin and trapping suplexes with each other exciting the fans even more. For every suplex that Yujiro offered up Zayn would offer a countermeasure of either one of his moonsault variations or dropkick combos that would create a good balance between both combatants. Yujiro would really excite the fans when he would drop Zayn with a Bukki Nuki German only to follow up the move with Pimp Juice as Zayn attempted to get back up onto his feet. Zayn would also planted his fan favourite move the Helluva Kick as well getting a standing ovation from the fans as he would connect with a Suicide Dive Tornado DDT!
The match would end with fireworks as both men would trade punches in the middle of the ring with the blows noticeably weakening both men and they would increasingly looked more and more tired as they managed to stay on their feet after each resounding blow. Eventually Sami would start backpedalling which would result in Yujiro bouncing off the ropes and rebounding off and coming at Sami with an attempt at a Big Boot only for Sami to catch Yujiro in mid-motion and leg drag his counterpart only to take hold of Yujiro and plant him over with a Reverse STO! Zayn would then hook over Yujiro’s legs and do what was needed to claim the victory and retain his title belt. After the contest Yujiro would flat out refuse to shake hands with Sami, who would clearly be insulted by the gesture but to continue to smile as he held the title above his head standing like a proud peacock in the middle of the ring.
Winner: Sami Zayn - still WWE United States Champion
:: Cruiserweight Championship ::
A ladder match in many way has become a tradition at Wrestlemania and the contest for the Cruiserweight Championship was no exception. What made the match even more historic was that it was the first official time that the title would be defended under the ‘205 Live’ branding despite everyone still continuing to be part of the Raw roster. With the speed and agility that all six men brought the table the early and middle portions of the match would feature everyone using the whole ring as if it was an adventure playground with everything be used as an element to unleash all their potential on everyone else. Whether it aerial moves of the ropes, turnbuckle or the ladders to flat out technical wrestling everyone brought an element that excited the fans. The speed of each man meant that no one ever really climbed up the ladder long enough to get their hands on the Cruiserweight Title.
The match was you might expect ended in an explosive and fiery manner with all six men getting a slice of the action. The sequence would being with T.J. Perkins lying on one of the ladders that had become a bridge between the ring and the ringside barrier. Cedric Alexander would leap off the nearest turnbuckle with an Overtime, but at the last possible moment Perkins would roll off the metal which result in Cedric landing directly onto the ladder. The sheer force of the move looked like it might of broken one of Cedric’s ribs as he was clutching his side. Perkins meanwhile would be caught out by Tozawa who would charge across the ring and slide out from underneath it and kick Perkins in the head with a baseball slide before throwing himself over the ropes and out on top of Perkins with a Diving Crossbody! In the ring ZSJ had managed to grab hold of Neville’s arm and looked like he might be breaking it as he had it trapped it behind one of the rungs of ladder as he was locking in the New School Armbreaker! Neville though would find himself saved by an unlikely Dar who would pull off an unusual and unique move as he would dive through one of the gaps in the ladder feet first and clock Sabre straight in the jaw with a double footed dropkick. It seemed as though the damage had been done to Neville as he was wincing in pain with suggestion that his arm might have been dislocated or broken, meanwhile Alexander and Perkins were still down outside of the ring but Tozawa was getting back to his feet and climbing back into the ring.
Dar would catch Tozawa out of the corner of his eye and scout him just in time to extend his leg and connect with a bicycle kick that would knock Akira backwards with enough force that he would tumble through the ropes and fallout onto the floor once more. In the ring a stunned ZSJ would be pushed back to his feet and would slowly start to climb the ladder as the only man still on his feet only for everyone to fall silent as a clearly injured Neville would pull off a miracle move as he would knock Sabre off the ladder with a monstrous Superkick! Neville would then cling onto his damaged arm and slowly climb up the ladder clearly in a large amount of pain, but with every step further up the ladder he went, the louder the cheers from the crowd would be. The fans would be left stunned as Tozawa would appear once more and springboard off the ropes with his springboard diving headbutt move; Apron Kara Tozawa! Neville was down. Tozawa was down. Sabre, Jr. was down. Perkins was down. Alexander was still down! Noam Dar was climbing the ladder and would very quickly find his hands around the title belt as the young Scot would wrench the title off its hook and by doing so become the new Cruiserweight Champion.
Noam Dar would have a massive smile on his face as he would sit on top of the ladder as he would wrap the title belt around his waist before standing on top of the ladder and raising both his hands in the air in sheer delight of becoming a champion for the first time in his WWE career.
Winner: Noam Dar - new WWE Cruiserweight Champion
:: Triple Threat Match - WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship ::
There can be no denying that Eva Marie received so much hatred from the moment she entered the arena. It wasn’t even heat that a heel would be proud of achieved but sheer dislike from the WWE Universe that already held great animosity for the fact that Eva had once been the Smackdown Women’s Champion. The fact that she still involved in the title picture had simply incensed more hatred towards her. To make matters worse Eva Marie looked incredibly weak each time she found herself one-on-one with either Lynch or Bliss in the ring. One thing was certain and that was that every time Eva took a bump the fans would howl with joy. Eventually Eva would find herself removed from the ring as Bliss would smash into Eva with a Forearm Smash before Becky would outdo Alexa by sending Eva toppling of the ropes and out of the ring with Flying Fire-Arm! It was at this point that Alexa and Becky would be left looking stunned as Nikki Bella’s music would start playing and Nikki would emerge from out of the back. Much to everyone’s surprise Nikki would head straight for Eva and proceed to throw the Red Queen into the ringside barrier like a rag-doll before mounting Eva and punching hear with a combination of MMA style blow. A ringside official attempted to pull Nikki off Eva, only to be knocked back as Nikki would pull Eva back to her feet and throw her down onto the concrete with the Rack Attack 2.0! As the fighting in the ring between Alexa and Becky continued, Nikki would grab a microphone and make it clear to Eva Marie that after all of the nonsense that Eva had inflicted on all of the ladies of the WWE she wasn’t going to let her have her Wrestlemania moment. Nikki would then proceed to stamp repeatedly down on Eva, until eventually a full force of security would pull Nikki away. A pair of EMTs would proceed to tend to Eva Marie and very quickly make the decision to put Eva into a neck brace.
With only each other to worry about Alexa and Becky would manage to put on one hell of a performance and it was clear that the fans were in a much better mood now that Eva was nowhere to be seen. The match would come to an impressive finish as Bliss would pull off her knee drop combo the Insult To Injury! Alexa would roar with delight as she would clamber up onto the turnbuckle despite her small frame and leap off and land on top of Becky with Twisted Bliss! Bliss would look extremely pleased with herself only to have a look of complete shock on her face that was reminiscent of the match at the Royal Rumble as Becky would break the count at the last possible moment. This time round though Becky wouldn’t be given any respite as Alexa would wrench Becky up once again only to nail her with the Snap DDT! One, Two, Three! And then just like that the ring bell was rung and the referee was handing Alexa Bliss as one of the shortest wrestlers in the WWE Universe was in the knowledge of being the two time Smackdown Women’s Champion.
Winner: Alexa Bliss - new WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion
:: Disneyland Deathmatch - WWE Raw Tag Team Championships ::
It was fair to say that Disneyland would play host to the most violent event of its entire history. Well at least for about thirty seconds anyway as after The Establishment had proceeded to pick up Mickey Mouse and drop him on top of a pinball machine with theBest Meltzer Ever only for Harv and Gurv to each Superkick Daniels and Kazarian at the exact same time into a mirror outside a Hall of Mirrors exhibit. It was at this point that the feed would suddenly go dead only to turn back onto an image of Vince McMahon who would be standing backstage with a smug look on his face. Vince would announce that the match for the RAW Tag Team titles had been cancelled due to the inappropriate nature of the the stipulation and would also cough and suggest that a breakdown might have taken place between the WWE and Disney. Vince would make the point that his daughter Stephanie had been reckless in booking the match and for this reason he would be reviewing Stephanie position as Raw’s commissioner and on that basis he would be taking on the role of Commissioner for Raw on a temporary basis. Vince would bring an end to the segment by apologising to the fans but would make the point that life wasn’t fair and this simply was one of those cases.
Result - No Contest
:: Singles Match - WWE Championship ::
At the Royal Rumble Curt Hawkins came so close to becoming the WWE Champion, although without Christian with him at ringside some questioned if Curt had what it took to become the champion. The true underdog story though was certainly one that had captivated the fans in recent months and it was clear that a lot of people were rooting for Curt. At the same time Dean Ambrose was as popular as ever, so the fans were so loud that if there had been a roof they might have just about have done enough to blow it off. The match would start in a tentative fashion with both Ambrose and Hawkins now no strangers to each other and both picking up on the danger of rushing into the match all guns blazing. This approach would led to a lot quick exchanges in the early stages with lot of transitions, reversals and chain wrestling taking place.
Eventually though the match would ramp up in its intensity as it became clear that Ambrose wanted to send a clear message that he was still the top dog on Smackdown Live. Ambrose would do this by using all of his body in such a way that Curt wasn’t able to forecast where the next shot was coming from. Whether it was by using forearm smashes, knee strikes, crossbodies or arm wrenches Ambrose would be quick in changing up his style which really allowed him to claim control during the mid-portion of the contest. This control would actually lead to Dean actually hitting Hawkins with the Dirty Deeds fairly early into the contest. Hawkins though would show why he had been able to climb so far up the hierarchy in such a short space of time as he would manage to push out from a pin attempt without too much problem. Ambrose would remain focused though as he wouldn’t let the break result in him losing focus and Dean would take hold of Curt and proceed to toss him through the ropes with the clear intent of inflicting some damage outside of the ring.
The change of environment though seemed to have an opposite effect on Curt to the one that Dean had been hoping for. Hawkins would be quick back onto his feet and would proceed to leap onto the barricade before leaping back and grabbing hold of Ambrose connecting with an elevated enzuigiri . The kick would stun Ambrose, but wouldn’t knock the world champion off his feet. Hawkins though would be tenacious as he would take hold of Ambrose and whip him towards the steel steps. In the eternal battle of flesh versus steel, steel would once again win as Ambrose would bounce off the steps and lay sprawled on the ground. The referee had been counting the whole time and Hawkins not wanting for the contest to end via count-out would force Ambrose back into the ring and follow in after him bringing the action back into the ring.
With Dean still on his back the fans would direct Hawkins towards the turnbuckle and Curt would smile as he would oblige them and pull himself on top of the ring post only to leap off and connect with the ever impressive Heat Seeking Elbow! It looked like Curt might have done enough but at the last possible moment Ambrose would push his shoulders up much to Hawkins horror who clearly had already started to imagine himself with the title belt around his waist. As Curt started remonstrating with the referee, Ambrose would get back up and spin Hawkins on his axis only to shock everyone by delivering him down to the canvass with the Dirty Deeds! As Ambrose went to cover Curt he would be totally caught out as Hawkins would rake Ambrose’s eyes without the referee seeing the infraction. With Ambrose’s vision blurry Hawkins would run towards the ropes and come back towards Dean having built up momentum and chop the champion in half with a devastating Spear! Curt would stand over Dean and without any further thought head straight back over to the turnbuckle. Curt would then pose clearly a dedication to Christian by the manner in which he would cover his brow with his hand and look around the arena before leaping off and landing on Ambrose with the Heating Seeking Elbow for the second time in the match. This time though as Hawkins would remain on top of Ambrose the whole crowd would erupt as the ref’s hand came down for the third time.
Curt would drop to his knees almost in a state of shock as the referee would pat Hawkins on the back before draping the championship strap over his left shoulder. Curt was crying in what was a rush of emotion for him before he would push himself back up to his feet and raise the title belt above his head. Curt Hawkins had achieved his Wrestlemania moment.
Winner: Curt Hawkins - new WWE Champion
:: Singles Match - The Undertaker’s Retirement Match ::
Emotions were running high for the fans as they were with the knowledge that tonight would be the last time that The Undertaker would wrestle. What made the match even more interesting was that The Dead Man had hand picked Braun to be the last man to face him and many people had speculated that Taker had selected someone that the elder statesmen felt would neutralise him and perhaps send him out of the WWE Universe with a loss rather than a final victory that so many members of the WWE Universe both staff and fans were clearly hoping for. As you might have expected The Undertaker would have an extremely elaborate entrance in which he would be delivered to the ramp within the confines of a coffin before breaking out and being led to the ring by his acolytes. Braun on the other-hand would look as mean and powerful as ever and despite everything about Strowman he would actually shakes hands with the Dead Man prior to the bell officially getting underway.
The match wasn’t the longest affair considering the age of The Undertaker but his final hurrah would see a number of the more popular moves be used throughout the contest. The fans would be treated an extraordinary strong looking bear hug, a variety of clotheslines including the famous corner clotheslines, Old School (which showed just how skilled the old man was as performer considering the technical difficulty of a big man pulling off such a move). The fans would also bear witness to The Undertaker managing to raise Braun off his feet completely and bring him down to the canvass with a Chokeslam and a Tombstone Piledriver! On both occasions though Braun would manage to survive any pin attempts and continue on in the contest.
As it was becoming clear that The Undertaker was starting to show signs of exhaustion and ultimately losing the battle of attrition, the look on Braun’s face suggested that he had absolutely no intention of feeling guilty about beating the Dead Man and officially retiring him. Braun would start cutting down The Undertaker like a lumberjack cutting down an old oak tree until he would finally take hold of the Dead Man and connect with a Running Powerslam! Much to Strowman’s shock Taker would actually sit up in his iconic fashion although wouldn’t offer to much else. In a fit of rage Braun would take hold of The Undertaker from behind and raise him up again and administer a final dose of medicine as he would hit the Reverse Chokeslam before falling on top of the Dead Man. In what almost felt like the slowest three seconds in human history the fans would be left looking stunned as bell would be rung and the Undertaker’s career had finally come to an end with a Wrestlemania record of 23-2.
Strowman would clearly want nothing more to do with the affair as he would make his way backstage leaving the Undertaker in the ring still out on his back and out for the count. Suddenly all the lights in the arena would go out. They would turn on moments later with no trace of the Dead Man left anywhere in the ring.
Winner: Braun Strowman
:: Singles Match - WWE Championship ::
Dream Match. For many this was exactly what a contest featuring Styles and Balor was. At the same time though many were hoping that the match would be fought cleanly without any involvement from any Bullet Club or any other people for that matters in order so that the Wrestlemania main-event wouldn’t be considering as a “screwy finish”. And for the early stages of the contest it looked as if everything in the contest was going to run smoothly as Balor and Styles would put on a masterclass with it being very difficult to separate either man in terms of their skill and ability. Memorable moments from the beginning of the contest would include Styles leaping halfway across the ring as he would connect with the Phenomenal Forearm as well as Balor preventing Styles from taking a breather outside by leaping over the ropes with a Suicide Somersault Senton! It was at this point, with both men outside of the ring that the ‘nonsense’ would really start to begin.
Whilst Finn and AJ continued their battle inside the Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows emerged from the back only to find themselves attacked from behind by King Fale and Yujiro. The point must be made that Karl and Luke were distinctively wearing ‘Balor Club’ wear whilst Fale and Yujiro were not. Fale of course hadn’t been seen since he was ejected from the ‘Balor Club’ by force in the lead up to Fastlane. What was surprising was that Yujiro had clearly decided to part ways with Anderson and Gallows and thus by association the ‘Balor Club’ as a whole. All four men would continue to battle each other on the entrance ramp as the Balor and Styles would continue to battle each other in an impressive style within the ring. If the fans had been looking towards the ramp they might have even missed Balor almost claiming a victory as he connected with the Coup De Grace only for Styles to roll under the rope and out of the ring before Balor could capitalise on the situation.
To make matters even more chaotic the foursome on the entrance ramp would see some brand new arrivals appear at the top of the ramp. The commentary team would reveal the two men at the top of the stage as Camacho and Tama better known as the ‘Guerrillas of Destiny’. For Tama it would be his first appearance at a WWE event, whilst for Camacho it would be a return to the company after a number of years working elsewhere. Both men would sprint towards the melee on the ramp and would throw themselves at Yujiro and King Fale and it would become clear that the ‘Guerrillas of Destiny’ had aligned themselves with ‘The Balor Club’. Before the four on two advantage could lead to any further damage Cody Hall (son of Scott Hall) and Adam Cole would sprint out from the back and seemingly come to the aid of Fale and Yujiro. It seemed as WWE management had grown tired of the farce that was diluting the main-event which would result in a mass force of security and surprisingly police finally emerging from backstage and pulling apart everyone involved before cuffing everyone and seemingly taking them into custody. The intervention would result in everyone else being taken away from the ring as Styles and Balor would once again have everyone’s complete attention once again.
In the contest’s final sequence (in which would be the twenty sixth minute of the contest) Styles and Balor were both showing signs of fatigue.all though it was clear that both men were not going to throw away their chance of becoming the champion lightly. Both men would hit each other with finishers from their own lockers with Styles connecting with the Styles Clash and Balor hitting Styles with the Coup de Grace although neither man would have done enough to keep their opposite down long enough to achieve the three count. After Styles kicked out but remained down, Balor would head back to the turnbuckle for what looked like a second attempt at the double footed stomp. Balor though would be left caught out as Styles had been playing possum and take out AJ in midair with a Pele Kick! Styles would then jump onto the turnbuckle and leap back off landing onto Balor with the Spiral Tap! Everyone fell silent as the referee began his count, one, two, three!
The match had reached its conclusion and Styles looked overjoyed as he was handed the Universal Championship. Confettis and pyros would be set-off and Styles theme music would play as he climbed on top of one of the turnbuckles and raise the title belt above his head as Wrestlemania 33 would finally come to an end.
+WWE.com updated their roster following Wrestlemania 33 as Camacho, Tama, King Fale, Cody Hall and Adam Cole were all added to the Monday Night RAW roster following their appearances at Wrestlemania. A rumour began circulating following the showcase event that the WWE had purchased the right to the 'Bullet Club' trademark.
+ New RAW Women's Champion Trish Stratus went on social media to announce she had signed a short-term legend's contract with the suggestion that her reign as champion might only be for a limited time.
+ WWE.com would also announce the release of various members from both roster. Raw would part ways with: Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Jack Swagger, Jinder Mahal, Spike Dudley & Titus O'Neil. Smackdown would parts way with: Aiden English, Fandango & Simon Gotch.
+ '205 Live' is set to air it first episode on Thursday April 6th as a recorded episode, with filming taking place on Tuesday prior to Smackdown Live. Suggestions have been made that some of the dead weight on the roster might be replaced with less well known talent in a bid to create a unique identity for the offshoot brand. Members of '205 Live' will continue to appear on Monday Night Raw.
+ The cancelling of the Disneyland Deathmatch has led to a lot of controversy and it is still clear if the reasoning behind the cancellation was a work or a shoot although the return of Vince McMahon was seen as a silver lining for a very disappointing decision.
+ An unnamed source from the backstage writing team has suggested that Curt Hawkins was originally not scheduled to win the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, but various respected members of the roster argued that Hawkins winning the title was the best thing for the Smackdown Live brand.
+ It has been confirmed that the WWE Draft will see both RAW and Smackdown Live's General Managers being given five draft picks on May 22nd, as well as announcing that the NXT Draft will see both main brandGeneral Managers getting five picks each thus meaning that on May 24th ten members of the NXT will join the main roster.
+ Hideo Itami vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Ember Moon vs. Asuka (for the NXT Women's Championship) have already been confirmed as two matches that will take place at NXT TakeOver: Tokyo (that will take place on the Friday before RAW PPV Payback).
+ Dia Garcia (formerly known as Sexy Star) has yet to make her NXT TV debut although it has been confirmed that during an NXT House Show she was involved in a 'superb' match against Asuka. Another member of the NXT roster yet to make his debut is Aleistar Black (previously known as Tommy End) and it has been noted that he is deliberately being held back from making his NXT Debut. The rumour mill has suggested that this might changed following the NXT Draft.
+ The promo for 'Redemption' during TakeOver: Orlando has triggered a treasure hunt amongst a large number of fans online who are desperate to make some sense of the advert. Debates have led to the suggestion that it might be a reference to a returning star rather than a new signing.
+ It has been revealed that the Clash of Trios (Trio Tournament) was cancelled because of fear that the competition wouldn't generate enough interest. The tournament date has instead replaced by the United Kingdom Championship Tournament.
|| THE FEARLESS STORYLINE || The manner in which Nikki Bella had involved herself in the Smackdown Women’s Championship match had resulted in Nikki being applauded by a large portion of fans on social media. Eva Marie understandably would clearly have something to say on the matter considering the attack at Wrestlemania had all but scuppered all of her hopes of becoming Women’s Champion. (April 4th) Eva Marie would cut a promo backstage making it quite clear that she was furious that Nikki had not only been allowed to get involved in the match at Wrestlemania and to make matters worse she questioned if Nikki would even face any repercussions considering who she was dating (a clear dig at John Cena). The Red Queen would make it clear that she wasn’t just going to just forget about what had taken place at Wrestlemania and that there would be consequences. Later on in the night during a match between Nikki Bella and Natalya, Eva Marie would make her way out from the back but rather than physically get involved in the match would join Mauro and JBL at the commentary table. Throughout the match Eva would make verbal jabs about Nikki making it quite clear just what she thought about Nikki Bella. Nikki clearly wasn’t very happy about Eva sitting at ringside and would seem to grow bored of Natalya as she would exit the ring and instead dive over the table and take out Eva. In the process Mauro would be knocked off his seat, whilst JBL would just laugh his head off finding the whole situation hilarious. For the second time in as many days Nikki had managed to take Eva out and was looking intent on inflicting even more damage. On this occasion though a rush of referees and backstage workers would pull both women apart, although it was clear that out of the two it was Nikki that seemed to have the upper-hand.
The following week (April 11th) Eva Marie would come out to the ring and would be escorted by Dolph Ziggler. Dolph would be the one to speak and he would make it quite clear that for too long management had made it clear that there were certain members of the roster that had free reign to do whatever they wanted, whilst the rest of the roster were expected to follow rules that were in place to control them rather than create fairness. Ziggler would reiterate what Eva had said last week about Nikki only be protected because of her relations, although Ziggler wouldn’t shy away from naming John Cena. Ziggler would make it clear that he would be offering protection to Eva and that he wasn’t going to let Nikki continue behaving in the manner she was. Nikki would interrupt the segment, but rather than come out from the back she would appear on the titantron. Nikki would laugh at how pathetic Eva was for having to get someone to fight her battles for her and also would make mockery of Dolph making it clear that the only reason that Ziggler had got involved was because he clearly still had feeling for her. Dolph would laugh off the comments, but it was clear by the face that Eva was pulling that their was a possibility that was Nikki was saying about Dolph was actually true. Nearer towards the end of the night the cameras would work there way into the women’s locker-room where they would discover Nikki Bella lying face down and unresponsive as he would be tended to by EMTs.
Smackdown Live (April 18th) would see John Cena having a heated argument with General Manager Kurt Angle, that the guilty party should be punished for the manner in which Nikki had been so viciously attacked on last week’s show. Kurt would make it clear that it was currently unknown who the assailant was. Cena would make it clear that he didn’t have time for excuses and demanded that the situation be dealt with. Kurt would make it quite clear that he wasn’t going to pushed around by anyone irrespective of how other management members might feel about them. Kurt would make it clear that if members of the roster were going to be punished for inflicting physical damages to others then Nikki Bella was currently at the top of the list. At this point Cena started to bite his tongue clearly realising that if he pushed the situation that it would Nikki who would suffer more than anyone else. Cena though would find himself being blindsided by Dolph, who would smash into the back of Cena that would temporarily stun Cena. Dolph would much to Kurt’s annoyance remove everything from his desk before grabbing hold of Cena and sending him crashing through the table with a Zig Zag! John would lie in a crumpled mess as Kurt would shout at Dolph to get out. Dolph would just smile as he walked out of the office as Nikki would rush in moments later tending to her long-term boyfriend. Later on in the night John Cena would be aided by an EMT in one of the locker-room areas as Nikki Bella would make it quite clear that she wasn’t going to stand for what Dolph had done and that at Vengeance she wanted both Dolph Ziggler and Eva Marie in a tornado tag team match. It would seem as though Eva Marie was already ready to get her answer as she would invade the room and proceed to grab hold of Nikki’s hair and throw her head first into one of the lockers. Cena was in less than a good state to come Bella’s aid but the rest of the talent in the locker-room would pull Eva Marie and forcefully remove her.
On the go home show (25th April) the violence would only escalate as Dolph Ziggler would find himself attacked as soon as he stepped out of his car, as the WWE Universe would be treated to an impromptu ‘Parking Lot Brawl’. Both men would throw each other about and no hold anything back and Dolph looked like he might be out for the count at one point as Cena would drop Ziggler belly side down onto the hood of one of the car. Eventually though security would finally show up and separate both men, although both Dolph and John would prove to be quite the handful. In what had started as hatred between Nikki and Eva and escalated into an ever more explosive rivalry between Cena and Ziggler.
+ Tornado Tag Team Match +
|| Nikki Bella & John Cena vs. Eva Marie & Dolph Ziggler ||
|| WWE CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
There can be no denying that Curt Hawkins was just a little bit excitable on the episode of Smackdown following his monumental victory at Wrestlemania (April 4th). Curt Hawkins would cut a promo in the middle of the ring making it clear just how happy he was to finally be the WWE Champion, although would make the point that being the champion without his mentor Christian by his side just felt wrong. It wouldn’t be a surprise when Smackdown Live’s General Manager Kurt Angle would come out from the back to interrupt Hawkin’s little celebration and would begin on proceeding with an awkwardly long slow clap. Kurt would make it clear just how he felt about Christian no longer being part of the active roster and would hum the funeral march as an open mockery of the fact. Kurt would also make the point that Hawkins was the least man deserving to be the champion and that the evening’s main-event would be for the WWE Championship as Dean Ambrose would be cashing in his rematch clause. Kurt would make it clear that he was especially looking forward to Curt’s reign coming to an end after only forty eight hours. The contest itself would be highly competitive although it must be noted that both Ambrose and Hawkins were operating at less than 50$ considering just how fast paced the match between both men had been at Wrestlemania. The match would end with Kurt failing to provide a distraction for Ambrose and getting knocked off the ring apron by Hawkins. Curt would then go on to successfully retain his title by taking Ambrose off his feet with the Laugh Riot! After the contest Kurt would proceed to berate Ambrose which clearly wound up Ambrose as he would place his hands on Kurt and hit him with the Dirty Deeds!
On the next week episode (April 11th) Kurt Angle would make a statement that Dean Ambrose had been suspended until further notice for attacking him at the end of last weeks show. Kurt however would avoid mentioning Hawkins at all and it was clear that he was clear by his tone that he was less than pleased with the current WWE Championship situation. In another matter tensions between The Miz and Tyler Breeze had been escalating for months and it had become clear that the match at New Year’s Revolution had only made matters worse. With Fandango no longer at Tyler’s side to offer counsel it had become clear that Breeze had gone with the thought pattern of now and never. The issue between both men was Maryse and it had become that Breeze wasn’t just interested in being friends with Maryse, but that he also might have romantic feelings. To make matters worse Maryse had been less than pleased The Miz’s attitude to her friendship with Breeze.
It was on the following week’s show (April 18th) that Kurt Angle would decide to play devil’s advocate as he would invite Tyler Breeze, The Miz and Maryse to join him the ring. Kurt would make it clear that everyone had grown tired of the situation involving the trio especially since they had to listen to it in the locker-room instead of on a pointless episode of Total Divas. Kurt would make it clear that Maryse would have to make a decision tonight, because if he had to hear anymore nonsense about ‘this situation’ then he was going to call immigration and send her on the first flight home. Kurt though would make it clear that he had experienced his fair share of marital problems and so would ask Tyler Breeze and Miz the same question “Would you rather have Maryse or the WWE Champion?”. The Miz would shock everyone by picking the world title, whilst Breeze would pick the more obvious answer of Maryse. Maryse had clearly been shocked by her husband’s answer, although would actually start laughing at Breeze’s choice. Maryse would take hold of the microphone and make it clear that only a loser in life wouldn’t want to be a world champion no matter the cost and would proceed to kiss The Miz in the middle of the ring. Tyler would look totally distraught by the decision. Kurt would look very pleased with himself and to make the situation even more interesting would announce that he valued a straight talker and that therefore at Vengeance The Miz would be challenging Curt Hawkins for the WWE Championship. Curt would come out from the back at his point and make it clear that he welcomed the challenge and was looking forward to making The Miz irrelevant once again.
In the final week leading up to Vengeance (25th April) Curt Hawkins would be asked to meet Kurt Angle in his office. Kurt would make it clear that Hawkins had a 0% chance of leaving the weekend’s pay per view and that he would do everything in his power to stop Curt from leaving with the title in his possession. Curt though wouldn’t look at all bothered as he would turn to the camera and offer a future WWE Championship title shot to anybody on the Smackdown Live roster that came to his aid this Sunday if Kurt Angle tried to pull any tricks. The look on Kurt’s face after Hawkins had effectively placed a bounty was priceless and it was clear that he was absolutely furious. In an almost unexpected turn of events Kurt would end up booking the match as a Cage Match which almost seemed to the opposite to what Kurt had originally be planning in order to bring an end to Hawkin’s title reign.
|| RUBICON/TEAM AMERICA STORYLINE ||
Considering the manner in which Rubicon removed American Alpha from the equation of becoming the Smackdown Tag Team Champions at Wrestlemania, it wasn’t at all surprising that Jordan and Gable would have something to say on the matter. The duo would wait until a week after Wrestlemania (April 11th) to voice their concerns. After Jordan beat Tyler Breeze in singles action, American Alpha would take to the microphone after the contest. Chad Gable would make it clear that he found it funny that Kane and his band of cronies had been so scared of him and Jordan that they had been forced to resort to ‘cheap tactics’ in order remove them from contention. Now that both he and Jordan were expecting them, Chad demanded that Rubicon climb out of whatever rock they were hiding under and come face them in the ring, and it was quite clear that neither Jordan nor Gable were concerned about the number difference. The light in the arena would suddenly go out and Kane’s demonic music would start playing only for jets of ring to burst out of the ring post. As the lights in arena came back on all four members of Rubicon were surrounding the ring with Kane, Rankour, Viktor and Konnor all looking as demented as ever. All four men would swoop into the ring and Jordan and Gable would do their best to fight off Rubicon, but eventually the number advantage would come into effect and Kane would take hold of both members of American Alpha by the throat and look set to take them both out with a Double Chokeslam. Before anything more could happen Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas (World’s Greatest Tag Team) would emerge from the back each holding night sticks as they would slide into the ring and manage to chase Rubicon off. Kane would look furious that WGTT had got involved but rally the rest of Rubicon to head backstage with him.
The following week (April 18th) a backstage promo would take place in which American Alpha and the World’s Greatest Tag Team would all be standing together, noticeably all wearing very patriotic American flag themed clothing wear. Shelton would speak for the entire group and send a message directly to Kane and the rest of Rubicon. Shelton would make it known that both he and Charlie had come to an agreement with American Alpha to form super-team ‘Team America’ and that their first duty as loyal patriots was to prevent Rubicon from rising to power and that therefore at Vengeance Team America would deal with Rubicon in an eight man tag team match. Kane would end up accepting the challenge and it was quite clear that he found the whole concept of Team America mildly amusing considering the current political scene in the United States and that he would enjoy nothing more than sending four patriots straight to hell.
+ Eight Man Tag Team Match +
|| Team America (Jordan, Gable, Haas & Benjamin) vs. Rubicon (Kane, Konnor, Viktor & Rankour) ||
|| WWE SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS ||
General Manager Kurt Angle would make it clear that previous GM Daniel Bryan had clearly underrated The Usos as well as as number of other members of the roster. Mr. Angle would go ahead and give Jimmy and Jey a shot at the Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Hype Bros. In the build up to the contest Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley would make it clear that they were feeling extremely confident about defending the titles once again. Mojo would actually be so confident in himself that he would even suggest that both he and Zack had outgrown Smackdown and that when the draft came round either a new batch of teams would need to be brought to Smackdown Live or the Hype Bros would have to jump ships and join Monday Night RAW. Of course The Uso would be less than pleased by The Hype Bros attitude towards them and actually made a point they were two time WWE Tag Team champions. To reinforce the hype of The Usos, not that the brothers needed it, Naomi would go to social media and remind everyone just how talented her husband and brother-in-law were. It was clear that the fans were looking forward to the contest even if the rivalry was lacking a little bit of depth.
|| THE WYATT FAMILY STORYLINE ||
It was clear that Randy Orton’s involvement in the match between Corbin and Harper, Corbin was always going react violently to have lost his title and that is exactly what would happen on the first show of Smackdown Live following Wrestlemania (April 4th). The Lone Wolf would make it clear that he didn’t care if he had to contend with all three members of The Wyatt Family sooner or later he would get his hands on Randy Orton. Whilst Randy would be competing against Apollo Crews, Corbin would interrupt the contest and attack Orton ending the match by disqualification. Before Corbin could dish out too much damage, Bray’s theme tune would start playing and the arena’s light would cut out. When they came back on Bray would be standing behind Corbin and proceed to spin him around hit Sister Abigail only for the lights to cut out and both Randy and Bray to disappear from shot in unison.
As Corbin would be wrestling against Rankour the following week (April 11th) he would find himself attacked by both Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt, but despite the one man advantage Corbin would scout the attack and man to fight off both men and prevent them from entering the ring. For the second time in as many weeks the light would go out and turn on again to Randy hitting Baron with the RKO! As expected the lights would go out again with all three members of the Wyatt Family family (Orton is now a supposed member of the group) having disappeared when they came back on again.
Having been attacked three times in three shows it was clear that Baron Corbin was less than pleased with his current situation (April 18th) and would make himself quite clear on WWE,com before Smackdown went on air that he would be holding nothing back on this week’s show. During the show Corbin would go on an absolute rampage; he would attack Luke Harper in the talent eating area with the notable spot slamming a metal food tray over his head, hand cuff Rowan to a pipe in the basement and punch him repeatedly in the head and push Bray Wyatt down a flight of stairs. Corbin’s night would end with him chasing Randy Orton, but Orton would manage to escape by climbing into the back of a black van that would speed away as soon as Randy clambered inside and would pull the door shut as he pulled out of the parking lot.
With just a week left until Vengeance (April 25th), Kurt Angle would decide to officially put Randy Orton and Baron Corbin in a match and to make it a bit more interesting would make the match a Street Fight and would insist that if any members of the Wyatt Family got involved their contracts would be terminated and this time round there would no second chances.
+ Street Fight +
|| Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin ||
|| WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP STORYLINE ||
Luke Harper had done what was needed to not only become the champion, but give both Erick Rowan and Bray Wyatt their Smackdown Live contracts back. The championship match though wouldn’t be dictated by the wants and wishes of the Wyatt Family, but by Kurt Angle’s ever growing ego. With just a week to go until the PPV (April 25th) Kurt would make it clear that he was personally looking forward to the upcoming United Kingdom Championship that would be taking place in two months time. On this basis Kurt would announce that at Vengeance the man that would be challenging for the Intercontinental Championship was the man that in his mind was the most talented British wrestler currently in professional wrestling; Nick Aldis. Kurt would make it clear that he had known Nick for a very long time and that if anyone was deserving of a shot at titles gold it was Nick Aldis.
|| WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP ||
Alexa Bliss if you like her is the perfect heel and if you hate her is probably the most unbearable human on the plane. Alexa would make it clear how happy she was to be the champion by hosting a state of address (April 4th). Alexa would first thank Nikki Bella for helping in taking out the trash (a clear reference to Eva Marie) before making it clear that order had been restored when she had reclaimed the title. Alexa made it clear that Smackdown Live was by far the more impressive brand in terms of women’s wrestling and would congratulate here fellow roster mates for helping build such a successful brand that she would once again be taking control of. Alexa would then bring up former champion Becky Lynch and make it clear that she fully expected Becky to come running out from the back and demanding a rematch for the title belt. Alexa would smile at this comment and had gone out of her away to be accommodating and after already having spoken with Kurt Angle had already scheduled that Becky face her for the title at the upcoming Vengeance Pay Per View. At this point Becky would emerge asking if this was some sort of trick, as Kurt would appear on the titantron and would confirm that at the PPV Alexa Bliss would be defending the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Becky Lynch. Kurt would then pause and smile before saying “and someone else” before heading backstage. Alexa would look mortified by this news, whilst Becky would actually appear to be smiling.
On the following week’s show (April 11th) Kurt would schedule a contract signing in the middle of the ring and would invite Alexa and Becky to join him in the ring. Both women would sign the contract as Kurt would stand in between them making sure that they didn’t try to hurt each other. Kurt then point towards the back only for a woman that hadn’t been seen in eleven months, none other than Australian sensation; Emma. Emma would be dressed in her black wrestling gear and dark sunglasses and would stroll down to the ring with a certain panache in her step. Emma would proceed to shake hands with Kurt before picking up and signing the contract and then without any further thought would charge forward and jump on top of Alexa and proceed to mount her and start punching the crap out of the champion. Lynch would clearly want no part of the action as she would exit the ring, although look back and smile at the punishment that Alexa was taking before heading backstage. Emma would eventually get back onto her feet and allow Alexa to escape only to follow this up by celebrating her return to WWE.
Following Emma’s return it was clear that Alexa was far from pleased at the manner in which Emma had treated her and would cut a promo letting everyone know exactly how she felt about it (April 18th). Alexa would make it clear that Becky Lynch for too long had been a thorn in her side, but no one had ever disrespected her as much as Emma had last week and that at Vengeance she was going to make an example of Emma and place her back on the injury list. Much to Alexa’s annoyance Becky would interrupt the promo and make it clear that she was slightly disappointed that Alexa only considered her as a thorn and that at the PPV she would make sure that Alexa took her seriously. Emma would come flying out of nowhere and much to Alexa shock, but Becky’s delight she slammed a custard pie right into Alexa’s face. Becky though would get a shock as Emma would pull out a second pie and slam it into Becky’s face. Becky though would actually end the segment by wiping some of the custard off her face and tasting it and making it clear that it actually tasted it good.
On the go-home show (April 25th) Emma would have a sit down interview with Michael Cole and the topic of conversation would be dealing with such a long-term injury and how happy she was and how motivated she was to be on Smackdown Live and to have such a massive opportunity coming up at Vengeance. The interview would be interrupted by Alexa, who would charge at Emma and knock her off with a direct shot to the face with her title belt. Security though would intervene pulling Alexa and Emma apart, as the camera would catch Becky standing by the door actually eating popcorn from a bowl clearly enjoying the show.
Hawkins getting a solid push 
