Kalisto was shown backstage hyping up his birthday, with him saying that he’ll beat Drew Gulak tonight. Gulak and Enzo Amore were backstage next to Kalisto’s cake, and Amore told Gulak to beat Kalisto and roll in dough.
Amore apparently bought the cake for Kalisto and snuck a taste before slapping Gulak’s hand for doing the same. Amore’s faction is now called the Zo Train, and Mustafa Ali will face Zo Train member Ariya Daivari later in the night.
Jack Gallagher and Brian Kendrick walked down to face Cedric Alexander and Rich Swann. Gallagher cut an intense promo on them for being ignorant. Swann hyped up Alexander as being from Charlotte and got a nice reaction.
Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann defeated Brian Kendrick & Jack Gallagher in a tornado tag match
This was a tornado tag match, so it ended up being pretty chaotic. Nigel McGuinness had a great line about the Alexander School of Chiropracty handing out free Lumbar Checks tonight. Alexander and Kendrick brawled near the announce table, then Gallagher dropkicked Alexander over the table.
Swann kicked out at two in the ring and Gallagher landed a sick kick to the head. They destroyed Swann in the corner after sending Alexander back out to the announce table. The heels used dual submissions on the faces — with Kendrick locking on the Captain’s Hook on Alexander while Gallagher had a Fujiwara armbar on Swann.
Swann prevented a tap from Alexander, so the heels locked on a Fujiwara armbar/Captain’s Hook combo on him before Alexander made a save. Kendrick had Alexander pinned in the corner and a Gallagher dropkick set up a Sliced Bread for two.
Swann kicked away at Gallagher before hitting a double famouser on the heels for two. Swann and Kendrick fought up top, where the heels sent him off with a double hip toss for a near fall. Alexander got the tag and hit a big spinning elbow but ate a dropkick to the leg.
Gallagher went for the corner dropkick, but Swann connected with a spin kick and then a suicide DDT. The neutralizer kick and Lumbar Check hit on Kendrick and the faces won it.
Mustafa Ali defeated Ariya Daivari
Daivari came down and put over Amore, saying there’s no value in Kalisto being champion — but Amore being champ ensures more cash and fame. Ali cut an unfunny promo about Daivari having his head too far up Amore’s butt and talked about wanting to make 205 Live better — which made the crowd turn on him.
Ali flipped around a bit to start things off and a blind crossbody got two for him. He went for a springboard, but Daivari shoved him off and to the floor. Daivari kicked away mid-ring to continue to ground Ali. Ali landed a series of forearms but ate a bulldog for two.
Daivari flew off the second rope for a flying elbow but missed. Ali then hit a pair of axe handles and flips, but Daivari put him down with a falling inverted DDT before hitting a frog splash for two. Daivari went for a fireman’s carry slam but ended up eating elbows. Ali went up for the inverted 450 and hit it to win.
Kalisto stretched before his match and birthday party, with Akira Tozawa wishing him luck.
Amore entered for the birthday party. The crowd chanted “Enzo Amore” and he told them thanks, he already knows his name. Amore said he’s spent a great deal of money on this party to truly celebrate Kalisto. Amore mentioned that they got him a great gift — a beating from Gulak, who asked “How are you doing?” before Amore told him to never do that again.
Amore said the cake is quality — it’ll be good until Thanksgiving if you freeze it at the right temperature and Kalisto can eat it as he lives in misery after he loses at Survivor Series.
Kalisto defeated Drew Gulak
Gulak controlled the wrist to start. Kalisto turned the tables on him quickly, but Gulak chopped away on the ropes. Gulak teased tossing Kalisto into the cake, but Kalisto fought it off. Gulak beat him up for a while, so the crowd sang “Happy Birthday.”
Gulak locked on a Romero Special and went for a dive off the bottom rope. Kalisto turned that into a basement rana for two. Amore gave Kalisto a cheap shot and Gulak sang “Happy Birthday” angrily before the Salida Del Sol hit and Kalisto got a quick win.
Amore destroyed Kalisto after the match until he fought back and got a “we want cake” chant. He went to throw Amore into the cake, but Gulak made the save.
McGuinness and Vic Joseph talked about Sunday’s pay-per-view and the two-hour pre-show. Backstage, Amore was upset and Kalisto rammed his face into the cake. They delivered the heel being smashed into the cake — but didn’t do it in front of the fans. Well, that was a bit underwhelming.
The Big Takeaway: HHH is now a member of Team Raw, replacing Jason Jordan. HHH made his first Raw appearance since the WrestleMania go-home show in an apperance that totally destroyed Jason Jordan’s hope for getting over as a babyface, as if it had any left. Earlier, Jordan defeated Bray Wyatt, but Wyatt “injured Jordan’s knee” after Jordan tweaked it during the match. After losing, Wyatt rammed the knee into the post. Angle was about to remove Jordan for fear of his own “son’s” safety when HHH showed up to tell Jordan he was out. How HHH knew that Jordan would hurt his knee before tonight is a question I’ll leave you to answer. HHH gave Jordan a Pedigree, for good measure. Also, the Shield will face the New Day at Survivor Series.
Show Recap:
Stephanie McMahon started things. She said she needed leaders to execute the important decisions she has to make on a daily decisions, which means she needed leaders in the right positions. Stephanie brought out Kurt Angle and asked him how the New Day got into the building last week? Kurt said he didn’t know. Stephanie said at least he was honest. Then Stephanie asked was their actually a raid? Kurt told he was prepared for a raid. Stephanie again asked was there a raid? She said for the 25th anniversary of Raw, she could show a compliation video from the time Shane McMahon leader Under Siege, then Angle leading the entire Raw roster out for a raid of nothing. Then Stephanie asked Kurt who was the 5th member of Team Raw. Angle said Jason Jordan (name was booed louder than hell). Stephanie derided Angle for putting his son on his team. Meanwhile, the 5th member of the SmackDown team is John Cena (mixed response), a 16-time world champion. The last time Stephanie saw Cena, he was on Raw. Stephanie said either Angle chose Jordan over Cena, or Cena decided to join up the SmackDown team because he was embarrassed over Cena’s actions.
Sephanie asked Angle what was the first thing he was going to do at Survivor Series. Angle said he was going to break Shane McMahon’s ankle. Stephanie wondered if Angle still thinks this is the 1990s? Stephanie said Shane was too smart to go one-on-one with Angle and said she didn’t think Angle was capable of breaking anyone’s ankle anymore. She said she think she’s made a mistake making Angle team captain. Stephanie said Shane is trying to make Raw irrelevant. She said she wanted her brother’s head on a platter (why was she at the SmackDown in September when Kevin Owens laid Vince McMahon out?). She started to fire Angle when Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins came out through the crowd.
Stephanie wondered if the fans were going to chant for the Shield. Ambrose said they’ve seen leaders come and go and no one does it better than Angle. Ambrose said at TLC, Angle proved he’s still got it, which led to an obvious chant. Stephanie said Angle may still have it, but the Shield lost the tag team titles because of Angle. She wondered if the Shield even has a tag team match at Survivor Series. She said Angle made them look like fools. She asked Reigns where has she been? Reigns asked where has Stephanie been? Rollins had a blank look on his face. Reigns said they don’t do what Stephanie tells us to do, they do what they want to do. Reigns said they want to fight the New Day. So if the New Day has any balls, they will be booked for Survivor Series. Reigns said Angle will lead Team Raw to victory and the Shield would whip the New Day’s asses.
Bayley pinned Mickie James in a three-way match that also included Dana Brooke to become the 5th member of the Raw Women’s Team (7:32)
Bayley pinned Mickie James with a Bayley-to-belly. James knocked Dana Brooke out of the ring. Asuka (who was a ringside with the rest of the Raw Women’s team, Alicia Fox, Sasha Banks and Nia Jax) checked on Brooke, but Brooke gave her a forearm. Asuka chased Brooke around the ring and gave her a spin kick to the floor. Asuka got her biggest reaction since making the move to Raw. Highlight was James giving Bayley a great hangman’s neckbreaker that sent her out of the ring, leading to the Asuka spot.
Enzo Amore and Drew Gulak did some comedy prematch dialogue. Gulak’s new gimmick is he’s trying to stop fans from chanting. He’s basically doing a bitter old man gimmick. Amore finished his usual introduction by asking “How you doin?” and Gulak answered him at length. “I’m doing, well, thanks for asking…” That was actually a takeoff of a beer commercial from the 90s.
Enzo Amore and Drew Gulak defeated Akira Tozawa and Kalisto (7:47)
Enzo pinned Akira Tozawa after a Jordanzo. Tozawa had Enzo set up for the senton bomb, but Gulak started to pull Enzo out of the ring. Kalisto stopped Gulak with a somersault bodyblock off the apron. Enzo recovered to pull Tozawa into Kalisto, which knocked Kalisto off the apron. Tozawa dove through Kalisto’s legs through the ropes to deliver a tope on Amore, who didn’t make a very good catch. Kalisto hit Gulak with a somersault tope. Someone may have been shaken up because it took everyone a while to get up.
They showed tweets from the New Day where they accepted the Shield’s challenge.
Angle was backstage with Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor and Jordan. Angle said he needed proof that Balor and Joe could work together as a team, so he’s pairing them in a match against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Angle told Jordan the only reason why he’s on Team Raw is because he’s Angle son. So to prove he isn’t playing favorites, Angle is putting him in a match against Bray Wyatt tonight. Before Angle could say anything, Strowman said he wanted Kane. Angle made the match.
The Miz, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel (wearing a neckbrace) came out for MizTV. Miz cut a promo on Baron Corbin, who has a match against Sin Cara for the U.S. Title tomorrow on SmackDown. Miz said Corbin blows opportunity after opportunity, talking about how Corbin lost his Money in the Bank briefcase and wasn’t even on SmackDown last week. Miz said he doesn’t blow opportunities, and when he isn’t given opportunities, he creates them. That actually got a crowd pop. He introduced Sheamus and Cesaro, the new Raw Tag Team Champions. The Bar will wrestle the Usos at Survivor Series.
Miz congratulated Sheamus and Cesaro on their victory last week. Sheamus said they kept their eyes on the price and they weren’t distracted by the New Day. Cesaro, who speaks with a lisp as a gimmick now, said they were 3-time tag team champions. Sheamus said the Usos won their championships on the B-show SmackDown. Crowd started chanting “You look stupid” at Sheamus. Miz did his raise the hand routine to get more heat. Sheamus said they were the A-team tag team champions, they were the flagship show tag team champions, the Raw tag team champions. Cesaro said they were going to jailbreak the Usso penitentiary. Miz said they would be taking on the original Shield for the first time in three years tonight. Reigns got more cheers because he played football at Georgia Tech in the mid-00s. Miz said the Shield had to set aside the years of fighting each other just for the honor of fighting them. Miz said this was their opportunity, their time and their victory. The Bar did their catchphrase.
Jason Jordan defeated Bray Wyatt (7:12)
Jordan pinned Wyatt after a schoolboy cradle when Wyatt attempted Sister Abigail. No word on Sister Abigail as Wyatt’s alterego, by the way. Jordan sold a knee injury after he jumped off the second rope. Following his loss, Wyatt jumped Jordan from behind to mass cheers from the crowd. Angle watched on in horror backstage as Wyatt rammed Jordan’s leg into the post. Crowd booed the hell out of Jordan and chanted “hey, hey, hey, goodbye” as he limped up the ramp.
Angle told Jordan he wasn’t 100% to compete at Survivor Series. Jordan said this was the opportunity he’s waited for his entire life. You could hear the crown groan as Jordan limped away.
Lesnar came out with Paul Heyman. Heyman explained the top five selling points of purchasing the WWE Network for this Sunday: 1. This was the Universal Champion would face the WWE Champion in history. It was the first time Lesnar would face Styles. It may be the only time Lesnar faces Styles. 2. Heyman said he wants to see Lesnar vs. Styles because no one knows Lesnar better than he does. He said Styles is elusive, his defensive is evasive, his offensive is effusive, and Styles has a speed advantage. Before he got to selling point #3, apparently a fan proposed during Heyman’s promo. The crowd starting chanting “She said yes.” Heyman said she only said yes because she’s never been up close with a beast like Brock Lesnar. He said interrupting his promo is like stepping in the ring with Brock Lesnar and said “you ain’t got a chance.” Heyman said the third point was Styles was the single most talented in-ring performer of this generation. Heyman said some would say Finn Balor, but Styles is the ultimate opponent for Lesnar. No one had more momentum in the WWE than Styles. The only thing is Styles has to come from behind and be the ultimate underdog because he has to step into the ring with Lesnar, a Georgia Bulldog eating carnivore. Heyman said Lesnar is the #1 champion in the WWE then, now and forever.
The fourth point was if you want to see a Rocky movie come to life, I give you Styles. Crowd started chanting Styles. Heyman said Styles is the ultimate underdog because he’s beaten Cena, Shane, and Jinder Mahal this year. Except selling point F-5, this is no Rocky movie. This is the Survivor Series because Styles can’t survive the F-5. Heyman looks forward to seeing Styles this Sunday and get beaten, victimized and conquered by Lesnar.
The Shield defeated The Miz and the Bar (15:05)
Reignspinned Miz after the Triple Power Bomb. Reigns gave Miz a spear, Ambrose gave Miz Dirty Deeds and Rollins did a springboard knee. Miz made a blind tag from Cesaro, who Reigns tried to pin after a Superman punch. Miz immediately tried to pin Reigns with a schoolboy cradle while holding the trunks, but got only two. Very good match. Cesaro attempted the Gotch Neutralizer after hitting a springboard uppercut, but Rollins jumped in to block it. Ambrose appeared to injure his elbow following a tope on Sheamus. Earlier, the Shield sent Miz running to the back when Sheamus and Cesaro were down. During the Shield’s ring entrance, a fan got roughed up by security when he snuck through and nearly got to Reigns from behind.
Kane did a promo backstage saying even someone as sick and depraved as he is can smile when he could hear the sound of the garbage truck crushing Strowman’s body. Tonight, he would show Strowman there are worse things in life than death, and that’s him.
Angle was back out. He said earlier, Stephanie said that being the Raw GM meant making tough decisions and this was one of those times. Earlier tonight, Jordan suffered a knee injury against Wyatt and now he needed to make an announcement regarding the Raw team. Jordan limped out urging Angle not to replace him. The crowd booed the hell out of him again. Angle said Jordan had his whole career ahead of him and the Survivor Series wasn’t worth it. Jordan said he emulated his father and his father had won the gold medal while injured (he even did it in Atlanta, which he didn’t mention). Poor Jordan was dying out there as he said he knew that Angle didn’t pick him because he was his son, he picked him because of his ability. Stephanie came out and said “give me a break. Either Kurt tells him or she will.” Kurt started to make an announcement.
Then HHH’s music hit and HHH came out to a massive pop. HHH got in Angle’s face and said either Angle will tell Jordan or he will. HHH announced the 5th man on Team Raw would be him. Then Jordan looked on helplessly, watching his career pass in front of him, waiting on the inevitable. Sure enough, HHH glared at him, said something to Angle and gave Jordan the Pedigree, putting himself in the usual position of being the biggest babyface and the biggest heel, all at once.
Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows (12:54)
Balor pinned Anderson after the Coupe de Grace after Joe delivered a uranage. Joe and Balor did the partners who don’t get along deal. It’s an improvement because last year, it felt like the entire buildup of the Survivor Series was nothing but teams not getting along with each other. Joe shoved Balor down before the match. Joe did a elbow suicidia on Gallows at the finish. Joe stormed to the back immediately after Balor got the pin, showing he didn’t want to be partners with Balor any longer than he had to. Balor worked most of the match and Joe was only in for the hot tag sequence.
Charly Caruso did an interview with Alexa Bliss about facing either Natalia or Charlotte at Survivor Series. She teased being in Charlotte and interfering. She said SmackDown started being the B show when she left it, called herself the Goddess and said regardless of who she was facing at Survivor Series, she would prevail.
Kane and Strowman made their ring entrances. For whatever reason, even though they stared each other down in the middle of the ring, the referee never called for the bell. So their “match” was simply a brawl around ringside. Kane used some chair shots to Strowman’s back, then set up a table that was never broken. At one point, the two fought on the top rope and Strowman teased giving Kane a superplex to the floor through the table. It ended with Strowman delivering the running powerslam to Kane, and the slam put a hole in the ring. Neither man emerged from the hole.
WWE’s European tour concluded today as the SmackDown roster had one final show in Florence, Italy before flying home. AJ Styles defending his WWE Championship against Jinder Mahal and Shinsuke Nakamura headlined, with Styles and Nakamura teasing a match for WrestleMania after it was over:
They had a good match, ending when Roode hit the Glorious DDT to win. Both got a babyface reaction when they came out, but Ziggler succeeded in turning the crowd against him during the match.
– The Ascension & Tye Dillinger defeated Luke Harper, Erick Rowan & Mike Kanellis
This started with lots of comedy. The match was okay and people were into Dillinger and Harper, who got a big reaction and some chants. The Ascension got the pin for their team.
– United States Champion Baron Corbin defeated Sin Cara to retain his title
Corbin retained with the End of Days in what was mostly a nothing match.
– Randy Orton defeated Rusev (w/ Aiden English)
The Rusev-English duo is awesome. The match was good while it lasted, with Orton getting a huge reaction and winning with an RKO.
– Charlotte Flair, Naomi & Becky Lynch defeated SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya, Carmella, Tamina & Lana
Charlotte submitted Lana to end a pretty fun match. After it was over, James Ellsworth came down to the ring. All of the women (both babyfaces and heels) put the boots to him and hit him with a Shield powerbomb before doing the Shield fist bump.
– SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defeated The Hype Bros, Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable, and Breezango in a fatal four-way match to retain their titles
The Usos won with their splash finisher. There was nothing wrong with the match, but the people were ready for the main event at this point.
– WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal (w/ the Singh Brothers) and Shinsuke Nakamura in a triple threat match to retain his title
All three got great reactions, with Nakamura and Styles getting the biggest pops of the night. They got Mahal out of the ring early and the crowd chanted “this is awesome” as Styles and Nakamura were about to face off.
Styles retained in a good match after hitting Mahal with the Phenomenal Forearm. Styles and Nakamura teased a confrontation after. The arena loved that and everyone started chanting “WrestleMania” at them, which made for a cool moment. Styles said if Nakamura wants a shot at WrestleMania — that would be “too sweet.”
Mahal and the Singh Brothers then attacked them, but the babyfaces laid them out and celebrated to send the fans home happy.
NXT completed this week’s west coast road trip with a house show in Riverside, California last night. Ronda Rousey, who Dave Meltzer reported has been training regularly at the Performance Center as of late, and her husband Travis Browne were in attendance at the show.
In addition to that, there were a pair of TakeOver preview matches and Drew McIntyre teamed with Aleister Black against Andrade “Cien” Almas & Velveteen Dream in the main event.
– The Street Profits defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
Montez Ford was over with the crowd. Sabbatelli and Moss pushed each other after before walking off together.
– Billie Kay defeated Vanessa Borne
This was the shortest match on the card and it was pretty standard. They did some comedy at points.
– Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake cut a promo. It was originally about how Cutler served in honor of Veterans Day before they turned on the crowd and called multiple things garbage.
– Heavy Machinery defeated Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake
Heavy Machinery were over with the audience and were pretty dominant. They won after doing a Worm spot and hitting The Compactor.
– Adam Cole defeated Roderick Strong
Both were over and there were dueling chants at times. They had a well-timed match, with Strong doing a lot of backbreakers. The finish came when Strong missed a running knee strike to the corner and Cole pinned him with a schoolboy while using the ropes for leverage.
– Lars Sullivan defeated Kassius Ohno
Really back-and-forth contest. Ohno was over here.
– Peyton Royce defeated Kairi Sane, Ember Moon, and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match
Each person had chants going their way at times and this was the only match to get a “this is awesome” chant. Cross kicked out of a cover from Moon, got hit with an elbow from Sane, Sane hit a forearm to Moon that sent her out of the ring, and Royce hit a running knee to Sane to steal the pin as Billie Kay kept Moon from breaking it up.
There were multiple tags at the start to see who would begin the match. Black was arguably the most over person in the main event. Vega did the ring introduction for Almas, but he didn’t get much offense compared to the other three.
McIntyre did a promo after the match, mentioning that the west coast has yet to have a TakeOver special. He thanked the crowd, then he and Black took pictures with people at ringside for about 10 minutes to close the show.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 120: Poirier vs. Pettis, emanating from the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia.
The event is headlined by an exciting five-round bout in the lightweight division as long-time perennial contender Dustin Poirier looks to continue his run to a title shot as he takes on former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis.
Poirier is looking to stay out of the loss column and crack into the top five at 155 pounds. Pettis is looking to make it two straight wins since returning to the lightweight division, where he once stood as the man to beat.
In the co-main event, it will be a slugfest between two hard-hitting favorites as Matt Brown, in what could be his retirement bout, takes on the original Ultimate Fighter winner, Diego Sanchez. Opening the main card is another lightweight battle between veteran favorites as Joe Lauzon takes on Clay Guida.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
> Darren Stewart (7-1 1 NC, 0-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Karl Roberson (5-0, 0-0 UFC) Middleweights
They were trading kicks but neither were landing them. Stewart was throwing some spin kicks with no success. They did trade leg kicks and Stewart landed a right hand. Roberson landed an uppercuts and some knees in the clinch. Roberson then got a takedown on a throw and took the back. Roberson landed some punches from the back. Roberson was working from the back looking for the choke and had it in. He got Stewart to tap! Roberson with the first round finish in an impressive UFC debut.
Official Result- Karl Roberson def. Darren Stewart by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:41 of Round 1
They were tagging each other early. Collier slipped on a kick but was able to get up. Fortuna landed a left hook. Collier missed a spin kick. Fortuna landed a punch to the body. Collier hurt Fortuna with a left hand. Collier with a leg kick. Fortuna grabbed the back of Collier looking for a takedown. Collier defended and then landed a leg kick. Fortuna landed a spinning back fist. They traded big punches. Collier rocked Fortuna late. Close round. 10-9 Collier.
Collier with some wild punches that weren’t coming close to landing. Fortuna got a takedown and took the back as they stood up. Collier shook him off. Fortuna is slowing down and Collier landed a spin kick to the body. Collier with a leg kick. Collier is controlling the pressure and the Octagon. Both still swinging wildly. Fortuna scores a takedown and is in the guard but moves to an arm-triangle out of nowhere. Collier fought it and escaped but Fortuna is in full mount. Collier was able to escape and went into Fortuna’s guard. Collier with a big elbow from the top. 10-9 Collier, 20-18 Collier.
Collier landed a nice combo finishing with a head kick. Big right hand by Collier. Fortuna attempted a takedown but Collier slipped out. Fortuna got a takedown but Collier reversed immediately and stood up. Collier with an overhand right. He is outworking Fortuna big time here. Collier with a leg kick. Fortuna rocked Collier with a right hand. Fortuna with a head kick. Collier coming back with more volume at the end. 10-9 Collier, 30-27 Collier.
Official Result- Jake Collier def. Marcel Fortuna by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Court McGee (18-6, 7-5 UFC) vs. Sean Strickland (18-2, 5-2 UFC) Welterweights
They were trading early and McGee landed a head kick but fell on the end and Strickland ended up on top. McGee was able to get out from the bottom and up to his feet. They were trading on the feet. Both were landing good punches and kicks but McGee had slightly more volume. Strickland with a head kick and McGee with a body kick. Strickland landing the jab and McGee having trouble getting inside the range. McGee with a leg kick. Strickland with a right hand. 10-9 Strickland.
They were both looking to land something when McGee shot for a takedown. Strickland defended but McGee grabbed the back against the fence. Strickland grabbed the cage to defend a takedown and got a warning, but he was able to escape. They traded and McGee shot for a takedown but it was defended. McGee misses a spinning back fist attempt. Both men land right hands. McGee is the busier fighter. McGee goes for a takedown but Strickland sprawls out. McGee coming forward more. Close round. 10-9 McGee, 19-19.
McGee lands a head kick flush to the chin of Strickland. McGee continues to come forward more. McGee shoots for a takedown but it is defended again by Strickland. They go to the ground and Strickland is in half-guard landing punches and elbows. McGee is able to get up from the bottom and grabs the back of Strickland. McGee gets a brief takedown but Strickland posted with his hands to defend. Strickland gets a big takedown and was looking for a choke at the end. Strickland with big punches from the back at the end. 10-9 Strickland, 29-28 Strickland.
Official Result- Sean Strickland def. Court McGee by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Angela Hill (7-3, 2-3 UFC) vs. Nina Ansaroff (7-5, 1-2 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
Hill landing the jab early and Ansaroff landing the leg kick. Hill landed a big left hand. Hill with a combo ending with a leg kick. Hill grabs the back. They broke and both are trading leg kicks. Hill’s seem to have more power. Ansaroff is landing the jab. They are trading in the pocket. Hill with non-stop pressure. Hill lands a left hand. Hill with a head kick. They trade leg kicks. Hill lands a right hand. Hill finishes the round with a leg kick and they trade right at the end. Close round. 10-9 Hill.
They came out trading kicks. Ansaroff landed a right hand that busted the nose of Hill and she is bleeding from there. Both ladies landing punches. Ansaroff went for a takedown but Hill defended though Ansaroff landed a high kick on the break. Both women landing big combinations. Ansaroff with a right hand. Ansaroff with big body kicks. Hill fires back with a jab to the body followed by an overhand right. Hill with a right hand that stuns Ansaroff. Ansaroff back with body kicks. Hill lands a hard right hand. They trade late. Another close round. 10-9 Ansaroff, 19-19.
Ansaroff with a spinning back kick to the body. Both coming out looking to finish it and this round will decide it. Hill landing more kicks but both are landing hard and with a lot of volume. Ansaroff landed a right hand but Hill firing back with punches and kicks. Ansaroff with a push kick. Ansaroff with the jab. Ansaroff with a high kick. Hill with a leg kick but slips to the mat though she gets up. Ansaroff with a leg kick. Ansaroff with a combo ending with an uppercut. They trade kicks. Ansaroff with a big combo ending with a head kick at the end. Good fight. 10-9 Ansaroff, 29-28 Ansaroff.
Official Result- Nina Ansaroff def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Sage Northcutt (8-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Michel Quinones (8-2, 0-1 UFC) Lightweights
Quinones right away with a leg kick. Northcutt with a right hand. Northcutt with another right hand. Big combo ending with a leg kick from Northcutt. Northcutt with a combo but the kick is blocked. Quinones landing nothing but leg kicks. Northcutt just misses a spinning head kick. Northcutt with some big kicks as Quinones runs away. Northcutt with the jab. Northcutt with another big combo. Northcutt with a late takedown. 10-9 Northcutt.
Quinones unable to find any openings. Quinones with a leg kick. Northcutt with the double jab and a big body kick. Quinones with a leg kick but Northcutt fires back with a combo. They trade leg kicks. They trade punches and Northcutt lands a head kick. Northcutt with some right hands and a high kick. Northcutt lands some right hands and an uppercut. Northcutt with a huge takedown with twenty seconds to go and is working from side control to end the round. 10-9 Northcutt, 20-18 Northcutt.
Northcutt coming out fast as is Quinones. Quinones with an axe kick. Northcutt with a triple jab. Northcutt with a body kick. Northcutt stalking Quinones around and is landing kicks to the body. Quinones unable to land anything and what he does gets countered. Northcutt with a brief takedown. Quinones lands a right hand but doesn’t follow up on it. Northcutt with a front kick. Northcutt goes for a late takedown. He breaks and lands a combo and misses a cartwheel kick. 10-9 Northcutt, 30-27 Northcutt.
Official Result- Sage Northcutt def. Michel Quinones (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Suarez comes out aggressive and gets the clinch looking for a throw. They break and Suarez misses a head kick. Pereira with a combo as Suarez closes the distance. Pereira has the neck and a guillotine but Suarez fights out. Suarez scores a takedown and is in side control. Both throwing punches and Suarez transitions to the back. They scramble and Suarez gets the back again and is working for a choke. Suarez still working for it. She’s landing punches from the back but can’t find the choke. Suarez moves back to side control and lands some hammerfists. 10-9 Suarez.
Suarez gets another takedown at the start of the round. Suarez landing some punches but is mostly transitioning on the mat. Suarez gets the mount and started landing ground and pound. Suarez with some elbows. Suarez landing more punches from the top and Pereira can’t get out from the bottom. Dominant round by Suarez. 10-8 Suarez, 20-17 Suarez.
Suarez with a left hand and then she gets another takedown and is working from side control. Suarez with some punches and elbows and she moves to a north-south position. Suarez with elbows to the body. Pereira trying to escapes. Suarez has the neck and with a knee to the legs. Suarez back to the mount. Suarez with punches and elbows from the mount. Suarez back to side control. Suarez has the back and is landing and looking to set up the choke. Time runs out though. Dominant performance by Suarez. 10-9 Suarez, 30-26 Suarez.
Official Decision- Tatiana Suarez def. Viviane Pereira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
> John Dodson (#8, 19-8, 8-3 UFC) vs. Marlon Moraes (#9, 18-5-1, 0-1 UFC) Bantamweights
Moraes with an immediate leg kick. Moraes with a body kick and a left hook. Dodson with a left hand. Moraes with a spin kick to the body. Dodson with a double left hand. Dodson drops Moraes with a left hand but he recovers quickly. Moraes with a leg kick. Moraes with a low kick and it got Dodson right in the cup and we have a timeout. Dodson almost threw up because of the kick. We get back to action and Moraes lands a right hand and a body kick. Both men land solid combos. Another timeout for an eye poke. Dodson with a late head kick. 10-9 Dodson.
They trade heavy punches and Moraes lands some good left hands. Moraes with a body punch. Moraes with a hard right hand. Moraes just misses a body kick. Moraes with another body kick. Dodson with his own body kick. Moraes with a right hand. Dodson gets a takedown but Moraes grabs the leg looking for a heel hook. Dodson escapes and they get to their feet. Dodson gets another brief takedown. Moraes with a spin kick that grazed the top of Dodson’s shoulder. Moraes with more pressure. Moraes gets a takedown. They get back to their feet and trade at the end. Close round. 10-9 Moraes, 19-19.
This round decides it and Moraes coming out aggressive. Moraes with a kick but Dodson catches the leg and Moares gets away. Moraes lands a right hand. Moraes slips but Dodson unable to capitalize on it. Dodson with a body kick followed by a left hand. Round is close. Dodson with a left hand. Moraes working hard for the takedown. The referee breaks it up as Moraes was working. Moraes with a late guillotine but the round ends. It looked like Dodson tapped after the horn sounded to end the round. Crazy close round. Dodson did tap after the horn. 10-9 Moraes, 29-28 Moraes.
Moraes had a spirited callout of Jimmie Rivera after the fight, wanting to fight him at UFC 219 on December 30.
Official Result- Marlon Moraes def. John Dodson by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Joe Lauzon (27-13, 14-10 UFC) vs. Clay Guida (33-17, 13-11 UFC) Lightweights
Guida coming out with leg kicks. Guida with a big right hand and then drops Lauzon with a right hand. Guida with hammerfists from the top. Guida with big punches and Lauzon is in trouble. Big elbows and hammerfists and this fight is stopped! Wow. Big TKO win in the opening minutes by Guida. That stoppage was way late.
Official Result- Clay Guida def. Joe Lauzon by TKO (strikes) at 1:07 of Round 1
> Raphael Assuncao (#4, 25-5, 9-2 UFC) vs. Matthew Lopez (#13, 10-1, 2-1 UFC) Bantamweights* (Lopez missed weight by 2.5 pounds)
They were trading early on and Assuncao was looking for head kicks. Both missed big punches. Assuncao lands a big combo. Assuncao faked a takedown attempt and landed a left hand. They trade kicks. Assuncao with a glancing head kick. Lopez gets a takedown. They get back to their feet. Close round. Not a lot to it. 10-9 Assuncao.
They trade and Assuncao is landing leg kicks and landed a left hook. Assuncao with another heavy leg kick. Lopez goes for a takedown but some chain wrestling from both and Assuncao escapes. Assuncao with more leg kicks and Lopez is favoring his lead leg. Assuncao with another heavy leg kick. Assuncao lands a right hand. They both tag each other with punches. Assuncao with another heavy leg kick. 10-9 Assuncao, 20-18 Assuncao.
Assuncao right back to kicking Lopez’ lead leg. Assuncao with a head kick. Assuncao with another big leg kick to the lead leg. That is his only real attack but it is effective. Lopez’ leg is not the same color it was at the start of the right. All of a sudden Assuncao went for a flying knee, missed but then knocked Lopez out cold with a right hand. WOW. Big finish by Assuncao in a complete dominant performance. Assuncao then calls to finish the trilogy with champion TJ Dillashaw. They’ve met twice with each man winning once- Assuncao got his win before Dillashaw became a champion for the first time, and Dillashaw got his win in between title reigns.
Official Result- Raphael Assuncao def. Matthew Lopez by knockout (punch) at 1:50 of Round 3
> Nate Marquardt (35-18-2, 13-11 UFC) vs. Cezar Ferreira (11-6, 7-4 UFC) Middleweights
Ferreira starts with a leg kick. They trade punches. Ferreira with a big left hand. They trade leg kicks. Ferreira lands another hard right hand and then a body kick. Ferreira just misses a head kick. Ferreira with a leg kick. Marquardt trips Ferreira up with a leg kick. Marquardt with a right hand. Methodical round. 10-9 Ferreira.
They were trading some punches. Marquardt shot for a takedown but it was defended. Marquardt had double underhooks. They break. Marquardt goes for a flying knee but Ferreira reverses into a takedown attempt. Marquardt sprawls out. Ferreira with a body kick. Not a lot of action in this. Ferreira with a left hand and then a right hook that stuns Marquardt, who fires back with a right hand. Marquardt knocks down Ferreira with a flurry late in the round. 10-9 Marquradt, 19-19.
Ferreira gets a takedown to start the third round. Ferreira with control from the top but they scramble to their feet. Ferreira with a big slam on Marquardt. Ferreira moves to side control. Ferreira not doing much from the top and Marquardt is tired on the bottom. Marquardt tries to get out but Ferreira has his neck. Marquardt able to slip into the guard of Ferreira and lands some elbows from the top and cuts Ferreira up at the horn. 10-9 Ferreira, 29-28 Ferreira.
Official Result- Cezar Ferreira def. Nate Marquardt by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
> Junior Albini (#12, 14-2, 1-0 UFC) vs. Andrei Arlovski (#13, 25-15 1 NC, 14-9 UFC) Heavyweights
Interesting choice of shorts for Albini. Albini aggressive early. Arlovski with a head kick and then attacks the body. Albini unable to land his attacks. They clinch and nothing happens so they break. Arlovski with a right hand. Arlovski with some leg kicks and then a right hand. Albini with a left hand and then a knee to the body. Albini with a left hook. They trade in the clinch. Albini with a left hook. They trade late. 10-9 Albini.
Arlovski attacking the body with punches. They clinched but nothing happened and they separated. Albini landed a punch and they clinched again and nothing was happening. They separated again. Arlovski landed a right hand. Arlovski with a leg kick and a right hand. Arlovski with a combo and then lands a straight right that connects. Spinning back fist from Arlovski and then he lands an uppercut. Albini has really slowed. 10-9 Arlovski, 19-19.
Arlovski is attacking the body. Arlovski with a double jab and then an uppercut. Albini landed a right hand. Arlovski with a head kick. Arlovski with a right hand and then a switch kick that was blocked. Brief timeout as Arlovski was poked in the eye. Arlovski opening up and lands an elbow. Albini is bleeding. Arlovski lands a combo. Arlovski with a spinning back fist and then a series of uppercuts. Albini with a left hand. Arlovski with a groin strike on Albini. Albini with a combo and they clinch. Nothing happens to end the fight. 10-9 Arlovski, 29-28 Arlovski.
Official Result- Andrei Arlovski def. Junior Albini by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
> Matt Brown (20-16, 13-10 UFC) vs. Diego Sanchez (27-10, 16-10 UFC) Welterweights
Sanchez rushes forward and lands a right hand and shoots for a takedown. They’re clinched and Brown lands a knee to Sanchez’ head. They separated. They trade left hands. Sanchez goes for another single-leg but Brown defends it. Sanchez with a combo. Brown with a leg kick then snaps the jab. Brown with a short range elbow. Sanchez with a liver kick. Brown with a leg kick. Brown then lands an elbow that knocks Sanchez out. Wow. Big finish by Matt Brown with a standing elbow. Brown did talk of retirement before this bout, but backed off of it during fight week, and said he would take time to think about it.
Official Result- Matt Brown def. Diego Sanchez by knockout (elbow) at 3:44 of Round 1
> Dustin Poirier (#8, 21-5 1 NC, 13-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Anthony Pettis (#13, 20-6, 7-5 UFC) Lightweights
Pettis right away with leg kicks. Pettis with a flying knee followed by a right hand. Poirier with a left hand and then scores a takedown. Pettis is working for a guillotine from the bottom but Poirier pops out and Pettis now looking for a kimura. Poirier with punches from the top. Poirier stands up and Pettis sweeps and he gets to his feet and presses Poirier against the fence, Poirier with an elbow and Pettis with an elbow of his own. Both landed knees and punches. Pettis defends a takedown attempt from Poirier. They trade punches and Pettis with a body kick. Poirier with a big combo that hurts Pettis and Pettis with a spinning back fist. Poirier with some big punches at the end of the round but Pettis landed a big uppercut. Crazy finish to the round. 10-9 Poirier.
Pettis controlling the Octagon to start the second and he lands a couple of right hands. Poirier goes for a takedown and he gets it against the fence. Pettis working for a triangle from the bottom but Poirier gets out. Pettis looking for an armbar but it allows Poirier to land some big punches. Pettis cut open and gives up the back. Poirier now working for the choke. Pettis is pouring blood. Pettis spins into the guard of Poirier. Pettis with some big elbows from the top and Poirier with some up-elbows from the bottom. Pettis with more elbows and he takes the back but Poirier slips out. Poirier now on top and they are scrambling around. They get to their feet and Pettis has the back and gets a takedown. They scramble on the mat again. The referee calls timeout as Pettis is bleeding pretty badly. The blood is all in Pettis’ eyes. The fight goes on. Pettis looking for the triangle. He had it locked in but Poirier slipped out. Poirier with big punches to end the round. What an awesome round and fight. 10-9 Poirier, 20-18 Poirier.
Pettis with a head kick. Poirier shoots for a takedown and completes it. They get to their feet. Poirier has the back as they go to the mat again. Poirier working for a choke and now gets the mount. All of a sudden the fight is over and it looks like Pettis has tapped! Pettis appears to have hurt his ribs in a scramble and tapped out due to injury. Poirier with the big win and he went over to Sean Shelby and started screaming that he wanted the winner of Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje and that he wanted a bonus. He may get both after this.
Official Result- Dustin Poirier def. Anthony Pettis by TKO (injury) at 2:08 of Round 3
– The Street Profits defeated Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake
There was lots of razzing of Cutler as the crowd did “we want Murphy” chants, which cracked up all four. This was a good opener, with the Street Profits winning with their finish.
– Billie Kay defeated Vanessa Borne
Borne, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, got some hometown support. She is very green, though. Kay won with a kick to the face.
– Heavy Machinery defeated Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss
Otis Dozovic is so awesome; just amazing charisma. The match was okay. It was mostly comedy, but Tucker Knight’s hot tag fire has improved.
– Adam Cole defeated Roderick Strong
This was the match of the night. They tore the house down. It was a hard-hitting, fast-paced match that went around 15 minutes, with everything looking real and the crowd being totally into everything. Strong used lots of backbreakers. It was TakeOver main event-quality work.
– Peyton Royce defeated Ember Moon, Kairi Sane, and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match
Solid house show match, but it will be considered a disappointment if it’s what they do at TakeOver. The finish came when Kay ran down and ended up tripping Moon, holding her feet while Royce got the pin.
– Lars Sullivan defeated Kassius Ohno
Not bad. Ohno worked his butt off and got a decent match out of Sullivan. They beat the crap out of each other for about five minutes, which was just right. Sullivan looks to have potential and has tremendous presence and facials.
This was a strong main event, with McIntyre getting the pin with the Claymore Kick. It was a very good house show match, but nothing could equal Cole vs. Strong. The crowd reacted well to Almas, and Vega’s mic work contributed to that.
McIntyre and Black stayed for a while after shaking hands and taking pictures.
Approximately 300 people were in attendance last night.
– No Way Jose defeated Jason
Jose hit the pop-up punch to win and then celebrated in the crowd with a conga line.
– Mandy Rose defeated Aliyah
After a back-and-forth match, Rose won with the Angel’s Wings.
– TM61 defeated Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
This was a good one, with TM61 using the Thunder Valley Slam for the finish. Lorcan was on fire, doing a dive to the outside, hitting running uppercuts, and bringing the fight at all turns.
– Kona Reeves (w/ Ming) defeated Rocky
Rocky, who is another one of WWE’s Chinese recruits, was making his in-ring debut. Reeves won after a distraction by Ming.
– Buddy Murphy cut an in-ring promo, thanking us for absolutely nothing. Before he could continue, Marcel Barthel, Fabian Aichner, and Christopher Dijak interrupted and offered him a chance to join them. SAnitY then arrived and challenged them to a match.
– SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain) defeated Buddy Murphy, Fabian Aichner & Christopher Dijak (w/ Marcel Barthel)
Dain took the hot tag at the end and ran wild, destroying everyone and pinning Dijak.
– Dan Matha defeated Raul Mendoza
Mendoza got a few hope spots, but Matha was too much for him here.
– Liv Morgan defeated Sonya Deville
Morgan hit a side codebreaker to win.
– Johnny Gargano defeated Hideo Itami
They had a good match here. Gargano countered the GTS into the Gargano Escape for the submission victory.
Previously: At Bound for Glory, Impact Global Champion Eli Drake defeated Johnny Impact after Alberto El Patron interfered.
Tonight: GHC Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards defends against El Hijo Del Fantasma.
Show Recap —
– Eli Drake and Chris Adonis came down to the ring. Drake bragged about retaining the championship at Bound for Glory. He’s taking the night off because there are no challengers left and he wants to leave Canada.
Petey Williams came out and said he’s not going to stop him from leaving because nobody wants him to stay. Williams and Drake agreed to face each other next week. Williams ended up brawling with Adonis and Drake, then Williams attempted the Canadian Destroyer on Drake until Adonis pulled him to safety.
– Jimmy Jacobs came out and joined Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash on commentary. Mathews and Jacobs took a selfie together.
Matt Sydal defeated Sonjay Dutt
Jacobs being on commentary was the focus early in the match. Eventually, he got upset with Borash for ignoring him and left.
Sydal gained the advantage by working over Dutt’s leg. Dutt used a superplex to briefly take over, but Sydal went back to the leg. Dutt made another comeback but was slow climbing to the top. Sydal cut him off and won with the Shooting Star Press.
After the match, Impact Grand Champion Ethan Carter III came out. He said Sydal chokes every time it’s a big match and that maybe in another lifetime he could be reborn a winner.
GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: Team International (Hector Garza, Sonjay Dutt & Amazing Red) defeated Team Canada (Petey Williams, Bobby Roode & Eric Young)
This match was the GWN Flashback Moment of the Week and took place back in 2004. The heels isolated Red in their corner and worked him over, then Garza got the hot tag and ran wild until Roode cut him off. Dutt nailed Roode with a hurricanrana and Garza hit a twisting moonsault for the win.
GHC Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards defeated El Hijo Del Fantasma to retain his title
Edwards scored a close near fall with the Blue Thunder Bomb. Fantasma caught Edwards with a knee for a two count. Edwards attempted a Tiger Driver on the apron, but Fantasma fought it off. They both ended up nailing each other with suicide dives.
Edwards attempted the Tiger Driver again before Fantasma countered for another near fall. Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party and followed up with the Die Hard Flowsion to win.
Sami Callihan & OVE defeated Phil Atlas, Ray Steele & Marcus Burke
Callihan and OVE completely dominated and won easily. After the match, LAX came out and brawled with OVE.
– In the back, McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Global Forged winner Hakim Zane. Suddenly, Johnny Impact jumped Zane and promised to get revenge on Alberto El Patron.
Allie defeated KC Spinelli from BCW in Windsor, Canada
Spinelli scored a two count with a fisherman’s suplex before Allie came back with a codebreaker for a very close near fall. Spinelli missed a moonsault, with Allie hitting the Death Valley Driver for the win.
– In the back, Mitchell tried to interview Alberto El Patron when Johnny Impact suddenly jumped him. Braxton Sutter and Caleb Konley got involved and ended up brawling with each other.
Impact and El Patron fought all over the back and went outside to the streets of Ottawa. El Patron told Impact the championship is his and they fought back inside the arena. Security tried to get involved, but they couldn’t keep these two from destroying each other.
El Patron climbed up a ladder onto a small restroom building to get away from Impact. El Patron kicked over the ladder, so Impact ran up a vending machine to get on top. El Patron dangled from the top and Impact kicked him off. Impact then leaped off the top of the building and landed on El Patron and security. This was a pretty epic backstage brawl.
After the commercial break, El Patron and Impact fought down to the ring. El Patron sent Impact into the steps and security came out to break it up again. El Patron said this is his company and he ordered security to hold Impact back.
El Patron teased having a match with Impact, but he walked away instead. Impact said El Patron wasn’t the pride of his father, and this caused El Patron to charge the ring. He nailed Impact with a cheap shot and a DDT. He then locked on the cross armbreaker in the ropes.
Next Week: Impact Global Champion Eli Drake defends against Petey Williams. Also, Sami Callahan & OVE face LAX. Plus, Knockouts Champion Gail Kim has a major announcement to make.
The finish came after Balor hit the Coup de Grace.
– Apollo Crews & Titus O’Neil defeated Curt Hawkins & Goldust
O’Neil got the pin for his team with the Clash of the Titus.
– Asuka defeated Dana Brooke
Brooke tapped out to the Asuka Lock.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore defeated Kalisto to retain his title
– Samoa Joe defeated Jason Jordan
Joe won with the Coquina Clutch, then shook Jordan’s hand after the match.
– Braun Strowman defeated Kane by DQ
The disqualification came when Kane used a chair. Strowman then countered a chokeslam and gave Kane a powerslam through a table.
– Bayley & Sasha Banks defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss & Alicia Fox
Banks got the submission with the Banks Statement.
– Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/ Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas) defeated Matt Hardy to retain his title
Miz poked Hardy in the eyes and hit the Skull Crushing Finale to retain.
– Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defeated The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) and Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose to retain their titles
Cesaro pinned Kingston for the finish. After the match, Rollins got on the mic and put over The New Day for their performance. He wanted to shake hands with them, but The New Day attacked him and Ambrose. That led to Cesaro, Sheamus, Balor, and Samoa Joe making the save.
They all beat up New Day. Big E got a Brogue Kick, Kofi got a Coup de Grace, and Woods got the Cesaro Swing and the Shield powerbomb. Joe did Reigns’ part in the powerbomb after Ambrose told him what to do, which was pretty funny.
Rollins cut a short promo saying that SmackDown should consider this as a warning and said they’d see them at Survivor Series. The New Day were still laying down for another five minutes after everyone left the ring, with security helping them to get up and go backstage.
Previously: William Regal officially announced The Undisputed Era vs. SAnitY vs. The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong in a War Games match at the next TakeOver in Houston.
Tonight: In the main event, Roderick Strong faces Adam Cole.
Show Recap —
Heavy Machinery defeated Chris Payne & Sean Maluta
Heavy Machinery dominated the match and won easily with The Compacter. At one point, Otis Dozovic did the Worm into an elbow drop.
– In the back, Ember Moon was interviewed and challenged Mercedes Martinez to a match next week.
Kairi Sane defeated Billie Kay (w/ Peyton Royce)
Sane was in control early, but Royce interfered to give Kay the advantage. Kay used the torture rack to slow the pace of the match down until Sane made a fiery comeback using the spear. Kay scored a near fall after Royce interfered again, then Sane won the match after hitting the Insane Elbow.
– In William Regal’s office, Kassius Ohno requested a match with Lars Sullivan at TakeOver: War Games and Regal agreed to the match.
– Earlier, Zelina Vega and Andrade “Cien” Almas discussed Almas’ upcoming NXT Championship match against Drew McIntyre. The interviewer asked about the nature of their relationship, but Vega wouldn’t let Almas answer.
Velveteen Dream defeated Cezar Bononi
Bononi had the brief advantage, though Dream easily took over. Dream used the Death Valley Bomb for the win.
After the match, Dream promised to defeat Aleister Black at TakeOver.
– In the back, Ruby Riot was getting her ankle checked out. Sonya Deville confronted Riot and they agreed to face each other when Riot heals up.
– Backstage, The Street Profits argued with Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss over a suit. They agreed to a match next week.
Roderick Strong defeated Adam Cole by DQ
They started off with some mat wrestling but soon started trading chops. Strong had the advantage before Cole used the referee as a shield and nailed Strong with a superkick to take over.
Strong made a comeback and scored a close near fall with a backbreaker. In a sick spot, Strong and Cole were trading shots when Strong gave Cole a backbreaker on the top turnbuckle. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly then interfered to cause the disqualification.
After the match, SAnitY and The Authors of Pain ran out, with all three teams engaging in a wild brawl. Strong superplexed Cole from the top turnbuckle to the floor and landed on the other guys as they brawled.
Next Week: Drew McIntyre and Andrade “Cien” Almas meet face to face. Plus, Ember Moon takes on Mercedes Martinez.
The Raw roster was in Birmingham, England for another house show on their European tour yesterday, with Kurt Angle wrestling at his first non-televised event for WWE in over a decade. Here are the results from the show:
– Finn Balor defeated Bray Wyatt
Both got a good reaction. There was a lot of stalling by Wyatt early, with Balor getting on the mic and telling him to come into the ring or Balor will come to him.
Wyatt controlled the match until Balor made his comeback and won with the Coup de Gras.
– Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews defeated Goldust & Curt Hawkins
They had a basic match. The crowd seemed into Crews, and O’Neil got the pin on Hawkins with the Clash of the Titus.
– Jason Jordan defeated Bo Dallas (w/ Curtis Axel)
Jordan threw Dallas around before pinning him. The crowd liked Jordan here.
– WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne defeated Dan Moloney to retain his title
Dunne got a big pop. The match was short, with Moloney getting in a bit of offense until Dunne came back with kicks, strikes, and the Bitter End to retain.
– Asuka defeated Dana Brooke
Asuka got a much better reaction here than she did in Cardiff earlier in the tour. Brooke tried playing the cowardly heel, but Asuka wouldn’t give in. She used hip attacks and a stink face before Brooke got a short period of basic offense, then Asuka fought back and won with the Asuka Lock.
– Braun Strowman defeated Kane by DQ
There was a big pop for Strowman. Kane got disqualified for using a chair, but Strowman countered a chokeslam after the match and powerslammed him through a table.
Alicia Fox was the special guest referee for the match and tried to pin Bliss at one point. Bayley and Banks got big reactions, including the crowd singing to Bayley until Bliss attacked her.
Bayley pinned Bliss after hitting the Bayley-to-Belly.
– Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/ Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas) defeated Matt Hardy to retain his title
Hardy got a big pop. Axel and Dallas got ejected but came back to distract Hardy, who got poked in the eye by Miz and hit with the Skull Crushing Finale for the finish.
– Kurt Angle, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Samoa Joe, Cesaro & Sheamus
Rollins got on the mic before this started to say that him and Ambrose were a man down and would have beaten the three of them in a handicap match, but he made a call and found a partner who’s a Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist. There was a big pop for Angle after that.
Rollins started the match with Sheamus before Ambrose and Joe were brought in. Ambrose then tagged in Angle, who took a couple of punches from Joe but hit him with a belly-to-belly throw.
The heels worked over Rollins until he got the hot tag to Angle. The crowd erupted for that. He hit German suplexes on Sheamus and Cesaro and locked on the ankle lock on Cesaro, but Joe broke it up and tried to choke Angle out. Rollins made the save for Angle and they hit the Shield powerbomb on Cesaro, with Angle pinning him for the finish.
Rollins and Ambrose put over Angle after the match to send the crowd home happy.
Date: November 7, 2017 Location: Manchester Arena in England
The Big Takeaway —
AJ Styles beat Jinder Mahal to become WWE Champion. Styles will face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. The title change received a monster pop from the Manchester crowd and Tom Phillips said it was the first ever WWE Title change outside of North America. It was also the first WWE Title change on Smackdown since 2003.
Becky Lynch beat James Ellsworth in a singles match, and there were two very strange finishes elsewhere on the show.
Show Recap —
They showed a video package hyping tonight’s title match, with AJ Styles and Jinder Mahal cutting pre-taped promos. This was good. The announcers plugged Becky Lynch vs. James Ellsworth, calling it “A battle of the sexes,” as well as the two title matches.
Shane McMahon came out to start the show to a big reaction from the Manchester crowd. He said Raw will never be able to call SmackDown the B show, and this time it’s personal. He held Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle responsible for what happened to Daniel Bryan and claimed they sent Kane after him.
Shane said he could get revenge on Raw himself because he’ll be in the ring at Survivor Series. The crowd chanted “Yes” for Bryan and Shane let them know he would return next week. Shane then called out the guys who did something phenomenal last night, and the crowd chanted “New Day rocks” before he actually introduced them.
Kofi Kingston laughed about Raw doing nothing. He admitted they had no intentions of costing Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins the titles, but those were the consequences of Raw being under siege. Shane loved what they did and led a New Day rocks chant and swiveled his hips along with them.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens interrupted (to Owens’ music). Owens said Shane’s dance was the stupidest thing he’s ever seen. The crowd chanted “Ole” and “Kevin Owens.” Zayn mocked Shane’s dancing, so New Day mocked Zayn’s dancing.
Owens said Shane had daddy issues and Zayn said they could’ve taken out Raw by themselves. Zayn called he and Owens, “men of honour” and claimed they were being set up to fail. They complained about needing to even have qualifying matches to represent SmackDown but Shane noted that they both failed.
Owens asked if they would get favouritism if they danced with him like the New Day puppets. Kingston mocked Zayn for looking like a paperboy and someone who has never been to the gym. Zayn said he would be happy when Raw beats SmackDown, so Shane put him in a match with Kingston.
Kofi Kingston (w/Big E & Xavier Woods) defeated Sami Zayn (w/Kevin Owens) (9:49)
Excluding the Royal Rumble, this is the first time these two have opposed each other in a match on TV. Kingston took most of the match until Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall.
Kingston came back with a flying crossbody for the pinfall win, which was a surprise. Owens immediately jumped in the ring to break up the cover, but was too late. I don’t know if they botched the finish or not, but it sure came off that way.
Backstage, Jinder Mahal told Renee Young that AJ Styles was just an appetizer, and at Survivor Series, he would feast on the beast.
Bludgeon Brothers promo. “This world is a horrible place. We’re here to make it worse. No cage can contain us. No asylum can understand us. And when we’re done, humanity will swell over. Harper. Rowan. Bludgeon Brothers.” [Slam the ground with hammers.]
Randy Orton defeated Rusev (w/Aiden English) (7:00)
Aiden English introduced Rusev with a new song:
The lion of Bulgaria, who beat the viper before
And tonight he shall defeat Randy Orton once more
He’ll join Team Smackdown, so Raw beware
And at Survivor Series, all will declare
It’s Rusev Day
The crowd chanted “Rusev Day” and there were dueling chants of “Let’s go Rusev” and “RKO.” They cut to a shot of Bobby Roode (in his robe), Shane McMahon and Shinsuke Nakamura just standing around watching the match together.
Orton won with an RKO, so Rusev failed to join Team SmackDown.
James Ellsworth was outside the women’s locker room and asked Tamina to find Carmella for him. He got Becky Lynch instead. Ellsworth said this women’s revolution was getting out of hand and she didn’t have a chance against him. He said the ring was no place for the softer sex and he just lets Carmella compete because it makes her happy. He also noted they were in Manchester, not Womanchester. Lynch told him those were some ballsy statements from someone who didn’t have any.
Becky Lynch defeated James Ellsworth (w/Carmella) (5:54)
Ellsworth came out to Carmella’s music. Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Tamina and Lana are at ringside. This is the top-of-the-hour segment. The crowd chanted “Becky’s gonna kill you” and “Where’s your chin.”
Ellsworth took off his shirt and he appears to be in worse shape than when he started in WWE, but Dave Meltzer will have to confirm. Lynch gave him an airplane spin and he fell to the outside. He was surrounded by the women outside the ring (excluding Carmella) so climbed back in. He turned around and saw Lynch, so he shoved her down hard and pushed her outside.
Lynch came back with a flying dropkick for a two count. Ellsworth followed with a schoolboy for two. Ellsworth tuned up the band for No Chin Music, but Lynch caught him, hit an atomic drop and Exploder.
Ellsworth fell to the outside and wanted to leave, but Charlotte pushed him back in. He pleaded with Lynch and kissed her hand, so she grabbed him and applied the Disarmer for the win.
Afterwards, Carmella got in the ring and helped Ellsworth to his feet. She stared down Lynch, but then gave Ellsworth a superkick. The crowd chanted “Yes.”
Backstage, Shane met with Charlotte and Natalya. Natalya offered to take Charlotte’s place on Team SmackDown at Survivor Series, in addition to taking on Alexa Bliss. Shane recalled that Natalya barely escaped Hell in a Cell with her title, so he made a title match between the two next week, and the winner would face Bliss. Natalya was upset and asked how many chances Charlotte would get.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin defeated The Usos via countout
Before the match, the Usos cut a promo calling Gable & Benjamin, “American Alpha 2.0” and said they were the next victims for the Uso Penitentiary. The Usos attacked them before the bell and they went to commercial.
The match was short. Gable gave an Uso an awkward-looking chop block on the outside, then crawled under the ring to hide. The announcers recalled the Usos taking out Gable a year ago with a similar move. Benjamin just stood in the ring and watched as the Usos were counted out.
This was so bizarre. Gable reappeared and mocked the Usos while Benjamin had no strong reaction one way or the other.
They plugged the TV show Damnation and mentioned Luke Harper would be on a future episode. They showed clips of him on set and he fits right in on whatever show this is.
AJ Styles told Renee Young that Mahal shouldn’t take him lightly and he needs to focus on the task at hand. Styles said he’s often undersized, but he works harder, shows up earlier and leaves later than everyone else. He stole a line from Mahal and said he would feast on the beast and beat Brock Lesnar.
Baron Corbin will defend the US Title against Sin Cara next week. Winner faces The Miz at Survivor Series.
AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal (w/The Singh Brothers) to become WWE Champion (16:42)
Corey Graves said the WWE title last changed hands on SmackDown in 2003 when Brock Lesnar beat Kurt Angle. The crowd chanted “You’re on steroids” so Mahal flexed in front of Styles (but didn’t look at the crowd). Styles tried a sunset flip but Mahal just grabbed him and tossed him over the top rope.
After a break, Styles fought out of a headlock and hit dropkick and forearm. He went for a slingshot dive but Mahal grabbed his leg and dropped him face-first on the apron. Mahal then tossed Styles onto the announce table to gain control.
Styles came back with strikes, sliding forearm and fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two. Styles applied a Calf Crusher but Mahal got a rope break. Styles tried more strikes but Mahal countered with a big clothesline.
Styles dropped Mahal to the outside then hit a slingshot forearm to the outside. Styles followed with a 450 splash in the ring but the Singhs pulled Mahal out of the ring. Styles attacked them both and laid them out.
Styles went for the Phenomenal forearm but Mahal grabbed him and nailed the Khallas. He seemed to have it won but Styles got his foot on the rope. Big “Yes” chants. Mahal seemed like he wanted to try a Khallas off the top, but Styles countered with a stunner over the ropes.
Styles climbed back on the apron and nailed the Phenomenal forearm for the win. Styles is the new champion. Giant pop from the crowd.
Tom Phillips said this was the first time the WWE title changed hands outside of North America. Mahal shoved down the Singh brothers as Styles celebrated.
