Wyatt stalled at the beginning, getting some heat for refusing to get in the ring. Balor called him a “chicken,” both got some offense in, and Balor hit the Coup de Grace to win.
– Asuka defeated Dana Brooke
Brooke took more of the match than expected. It went ten minutes, but she never scored a two count on Asuka. Asuka won by submission with an armbar.
– Heath Slater & Rhyno defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
This was back and forth, then Rhyno hit a spinebuster on Anderson for the win.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore defeated Kalisto to retain his title
Amore did a heel promo about Nashville and the girls in the city before the match. He retained by using the ropes for leverage as he got the pin.
– Elias defeated Jason Jordan
Elias played his guitar and sang Johnny Cash’s “Long Black Train” before suggesting there’s a different, less popular version of the song. Of course, he then sang a song making fun of Nashville. Jordan came out and ended up losing when Elias hit Drift Away.
– Kane and Titus O’Neil went to a no contest
Kane did a promo calling himself the only monster in WWE. He also said Strowman wouldn’t be there at the show because of the beatdown he gave him on Monday night. O’Neil’s music then hit as he answered Kane’s challenge.
After a minute of Kane beating O’Neil up, Strowman’s music hit and he ended up powerslamming Kane through a table. Kane exited and Strowman got a big babyface pop as he stood in the ring and walked up the ramp.
– Bayley, Sasha Banks & Mickie James defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax & Alicia Fox
Fox was really over in Nashville for some reason. Bayley got the pin on Bliss after hitting the Bayley-to-Belly.
– Seth Rollins defeated Cesaro
They had the match of the night, going 15 minutes and hitting all of their spots. Rollins used his knee strike finisher to get the win.
– Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns defeated Samoa Joe in a last man standing match to retain his title
Though the outcome was never in question, this was still enjoyable. Joe got a bunch of offense, did his spots, and put Reigns through a table. For the finish, Reigns used another table and speared Joe through it.
The Big Takeaway: Gran Metalik defeated Brian Kendrick in a fun opener that was well told. Apollo Crews beat Curt Hawkins as Hawkins and Titus O’Neil nearly came to blows. Hawkins is now at 132 straight matches without a win.
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Gran Metalik defeated Brian Kendrick (5:42)
Kendrick is without a singles win since August and lost here in a good match that was told in three parts. Metalik took the early going, using his pace and aerial ability to stun Kendrick and get the crowd involved and engaged in the match. A huge suicide dive from Metalik launched Kendrick into the air and on to his back.
But after baiting Metalik outside, Kendrick took over in the second third and slowed things down with rest holds. It was here that Metalik was a little too cartoonish in his selling and it took away from the main thrust of the match.
The final part saw both men kick out of each other’s finishers, with Metalik using his rope-walk elbow drop and Kendrick trying for the Sliced Bread #2. After Metalik looked beaten when his top rope dive was turned into a powerbomb, he kicked out and managed to reverse Kendrick into a Metalik Driver for the win.
Apollo Crews (w/ Titus O’Neil) defeated Curt Hawkins (4:22)
Crews beat Hawkins with relative ease here to bring Hawkins’ losing streak count to 132. Assuming that this keeps going at the rate of one per week, we would hit 150 by WrestleMania weekend. If they make fans aware of it, they could at least give him a match on the card to see if he could curb it. Not to make the most of a streak as long running as this would seem misguided.
The match was just as most of these Hawkins’ squashes have been. The difference here was O’Neil in the role of Crews’ manager. Hawkins is always good, despite the losses every week, and this week he continually trash talked O’Neil. Before the break, the mind games got to O’Neil and he got up on the apron to square up to Hawkins but eventually thought better of it.
Crews was impressive, flipping around and showing off his agility and selling well for Hawkins. He took an enzuigiri and a flapjack from Hawkins for a near fall but turned the tide quickly and finished things off with a spin-out powerbomb for the win.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 122: Bisping vs. Gastelum, emanating from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China.
The Octagon heads to mainland China for the first time with a middleweight main event as former UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping, three weeks removed from losing the championship to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 217, heads right back into action against former TUF winner Kelvin Gastelum.
Bisping, eager to get back to action, takes the fight on short notice as a replacement for Anderson Silva, who was pulled from the event due to a potential USADA violation, and he looks to bounce back in a big way against a tough opponent. Gastelum is looking to get back into the win column after being submitted by another former champion, Chris Weidman, in July.
The entire UFC Fight Night 122 event streams on UFC Fight Pass with a very early kick off time in the United States.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 3:45 AM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 3:45 AM ET/12:45 AM PT
> Cyril Asker (8-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Hu Yaozong (3-0, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Asker went right for a takedown and got it easily after landing a right hand. Asker landed some left hands against the fence and Yaozong had the standing guillotine locked in against the fence. Asker was able to pop his neck out. Asker got another takedown. Asker grabbed the back and landed some punches. Asker landing some big punches and then some knees to the body. Yaozong got to his feet but was taken right back down. Asker landed some big hammerfists. More big punches landed as Asker takes the back. Yaozong not doing much to defend until he lands some backwards elbows. 10-9 Asker.
Yaozong came firing out with some leg kicks to start the second. Asker landed an uppercut and then scored the takedown. Asker has the back and is landing punches. Asker has the hooks in on the back and is landing big punches. He flattens Yaozong out. Asker now working for a choke and has it and Yaozong quickly taps out. Submission win for Asker in a dominant showing.
Official Result- Cyril Asker def. Hu Yaozong by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:33 of Round 2
> Wuliji Buren (10-4, 0-0 UFC) vs. Rolando Dy (8-6 1 NC, 0-2 UFC) Featherweights* (Dy missed weight by 2 pounds)
They traded early and Dy knocked Buren down with a left hand but Buren recovered quickly. Buren shot for a single leg and finished the takedown. They scrambled to the feet and Buren had the back. Buren got a takedown as he had the back of Dy. Dy able to get to his feet and lands a left hand. Dy lands some kicks. Both men being tentative on the feet. Dy landing leg kicks that aren’t being defended. Dy trying to land the left hand but Buren ducking out of the way. Close round. 10-9 Buren.
Dy lands a left hand and Buren counters with a takedown. Dy reversed to the top and was in side control but Buren had the neck. Dy landing some knees to the body from side control as he pops his head out. They got to their feet and Buren was the aggressor on the feet as he was landing punches. Not much happened at the end of the round. Another close round. 10-9 Dy, 19-19.
Buren went right for a takedown and got it after grabbing the single leg. Buren in the half-guard against the fence. Buren was landing punches from the top but they scrambled to their feet. Buren landed a right hand and went right back to work for another takedown but it was defended. Brief timeout called by Herb Dean after a low kick by Dy. Dy looking to land but Buren is getting out of the way. Buren goes for a long takedown but it is stopped though he grabs the back of Dy against the fence. Dy lands a big elbow as they break they clinch. Dy with another elbow. Close fight. 10-9 Buren, 29-28 Buren.
Official Result- Rolando Dy def. Wuliji Buren by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Mazany fires away with some punches very quickly looking to end it quickly. They clinch and Mazany lands some more lefts. They trade knees in the clinch. They remain in the clinch with both landing punches. Mazany stumbles to the ground looking to escape and Wu lands some punches before they get to their feet. Wu lands a knee before they break. They trade punches. They clinch again and Mazany scores the takedown. Mazany with big punches and elbows. Wu almost had an armbar in from the bottom but Mazany escaped. They got to their feet and Mazany scored another takedown. They get up. 10-9 Mazany.
Mazany landed a big kick to the face as Wu was coming inside but she still grabbed the clinch against the fence. They were battling for position and underhooks and Mazany scored a couple of takedowns. Mazany with some punches from the top as she has Wu’s arm trapped. Mazany is cut over her eye. Mazany landing more punches but Wu was able to get to her feet. Mazany has the body lock against the fence and is landing punches. Wu has been warned several times about grabbing the fence. They trade late. 10-9 Mazany, 20-18 Mazany.
Wu messed up her shoulder bad at the end of the second round and was complaining about it but continued on into the third. They traded punches. Wu definitely having trouble throwing right hands. Mazany got a takedown against the fence. Mazany working from the top as Wu can’t get out from the bottom. Mazany with some elbows from the top as she cruises to what should be a win. 10-9 Mazany, 30-27 Mazany.
Official Result- Gina Mazany def. Wu Yanan by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
They were trading early. Both men looking to land big punches. Abdurakhimov landed a big left hook and then another. He landed a right hand and another left hook and knocks Sherman down and the referee quickly stops it. Big quick win for Abdurakhimov.
Official Result- Shamil Abdurakhimov def. Chase Sherman by knockout (punches) at 1:24 of Round 1
> Song Yadong (10-4 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) vs. Bharat Khandare (5-2, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
Yadong with an early body kick. He just misses a spinning hook kick. Yadong rocked Khandare with a right hand. Yadong lands another right hand and then a combo that backs up Khandare. Khandare lands the jab. Yadong with a leg kick. Yadong with another leg kick. Yadong goes with a head kick now. Khandare looking to land a right hand. Yadong drops Khandare with a right hand and then grabs the neck for a choke and Khandare taps out! Impressive showing by Yadong. Yadong is only 19 and has a bright future.
Official Result- Song Yadong def. Bharat Khandare by submission (front choke) at 4:16 of Round 1
> Kailin Curran (4-5, 1-5 UFC) vs. Yan Xioanan (7-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Curran with a leg kick and Xioanan counters with a right hand. Xioanan with her trademark hook kick. Xioanan drops Curran briefly with a big right hand and Curran is in a lot of trouble. Curran has seemed to recover as she has Xioanan clinched against the fence. They break. Curran with a right hand and works for a takedown but Xioanan is defending it. They break. Xioanan with another hook kick. Both women land some punches. They clinch again. They break and trade punches and clinch again at the end of the round. 10-9 Xioanan.
They trade punches to start the second. Curran with a head kick and Xioanan counters with a right hand. Curran with a body lock and gets a takedown and is in side control against the fence. They get back to their feet. Xioanan lands a solid combo. Curran looks to land a right hand and ducks under and grabs the clinch. Curran with some knees to the legs of Xioanan as they break the clinch. Xioanan lands a right hand that stuns Curran. Curran quickly grabs the clinch. They break. Xioanan with a hard right hand. They clinch again. 10-9 Xioanan, 20-18 Xioanan.
Xioanan briefly drops Curran with a low kick. She gets up and lands a right hand and a knee to the body of Xioanan. They were trading and Curran went for a takedown against the fence and got it. Curran in the half-guard and lands some shots to the body. Curran posturing up and moves into the full guard as she lands more from the top. Curran really needs to work harder for a finish. She lands some hammerfists but Xioanan grabs her and pulls her back to closed guard. Xioanan pushes Curran off and they get to their feet. They clinch. They have a brawl in the closing seconds with each lady landing punches in close range. Big punches from both. Good fight. 10-9 Curran, 29-28 Xioanan.
Official Result- Yan Xioanan def. Kailin Curran by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Song Kenan (12-4, 0-0 UFC) vs. Bobby Nash (8-3, 0-2 UFC) Welterweights
The first move of the fight is a groin strike by Kenan. We get back to action and Kenan drops Nash with a big right hand and lands a lot of punches until Herb Dean steps in and stops it. Quick win by Kenan. Nash was out of it so much that he spent several seconds trying to take down Herb Dean while being told the fight was over. Official time of the fight was just 15 seconds.
Official Result- Song Kenan def. Bobby Nash by TKO (punches) at :15 of Round 1
> Zabit Magomedshapirov (13-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Sheymon Moraes (9-1, 0-0 UFC) Featherweights
Magomedshapirov with some side kicks to start. Moraes with a leg kick. Magomedshapriov just misses a spin kick. Moraes with a switch kick and then a heavy leg kick. Moraes with a switch kick to the body. Magomedshapirov with a hard right hand. They trade punches. Moraes with a kick but Magomedshapirov grabs the leg and gets a takedown into full guard. Moraes able to scramble out to his feet but gives up his back. Magomedshapirov with a back suplex and he has the back and is working for a choke. They get up but go right back down and Magomedshapirov is in side control. Moraes scrambles back to half-guard but Magomedshapirov back in side control. He moves to mount. Magomedshapirov with some big elbows and Moraes survives the round. 10-9 Magomedshapirov.
Magomedshapirov just misses a 360 kick but then gets a takedown. They scramble and go back to the mat with Moraes in mount but Magomedshapirov reverses to the top. Moraes goes for an armbar but they scramble to the feet and Magomedshapirov has the back. Moraes goes for an ankle lock but eats punches. Zabit working for the choke as he has the back and is landing punches. Big punches from the back by Magomedshapirov. Big elbows and Magomedshapirov is in the mount again. Zabit passes to side control and is still landing big punches with over a minute to go in the second. More work from the top. 10-8 Magomedshapirov, 20-17 Magomedshapirov.
Magomedshapirov leg kicks Moraes out from under him and they are on the mat briefly before getting up. Moraes with a left hook and Magomedshapirov counters with a spinning back fist. Magomedshapriov grabs the back and is looking for a suplex. Zabit gets the takedown and has the back. They get to their feet. Magomedshapirov with another takedown. They get up but Magomedshapirov kicks Moraes leg to get another takedown and is in the mount. Big punches from Magomedshapirov. He grabs the neck for a choke and has an anaconda choke locked in and Moraes taps! Dominant performance by Magomedshapirov. He is already a contender at 145 pounds. Magomedshapirov suggested a fight with Yair Rodriguez in his post-fight interview.
Official Result- Zabit Magomedshapirov def. Sheymon Moraes by submission (anaconda choke) at 4:30 of Round 3
UFC FIGHT PASS MAIN CARD | 7 AM ET/4 AM PT
> Muslim Salikhov (12-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alex Garcia (14-4, 4-3 UFC) Welterweights
Salikhov with a leg kick. Garcia goes for a takedown but it is stuffed. Garcia got the takedown despite Salikhov grabbing the fence. Garcia in the half-guard. Garcia briefly passes to side control and is looking to pass to mount. Salikhov finds an opening to scramble to his feet. Salikhov with a leg kick. Salikhov with a spin kick to the body. Salikhov with another leg kick. Garcia unable to land anything on the feet. Salikhov with a spinning back fist and he defends a takedown by Garcia. Garcia just misses a left hand but scores a takedown late in the round. He lands a couple of punches from the top. 10-9 Garcia.
Salikhov searching for head kicks early in the second. He just misses a spin kick to the body of Garcia. Garcia fakes a takedown. Salikhov with a spin kick to the head that is partially blocked. Garcia lands a big right hand. Salikhov with a right hand. Garcia misses a takedown and eats a body kick from Salikhov. Garcia shoots for another takedown and gets it. Garcia gets the back and has a choke locked in. Salikhov is in trouble and he taps! Big upset win for Garcia as he gets the submission.
Official Result- Alex Garcia def. Muslim Salikhov by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:22 of Round 2
> Wang Guan (19-1-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alex Caceres (13-10 1 NC, 8-8 1 NC UFC) Featherweights
Guan with a quick right hand. Caceres with a body kick. They trade leg kicks. They clinch and Caceres lands a groin strike and we have a timeout. We get back to action and Guan with a body kick. Guan then clips Caceres with a hard elbow and Caceres is rocked. He seems to recover. They clinch and Guan with a body lock. Caceres with a left hand followed by a kick. They both land punches. Caceres with a body kick. Guan dropped Caceres late with a punch and was landing lots of punches but couldn’t get the finish as the horn sounded to end the round. Caceres got up and could barely walk back to his corner. 10-9 Guan.
Caceres still moving weird to start the second. He is still coming forward though. Caceres with a leg kick. Guan with a high kick. Guan with a hard right hand that rocks Caceres and he follows it with a body kick. Caceres kicks Guan right in the groin but he continues on quickly. Guan with a leg kick. Caceres just misses a head kick. Caceres misses a left hand and Guan grabs the back but lets go. Guan lands a big right hand. Caceres with a body kick. 10-9 Guan, 20-18 Guan.
They trade leg kicks. Guan cracks Caceres with a right hand and follows it with a leg kick. Guan drops Caceres with a right hand but Caceres quickly gets up. Caceres lands a left. Caceres misses a high kick and slips but Guan unable to capitalize. Guan with a right hand. Caceres lands a lead uppercut followed by a spin kick to the ribs. They clip each other with punches. Guan is loading up his right hand and Caceres is capitalizing on openings. Guan lands a left and gets kicked in the groin at the same time. We get back going and they trade punches at the end. 10-9 Guan, 30-27 Guan.
Official Result- Wang Guan def. Alex Caceres by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Li Jingliang (13-4, 5-2 UFC) vs. Zak Ottow (15-4, 2-1 UFC) Welterweights
Jingliang with a leg kick to start. Ottow just misses a head kick. They trade kicks. Ottow with a high kick that is blocked by Jingliang. Ottow with a right hook and then lands a combo. Jingliang with a right hand. Jingliang lands a combo that rocks Ottow and then drops him with a right hand. Jingliang landing big punches looking to finish. Ottow in a lot of trouble and Jingliang finishes him off! Big win for Jingliang and goes into the crowd to celebrate with his daughter.
Official Result- Li Jingliang def. Zak Ottow by TKO (punches) at 2:57 of Round 1
> Michael Bisping (#2, 30-8, 20-8 UFC) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (#9, 13-3 1 NC, 8-3 1 NC UFC) Middleweights
Gastelum with a big body kick. Bisping lands a jab followed by an overhand right. They are trading with both looking for openings. Bisping landed a good punch as he’s finding his range. Gastelum with a body kick but Bisping counters with a right hand. Gastelum then lands a big combo that drops Bisping and he is out! Gastelum with the quick finish of Bisping in the first round. Big win for Gastelum. It was a vicious left hand that knocked Bisping out.
Official Result- Kelvin Gastelum def. Michael Bisping by knockout (punch) at 2:30 of Round 1
Previously: Impact Global Champion Eli Drake successfully defended his title against Petey Williams.
Tonight: It’s a special Thanksgiving edition of Impact, featuring the return of the Turkey Suit. The main event will be a five-on-five tag team match in Eli Drake’s Gravy Train Turkey Trot (aka The Turkey Bowl).
Show Recap —
– In anticipation of tonight’s main event, Jeremy Borash said they’ll be looking back at past Turkey Bowl matches.
Rhyno defeated Alex Shelley and Sheik Adbul Bashir from Turkey Bowl 2008
Shelley and Bashir worked together to beat down Rhyno. But each time one of them went for the pin, the other would pull him off. They argued and ended up fighting each other. Rhyno took the chance to hit the Gore on Shelley for the win.
After the match, Mick Foley came down to the ring when Shelley refused to put on the Turkey Suit. Foley threatened to fire Shelley unless he put it on.
– In the back, Borash conducted the random draw for the participants in the main event. Chef Robert Irvine cooked up a feast for JB and the others.
– Throughout the night, members of the roster revealed their best Thanksgiving memory and said what they’re thankful for.
– Borash, Eli Drake, and Chris Adonis drew the names for the Turkey Bowl match. This went on for several segments. Adonis was upset after being drawn as the team captain, and Drake changed the name of the match to Eli Drake’s Gravy Train Turkey Trot.
Team one: Eddie Edwards, Allie, Richard Justice, Fallah Baah & Garza Jr. Team two: Chris Adonis, El Hijo Del Fantasma, Caleb Konley, KM & Laurel Van Ness
Eric Young defeated Robbie E (w/ Robbie T) from Turkey Bowl 2011
Young had the advantage and started to do the chicken dance. Referee Rudy Charles joined in on the dancing and missed Robbie using a foreign object to score the pin. Charles found the object and restarted the match, then Young won with a piledriver.
Robbie E was unconscious following the match, so Young chose Robbie T to wear the suit instead.
Robbie E defeated Grado from Turkey Bowl 2016
Grado attempted a sunset flip, but Robbie dropped down to score the pin. Grado put on the suit after and started dancing.
Eddie Edwards, Allie, Richard Justice, Fallah Baah & Garza Jr. defeated Chris Adonis (w/ Eli Drake), El Hijo Del Fantasma, Caleb Konley, Laurel Van Ness & KM
The member of the losing team that gets pinned will be forced to wear the Turkey Suit. Before the match, each team sat at a table and ate a turkey dinner. They also had to take an oath and swore to put on the suit if they are the one that gets pinned.
Baah missed a charge in the corner and the heels took over. He recovered and tagged in Garza, but the heels gained the advantage again and isolated him. Edwards got the hot tag and ran wild.
The match broke down and a brawl broke out. Justice attempted a dive before the other guys all caught him. Allie then dove off the top turnbuckle onto all of them.
The finish came when Adonis attempted the Adonis Lock and Edwards rolled through to score the win.
Adonis refused to put on the suit, with Drake wanting to do a random draw to pick someone else. Adonis tried to leave, but security wouldn’t let him.
Borash announced that if Adonis doesn’t put the suit on Drake has to instead. Eventually, Adonis put the suit on and got in Allie’s face because she was laughing.
This resulted in everyone getting into a huge food fight at ringside. Adonis tried to pie Edwards, but he moved and Drake got a face full of pie instead.
Next Week: Johnny Impact battles Alberto El Patron in a grudge match. Plus, the tournament to crown a new Knockouts Champion begins.
The Big News: Pete Dunne successfully defended his UK title, beating Johnny Gargano in the main event.
The Medium News: Ruby Riot scored one for SmackDown when she pinned Raw’s Sonya Deville.
The Little Beaver-sized News: This was another post-TakeOver edition of NXT. If you watched TakeOver: War Games, you can skip 30 minutes of this show. If you didn’t see TakeOver, go watch it and then skip 30 minutes of this show.
**********
Ruby Riot defeated Sonya Deville
We kicked things off with yet another Raw vs. SmackDown match as Deville went one-on-one with Riot. Now, of course, this match was taped two days before Deville debuted and three days before Riot debuted, but let me have my fun. If I once reviewed Cesaro defending the US title on NXT three weeks after he lost it on Raw, then I can pretend this is an interbrand match between the two new arrivals.
Ironically, despite brand loyalty, Deville was wearing blue while Riot was wearing red.
Deville clipped Riot’s knee and spent the heat portion of the match working it over. Riot made her comeback and almost had to tap to both a triangle and a kneebar, but she held on to pick up the win with a roundhouse kick.
I assume that this now ties the Raw vs SmackDown tally at 4-4.
**********
In case you’ve never watched the NXT immediately following TakeOver, it’s chalk full of recap packages and exclusive post-match promos. This is where I will usually inform people to go watch TakeOver and skip about 30 minutes of NXT TV.
They spent all night promoting “exclusive footage” from War Games. The exclusive footage was soundbites from fans yelling random stuff during the match.
Here’s what you need to know or can’t already guess about the miscellaneous post-match interviews: nothing.
**********
For some reason, The Street Profits were partying while standing on a car, which offended Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss. This confrontation happened in a wind tunnel apparently because, due to the wind and the fans screaming, I had no idea what was said. This could not be re-taped for some reason.
Anyway, they will face each other next week. Also, Kairi Sane will wrestle Billie Kay.
**********
WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne defeated Johnny Gargano to retain his title
Dunne challenged anyone to a match for the UK title and Gargano is anyone, so here we go! I say this once every three months when they do a Dunne match, but this man is a star.
Gargano was holding his own early as they fought outside the ring until he played to the crowd instead of going for a tornado DDT. When he finally did, Dunne pushed him off and then dropped him with an Ex-Plex on the ring apron, which is the hardest part of the ring.
Dunne spent the next few minutes working on the hand and fingers in a way where it doesn’t end up looking cartoonish. Gargano made his comeback and spent the next few minutes throwing offense with his right hand while trying to massage his injured left hand. Gargano used both his slingshot spear and a combination suicide dive/tornado DDT.
Gargano locked on the Gargano Escape, but Dunne spat out his mouthpiece and bit Gargano’s injured fingers to escape. Dunne punched Gargano in the face, then Gargano fell into the ropes and sprung back with a DDT. Suddenly Gargano realized Dunne’s mouthpiece was sitting in the ring, threw it aside, and superkicked him for a near fall.
The finish saw Dunne counter a slingshot spear with a punch to the face and pick up the win with the Bitter End.
This was a super 10-minute match and made you wish they had 20 minutes on the main card, but they did a heck of a job with what they had.
That does it from Houston! We are back to normal next week. But until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
Date: November 21, 2017 Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
The Big Takeaway —
Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan debuted as a stable. They laid out Naomi and Becky Lynch backstage before attacking Charlotte Flair and Natalya during their title rematch. This was very obviously a copy of what happened on Raw, so much so that it almost has to be a storyline. Or maybe it isn’t. The positive is they did look strong. Also, when asked about what happened, Daniel Bryan sort of brushed it off and said, “no comment.”
Speaking of Bryan, there was a show-long storyline involving him, Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Shane was about to fire Zayn and Owens, but Bryan put them in lumberjack match instead. Shane thought this would lead to their firing after the match, but it didn’t. Bryan instead put Owens in a match against Randy Orton next week, so this story will continue.
They are also building to AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE title at Clash of Champions.
Show Recap —
The show opened with a recap of SmackDown losing the 5-on-5 men’s match against Raw at Survivor Series. Byron Saxton said SmackDown was well on their way to winning the match before Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interfered, which doesn’t seem true.
Shane McMahon came out to kick things off and got a good reaction as usual. Shane said they came so close at Survivor Series and SmackDown proved that they, even in defeat, will no longer be considered anything but the show in WWE. He almost choked up when saying this, and added that he was proud of the entire roster.
Shane said they all bleed blue and would do anything for the fans. That is, of course, except for Owens and Zayn, who he called out. They came out and Zayn was even more full of energy than usual, to the point where Owens had to motion to him to settle down.
Zayn wondered what excuse Shane would come up with or if he would finally admit that he was wrong. Owens said it was a mistake to leave them off the team because they can beat anyone, including the Shield, the entire Raw team, and even Brock Lesnar. Owens wanted an apology.
Shane told Owens to shut up. He said they don’t have respect for anyone on the roster, for Shane, or for the fans. Zayn agreed with him on every point. Shane had two words for them, but Owens interrupted. He said Shane couldn’t fire them because they were too valuable, and every person in the back and in the industry respected them.
Zayn called them future Hall of Famers and Owens called them the top two superstars in WWE. Shane told them the roster didn’t respect them and called them megalomaniacs. Shane was actually about to fire them, but Daniel Bryan interrupted.
Owens and Zayn called Bryan a voice of reason and Zayn sucked up to him, so Bryan told him to shut up. Bryan said he had to send Randy Orton home because he threatened both men. He said the New Day were furious too and put them in a match against them. Zayn didn’t like that idea, so Bryan told him to shut up again. Bryan announced that their match was a lumberjack match. Bryan’s music played and he led a Yes chant. Shane seemed displeased.
Charlotte vs. Natalya for the women’s title was announced for tonight. AJ Styles will address Jinder Mahal’s challenge as well.
Shelton Benjamin (w/Chad Gable) defeated Jey Uso (w/Jimmy Uso) (7:08)
Saxton said Benjamin and Charlie Haas mentored the Usos when they first arrived in WWE years ago. Jey was about to hit a dive but Gable jumped on the apron to block it. Jimmy Uso yanked him down but Gable then sent him into the barricade. The distraction allowed Benjamin to use a schoolboy for a two count.
Jey followed with a superkick which seemed like it would be the finish, but Benjamin kicked out. Jey superkicked Gable off the apron and the delay allowed Benjamin to dodge a diving splash and hit Paydirt (reverse STO) for the win. This was Benjamin’s first singles match in WWE since 2010 when he lost to… Kane.
Owens and Zayn approached Baron Corbin backstage and wondered if he was on their side. He said he didn’t like them and told them to find someone more weak-minded. They kept walking and approached Bobby Roode (wearing his robe). They asked if he would be on their side and he called them crazy. He was in the match they interfered in and was looking forward to being a lumberjack tonight. He told them he owed them both a receipt.
Naomi spoke with the makeup lady backstage and said she was bummed they lost on Sunday, but was happy to see Charlotte beat Alexa Bliss, and figured she would beat Natalya tonight.
Ruby Riot showed up and introduced her to Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Naomi stood up to defend herself but they attacked her and laid her out. Becky Lynch tried to make the save, but they laid her out too. Lynch sold this like she was badly hurt. It’s good to see new faces, but did they really have to do the same angle on both shows?
There was a sponsored segment where they showed clips from Ric Flair’s retirement segment in March 2008.
Bludgeon Brothers defeated The Hype Bros (1:25)
When the match started, Luke Harper took out Zack Ryder outside the ring by launching him into the steel steps, which the referee allowed for some reason. He also allowed Harper and Rowan to hit a few double-team moves on Mojo Rawley, including a double chokeslam for the win. It wasn’t that loud, but people were cheering for the Bludgeon Brothers by the end.
Natalya congratulated Charlotte for beating her last week, which she called an almost impossible task. She mocked the “hot mess” Ric Flair for blubbering like a baby. She said her cat could beat Alexa Bliss and would give Ric something to cry about tonight.
There was a segment a little earlier where Shane told Bryan he liked his idea for Owens and Zayn, because the New Day and the rest of the roster could get their hands on them before Bryan fires them. Shane decided he would rather go back to his hotel room and watch, so he grabbed his bag and left. Bryan said nothing.
AJ Styles promo
Styles received a great reaction. They aired Paul Heyman’s interview putting over Styles and the crowd cheered. They continued cheering Styles for a while before he spoke. Styles wished he could be here celebrating after slaying the beast, but it didn’t go down that way. He appreciated the kind words, but you don’t get a prize for coming in second place.
Styles did say that Brock Lesnar was the one who limped to the back and was willing to have a rematch. He reminded Lesnar that in Rocky II, Rocky wins (spoiler alert). Styles moved on to Jinder Mahal.
Styles heard Mahal wants to take his title, so he took off his vest and called out Mahal for a match right now. Mahal’s big face showed up on the screen (with the flag of India behind him). Mahal said he was too busy watching Styles’ match against Lesnar on repeat.
Mahal claimed Styles took advantage of him in the middle of a European tour, and if he fought Lesnar, he would be standing there as the beastmaster. Styles asked him if he knew how stupid that sounded. He said Mahal should be well-rested because he did nothing at Survivor Series.
Mahal said he brought prestige to the championship and wasn’t going to fight in a place like Texas. Mahal wanted his rematch at Clash of Champions. He laughed as the Singh brothers attacked Styles from behind. Styles fought them off and gave one of them a Styles Clash. Styles came off well here. Mahal, on the other hand, was terrible.
Zayn and Owens approached Rusev and Aiden English backstage. English was singing a new rendition of “Rusev Day.” Zayn said Thanksgiving was coming up, but as French Canadians, they didn’t believe in that crap and would rather celebrate Rusev Day.
Owens said Shane and Bryan didn’t know how to utilize their best talent and reminded Rusev that his qualifying match with Styles was cancelled, while John Cena was just allowed in the match. Zayn and Owens left as Rusev and English seemed to consider their words.
WWE Women’s Championship match: Charlotte Flair NC Natalya (6:48)
During the entrances, Tom Phillips read a promo for WrestleMania tickets, but the graphics on screen were for Clash of Champions. Moments later, they showed the Clash of Champions graphic again and Phillips and Saxton read the proper promo this time.
After a break, Charlotte hit punches in the corner, but Natalya grabbed her and nailed a sitout powerbomb for two. She followed with a Sharpshooter but Charlotte got a rope break. Charlotte fought back with a backbreaker and went for a moonsault, but Natalya got her knees up (barely).
Charlotte hit a spear and Natalya fell to the outside. Riot, Morgan and Logan ran down through the crowd and attacked Natalya. The referee called for the bell. (So this was a DQ or no contest.) People chanted “NXT.”
The three heels then jumped into the ring and attacked Charlotte. They each hit a move and stood tall. Again, this was way too much like the Raw angle, but the crowd was into it. The announcers are acknowledging the similarities to what happened on Raw.
Dasha Fuentes asked Daniel Bryan about what happened during the women’s title match. He responded, “Well, it’s an interesting situation. No comment.” Owens and Zayn interrupted. Zayn said firing them would be his biggest mistake. Bryan wished them luck.
Styles will face the Singh brothers in a handicap match next week. A Saw-themed Fashion Files is scheduled, too.
Lumberjack Match: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeated Big E & Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) (11:49)
It seems like ring announcer Greg Hamilton is no longer pausing for the crowd to chant along with “one fall.” Shinsuke Nakamura is among the lumberjacks. Woods is (sort of) dressed as a lumberjack.
Kingston was sent to the outside a couple of times, but the lumberjacks didn’t touch him. Zayn went out after him and the lumberjacks immediately jumped him, which got a laugh from the crowd. Zayn tried to escape but they picked him up and tossed him back in the ring.
Zayn and Owens got the heat on Kingston after a break. Owens tried a senton but Kingston got his knees up and made the hot tag to Big E, who suplexed Zayn around the ring. Zayn slipped out of a Big Ending but Kingston tagged in and hit a diving crossbody. Owens broke up the cover, then he and Big E took each other out with clotheslines.
A brawl broke out between the lumberjacks after Corbin accidentally clubbed Roode. The lumberjacks fought up the ramp, which mostly left ringside clear. Woods knocked Mike Kanellis out of the ring, and Owens knocked Woods off the apron. Kingston was distracted so Zayn used a schoolboy for the win.
Rusev and English attacked Big E afterwards, then Kingston took them out with a dive off the top. Owens ran away though the crowd but when Zayn tried to do the same, Woods caught him and dragged him into the ring. Kingston hit him with a Trouble in Paradise. Big E and Woods finished him off with a Midnight Hour. The New Day’s music played and they danced.
They cut backstage to Owens who stormed through the back. He ran into Bryan and pleaded with him. Bryan wondered if he was even concerned about Zayn. Owens mentioned how long he and Bryan have known each other and begged him not to fire them, even getting on his knees. Bryan told him not to beg, he was never going to fire them. He put Owens in a match with Randy Orton next week instead. Owens tried to get out of this, but Bryan made it clear that was a bad idea, so Owens agreed and thanked him.
The Big Takeaway: Roman Reigns won the Intercontinental Championship pinning the Miz in a great main event. This show had lots of good matches, including the opener. HHH and Stephanie appeared in only the opening segment, who no less than three people wanted a piece of HHH. Braun Strowman’s program with Kane continued when he jumped Strowman during a match with Jason Jordan. Paige made her long-awaited return, now leading a stable that includes Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville that attacked almost the entire Raw women’s roster, including Alexa Bliss. Enzo Amore’s group with Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Noam Dar and Tony Nese is now called “The ‘Zo Train.”
Show Recap:
Stephanie McMahon came out to start things happy over Raw’s victory over SmackDown last night. She said Shane learned in a fight to strike first, but she learned in a fight to win. Thus, Angle’s GM job was safe. She introduced the man who was responsible for Raw’s victory, HHH, who successfully walked past the entrance beam.
Before HHH could speak, Angle came out with fire in his eye and got right in HHH’s face. Angle said this wasn’t Angle the GM talking to HHH, this was Angle the Olympic Gold Medalist telling HHH that he was coming for HHH. Stephanie said Angle was talking to the COO. She said she appreciated the intensity that Angle brought last night, but she warned him not to jeopardize his job. Jordan walked out and started mouthing off to HHH. Angle told Jordan that Stephanie was right, he was the GM and Jordan was just a “competitor.” Jordan wanted a match with HHH. Stephanie said Angle didn’t have the authority to make that match. Jordan asked if HHH was afraid. HHH took off his coat and Stephanie mouthed off to Jordan about how he would get destroyed.
Then Strowman came down and got in HHH’s face. (3 guys are feuding with HHH) Stephanie quietly got out of the ring. After a long staredown with Strowman, HHH also backed out of the ring. HHH and Strowman’s eyes never left each other as HHH circled around the ramp. Stephanie ordered Jordan to face Strowman. That led to Strowman getting in Jordan’s face before Angle stepped in between them.
Samoa Joe defeated Finn Balor by referee’s stoppage (12:03)
Really good, physical match. They had a stiff start with Joe landing lots of right hands. Balor dropkicked Joe in the knee and did a flip tope. During the commercial break, Balor went for the Sling Blade, but Joe caught his arms and gave him an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Balor connected with a baseball slide, then attempted a kick on the apron, but Joe caught his leg and threw him to the floor face-first. Joe followed with an elbow suicidia, then a running STO for a two count. After a running senton, Joe put on the Coquina Clutch, but Balor put all his weight forward and pushed Joe’s back to the canvas, then gave Joe a double stomp, followed by a woo dropkick. Balor went for the Coup de Grace, but Joe run over to crotch him against the ropes, then clamped on the Coquina Clutch. Balor never tapped and the referee stopped the match.
They showed a package of WrestleMania tickets going on sale in New Orleans, which included a soundbite from outgoing New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows did a sales pitch for wweshop.com for Black Friday, which included a Wolfpack NWO t-shirt and Gallows during a solid Steve Austin impression.
Jordan told Angle backstage that he wasn’t 100% and was still suffering from the knee injury that Bray Wyatt gave him last week. The only reason why Jordan said he was 100% earlier was because HHH was in the ring. Angle thought about calling off the match, but Jordan said if Angle needed him to compete against Strowman, then he will compete. Jordan claimed he was the only person on the roster that could beat Strowman. Jordan said by the time he finishes with the monster among men, Strowman will be telling horror stories about him.
Dana Brooke did an inset promo saying she had been studying her Asuka collection and found holes in her game. She said Asuka stuck her nose where it didn’t belong last week and said she would end Asuka’s undefeated streak.
Asuka defeated Dana Brooke (2:33)
Asuka threw some Aja Kong-style huracan backhands and finished Brooke with a buzzsaw kick. Crowd hasn’t taken to Asuka yet on the main roster.
Next up was MizTV with the Miz, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel. Miz congraulated Baron Corbin on beating him last night, calling it the biggest win of Corbin’s career. He introduced Reigns, who didn’t come out. Miz introduced him again, but no Reigns. Reigns came out with Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, who surrounded the ring as the MizTourage looked on anxiously. Miz said his guest was Reigns, not the Shield. Ambrose said they proved to the world and the New Day that they are the most dominant three-man team in WWE history. Miz said the Shield was back together but he hasn’t heard a thank you. Reigns didn’t know what Miz was talking about, but Miz said the only reason the Shield reunited was because of him. Miz said it was in Houston when Rollins and Ambrose’s bromance reignited. Miz said the least he deserved was a thank you. Fans actually chanted “Thank you, Miz.”
Miz then asked for a check from the residuals from the Shield’s merchandise. Fans chanted “Miz is awesome.” Reigns said they’ve been all over the world and they’ve never heard that chant before. Reigns said, if anything, Miz should thank Houston. Fans chanted “yes.” Miz said he refused to thank Houston. The lights, for some reason, went out. Miz said the Shield was ungrateful. Reigns said they won last night and if anybody should be ungrateful, it’s the guy who lost last night. Miz said he was still the Intercontinental Champion, and the Shield didn’t hold a championship. Rollins said he had been thinking about that and it was only a matter of time before he and Ambrose get their hands on the Raw Tag Team Titles. Reigns said they hadn’t talked about this and he didn’t want to be the only one without a championship. Rollins said Reigns could fight Miz for the Intercontinental Championship tonight. Fans cheered.
Dallas stepped in and said if Reigns wanted to get to Miz, he had to go through him and Axel. Reigns decked Dallas, Miz ran for cover. Axel, wearing a neckbrace, was left in the ring alone surrounded by the Shield. Ambrose gave Axel the Rainmaker Knee, while Ambrose delivered Dirty Deeds. Axel got out, but Dallas got in, again surrounded by the Shield, who put the boots and fists to him. Reigns finished Dallas by giving him the Triple Bomb as Reigns stared a Miz, who cradled his belt with a helpless look on his face.
Miz will face Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship later tonight.
Dean Ambrose defeated Sheamus (11:51)
Sheamus grinded away on Ambrose’ right arm and delivered two falcon arrows. Ambrose dodged Sheamus in the corner and Sheamus took a bump to the post. Ambrose made his comeback with a series of clotheslines and knocked Sheamus off the top rope with a forearm. Ambrose attempted a tope, but Sheamus caught him with a forearm. Sheamus tried the Brogue Kick, but Ambrose knocked Sheamus to the floor with a clothesline and followed with a tope. Cesaro jumped Rollins from behind while Sheamus and Ambrose exchanged near falls with schoolboy cradles. Ambrose climbed the top rope, but Cesaro jumped up on the apron. Ambrose kicked Cesaro to the floor, but Sheamus hit a rolling senton off the top rope, but Ambrose kicked out. Sheamus called for the Brogue Kick, but Rollins ran across the ring and hit Cesaro with a tope. Then Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Sheamus for the pin.
Jordan talked with Matt Hardy about facing Strowman. Hardy told Jordan that when they call Strowman the “Monster Among Men,” it’s not just a nickname, it’s a fact.
Alexa Bliss came out upset about losing to Charlotte last night. She said she didn’t need to hear that she and Charlotte had the match of the night because the fans can keep their pats on the back. She said 2017 has been the year of Bliss. Mickie James came out and said she was sick of hearing Bliss complain and wanted to face her. Then Bayley walked out and said it was her turn to face Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship. Alicia Fox walked out and did her usual crazy talk about how she deserved to face Bliss. Sasha Banks came out and said she wanted to take on Bliss. Finally Angle came out and ordered a Fatal Four-Way immediately with the winner getting a title shot against Bliss.
Bayley, Sasha Banks, Alicia Fox and Mickie James went to a no contest in a Fatal Four Way match (4:27)
Banks put Fox in the Bank Statement, but Bayley broke it up. After Banks and James clotheslined each other, Paige came out to a huge reaction. Paige asked “Did you miss me?” Fans chanted “yes.” Paige said she didn’t meant to interrupt the ladies’ business, but she had something to say to everyone, and that is “I’m baackkk.” Fans chanted “Welcome back.” Paige said she didn’t come alone. She took off her jacket and walked to the ring. Suddenly, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville came in the ring through the crowd. The match simply ended Rose jumped James, giving her the Angel’s Wings. Deville, with her MMA gimmick, gave Banks some punches and knocked her out. Paige gave Bayley the Rampage. Fox ran to the back for cover. Crowd didn’t know who Rose and Deville were, but they reacted big to Paige’s return.
Paige, Rose and Deville walked to the back where Renee Young tried to interview them. Bliss walked up and told the ladies they did their jobs well. Paige introduced Rose and Deville to Bliss, who told Rose it was a pleasure to meet her. Rose just glared at Bliss. The two had a staredown before Paige kicked Bliss in the midsection. Rose and Deville joined Paige in triple-teaming Bliss. They threw Bliss into a stack of crates and a garage door to leave her laying.
Braun Strowman defeated Jason Jordan by DQ (1:44)
Jordan rolled out of the ring after Stroman tried the running powerslam. Kane ran in through the crowd to jump Strowman from behind. Kane delivered several chair shots to the back of Strowman, then put the top of the chair against Strowman’s throat and jammed the chair against the ring steps. Strowman grasped his throat and acted like he could barely breathe. He refused the referees’ help as he walked up the ramp by himself while struggling for air.
Enzo Amore came out with fellow cruiserweight heels Noam Dar, Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese. Enzo, wearing a leopard skin boxing robe, pronounced himself still the cruiserweight champion and said he was still the face of 205 Live. Enzo said he faced an army of haters, but he had his own army backing his side. Enzo said since it was Thanksgiving, each member of his “‘Zo Train” had something to be thankful for. He said the women couldn’t keep their hands off Dar, that Nese was up to a 20-pack abs and Daivari was able to get new threads. When Enzo got to “Gabba Gulak,” Gulak started talking about his power point presentations reaching millions more people. That’s when Akira Tozawa, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann and Mustafa Ali walked out. Enzo said it looked like Kalisto’s luggage didn’t make the flight and invited the four of them to join the ‘Zo Train. Alexander said they wanted a shot at the cruiserweight championship, but they wanted to earn it unlike a group of suck-ups like Enzo’s group. Enzo told Alexander it’s either get on board of the ‘Zo Train or get out of their way.
Swann said they should make him and that Enzo couldn’t because all Enzo was is a catchphrase. The eight men started brawling with each other while Enzo just stood outside the ring and watched. They went to a commercial during the brawl.
Mustafa Ali, Cedric Alexander, Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann defeated Tony Nese, Noam Dar, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari (4:17)
Ali pinned Dar after the Inverted 450. Nese actually had to move Dar in position to take the 450 while setting himself up to take Alexander’s Lumbar Check at the finish. No heat but great execution.
Young was the trainer’s room. Angle walked in and said that Strowman refused treatment from the doctors and left the building. Young asked if there would be any punishment for Kane. Angle said he would announce that at a later time. Angle walked in to check on Jordan. Miz walked in begging Angle to cancel his match with Reigns tonight. Angle refused. Jordan said that Angle was right, that Strowman was a monster among men.
Elias showed up in the ring and strummed his guitar. He said that was the sound of success, not that anyone here would know what that sounded like. He said he was in a good mood because Raw did great at the Survivor Series and he wrote a song about it. Fans chanted “Let’s Go Astros.” Elias told them the season was over and to shut up. Elias sang about beating Hardy, who came out. Hardy used his right hand while holding his let arm close to his body and attempted to give him the Twist of Fate, but Elias got out of the ring.
Roman Reigns defeated Intercontinental Champion the Miz to win the Intercontinental Championship (16:25)
This week, Reigns wasn’t in the town where he played college football but the fans didn’t boo him at all. Reigns teased the Superman Punch, but Miz got to the floor. Reigns jumped off the ring steps, but Miz kicked him in the chest and gave him a DDT on the floor, leading to a countout tease. Big cheers when Reigns got back in. Miz hit the Pimp Juice DDT for a two count. Miz stayed on offense for several minutes hitting running dropkicks to the corner and the Daniel Bryan yes kicks. Reigns dodged a kick and caught the Samoan Drop for a near fall. Reigns went for the Superman Punch, but Miz clipped his left leg, then hit a buzzsaw kick to the head for a good near fall. Miz hit a running clothesline in the corner, then climbed to the top rope, but jumped right into a Superman punch, but Miz kicked out in a great false finish. Reigns called for a spear, but Sheamus and Cesaro ran down to distract Reigns. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale, but Reigns kicked out. Rollins and Ambrose ran down. Rollins gave Cesaro a backdrop on the floor and Ambrose clotheslined Sheamus into the crowd. Reigns hit the spear on Miz to win the championship for the first time.
With the show built around Raw vs. SmackDown matches, this year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas tonight.
There will be two five-on-five elimination tag matches pitting Raw and SmackDown against each other. In the men’s match, Kurt Angle, Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor & Triple H will take on Shane McMahon, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura & John Cena. On the women’s side, Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Asuka, Sasha Banks & Bayley will face Becky Lynch, Carmella, Tamina, Naomi & Natalya.
The champions from each brand will also match up with their counterpart from the other show in non-title matches. Those are Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss vs. Charlotte Flair, Cesaro & Sheamus vs. The Usos, and The Miz vs. Baron Corbin.
In another Raw vs. SmackDown bout, The Shield will square off with The New Day in a six-man tag. On the pre-show, Enzo Amore defending his Cruiserweight title against Kalisto, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Breezango, and Matt Hardy vs. Elias are set.
We’re looking for your thoughts on this show as well as NXT Takeover, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Our live coverage begins with the first pre-show match before the main card kicks off at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
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MATT HARDY VS. ELIAS
Basic match, not mcuh of a crowd in the building at this poimt, so not much crowd reaction. Matt did a side effect on the apron while Elias worked on his left shoulder most of the way. Elias threw his shoulder into the post and hit drift away for the pin.
ENZO AMORE VS. KALISTO FOR CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE
Not much to this. The crowd was still quiet except for the interview by Enzo. Kalisto did a few standard cool moves but the finish saw Enzo pull Kalisto into the side of the turnbuckle and hit exposed metal, and then Enzo used the Jawdunzo for the pin.
KEVIN OWENS & SAMI ZAYN VS. TYLER BREEZE & FANDANGO
Owens and Zayn did a heel interview with Owens talking about winning the IC and Universal titles in Houston but those were his moments, not the fans’ moments. Breeze & Fandango came out and complained about Owens & Zayn having smelly facial hair. Not much to this match either. Fandango made the hot tag, but missed a legdrop off the top rope and Owens pinned him with the pop up power bomb.
The New Day came for an interview. He said about Tuesday that it took Raw three weeks to steal our idea and not do it as well as we did. They were pushing themselves as “your boys” trying to get over as the faces. They said they’d be together while by the time WrestleMania comes The Shield will be turning on each other.
NEW DAY VS. THE SHIELD
Good match. Crowd liked it. The crowd didn’t really choose between the sides except at times Reigns was booed, but at times he wasn’t, such as when he hit the spear on Kingston right before the finish. The finish was a triple team power bomb with Reigns power bombing Kingston off the middle rope for the pin. There was a Shield power bomb teaser earlier but Big E saved. The New Day teased a double-team midnight hour as E had Rollins & Ambrose both up.and Kingston & Woods came off but Reigns saved with a spear.
Stephanie gave a pep talk to the Raw women. She wanted Asuka to break every bone in Lynch’s body. Stephanie in her heels looked huge next to the wreslters who looked much smaller except for Nia Jax.
RAW VS. SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S MATCH
This match ranged at times was really good (Banks vs. Natalya, Asuka vs. Natalya) to really bad (Fox vs. Naomi). It came down to Asuka vs. Natalya & Tamina. Tamina missed a splash off the top and Asuka beat her with a flying armbar submission. Asuka used a double chicken wing into the Asuka lock for the submission on Natalya for the win. The eliminations were Bayley pinning Becky Lynch with a schoolboy. Tamina pinned Bayley with a superkick by Carmella and Tamina did a splash off the top on bayley. Jax was counted out after Tamina superkicked her on the floor and did a cross body off the ring steps. Naomi pinned Fox although she was supposed to win by submission but the ref counted to three early. Banks beat Noami with the bank statement. Asuka kicked Carmella in the face for the pin. Natalya eliminated Banks with the sharpshooter, leaving Asuka vs. Tamina & Natalya..
Stephanie and Daniel Bryan argued over who was going to win with men’s match with Raw up 2-0. Stephanie said that when Shane is incapacitated, then Bryan can run Smackdown all by himself. They showed Bryan thinking about it.
THE MIZ VS. BARON CORBIN
Corbin was pretty much the babyface at the end given both Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas got inolved. Corbin blew a kiss at Maryse. Match was fine, with Corbin laying out Dallas with the End of Days . Miz kicked his knee and hit the DDT for a near fall. But Corbin came back and hit the End of Days to win the match clean.
Renee Young pushed this as the first win for Smackdown. Corbin said to Miz my hand went up and your mouth went closed
Bayley helped a guy pick out a ring and he proposed to his girlfriend inside the WWE ring.
Charly Caruso interviewed Paul Heyman. He said AJ is phenomenal but he’s going to regret beating Jinder Mahal and winning the title because he’s stepping in he ring with Brock Lesnar.
SHEAMUS & CESARO VS. USOS
Very good match. The finish saw a double superkick on Cesaro, then on Sheamus, which they did call a superkick party, when Jimmy hit a tope on Cesaro while tagging Jey and Jey pinned Cesaro after a splash off the top rope. The Usos worked as the faces and mostly sold. The coolest spot was Jey giving Sheamus a Samoan drop while off the Doomsday device position.
They are pushing that it’s now tied 2-2 beween Raw and Smackdown.
Jason Jordan interview. He was booed of course. He feels terrible that he may never get the chance to compete with his dad. He said he’s 100 pecent healed and 100 percent behind his teammates, but he hopes HHH gets eliminated but that Raw wins.
CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS. ALEXA BLISS
Charlotte won with the figure eight after a big foot that didn’t hit just right. The match wasn’t smooth, The crowd was into it. Charlotte missed a moonsault and Bliss did twisted bliss but Charlotte got her knees up. They gave them a lot of time to build the match.
BROCK LESNAR VS. A.J. STYLES
This was different from everything on the show in the sense it felt like a fight rather than a performance. Lesnar threw him around and launched him into orbit with some of the throws. Styles did an awesome comeback including a phenomenal forearm over the top rope to the floor, another off the steps and another in the ring. He went for a second phenomenal forearm but Lesnar caught him in the F-5 for the pin. They aren’t letting anyone kick out of the F-5 till Mania. Lesnar was limping badly when it was over which was storyline from the calf crusher. The crowd went nuts when Styles did the calf crusher but Lesnar broke it by slamming his head over and over on the mat.
We actually have 70 minutes left right now and one match left,.
RAW VS. SMACKDOWN MEN’S MATCH
Raw won the match with HHH and Strowman as the final two. The match ended when Angle had the ankle lock on Shane, and held it for a long time. HHH then saved Shane by giving Angle a pedigree and put Shane on top. HHH then acted like he was siding with Shane, but then he turned on Shane and gave him a pedigree for the pin. Strowman grabbed HHH by the throat after the match and told him if he ever does that again, he’ll finish him. HHH tried pedigree on Strowman, but Strowman blocked it and laid him out with a powerlsam. Strowman gave HHH a second powerslam and left.. So the show ended with Strowman as the star. The match was a big disappointment. It started out real good but then got flat and the place was pretty much dead with confusion at the end. The eliminations were:
Strowman pinned Shinsuke Nakamura with a powerslam.
Strowman pinned Bobby Roode with a powerslam.
John Cena pinned Samoa Joe after the Attitude Adjustment.
Randy Orton pinned Finn Balor with the RKOI.
Strowman pinned Orton with a powerslam.
This left HHH & Strowman & Angle with Shane.
The only interference was Owens and Zayn coming out to attack Shane. Shane came back with chair shots to the back of both and Orton gave Owens an RKO.
While NXT TakeOver: War Games was going on, Ring of Honor was also in Texas last night for night two of this year’s Survival of the Fittest tournament. The show saw Cody Rhodes defend his ROH World Championship against Christopher Daniels in a Texas Death Match as well.
– Jonathan Gresham defeated Vinny Marseglia in a Survival of the Fittest first round match
– Flip Gordon defeated TK O’Ryan in a Survival of the Fittest first round match
– Matt Taven defeated Cheeseburger in a Survival of the Fittest first round match
– Deonna Purrazzo defeated Karen Q in a no DQ match
– ROH World Tag Team Champions Motor City Machine Guns defeated The Dawgs (Rhett Titus & Will Ferrara), Rey Cometa & Esfinge, and Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser to retain their titles
– Marty Scurll defeated Josh Woods
– ROH World Television Champion Kenny King defeated Scorpio Sky to retain his title
– Dalton Castle & Jay Lethal defeated The Young Bucks
– ROH World Champion Cody defeated Christopher Daniels in a Texas Death Match to retain his title
The finish came when Cody powerbombed Daniels through a flaming table. Daniels suffered some mild burns during that spot, but the belief is he’ll be able to wrestle at ROH’s show in Oklahoma City tonight.
This match was set up as the culmination of Cody and Daniels’ rivalry. Cody tweeted after it, “This chapter of my career with @facdaniels has been full of surprises and I am better for it. It ended tonight. Thank you Dallas.”
Survivor Series weekend kicks off in Houston, Texas tonight as the Toyota Center hosts NXT TakeOver: War Games.
Though there have been a few changes from the original concept, this will mark the first time WWE has used War Games since acquiring WCW in 2001. The Undisputed Era, SAnitY, and The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong will take part in NXT’s first version of the match.
A new NXT Women’s Champion will also be crowned, with Kairi Sane, Peyton Royce, Ember Moon, and Nikki Cross vying for the title that Asuka vacated in August. In the show’s other title match, Drew McIntyre will defend his NXT Championship against Andrade “Cien” Almas.
The issues between Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream will culminate as they face off in a match tonight. Plus, Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan rounds out the undercard.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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-The first thing seen as the show began was a giant banner for Kenny Omega.
Kassius Ohno vs Lars Sullivan
Sullivan ducked the Rolling Elbow and hit The Freak Accident for the win.
Ohno used an elbow strike in the first 30 seconds, which didn’t phase Lars and set the story for the match. Everything that Ohno would try Lars would shake off and knock Ohno down. The fans were into this and Sullivan looked good, even hitting a Pop Up Power Slam. The most offense Ohno got in was after Sullivan missed a diving elbow. Ohno used a Cyclone Kick to finally knock Sullivan off his feet, but Lars raged up and begged for more punishment as they went to the finish.
The whole match was less than 5 minutes, but was exactly what it should have been.
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-Tyler Bate, Trent Seven. Mark Andrews and Wolfgang were shown at ringside.
-Undisputed Era were shown backstage and didn’t look too happy when William Regal told them something we couldn’t hear.
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Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream
Black won with Black Mass, which the cameras mostly missed, in a very good match and Dream’s best NXT match by far.
Velveteen Dream went all Rick Rude for this match with airbrushed tights with Black’s face on them. The fans were into the Velveteen Dream, but they were just as happy when Black won.
Black snapped off one of the fastest deep armdrags you’ll ever see early as he showed his superior grappling. Dream couldn’t even connect with a strike early as every time he tried, Black moved out of the way. Finally Dream got tired of being stretched and got in a couple blows. A sequence saw Black end in a sitting position on the mat, so Dream did the Rick Rude hip swivel, which Black ignored until Dream sat down like Black, so Black did Dream’s grinding on the mat.
Dream finally got some sustained offense, using a superkick and a Rude Awakening. Black got tied in the ropes ala their tv angle a month ago and this had the same result as Black kicked Dream and got himself out. They kicked out of each other’s secondary finishers, being Dream’s Rolling Death Valley Driver and Black’s running knee.
After the match Aleister sat next to Dream on the mat and said “Enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream”. So Dream got his ultimate goal of the match, which was for Black to say his name.
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-SAnitY was ranting and raving in the locker room. Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe were messing around in the background as Eric Young appeared to be mid-speech.
-Asuka, Funaki and Finn Balor were show ringside. Behind them were hundreds of empty seats, so remember that if they claim a sell out.
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Kairi Sane vs Peyton Royce vs Ember Moon vs Nikki Cross for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship
Ember Moon became the 6th NXT Women’s Champion, pinning Nikki Cross after a double Eclipse on both Cross and Peyton. This was a relatively short match but chalk full of big moves that the crowd was super into and were really happy for Moon to finally win the title. The only messed up move was early when Royce went to roll up Cross and somehow got Moon tangled up, which looked like both of them covering Cross at the same time.
Ember hit a Suicide Dive to Sane and Royce and then a hard power bomb to Cross on the floor. Sane broke up a pinfall with a running Blockbuster. Royce used a Reverse Octopus Hold on Sane until Ember superkicked her in the ribs. We had a Stacked Up Superplex with Royce German Suplexing Moon, who superplexed Sane. Cross hit her Twisting Fisherman Suplex for a 2 count and then used a Draping Roll The Dice on Moon. Royce used her Fisherman Suplex on Cross, but Sane had to break it up. Sane hit the Insane Elbow on Cross and Royce, but Moon broke that up and that led to the finish.
Asuka got in the ring to present Ember with her championship.
The Queen is dead! Long live the new Queen!
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We had a commercial for NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, which is the day before Royal Rumble. Tickets go on sale December 1.
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-Roderick Strong, Paul Ellering and The Authors of Pain were hanging out backstage.
-Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe were shown at ringside.
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Drew McIntyre vs Andrade Cien Almas for the NXT Championship
Almas shockingly won the title with a Hammerlock DDT off the top rope after McIntyre got caught up in the ropes when he missed his second Claymore Kick. You knew Drew was in for a bad night when he couldn’t get his kilt off before the match.
Vega got all up in McIntyre’s naval before the match, telling off the champion, which led to Almas getting the quick advantage at the bell. Almas lounged in the ropes, which came back to bite him in the ass as Drew kicked him out of the ring. Vega tried to interfere and hit a hurricarana behind the referee’s back, but McIntyre caught her and set her down.
In almost the reverse of the last match, in this one they reversed and side-stepped a lot of big moves early, but they saved the big stuff for last. Drew went for a running power bomb to the post outside, but Andrade turned it into a hurricarana. Almas then hit a Moonsault over the ring post to McIntyre, who was on the floor. Almas hit his running double knees in the corner two different times for a two different 2 counts, but every time he went for his Hammerlock DDT Drew got out of it, including once hitting a sit out power bomb.
Almas kicked out of a Future Shock DDT and finally hit his Hammerlock DDT when Vega’s interference finally worked as she hit a Hurricarana, but Drew kicked out of it. McIntyre finally hit the Claymore Kick but Vega put Almas’ foot on the ropes.
Almas becomes the 14th NXT Champion overall and 12th different man to hold the gold. The King is dead! Long live the new King!
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Undisputed Era vs SAnitY vs Roderick Strong & Authors of Pain in War Games
Rules:
-One member from each team starts with the other team members locked in shark cages
-After 5 minutes the remaining two members of one team gets to enter
-Every 3 minutes after the other two members of the other teams enter.
-You can only win via pinfall of submission
-If anyone leaves the cage they forfeit the match for their team
First Period: Eric Young, Adam Cole and Roderick Strong started the match. They put a metal platform between the two rings so no one could fall between the rings. I’ll update this as much as I can throughout the match.
Young seemed willing to team with Strong early, but Strong punched him in the face and it was on. Cole was about to run and leave the match, but he got stopped. That actually led to him taking over on both Strong and Young, when he crotched them on the top rope. Cole tried to keep each man in separate rings, but even when they weren’t he was on the offensive. Strong finally built some momentum at the end of the period.
Second Period: They did the Elimination Chamber light show instead of a coin toss and, believe it or not, Undisputed Era was released. This was 3 full minutes of Cole, O’Reilly and Fish beating down both Young and Strong. Young got caught between the ropes and the cage and had to stand there as Undisputed Era took turns running into him. Strong was the victim of a Wheelbarrow Suplex before he got smashed into the cage repeatedly.
Third Period: Authors of Pain was next and Fish did his best to hold the door closed, but it didn’t work. O’Reilly tried and got a door smashed into his head. Akam and Rezar flung all 4 men all over the cage. Akam actually hiptossed Cole from one ring into the other and then he and Rezar backdropped Young into the other ring. AOP hiptossed Strong onto all 4 men, which finally got the crowd into the match.Young and O’Reilly were tied into Trees of Woe and the Authors gave Fish and Cole a Death Valley Driver into them.
The Match Beyond: SAnitY gets released to end the match and Alexander Wolfe had a hidden Nightstick that he used to beat on all three members of the AOP team. Killian Dain found some plunder under the ring as War Games went hardcore.
Dain was about to get in the ring, but the fans were chanting for tables, so Killian did as he was told and put two tables into the cage. O’Reilly did the Kurt Angle House Show Chair spot with the chair ricocheting off the ropes into his face. This became pure chaos as Dain decided it was his job to lock the cage. He ate the padlock key before going after Authors of Pain.
Dain did a corner dropkick onto one Author and fell with a back senton onto the other and then did a flying crossbody onto pretty much everyone else in the match. Fish kicked Dain in the legs, but he got laid out and Dain did a Michinoku Driver to Cole on top of Fish, which could not have felt good.
Dain and Rezar did stereo combo Samoan Drop/Fallaway Slams to multiple opponents and then Rezar decided to test Dain. Finally Akam laid out Dain with a running power slam, which took him out for a few minutes. Undisputed Era hit a 3-man Chasing The Dragon on Strong, but couldn’t make the cover. No one could get sustained offense at this point as every time they would hit a big move they’d turn around and get hit with their own. O’Reilly tied Wolfe up with a chain and locked on and armbar, but EY broke it up with a diving elbow drop. Fish broke up the ensuing pin with a Moonsault on the pile.
AOP did a Super Collider to Fish and Young, where Dain was caught in the middle of it, but Young came back with a Death Valley Driver to Akam on top of Rezar. Strong decided that 20+ minutes into the match was the time to go Backbreaker crazy, but actually finishing with an Angle Slam on Dain. Cole ended up sitting on the ringposts between the cages and it led to a double stacked up superplex with the other 8 people and Cole somehow left all alone. Cole was celebrating momentarily and then the AOP looked up and saw him sitting there. After setting up both tables their attempted double back superplex was broken up by Wolfe, who put Rezar through both tables with a German Suplex, which busted open the back of Wolfe’s head. Dain woke back up and hit the World’s Biggest Van Terminator as he went corner to corner with a dropkick to O’Reilly, who had a garbage can in his face.
Cole ended up on top of the cage, but he shimmied his way to the opposing corner. Cole seemed poised to dive until he saw Strong standing there and Roddy seemed to put the fear into Cole. Both men ended up on top of the cage and the fans chanted “Please don’t die”. Strong then hit a superplex off the top of the cage and both men landed on top of almost everyone else. AOP hit a version of The Last Chapter to Dain on the metal ramp between the rings. Everyone laid out each other until Cole and Strong were the only two left. Strong beat on Cole until Young recovered and Wheelbarrowed him into the cage. Finally Cole used a Kendo Stick to Young and pinned him after a running kick, assisted with a steel chair.
So long story short, no this wasn’t WCW/NWA War Games, but it was a masterful 30-minute brawl full of twists, turns and, oh yes, plenty of chaos. Undisputed Era is your winner and that does it from Houston.
Thank you for reading and good luck to Survivor Series tomorrow night to try to top this.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura, emanating from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
The Octagon returns to Sydney for the first time in three years, bringing a five-round heavyweight bout as the headliner.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum makes the quick turnaround after fighting just six weeks ago as he takes on Marcin Tybura. Werdum is looking to score his second straight win to get back in the title picture, while Tybura puts his three-fight win streak on the line.
Also on the card is a women’s flyweight bout as Bec Rawlings takes on Jessica-Rose Clark, welterweights Tim Means and Belal Muhammad square off, and in prelim action, former Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks looks to get back into the win column as he battles Nik Lentz.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Anthony Hamilton (15-8, 3-6 UFC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (8-1, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Hamilton went to a cage clinch early and then got a takedown. He dominated him on the ground for most of the round, doing a fair bit of damage from half guard and even got into side control briefly. Wieczorek got up with about a minute left but wasn’t able to do much on the feet before Hamilton got him back into a cage clinch at the end of the round. 10-9 Hamilton
Wieczorek landed a nice kick/punch combo that dropped Hamilton early in the round. Wieczorek did some damage on the ground while working for a head and arm choke from half guard. Hamilton made it to his feet halfway through the round and did slightly better on the feet. Hamilton got a late takedown but didn’t do any damage and the round should go to Wieczorek. 10-9 Wieczorek, 19-19 overall after 2
Very close round that was entirely on the feet. Hamilton kept going for takedowns and Wieczorek defended them all. Hamilton had some cage clinch control time but didn’t do much damage. Wieczorek did have the nice combinations on the feet and seemed to be pressing the action. Could go either way, I have it 29-28 Wieczorek.
Official result – Adam Wieczorek (9-1) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Wieczorek said that he had a hard time handling the time change and that explained his poor performance. He was asked to call someone out and didn’t, saying he was going to concentrate on training. After all the good promos last week, this was a terrible use of mic time.
> Jenel Lausa (7-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Eric Shelton (10-4, 0-2 UFC) Flyweights
Lausa got the first takedown of the fight but didn’t do anything from top position. Shelton actually did more damage from his back. After Shelton got to his feet, he immediately got a takedown of his own but he didn’t do much either. Lausa got to his feet but Shelton took him down again and this time he did a little damage and stayed on top till the round ended. 10-9 Shelton
Much more dominant round from Shelton. He got an early takedown and was doing damage on the ground the whole time. He briefly got mount but Lausa escaped and got to his feet quickly. He took Shelton down with a guillotine but he quickly escaped and ended up on top. He stayed on top the rest of the round landing a ton of punches and elbows. At one point the strike count was 67-9 for Shelton. 10-8 Shelton, 20-17 after 2
Lausa blocked the first takedown but Shelton managed to get him down at 1:15 and held him down for the majority of the round. He landed a ton of elbows and punches on the ground. Total strike count was 186-11 for Shelton. Another 10-8 round for Shelton and 30-25 overall
Official result – Eric Shelton (11-4) by unanimous decision on scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25
In his post-fight interview, Shelton put over Sydney as a beautiful city. He was very happy to finally get a UFC win and said he’d been waiting forever to do an interview. No call-out but he came off as a very likeable guy.
> Alex Chambers (5-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Nadia Kassem (4-0, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Strawweights* (Kassem missed weight by 4 pounds)
Chambers got a takedown about 2 minutes and maintained top control for the rest of the round. Kassem did attempt an inverted heel hook and it looked close but once Chambers escaped, she was in control. Chambers did enough damage to avoid a standup and should easily take the round. 10-9 Chambers
Kassem was starting to do damage on the feet early in the round so Chambers was trying to take it to the ground. She got a takedown but Kassem almost immediately secured a triangle and was landing punches and elbows from her back while maintaining the choke. Chambers managed to avoid being finished but Kassem was doing a lot of damage. She eventually secured an armbar and used that to sweep into top position, landing a lot of punches and elbows before the round ended. 10-9 Kassem, 19-19 overall
Fun round. Chambers got a takedown again and Kassem immediately was going for another triangle. She didn’t get it but eventually reversed position and did way more damage from top than Chambers was able to do. Chambers got back to her feet and was getting lit up in the last minute on the feet and Kassem likely took the round and the fight. 10-9 Kassem, 29-28 Kassem overall
Official result – Nadia Kassem (5-0) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 x 2)
Kassem was really popular with the crowd and did a spirited promo after the fight. She said that she may have to move up to flyweight but will take on anyone, anytime, anywhere. She’s very young, very pretty and could be something some day.
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Damien Brown (17-10, 2-2 UFC) vs. Frank Camacho (20-5, 0-1 UFC) Lightweights* (Camacho missed weight by 4 pounds)
They spent the whole round either in clinches or on the ground with a ton of takedowns and reversals. Camacho landed far more strikes, both on the ground and for the brief times they were on their feet. Brown got two different rear naked chokes in the last minute but Camacho escaped and ended up in top position at the end of the round. Very close but 10-9 Camacho
Round 2 was entirely on the feet and Camacho lit up Brown for the most part, landing about 3 times as many strikes. Brown came on at the end and they were exchanging hard shots to the head at the end of the round. They embraced and shook hands before the end of the round. 10-9 Camacho, 20-18 overall..
Almost a replay of Round 2 but a little closer. Seemed like Camacho was only landing twice as many strikes, rather than 3 times as many. Both guys got great shots in though and both were bloody by the end. The last 30 seconds was both of them just throwing bombs with everything they had and both were smiling and the crowd was on their feet and cheering their lungs out at the end. Strike count was 201-84 for Camacho with 1 minute left and they both probably landed at least 20 more after that. 10-9 Camacho, 30-27 overall
Official result – Frank Camacho (21-5) by split decision (28-29, 30-27 and 29-28)
Camacho put over Sydney as well as Damien Brown as a tough opponent. Brown was very upset about not getting the win but in a standup war where you got outstruck over 2-1, that’s gonna happen. Dan Hardy asked for a round of applause for both guys and also interviewed Brown after the fight. He thought he won two rounds but I’m not sure which two. He said the last 30 seconds was what fans pay to see and the crowd exploded for that.
> Rashad Coulter (8-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Tai Tuivasa (5-0, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Started off as a typical heavyweight battle with two fat guys just throwing punches and then going to the clinch when they got tired. Taivusa started to find his timing late in the round and dropped Coulter to the canvas with a hard leg kick. When he got up. Tuivasa landed a jumping knee to the chin for the highlight reel KO.
Official result – Tai Tuivasa (8-0) by KO (flying knee) at 4:35
Tuivasa was a huge favorite of the crowd and he had just secured his 8th straight first round KO. Dan Hardy asked him if he had a message for the heavyweight division and he said “It’s me again”. Crowd loved it. Dude is super charismatic and could be Mark Hunt for the next 10 years.
> Nik Lentz (27-8-2 1 NC, 11-5-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Will Brooks (19-3, 1-2 UFC) Lightweights
Brooks got a takedown a couple minutes in but Lentz grabbed his neck on the way down. Once Brooks escaped from the guillotine, he immediately went back to his feet. Other than that brief stretch the rest of the round was on the feet. Brooks was landing more and cut open Lentz on his nose. Lentz had a couple takedown attempts stuffed and tried to get it to the cage a couple times as well. 10-9 Brooks but close
Brooks was controlling the fight on his feet and Lentz was all cut up and bleeding from various spots on his face. Then Brooks went for another takedown and completed it but Lentz secured a guillotine and Brooks very quickly tapped.
Official result – Nik Lentz (28-8-2) by submission (guillotine) at 2:05 of the 2nd round
Nik Lentz said he’s a pro in there and would submit his mother in the Octagon if he had to. He said he’d put 50 grand of his own money on the line against anyone at American Top Team and sent that message straight to Dan Lambert. Good promo.
> Ryan Benoit (9-5, 2-3 UFC) vs. Ashkan Mokhtarian (13-2, 0-1 UFC) Flyweights* (Benoit missed weight by 3 pounds)
Round 1 was almost entirely Mokhtarian trying to stay away from Benoit. Mokhtarian landed one shot that rocked Benoti about a minute in. Benoit had a nice combo at the end of the round. Other than that, it was just Benoit following Mokhtarian around the cage and the crowd was turning on this fight by the end of the round. 10-9 Benoit but almost a 10-10 round
Round 2 was similar but with a little more action. Mokhtarian was more agressive and rocked Benoit a couple of time with a really hard leg kick hurting him at one point. Crowd was booing pretty heavily at the end of the round when Mokhtarian was running away but Benoit got a late takedown and landed some punches right before the buzzer. Another very close round. 10-9 Mokhtarian, 19-19 overall
Final round had more action as Benoit, in particular, was much more aggressive. Mokhtarian landed a nice spinning back fist at one point and shortly after, Benoit landed a Superman punch. From out of nowhere, Benoit landed a head kick and knocked Mokhtarian out cold. He tried to go to the ground to land more punches but the ref stepped in to stop it.
Official result – Ryan Benoit (10-5) by KO (head kick) at 2:38 of Round 3
Benoit put over his training partners and eventually got around to saying Ashkan was a good opponent but these two had a lot of heat going into this. No callout.
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Alexander Volkanovski (15-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Shane Young (10-3, 0-0 UFC) 150-pound Catchweights
Volkanovski primarily used leg kicks for the whole round but would switch to punch combos to set up takedown attempts. Young managed to block all but one of the takedowns but that’s pretty much all he did as Volkanovski had a 21-3 advantage in strikes landed, easily taking the round. 10-9 Volkanovski
Volkanovski was able to land 3 takedowns in round 2, even though Young’s standup game was a little more effective. Not much, though, as Volkanovski had a 48-12 advantage in strikes landed by the end of the round. Young was able to get up fairly easily every time he was taken down though. 10-9 Volkanovski, 20-18 overall
Young tried but was just completely outclassed here. He actually managed a takedown but Volkanovski was quickly up and then landed an Angle Slam type takedown. After that, Volkanovski kept Young down for most of the rest of the round and never stopped landing punches and elbows. Strike count was 71-14 with about a minute left. Easy 10-9 Volkanovski, 30-27 overall. Only question is whether any of the rounds were dominant enough for a 10-8. I don’t think so.
Official result – Alexander Volkanovski (16-1) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 x 2)
Volkanovski said that Young was a tough opponent and one of the region’s best fighters and thinks he’ll do better with a full camp next time out. He said that he’s getting tired of having late opponent changes all the time and would like to see what he can do when he gets a proper amount of time to prepare for his opponent.
> Elias Theodorou (13-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Dan Kelly (13-2, 6-2 UFC) Middleweights
Tough round to score as the entire round was standing but Theodorou threw almost exclusively kicks and Kelly was landing punches, mostly in small flurries. Crowd exploded whenever Kelly did anything but it’s tough to tell whether he did damage or not. Kelly was starting to block a lot of the kicks by the end of the round though. 10-9 Theodorou but could go either way.
Theodorou started to take over in the 2nd as he never let up the pace with the constant barrage of kicks but Kelly was definitely slowing down. Kelly did manage a trip takedown but Theodorou got right up. There was a lot of clinch action in the center but Kelly was not able to land many punches. 10-9 Theodorou and 20-18 after 2.
Kelly had his best moment of the fight when he got a takedown and secured a rear naked choke early in the last round. Theodorou escaped fairly quickly and got to his feet and for the rest of the round, it was basically Theodorou landing kicks from distance to the head, body and legs. Kelly never stopped advancing though. 10-9 Theodorou and 30-27 overall
Official result – Elias Theodorou (14-2) by unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27 and 30-26)
Crowd booed the hell out of Theodorou in his post-fight promo, mostly because he refused to touch gloves pre-fight. He said it’s because Kelly is two-faced and said nasty things to him in the elevator a couple days before the fight. He said he’s been doing this less than 8 years and just beat someone who’s been doing judo longer than he’s been alive.
> Jake Matthews (10-3, 4-3 UFC) vs. Bojan Velickovic (15-5-1, 2-2-1 UFC) Welterweights
Matthews spent nearly the entire round trying to secure takedowns. Velickovic was landing a lot of punches and elbows with his back to the cage while defending it. Matthews did manage to get him down twice but did almost no damage when he got there and Velickovic got up quickly both times. Some judges might give it to Matthews for the takedowns but I have it for Velickovic for more effective striking. 10-9 Velickovic
Matthews got a takedown early but Velickovic secured a guillotine on the way down. He used it to gain top position and eventually mount. He took the back of Matthews with a full body lock and controlled him the majority of the round. Matthews was able to get to his feet and was starting to land a bit at the end of the round. At one point the strike count was 83-8 for Velickovic, mostly on the strength of the first. 10-9 Velickovic, 20-18 overall
Matthews opened by throwing more strikes from his feet than he had the entire fight. He used that to set up a takedown and he did more damage than he had in either of the two in the first. Velickovic was able to get to his feet and then take Matthews down. He held him down, while doing damage, but eventually Matthews reversed into top position and did a lot of damage in the last minute. Probably enough to take the round but not the fight on my card. 10-9 Matthews, 29-28 Velickovic overall
Official result – Jake Matthews (11-3) by split decision decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
> Tim Means (27-8-1 1 NC, 9-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (12-2, 3-2 UFC) Welterweights
Round was entirely on the feet and both guys threw exclusively punches and almost all to the head. Strike count was 23-20 Muhammad right before the end of the round so it was razor thin. Muhammad did attempt a takedown late, which Means stuffed. I gave it to Muhammad but this was almost a 10-10. 10-9 Muhammad
Similar round although both guys started to throw more kicks and Muhammad had a couple of takedown attempts, even landing one. Means got up right away though. Means had a slight advantage in strikes landed and was starting to mix up his striking a lot more by the end and I gave him the round but another very close one. At the end of the round, strike count was 48-47 Means. 10-9 Means, 19-19 overall
Very close to the first round as no one got any takedowns and the fight was entirely on the feet. Means had a slight advantage in strikes landed but it seemed as it Muhammad landed the harder shots. Muhammad had a couple of takedown attempts. All three rounds were so close this fight could have any score. 10-9 Muhammad, 29-28 overall
Official decision – Belal Muhammad (13-2) by split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Muhammad called out Colby Covington after the fight, saying he’s a coward for putting down other people’s countries. That’s a bit step up for him but a great name if he can get that fight.
> Bec Rawlings (7-6, 2-3 UFC) vs. Jessica-Rose Clark (7-4 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Flyweights* (Clark missed weight by 2 pounds)
Rawlings was more aggressive early but Clark was managing to avoid most of her shots. Rawlings got a takedown but didn’t do much damage on the ground. Clark reversed into top position and actually held the position longer than Rawlings. Clark eventually stood up on her own, forcing Rawlings up. In the last minute, the standup was pretty even on both sides. Very close round. 10-9 Clark
They were stuck in a cage clinch for almost 2 minutes at the beginning of the round with both ladies trading control. After separating, Clark scored a takedown and maintained top control for the rest of the round. She was getting fairly close to a head and arm choke but she used that to set up taking the back. She did enough damage to avoid a standup and easily won the round. 10-9 Clark, 20-18
Rawlings was more aggressive to start, knowing that she probably needed a finish and she was landing good shots on the feet. She got a takedown and did some damage there as well. After Clark got up, she scored a takedown and did damage as well. Rawlings got up right at the end of the round. 10-9 Rawlings, 29-28 Clark overall
Official result – Jessica-Rose Clark (8-4) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)
Clark said that it was a tough weight cut and she needs to stop taking short notice fights. Not much else. Pretty underwhelming night overall for promos.
> Fabricio Werdum (#2, 22-7-1, 10-4 UFC) vs. Marcin Tybura (#8, 16-2, 3-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Werdum was busier on the feet, landing combos and mixing in kicks to the body and legs, which were starting to show their effects by the end of the round. Werdum got a late takedown but Tybura was up right away and took the back of Werdum by the end of the round. 10-9 Werdum
2nd round entirely on the feet and again Werdum was the busier fighter. Tybura did land a nice head kick and Werdum scored with one of his own later on. Tybura was starting to throw leg kicks by the end of the round but Werdum should take it pretty easily. 10-9 Werdum, 20-18
Another round totally on the feet and dominated by Werdum. Tybura had his moments but really looked to be tiring at the end of the round. Werdum hurt him with a few knees to the head from the clinch with about a minute left and tried to take him down but Tybura managed to block that. Total strikes 95-58 for Werdum 10-9 Werdum, 30-27
Round was playing out the same as the previous three until Werdum finally secured a takedown halfway through the round. Werdum looked to be setting up a head and arm choke and moved into side control with a minute left. Tybura somehow escaped that and made it to his feet. Tybura scored a takedown right before the buzzer and Werdum secured a guillotine on the way down. 10-9 Werdum, 40-36
Final round entirely on the feet. Tybura rocked Werdum with a head kick that he’s used to knock others out with early. He landed a second one halfway through the round but Werdum stayed on his feet. Werdum was probably slightly busier in the round but Tybura had his best round of the right and was still in there at the end. I gave the round to him but too little, too late. 10-9 Tybura, 49-46 Werdum overall
Official result – Fabricio Werdum (23-7-1) by unanimous decision (50-45 x 2; 49-46)
Werdum said Sydney is beautiful and he wants to bring his family here. He says he has two title belts on the wall at home and wants another one. He thinks he’s done enough to earn another title shot. Until Cain Velasquez is ready, it’s probably either him or the winner of the Overeem/N’Gannou fight in two weeks who will get the shot.
This show was the longest in UFC history in terms of total cage time and it really felt like it by the end with every main card fight going the distance.
If you want to read my play by play, you can find it here.
Going up against an NXT house show in the same city, ROH’s Survival of the Fittest tournament kicked off in San Antonio last night. In the main event, Stephen Amell (the star of Arrow) teamed with Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes & The Young Bucks against The Addiction, Flip Gordon & Scorpio Sky.
– Cheeseburger defeated Jastin Taylor
This was the pre-show match. Cheeseburger won with a Shotei and a diving double stomp.
– Amell came out as the guest host for the show. The Addiction quickly interrupted him, but Cody defended his buddy. Amell took off his jacket to reveal an Arrow-inspired Bullet Club shirt.
The Addiction proposed changing the two scheduled tag matches (them vs. Omega & Cody and The Young Bucks vs. Flip Gordon & Scorpio Sky) to The Addiction, Gordon & Sky vs. Bullet Club. Cody accepted the proposal.
During both the opening and closing promo, Cody pointed out that ROH’s show sold out while NXT’s didn’t.
– Silas Young defeated Josh Woods in a Survival of the Fittest first round match
– Shane Taylor defeated Beer City Bruiser in a Survival of the Fittest first round match
This was a very good “mean guy match.” Taylor won with a punch.
– Punishment Martinez defeated Jay Lethal in a Survival of the Fittest first round match
Martinez hit his sit-out chokeslam to win. Marty Scurll, who is facing Lethal at Final Battle, came out during the match and offered Lethal his umbrella as a weapon. Lethal hit Scurll with it instead.
– The Kingdom (Matt Taven, Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan) defeated Search and Destroy (Motor City Machine Guns & Jonathan Gresham)
Taven cradled Gresham for the pin after blocking a Shooting Star Press with his knees.
– Deonna Purrazzo defeated Britt Baker in a Women of Honor match
Purrazzo submitted her with a Fujiwara armbar.
– Rey Cometa & Esfinge defeated The Dawgs (Rhett Titus & Will Ferrara)
This was a wild match, with the crowd very into the CMLL guys. Esfinge pinned Ferrara with a lucha cradle.
– ROH World Television Champion Kenny King defeated Joey Ryan to retain his title
They had a typical Joey Ryan match before King retained with the Royal Flush.
– Dalton Castle defeated Marty Scurll
Castle hit the Bang-a-Rang to win.
– Bullet Club (Cody, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks & Stephen Amell) defeated The Addiction, Flip Gordon & Scorpio Sky
This match was five-on-four with Amell becoming an official participant in it. He did a lot, including a dive to the floor and being put through a table by Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian. He looked good for a non-wrestler.
Gordon stopped Daniels from using a chair, which led to a brawl. Gordon and Sky then abandoned The Addiction. The finish was a double Indytaker as Omega and Nick Jackson did the move to Kazarian and Matt Jackson and Amell hit it on Daniels.
Bullet Club did their usual post-match promo, referencing the NXT show in San Antonio. Omega said he and Cody were going back to the autograph table to sign for all of the fans who they couldn’t get to earlier.
Reports submitted by readers Rick Cobos and Travis Banks
– Mark Andrews & Wolfgang defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
Andrews received some babyface sympathy from the crowd. Wolfgang got a good hot tag and showed some fire, very quickly leading to a Shooting Star Press by Andrews for the finish.
– Kairi Sane defeated Billie Kay
Sane won by submission.
– Kassius Ohno defeated Lars Sullivan by DQ
Sullivan got disqualified for shoving the referee down. They were having a really good match prior to that.
– The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) defeated SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain)
This was a good trios match, briefly getting “This is awesome” chants near the end. Cole got busted open on his scalp or forehead and was covered in blood. He got sent to the back for about five minutes before coming back.
Fish got the pin while grabbing Wolfe’s tights to win it for Undisputed Era.
– Velveteen Dream defeated Tyler Bate
Velveteen Dream attacked Bate and Trent Seven afterwards. He attempted to use a chair on Bate, but Aleister Black ran in for the save.
– Sonya Deville defeated Ruby Riot
This was psychologically sound despite being fairly dull. Riot spent most of the match in submissions until eventually tapping out.
– NXT Champion Drew McIntyre & Johnny Gargano defeated Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/ Zelina Vega) & WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne
This was a good match, though there was plenty of stalling. McIntyre pinned Almas after hitting the Claymore Kick.
McIntyre mentioned that Shawn Michaels will be the referee for his match against Cole at NXT’s house show in San Antonio on Friday. He and Gargano posed for photos with fans afterwards.
Previously: Johnny Impact and Alberto El Patron had a wild brawl that went all over the building. Both are banned from the arena for tonight’s show.
Tonight: Global Champion Eli Drake defends against Petey Williams. Plus, Gail Kim officially announces her retirement.
Show Recap —
Sonjay Dutt, Dezmond Xavier & Garza Jr. defeated Taiji Ishimori, Trevor Lee & Caleb Konley
Ishimori and Dutt traded pinfall attempts before Konley tagged himself in, then the heels took over and isolated Dutt in their corner. Garza got the tag and basically fought with one arm due to his shoulder injury. Ishimori appeared to have the match won, but Konley tagged himself in again. Xavier won it for his team after hitting the X19 and Final Flash on Konley.
Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III defeated Fallah Bahh to retain his title
Bahh controlled most of the action and won the first round. EC3 took over after Bahh missed a charge in the corner and easily won round two. Bahh scored a near fall after hitting a splash in the corner and a belly-to-belly suplex, but EC3 got the pin with his feet on the ropes with 28 seconds remaining.
LAX (w/ Konnan) defeated OVE
This started with all six guys brawling around ringside and in the ring. Sami Callahan used a low blow on Homicide to give OVE the advantage. The match broke down and all six guys started brawling again. OVE attempted their finisher on Santana, but Ortiz and Homicide made the save. LAX used the Street Sweeper for the win.
GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: Ken Shamrock defeated Malice (w/ Father James Mitchell) to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
This match was from the very first NWA: TNA pay-per-view and Ricky Steamboat served as referee for it. The finish came when Malice attempted a chokeslam and Shamrock countered into a belly-to-belly to win the title.
– Dan Lambert came down to the ring to gloat about his team’s victory at Bound for Glory. Lambert buried the Canadian wrestling fans and brought up the Montreal Screwjob. He said Vince McMahon didn’t screw Bret Hart because he could hear Bret quitting from Florida.
He claimed that Impact reneged on their deal and won’t release Bobby Lashley. He had his attorney draft a release for Lashley and demanded an executive sign it.
This brought out Moose. He told Lambert it was a mistake not to bring American Top Team. Moose went after Lambert, but Lashley, King Mo, and ATT ran out and jumped Moose. James Storm ran out for the save and superkicked Lashley.
Storm broke a bottle over one of the ATT guy’s head. Storm gave a passionate speech defending pro wrestling. He discussed his career and time with Impact.
– As ATT left the building, KM approached the group and asked to join. Lashley said he has to prove himself first.
– Knockouts Champion Gail Kim came out to announce her retirement. Allie joined Kim in the ring for her announcement. She thanked all the women she’s worked with, including Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, Awesome Kong, and Taryn Terrell.
Kim relinquished the Knockouts title and said she looks forward to seeing the division continue to grow. She thanked Impact and the fans.
– In the back, Grado was at a table with a bunch of guys. Joseph Park arrived and admitted that he is Abyss. Park wanted to make it up to Grado and gave him a visa to stay in the United States. A Mountie approached and deported Grado because his visa is only good for the US.
– Jimmy Jacobs joined in on commentary for the main event.
Impact Global Champion Eli Drake (w/ Chris Adonis) defeated Petey Williams to retain his title
Williams controlled the early part of the match until Drake took over during the commercial break. Williams attempted the Canadian Destroyer later, but Drake rolled through and Williams countered into the Sharpshooter.
Williams took out Adonis with a dive. Drake attempted the Gravy Train, but Williams countered into the Destroyer for a very close near fall. He went for the Destroyer again, but Drake countered into the Gravy Train to retain the championship.
Next Week: It’s a special Thanksgiving edition of Impact.
The Big News: Andrade “Cien” Almas laid out Drew McIntyre in the closing segment, possibly injuring the champ’s knee going into their title match.
The Medium News: In a match that will be filmed before TakeOver, Johnny Gargano will challenge for Pete Dunne’s WWE United Kingdom Championship on next week’s episode.
The Little Beaver-sized News: The Street Profits continued their undefeated streak, ending Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss’ winning streak at one.
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I am back from Australia! The trip was amazing and I wish I didn’t have to come home. I want to thank Paul Fontaine and Dave Bath for the excellent job they both did at filling in for me the last two weeks. Let’s see if I remember how to do this.
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The Street Profits defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
It was Solo Cup time as The Street Profits kicked things off this week. Their foes this week are Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss. While I was away, these four men had a confrontation in front of Sabbatelli & Moss’ Maserati, so that leads to this bout.
This was The Street Profits’ first non-squash match since their push began, and they were running wild until Moss distracted Montez Ford, giving the heels the advantage. Angelo Dawkins got the hot tag, which woke the crowd back up momentarily until he missed a corner splash, but Dawkins hit a forearm out of nowhere to pick up the win with a pin on Moss.
I don’t know if this match was heavily edited, but that finish really did come out of nowhere.
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We had a video package for the upcoming Aleister Black-Velveteen Dream match.
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Lars Sullivan defeated Raul Mendoza
This Saturday at NXT TakeOver: War Games, Kassius Ohno has a death wish as he goes one-on-one with the undefeated (in singles competition) Lars Sullivan. Mendoza cut a really good promo two months ago and has yet to be given promo time (or a win) since.
Mendoza lit Sullivan up with kicks early on and came off the top rope with a move, but Sullivan used the Vladimir Kozlov headbutt to the chest to cut him off. Sullivan squashed Mendoza with two corner splashes and then hit a powerslam before finishing him off with The Freak Accident.
Not only does the winning streak continue, but so does Sullivan’s streak of not being taken off his feet by his opponent.
After the match, Sullivan grabbed Mendoza for more punishment, but Ohno jogged to the ring. Sullivan laughed at Ohno and walked away.
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William Regal was making jokes with the cameraman when Johnny Gargano came into his office and said to not give up on him. Mr. Regal told him that he’ll challenge Pete Dunne for the UK title next week.
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The video package for War Games aired next.
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Ember Moon defeated Mercedes Martinez
Two weeks ago, Martinez declared that Moon would not win the Women’s title at TakeOver. Not sure how she arrived at this conclusion, but Moon took offense and here we are.
This was a more competitive match than perhaps you would expect since Moon is three days away from challenging for the title. Martinez caved in Moon’s chest with a chop that reverberated from Orlando to Ontario and then broke out a combo Eddie Guerrero/Davey Boy Smith tribute with a Three Amigos where the last suplex was a delayed vertical.
Moon made her comeback, hitting a beautiful suicide dive outside the ring, but Martinez cut her off when she went for The Eclipse and hit a running Diamond Cutter from the top rope. A minute later, Moon fought back and finally hit The Eclipse for the win.
Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and Kairi Sane all came out to stare at each other after the match.
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Live on the WWE Network this Saturday night, it is NXT TakeOver: War Games, featuring:
The Undisputed Era vs. SAnitY vs. Roderick Strong & The Authors of Pain in the first-ever WWE War Games match
Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon vs. Nikki Cross for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship
NXT Champion Drew McIntyre defending against Andrade “Cien” Almas
Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream
Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan
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Also, next week on NXT:
WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne defending against Johnny Gargano
Sonya Deville vs. Ruby Riot
At least five lengthy video packages recapping every single moment of TakeOver, along with post-match interviews
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The main event segment of the show saw NXT Champion Drew McIntyre come out for a promo building up his title match this Saturday night. McIntyre gave Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega credit for Vega’s plan working, but now they’re in trouble because reality is setting in that Almas has to face him.
Vega has been rambling on about success and about mountains, but Almas will find out soon enough that McIntyre is the bloody mountain. McIntyre invited Almas out to face him like a man to prove something, not to McIntyre or Vega, but to himself. He dared Almas to come out and face him like a man…unless Vega isn’t going to let him off the leash.
Out came Almas and it…was…on! McIntyre got the best of him until Vega dove off the top rope. McIntyre caught Vega and looked befuddled before Almas clipped his knee from behind. Almas stomped away at McIntyre’s knee as Vega dropped the championship onto McIntyre’s prone body.
Is Andrade “Cien” Almas our next NXT Champion? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to check out NXT TakeOver: War Games this Saturday night. Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
