Only one can be The Center of the Universe!

To earn a shot at Tiffany Stratton’s NXT Women’s Championship, the Women’s Division fights in a battle royal! Who wins a golden ticket to Tiffy Time?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Mixed Six Tag Match: Diamond Mine VS The Schism; The Schism wins.
• Blair Davenport VS Dani Palmer; Blair wins.
• Baron Corbin VS Trick Williams; Corbin wins.
• Mustafa Ali VS Joe Gacy; Ali wins.
• Eddy Thorpe VS Damon Kemp; Thorpe wins.
• Dabba-Kato VS SCRYPTS; Dabba wins.
• NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royal: Thea Hail wins and will challenge Tiffany Stratton for the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Baron Corbin arrives backstage.

The Lone Wolf stares down Tyler Bate and Eddy Thorpe, chuckles at a poster of Carmelo Hayes, then stares down Hank Walker, Tank Ledger and some of the prospects. He tells staff to hit his music and they do as told. Corbin scoffs at the rest of the posters while he makes his entrance. Fans boo as Corbin makes his way to the ring, because we all remember him going after Melo after Melo retained the title against Noam Dar. Corbin gets the mic to say, “Y’know, I never thought I’d walk back through these doors. When I got the call, I cleaned out my locker and never looked back.

“Over the next eight YEARS, I ascended to the top of Raw and SmackDown. While I was main-eventing PPVs, NXT superstars continued to get called up to the main roster. When they got there, they were full of talent and hunger. And then something changed. I wonder what it was. Now, they come up full of ego and attitude. Hell, some of ’em sit in the locker room, twiddle their thumbs on their cellphone, acting like they got nowhere better to be. They act like we should thank them for coming up to Raw and SmackDown.

“Then I walk in through these doors. I hear superstars in the back talking about their legacy, talking about how they’re the next ones to be called up. Or, they’re complaining that they haven’t been called up yet, and it’s starting to make me sick! They walk through these doors to a championship team. They have guaranteed contracts, and they’re living in a house that I built! Me and all the other OGs started in FCW, and we took this train all the way to sell out Barclays Arena, with 16,500 people! Don’t clap for that now, you’ve never done it before, get off my bandwagon.

“I come through those doors tonight, and there’s superstars can’t even look me in the eye. They don’t show me the respect that I deserve. Now I had no control over that last Draft that came up. But you can make damn sure I got control of the next, because I’m gonna make every one of those superstars regret ever signing a WWE contract! Every single one of ’em is soft, every single one of ’em is weak, and they’re sure as hell not as good as they think they are. That all lies on the champion, the NXT Champion, Carmelo Hayes. Melo walks around here like his stuff doesn’t stink. Yeah, there you go. Cheer for him. Cheer for him!

“Cuz ol’ Melo got a taste of main roster reality when I laid him out, put him down, I took his title and I stood over his body, and I held it over my head.” Wait, ILJA DRAGUNOV is here! The Czar tells Baron, “Would you please, um, give me the chance to introduce myself. My name is Ilja Dragunov.” Fans cheer and Corbin says he knows who Ilja is, but what does he want? Ilja isn’t sure about the people Corbin saw in the hall, but Ilja is here to look him in the eyes to say, he’s NOT soft and he is NOT weak. He is the most animalistic, intense man in NXT! He’s beaten everyone put in front of him, and after Battleground, he is the first man in line to face Melo for the title.

Oh, here we go. There’s the NXT arrogance. Corbin has competed in SIX WrestleMania matches, he retired THE Kurt Angle, and he is the last man to pin Roman Reigns. Fans chant “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Ilja gets it, Corbin is targeting Melo to make some kind of point. But Ilja is targeting Melo for the title. And Ilja really doesn’t care how many Manias Corbin’s been to. If Ilja must ravage Corbin with pain to get what he wants, then so be it. Corbin tells the “kid” that there is a big difference between what he wants and what he’s gonna get. Corbin jumps the line cuz he says so, cuz he’s the biggest star in the building.

Ilja says Corbin is making assumptions, but Ilja makes challenges. So why not show everyone how much of a star you are, against Ilja tonight?! Fans love the sound of that! Corbin asks Ilja really wants “a piece of this” after Battleground. Well, there’s nothing Corbin can bring as hard as Dijak did at Battleground. Ilja shows off the NASTY bruise on his hip! Corbin says that’s cute. That’s one bruise. When Corbin’s done with him, Ilja will be covered in ’em. Ilja welcomes the challenge. Fans fire up, will the Lone Wolf be sent back to the main roster with his tail between his legs?

But wait! Trick shows up to start throwing hands! Fans fire up as Trick is after Corbin, Corbin shoves him back, but Trick clotheslines Corbin out! Fans fire up as the refs back Corbin off. Will Trick get payback on Corbin for that sneak attack on Melo?

Thea Hail finishes training.

She hobbles and says she can barely feel her legs anymore. Duke Hudson finds her but Charlie Dempsey says not bad. He better see her again tomorrow. Oh he’ll see her again! And he’ll see improvement! You bring your A Game! Wait, Duke is confused, what’s going on? Dempsey & Gulak are teaching her how to crunch people! It’s firing her up! Really? Yeah, she’s got all these great grappling holds now! Wanna see? She grabs Duke’s arm in a wristlock! OW! Sorry! But it works, right? Duke says she doesn’t even like those guys! Yeah, but you just gotta give it back to ’em, y’know? Thea shouts, “I’ma kick you in the ass, professor!”

See? They love it! Well, okay, as long as she’s learning. But you can’t just “crunch” someone over the top rope. It’s a battle royal tonight! Yeah, but she can still throw people over. He believes in her, right? Y-yeah… Then let’s go! Thea is fired up, will she crunch and toss everyone else in the ring to get that golden ticket?

Bron Breakker attacks Ilja Dragunov backstage!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew tells The Czar to keep “thinking” he’s the most intense guy in NXT. If Ilja likes pain, how’s that feel? The refs back Bron off, will Dragunov have to go after him and Corbin before going after Melo?

Mixed Six Tag Match: Diamond Mine VS The Schism!

Ivy Nile has had it with Ava Raine, and by extension, the Creed Brothers and the Dyad have gotten at each other. Now things will be settled as all six get in the ring! Will Diamond Mine crush Ava, Rip Fowler & Jagger Reed under the pressure? Or will the roots of Schism’s tree only grow and spread?

NXT returns as Diamond Mine make their entrance. The teams sort out and and Julius starts against Rip. They circle, tie up, and Julius wrenches an arm. Rip whips Julius away, things speed up, and Julius drops to fireman’s carry takeover into an armlock! Rip fights free but Julius just grabs the other arm. Rip fights to his feet, CHOPS, but Julius wrenches the arm. Rip CHOPS, Julius wrenches, but then Rip pulls an ear! Tag to Jagger, the Dyad mugs Julius, and Jagger ROCKS Julius with forearms. Jagger swings again, but Julius gets around to waistlock and SLAM! Jagger fights up, but Julius SLAMS him again!

Julius keeps hold of Jagger to SLAM him again, and KNEE him in the side! Tag to Brutus, and the Creeds pinball Jagger between knees! Brutus drags Jagger up, ROCKS him, and then clamps onto another arm. Tag to Julius, they mug Jagger, but Jagger ELBOWS him away! And then DECKS him! Jagger facelocks, but Julius deadlifts from the floor! Julius stands back up, walks over, and tags in Brutus. Brutus takes the handoff, fans fire up as Brutus keeps Jagger up! Brutus tags Julius back in, takes the handoff back, and then marches around before the SLAM! And then he kips up! Fans fire up, Julius whips but Jagger reverses

Jagger runs in, MONKEY FLIPS, but Julius lands through it! And he DROPKICKS Jagger! Julius whips Jagger, Jagger reverses and CLOBBERS Julius! And Ava tags in! Ava SLAPS Julius! Ivy steps in to calm Julius down, but then Ava tags out to Rip. The Schism trolls Ivy but Julius storms up to shoot in and waistlock, for a SLAM! And then he KNEES Rip in the side! Julius headlocks, Rip powers out but Julius goes up and over and keeps moving. Brutus tags in,. Julius ducks ‘n’ dodges, Brutus AX HANDLES Rip! And then shoots around, but Rips witches. TERMAN SUPLEX, but Brutus lands on his feet!

Brutus trophy lifts Rip, to DROP him, and STANDING MOONSAULT! Fans fire up with Brutus and Julius tags back in. Brutus cross-arm SLAMS Julius onto Rip! And Then Ivy snap suplexes Brutus onto Rip! And then Julius gives Ivy a boost for a SENTON! Fans are thunderous for the Diamond Mine’s combinations, and Ivy calls out Ava! Fans want to see that, too, but NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Rip has Brutus down in a chinlock. Brutus endures, fights up, and fans rally. Brutus pries the hold open, but Rip knees low. Rip ROCKS Brutus, but Brutus ROCKS Rip! And Jagger! And Rip again! Brutus staggers along ropes, but he ELBOWS Rip away. Jagger distracts, Rip shoves Brutus into the ropes! Brutus sputters off that low hotshot, and then Ava sucker punches Ivy! Rip BLASTS Julius, too! Fans boo but Rip tags Jagger. The Dyad whip Brutus into the corner hard, then hit an ASSISTED SLICED BREAD! Cover, TWO!! Brutus survives and The Dyad is frustrated.

Jagger tags Rip back in, the Dyad stomp away on Brutus! Fans boo but The Dyad drag Brutus up. Rip fishhooks Brutus’ face, lets off as the ref counts, and fans rally up. Rip drags Brutus up, suplexes, but Brutus blocks! Brutus suplexes Rip up and over instead! Rip tags Jagger in, Jagger keeps Brutus from the corner with a SLEEPER! Brutus endures, reaches out, marches forward, and fans rally behind him. Hot tag to Julius! Julius CLOBBERS Jagger, OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Rip! Then an OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Jagger! And a kip up! And then an OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Rip! Kip up, and another OVERHEAD for Jagger!

Julius just keeps going, but The Dyad go after him together! SO they get a DOUBLE OVERHEAD SUPELX! Fans are thunderous with Julius, and he runs up the corner, to DOUBLE QUEBRADA! Julius scoops Jagger but Rip makes the save. Julius kicks Rip but Rip RAMS him into the corner! Jagger hits GRIT YOUR TEETH! But Brutus runs in, BRUTUS BALL! Down goes Rip! Jagger ENZIGURIS Brutus, runs, but Julius LARIATS Jagger! Fans fire up, but Jagger SUPERKICKS back! All four men are down and the fans fire up! Ivy grins as she stares Ava down. Julius crawls, hot tag to the Diamond Pitbull!

Fans fire up and even Ava smiles. The two circle, tie up, and they start throwing forearms! Ivy dodges a lariat, KCIKS and KICKS and ROUNDHOUSES! Fans fire up as Ivy runs, and DROPKICKS! Then she runs, but Ava SCORPION KICKS! Ava scoops but Ivy slips out, DIAMOND DRAGON!! But Jagger gets Ivy! So Ivy gets HIM in the DIAMOND DRAGON!! Fans fire up but the ref says Ivy has to let off, it’s only men against men and women against women! But Ava HEADBUTTS Ivy while wearing her plastic mask!! The ref missed that dealing with Jagger! Cover, Schism wins!

Winners: The Schism, by pinfall

Ava snatches victory away from the jaws of the Diamond Pitbull, the Schism gets a big win here tonight. Will we see their roots soon bear golden fruit?

Stacks visits Tony D’Angelo in prison.

Tony’s in the orange jumpsuit as he sits down to talk with Stacks. How’s he been? Good. But guess what? Knuckles is in here! The guy who- SHH! Oh, right. But yeah, Giorgio the Whale gets Tony his paper, and the guards even pitched in so Tony could have a subscription to The Peacock so he can watch the show the next day. That’s great! It’s almost like being in a hotel. Almost. But did Stacks get any more info on this rat? Stacks says he’s put in some calls. Miss Kim Cashstashian will get them off. Whoa, gotta reword that, Stacks.

But anyhow, Tony isn’t sure how he feels with his life in the hands of Cashstashian. Tony might as well play the lottery. Stacks’ gut says it’s Gallus, they didn’t wanna face Tony & Stacks at Battleground. But they’ve got a lot of enemies. This could be Legado, or, or- Is Stacks hearing himself? He’s on a wild goose chase! You’re going around the world to go next door. Trust your gut! It’s Gallus! Get those guys for all they’re worth! Tony swears on his mother’s eyes- Oh, don’t make a threat on the phone… But okay, listen. What Joe Coffey did last week, forget about it. But 3v1 ain’t cutting it.

Then what’s Stacks to do? Visitation time is almost up, so Tony tells Stacks that he’s the Underboss, he can figure it out. Tony leaves, and it is all in Stacks’ hands now.

Robert Stone & Von Wagner go to therapy.

They’re impatiently waiting in the lobby, and Stone tells Von that he hopes this all works out. They have had quite the week trying to find the right fit. Montage: one guy skips the breathing exercise to get to the anger issue. Von says he has no anger issue. But anger management is nothing to be ashamed of. Learning to control it can actually help him. Von tells this guy to GFY. Stone apologizes and pays in cash. Von says that guy was a jackass! Oh and the other guy? Von had that guy up against a wall! Stone again paid for that in cash. Von is on the verge of a breakthrough, so long as he gives things a chance.

One guy comes out crying. Von sighs. He doesn’t wanna do this now. Oh, c’mon, Von! NO! Didn’t you see that guy crying? Von is not a crier! What do you think Von’s dad would think seeing this? Von is NOT walking through this door. But then the therapist walks out. A very lovely lady therapist… Well, maybe Von can give this a shot. But alone. Von winks before the door closes. Is therapy going to be the solution after all?

Blair Davenport VS Dani Palmer!

Who was the assailant of the NXT Women’s Division? It was BLAIR, Dani! It was Blair all along! And now that she’s back, will she tear through what’s left of the roster to get at the title? Or can Dani avenge Sol Ruca, Nikkita Lyons and everyone else Blair terrorized?

The bell rings and Dani rushes in! They tie up, go around, and Blair puts Dani on ropes. The ref counts, Dani turns nit around but Blair turns it back around. Blair lets off at 4, to SLAP Dani! Dani SLAPS Blair! Blair kicks low, whips her to a corner, but Dani goes up and over and handsprings away. Blair chases, but runs into headscissors! Blair blocks to SLAM Dani down, then BOOT her out of the ring! Blair goes out after Dani, puts her in the ring, then CLOBBERS her! Fans rally for Dani but Blair drags Dani up to whip. Blair KNEES low, gut wrenches and GUTBUSTERS! Then she throws Dani into ropes!

Fans rally for Dani as she sputters, but Blair clamps on with a waistlock. Blair SLAMS Dani, holds onto the waistlock, and squeezes with a rear bearhug. Fans rally as Dani fights up, and she fights free with elbows! Dani switches, rolls up, TWO! Blair kicks Dani low! Fans boo but Blair whips Dani to kitchen sink knee! Blair soaks up the heat, she KNEES Dani in the side, then stalks her around the way. Blair kicks Dani around, KICKS her in the side, but Dani grits her teeth. Dani blocks the next kick, but Blair ROCKS her with a forearm! Dani hits back, kicks low, and UPPERCUTS! And CHOPS! And DOUBLE KNEES! Cover, TWO!

Dani goes to a corner and climbs up. Blair grabs Dani’s hair to TOSS her to the mat! Blair then sits Dani up, has the wrists, KAMI-GOYE! And then, FALCON ARROW! Cover, Blair wins!

Winner: Blair Davenport, by pinfall

Blair satiates her appetite for violence, and says she has just put the entire roster on notice! Will even Tiffany Stratton have to beware the heir?

Dana Brooke arrives?!

Another callback to NXT is here, and she wants in on the battle royal. There’s a lot of buzz in NXT now, so Dana will make her own opportunities when she is the last woman standing! Will the Flex Appeal grab that golden ticket for herself?

Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.

McKenzie Mitchell says the battle royal was Tiffany’s idea, but now Dana Brooke is here and wants in on the match. Tiffany stops McKenzie there. Tiffany would say she’s shocked, but she’s not. Of course Dana wants a shot at Tiffany’s title. Come one, come all. Sometimes the title makes the superstar, but in this case, Tiffany has made this title the most desirable belt in all of the WWE. And every single woman in that battle royal is envious of what Tiffany has. Are you kidding me? NO ONE was happy Tiffany won. But Tiffany has no problem proving she’s in a class of her own. So who does she think wins tonight?

“TBH, Lyra is the only one I can see pulling it off. I mean, she pushed me at Battleground. Like, damn, gurl, you were almost at the Tiffy Top. But it won’t matter, because the result will stay the same on the other side: And still NXT Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton! I just love the sound of that. Tootles.”

Baron Corbin VS Trick Williams!

The Lone Wolf is looking down on the new generation of NXT, and Trick Willie isn’t gonna stand for it! Will Trick represent for Trick Melo Gang? Or will Corbin bring about the End of Days for this new “arrogant” era?

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally up, the two tie up but Corbin knees low. Corbin CLUBS Trick, stalks him to ropes, and puts him in a corner. Corbin throws body shots and CLUBS Trick again, to then whip corner to corner. Trick hits buckles hard, and then Corbin CLOBBERS Trick! Fans boo but Corbin stands Trick up to throw hands. Corbin CHOKES Trick on the ropes, lets off at 4, and argues with the ref. Trick drags himself up, but Corbin shoves him into ropes to CLUB him in the back! Corbin taunts Trick, stomps him, and then swings, but Trick counter punches! Trick fires off fist after fist, but Corbin knees low again!

Corbin CLUBS Trick, but fans taunt “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Corbin puts Trick in a corner, whips him corner to corner, and runs in to SPLASH! Trick sputters but Corbin stands him up. Corbin talks trash on Trick, but Trick ROCKS him with forearms! Fans fire up and Trick runs, but Corbin CLOBBERS Trick again! Corbin looms over Trick and he taunts the fans. Fans boo, Corbin whips Trick corner to corner again, then runs in, but Trick dodges! Trick fires off fast hands! The ref counts, Trick stomps away, but Trick lets off, and dodges Corbin to DROPKICK him! Corbin staggers, into a POP-UP HAYMAKER!

Corbin falls out of the ring and Trick dares him to come back for more as NXT goes picture in picture.

Trick storms out after Corbin, drags him up, and RAMS him into barriers. Trick stalks Corbin around the way, CHOPS him against barriers, and then brings him up. Trick RAMS Corbin into barriers, the fans rally up, and Trick CHOPS Corbin again! Trick refreshes the ring count, puts Corbin back in, but Corbin kicks the ropes! The ropes get Trick low, and Corbin fires off fast hands! The ref counts, Corbin lets off and he has Trick in a corner. Corbin reels Trick in for a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Corbin scowls as he looms over Trick. Corbin clamps on a half nelson and chinbar, and he thrashes Trick around.

Trick endures, fans rally up, and Trick fights up to throw body shots. Corbin shoves Trick away, Trick ducks ‘n’ dodges to CLOBBER Corbin! Cover, TWO!  Trick fires off on Corbin at the ropes, drags him up, brings him in and suplexes! Corbin writhes, Trick pushes him down, and Trick rains down forearms! Then Trick covers, TWO! Trick clamps on with a headlock and he grinds Corbin down. Corbin fights up, and hits another BIG back suplex! Fans rally while both men are down, and Corbin crawls over to Trick. Corbin hammers away with elbows! Corbin hears the fans rallying, and he clamps onto Trick with the chinbar half nelson.

Trick endures as Corbin leans on the hold. Trick fights up, but Corbin wrangles him back down! Corbin thrashes Trick as NXT returns to single picture. Fans rally for Trick and Trick fights up again. Trick arm-drags free, runs in and ROCKS Corbin! Corbin flops to the apron, Trick BLASTS him off it! Trick goes out to SMACK Corbin off the desk! Corbin wobbles and flops over, Trick runs in, but Corbin moves! Trick knees only the desk! Corbin has his opening, he punches away on the knee! The ref has the ring count climbing as Corbin pulls on the arm. Corbin lets off, refreshes the count, and he drags Trick up.

Corbin RAMS Trick into the steel steps, making sure those knees hit hard! Trick writhes and clutches the leg while fans boo and gives Corbin thumbs down. Corbin puts Trick in the ring, and he stomps away on the bad leg! Fans chant “CORBIN SUCKS!” but Corbin stands Trick up to whip and SPINEBUSTER! Corbin has the leg for a HALF CRAB! Trick endures, fans rally, and Trick reaches out! Trick gets the ROPEBREAK! Corbin lets go fast, Trick kicks him with the good leg! But Corbin grabs that leg, so Trick EDDY GORDO KICKS! Fans rally, Trick and Corbin rise, and Corbin storms over.

Trick fires body shots and counter punches! Trick has Corbin in a corner and he fires off! Corbin shoves Trick, Trick comes back to DROPKICK! And then wrench and JUMP KNEE! Trick runs to FLYING SHOULDER TACKLE! Fans fire up with Trick and he runs in again, SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Corbin survives but Trick stalks him to ropes. Corbin elbows low, choke grips, and CHOKE- NO, Trick fights out, EDDY GORDO KICK 2! Trick runs, but into DEEP SIX! Cover, TWO!! Trick survives and Corbin is beside himself! Fans rally as Corbin storms up on Trick. “This is Awesome!” as Corbin puts Trick up top.

Corbin climbs up but Trick CLUBS away on him! Trick sends Corbin away, hops off the corner, but Corbin returns. Trick dodges to POST Corbin! Trick fires off big haymakers! Fans fire up and Trick DECKS Corbin! Trick wants more, he waits on Corbin to stand, Trick spins but the leg gives out! Corbin kicks low, reels Trick in, END OF DAYS! Cover, Corbin wins!

Winner: Baron Corbin, by pinfall

Trick fought valiantly, but one miscalculation cost him. Corbin says he’s going back to SmackDown to go qualify for Money in the Bank, then he’ll be back next Tuesday. Will Melo be back to get back at Corbin directly?

NXT presents an all-new Hard Hitting Home Truths.

Nathan Frazer welcomes us back to HHHT. Now we’re nine days removed from Battlegrounds, and the landscape never stops shifting. Tiffany is the new Women’s Champion, Wes Lee is breaking every single record in the book, Ilja Dragunov is not human–though that’s not exactly news–and we have Free Agents popping up left, right and middle. But most importantly, Noam Dar has a new pack o’ friends who helped him hold onto his “precious baby,” the Heritage Cup. They were useful enough to help him retain, but not enough to gain another title, as “a couple of fine, handsome gentlemen” in Nathan and Dragon Lee saw to that.

However, Noam is still Heritage Cup Champion, and while Nathan is not really fond of this new Supernova group, he and everyone else will just have to “deal with it.” Speaking of, here is a special guest who feels the same way about Dar as he does. That’s right, HHHT is going global with their “Senior International Correspondent,” Mr. Dragon Lee. Dragon appears on set and he says mucho gracias, and (in Spanish) for this opportunity to be part of this premier show. Uh, si! Dragon does have in his hand a list of the top five names for Dar’s new super group.

CINCO: Two Awful Chat Show Hosts, Plus Two. QUATRO: The Oro Mensah Experience. TRES: The Jakara Jackson Five! Well, minus one. DOS: The Long Lost Legend of Lash Legend. And numero UNO: Noam’s Rent-a-Friends! Nathan says number one is the best because it is the truest. And after Battleground, Dar is running out of surprises, and needs new challengers. The hard-hitting truth here is that Dar is fragile and he knows it. Nathan beat Dar in a regular match, so here’s a proposal: Dar VS Frazer for the Cup next week! And Dragon will return the favor by being in Nathan’s corner!

Frazer thanks Dragon for that, and so, they will love ya and leave ya. They’ve been Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee, and Dar… Ball’s in your court. Peace. Will the British Rocket get his shot at the Cup? Or will he not be able to reach the Scottish Supernova?

Backstage interview with Mustafa Ali.

McKenzie is with The Beacon, nothing how he shocked the entire world when he showed up during Bate & Wes VS The Dyad. What brings him here to NXT? He is Free Agent Ali, baby! He can show up wherever he wants! And now, Ali is the one riding the storm. The next chapter Ali will write is titled, “Mustafa Ali Finally Wins Gold.” Then before he faces off against Joe Gacy- Wait, Wes Lee walks in. Wes has to let everyone know how excited he is that Ali is here! And talking about gold, uh, well Wes wants to make sure- Ali stops Wes there. Don’t do that. Don’t hand Ali a chance. Ali wants to earn it, like Wes did!

And that starts with Gacy. Maybe down the road, it will be Ali VS Lee for the title. That is, if Wes is still champ by then. Jokes aside, Wes wishes Ali luck, but will The Beacon shine bright on the white ‘n’ gold brand? Or will The Schism’s roots continue to grow tonight?

Mustafa Ali VS Joe Gacy!

NXT returns as Mr. Inclusion makes his entrance. The bell rings, the two circle, and they tie up. They break, and then tie up again. Ali headlocks, Gacy throws hands but Ali ROCKS Gacy! Ali headlocks, Gacy powers out and then CLOBBERS Ali! Fans rally as Gacy fires off on Ali in the corner. Gacy whips corner to corner, runs in, but Ali goes up and over! Things speed up,. Ali ducks ‘n’ dodges and RANAS! Fans fire up as Gacy flounders. Ali storms up but Gacy dumps him out! Ali skins the cat, shoulders in, and ROCKS Gacy again! Ali slingshots but Gacy SHOVES him down! Fans boo as Ali crashes to the floor!

Gacy goes out after Ali, drags him back into the ring, and then hurries to cover, TWO! Gacy clamps onto Ali with a chinlock but fans rally. Ali fights with body shots, and a CHOP! Ali whips, Gacy reverses and reels Ali in, URENAGE! Cover, TWO! Ali is hanging tough but Gacy clamps on with a chinbar. Fans rally as Ali endures. Ali fights up, throws body shots, but Gacy CLUBS him o the back. Gacy back suplexes, Ali lands on his feet, but Gacy DDTS! Cover, TWO! Ali survives and goes to a corner but Gacy goes to the opposite. Gacy runs in, but Ali slips out and Gacy hits buckles! Ali ROUNDHOUSES, slingshots and BLOCKBUSTERS!

Fans fire up and Ali goes up the corner! Gacy hurries to ROCK Ali first! Gacy goes up after Ali, but Ali fights the superplex! Ali throws headbutts, then SMACKS Gacy off buckles! Ali stands up to SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! Ali then skins the cat to the top rope, and fans fire up as Ali 450 SPLASHES!! Cover, ALI WINS!

Winner: Mustafa Ali, by pinfall

But then The Dyad attacks! Rip & Jagger won’t let Ali celebrate, they stomp away while Gacy drags Ali down,. But then here come Wes Lee & Tyler Bate! They fire off, SUPERKICK Rip, Bop and BANG for Jagger! Gacy sees he’s surrounded, he turns around into a SUPERKICK from Ali! Fans fire up as the Beacon, the Big Strong Boi & The Cardiac Kid send the Schism running! Will they have to tear down The Schism’s tree before they can talk title matches?

Fallon Henley, Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs talk backstage.

Tonight, the main event is a battle royal for a shot at the women’s title. Jensen knows Fallon is ready, Fallon says she’s ready, she feels tonight is her night. But wait, Malik Blade & Edris Enofe walk up. They say Briggs & Jensen were “the ones who started all this.” Hank ‘n’ Tank fought each other to get closer, so now Malik wants to fight Edris! Fallon excuses herself to get ready, and the guys talk. Jensen says it really did work for Hank ‘n’ Tank, and Briggs says it really did work for him and Jensen. Did it really? Okay, let’s find out. What is Jensen’s favorite color? Blue. Yeah, right here on the shirt.

Okay, okay, that was an easy one. Edris then asks Jensen when is Briggs’ birthday. Jensen thinks back… March 5th. BINGO! See? They are good! Malik asks Edris if he knows his birthday. But then Hank ‘n’ Tank walk in, they’re talking country songs. Hank’s a Boy Named Sue guy all the way. Right! Johnny Cash is the man! But Tank likes the modern stuff, like Taylor Swift. Bingo! Tank is a big T. Swifty boy. What the what? But Tank says after Fallon wins that battle royal, let’s all go get some brewskis. Now he’s talking their language! But uh, do Malik & Edris want in? They’ll catch up later. Alright! Laters!

Malik asks Edris if he’s thinking what Malik is thinking. Well after this past week, clearly not! But then Gallus walk up. Don’t worry, lads. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the same page or not, because you’d never beat Gallus for the titles. Gallus Boys On Top, no one else has to play stupid games. Malik nods to Edris and Edris gives in. They’re doing this next week, huh? OH YEAH! Malik VS Edris is happening! Edris accepts his fate, and asks his phone when IS Malik’s birthday.

Backstage interview with Noam Dar and his crew.

McKenzie asks the Heritage Cup Champion about Nathan Frazer’s challenge. And also, what is up with his group? Oh, his group? No, this is THEIR group. When you’re the Supernova, you have to be surrounded by stars, and that is what he has here. This is a collection of shooting stars with unlimited potential! Starting with Dar’s main man, Mensah. Oro is underappreciated, undervalued, but no more! Dar is the one who believed in Oro, got him on a premium event, and has Oro flying in a new stratosphere. And that’s just the beginning. We have Action Ms. Jakara Jackson, a world class athlete who competed on the Titan Gams! And now she’s a titan in this game!

Jakara says she’s sugar, spice, and everything that ain’t so nice. Heard that? And last but not least. Lash THEE Legend! She will beat you physically, emotionally, mentally, she is a GOAT in the making! One of one! Does McKenzie not know what’s going on right here? The screen can’t handle all this brightness, they’re shinin’ shinin’. Five trophies, one picture, okay? But then about Nathan’s challenge. Ugh. If he wants a cup match, remember two things: Dar is NEVER losing the Cup; and there is no stopping… The Meta Four. CHECK PLEASE, bye bye!

Eddy Thorpe VS Damon Kemp!

The Alpha Wolf won once before, but it didn’t humble the Golden Gopher one bit. Will this be a clean sweep? Or will Kemp make Eddy feel like trash, and then make him pick it up?

NXT returns and Kemp makes his entrance. The bell rings, the two tie up, and they go around. Kemp puts Thorpe on the ropes, the ref counts, and Kemp lets off with a shove. Thorpe comes back, arm-drags, headlocks and hits the takeover. Kemp keeps his shoulder up and fights up, but Thorpe holds onto the headlock. Kemp lifts, but Thorpe still holds on! Kemp throws body shots, powers out, but Thorpe reverses the whip to SPINNING CROSSBODY! Direct hit, Thorpe drags Kemp around by his legs, but Kemp kicks free. Thorpe runs up to BOOT Kemp to a corner! Thorpe storms up but into a BOOT from Kemp!

Thorpe CHOPS in return! Thorpe whips, Kemp reverses, but Thorpe goes up, only to get caught! ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Cover, TWO! Kemp stomps away on Thorpe, drags him up, but Thorpe CHOPS! Kemp ducks the next chop to RAM low, UPPERCUT, and shove, to then OVERHEAD Belly2Belly! Fans rally, Kemp stalks Thorpe, and Kemp drops elbow after elbow! Kemp scrapes his sole off Thorpe’s face, then clamps on with a chinlock. But Thorpe fights with elbows! Kemp still hits an IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Kemp talks trash, stomps Thorpe, and then pulls on Thorpe in a chinlock stretch.

Fans rally for “EDDY! EDDY!” but Kemp bends him back! Thorpe fights, but Kemp body scissors to keep Thorpe down. Fans still rally, Thorpe fights up, and Thorpe throws body shots! Thorpe is free, he bobs ‘n’ weaves and throws more shots! Thorpe CHOPS and COHPS and whips, to CLOBBER kemp! And DECK him! Kemp gets up, Thorpe blocks, SOBATS, and PELES! Thorpe runs, to ELBOW DROP! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Kemp survives but Thorpe is on him. Kemp wrenches, Thorpe switches, they run into the ref! Kemp gets a cheap shot in, but Thorpe switches on Kemp to GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, Kemp’s foot is on the ropes, but the ref misses it! Thorpe wins!!

Winner: Eddy Thorpe, by pinfall

Kemp complains, he says Thorpe is winning by cheating again! The ref says the decision is final, but are we going to get a round three out of these two?

Gigi Dolin is on the phone.

She talks with her brother Miles and says this is her chance to finally be NXT Women’s Champion. The Weaponized Steel Cage aside, Gigi isn’t going to let anything stop her. She’ll be fine, he just needs to stay out of trouble, okay? Love you, bye. Kiana James walks over and says that’s the “before” phone call. Can’t wait to hear the “after.” Sorry, she came up short again. But they’re used to it. Oh so that’s how Gigi sounds to Kiana? Kiana tells Gigi not to put unrealistic ideas in her brother’s head, like her winning the battle royal. An outcast, with Gigi’s background and emotional instability, will always fall short.

Gigi would rather have her background, as bad as it was, over being a stuck-up elitist like Kiana. Gigi can’t wait to see the smug look on Kiana’s face as she sends her sailing over the top rope and wins. But then Dabba-Kato walks past and everyone clams up. Will Dabba destroy Scrypts for saving Axiom?

Dabba-Kato VS SCRYPTS!

NXT returns as Reggie- er, Scrypts makes his entrance. A wrestler by any other name still flies as high as him, but will he be able to get up and over the mountain of a main before him?

The bell rings, Scrypts dodges a lariat to mule kick, but Dabba barely budges! Scrypts throws a haymaker, but Dabba barely flinches. Scrypts fires more shots, but Dabba grabs him! Scrypts breaks free, runs, but Dabba CLOBBERS him! Dabba whips Scrypts to a corner, Scrypts goes up to AX HANDLE! Scrypts keeps moving, he kicks and CHOPS and runs, but Dabba BOOTS him inside out! Dabba drags Scrypts up to scoop and SLAM him! And then scoop and SLAM again! And then scoop and SLAM again! Dabba looms over Scrypts, drags him up right into a BEARHUG! Scrypts endures the squeeze, CLUBS Dabba again and again, and gets free!

Dabba wobbles but he gets Scrypts up, to TOSS him out of the ring! Scrypts tumbles to the floor, Dabba goes out after him, and drags him back up to CHOP against the desk! Dabba roars while fans boo, but he hauls Scrypts up again to scoop, but wait! AXIOM is there! Where’d he come from/ Dabba SHOVES Axiom down, puts Scrypts in the ring, and storms up to grab Scrypts with both hands. But Axiom is up top, he leaps, Dabba dodges, and then chases Axiom off. Dabba turns around, into Scrypts’ SLINGSHOT ELBOW! Dabba staggers around, he rushes in but into buckles! Scrypts table tops Dabba to cover, SCRYPTS WINS!!

Winner: SCRYPTS, by pinfall

But Dabba drags Scrypts right up for a TOSS! And he SWATS Axiom out of the sky! Dabba SLAMS Axiom onto Scrypts! Fans boo as Dabba looms over them both. Will nothing stop Dabba from storming his way up to a title?

The Schism regroups backstage.

Gacy is furious! “This phony friendship of Wes and Tyler makes me sick! It’s as pathetic as Ali’s positive mental attitude drivel! Next week, we will expose this union of convenience!” Rip says yes, they will! But don’t forget that tonight, The Schism reminded everyone of their strength. They secured a great win over Diamond Mine. Yes, that they did. They’ve pulled their weight, they’ve shown the world what The Schism can be. Gacy, however, has fallen short. He fell short tonight and lost at Battleground. He must reflect and rectify. Ava says one root cannot stabilize an entire tree, no matter how strong it is. Jagger says next week, they have his back.

Mustafa Ali regroups with Tyler Bate and Wes Lee backstage.

He appreciates them having his back, and Wes says it was them returning the favor. And Bate says next week, in a Six Man Tag, they’ll tear “that rotten Schism tree” out, roots and all. Wes tells Ali that Bate says stuff like that, just roll with it. Well, okay, that’s great, but Ali feels like there’s still some magic between Wes and Bate. At Battleground, it was all about the spirit of competition. And in a Triple Threat, luck is just as important as skill. They love this! They love competition! Everyone wants to see it again, and this time, it can be 1v1! Bate says it has crossed his mind. But he doesn’t want to jeopardize the friendship.

Wes says with Bate coming to him face to face on it now, he respects it. They secret handshake, Bate says that’s Wes’ weird thing you gotta roll with. Well, okay. Ali will be on SmackDown this Friday for an MITB qualifier, next Tuesday is the Six Man Tag. And then the Tuesday after that, we can figure out when Bate and Wes tear the house down. They’re all for it! Is the Summer already heating up for the North American Championship?

NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royal!

Tiffany Stratton truly became the Center of the Universe when she become champion, but that also means she’s surrounded on all sides by those aiming for her belt. Who wins here to be the one with the golden ticket to Tiffany’s first title defense?

NXT returns and Roxanne Perez makes her entrance to join an already packed ring. And last but not least, Dana Brooke makes her entrance! The Flex Appeal is here as a Free Agent, will she be the wild card that wins it all? The bell rings, and the brawl is on! Cora of course goes after Roxie, but Dana helps Valentina Feroz fight Jakara Jackson! Gigi is after Elektra Lopez, Yulisa Leon has Tatum Paxley, Fallon and Kiana go after each other for old time’s sake. Lash swings someone around and clips opponent after opponent! Jakara and Lash help Cora with Roxie and a few others, Jacy clotheslines someone up and out.

Jacy ducks the counter punch to ROLLING ELBOW and ELIMINATE them! Jacy says this is all about her, but fans boo. Dana throws Jakara out, kicks her off the apron, but Oro catches her! Jakara applauds the assist and he helps her back into the ring. Cora DUMPS and ELIMINATES Ariana Grace! Fans boo as Cora laughs at her, but then she and Jacy mug some other superstars. Jacy is after Jakara, Kiana is after Gigi for their little backstage argument, and Thea fights off Tatum. Gigi runs at Kiana, Kiana puts her out but Gigi KNEES back! Gigi drags Kiana up and over to join her! They brawl on the apron!

Fans fire up as Gigi UPPERCUTS Kiana down! But then Kiana kicks Gigi’s legs out! Gigi tumbles and hits the steel steps, then the floor! Kiana ELIMINATES Gigi! Kiana tells Gigi to go call her little brother. Jacy stomps Tatum, Lash fires off hands on Kelani Jordan but Kelani dodges, comes back, only to be clotheslined out to the apron! But Kelani dodges, swings around the corner post, but Jakara trips her up! Kelani falls, Jakara ELIMINATES her! Fallon ROCKS Lash, CHOPS Jakara, and Roxie helps out! Fallon puts Jakara out, fires hands, but Jakara HOTSHOTS! Oro says good work, but Fallon BOOTS Jakara!

Oro catches Jakara again, but then Thea hurries over! Thea SPRINGBOARD TRUST FALLS Oro and Jakara down! Thea ELIMINATES Jakara, but she is safe cuz she went under the top rope! Lash slides out to go after Thea, but ends up in a KIMURA! Lash scoops Thea, and SNAKE EYES her off the steel steps! The ref reprimands but there’s no disqualifications in such a match. Lash leaves Thea behind, only for Feroz & Leon to go after her! She BOOTS them away, but Leon gives Feroz the boost to RANA Lash out! Lash stays on the apron, fires back, but Leon ELBOWS Lashl! Leon goes up and out to go after Lash!

Las Latinas trip and DOUBLE BOOT Lash to ELIMINATE her! They celebrate, but then Lash & Jakara YANK them both off the apron to ELIMINATE them!! And now they brawl! Oro shouts for help, but the battle rages on in and outside the ring as NXT goes picture in picture.

Dana brawls with Cora, Dana BOOTS Cora, and Roxie stomps Jacy. Tatum brawls with Fallon, Elektra has Lyra in a corner. Cora fights off Dana and Kiana while Elektra digs a boto in on Lyra. Roxie throws Jacy up and out but Jacy holds on to fight her off. Lyra scoops Elektra?! What strength! But Elektra lands safe on the apron and tries to drag Lyra up and over with her! Lyra resists, throws elbows, and Elektra wobbles! Lyra WRECKS Elektra with a dropkick and ELIMINATES her! Tatum SLAPS Dana but Dana fires off forearms on her! Cora and Jacy mug Lyra, Kiana keeps on Roxie, and Fallon tires to help Dana.

Tatum fights them off, Dana DECKS Fallon, and then Tatum ROCKS Dana! Tatum bumps Dana off buckles, stomps away, and Cora stomps away on Lyra. Fallon bumps Jacy off buckles, stomps away, and Roxie holds onto ropes as Kiana tries to dump her out. Tatum and Dana brawl more, Dana kicks Tatum down, and NXT returns to single picture. Blair Davenport appears? She wasn’t officially in this match, is she going to insert herself into it? Roxie UPPERCUTS Kiana in a corner, she dodges Jacy to send her into Kiana, then UPPERCUTS them both! Roxie snarls, but Cora grabs her former friend, only for Roxie to turn it around! RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP!

Blair taunts Roxie, who was one of her targets, so Roxie goes out after her! THESZ PRESS and fast hands! Blair shoves Roxie away, whips, but Roxie reverses to send Blair into the apron! BACKHAND, and POP- NO, Tatum saves Blair to CROSSBODY Roxie! Tatum ELIMINATES herself, but she and Blair stomp away on Roxie! They throw Roxie back in, and Jacy slithers up behind. Jacy dumps Roxie up and out to ELIMINATE her!! Jacy says Roxie is a loser, but Lyra stalks up behind her! ENZIGURI! Lyra fires off kicks on Cora, dodges Dana, and goes up to MISSILE DROPKICK! Fans fire up as Fallon runs in, but Lyra blocks to HEEL KICK!

Lyra drags Fallon up, scoops her and puts her on the ropes, but Fallon is safe on the apron. Lyra DECKS Fallon, but Jacy TOSSES Lyra! Lyra skins the cat, headscissors Jacy and throws her out to ELIMINATE her! Fans fire up, but then Cora DROPKCIKS Lyra down to ELIMINATE her! Fans boo as Cora laughs at Lyra and blows a kiss. Now we just have Fallon, Cora, Dana and Kiana. Fallon DECKS Cora, DECKS Kiana, ROCKS Dana, then ELBOWS Kiana, and THROWS Dana! Cora returns but Fallon CHOPS her! Fallon runs up the corner, steadies herself, BLOCKBUSTER for Cora! But Kiana RAMS Fallon into a corner!

Kiana reels Fallon in but Fallon doges to ROCK Kiana! Fallon goes up but Kiana shoves her over! Fallon stays on the apron, gets under Kiana, and BACK DROPS her out of the ring! Fallon ELIMINATES Kiana! Dana rushes in, Fallon slides under, sunset flip but Dana rolls through, so Fallon DECKS her! Cora runs in but Fallon dodges to ROCK her! Cora ROCKS back! Dana DOUBLE LARIATS them both! Fans are torn, but Dana runs in at Fallon to handspring back elbow! Dana handspring back elbows Cora! Dana goes back to Fallon, but Fallon headscissors! Dana shoves Fallon away to ELIMINATE her!

Cora goes after Dana! Dana shoulders in, but Cora DROPKCIKS Dana! Dana clutches onto ropes but Cora stomps away! Dana gets back in, both women run, and DOUBLE LARIATS take them down! But wait! Chase U’s student section remembers, Thea is STILL in this match! Thea rises and she has her chance! Thea shakes the ropes, runs in and Cora says she and Dana should work together. Dana says no no, she and Thea will work together! They kick Cora, double whip, and lift her up! Cora fights free, kicks Dana away but Thea dodges! Thea runs, Cora ducks and Thea CLOBBERS Dana! Cora attacks and TOSSES Thea!

Thea holds onto the ropes, Dana storms up to DECK Cora! Thea GAMANGIRIS Cora, gets in, but Dana kicks her. Dana runs, ROLLING NECKBREAKER! Cora returns to SHINING WIZARD Dana in a corner! And then runs to SHINING WIZARD at the ropes! And then SHINING- NO, Dana blocks, Thea dumps them BOTH!! Thea wins!!

Winner: Thea Hail (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT Women’s Champion)

The Chase U student section storms the court! Er, ring! They celebrate as one of their own has herself a title shot! Even Duke, Gulak & Dempsey applaud. Even Haley & Hanna Cavinder, NXT’s newest NIL prospects, are here to celebrate with Thea! Will Chase U finally have some gold thanks to their ultimate underdog?

NXT Media catches Bron Breakker as he is leaving the building.

NXT Media asks him why he attacked Ilja Dragunov. Why? He isn’t gonna let Ilja spit out garbage about being the most intense guy in the WWE. Bron is gonna hold everyone accountable, from top to bottom. And speaking of the top, how about the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Freakin’ Rollins? The workhorse of the WWE? How about he proves it. Rollins knows how things are done in NXT cuz he was the first-ever NXT Champion! And Bron was the most DOMINANT NXT Champion ever! So Rollins should come back to NXT to put the World Heavyweight Championship on the line… against Bron? Will the Visionary accept that challenge?

My Thoughts:

A great episode for NXT here and we’re in some exciting times right now. Corbin isn’t usually must-see but he did show up last week so we gotta know what that’s about. He of course goes with the usual trope of “this generation doesn’t appreciate anything, they don’t understand,” which oddly was very much where they had JBL going with all his promos when he was Corbin’s manager. But I like that Dragunov got in Corbin’s face, and that Trick Williams took the fight to Corbin. I think tonight was the first time I heard a “This is Awesome!” chant during a Corbin match, but he and Trick were great out there. Corbin of course wins, he needs momentum going towards Melo and the title.

Bron attacking Dragunov was quite the surprise, but it seems the next chapter for him is to double down on the aggression and go after everyone who claims to be better at the things he claims to be. Calling out Rollins was an even bigger surprise, but I would love seeing Rollins having a return to NXT, as I know the live audience there would love seeing it. Could these “callbacks” and callouts be how NXT brute forces its way to being the third brand once and for all?

That question aside, great stuff building with The Schism and the North American Championship. Really good Mixed Six, and I loved that string of human weapon moves from Diamond Mine, especially Ivy suplexes Brutus. But of course The Schism cheats a win in that one. Ali VS Gacy was surprisingly short, but I suppose it builds towards story on both ends. Gacy feels like he’s letting the team down but they’re still standing with him, and Ali seems to be literally match making. The Six Man of Ali, Bate & Wes VS Schism is going to be great, and I bet we get Bate VS Wes on TV since Great American Bash is so far away still.

We got good matches out of Thorpe VS Kemp and Dabba-Kato VS SCRYPTS. A little surprised Thorpe won again with some controversy, I would’ve thought they’d go the other way and have Kemp win by controversy. And in Dabba VS Scrypts, I should’ve figured Axiom would show up. Scrypts gets the win but Dabba has the last laugh, so I sense a handicap match in the future. WWE has done 2 Faces VS 1 Heel before, but it never felt like it was a situation where the Heel was really so much more powerful. In this case, it will work because Dabba is as big as Scrypts and Axiom combined.

Good prison visitation promo, especially that Kardashian joke. Stacks keeps saying it’s Gallus but that just means it isn’t Gallus. But Tony is giving him permission to do what he needs to in order to bring Gallus down, I wonder if Stacks recruits people to the D’Angelo Family for a Six Man Tag. Also, good stuff out of the tag division with everyone doing the mind meld and irritating Malik. Malik VS Edris will be a fun match, who knows how that goes. I feel like NXT could even be building things to a massive NXT Tag Team Championship match for Great American Bash, like the Ladder Fatal 4 Ways of old.

Hard Hitting Home Truths was alright, but those names Dragon Lee came up with for Dar’s group felt more like something HBK and Road Dogg would come up with. But Dar and his group had a good promo in return, and their name, “The Meta Four” is much better than those five names. Frazer VS Dar is going to be great stuff, but with just Dragon Lee, I don’t see Frazer having a chance with Oro, Jakara and Lash all out there. But in tonight’s main event, it looks like they could’ve been building some women’s tag feuds. Lash & Jakara went after Yulisa & Valentina, that could be some good stuff, and we could see Yulisa & Valentina side with Dragon & Frazer as their own quartet.

And speaking of that battle royal, good promo from Gigi and Kiana beforehand, and same for Thea’s promo earlier on. Gigi and Kiana feuding seems to be the next move, helping Gigi build up momentum while Tiffany takes care of her first defense. Roxie brawling with Blair made sense, but I did not see Tatum joining Team Blair. Maybe Dani helps Roxie against them since she was also a target, and also lost to Blair tonight. Great moving of pieces to have Thea out of commission until the end and then finish it up with a big win over Dana and Cora. Thea got that like, Lex Luger beat Yokozuna celebration, where even future superstars, Haley & Hanna Cavinder, got to show up for it.

Now, Thea and Tiffany are going to have an awesome build to their match, they’re going to have an awesome match, but with this being Tiff’s first defense and there being the bigger Chase U story, I don’t see Thea winning. If only NXT had a women’s midcard title, Thea and a few other names could be fighting for that. Just not sure what to name it, as the WWE already uses the phrases Intercontinental, United States and North American, and they wouldn’t want to copy AEW’s International Championship. WWE hasn’t had a Television Championship in 20 years, so giving that concept to the women’s division would be pretty cool.

My Score: 8.8/10

Will The Judgment Day truly run Monday nights?

In his first defense of the NEW World Heavyweight Championship, Seth Rollins defend against Damian Priest! Will this be the Visionary’s Judgment Day?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier: Becky Lynch VS Sonya Deville w/ Chelsea Green; Becky wins and advances to MITB.
• Kevin Owens w/ Sami Zayn VS GUNTHER w/ Imperium; Gunther wins.
• Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance; Ronda & Shayna win.
• Ricochet VS Shinsuke Nakamura; Nakamura wins, by disqualification.
• Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier: Zoey Stark w/ Trish Stratus VS Natalya; Zoey wins and advances to MITB.
• Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal & Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin; No Contest.
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins VS Damian Priest; Rollins wins and retains the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Seth Rollins heads to the ring!

Fans cheer as The Visionary, in a suit as shiny as his World Heavyweight Championship, swaggers down the ramp. And of course, Rollins revels in the fans singing “WHOA~ OH~ OHHH~!” Rollins then gets the mic to tell Hartford, Connecticut, “Welcome to Monday Night Rollins!” Rollins has to tell us, that one week as World Heavyweight Champion has been a non-stop partay~! But in the midst of it all, Rollins got to thinking, “When was the last time we had a Heavyweight Championship match right here live on Raw?” And he had to go into the Way Back Machine, because it has been nearly two years!

Fans boo that it’s been that long, but Rollins says he though to himself, “Two years is too damn long.” So what he did is that he went to the Twitterverse, and he put out the challenge for the world title right here tonight in Hartford! And that open challenge was answered by the Judgment Day’s Damian Priest. Fans boo but Rollins says, “I gotta be honest with you guys. I’m kinda psyched about it.” And he is psyched because he said he wanted all the fights and to fight the best. Love ’em or hate ’em, Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor & Damian Priest are as good as it gets. And Rollins looks forward to the match here tonight to show us all that as good as they are, they just ain’t him!

Because Rollins is a Visionary! Rollins is a Revolutionary! But wait, here comes the Judgment Day. Finn & Priest go down the ramp and Rollins asks them why! Why are they coming out here now while he’s saying all these nice things about them and then they interrupt. Wait, wait, there’s only two of them so where are Dom & Rhea? Are they sneaking in from the fans? Are they making out under the ring? Ew, never mind. But Priest tells Rollins that Dom & Rhea have their own business to worry about. And Rollins should only be worrying about Priest. Wait, just Priest? But it’s not just Priest, cuz Finn is here so…

Rollins knows they’re boys, but do they do everything together? Does Finn hold the door open for Priest when they go to nice restaurants? Or maybe on the playground, do they hold hands going down the slide? Or what about going to the bathroom? Does Finn- Finn stops Rollins there. Mr. Funny Man with the funny clothes and the funny dance and the funny jokes and everyone loves Seth Freakin’ Rollins~! And everyone just loves to sing his song~! They do, though. Well, no one is gonna love seeing Priest beating Rollins and taking the title from him tonight! Fans boo and Rollins smiles, but Priest says he has to be honest. He does think Rollins is a deserving champion.

Rollins’ resume speaks for itself. Everyone he’s been int he ring with, he’s beat. But so has Priest. Tonight, that World Heavyweight Championship… Well, Rollins making an Open Challenge, as foolish as it sounds, he has a set. Priest appreciates that. Because Priest didn’t think he’d get this opporutnity, so he’ll take it. And he will not fall. Priest wants to be clear: he doesn’t need Dom, Rhea or Finn ringside to beat Rollins for the title. Oh, is that so, big man? Rollins likes that! But to be honest, Rollins knows that if it’s just them, Priest doesn’t stand a chance. So what does Priest say he puts his money where his mouth is?

For the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event tonight, Priest is to leave his crew in the back. And truth be told, definitely leave the Prince in the back, he doesn’t do too well in fights against Rollins. Rollins pokes Finn in the shoulder, referencing the barrier bomb that took him out. Finn tells Rollins doesn’t decide how this goes down! But Priest says it’s cool. Priest accepts that stipulation. But at the end of the night, Priest will be the NEW World Heavyweight Champion. And Rollins will just go down in history with one of the shortest reigns ever. Rollins laughs and says he loves it! Rollins VS Priest, 1v1, no Judgment Day!

But any way you slice it, this title reign is already longer than Finn’s! See ya in the main event! Rollins struts away, but will he face punishment for poking fun at the Prince?

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier: Becky Lynch VS Sonya Deville w/ Chelsea Green!

The Man has some bones to pick with Trish Stratus & Zoey Stark, but she also wants to get back to the top of the mountain. Will Becky begin that #BigTime climb here tonight? Or will the Pride Fighter get the better of a distracted opponent?

Raw returns as The Complaint Department makes their entrance. The bell rings, Sonya and Becky circle, but Chelsea distracts Becky with trash talk. Sonya rushes in, Becky dodges, and Sonya stops from hitting Chelsea! Becky then catches Sonya but Sonya fights off the clinch. Becky fires forearms and a SOBAT, then she kicks at Chelsea, But Sonya throws Becky by her hair! Sonya dribbles Becky off buckles, stomps a mudhole in, but lets off as the ref counts. Sonya soaks up the heat and stalks Becky to a corner to smother Becky! The ref counts, Sonya lets off and she snapmares Becky into a chinlock.

Sonya grinds Becky down but fans rally up. Becky fights up, but Sonya throws her by her hair again! Becky stands on Becky’s hair, drags her up and ROCKS her with a forearm. Sonya fires forearms, has Becky on the ropes, but Becky elbows back! Becky goes to a corner, BOOTS Sonya, then LARIATS! Fans fire up as Becky rallies and CALF KICKS! Becky rolls, fans fire up, and Becky runs in to clothesline! And JUMP KICK! And then clinch for the BECKSPLODER! Fans fire up again and Becky runs corner to corner but Sonya dodges. Becky elbows her again, goes up, and CROSSBODIES! Cover, TWO!

Fans rally for Becky, but here comes Trish! And Zoey, too. They distract Becky and Sonya waistlocks. Becky switches, Sonya switches, repeat! They go around and around but Becky gets Sonya for a REVERSE DDT! Cover, TWO! Becky hurries after Sonya but Sonya bails out. Becky is annoyed now that she has even more pests to worry about, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Sonya has Becky on the top rope. Becky resists so Sonya throws body shots. But Becky throws those back! They brawl, Sonya brings Becky up top, and hits a SUPERPLEX! Chelsea cheers, Sonya covers, TWO! Becky is still in this, to the chagrin of Chelsea, Zoey and Trish. Fans rally up as Becky rises, and she goes to Sonya. Sonya throws the first forearm, but Becky gives it back! Sonya throws another, but Becky gives it back! They go back and forth, faster and faster, and Becky gets the edge! Sonya shoves Becky, Becky comes back with BIG forearms! Sonya bails out, Chelsea hurries, but Becky builds speed!

Becky WRECKS Sonya with a dropkick! Then she goes out to fetch Sonya into the ring. Chelsea storms up and BOOTS Becky while the ref is distracted! Chelsea puts Becky in for Sonya’s KNEE!! Cover, TWO!! Becky survives and Chelsea is furious! Sonya thinks of what she has to do, and she tells Becky, “Who do you think you are?” Sonya stands Becky up, pie faces her, then brings her up again. But Becky throws body shots! Sonya throws forearms, Becky kicks then ENZIGURIS! Sonya goes to a corner, Becky runs in but Sonya puts her on the apron. Becky ROCKS Sonya, then DECKS Chelsea!

Becky CLOBBERS Chelsea, RAMS her into barriers, and then RAMS her in again! The Hot Mess gets tossed AGAIN! Sonya goes out but Becky TOSSSES her, too! Becky RAMS Sonya back into barriers, the ring count is climbing, but Becky RAMS Sonya into more barriers! Becky puts Sonya in at 8 of 10 and fans fire up as she storms up, to MAN- NO, Sonya gets free, rolls Becky up, TWO! DISARM-HER! But Sonya flails, fights around, and shoves Becky into ropes! Then she pushes Becky down for a cover, and Chelsea holds Sonya’s feet on the ropes! TWO!!! Becky escapes and the Complaint Department can’t accept that!

Sonya drags Becky up, throws forearms and body shots, then fast hands from all sides! Sonya aims from a corner, goes up, and leaps, but Becky catches her! MANHANDLE SLAM!! Cover, Becky wins!!

Winner: Becky Lynch, by pinfall (advances to MITB)

Even against Big Time odds, Becky wins a spot in the ladder match! Zoey Stark has her own match later tonight, will The Hunter be able to keep up with her prey?

Backstage interview with Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.

Byron Saxton walks over to the Undisputed Tag Team Champions and asks them their take on what we saw on Friday Night SmackDown. Sami says he isn’t the type to say, “I told you so,” which Kevin scoffs at. But Sami says it is nice to see the Usos do what they should’ve done months ago, Well, Jimmy is, we still have to see what Jey will do. Though, not really their problem anymore. But then Imperium walks over. Ludwig Kaiser says they’re right about one thing: The Bloodline isn’t their problem. But as long as they are the tag team champions, Imperium IS their problem.

Kevin asks if they learned anything from last week. They aren’t supposed to show up unless someone call for them! No one here said their name! They broke the unwritten rule! Doesn’t Ludwig have some turtleneck shopping to do? But then Gunther walks up. Kevin asks him what, and Gunther tells “Mr. Owens” that he needs to control his temper. He lacks discipline. Gunther is a disciplined man, and it looks like he must teach Kevin discipline. Oh, well, guess what? Kevin has a solution: a ring with thousands of people ready to watch Kevin kick Gunther’s ass! Let’s go do that! Kevin storms off towards gorilla, Sami goes with him. Is this really happening now?!

Kevin & Sami head to the ring!

Yes, this IS happening now! The Prizefighter goes right into the ring, the Great Liberator following behind. Will management greenlight a match with Der Ring General?

Kayden Carter & Katana Chance speak.

“There’s no greater freedom than being underestimated.” When you bring the party and have as much fun as they do, people will think you don’t have the talent to back it up. Kayden is an NCAA champion and a collegiate hall of fame point guard while Katana is a Division I gymnast with 18 YEARS experience, and the first woman ever to conquer the American Ninja Warrior warped wall. They were the longest reigning NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, and did things no one had ever seen before. Their dynamic is unmatched. And to the fans, no matter who you or where you come from, when you’re with KC Squared, they bring the party and everyone’s invited.

Kevin Owens w/ Sami Zayn VS GUNTHER w/ Imperium!

Raw returns and Kevin is ready. Imperium makes their entrance because this match is on! Will Kevin’s temper cost him? Or will it be just what he needs to bring down the most dominant WWE Intercontinental Champion of the 21st Century?

The bell rings, the two tie up, and go around. They break, tie up again, and Gunther puts Kevin in a corner. Kevin turns it around but Gunther turns it back. The ref counts, the two break, and then they go again. Gunther headlocks, hits a takeover, and fans rally, “Fight, Owens, Fights!” Kevin fights up, Gunther keeps the headlock on, Kevin powers up, but Gunther holds on tight. Fans rally and Kevin fishhooks Gunther! Kevin powers out, but then Gunther runs him over! Kevin just comes back for more, but Gunther wrenches an arm. Gunther grinds that shoulder, but Kevin rolls and gets the ROPEBREAK!

The ref counts, Gunther lets go, and Kevin SLAPS him! Kevin fires off forearms, headlocks in return, but Gunther powers up and out. Kevin RAMS Gunther but Gunther stays up, so Kevin just fires off fast hands! Kevin has Gunther in a corner, fires off, but lets off as the ref counts. Gunther kicks low, puts Kevin in the corner, but Kevin avoids the chop to CHOP! Kevin fires off more haymakers, the ref counts, but Kevin UPPERCUTS! Kevin runs, but into a BOOT! And GERMAN SUPLEX! Gunther watches Kevin bail out, but Sami is there to coach Kevin up. Kevin clutches his head, Gunther goes out, but Kevin GAMANGIRIS!

Kevin CHOPS Gunther, Gunther BOOTS back! Gunther RUAMS Kevin into the barriers and makes it all shake! The ref checks Kevin but he’s okay to continue. Gunther drags Kevin up to APRON BACK SUPLEX! Gunther stands tall while fans boo, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Gunther covers, TWO!! Kevin survives whatever damage has been done during commercial and Sami is relieved. Replay shows it was a countered Swanton Bomb. Gunther paces around, then stomps Kevin. Gunther brings Kevin up but Kevin punches the legs! Kevin runs, but into a scoop and SLAM! Gunther gets Kevin’s head with his feet, NECK TWIST! Fans boo but Imperium soaks it up. Gunther taunts Kevin, stands on him at the ropes, then steps off as the ref counts. Kevin sputters but Gunther stands on his hands! Gunther CLUBS Kevin, CLUBS him down, then traps the arms for a seated neck wrench.

Kevin endures as Gunther leans on the hold. Sami and the fans rally, Kevin fights up, and Kevin throws haymakers! Gunther BOOTS right back! Cover, ONE?!? Kevin SLAPS Gunther, Gunther BOOTS Kevin back down! Sami is worried but Gunther stomps Kevin around more. Gunther talks trash on Kevin, eggs him on, pie faces him, then even taunts Sami. Fans still rally for Kevin, and Kevin comes back to ROCK Gunther! And again! Gunther CHOPS, and CHOPS, and CHOPS! Kevin falls over and Imperium cheers. Gunther huffs and puffs as he paces around Kevin, and he even taunts Sami again.

Gunther stomps Kevin, grabs the legs, and turns Kevin over onto his side to stand on his head! Then Gunther steps over for the BOSTON CRAB! Kevin endures, fights his way forward, but Gunther shifts right into an STF! And then into HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! And then a CROSSFACE! Kevin endures, pries at the grip, but he can’t see with the forearms in his face. Fans rally, Kevin fights back up, and he throws body shots. Kevin is free, and he CHOPS! Gunther CHOPS Kevin back down! Gunther seethes while Sami stresses out again. Gunther drags Kevin up, reels him in, and suplexes, but Kevin blocks!

Kevin throws body shots, fisherman’s and lifts, but Gunther slips free! LARIAT!! Gunther paces around while fans boo, and Gunther drags Kevin up. Short arm LARIAT! Gunther eggs Kevin on, taunts Sami and the fans, and then drags Kevin back up. Sami rallies as hard as he can and the fans join in. Gunther short arm LARIATS, but Kevin stays up! Kevin gives LARIAT after LARIAT in return! Gunther LARIATS, Kevin LARIATS, and again! Gunther gets around to GERMAN SUPLEX! Kevin flounders up to his feet, Gunther runs in, but into a GERMAN SUPLEX from Kevin!! Fans fire up while both men are down!

Sami is also fired up and he coaches Kevin. Kevin goes to ropes, drags himself up, and staggers around. Kevin goes to Gunther to throw a forearm but Gunther gives it back! Kevin forearms again and again but Gunther CHOPS! Kevin drops to a knee, Gunther STOMPS Kevin’s head! Gunther taunts Sami again, but Sami says Kevin can take him. Gunther gives Kevin toying kicks and eggs him on again. Gunther drags Kevin up but Kevin SUPERKICKS! And SUPERKICKS! Gunther wobbles, into a third SUPERKICK! Gunther is down in a corner, Kevin CANNONBALLS! Cover, TWO!! Gunther survives and Sami can’t believe it!

Hartford declares “This is Awesome!” and Kevin goes back to ropes. Gunther gets up, but he stops the Stunner with a SLEEPER! Kevin snapmares free, but Gunther SHOTGUNS! Gunther drags Kevin back up, reels him in, but Kevin fights free! Gunther CHOPS, Kevin ROCKS, repeat! Kevin kicks, fisherman BUSTER!! Cover, TWO!! Gunther survives, there’s a reason he’s a champion. But Kevin goes up a corner and Sami cheers him on. But Gunther rises to CHOP first! Gunther climbs up after Kevin, for a SUPER HALF HATCH SUPLEX!! Cover, TWO?!? Gunther just hurries back up the corner!

Fans boo but Gunther SPLASHES onto knees!! Kevin hurries up top again, Sami and the fans are thunderous, SWANTON BOMB!! Direct hit this time, cover, TWO!!! Gunther survives and no one can believe it! Kevin drags himself up and the fans are thunderous as he aims. But Vinci gets up! Sami YANKS him down! Sami fires off on Vinci, but Ludwig goes after him, too! Kevin goes after them, they brawl with Imperium! Ludwig runs into the ring, Kevin dodges to STUNNER! But Gunther rolls Kevin up! GUNTHER WINS!

Winner: Gunther, by pinfall

Sami is stunned, but the fans boo. Der Ring General’s soldiers save him from what was looking like his first loss in months! Will the Undisputed Tag Team Champions get their revenge on Imperium soon enough?

Backstage interview with Matt Riddle.

Cathy Kelley is with The Bro, and he is tired of seeing Gunther cheat week after week. Without Ludwig or Vinci, Gunther would NOT be champion this long. But then Ludwig storms over to say that is a disgrace! How dare Riddle talk about Gunther like that! Watch your mouth. And what is Ludwig gonna do about it? Ludwig turns that around and asks what Riddle is gonna do about that. Don’t poke him, bro. Ludwig does it on purpose, so Riddle TOSSES him! And he gets Vinci in an ANKLE LOCK! Refs and producers rush in to stop this, but Riddle tells Vinci to send a message to Gunther for him! Will the Stallion stampede over Imperium to get at the gold?

Backstage interview with Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler.

Byron Saxton is with the NEW WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and says considering their close friendship, what does it mean to be the new tag champions together? The Queen of Spades says this was destiny. They manifested this over a decade ago, even before they were done fighting int he Octagon. Last week, they tortured and maimed three other teams at the same time and finally become WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The Baddest Woman on the Planet says it is past time they legitimize these belts. The Women’s Tag Division will no longer be an afterthought with them at the helm.

In fact, they invite any team with the figurative balls to take them on! And in walk KC Squared. If they want a challenge, look no further. They are “The Life of the Party,” Kayden & Katana. They’re here to make a statement. And what better way to make an in-ring debut than against the Baddest Team on the Planet? Ronda asks when we got to Munchkin Land. This is Hartford, but seems that’s close enough. But ladies, Ronda is impressed with the “stupidity.” To think they made it this far being that dumb. Shayna doesn’t think this is stupidity. Stupidity isn’t always ignorance. This is their first time on Raw, they didn’t know. This is kinda like bravery.

But the thing that takes care of bravery so quickly is the sound of your own ligaments being torn off. Ronda says baptism by fire it is. They’ll let Pearce know KC Squared has a death wish. See you out there. Will the party be over after this one?

Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler VS Kayden Carter & Katana Chance!

Raw returns as KC Squared make their entrance. The teams sort out and Shayna starts against Kayden. They circle, tie up, and Shayna puts Kayden in a corner. The ref counts, Shayna lets off but then sits Kayden down, and pats her on the head. Kayden is annoyed but she stands up and ties up with Shayna. Shayna puts her right back in the corner, lets off again, but Kayden turns things around to sit Shayna down! Kayden says kiss this and Shayna storms up. Kayden gets around, O’Conner Roll, ONE but Kayden springboards to basement dropkick! Tag to Katana, they whip and trip and basement dropkick Shayna! Katana slingshot SENTONS! Cover, ONE!!

Shayna gets up and hurries to her corner, Ronda tags in. Fans boo but Katana smiles as she steps to Rowdy Ronda. Ronda dares Kayden to get in, she’ll take them both on. Kayden obliges, but then Ronda boots her down! Katana fires hands but Ronda throws her! Ronda fireman’s carries Kayden but Katana kicks her low! And BOOTS her to a corner! Kayden runs in, is put on the apron and Ronda elbows her down. Ronda dodges Katana to SHINING WIZARD, and then HANGING ARMBAR! The ref counts, but Kayden SUPERKICKS Ronda down! Shayna hurries to Ronda’s side while KC Squared regroup.

Katana helps Kayden get up, CROSSBODY on Shayna! Katana TORNILLOS Ronda! Fans fire up as the underdogs are standing tall! Katana drags Ronda up and into the ring, but Shayna storms up. Shayna grabs Katana’s bad arm to HOTSHOT it! Ronda hits an arm-drag! Ronda then gets Katana up, puts her in the corner, and tags Shayna. They double whip, SAYANAGI and SLIDING KNEE! Cover, TWO! Shayna twists the arm and wrist of Katana, but Katana endures. So Shayna isolates the arm, lets her hair down, and STOMPS the arm! Shayna taunts Kayden while staying between her and Katana.

Shayna gets Katana and CLUBS away on her! Shayna whips, runs in, but Katana BOOTS her away! Katana BOOTS Ronda, too! Shayna ROCKS Katana, back suplexes, but Katana lands on her feet! Katana slips under, hot tag to Kayden! Kayden rallies on Shayna, DYNAMIC DROPKICK to the corner! Kayden whips, Shayna reverses but Kayden wheelbarrows, victory rolls, and SUPERKICKS! Fans fire up with Kayden and she runs, to BOOT WASH Shayna! Shayna ends up on the apron, Kayden drags her back in, HEATSEEKER! Cover, TWO!! Kayden stays focused as she drags Shayna up.

Shayna elbows free, Ronda tags in! Ronda BOOTS Kayden down, rolls to the fireman’s carry, but Katana tags in! Kayden slips free, baits Ronda in and POSTS her! Kayden drags Ronda out, Katana goes up, but Shayna storms over! Katana BOOTS her away! HIGHLIGHT REEL!!! Cover, Shayna drags Katana off!!! But Kayden DROPKICKS Shayna for it! KC Squared was so close but Katana isn’t giving up yet. Katana climbs back up, leaps, CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO!! Ronda gets up, blocks a kick, and has an AKNLE LOCK! Katana reaches out, but Ronda drags her from ropes! Katana rolls to send Ronda into buckles!

Katana hits a CODE BREAKER! Shayna hurries to tag in, and she storms up, but into an ELBOW! Kayden tags in before Shayna KNEES Katana down! Kayden rolls Shayna, TWO!! Shayna KNEES Kayden, and SAIDOS!! Kayden flops and Shayna drags her up, into the KIRAFUDA KLUTCH!! Kayden is caught, she taps! Shayna & Ronda win!

Winners: Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler, by submission

The new kids on the roster came within moments of beating the champs, but close is only good with horseshoes and hand grenades. Will the Baddest Team on the Planet continue to dominate the Women’s Tag Division?

Bronson Reed finds Ricochet at gorilla.

“If it isn’t little lucky Ricochet,” says the Colossal Aussie. Bronson wants Ricochet to help him do the math on this. Two weeks ago, Bronson ragdolls Ricochet around the ring, beats him, and yet Ricochet gets in the MITB ladder match and not Bronson. Someone must really like Ricochet here. Ricochet says he has no idea what Bronson means by “lucky.” Ricochet earned his spot at MITB when he beat The Miz. And didn’t Bronson have a qualifier? What happened there? Oh, right, Shinsuke Nakamura ended the undefeated streak when he pinned Bronson one-two- Okay, okay. But Bronson dominated Nakamura, until-

Until Nakamura won. The King of Strong Style walks in, but Bronson claims Nakamura got him on a bad night and they all know it. Next time, it’ll be a very different result. Bronson leaves, and Ricochet gives Nakamura his props for handling that man. But tonight, and at MITB, Ricochet isn’t giving Nakamura anything but an L. Big talk, Ricochet. But let’s see if he can prove it tonight. Ricochet says, “Gambate <Give it your best.>” Will the King of Flight prove he can beat the King of Strong Style?

Johnny Gargano speaks.

“At first glance, it’s easy to label me as the underdog. People have always taken one look and thought they understood me. But what I possess is something they can’t measure. I was a kid from Cleveland, Ohio with a dream. And I traveled around the world for over ten years to live that dream. I finally got a tryout at NXT, and I was told there was no place for me there. Five years later, I was the face of that brand. Now I’m a staple of Monday Night Raw. So go ahead, underestimate me. That is where I thrive. I might not be the biggest, but I work tirelessly at my craft. And I do it in my own special way. The Johnny Gargano Story is just getting started.”

Ricochet VS Shinsuke Nakamura!

Raw returns and Nakamura makes his entrance. The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, Nakamura headlocks, grinds, but Ricochet throws body shots. Ricochet powers out, Nakamura runs him over, and things keep moving. Ricochet arm-drags Nakamura, Nakamura headscissors, but Ricochet kips free. Nakamura hits a headlock takeover, Ricochet headscissors and holds right. Nakamura moves around, pops free, but Ricochet ducks the Penalty Kick to kip up, handspring and headscissor! Things keep moving, Ricochet rolls off Nakamura back but Nakamura blocks a kick to CLUB the leg!

Nakamura runs, but Ricochet DROPKICKS him out of the ring! Ricochet builds speed but runs into a GAMANGIRI! Nakamura gets back in the ring, goes up a corner, but Ricochet GAMANGIRIS in return! Nakamura tumbles out, Ricochet builds speed again, and he FLIES! Direct hit at the ramp and he lands on his feet! Fans fire up with Ricochet as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Nakamura has Ricochet in a chinlock. Ricochet reaches for ropes but Nakamura knees low. INVERTED EXPLODER, but Ricochet lands on his feet! Ricochet dodges Nakamura to handspring and back elbow! Both men are down and fans rally up. Nakamura stands first but Ricochet ROCKS him! Ricochet shoves Nakamura to a corner, runs in and RAMS into him, then smacks him off buckles and KICKS him away! Ricochet then springboards to FLYING LARIAT! Fans fire up and Ricochet SHOOTING STARS! Cover, TWO! Ricochet keeps cool and he taunts Nakamura a little.

Nakamura sits up, and Ricochet kicks, but Nakamura ducks it! Nakamura kicks but Ricochet ducks it! Ricochet kicks, Nakamura blocks it, and Nakamura ducks the enziguri but not the HEEL KICK! Ricochet runs corner to corner, SPLASHES Nakamura, then goes again, only to hit buckles! TOP SHELF KNEE! Nakamura gives Ricochet GOOD VIBRATIONS, but Ricochet shoves him away. Nakamura runs back in, he blocks boots and puts Ricochet in the ropes! SLIDING GERMAN! Fans fire up with Nakamura and he slides back in, but Ricochet Tiger Wall Kicks! Ricochet ducks the roundhouse but not the WHEEL KICK!

Nakamura reels Ricochet in, INVERTED EXPLODER! And then from the corner, Nakamura aims and “YAO~!” KIN- V-TRIGGER!! Ricochet runs to RECOIL!! Fans fire up with Ricochet and he goes to a corner. Nakamura anchors as foot but Ricochet CLUBS him down. Ricochet climbs, but Nakamura ROCKS him first! Nakamura climbs up, but Ricochet fights him with body shots. Ricochet throws a haymaker, Nakamura forearms, and they go back and forth! But here comes BRONSON REED!! Ricochet jumps away but Bronson SPLASHES Nakamura!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura, by disqualification

But Bronson then CLOBBERS Ricochet! And SPLASHES Nakamura again! Fans boo as Bronson puts Nakamura int he drop zone, but Ricochet jumps onto him! But Bronson RAMS Ricochet into the buckles, and then SPLASHES Nakamura again! And then Bronson CLOBBERS Ricochet! Now Ricochet is put in the drop zone, and Bronson climbs! TSUNAMI!! Bronson grins as he stands over both men, fans want that splash “One More Time!” Bronson says no, he’s good. Will the Colossal Aussie find his way into the MITB Ladder match one way or another?

The Alpha Academy talk backstage.

Otis is proud of Maxxine Dupri’s roundhouse kick to Sarah Logan last week. Maxxine thanks Otise for mentioning it. Chad Gable insists it is still just Otis. Otis says tomato, tamata, okay? Well, yeah, Otis is the reason they’re together. The brain, the brawn and the beauty, plus her brand management skills, but look. If Maxxine is gonna be an alpha, remember that alphas don’t run from a fight. Maxxine says Otise has opened her eyes to their potential. But she thought that she could handle that little witch, until she came rushing at Maxxine like an animal! And did you see that outfit?

Why are these Viking creeps targeting them anyways? Gable has already addressed this. He has given his number one guy the latest in Viking literature. He instructed Otis to study up, learn what makes the Vikings tick, and how to take them down. And Gable knows the answer is in that big, beautiful brain of his! So what did Otis learn? Otis says they’re gonna take ’em out… with deodorant. And? And they’re gonna have Master Gable teach the lovely lady how to take on the Viking lady, Sarah Logan. And that is why Otis is the number one guy! Maxxine might be ready, but they can’t train with her in a dress.

Oh, don’t worry. She has the perfect outfit in her locker. Maxxine heads off, just what will this workout outfit look like?

The Miz is in the ring.

And the Hollywood A-Lister welcomes us to the Most Must-See WWE Talk Show, MizTV. And when he heard about tonight’s World Heavyweight Championship match, he knew it’d be a special night. So he had to secure a very special guest. A guest worthy of a night like tonight! And boy, did Miz succeed. Please welcome Miz’s guest tonight, The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes! The fans cheer as Cody makes his way to the ring, and they sing his theme song, too. “WHOA~ OH~!” Cody gets his pyro and fist bumps fans in the front row before joining Miz in the ring. Even Miz jams out to the theme song!

Cody shakes Miz’s hand, revels in the fans singing and cheering a little more, and Miz hands him a mic. “Shall we start?” Miz and Cody take seats, and Miz says Cody looks dashing tonight. But Miz wants to review with Cody said last week. Cody listed a bunch of cities he would be in while challenging BRRROCK, LESNAR, who beat Cody at Night of Champions, and who broke Cody’s arm. And yet, Cody wants Lesnar to show up wherever and fight? Isn’t that kinda stupid? Right out the gate, huh, Mike? Uh, in the ring, he is The Miz. First name: The, last name: Miz. Well, okay, then, The Miz…

Fans chant “MIKE MIKE MIKE MIKE!” but Cody says he hasn’t been called stupid until now. He’s heard “Crazy,” that it took balls… Miz knows a tiny little bit about that, right? Fans chant “TINY BALLS! TINY BALLS!” but Cody has everyone calm down. The Beast is apparently on that annual hibernation, we won’t be seeing him for awhile. Too bad. But here on MizTV, they love drama, controversy and most of all, surprises! Here’s a surprise for Cody! It is better than Lesnar being here. Since Cody has a storied family history, Miz thought he’d invite another man who shares the same pressures as a multigenerational talent.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome this surprise guest! Arguably the hottest superstar in the WWE today, it is DOMINIK MYSTERIO! Miz jams out to Dom’s song now as he and Mami Rhea walk out. Fans boo and give thumbs down as Dom has his arm around the SmackDown Women’s Champion and she has her arm around him. They go to the ring, mics in hands, and Dom takes a seat. Fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but Miz asks Dom- Rhea tells Miz to be quiet. He says, “Yes, ma’am.” Rhea says Dom-Dom has something to say. Dom takes the mic and fans boo, which annoys Dom. Miz shouts to let Dom talk!

Cody says yeah, don’t boo Dom. Rhea tells everyone to sit down, shut up and show respect to HER Latino Heat! Dom tells Cody that he was happy when The Miz invited him out here. He listened to Cody last week, talking like he was the big dog in the yard. But to someone like Dom, who has done hard time, Cody is just a little birdy with a broken wing. Dom says he heard Cody rattle off this long list of crappy towns Brock can find him in, and it hit Dom. Cody is a bad father! Cody has a baby girl, he should be home, taking care of her! Instead, Cody’s here. So he’s just like Rey: A deadbeat dad!

Cody stands up now and looks Dom in the eye. “I have a ton of empathy for you, Dom. I know that the 15 minutes you spent in prison was really rough on you. Hard times indeed. I mean, look! You even have a worse prison tattoo than mine. And then after prison, you went on to WrestleMania to have a match with your father. But I don’t know if I could call it a match, because it was more like a public spanking. And hey, hey, you’re right. No one’s perfect. I’m not perfect. Rey Mysterio, who I admire and respect, I’m sure that he’s not the perfect father. As a matter of fact, I know he’s made some terrible mistakes. And I know that because I’m looking at one.”

Fans chant for Cody while Rhea calms Dom down. Dom & Rhea turn to  leave, but then Dom SLAPS Cody! Dom hides behind Mami and fans boo, and Cody sighs. Rhea dares Cody to do something and Dom keeps calling Cody a deadbeat. Mami & Dommy leave, Cody unable to do anything. Miz laughs, but Cody SMACKS him with the cast! THAT is something Cody can do. Will the American Nightmare teach the Prodigal Son a lesson while waiting on The Beast?

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match Qualifier: Zoey Stark w/ Trish Stratus VS Natalya!

The Hunter has the Hall of Famer on her side and is looking to take over the women’s division with her guidance. Will Zoey say #ThankYouTrish after she helps her defeat the Queen of Harts? Or will Natty prove she’s still got it in her to become Miss MITB?

Raw returns as Natty makes her entrance. The bell rings and the two circle. They tie up, go around, and Zoey puts Natty in the corner. The ref counts, Zoey stomps away on Natty, but lets off at 4. Natty storms up but Zoey shoves her back into the corner for more stomps, and even forearms! The ref backs Zoey off, Natty rolls her up, ONE! Natty waistlocks to keep on Zoey, but Zoey fights up to snapmare, only for Natty to hold on! Natty and Zoey move around, Natty hammerlocks but Zoey switches that onto her. Natty fireman’s carries for the takeover, but Zoey headscissors. Natty moves back, pops free, covers, ONE!

Natty and Zoey get up, Natty headlocks, but Zoey powers out. Natty goes up and over but the leg jams! Zoey THRUST KICKS Natty down! Zoey stomps Natty and soaks up the heat while Trish smiles. Zoey gets the bad leg and wraps it around the ropes! The ref counts, Zoey lets off at 4, and Trish smiles more. Zoey drags Natty out from the corner, to DDT the foot! And DDT it again! Zoey gets the leg a third time, pushes on it and Trish says that’s good. Zoey has the standing toehold but Natty rolls and drags Zoey down! Natty has a deathlock but Zoey headlocks to drag Natty off. Natty powers out but Zoey runs her over!

Fans rally for Natty but Zoey drags her up by her hair. The ref reprimands, Natty SLAPS Zoey! Zoey KNEES low, talks trash, but Natty snapmares her away! Natty ELBOWS from a corner, Zoey runs in but into a kick! Zoey runs in again but into a GERMAN SUPLEX! Natty jackknife bridges, TWO! Zoey sunset flips but Natty rolls through to step through! SHARPSHOOTER!! Fans fire up while Zoey endures! Trish coaches Zoey and she crawls forward, to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts, Natty lets off fast, and Zoey bails out to regroup with Trish. Natty storms up to WRECK Zoey with a dropkick!

Natty tells Trish to stay outta this, and she puts Zoey back in. But Trish KICKS the bad leg out! Fans boo as the ref missed that! Zoey hits Z 360!! Cover, Zoey wins!

Winner: Zoey Stark, by pinfall (advances to MITB)

#ThankYouTrish, you were the reason Zoey just won her way to London! But will Trish be able to help Zoey get up that ladder and win the briefcase?

Paul Heyman is backstage.

“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman. And I wanna cordially invite you to join me this Friday night, when a family drama plays out in front of your very eyes when Jey Uso makes his historic choice. Y’know, as The Wise Man, I’m tasked at times to deliver… unpleasant news. No matter how bad that news is, I have to deliver it, even if I have to deliver it to Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. This is one of those times. The news is not pleasant. The news will rip apart the entire Anoa’i-Fatu Dynasty, because this Friday, Jey Uso will make his choice… And Jey Uso will choose and stand by… his brother, Solo.

“You can share a womb with your twin, Jimmy, but you’ll never be closer in life to him than you are to Your Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. And this Friday, live on SmackDown, Jey Usos will… Jey Uso will acknowledge that fact. Or else.” Heyman dusts his hands off, having done his part. Is this a prediction of what Jey will do, or a spoiler?

Indus Sher w/ Jinder Mahal & Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin!

Veer & Sanga have been mauling men on Monday Night Raw, much to the delight of the Modern Day Maharaja. But will they be able to do the same to PRIMED Alexander & The Gold Standard? Or will Alexander & Benjamin be able to handle their business?

The teams sort out and Indus Sher CLOBBER Alexander *& Benjamin! Then they LARIAT each man down! Veer’s Million Dollar Arm is worthy every penny, and then he gives Alexander to Sanga. ELBOW DROP SIDEWALK SLAM COMBO! But the bell didn’t even ring, so this wasn’t a match but a mauling! Fans boo, Sanga tells Alexander to shut up about his pain, and the ref calls it! There’s no way Alexander can compete now. But then Indus Sher drag him back up! Another ELBOW DROP SIDEWALK SLAM COMBO! Primed got pruned, will nothing stop these two tigers from tearing into the Raw Tag Division?

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins VS Damian Priest!

The Visionary put out the Open Challenge online, and the challenge was accepted! And earlier tonight, Rollins dared the Punisher to do this on his own, and the challenge was again accepted! Will Priest make Rollins accept that The Judgment Day truly runs Monday nights? Or will this still be Monday Night Rollins?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and one way or another, this is a historic first defense!

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally, the two feel things out, then they tie up. Priest puts Rollins in a corner, the ref counts, and Priest scuffs Rollins. Priest talks trash, but Rollins says okay. Then he rakes Priest’s eyes! The ref reprimands but Priest TOSSES Rollins to a corner! Rollins dodges the elbow to fire off fast hands and CHOPS! Rollins whips, Priest reverses but Rollins stops himself. Rollins then avoids Priest but Priest ELBOWS him on the apron. Priest shoulders in, but into a GUILLOTINE LEG DROP! Priest flops out of the ring, Rollins leaps, FLYING KNEE takes Priest down! Fans fire up with Rollins as Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Rollins has Priest in a corner, but Priest ROCKS him with a forearm! Priest storms up on Rollins at the ropes, whips him, but Rollins kicks back! Rollins eggs Priest on, Priest runs in but Rollins dumps him out! Rollins then goes out after Priest, but Priest knees him low! Priest scoops Rollins and brings him around the way, but Rollins slips off! Rollins POSTS Priest! Fans fire up, Rollins runs in at Priest, but Priest tosses him into the timekeepers’ area! Rollins lands on his feet, jumps at Priest, but Priest DECKS Rollins out of the air! Rollins flounders into the ring but Priest is after him.

Priest drags Rollins up, CLUBS him, then TOSSES him to a corner. Priest ROCKS Rollins, stomps away, but the ref counts. Priest stops at 4 and he soaks up the heat. Rollins sputters to ropes but Priest CHOKES him! The ref counts again, Priest lets off at 4, and then Priest puts Rollins in a corner. Priest ROCKS Rollins with a forearm, wrenches and whips corner to corner hard, then he THRUST KICKS Rollins down! Cover, TWO! Priest clamps onto Rollins with a chinlock and wrangles him down. Fans rally for Rollins while he endures, and Rollins fights up. Rollins JAWBREAKERS free, but runs into an ELBOW! Cover, ONE!!

Priest snarls while Rollins sputters. Priest KICKS him in the back! Priest stomps Rollins, drags him up, and ROCKS him again! Rollins sits down, and Priest gets the arms. Priest has a motorcycle stretch while Rollins endures the knee in his back. Fans rally, Rollins fights back up and moves around, but Priest CLUBS him back down! Fans boo but Priest smirks as he stands Rollins up. But Rollins throws elbows! Priest shoves Rollins, CLUBS him in the back, but Rollins PELES! Both men are down and fans rally up again. Priest sits up in a daze but Rollins feeds off the energy. Rollins stands, blocks a punch and gives a punch!

Rollins counter punches Priest again and again, then fires off haymakers and CHOPS! Rollins whips Priest to ropes, Priest reverses but Rollins reverses back to LARIAT! Priest stays up, so Rollins runs in to LARIAT again! Priest is still up, but barely! Rollins runs again, ducks a boot, and he mule kicks! Front kicks! DISCUS LARIAT! Priest falls and fans fire up! Priest goes to a corner, Rollins runs in, BIG forearm smash! Rollins lifts Priest for a BACKBREAKER! Rollins goes up the corner, FROG SPLASH but he has to roll through! Priest ROUBNDHOUSES Rollins! Priest then runs corner to corner for the BIG back elbow!

Priest keeps moving, but Rollins kicks back! And reels Priest in! But Priest fights the underhooks to back drop! Rollins sunset flips, TWO! Priest runs in, but into a SLINGBLADE! Fans fire up, Rollins sees Priest go outside, so he builds speed. Rollins DIVES, but Priest catches him! FLATLINER to the table! The champ is down and fans go nuts while Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Rollins and Priest are both up top. Rollins SUNSET FLIPS, but Priest holds onto the ropes! Priest CLUBS Rollins down, but Rollins is right back up to ROCK Priest! Rollins adjusts Priest’s position and goes up after him, and fans sing “OH~ OHH~ OHHH~!” But Priest throws body shots! Priest CLUBS Rollins, CLUBS him more, then HEADBUTTS Rollins away. Rollins staggers back up, springs right back up after Priest, and hits a SUPERPLEX! Then roll through, but Priest suplexes! Rollins fights off Broken Arrow to suplex Priest for FALCON ARROW! Cover, TWO!!

Fans rally while both men are down, and Priest rolls out of the ring. “This is Awesome!” as Rollins takes aim. Rollins builds speed and DIVES! Direct hit and now Priest hits the desk! Rollins keeps going, for another DIVE! Priest hits the desk again! Rollins isn’t done, he runs and DIVES to send Priest over the desk! Fans are thunderous, but Priest gets back up!? Rollins hurries to put Priest in the ring, the fans sing again, and Rollins runs in, SUPERKICK! Priest wobbles, Rollins pushes him down and goes to a corner! Rollins climbs up, leaps, FROG SPLASH hits!! Cover, TWO!! Priest survives and Rollins is stunned!

Rollins goes to a corner and he seems to copy Roman Reigns’ lock ‘n’ load motion! Rollins spins, but Priest ROCKS him first! Priest aims to KICK Rollins, KICK him again, then KICK the leg! Priest spins, but Rollins blocks to ROLLING ELBOW! And then the turn, but Priest slips free, HEADLOCK DRIVER!! Cover, TWO!!! The Punisher gave a shout out to the third Shield member, but it wasn’t enough! Priest drags Rollins up, reels him in, but Rollins slips out! Priest choke grips, SOUTH- NO, Rollins slips free to CHOP! Priest ROCKS Rollins to a corner! Priest runs in, into a BOOT! Rollins goes up, but Priest SPIN KICKS him!

Priest goes up after Rollins now, and SUPER STEINERS!! Cover, TWO!! Rollins survives and Priest is beside himself! Priest grits his teeth, taunts Rollins, but the fans rally up. Priest stands Rollins up, traps an arm, and LARIATS point blank! Priest says if Rollins won’t give up, he’ll give him more pain. Another point blank LARIAT! And then a shove, and- NO, Rollins slips through the lariat to underhook! PEDIGREE!!! Rollins crawls to the cover, TWO!?!? Priest survives and no one can believe it! “This is Awesome!” as both men go tor poes. Priest goes to the apron, Rollins goes out after him!

Rollins underhooks but Priest powers out. Priest blocks a kick to BELL CLAP, but then Rollins ducks the roundhouse to CHOP BLOCK a leg! Rollins has Priest in position, BARRIER BOMB!!! Just like to Finn all those years ago! Rollins puts Priest in the ring, the ref checks Priest’s shoulder, and Rollins SUPERKICKS Finn!! The Visionary saw The Prince coming and takes him out! Rollins then gets in the ring, but runs into a LARIAT!! Priest choke grips, for the SOUTH OF HEAVEN SLAM!!! But the bad arm slows Priest down! Cover, TWO!!!! Rollins survives but Priest then realizes Finn is here!

Priest asks what Finn is doing, they said this would be 1v1! Priest drags Rollins up, crucifix lift, but the bad arm! Rollins slips free, SUPERKICKS! ROLLING ELBOWS! DREAM SMASHER ELBOW!! CURB STOMP!!! Cover, Rollins wins!!

Winner: Seth Rollins, by pinfall (still World Heavyweight Champion)

The Prince cost Priest, but now he gets in the ring with Rollins. These two stare down, are we going to get one more round between these rivals?

My Thoughts:

A great Raw tonight, especially with Rollins’ first defense being made outta nowhere during SmackDown. The opening promo was really good, and I like that they added the agreement that Judgment Day was not to show up at ringside. We got an awesome main event match from Rollins and Priest, though I wish they’d given this the picture in picture treatment. Finn showing up in an attempt to screw over Rollins was a good touch, he and Priest are starting to have a disagreement. I don’t know if this will lead to Finn and Priest fighting over who is really in charge of Judgment Day and/or someone getting kicked out, but it’s definitely teasing that.

Really good stuff out of the Women’s MITB qualifiers, though I was rather surprised by the results. I thought Trish & Zoey were going to cost Becky her sport and then Becky would return the favor, but I suppose it does add star power to the Women’s MITB if Becky is in it. Even so, she and Zoey (and Trish) will surely keep each other from winning, and someone else gets the briefcase. Still hoping Lita gets in on the story again and we get a big tag match at SummerSlam. And really good match from Ricochet VS Nakamura as a sampler of the Men’s MITB, but I figured Bronson Reed was gonna get involved. It’s kinda his thing given what we saw with him, Austin Theory and Bobby Lashley just before the WWE Draft.

Good stuff from Kevin, Sami and Imperium again, especially that match of Gunther VS Kevin. A little surprised they didn’t go with a DQ finish but in a way, it’s a good thing they didn’t. Gunther winning with help from Imperium doesn’t hurt Kevin that bad, and it gave motivation for what we saw between Riddle and Imperium right after. We definitely need more of this savage Riddle, and while Gunther dared Riddle to go win the MITB, I feel like this should motivate having Gunther VS Riddle right away. Gunther’s all about everyone else showing Imperium respect and teaching others “discipline,” so he should want to “discipline” Riddle directly.

Good video promo for Kayden & Katana tonight, as well as a good backstage promo with Ronda & Shayna before their great match. It really gets KC Squared going for the first time a RawDown Only fan is seeing them, but the loss was obviously going to happen. Really good promo from The Alpha Academy, though I’m a little disappointed there wasn’t another segment with them where we saw Maxxine’s training outfit. Maybe that’s next week in a training montage of some sort. And wow, did not think Indus Sher would just crush Cedric & Shelton, but it does build Indus Sher as a strong team since Cedric & Shelton are former tag champions together.

I should’ve figured Heyman would show up tonight, he gave a really good promo to hype up this week’s SmackDown, even though just seeing last week’s SmackDown was enough to get everyone wanting to see this week’s. And really good MizTV segment, which is sorta rare. Miz jamming out to all the theme songs was good stuff, and for a second, I thought Miz was bringing out Bron Breakker. But nope, it was Dom. Dom & Rhea seem to be moving on from Xavier Woods and Apollo Crews already, so that Cody has someone to fight while Brock Lesnar waits out MITB so he can get that SummerSlam paycheck.

My Score: 8.7/10