The Shield’s first match as a reunited trio is officially set after the group joined forces again on Raw tonight.
Kurt Angle first announced that Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins would be taking on The Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus in a tables, ladders, and chairs match in the main event of the TLC pay-per-view later this month. It was later changed to a three-on-four match, with Braun Strowman joining Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus after The Shield powerbombed him through the announce table.
Their reunion came after Miz TV with Cesaro and Sheamus opened Raw tonight. The Miz gave out some “Mizzie Awards” during the segment, including a best supporting actor one to Cesaro and Sheamus for their help in attacking Reigns last week. Miz tried to give himself an award for proving that he’s the real Big Dog of WWE, which brought out Reigns and then Ambrose and Rollins.
TLC will take place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 22nd. Alexa Bliss defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Mickie James was previously announced for the PPV, with Asuka also set to make her main roster debut on the show.
The Big Takeaway: It was a night where the Shield was back with a vegenace. First, they laid out Miz, Sheamus, Cesaro and Curtis Axel in the opening segment. Later, they gave Braun Strowman the Shield Bomb through the commentator’s table. This led to Angle making the main event of TLC the Shield vs. Miz, Sheamus, and Cesaro. Later, Strowman was added to the match. Asuka will face Emma at TLC on her first Raw roster match. The story of Sister Abigail was told by Bray Wyatt, who is indeed Sister Abigail just as Finn Balor is the Demon. Kalisto captured the cruiserweight championship in the main event over Enzo Amore.
Show Recap:
MizTV kicked things off. Once again, Miz did the gimmick of an awards show for “The Destruction of Roman Reigns.” It was the “Mizzies.” He presented an award to Curtis Axel, who dedicated his award to Bo Dallas. Michael Cole said Dallas was under the weather. Then came the Best Supporting Actor, which was a tie between Sheamus and Cesaro. Sheamus thanked Reigns, who got booed. Sheamus said watching Reigns gasping for air laying in the ring just wanted to make him beat Reigns some more. Sheamus said “Yo, we did it” like he was Rocky Balboa at the end of Rocky 2. Cesaro thanked Ambrose and Rollins for knocking the teeth out of his mouth for giving them the inspiration to beat up the tag team champions.
Miz said the Shield didn’t want any of Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro. There was a greater, revolutionary force standing in the ring. They did something that Brock Lesnar, John Cena and the Undertaker could never do: they destroyed Reigns. Miz introduced the final Mizzie, the man who proved himself to be the big dog of the WWE. After a drumroll, Miz said his name was the Miz. Corey Graves said “We like him! We really like him!” like Sally Field accepting an Oscar in the late 1980s. Crowd chanted “You deserve it.” Miz started to dedicate the Mizzie to his unborn child when Reigns came out, selling nothing. He got a mixed response.
Reigns gave everyone in the ring one chance to get out of his ring. Miz said he thought Reigns’ was about action and that talk was cheap. Crowd started to chant for the Shield. Miz told Reigns to go back to the locker room and get Rollins and Ambrose, because rumors of the Sheild’s reformation are nothing but hype. Reigns said “Who said anything about rumors?” Then Ambrose came out to his music. Rollins walked out to his music and there was a huge pop as they walked down the ramp together.
The Shield surrounded the ring like they used to. Rollins jumped in the ring first to battle with Sheamus. Ambrose fought with Cesaro. Reigns took care of Axel while Miz ran for cover. Reigns gave Sheamus and Cesaro Superman punches. Miz found himself surrounded, ran in the ring only to receive dirty deeds from Ambrose. Then Reigns gave Miz the patented Shield triple bomb. Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins then did their fist pose to a big pop.
Jason Jordan defeated Karl Anderson (8:28)
Jason Jordan won with the hoist hangman’s neckbreker after Karl Anderson tried to pin Jordan with a schoolboy cradle with a handful of trunks. Luke Gallows jumped up on the apron late, but Jordan kicked him off. Just a match.
Miz was being treated for an injured neck. He sold like a comedy character. Kurt Angle walked in and told Miz he would be competing in the main event of TLC. It would be Miz, Sheamus and Cesaro vs. the Shield in a TLC match.
Elias was in the ring and said Apollo Crews was getting embarassing. He said Crews was driving the Titus Worldwide car in the Indianapolis 500, he was going around in circles and no one cares. He started to sing but a banjo was playing instead of his guitar. Titus O’Neil walked out playing the banjo and asked the crowd “Who wants to walk with Titus Worldwide?” Titus told the crowd to get ready to follow Apollo. Titus had a song for Elias “Elias, tonight on Monday Night Raw, you’re about to lose. Right here in Indianapolis, to a man by the name of Apollo Crews.”
Elias defeated Apollo Crews (3:14)
Elias won with drift away after pulling Crews into the ropes. Crews did a moonsault off the apron and a standing moonsault in the ring. Cole told a story that Slash from Guns n’ Roses befriended Elias when he was young and told him the world wanted to hear his music.
Enzo Amore came out. Even as a heel, the crowd cheers him like a star. He’s playing a self-indugent champion. Enzo said he had a good relationship with Angle over the no-contact clause in his contract. Enzo said Kalisto assaulted him, yet Angle gave Kalisto a title shot at TLC. Enzo said he was the realest champ in the room and he knows Angle is doing nothing important right now. So he asked Angle to come out for the Zo Show.
Angle came down. Enzo said Angle had been sucking on the udders of a cash cow, right here. Enzo pulled out his no-contact contract and wondered why Kalisto is getting the title shot. Angle said it only pertained to a cruiserweight who signed the contract before he signed that clause. Kalisto was assigned to the cruiserweight division after he signed that clause. Enzo said he was Angle’s biggest superstar in the locker room. Angle should start worrying about what makes him happy. Angle said he does want to make Enzo happy. So he wouldn’t be facing Kalisto at TLC. He would be facing Kalisto tonight. Enzo had a blank look on his face, said “touche.” He said he would defend the championship under one condition: if the match is in the main event. Angle walked up the ramp and told Enzo’s match would be a lumberjack match with cruiserweights surrounding the ring.
Braun Strowman defeated Matt Hardy (6:31)
Braun Strowman won with the running powerslam after two chokeslams. Matt Hardy did the tornado DDT spot, which I think is mandatory for every smaller babyface wrestling a monster heel in this company. Hardy even hit the Twist of Fate, but Strowman got up.
Postmatch, Strowman threw Hardy out of the ring and carried him over his shoulder up the ramp. Then the Shield came out and stopped him. Strowman glared at them as Hardy vanished. Strowman went after Rollins, but Reigns and Ambrose put the boots to him. It was strange, in a way, because Strowman gets cheered like a babyface. That led to a flat reaction, at first. Then Reigns speared Strowman and the place went nuts. Rollins went to the commentator’s table, followed by Ambrose and Reigns. The Shield delievered the Shield Bomb to Strowman on the table for a huge pop. Strowman collapsed to the floor as Ambrose and Rollins got their receipt from last week to get the return of the Shield over strong.
The Shield did an interview backstage with Charly Caruso. Ambrose said they could fight four or five men because they were the most powerful force in the business. Rollins said you could believe that.
James came out and said at first she didn’t feel like she belonged when she first returned to Raw. She wondered if it was her southern accent, the fact she sang country music, her age. But she realized it was Bliss. It has been Bliss that has been burying her behind her back. But when she wanted to face Bliss last week, Bliss hid behind her bodyguard, Nia Jax. She told Bliss to jump out of her booster seat and put on her big girl pants. James said she had more energy in her than Bliss had hair extensions and pink hair dye.
Bliss walked out and said she was sorry. She said James had been treated unfairly. Bliss put together a Mickie James career retrospective because many fans may not realize what she has accomplished. Bliss showed the video, which was in black and white and entitled “Superstars of Yesteryear.” It was created like a newsreel in the 1920s shown at movie theatres and again implied James was old. Bliss laughed and wondered if it was past James’ bedtime. She called James “grandma.” Bliss said she was going to be running circles around James and she would send her a link to the video. Actually, she said she would send James a VHS tape.
James challenged Bliss to come down to the ring. Bliss asked the crowd if the crowd had batteries for James’ hearing aid. Bliss acted like she was going to get in the ring, but said the move was just as old as James herself. James pulled Bliss by the hair into the ring, tried to give her the Mick Kick, but Bliss ran for cover.
Another Asuka vignette aired. They’re putting her over huge. Bayley and Sasha Banks watched the piece with Angle. Bayley said she wanted to wrestle Asuka first at TLC, saying she would love to welcome her with a hug, then a Bayley-to-belly suplex. Banks objected, saying she would face Asuka first. Then Alicia Fox walked in and said she’s been in the company ten years and has had only one t-shirt, so she should face Asuka. Dana Brooks came in and said sometimes she feels invisible and wanted the match. Finally, Emma showed up, leading to words with Fox, who was mad that Emma walked out on her when they were tag team partner last week. Angle ordered a Fatal Five-Way for later tonight with the winner facing Asuka at TLC.
Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher defeated Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali (3:36)
Brian Kendrick pinned Mustafa Ali with sliced bread #2. Ali looked good the brief time he was in there. Kendrick delievered a drop kick to the top of Ali’s head before the finish.
Miz approached Angle backstage. Angle thought Miz wanted the Shield match cancelled. Miz said to the contrary, since Ambrose said they could fight four or five men, he asked for another partner to be added to his team. Angle reluctantly agreed. Miz said he already found his partner. Then Strowman burst through the door and looked incensed after being power bombed through the table by the Shield.
Balor came out for the latest regarding Sister Abigail. Balor said Wyatt was like a poison, a virus that keeps mutating with more games. Balor said Wyatt is desparate to instill fear, to play games. Balor said he’s not afraid of Wyatt and the Demon wasn’t afraid of Wyatt.
Then an empty rocking chair appeared ont he TitanTron. Wyatt sat down and said Balor may not be afraid of him, but Balor will be afraid of her. He said she was young, she was beautiful, and she knew the truth so they feared her. They turned her into some kind of monster and he was there when she took her final breath. She chose him. Together, they promised they would make them all burn. Now, the season of the witch is upon Balor. She’s here. The video transformed and made Wyatt appear to have a shawl over his head. This is the look of Sister Abigail. Wyatt’s voice sounded like it went through a modulator to make it hauntingly feminine. Abigail said “Excuse me. You men are all the same. You just want to control everything. But Bray is different. Bray is special. Bray has much to learn. From a young age, I taught him the world is a very evil place. I taught him secrets. I taught him the darkness is so much stronger than the light. And I promised him that I would always be there by his side. So here I am. Scorned. Scarred and burned to a crisp. Rising from the ashes to fulfill my promise to my little prince. My sweet, innocent Bray. He wouldn’t even harm a fly. But look what you did to him. You hurt him. You lied to him. So I must punish you and your demon. I know all about demons. Call it my specality, if you will. I can turn a demon into a pretty little dandelion. So let me give my advice to you, Finn. You can’t beat me. I’m worse than anything you’ve ever read in your Irish mythology books. I’m worse your world has ever dreamed of. My touch could have dreamed you, Finn. My kiss will burn you to the ground. Run.” Abigail cackled, then Wyatt appeared again and cackled.
Emma won a Five-Way elimination match by pinning Sasha Banks in a bout that also included Alicia Fox, Bayley and Dana Brooke to win the right to face Asuka at TLC (9:40)
God was this a mess. Cole claimed the first person to score a pinfall would win. So Bayley pinned Brooke with a Bayley-to-belly at 2:26. JoJo announced that Brooke had been eliminated and the match continued. Cole had to admit on live TV he got his rules mixed up. Meanwhile, Booker T tried to make some incoherent comparison of the winner of the match facing Asuka as the same thing as Buster Douglas stunning Mike Tyson in 1990 in Tokyo. Booker was stumbling all over his words until Cole cracked up over a live mic and quieted him down. Then Fox pinned Bayley at 3:12 with an ax kick and the crowd was furious. Banks made Fox tap to the Bank Statement at 9:30. Emma immediately ran up at pinned Fox with an Oklahoma Side Roll at 9:40 for the win.
Balor did an interview with Renee Young saying that Wyatt has unleashed something truly evil. He was afraid of the words that Sister Abigail used, but he knows what he must do now.
Next week, Reigns faces Strowman inside of a steel cage.
Kalisto did an interview with Caruso. Kalisto said when he was a child, Rey Mysterio and Eddy Guerrero inspired him to make his dream a reality. Then he saw Enzo become cruiserweight champion, which is a slap in the face to cruiserweights. He wants to make Rey Mysterio and Eddy Guerrero proud (they never mentioned today would be Guerrero’s 50th birthday).
Kalisto defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship (14:27)
Kalisto won with the Salina del Sol off the top rope. Amore hit the Jordanzo, but Ali pulled Amore out of the ring when he had the pin saying that Enzo doesn’t represent them. Enzo clotheslined Ali. Big spot was when Ariya Daivari started arguing with Ali, which led to a brawl between Drew Gulak, Kendrick, Rich Swann, T.J. Perkins, Gallagher, and everyone else. As this was happening on the floor, Kalisto gave Enzo a superplex to the floor on top of the pile. Enzo actually got in the ring before Kalisto, who delievered the move. It was a limited cruiserweight match, as you can imagine with Enzo in there. Crowd reacted to Kalisto much better than his previous pushes.
With two big matches at the top of the card already set, WWE continued to add to the No Mercy lineup on tonight’s episode of Raw.
It had been announced earlier in the day that Alexa Bliss would be defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks at the pay-per-view, but that was changed to a fatal four-way when Nia Jax and Emma won their way into it by defeating Bliss & Banks in a tag match.
The tag title match was revealed for No Mercy as well, with it officially being announced that Cesaro & Sheamus would be getting their rematch against Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose. Both teams got wins on Raw tonight as Cesaro & Sheamus beat Heath Slater & Rhyno and Rollins & Ambrose defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in a non-title match.
Bray Wyatt will also face Finn Balor at the PPV, which was set up tonight when Wyatt challenged Balor to face him without relying on his “Demon” persona.
No Mercy will take place on September 24th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Here’s what the card looks like so far:
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Braun Strowman
John Cena vs. Roman Reigns
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks, Nia Jax, and Emma in a fatal four-way match
Raw Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defending against Cesaro & Sheamus
Many of WWE’s titles changed hands tonight as five champions lost their titles to their respective challengers at SummerSlam.
The night began with a few pre-show title bouts, with Neville regaining the Cruiserweight title from Akira Tozawa, who had just won the title this past Monday on Raw. The Usos also regained the SmackDown tag team titles, defeating The New Day.
On the main card, Natalya defeated Naomi to win the SmackDown women’s title, with Carmella staying away after teasing a Money in the Bank cash-in for the last few weeks. Sasha Banks, who replaced an injured Bayley, ended up winning the title by submitting Alexa Bliss. To cap things off, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins captured the Raw tag team titles, defeating Sheamus and Cesaro.
Not every title switched hands, however. The last three matches of the show had champions retaining their titles. AJ Styles successfully retained the United States title against Kevin Owens, Jinder Mahal retained the WWE title by pinning Shinsuke Nakamura, and in the main event Brock Lesnar withstood Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman to retain the Universal title.
Two more title matches have been added to this Sunday’s WWE SummerSlam card.
Sasha Banks defeated Nia Jax in her hometown of Boston Monday on WWE Raw to become the new number one contender to Alexa Bliss’ Raw Women’s championship. Originally the title match was to be Bliss vs. Bayley, but a shoulder injury put Bayley on the shelf.
Also added to the card is a Raw tag team title match pitting champions Sheamus and Cesaro against Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins. Ambrose and Rollins have been teasing a reunion for weeks, each wanting to reunite, but neither pulling the trigger.
It was more of the same in the first few minutes of Raw with the situation between the two devolving into a fistfight. When they dispatched Cesaro and Sheamus, who looked to take advantage of the situation, both Rollins and Ambrose laid them out. They then officially reunited, sealing the deal with the classic Shield fist bump. Kurt Angle then came out to make the tag title announcement.
SummerSlam takes place this Sunday on the WWE Network, live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Though next week’s episode of Raw probably won’t have the same level of intrigue going into it as last night’s did, WWE has already announced three matches for the show.
Sasha Banks will face Bayley in a match to determine who will challenge for Alexa Bliss’ Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. That was set up last night in a storyline with Banks and Bayley both pleading their cases to Kurt Angle after wins over Bliss in recent weeks.
A two-on-three handicap match between Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose and The Miz, Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas and Finn Balor vs. Elias Samson in a no disqualification match were the other matches announced for next week. Balor tweeted a picture of a nasty cut that he received from Samson’s guitar shot on Raw.
The show should also feature Angle addressing who will challenge for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam after Braun Strowman interrupted Monday’s number one contender’s match between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe.
– R-Truth, Titus O’Neil & Apollo Crews defeated Goldust, Bo Dallas & Curt Hawkins in 6:52
Crews used the spin-out powerbomb on Hawkins to get the win. The finish came right after R-Truth chased Goldust to the back.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Cedric Alexander in 8:38 to retain his title
Neville retained after pinning Alexander with his feet on the ropes. Alexander looked especially good in the match, hitting a great Space Flying Tiger Drop at one point.
– Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defeated Heath Slater & Rhyno, The Hardys, and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in 11:12 to retain their titles
Cesaro pinned Slater with a schoolboy.
– Sasha Banks, Bayley & Mickie James defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax & Emma in 10:03
Banks submitted Bliss with the Banks Statement.
– Finn Balor defeated Elias Samson in 8:45
Balor hit the Coup de Grace to get the win.
– Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz (w/ Maryse) & Samoa Joe in 16:37
Ambrose used the Dirty Deeds on Miz to get the victory.
After Enzo Amore vs. Big Cass was announced earlier in the day, WWE rounded out the card for Great Balls of Fire with the addition of two title matches tonight.
Cesaro & Sheamus will defend their tag titles against The Hardys in a 30-minute Iron Man match at the pay-per-view. Kurt Angle announced that in a backstage segment on Raw, with the champions approving of the stipulation. The teams previously went to a draw in a two-out-of-three falls match on an episode of Raw last month due to getting counted out after splitting the first two falls.
It was also confirmed that Dean Ambrose would be challenging for The Miz’s Intercontinental Championship at Sunday’s PPV. Part of the storyline was that Ambrose wanted the match to take place tonight, but Angle made it for Great Balls of Fire after Heath Slater asked for a title shot as well. Slater was given a match against Miz on Raw.
The Miz successfully defended his championship against Slater before laying out Ambrose with the help of his entourage.
The American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas will host Great Balls of Fire on Sunday night. The updated card is:
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar defending against Samoa Joe
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in an ambulance match
Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against Sasha Banks
Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt
Intercontinental Champion The Miz defending against Dean Ambrose
Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defending against The Hardys in a 30-minute Iron Man match
Enzo Amore vs. Big Cass
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Akira Tozawa (kickoff show)
Reports submitted by readers Will Bailey and Jeff Pollard
The building wasn’t sold out, but turnout was pretty good at the show tonight. It was WWE’s first time back since the venue underwent renovations a few years ago.
– Heath Slater, Rhyno & Kalisto defeated Titus O’Neil, Curt Hawkins & Curtis Axel
Rhyno hit a spinebuster to get the win for his team.
– WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defeated Austin Aries to retain his title
Neville retained after rolling up Aries with his feet on the ropes.
– Sasha Banks, Mickie James & Dana Brooke defeated Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax & Emma
Banks submitted Emma with the Banks Statement.
– Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose defeated Intercontinental Champion The Miz & Samoa Joe
Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Miz for the victory
– Apollo Crews defeated Elias Samson
A sunset flip got the win for Crews.
– Raw Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Sheamus defeated Enzo Amore & Big Cass and Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson to retain their titles
Enzo was pinned after Cesaro hit him with a pop-up European uppercut.
The Big Takeaway: Kurt Angle claimed that Braun Strowman will miss up to six months after suffering a broken elbow, supposedly from the attack by Reigns from last week. The main matches for Extreme Rules were made tonight. The main event will be a Fatal Five-Way with the winner getting a Universal Title shot at Brock Lesnar. It will be Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor.
Alexa Bliss will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Bayley in a Kendo Stick on a Pole match. Dean Ambrose, who got disqualified against the Miz on tonight’s show, will defend the Intercontinental Championship against the Miz in a match where the Miz can lose the championship on a DQ. The Hardy Boyz will defend the Raw Tag Team Championships against Sheamus and Cesaro. Neville defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries.
Also, Goldust turned heel by jumping R-Truth before a match slated against Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
Show Recap:
Kurt Angle started the show. He announced that after his brawl with Reigns last week, Strowman has suffered a shattered elbow, which required surgery. Angle said Strowman could miss as much as six months after he had set his sights for the Universal Championship. Now, Angle has thought about who should challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship. So at Extreme Rules, there will be a Fatal Five-Way match with the winner facing Lesnar for the championship. Angle announced the competitors for the Five-Way: Rollins, Joe, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, and Reigns.
Reigns came out selling his left shoulder and told Angle he didn’t need a Fatal Five-Way match because he was the number one contender. He said this was his yard, he beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania, he put Strowman in an ambulance and he’s the only guy around here who can beat Lesnar. The crowd was booing Reigns for so long, he waited a long time before speaking. That brought out Balor, who said he was the first Universal Champion and he never lost it. Balor said if Reigns wants a piece of the Beast, the line starts behind him. Reigns said Balor had a lot of heart, but he didn’t have the killer instinct to beat Lesnar. Balor reminded Reigns he beat Reigns on his first night on Raw.
Then Joe showed up and said this wasn’t about big hearts or anybody’s yard or anybody’s club. It’s about actions and results. Joe said action was he hooked the Coquina Clutch on Rollins and the result was Rollins was unresponsive on the ground. Wyatt magically appeared in the ring and said the Beast approaches. All four of them put on their brave faces but he can feel them trembling. He said they would all cower and run.
Rollins was the last out and said he came to fight Joe tonight. The two exchange punches outside the ring. Back in the ring, Wyatt jumped Balor from behind, leading to Reigns going after Wyatt. Meanwhile, Rollins snapped Joe’s leg across the ropes, sending Joe limping away. Wyatt went after Rollins, but Reigns gave Wyatt a Superman punch. Balor attempted to give Reigns the Coup de Grace, but missed, Reigns tried to hit Balor with a Superman Punch but missed, and Balor gave Reigns a sling blade. Balor then hit Rollins and Reigns with a somersault tope to be the last man standing following the brawl.
Backstage, Balor, Rollins and Reigns were arguing. Angle walked in and ordered Rollins to face Wyatt tonight. Then he said Reigns would face Balor.
The Hardys will officially defend the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro at Extreme Rules.
Jeff Hardy defeated Sheamus (8:29)
Jeff barely cleared the top rope attempting a tope. Sheamus caught him and threw him across the dasherboards. Sheamus hit a stiff running knee to Hardy’s face for a near fall. Sheamus jumped off the top rope, but Hardy caught him with a sloppy stunner that got a two count. Cesaro jumped on the apron, but Matt Hardy knocked him to the floor. Jeff nearly collided with Matt, and Sheamus gave Matt the Brogue Kick. Well, he actually missed Matt the first time, so he did it again to make it look good when Matt took a bump to the floor. This distracted Sheamus long enough for Jeff to hit the Twist of Fate and the Swanton for the pin.
Alicia Fox defeated Sasha Banks (3:04)
The story behind the match is Noam Dar petitioned to have Alicia Fox receive a rematch against Banks after last week, when Banks was ruled the winner even though Fox had her shoulder up when she was “pinned.” Dar was at ringside. Banks went for the Bank Statement, but Fox dumped her over the top rope. Banks landed badly on her right hamstring across the apron. Fox hit an ax kick for the surprise clean pin.
The Miz defeated Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose by DQ, so Ambrose retained the championship (11:58)
Around eight minutes in, Ambrose used a tope, then threw Miz into the ring for a clothesline, bulldog and a La Magistral cradle for a near fall. Miz kicked out of a cradle and missed a dropkick into the corner. Ambrose caught a flying clothesline off the top rope, getting two. Miz ducked Ambrose’s rebound clothesline attempt and hit the Skull Crushing Finale, but Ambrose kicked out of the finisher. Miz missed a buzzsaw kick and Ambrose got a cradle for a two count, then clotheslined Miz over the top rope. Ambrose teased a plancha, but Maryse stood in front of Miz. Ambrose eventually jumped off the top rope anyway for the plancha, which Miz made a horrible catch on. Maryse distracted Ambrose, nearly getting in the ring. Miz lurked from behind teasing a low blow, but Ambrose caught Miz’s fist. Ambrose kicked Miz low blatantly in retaliation for the DQ. Cory Graves claimed Miz wasn’t trying to give Ambrose a low blow, but a “strong style inner thigh grab.”
Balor did an interview with Charly Caruso, who mentioned the Balor’s documentary debuting on the WWE Network after Raw. Balor did the old Michael Hayes/Gordon Solie line about it isn’t the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. He said it may be Reigns’ yard, but it’s his universe.
Alexa Bliss came out. She said Newark was the sweat glands of America. Some actually cheered that. She called the fans the poster children of failure, but tonight they would experience the opposite of a failure, a winner. She bragged about being the first woman to win the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship and called herself the Goddess of the WWE. Bliss said she beat the top three women on the Raw roster and won the Raw Women’s Championship on her first try. She said she could have won the Miss USA Pageant last night if she wanted to instead of Miss D.C.
Bayley came out and said she gave Bliss credit because Bliss had done everything she said she was going to do. Bayley said she was invoking her rematch clause to face Bliss at Extreme Rules. Bliss thought Bayley’s pony tail was cutting off the circulation to her brain, because Extreme Rules means doing whatever it takes to win. Bliss said Bayley would never get extreme. Bliss said Bayley and her huggers already had their moment in the sun, but it’s over. She told Bayley to sit at the kiddie table while leaving the fight for the championship to the adults.
Bayley dropkicked Bliss, who immediately made her own comeback by snapping Bayley’s neck off the ropes. Bliss pulled out a kendo stick and whacked her across the neck once. Bayley rolled to the floor and sold it like she got stabbed with a sword. Fans chanted “ECW” as Bliss made faces at Bayley.
Angle was on the phone with Sami Zayn when the Miz showed up. Miz wasn’t happy about Ambrose’s intentional DQ. Angle said Miz did technically win so he will face Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules. Miz said he wanted a match at Extreme Rules where Ambrose could lose the championship via a DQ. Maryse and Angle started screaming at each other in French when the Drifter popped up playing his guitar. Miz and Maryse looked at him weird and left. Angle asked the Drifter if he could help him, but the Drifter just drifted off.
Neville will defend the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries at Extreme Rules.
Neville & TJP defeated Austin Aries & Jack Gallagher (9:33)
Aries sold he left leg for most of the match and that’s part of a storyline where Neville and TJP are trying to permanently injure him. Crowd was distracted by something in the upper deck and paid little attention to the match. Then they started chanting for C.M. Punk. Gallagher threw TJP around with Exploder and Gut Wrench suplexes on the hot tag. In the finish, Neville got in the ring illegally, and Aries starting brawling with him. TJP chop blocked Aries, which recovered quickly to give Neville a plancha. TJP went for the Detonation Kick, but Gallagher delivered his usual stiff head butt. Gallagher teased the Gentleman’s dropkick on TJP, but Neville grabbed his leg outside the ring. Aries decked Neville with the Discus Fivearm. But TJP nailed Gallagher from behind and pinned him with the Detonation Kick.
Angle talked with Bayley backstage. Of course, Bayley was still selling the kendo stick shot from Bliss. Angle said Bliss would face Bayley in a kendo stick on a pole match at Extreme Rules. Angle said Bayley would face Bliss in a straight up wrestling match. Bayley objected saying Bliss had insulted her family, called her a child and wanted to prove her wrong. She said she was ready to get extreme. So Angle said Bayley would face Bliss in a kendo stick on a pole match. Bayley accepted. Angle put her over saying she had the biggest heart on the roster.
Goldust and R-Truth talked backstage. Truth took the blame for the loss in the Tag Team Turmoil match against Sheamus and Cesaro. Goldust said Truth has helped him up after falling down many times and said they would rebound tonight against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.
Roman Reigns defeated Finn Balor (14:37)
Reigns missed a charge to the corner and hit the post, injuring his left shoulder further. Outside the ring, Reigns picked Balor up and power bombed him against the post. Reigns delivered the Drive By, pushing Balor’s back into the post again. Reigns was talking to Balor at this point, telling him how he was going to finish him. Reigns hit a spinning power bomb for two. Reigns called for the Superman Punch, but Balor kicked him in the ribs. Reigns tried to lift Balor for a power bomb, but his injured shoulder kept him from pulling it off. Balor kicked Reigns down and gave him a double stomp, followed by a sling blade. Balor ran at Reigns, who hit the Superman Punch, but Balor kicked out. Reigns called for the spear, but Balor kicked him across the head, got another sling blade, a drop kick, then tried the Coup de Grace, but Reigns got up and crotched Balor. Reigns hit the spear for the pin.
Wyatt did a promo saying there is an evil that surround Monday Night Raw. Some call it a man, some call it a conqueror. He sees it for what it truly is: a beast. He said everyone would bow before him as Universal champion. Wyatt asked Rollins if he had enough to look evil right in the eye or will he submit to his gutless instincts and run?
Rollins did an interview with Caruso responding to Wyatt saying it was going to take more that Wyatt to keep him from winning the Universal Championship.
The Golden Truth came out. When Truth was in the middle of his song, Goldust turned on him, giving him a forearm from behind. A few fans at ringside chanted “Thank you, Goldust,” who put the boots on Truth in the corner and threw him over the top rope. Goldust threw Truth into the boards and pounded punches into Truth’s forehead. Goldust did his old mannerisms from his 1995 debut, kicked Truth once more and told him over the PA microphone “That’s what’s up.”
Enzo Amore and Big Cass came out to a big ovation since Enzo was back in his hometown. Enzo said he was the Michael Jordan of jargon and he was born in the state they called the garden. Titus O’Neal came out with a reluctant Apollo Crews. O’Neal did a parody of Amore’s ring entrance. O’Neal got big heat for interrupting Amore. O’Neal claimed Crews was facing Amore. Cass corrected him saying O’Neal was facing him. O’Neal said he was wearing a $3,100 suit and couldn’t wrestle. Cass said the match was still going to happen and when it ended, O’Neal wasn’t going to like the way he looked, “I guarantee it.”
Big Cass defeated Titus O’Neal (1:10)
O’Neal wrestled in his suit like he was Low-Ki about to get fired in New Japan. O’Neal got into a jawing match with Amore, leading to Cass giving him a big boot for the pin. Amore took a selfie posing above O’Neal prone body. Crews, who looked happy when O’Neal lost, gave Amore an enzuigiri for some reason.
TJP faces Aries tomorrow night on 205 Live. TJP and Neville talked backstage. TJP was happy about winning earlier and wondered when he was going to get a title shot at Neville. Instead of answering the question, Neville said Aries’ knee was hanging by a thread and tomorrow night, they would settle that issue once and for all.
Seth Rollins defeated Bray Wyatt by DQ (14:09)
Rollins hit a pescado early, then jumped off the dasherboards, but Wyatt caught him and drove Rollins into the boards with a uranage. Wyatt hit a superplex. Rollins caught a blockbuster. Crowd was worn out. Rollins hit a sling blade, which was the fourth time we’ve seen that move tonight. After Rollins failed to hit his new Rainmaker finisher, Wyatt made a charge at him, but Rollins threw him out of the ring. Rollins hit a tope, then came off the top rope for a clothesline for a two count. Wyatt teased Sister Abigail, but Rollins escaped, only to have Wyatt level Rollins with a clothesline. Wyatt caught a uranage for a near fall. He went for Sister Abigail, but Rollins turned it into a schoolboy cradle for a two count, then Rollins hit a superkick and the Falcon Arrow for two. Rollins went to the top rope and Wyatt went out of the ring. Rollins dove and hit the plancha. Joe ran out of the crowd to jump Rollins for the DQ. Joe laid the boots to Rollins.
Wyatt got in Joe’s face and they teased a confrontation, but eventually they joined together and put the boots to Rollins. As Wyatt tried to hold Joe back, Joe pushed him aside, but Wyatt gave Joe Sister Abigail to some cheers. Then Wyatt hit Rollins with Sister Abigail.
The Intercontinental Championship will be on the line on next week’s episode of Raw.
The Miz previously won a triple threat number one contender’s match to earn a shot at the title, but when he would be facing Dean Ambrose wasn’t made clear at the time. Things were clarified last night, with WWE revealing that Ambrose will defend his title against Miz next week.
Ambrose and Miz were made co-general managers for the night with Kurt Angle not at Raw in London on Monday. Much of the show was built around their storyline, with the episode culminating in Miz interfering in Ambrose’s non-title main event against Bray Wyatt. Miz closed the show by attacking a downed Ambrose and promising to win the title.
Also seemingly set for next week is Rusev’s return to WWE television on SmackDown. He posted a video on Twitter today where he said that he’s coming to the show to get an answer from Shane McMahon about the video he sent in two weeks ago.
Rusev had said in that video that he would only join SmackDown in the roster shakeup if he got a WWE title shot at Money in the Bank in June. He has been out of action since undergoing shoulder surgery in March.
With Kurt Angle not on WWE’s European tour, there was a show-long storyline on Raw where Dean Ambrose and The Miz were named co-general managers for the night.
The two made matches for each other, with Ambrose restarting Miz’s match against Finn Balor after Balor had been unfairly disqualified. Miz then got involved in Ambrose’s non-title main event against Bray Wyatt. It will be Ambrose vs. Miz for the Intercontinental Championship next week.
Also on the show, Seth Rollins faced off with Samoa Joe, a tag team turmoil match decided the next challengers for The Hardys’ titles, and Roman Reigns returned to brawl with Braun Strowman.
Renee Young confirmed on Twitter this morning that her and Dean Ambrose have gotten married. She wrote: “Marriage is nice. Thanks for all the love.”
Speculation about their marriage began when Ambrose wore a ring on his finger on this week’s episode of Raw. Young also wore a ring on Talking Smack on Tuesday, with both Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens making references to her marriage.
Young and Ambrose’s relationship has been featured on Total Divas since Young joined the show’s cast. It was also part of a television storyline when they were briefly programmed with The Miz and Maryse before the latter’s feud with John Cena and Nikki Bella began.
They were placed on separate brands in WWE’s “Superstar Shakeup” this week as Ambrose landed on Raw and Young stayed on SmackDown.
Both Young and Ambrose have been victims of harassment over their relationship. In an interview with Vegas Seven magazine last month, Young said that she’s gotten “many” death threats from a section of Ambrose’s fans and Ambrose said that he’s been stalked “fairly regularly.”
Following the addition of Apollo Crews earlier in the day, four more wrestlers have already joined the Raw roster as part of WWE’s “Superstar Shakeup.”
The Miz, Maryse, and Dean Ambrose were added to Raw in the opening segment of tonight’s episode. No corresponding moves have been announced yet, but one of Raw’s champions joining SmackDown naturally seems like a possibility given that Ambrose currently holds the Intercontinental title.
Kevin Owens later cut a promo claiming to be Raw’s top champion as the United States title holder even with Ambrose joining the brand.
Miz and Maryse continued to impersonate John Cena and Nikki Bella even after switching shows. Ambrose came out and went along with it until eventually laying out Miz with Dirty Deeds.
Raw got another new roster member soon after that, with Curt Hawkins also making his way over from SmackDown. Big Show came to the ring and leveled Hawkins with a knockout punch before leaving.
The “Superstar Shakeup” is a two-night event that will continue on tomorrow’s SmackDown as well.
With WrestleMania less than two weeks away, the card for WWE’s biggest show of the year is up to 12 announced matches after Tuesday night.
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon and Dean Ambrose defending the Intercontinental title against Baron Corbin were officially added to the lineup on SmackDown. The storyline between Styles and Shane reached its breaking point last Tuesday, but the match wasn’t officially announced until this week.
Ambrose accepted Corbin’s challenge to put his title on the line at WrestleMania, but only after distracting Corbin during his match against Randy Orton on SmackDown.
The biggest issue still to be addressed for WrestleMania is the confirmation of Triple H vs. Seth Rollins, which figures to be settled next Monday after Triple H challenged Rollins to accept a non-sanctioned match against him.
The updated card for WrestleMania 33 is:
Universal Champion Goldberg defending against Brock Lesnar
WWE Champion Bray Wyatt defending against Randy Orton
The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns
United States Champion Chris Jericho defending against Kevin Owens
John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse
AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon
Raw Women’s Champion Bayley defending against Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Nia Jax in a fatal four-way match
SmackDown Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss defending against every available woman on the SmackDown roster
Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defending against Baron Corbin
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville defending against Austin Aries
Raw Tag Team Champions Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson defending against Enzo Amore & Big Cass and Cesaro & Sheamus in a triple threat match
