Drew McIntyre’s next WWE Championship defense will take place inside the Elimination Chamber.
WWE has announced that McIntyre will defend his WWE Championship against Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, The Miz, and Sheamus in an Elimination Chamber match at this year’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. The PPV is taking place on Sunday, February 21.
Shane McMahon returned to Raw tonight to make the Elimination Chamber match announcement alongside on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce. It was said that McIntyre’s challengers were chosen because they’re all former WWE Champions.
The Miz also currently holds the Money in the Bank briefcase.
Styles defeated Hardy in a singles match on Raw tonight, targeting his leg and submitting him with the Calf Crusher. McIntyre is facing Orton in a non-title match later on tonight’s show.
McIntyre retained his WWE Championship by defeating Goldberg at the Royal Rumble on January 31. The next night on Raw, there was an angle where Sheamus turned against McIntyre and laid him out with a Brogue Kick.
There was a backstage segment on tonight’s Raw where McIntyre approached Shane McMahon as he was leaving the building. McIntyre said he would have liked a heads up and said he thought it was going to be him facing Sheamus one-on-one at Elimination Chamber, but Shane said there’s nothing bigger than McIntyre defending the title in an Elimination Chamber match. Shane said if McIntyre wants to prove his mettle, this is the place to do it.
Elimination Chamber on Sunday, February 21 and Fastlane on Sunday, March 21 are the last two remaining WWE PPVs before WrestleMania 37. WrestleMania 37 will be a two-night event taking place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 10.
WWE has confirmed a couple of new entrants for the 2021 men’s Royal Rumble match.
Ahead of Monday’s go-home episode of Raw, WWE announced that John Morrison and Sheamus will both be taking part in the men’s Royal Rumble match this coming Sunday. Morrison’s tag team partner The Miz, who also holds the Money in the Bank briefcase, had already been confirmed for the Rumble match.
With 15 entrants announced, half of the men’s Royal Rumble field has now been revealed.
The Royal Rumble main card will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday. There will also be a pre-show starting at 6 p.m. Eastern.
Here’s the updated list of entrants for the Royal Rumble matches:
Men’s Royal Rumble entrants —
Daniel Bryan
United States Champion Bobby Lashley
AJ Styles
Randy Orton
Otis
The Miz
Jey Uso
Cesaro
Jeff Hardy
Intercontinental Champion Big E (included in a graphic of entrants on SmackDown last Friday but has yet to be added to WWE.com’s list of participants)
In the main event of last week’s Raw, McIntyre, Lee & Sheamus defeated AJ Styles, The Miz & John Morrison in a holiday street fight. While McIntyre was in the ring, Sheamus tagged himself in near the end of the match. Lee then tagged himself in, hit a Spirit Bomb on Miz, and pinned him to get the win.
There was dissension between Lee and Sheamus throughout last week’s Raw. Sheamus laid out Lee with a Brogue Kick following the main event. After vouching for him to Lee earlier in the night, McIntyre wasn’t happy with Sheamus and yelled at him as the show ended.
Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax and Ricochet vs. Mustafa Ali have also been announced for tonight’s Raw.
Charlotte returned to WWE programming at TLC and teamed with Asuka to win the Women’s Tag Team titles from Jax & Shayna Baszler.
Ricochet’s feud with RETRIBUTION continued as he lost to T-Bar on Raw last week. During an appearance on Raw Talk after the show, Ricochet was asked if he should change his mind and join RETRIBUTION. Ricochet got emotional and said something needs to change, but he doesn’t know what that is.
WWE is also questioning what Alexa Bliss will have in store for Randy Orton on tonight’s Raw. Orton defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in their Firefly Inferno match at TLC. Bliss then returned to Raw last week and issued a warning to Orton.
Tonight’s Raw is the final episode of 2020. Next week, Legends Night will be the theme of the first Raw of the new year. That show will feature appearances by Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and more.
Date: December 21, 2020 Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
The Big Takeaway —
WWE followed consecutive bad Raw shows and an all-time bad rating with another poor show. Not only was it not an improvement in any way, but there was nothing new or different about it, besides the returning Charlotte Flair.
The main story of the show was Keith Lee and Sheamus not getting along, with Drew McIntyre trying to keep the peace. Lee got the pin in the main event but Sheamus laid him out with a Brogue Kick.
Bray Wyatt was not on the show but Alexa Bliss returned to issue a warning to Randy Orton.
Show Recap —
The stage was decorated with Christmas trees. The announcers ran down tonight’s show, including some sort of message from Randy Orton.
Charlotte Flair entered and they replayed what happened last night. She said, “Well, well — would you look at this. I am in the Thunderdome. And what would the Thunderdome be without the queen?”
Charlotte said she walked into the Thunderdome for the first time as a champion because she’s always a champion and that hasn’t changed over the past few months. Charlotte said a friend was in need and that friend was considered the heartbeat of this division. She introduced Asuka.
Asuka gleefully boasted about being a double champion. Asuka said Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler was not ready for her or Charlotte. Charlotte was about to ask about the Raw Women’s title but was interrupted by Jax and Baszler.
Jax said it was good to see Charlotte and noted that it must’ve taken six months to recover from the beating she gave her. Jax also noted that six months off didn’t fix Charlotte’s robotic voice. Charlotte told her that she kicked their asses last night. Baszler and Jax bragged about handing out beatings of their own to the likes of Lana and Kairi Sane.
Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke interrupted. Brooke said Jax looked like Rudolph after a nose job. Rose made a comment on her looks as well. Basically, they thought she looked like a reindeer. Rose and Brooke wanted their scheduled match against Jax and Baszler right now. Charlotte encouraged a referee to get out there and a referee did indeed enter the ring.
This wasn’t exactly an exciting segment.
Raw Legends Night was announced for January 4th. Guests include Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Beth Phoenix, Torrie Wilson and more.
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke (12:52)
Asuka and Charlotte joined commentary. The announcers asked who they wanted to win and Asuka said she was cheering for her “sexy muscle friends” (Rose and Brooke).
Rose and Brooke took down their opponents with dives. This was followed by a clunky spot where Jax knocked Rose off the apron by barely touching her. Jax tossed her into the barricade which led to break. The heels worked over Rose until Rose hit a knee strike and tagged in Brooke. Jax broke up a cover at one point so Rose took her out with a flying knee off the apron.
Brooke got a couple of two counts on Baszler but Baszler caught her in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission win. (Brooke tapped immediately. It didn’t even seem like the move was fully applied when she tapped.)
As Baszler and Jax bragged to the champs, Brooke and Rose dumped them out of the ring and their music played as the segment ended. This was no good.
Hurt Business bullied some guy wearing a New Day shirt. They ripped off his shirt and put him in a Hurt Business shirt.
Things announced for Smackdown: Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns in a cage match, Sami Zayn vs. Big E for the IC title, and Charlotte and Asuka defending the tag titles.
Jeff Hardy & Riddle vs. Bobby Lashley & MVP was announced for tonight.
MVP’s VIP Lounge with The Hurt Business
The Hurt Business entered all wearing black suits and gold accessories. MVP said the VIP Lounge was for people better than you.
Shelton Benjamin began talking about their win but seemed to be interrupted by Cedric Alexander who bragged about beating New Day. (Lashley and Benjamin gave each other a knowing look as he spoke.) Lashley called himself dominant and said nobody could beat him.
MVP brought in a photographer to commemorate the moment. She entered the ring and began taking pictures as R-Truth appeared unknowingly behind them to pose with his 24/7 title. The 24/7 losers ran after him which included everyone running between the X-Mas trees to the back.
Riddle and Hardy interrupted (to Hardy’s music). Riddle congratulated Hurt Business on the win but wondered why they spent so much money on celebrating. Riddle said all you needed to do was hang out with your bros while listening to Joe Rogan or watching Dave Chappelle while making treats and getting toasted.
Riddle said they were all the same: self-aware creatures travelling on a rock through the solar system. Hardy said there were more important things in life than status and money. He said they would rather live with pride than greed. Hardy’s music hit and that was the segment.
It’s been 43 minutes and it doesn’t appear they’ve actually decided to change anything after last week’s rating.
Angel Garza defeated Drew Gulak (2:13)
Sarah Schreiber interviewed Garza before the match. He said he would be fighting Gulak but would be thinking of her. He gave her a rose. As Garza entered, the announcers said we’ve heard from him a lot recently. He hasn’t been on Raw in weeks.
Garza won fairly quickly with a superkick and Wing Clipper.
Chary Caruso approached AJ Styles (who had a large bruise on the left side of his face) and Omos. Styles told Caruso that Miz screwed him out of the WWE title. She wondered why he agreed to be on MizTV. Styles wanted to hear what Miz had to say for himself.
[Second hour]
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
A morose Miz and Morrison stood in the ring. Miz said he failed at his goal of becoming a two-time WWE champion. Miz apologized to his family for letting them down. Morrison said that wasn’t the only apology he had and Miz called out Styles. Styles and Omos entered.
Miz began to explain himself but Styles quickly interrupted him. Styles said Miz might be the dumbest person on earth. Styles said Miz blew it.
Miz fired up and said he knows what happened. He successfully cashed in the contract 10 years ago and wanted to do it again. After 15 years of hard work, people still don’t respect him. Miz wanted respect from the fans and from Styles and that’s why he tried winning the title last night. Miz said they were both robbed last night. He apologized to Styles.
Miz had a gift for Styles: an opportunity to be in the next Marine movie. Miz showed a Marine poster with himself, Omos and Styles on the poster. Styles was tiny. Styles yelled at Miz. They all argued as Omos pointed out that Morrison is the one who cashed in the briefcase.
As Styles and Morrison argued, Omos left the ring for some reason. Miz realized that Omos was right: Morrison cashed in, not him, so it shouldn’t count. Miz wanted his MITB contract reinstated.
Drew McIntyre interrupted. McIntyre recalled celebrated over pints last night with Sheamus and Keith Lee. They wanted a sequel of the Nightmare Before TLC. He said they (drunkenly) wrote a new story (on napkins): Nightmare After TLC.
Sheamus and Lee entered and they all read a line from the story they came up with. McIntyre realized they didn’t write down an ending so they gave up on it and decided to just come up with a new ending right now. They entered the ring and attacked the heels. (Omos isn’t a very good bodyguard.)
Sheamus was about to finish things off with a Brogue Kick but Styles dropkicked Lee into him. Sheamus got in Lee’s face for ruining his moment. McIntyre tried to calm him down as the heels left.
Lee and Sheamus argued backstage after a break. McIntyre got between them. McIntyre said if they didn’t stop, he’d knock them both out. McIntyre demanded that Sheamus go calm down. McIntyre tried to reason with Lee. He admitted that Sheamus can be a bit of a prick but he’s the guy you want on your team. Lee agreed to leave it alone.
T-Bar (w/Retribution) defeated Ricochet (2:44)
Like last week, Ricochet had to fight off other members of Retribution as the referee just watched. Mustafa Ali tried lecturing him so Ricochet went after him. This allowed T-Bar to grab Ricochet and hit Feast Your Eyes for the pinfall win. This sucked.
T-Bar threatened to end Ricochet’s existence if he doesn’t join them.
There was a pre-taped New Day interview where they tipped their caps to Hurt Business for winning the titles. New Day knew they’d get back on top because they’ve done it before.
US Champion Bobby Lashley & MVP (w/Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) defeated Riddle & Jeff Hardy (11:48)
The good guys were in control through a break but, after the break, Lashley pushed Hardy off the top and he fell awkwardly on the outside. Riddle made a hot tag and ran wild on MVP. Alexander tried distracting Riddle but it didn’t work and he kept going. Riddle hit a fisherman’s suplex but Lashley broke up the cover, tagged himself in, and ran over Riddle.
Riddle kneed out of a delayed vertical suplex and Hardy tagged himself in. Riddle hit Lashley with a knee strike and wiped out Benjamin and Alexander with a dive. Hardy went to the top but had to fend off MVP. Lashley dodged a Swanton attempt and applied the Hurt Lock. This was fine.
Jaxson Ryker (w/Elias) defeated Gran Metalik (w/Lince Dorado) (0:54)
Elias cut a promo before the ring where he basically said nothing. He wanted to show the impact his music could make on someone.
As the match started, Elias climbed to the top rope to perform with his guitar. Metalik dodged a charge by Ryker before yanking Elias down with a rana. Dorado posed with his guitar. Ryker came back and knocked down Metalik with a clothesline before hitting a sit-out bomb for the pinfall win.
[Third hour]
Randy Orton segment
Orton entered wearing a smile (and shorts). Tom Phillips tried to rationalize Orton winning the match by setting part of the Fiend on fire because those were the rules but thought he went too far by setting him completely on fire after the match. (They played loud booing for Orton.)
Orton said he’s been called sick, twisted, deranged and demented. He proved that he was all of those things when he “burned the Fiend alive.” Orton said a normal man would have regrets for setting another man on fire but the Fiend was no man and Orton himself was not a normal man. Orton enjoyed every second of watching the Fiend burning.
Orton said he could still see it and smell it. He couldn’t sleep last night because the voices in his head, which are normally like a lullaby, were absent. All he could hear were the screams of the Fiend. “The Fiend is gone. The Fiend is no more. And I am the evil son-of-a-bitch that took him out.” Loud booing continued.
The lights began to go out so Orton bailed from the ring. A dim purple light shined on the ring to reveal Alexa Bliss on a swing set. (There was also a slide in the corner.) She invited Orton to come in the ring and play.
Bliss said maybe “he” was on the beach, hopefully not getting a sunburn, or at his favourite restaurant having his favourite food — BBQ. Bliss thought maybe “he” was absorbed into the mat and into the earth. But maybe he’ll be back one day on Bliss’ playground. And if he does come back, he’ll be unlike anything you’ve seen before.
The lights went out again. They cut to the announcers who looked befuddled.
This was pure detritus.
Non-title match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka & Charlotte Flair defeated Peyton Royce & Lacey Evans (8:27)
Schreiber interviewed Royce and Evans before the match. Evans was offended that Schrieber thought they might not be ready for this. As Evans began making her entrance, Royce made it clear to Schreiber that she’s the one who got this match made.
They went to break one minute into the match even though not much happened since the previous break. Royce and Evans were in control despite not getting along. Asuka gave Royce a German suplex and tagged in Charlotte who gave Evans a nasty-looking high-angle back suplex before hitting Royce with chops and a big boot.
Charlotte set up for the Figure Four but Evans got in the way so Charlotte suplexed her. Royce put Charlotte in a single-leg crab but Asuka broke it up before knocking down Evans with a kick. Royce used a rollup for two and Charlotte followed with a Figure Eight for the submission win. This was the first babyface win of the evening.
Lee, Sheamus, and McIntyre were shown getting ready together in the back.
They aired a video of Titus O’Neil gifting a longtime school staff member with a new car.
Miz was on the phone with someone trying to explain why he should get the MITB contract back. Styles approached him and ended the call.
Six-man holiday street fight: WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Sheamus & Keith Lee defeated AJ Styles (w/Omos), The Miz & John Morrison (17:54)
They called this a street fight but everyone was still tagging in and out.
Sheamus and Morrison had an exchange early on that reminded me that these two had a really damn good ladder match at TLC (10 years ago).
The good guys were doing well and getting along just fine until Sheamus and Lee got a little heated. After a break, Sheamus worked over Styles. Sheamus and McIntyre decided to club away at the chests of Miz and Morrison in unison. They pushed Miz and Morrison into Lee who drove them unto the side of the ring.
Morrison threw a gift box into the ring and the announcers let us know there were no DQs. Everyone was still standing on the apron waiting for a tag as he said this.
Sheamus and Morrison battled on the top which resulted in Sheamus falling through a table on the outside. This allowed the heels to take over. McIntyre and Lee just watched from the apron as their teammate got beat up even though there are no DQs.
The Steelers got a fortunate pass interference call in their favour as Sheamus hit a White Noise and tagged in McIntyre, who tossed around Morrison and Miz. Benny Snell Jr. scored a touchdown as McIntyre gave Miz a spinebuster but AJ Styles broke up a cover.
Everyone traded moves until Styles finally decided to grab a kendo stick (dressed as a candy cane) and used it on McIntyre. McIntyre fought back and powerbombed Styles through a table. Sheamus and Morrison battled with kendo sticks on the inside as McIntyre set up Miz for a Claymore kick.
Sheamus tagged himself in before McIntyre could hit the move (which he could have done anyway since it was no DQ). Lee tagged himself in before Sheamus could do anything (not that it matters since it was no DQ). Morrison was about to get involved so Lee knocked him off the apron into the arms of Omos. Morrison was relieved but Omos dropped him through a table.
Lee gave Miz a Spirit Bomb for the pinfall win. As soon as the faces began celebrating, Sheamus gave Lee a Brogue Kick. McIntyre yelled at Sheamus as they abruptly went off the air at 11:00pm.
Ahead of challenging for Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship at TLC, AJ Styles will be in action against one of McIntyre’s friends on Monday’s go-home episode of Raw.
WWE has announced that Styles vs. Sheamus will take place on Raw this Monday. They also faced off last week as Styles, The Miz & John Morrison defeated McIntyre & Sheamus in a three-on-two handicap match. After Sheamus accidentally gave McIntyre a Brogue Kick when Morrison moved out of the way, Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Sheamus and pinned him to get the win.
There was an angle where McIntyre and Sheamus briefly brawled backstage after the miscommunication, but they were back on the same page after they put Pat Buck through a table when Buck tried to break things up.
WWE is also hyping that there will be a “The Nightmare Before TLC” segment with Styles on Monday’s Raw. Styles is challenging for McIntyre’s WWE Championship in a tables, ladders, and chairs match at TLC.
“The Phenomenal One plans to bring ‘The Nightmare Before TLC’ to Raw this Monday to display what’s in store for the WWE Championship Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match,” WWE.com wrote. “The Miz & John Morrison will back up Styles for his terrifying display, as Mr. Money in the Bank has his own hopes of delivering sleepless nights to the King of Claymore Country.”
A six-man tag match with Jeff Hardy & Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) facing The Hurt Business (United States Champion Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) has also been added to Monday’s Raw. The New Day are defending their titles against Benjamin & Alexander at TLC. Lashley defeated Hardy in a non-title match on Raw last week. Riddle came to Hardy’s aid when MVP got involved during the match and when Lashley wouldn’t let The Hurt Lock go after.
Here’s the updated lineup for Monday’s Raw:
AJ Styles vs. Sheamus
Jeff Hardy & The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Hurt Business (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander)
Lana vs. Nia Jax
AJ Styles brings “The Nightmare Before TLC” to Raw
Bray Wyatt takes his Firefly Fun House characters on a field trip to the WWE ThunderDome
Tensions between WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Sheamus briefly rose after they lost a two-on-three handicap match on last night’s episode of Raw.
McIntyre and his TLC challenger AJ Styles were on opposite sides of last night’s handicap match. Styles, The Miz & John Morrison got the win after Sheamus accidentally hit a Brogue Kick on his friend McIntyre. He was trying to hit Morrison, but Morrison moved out of the way and Sheamus hit McIntyre. Sheamus was briefly distracted by that and then turned around into a Phenomenal Forearm from Styles. Styles pinned Sheamus to get the win.
Backstage after the match, Sheamus was interviewed and insisted that the Brogue Kick wasn’t intentional. Sheamus said he knew McIntyre was going to come try and kick his ass. McIntyre appeared and they brawled until Pat Buck attempted to separate them. McIntyre and Sheamus then teamed together to beat up Buck and put him through a table. McIntyre smiled and asked Sheamus if he wanted to go get pints. Sheamus agreed but said McIntyre would be buying this time.
Date: December 7, 2020 Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL
The Big Takeaway —
None.
Show Recap —
Vince McMahon, Triple H and the Raw roster stood on the stage for a ten bell salute in honour of Pat Patterson. RIP.
Randy Orton entered as they played video recaps of his angle with Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss. Orton said most men would be afraid of the Fiend but he ditched his moral compass a long time ago and he planned on showing Wyatt who the evilest man on the planet really was.
Wyatt in a sweater showed up on the screen, without Bliss. Orton said Wyatt didn’t want to play games with him. “Game” was the magic word because Wyatt was suddenly playing Price is Right host. (Orton had his back turned to the tron for a moment, which was funny.)
Orton eventually began watching again as Wyatt told his puppet contestants that none of them had the right answer. Wyatt got serious and warned Orton that “he” always had the right answer.
Orton challenged Wyatt, not the Fiend, to a match tonight. Orton actually specified that he wanted Wyatt because he knew had was getting the Fiend at TLC. Wyatt accepted.
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will defend the tag titles against Asuka and Lana at TLC.
They showed social media tributes for Pat Patterson by John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Nikki Bella, Sami Zayn, Hulk Hogan, Bayley, and Vince McMahon.
Jax hyped up Baszler before the upcoming match. They planned on hurting Asuka and doing worse to Lana.
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka (w/Lana) defeated Tag Team Champion Shayna Baszler (w/Nia Jax) in a non-title match (8:28)
They traded submission attempts until Baszler gave Asuka a back suplex. They went to the outside so Jax took down Lana and Baszler shoved Asuka into the announce table. This led to a break two minutes into the match.
Baszler worked over Asuka’s arm back from break. Baszler used kicks to the chest but Asuka caught one and hit a German suplex. Asuka hit a Codebreaker and tried an armbar but Baszler countered. Asuka countered that but became distracted by Jax attacking Lana on the outside. Baszler knocked down Asuka and decided to watch what was happening outside the ring as well.
Jax tried to powerbomb Lana on the announce table but Lana sent her into the table instead with a leg scissors takedown. Asuka rolled up the distracted Baszler for the pinfall win. This was a waste.
Hurt Business bullied a stagehand backstage.
They came back from commercials with a long recap of last week’s main event as well as a replay of Slapjack beating Ricochet and Dana Brooke beating Mia Yim. Ricochet and Brooke team up against Yim and Slapjack tonight.
Riddle approached Ricochet and Brooke with a box of donuts labelled “bronutts.” Riddle was looking for MVP. Ricochet told him they were busy talking strategy. Riddle left.
Sarah Schreiber approached Ricochet and Brooke for an interview. Ricochet wasn’t opposed to being on a team but he just didn’t want to be on a team of jackasses. Brooke, who had a black eye, said she worked too hard to get where she is and had payback ready for Yim.
(If you haven’t been watching, Yim’s Retribution name is “Reckoning.” I just don’t plan on calling her that.)
Mustafa Ali said Ricochet and Brooke would reach their end tonight.
I think it’s been about 20 minutes since anything substantial has happened.
Mixed tag match: Dana Brooke & Ricochet defeated Mia Yim & Slapjack (w/Mustafa Ali) (1:42)
Brooke got the pinfall win fairly quickly for her team with a Samoan Driver on Yim. Ali admonished Yim and Slapjack after the match.
Keith Lee approached Sheamus in the back and told him that he wasn’t buying the good guy act and knew it was a matter of time before he turned on Drew McIntyre. Sheamus was annoyed and, like last week, said he was going to turn on him tonight.
[Second hour]
They congratulated Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins on the birth of their child.
MizTV with The Miz & John Morrison
Miz and Morrison introduced AJ Styles, with Omos, as their guest. Omos stood outside the ring.
They asked about Styles’ upcoming TLC match. Styles admitted facing McIntyre was a challenge. Styles planned on attacking him with chairs and putting him through every table he could find. McIntyre’s passion won’t mean a thing once he’s knocked out cold. Styles planned on being on top of the mountain as WWE champion.
Morrison and Miz said that could only happen if McIntyre made it to TLC. They planned on beating up McIntyre and Sheamus tonight. Miz and Morrison did impressions of McIntyre and Sheamus. This went on a while. Styles was amused. Omos seemed impressed as well.
Sheamus interrupted. He acted entertained. Sheamus was sick of people saying that he would turn on McIntyre. He threatened Miz and Morrison. They let him know in the most obnoxious way possible that he was badly outnumbered.
McIntyre entered. McIntyre was confident about TLC even if Styles had Omos on his side. McIntyre gave Miz and Morrison credit for coming back every week no matter how many times they got beat up. McIntyre said Maryse had Miz’s balls but Miz replaced them with Morrison’s balls after he made Morrison his bitch.
Styles made a threat from outside the ring so McIntyre and Sheamus attacked Miz and Morrison and sent them from the ring.
Another bad segment. I don’t think there’s been a good one yet.
There were more Patterson tributes from Roman Reigns, Natalya, Kurt Angle, Miz, Alexa Bliss, JBL and Triple H.
Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) defeated Shelton Benjamin (w/MVP & Cedric Alexander) (3:25)
Benjamin got the early advantage after a knee strike and boot. Kingston came back with a double foot stomp (sort of) and a dropkick but Benjamin countered an SOS into a powerbomb for two. Benjamin applied an ankle lock but Kingston got a rope break.
Kingston side-stepped Benjamin on the outside and Benjamin crashed into the barricade. Benjamin just barely beat the ten count but ate a Trouble in Paradise upon entering the ring and Kingston got the pinfall win.
After the match, Alexander said he was sick of New Day slipping through their fingers. He challenged Kingston to a match right now. Kingston marched back to the ring.
Cedric Alexander (w/MVP & Shelton Benjamin) defeated Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods)
The match began during a break. Alexander was in control when they returned. He worked over the leg which may have been “hurt” in the previous match. Kingston came back with chops and applied a rollup for two. Kingston followed with an SOS (sort of) for two. Alexander kicked his leg out of his leg and hit a brainbuster for a nearfall.
Kingston fought Alexander off the ropes but missed an axe handle and Alexander followed with a Lumbar Check for the pinfall win.
Like last week, Alexander celebrated wildly but unlike last week, he remained in the ring with his teammates.
They aired the tremendous Pat Patterson tribute video. Samoa Joe and Byron Saxton shared their thoughts on Patterson.
There was a recap of Tribute to the Troops from last night.
3-on-2 handicap match: AJ Styles (w/Omos), The Miz & John Morrison defeated WWE Champion Drew McIntyre & Sheamus (15:44)
(McIntyre entered around 9:42pm. They went to break and came back with the Tribute to the Troops video. By the time everyone entered, the match started at 9:52pm. Then they went to break less than three minutes into the match.)
Sheamus tried to punch Miz outside the ring but he ducked and Sheamus (lightly) hit McIntyre by mistake. McIntyre was slightly annoyed and told him to get his head in the match. Morrison tried wiping them out with a dive but they caught him and gave him a fallaway slam over the announce desk. Morrison actually landed in the leather chair, which seemed like a happy accident. (This led to the previously mentioned commercial break.)
[Third hour]
Sheamus and McIntyre were in full control and Styles had yet to tag in. Styles finally tagged in once he saw McIntyre was vulnerable. Sheamus and McIntyre quickly regained control of Miz. Miz raked Sheamus’ eye as the referee tried to pretend to be distracted and the heels took over.
Styles had Sheamus in the calf crusher but McIntyre broke it up and Sheamus followed with a White Noise. McIntyre made the hot tag and hit Morrison with clotheslines and overhead suplexes. He also suplexed Morrison and Miz at the same time. McIntyre set up for the Claymore but Miz pulled Morrison from the ring.
Styles attacked McIntyre from behind but Sheamus managed to tag in. Sheamus wiped everyone out but clocked McIntyre with a Brogue Kick by mistake after Morrison ducked. Styles gave Sheamus a Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall win.
McIntyre stared at Sheamus after the match but nothing happened.
Lana faces Nia Jax next week.
Lana freaked out backstage about having to face Jax. Asuka tried to talk some confidence into her. Lana became confident until she turned around and bumped into Jax. Lana skulked away.
Charly Caruso interviewed Sheamus who paced around backstage. Sheamus figured McIntyre was coming after him but said what he did was unintentional. McIntyre confronted him and said, “you know exactly what’s about to happen, don’t you?” Their intense staredown turned into a commercial break.
Back from break, Sheamus and McIntyre were brawling in the back. Officials tried to break them up as other wrestlers gleefully looked on. Pat Buck briefly broke them up so they beat him up and slammed him through a catering table.
McIntyre smiled and asked Sheamus if he wanted some pints. Sheamus said Drew was buying. They left together.
(I’m glad they didn’t actually break up already.)
Riddle approached Jeff Hardy with his donuts. Riddle thought the Hardy Boyz were one of the greatest teams ever but if they teamed together, they could be the Hardy Bros. (Riddle flubbed his lines and said the punchline too early before correcting himself.) Hardy seemed moderately amused but told him he had to head to the ring. Riddle took a bite out of a donut.
US Champion Bobby Lashley (w/MVP) defeated Jeff Hardy (12:55)
Hardy went to the top so MVP went on the apron to distract him. Riddle ran down and yanked MVP down. Hardy took down Lashley with a clothesline off the apron which led to break. Lashley posted Hardy during the break to take control. Lashley got in Riddle’s face at one point but Riddle didn’t back down.
Lashley had a sleeper but Hardy came back with a jawbreaker, clotheslines, atomic drop, leg drop and a low dropkick for two. Hardy followed with a Whisper in the Wind for two. Lashley hit a Flatliner for two but Hardy responded with a Twist of Fate. Lashley avoided a Swanton Bomb, nailed a spear and applied the Hurt Lock for the submission win.
Lashley wouldn’t let go of the hold so Riddle went to break it up but Lashley chucked Hardy into him, knocking them both over. MVP bit a donut and chucked the box down.
Orton was in the back. He heard a knock on the door and opened it but there was nothing there. The rabbit puppet suddenly appeared behind the door and told Orton they were going to have so much fun.
Orton staring at the puppet as if it was actually speaking to him was quite the visual.
There were more Patterson tributes from Shane McMahon, Ric Flair, The Rock, Bray Wyatt, Paul Heyman, Drew McIntyre, Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Stephanie McMahon.
(Tom Phillips mentioned that TLC is one week from Sunday, which is such a stupid way of telling us when the show is. It’s one week from six days from now?)
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
Wyatt wore black jeans and a brown sweater. Orton wrestled in his gear.
Orton tried a back suplex on the announce table but Wyatt countered and hit a back suplex on the edge of the table instead. Wyatt chased Phillips away, grabbed his headset and let us know that they’d be right back. He knows how this works because he sent us to break about 90 seconds into the match.
Orton was in control after the break and Wyatt smiled and laughed as Orton stomped him. Orton barely got a one count after a knee and followed with a chin lock. They pipped in crowd clapping to encourage Wyatt to fight back.
Wyatt came back with clotheslines, an atomic drop, running clotheslines, running body block, and a DDT for two. (It was like Edge’s lifting DDT.) Orton followed with a neckbreaker for two and gave him a back suplex on the announce desk. Wyatt almost got Sister Abigail but Orton thumbed him in the eye and hit a draping DDT.
The lights started to go down but Orton managed to hit an RKO anyway.
The lights went out completely and the red lights turned on. The Fiend was suddenly in the ring. He put Orton down with the mandible claw as the show went off the air.
A three-on-two handicap match has been announced for Monday’s episode of Raw.
AJ Styles, The Miz & John Morrison will team against WWE Champion Drew McIntyre & Sheamus on Monday’s Raw. Styles is challenging for McIntyre’s WWE Championship at TLC on Sunday, December 20.
Styles defeated Riddle and Keith Lee in a triple threat match last week to become the number one contender to McIntyre’s title. Styles then agreed to help Miz cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, saying it would be easier to defeat Miz at TLC instead of McIntyre.
McIntyre & Sheamus faced Miz & Morrison in last week’s main event. Styles was on commentary for the match and hit McIntyre with a Phenomenal Forearm to cause a disqualification. Morrison hit Starship Pain on McIntyre and Miz gave McIntyre the Skull Crushing Finale. But an argument between Miz and Styles delayed Miz’s attempt to cash in his briefcase. McIntyre sent Morrison out of the ring, laid out Miz with the Claymore, and was about to go face-to-face with Styles before Styles was carried away by his associate Omos.
WWE has also announced that the feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will continue with Orton inviting himself to the Firefly Fun House on Monday’s Raw.
Ahead of Sunday’s pay-per-view, four of the five members of Raw’s Survivor Series men’s team will team up on tonight’s go-home edition of Raw.
WWE has announced that Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Riddle (w/ AJ Styles) will face RETRIBUTION (Mustafa Ali, T-Bar, Mace & Slapjack) in an eight-man tag match on Raw tonight:
In recent week’s the members of the Men’s Survivor Series Team have had a hard time getting into the team spirit, [in spite] of (or maybe because of) the effects of their self-professed Team Captain AJ Styles.
Tonight, Keith Lee, Sheamus, Braun Strowman & Riddle will look to contend with RETRIBUTION in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match.
Can The Phenomenal One find a way to help his team coexist effectively against the forces of anarchy? Will Team Raw pick up valuable momentum heading into Survivor Series this Sunday? Or will RETRIBUTION use Team Raw’s inner conflict against them to assure they don’t even make it out of Monday Night Raw? Find out tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network.
Styles, Lee, Sheamus, Strowman & Riddle will face Team SmackDown in the men’s five-on-five traditional Survivor Series elimination match on Sunday. Kevin Owens, Jey Uso, Baron Corbin, and Seth Rollins have qualified for Team SmackDown thus far. There’s one spot remaining on SmackDown’s team.
Two title matches are set for tonight’s episode of Raw. WWE Champion Randy Orton will defend his title against Drew McIntyre on the show, while Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) will defend their titles against The Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin). The winner of Orton vs. McIntyre will face Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a non-title champion vs. champion match at Survivor Series. The team that wins tonight’s Tag Team title match will face SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits in a non-title champion vs. champion match on Sunday.
The first three wrestlers for Raw’s Survivor Series men’s team have been revealed.
AJ Styles, Keith Lee, and Sheamus will be part of Team Raw at next month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. There are two spots remaining on Team Raw for the men’s five-on-five elimination match against SmackDown.
Styles, Lee, and Sheamus all won Survivor Series qualifying matches on tonight’s episode of Raw. Styles defeated Jeff Hardy, Lee defeated Elias, and Sheamus defeated Matt Riddle.
Raw’s Survivor Series women’s team has been fully revealed. it will feature Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, and Lana.
Survivor Series is taking place on Sunday, November 22. In addition to the two traditional elimination matches, WWE has announced four non-title champion vs. champion matches for the PPV. Here’s the updated card:
WWE Champion Randy Orton vs. Universal Champion Roman Reigns
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
United States Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn
Men’s five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match: Team Raw (AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, and two wrestlers to be announced) vs. Team SmackDown (five wrestlers to be announced)
Women’s five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match: Team Raw (Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke & Lana) vs. Team SmackDown (five wrestlers to be announced)
The 30th anniversary of The Undertaker will also be celebrated at Survivor Series.
Three Survivor Series qualifying matches are set for tonight’s post-Hell in a Cell edition of Raw.
WWE has announced that Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles, Sheamus vs. Matt Riddle, and Keith Lee vs. Elias will take place on Raw tonight. The winners will qualify for Team Raw in this year’s Survivor Series men’s elimination match.
The theme of last year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view was Raw vs. SmackDown vs. NXT. WWE has yet to announced the full details for this year’s elimination matches.
Survivor Series is taking place on Sunday, November 22. WWE has announced that they’ll be celebrating The Undertaker’s 30th anniversary at the PPV.
Appearances by new WWE Champion Randy Orton and former champion Drew McIntyre are also set for tonight’s Raw. Orton will appear on A Moment of Bliss with Alexa Bliss, while McIntyre will kick off tonight’s show. In the main event of last night’s Hell in a Cell PPV, Orton defeated McIntyre in a Hell in a Cell match to win the WWE Championship. This is Orton’s 14th reign as a WWE World Champion.
Ahead of tonight’s Raw going on the air, WWE announced that The Hurt Business (MVP, United States Champion Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) will face RETRIBUTION (Mustafa Ali, T-Bar, Mace & Slapjack) in an eight-man tag match tonight. AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle and Kofi Kingston vs. Sheamus have also been added to the show.
Ali was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION on Raw two weeks ago. It had been announced that last week’s Raw would feature Ali speaking for the first time since that reveal, but the segment ended up not taking place.
Styles, Riddle, Kingston, and Sheamus all moved over to Raw in the WWE Draft after formerly being on SmackDown.
Kingston & Xavier Woods are now the Raw Tag Team Champions after swapping title belts with The Street Profits. With Kingston & Woods moving to Raw and Big E staying on SmackDown, The New Day had their farewell match on SmackDown last Friday and defeated Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro.
Tonight’s Raw is also the brand’s go-home show for Hell in a Cell and will feature the final build to WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton’s Hell in a Cell match.
Here’s the updated lineup for tonight’s show:
Keith Lee vs. Braun Strowman
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defends against Lana
Elias concert
Bray Wyatt hosts a Firefly Fun House segment
The Hurt Business (MVP, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander) vs. RETRIBUTION (Mustafa Ali, T-Bar, Mace & Slapjack)
Two matches have been announced for next week’s season premiere episode of SmackDown.
Roman Reigns will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman on SmackDown’s season premiere next Friday. After being split up in the WWE Draft, The New Day will have their “farewell to SmackDown” match next Friday. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E will face Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura & Sheamus in a six-man tag match.
The Reigns vs. Strowman title match comes in advance of Reigns defending his Universal Championship against Jey Uso at Hell in a Cell on Sunday, October 25. It was announced on SmackDown tonight that Reigns vs. Uso will be the first-ever Hell in a Cell I Quit match. Reigns also warned Uso that — after Uso says I Quit — there will be consequences.
Kingston & Woods returned to the ring on SmackDown tonight and defeated Cesaro & Nakamura to win the SmackDown Tag Team titles. After the match, it was announced that Kingston & Woods have been drafted to Raw and Big E has been drafted to SmackDown. Big E also defeated Sheamus in a falls count anywhere match tonight.
Reigns stayed on SmackDown in tonight’s draft. Strowman, Cesaro, Nakamura, and Sheamus are in the night two draft pool and are eligible to be selected by SmackDown or Raw on Monday.
There will be a special 30-minute pre-show airing on Fox before next week’s SmackDown season premiere. The pre-show is a Fox broadcast that will be hosted by Renee Paquette (formerly known as Renee Young in WWE) and Booker T.
In addition to the beginning of this year’s WWE Draft, three matches have been announced for next Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
– Sasha Banks will challenge Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
After being beaten down twice by Bayley, Banks got revenge on her former tag team partner when she attacked Bayley at Clash of Champions this past Sunday. Banks has vowed to take the one thing Bayley loves most — the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Banks said during a promo on SmackDown tonight that Bayley doesn’t stand a chance against her.
– Kevin Owens will face “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
As part of the brand-to-brand invitational, Raw’s Owens made an appearance on SmackDown tonight and hosted a KO Show segment with Alexa Bliss as his guest. He questioned Bliss about how she’s been changed by The Fiend. The Fiend then appeared and put Owens in the Mandible Claw. After that, The Fiend and Bliss held hands after The Fiend extended his hand to her.
This will be the first time Wyatt has wrestled as The Fiend on a weekly WWE television show.
– Big E will take on Sheamus in a falls count anywhere match.
Video of a promo aired on SmackDown tonight where Big E challenged Sheamus to the falls count anywhere match for next week. Sheamus also quickly defeated Shorty G on tonight’s show.
Sheamus attacked Big E last month, taking him out of a scheduled number one contender’s fatal four-way match that Sheamus was also part of. Big E returned two weeks ago and started to attack Sheamus before Sheamus ran off.
– Also on next week’s SmackDown, Otis will “represent himself in court” as he attempts to prevent his Money in the Bank contract from being taken by The Miz.
The WWE Draft will begin on SmackDown next Friday (October 9) and then conclude with night two taking place on Raw (October 12).
The build to Clash of Champions continues tonight on SmackDown.
Universal Champion Roman Reigns & Jey Uso take on Sheamus & King Corbin in a Samoan street fight. Reigns & Uso defeated Sheamus & Corbin in a tag team match in last week’s main event, but Reigns didn’t show up until the end to steal the pinfall. Reigns is set to defend his title against Uso at Clash of Champions.
Sasha Banks will appear tonight and address Bayley’s attack from two weeks ago. Bayley viciously attacked Banks after they failed to regain the Women’s Tag Team titles from Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax. Bayley appeared on last week’s show and bragged about the attack.
AJ Styles and Sami Zayn will face off tonight. Styles challenged Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental title last week, but Zayn interrupted the match and attacked both.
Alexa Bliss hosts A Moment of Bliss with guest Nikki Cross. Cross won a four-way match last week to earn a title shot against SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley at Clash of Champions. During the match, Bliss went into a trance and hit The Fiend’s finishing move, Sister Abigail, on Cross. Bliss explains her actions to Cross tonight.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The Dirt Sheet
John Morrison and The Miz were already in the ring to start SmackDown. Morrison informed everyone that they’re here to give the inside story. The discussed several of the feuds going on including, Bayley & Sasha Banks, Roman Reigns & Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn’s claim that he’s the real Intercontinental Champion.
They turned their attention to Otis and Mandy Rose. They showed a clip from Talking Smack of The Miz and Morrison announcing that Rose is now on Raw. The Miz claimed that now Otis can focus on the Money In The Bank.
Miz promised that Otis would get over it because, according to his friends from Raw, Rose already is over it. He pointed out that Dolph Ziggler is on Raw. Morrison noted they dated, but Miz said they Netflix and chilled.
Otis’s music hit, and he ran down to the ring. He ran wild on the heels. Miz tried to escape, but Tucker stopped him. Otis hit the caterpillar on Miz and followed up with the Vader Bomb.
Otis ran back in the ring and tore off Miz’s suit and left him in his tighty whities. This was a fine segment. Miz and Morrison were good in their roles, and at least they explained Mandy Rose’s move to Raw.
Back from the break, Morrison and Miz were in the back. Morrison thinks Miz’s plan is backfiring. He said Otis is like the Incredible Hulk. He doesn’t like him when he’s mad. That was a funny line. Kayla Braxton approached and asked if Miz regrets aggravating Otis.
Miz got a phone call and asked if that was enough. He gave Morrison and thumbs up. They smiled and walked off.
Earlier today, The Lucha House Party was in the back. Kalisto and Lince Dorado argued over helping Gran Metalik get ready for his match later.
Cesaro (w/Shinsuke Nakamura) defeated Gran Metalik (Kalisto & Lince Dorado)
They announced SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura defend against The Lucha House Party at Clash Of Champions.
This was a good match while it lasted. Metalik had a brief advantage, but Kalisto and Dorado gave him different advice, and Cesaro took over. Metalik fought back and hit a hurricanrana off the second turnbuckle. Cesaro slowed the pace down and worked over Metalik’s arm.
Metalik ended up on the apron. Kalisto and Dorado jumped up on the apron as well to argue.
The referee yelled at them and ordered them to the back.
Cesaro attacked Metallik from behind. Metalik recovered and hit a huge dive to the floor.
Back from the break, Cesaro was firmly in control. He locked on a chin lock to slow the pace down. Michael Cole explained that Nakamura interfered during the break to help Cesaro regain control of the match.
They fought on the top rope. Metalik then hit an awesome looking hurricanrana off the top. He attempted a moonsault, but Cesaro got his feet up.
Cesaro hit a running uppercut in the corner and followed up with the neutralizer for the win.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Jey Uso. They recapped the angle from last week when Reigns stole the pin the in main event.
Uso noted that Paul Heyman told him that last week was a miscommunication. He said that tonight Reigns promised to have his back. Uso vowed to win the Universal title at Clash of Champions, but the Samoan Street Fight is his main focus tonight.
Matt Riddle hosted a segment called Know Your Bro. He explained the reason he loves the word, bro. Riddle pointed out that bro can convey different emotions, including happy, angry, sad, and afraid.
A Moment Of Bliss
They recapped Alexa Bliss using The Fiend’s Sister Abigal on Nikki Cross last week and walking away from the four-way.
Alexa Bliss didn’t waste time and introduced her guest Nikki Cross. Bliss pointed out that Cross is usually in her co-host chair. Bliss noted that Bayley beat Cross all summer. Cross explained that Bayley no longer as Sasha Banks looking over her. Cross then promised to win the SmackDown Woman’s Championship.
Cross then changed the subject. She pointed out that Bliss hit her with Sister Abigal. Bliss began to talk and said she couldn’t explain it. Lacey Evans’ music hit. She mocked Bliss and Cross.
Evans claimed that because Bliss walked away from the four-way last week, it threw her off her game. She said that’s the only reason Cross won the four-way. That seems like an odd explanation for losing.
Evans told Cross she could never beat Bayley. Cross then blew her nose on Evans’ handkerchief. This was a fine segment.
Nikki Cross defeated Lacey Evans
Alexa Bliss joined Michael Cole and Corey Graves on commentary.
Michael Cole asked Alexa Bliss about last week and her attack on Cross. Bliss claimed she was having an off day.
This was an okay match. Cross and Evans worked a slow pace, and it dragged.
Before the match, Evans put on hand sanitizer.
Evans had the early advantage. Cross briefly fought back, but Evans regained control and worked over the arm. She slowed the pace down with a chin lock but went back to the arm.
Evans hit a standing moonsaul for a close near fall. She then grabbed the hand sanitizer and sprayed it on Cross’s face. Cole couldn’t understand how that wasn’t a disqualification.
Cross fired up and made a comeback. She hit a tornado DDT and the neck breaker for the win.
After the match, Evans yelled at Bliss and screamed The Fiend’s name. Bliss went into a trance again and hit Sister Abigal on Evans. She then walked off in a daze.
They showed Sasha Banks getting ready for her live interview.
Paul Heyman narrated a video on Roman Reigns and Jey Uso. He talked about the various wrestling families, including The Hennings, Harts, Ortons, and more.
Heyman’s always been very close to the Anoa’i family. Heyman discussed the members of the family, including the Wild Samoans, Yokozuna, The Rock, Umaga, and Rikishi.
The video then focused on the relationship between Reigns and Jey Uso. Of course, nobody is as dominant as the tribal chief Roman Regions. This was an excellent video package.
Sasha Banks Interview
Sasha Banks was backstage in the Performance Center. She wore a neck brace due to her injuries.
They recapped Bayley attacking Sasha Banks two weeks ago. Banks became emotional as she discussed her friendship with Bayley. She noted Bayley claimed she just used her, and she’s useless. Banks talked about how they started together in the Performance Center and promised to take over the company.
Banks called Bayley an idiot and said she’s nothing without her. She knows Bayley is watching this interview. Banks promised to take away Bayley’s SmackDown Woman’s Championship because that’s the only thing she cares about.
Suddenly, Bayley hit Banks from behind with a chair. She beat Banks down and placed her head in the chair, but officials broke it up before she could do any more damage. This was a good promo from Banks.
AJ Styles defeated Sami Zayn
Styles and Zayn had a good TV match.
Zayn came out with his Intercontinental Championship. He was furious that the announcer didn’t introduce him as the I.C. champion. Styles jumped Zayn from behind to start the match.
Michael Cole claimed that Zayn gave up the title because he decided to take a hiatus. Later, he noted that Zayn hasn’t explained why he took off for six months.
Styles had the early advantage, but Zayn took over with a chin lock. Styles fought back and broke the hold.
Back from the break, Zayn was firmly in control. He attempted a superplex, but Styles slipped out and dropped him on the ring post. Styles went for the phenomenal forearm, but Zayn rolled out of the way. He then hit a stun gun on Styles.
Styles fought back and hit a neck breaker for a near fall. They traded hard shots in the middle of the ring. Zayn rocked Styles with a boot to the face, but Styles responded with the Pele kick.
Zayn then hit the blue thunder bomb for a very close near fall. Zayn hit the turnbuckle exploder and set up for the helluva kick, but Styles avoided. Zayn attempted to roll up Styles, but the referee caught him holding the tights.
Styles then rolled up Zayn for the win. Zayn claimed that Styles held onto the tights, but the referee denied the claim.
Jeff Hardy then ran down to ringside. He attacked both Styles and Zayn. He pulled out a ladder from underneath the ring and attacked Styles and Zayn with it. Hardy hit the twist of fate and started climbing the ladder, but Zayn rolled out of the ring.
Hardy was furious that Zayn called him a fraud. He wants to face both Zayn and Styles at Clash of Champions in a triple threat ladder match.
In the locker room, Otis and Tucker were hanging out when Otis got served with a lawsuit. After the break, Tucker explained that Miz and Morrison filed the lawsuit because he attacked them, Money in the Bank negligence, and that Dirt Sheet is a news program and therefore they have freedom of speech.
They’re trying to get Otis to forfeit the MITB briefcase. Tucker told Otis he needs to find a lawyer. Otis noted they’re in trouble, but Tucker pointed out that Otis is the only one in trouble.
In the back, Sheamus and King Corbin discussed their upcoming match. A security guard approached, and Sheamus was happy to see him. Sheamus said it was genius how he tricked Big E to go to the parking lot a few weeks ago.
The security guard was flattered. He told Sheamus that his car is getting towed. Sheamus ran to his vehicle, but Big E was waiting for him. Sheamus ran off, so Big E beat down the security guard. He gave him a belly-to-belly suplex on the car windshield.
Adam Pearce ran out and forced Big E to leave.
They showed the mysterious blonde woman getting ready.
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman made their way to the ring. Heyman went to speak but Reigns reached out his hand for the microphone. He came out first because he doesn’t want there to be any misunderstanding. This is his yard and his island.
Samoan Street Fight: Universal Champion Roman Reigns (w/Paul Heyman) & Jey Uso defeated Sheamus & King Corbin
This was a good match with lots of fast-paced, hard-hitting action.
The faces had the early advantage and cleared the ring. All four competitors fought around ringside. Uso leaped off the barricade onto Corbin, and Reigns tossed Sheamus over the barricade. Corbin then hit the deep six on Uso on the floor.
Reigns beat down Corbin with a chair in the ring. He then went to pull out a table, but Sheamus cut him off. The heels worked together and tossed Reigns over the announce table.
The heels brought the table in the ring and worked over Uso. Uso tried fighting back, but the heels regained control. They then gave Uso a double powerbomb through the table for a near fall.
Reigns tossed a chair at Corbin. Sheamus tried to give Reigns white noise on the table, but Reigns used a low blow. He then hit a Samoan drop on the announce table. Reigns then speared Sheamus through the barricade.
Corbin recovered and tossed Uso over the barricade. He then threw Reigns into the ring. Uso hit Corbin with the belt, and Reigns speared Corbin. However, Uso hit the splash on Corbin for the win.
After the match, Uso was happy and celebrated in the ring. Reigns eventually smiled and hugged Uso. Reigns had a massive smile on his face as Uso walked away, celebrating the win. Uso turned his back and walked off. Reigns smile faded from his face, and he became furious. Reigns was great in his role here.
