We’re on the road to Bakersfield!

Before battling over the NXT Championship, Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov sign on the dotted line! But will things get intense even before No Mercy?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• NXT Global Heritage Invitational Tournament Finals: Pete Dunne VS Joe Coffey w/ Gallus; Dunne wins and will challenge Noam Dar for the Cup at No Mercy.
• Trick Williams VS Joe Gacy w/ Ava Raine; Trick wins.
• Baron Corbin VS Josh Briggs w/ Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley; Corbin wins.
• Hank Walker & Tank Ledger VS Lucien Price & Bronco Nima w/ SCRYPTS; Price & Nima win.
• Strap Match: Eddy Thorpe VS DIJAK; Dijak wins.
• Thea Hail w/ Jacy Jayne VS Dani Palmer; Thea wins.
• Gigi Dolin VS Blair Davenport; cancelled.
• NXT North American Championship #1 Contender Triple Threat: Axiom VS Tyler Bate VS Dragon Lee; changed into…
• NXT North American Championship #1 Contender Fatal 4 Way: Axiom VS Tyler Bate VS Dragon Lee VS Trick Williams; Trick wins and will challenge Dominik Mysterio for the title at No Mercy.

PLAY BY PLAY

NXT Global Heritage Invitational Tournament Finals: Pete Dunne VS Joe Coffey w/ Gallus!

With No Mercy this Saturday, there’s no time to waste! Noam Dar either faces the Bruiserweight or the Iron King, will the Scottish Supernova be ready to work this weekend?

Speaking of Dar, he and Meta Four are in their lounge, looking ready to watch the Kentucky Derby or something. Wonder which “horse” they’re betting on. But the bell rings and the two tie up. Fans fire up and duel as Joe puts Dunne on ropes. The ref counts, Joe lets off but Dunne turns it around to SLAP Joe! They tie up again, go around, and they’re in a deadlock. The two let off, go again, and circle. They tie up again and Dunne wrenches an arm, to then shift and wrangle Joe down! Dunne tarps that arm, and he neck wrenches Joe while also grinding in forearms. Fans fire up as Dunne twists Joe’s ears! Dunne then STOMPS Joe’s arm!

Joe shakes that elbow out as he and Dunne reset. They tie up, Joe goes for Dunne’s arm and uses his head for leverage. Joe wrangles Dunne, digs a knee in, and then he twists Dunne’s ear. And claws at Dunne’s face! Dunne endures, kips up, and he grinds forearms in return. Dunne powers Joe to ropes, puts him in a corner, and the ref counts. Fans rally, Dunne and Joe stare down, but then Joe DECKS Dunne! Joe drops knee after knee then an elbow! Joe drags Dunne up, headlocks for a takeover, but Dunne pushes up. Dunne powers out, things speed up. and Dunne hurdles to drop and then- NO, Joe runs through the forearm to CLOBBER Dunne!

Fans are torn but Joe puts Dar on notice. Joe drags Dunne up while Dar taunts back. Dunne SLAPS Joe again! And then ARMLOCK DDT! Dunne drops knees on the elbow, then crosses his arms to mock Gallus! Mark has to keep Wolfgang back as Dunne bends Joe’s fingers. Dunne isolates the arm to STOMP it! Joe goes to a corner and fans fire up. Dunne runs up to GAMANGIRI! Dunne goes up to FLYING KNEE Joe’s arm! Joe writhes and flounders but Dunne is on him with a FUJIWARA! Mark gets in the ring but the ref stops him, only for Wolfgang to ROCK Dunne! Joe is free while fans boo.

Joe deadlifts to GERMAN SUPLEX, but Dunne lands on his feet! Joe ducks the lariat, ELBOWS Dunne, then goes up and up to CROSS- FOREARM!! Cover, TWO!! Joe survives and Dunne seethes as he sees Gallus regroup. Dunne goes up and out and up again, ARIHARA MOONSAULT! Gallus Boys go down and fans fire up! Joe scrambles, Dunne pursues to SNAP GERMAN! Dunne then STOMPS the hands! BUZZSAW! Gallus gets on the apron but the ref sees them now! The ref EJECTS Gallus!! Fans fire up as this is now truly 1v1, and Dunne just shrugs as NXT goes picture in picture.

Even Meta Four joins in on taunting Wolfgang & Markus with “Hey hey hey, goodbye~!” Dunne waits on Joe as Joe fumes. Joe storms up to Dunne, and the hands start flying! Joe ducks to ROCK Dunne! And JAB! And body shot! JAB! BODY! Repeat! BIG LEFT! Joe stomps away in the corner but the ref counts. Joe lets off, shaking out his bad arm. Joe drags Dunne back up, ROCKS him, but that just hurts the bad hand. Joe goes up the corner, takes aim, and leaps to MISSILE DROPKICK! Cover, TWO! Dunne is tougher than that and Joe seethes again. Joe drags Dunne around by his legs, but Dunne kicks back. Joe just grabs both legs in one arm!

Joe turns Dunne for a DOUBLE HALF CRAB! Maybe some kinda lobster stretch? Dunne endures, turns over, and he kicks Joe again! Dunne drags Joe down into an ARMBAR! Joe scrambles, but ends up in a TRIANGLE HOLD! Joe endures, fights around, but Dunne squeezes tighter! Joe fights back up, deadlifts Dunne, and BUCKLE BOMBS! Both men are down yet glaring at each other. They crawl over to junkyard dog headbutt! Then they throw haymakers and jabs! They brawl, Dunne fires off on Joe! Dunne hammers down on the Iron King, then STOMPS his arm! Joe writhes, Dunne paces, and then Dunne gets the wrists.

Dunne drags Joe up but Joe HEADBUTTS! And HEADBUTTS! And HEADBUTTS! NXT returns to single picture as Dunne flops to the apron. Joe drags Dunne up by his hair, has him against ropes, but Dunne grabs that bad arm! Dunne wrenches to an ELBOW BREAKER! Then he gives Joe BEATS OF THE BODHRAIN! Shoutout to The Fella, as Dunne goes BEYOND ten!! Fans are thunderous, Meta Four says nuh-uh, that won’t happen to Dar. But Dunne drags Joe back up, for another ELBOW BREAKER! Joe HEADBUTTS back! Joe seethes and drags Dunne up, but Dunne holds ropes to fight the driver!

Dunne reels Joe in, APRON DDT!! Fans are thunderous again and Dunne goes back for more. Joe stands, swings, but Dunne ROCKS him! And ROCKS! Joe ROCKS Back! Dunne rebounds, into a POP-UP UPPERCUT! Joe goes up and up, FLYING CROSSBODY! Joe roars, he drags Dunne into another waistlock, but the bad arm won’t let him lift! Joe just one arms it?! GERMAN SUPLEX!! Joe aims from a corner, fans rally up, and Dunne rises into the GLASGOW SENDOFF! Joe keeps moving, ALL THE- BOOT! Joe stays up, ALL THE- ENZIGURI! ALL THE BEST SOUTHPAW STYLE!! Fans are thunderous for “NXT! NXT!” while both men are down!

A standing count starts, the watch party is loving this, and Joe flounders his way over. But Dunne gets the arm! FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Dunne bends the fingers back! Joe fights up, rolls, and reels Dunne in! POWERBOMB!! Dunne manages to rise up, but Joe runs in again, GLASGOW SENDOFF!! Dunne goes down, Joe keeps moving, ALL THE BEST FOR THE BELLS!!! Cover, TWO?!? Dunne survives and even Meta Four is shocked! Joe shoves Dunne out of the ring, runs in, but the sendoff is sent into steel steps! Dunne puts Joe in the ring, reels him in, BITTER END!!! Cover, DUNNE WINS!!

Winner: Pete Dunne, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT Heritage Cup)

Dar does NOT like this! He knows how dangerous the Bruiserweight can be, just as we all saw with our own eyes! Will Dunne rip the Cup away from Dar once and for all?

Backstage interview with Dominik Mysterio.

McKenzie Mitchell is with the North American Champion and says he retained it against Dragon Lee just last night. Yes, Dom knows, it was another instant classic. Another challenger, another successful defense. And now he has a free Saturday to hang out with Mami and eat chicken tendies. But didn’t he know- Well you thought wrong, Kenzie! No Dom at No Mercy. But HBK just made a Triple Threat to determine a contender. What? Did Dom not see HBK’s social media? No, Dom doesn’t follow HBK. Well, take a look: Axiom VS Tyler Bate VS Dragon Lee! Dom fumes and says HBK’s no better than Pearce! He’s a champion, he should be respected!

Dom storms off, but will he have no choice but to accept a new challenge so soon?

The D’Angelo Family holds their tag team summit dinner.

Stacks says this is a big night for them. Do they have enough food? The Don says c’mon, Adrian’s got ’em covered. So what’s the plan? Everyone sits down, and then they lower the boom? Yeah, Stacks, they lower the boom. Would he relax? Eat some bread. First, they feed their guests, with Uncle Chez slaving away in the kitchen. The chicken parm, the baked ziti. Then they’ll decide who challenges for the tag titles at No Mercy. Right, the champs call the shots. Exactly. The guests arrive and get checked out. Angel Garza doesn’t get it, but Stacks says this is a family establishment. Humberto has his cousin cool off and they sit down.

Humberto appreciates the invite. The last time they met, thigs got… outta hand. Exactly. But Garza says they’re not apologizing. They aren’t even here to eat, just to talk. Well, that mistake is on them. There’s a six course meal coming, and your tastebuds will thank you later. Garza says they’re after one thing. The titles? Good, get a drink, wait for the others. Others? Fine. We’ll check back in on this later, will this meeting even make it through the appetizers?

Trick Williams VS Joe Gacy w/ Ava Raine!

Trick Melo Gang is now, then and forever, while The Schism’s tree seems to be rotting away. Will Trick Willie prove he is his own man and can win his own battles? Or will Mr. Inclusion make him feel all alone?

NXT returns as The Schism makes their entrance. At least, what’s left of it. The bell rings and the two tie up. Gacy headlocks, Trick powers out but Gacy whips. Trick whips Gacy away, then runs him over! Fans fire up as Trick headlocks. Gacy powers out, Trick goes up and over and scoops to SLAM Gacy down! And then DROPKICKS him down! Fans fire up as Trick whips Gacy corner to corner, but Gacy reverses. Gacy runs in, Trick blocks the boot and spins him. Trick ducks the lariat to JAB, JAB and UPPERCUT! Fans fire up more and Trick whips, but Gacy blocks hip toss to knee low and DDT Trick down!

Fans boo as Gacy stomps Trick around. Gacy CLUBS Trick, CLUBS him again, then rains down forearms to the back! Fans boo as Gacy just hammers away! Gacy roars and clamps on a BULLY CHOKE! Trick endures, fights around, and Gacy shouts for Trick to give up! Fans rally, Trick fights up, and Trick pries the hold open! Trick turns around but Gacy kicks low. Gacy throws Trick down by his hair, but Trick avoids the elbow drop! Trick BOOTS from the corner, runs up and fires off haymakers! Trick DECKS Gacy, then throws hands against the ropes! Trick whips, and LEG LARIATS! Then a scoop, but Gacy slips free!

Gacy shoves Trick to a corner to clothesline, ELBOW, and run to UPSIDE- KNEE!! Trick covers, TRICK WINS!

Winner: Trick Williams, by pinfall

If you blinked, you would’ve missed it! He whooped dat trick, is this proof enough Williams ain’t no sidekick? Kelly Kincaid congratulates Trick on the win and he tells her let’s talk about it. He ain’t gonna lie,. it feels good to get that dub. And he is ambidextrous: he whoops ass with both hands! Believe that! Kelly says with No Mercy on Saturday, does he feel Melo also walks out with the W? Or do we see a new champion in Ilja Dragunov? Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. Gacy is weird, but this was a good match. This might’ve been Trick’s best yet. And we wanna talk Melo VS Ilja? But hey, Trick will answer the question.

We all know Dragunov hits hard, and no one knows better than Trick. Trick would be a fool to bet against him. And by him, he means his boy, Melo! Fans cheer that, and Trick says Trick Melo Gang always gonna be here. So at No Mercy, Melo retains that title. And now that Trick thinks about it… Melo has his title, yeah? Trick wants to go get his! Trick heads out, but what is he planning on doing next?

Backstage interview with Blair Davenport.

McKenzie is with the Ichiban Gaijin, and says the last time we saw her and Gigi Dolin, they were brawling in the back. Blair says she gets it. That was Gigi’s feeble attempt at taking Blair out. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in Gigi’s case, it was just sad. The biggest difference is that when Blair targets people, they don’t get up. Blair got back up, and the refs had to pull them apart to save Gigi from Blair. Blair tells Gigi that if she thinks she can share the same vindictive nature and match her vicious intent? Well, she can’t. And if you don’t believe her, just watch what she does tonight.

Andre Chase talks with Duke Hudson.

Mr. Chase knows they have to give Thea her space, but he’s still worried about her. Duke says yeah, but there’s not much they can do. But then Jacy Jayne walks over and asks who they’re looking for. She knows who. They know Jacy is Thea’s new friend, but Thea isn’t returning their texts. How is she doing? Don’t ask Jacy, professor. Just ask her for yourself. Thea! Thea walks in and Duke says HOLY ISH! Thea is in that new leather skirt and top combo Jacy helped her pick out. Chase cannot even, but Duke keeps him from admonishing Thea. Chase says she has never looked so nice. Wait, really? Really really? Yes.

Then great! Because she finally feels like a grown ass woman. All credit to Jacy! But okay, time to go get ready for Dani Palmer in their match. Laters. Jacy says if they liked that, wait until they see the new ring gear. Chase asks what the hell. Duke says it will be okay. Has Chase U’s Sandy gone from cheerleader to modern day Pink Lady? And how much more (or less?) can there be for her ring gear?

Baron Corbin VS Josh Briggs w/ Brooks Jensen & Fallon Henley!

Before facing the #MeanerThanEvil Bron Breakker this Saturday, “No More BS” Corbin looks to show this country boy no mercy. Will Corbin #BurnTheShips and leave Briggs stranded? Or will Briggs show Corbin there’s nothing he can do about the new wave of superstars?

NXT returns as Briggs makes his entrance. The bell rings, the two circle, and then tie up. They go around, Corbin puts Briggs in a corner, and the ref counts. Corbin lets off, to SLAP Briggs! Briggs JABS back! Briggs fires off, fans fire up and Briggs clotheslines Corbin up and out! Briggs pursues, he CLUBS Corbin, then SMACKS him off the apron! The ring count starts as Briggs CLUBS Corbin, then RAMS him into barriers! Fans fire up as Briggs gets in Corbin’s face. Briggs puts Corbin in at 5 of 10, hurries up, and he ROCKS Corbin! Briggs runs, Corbin dodges, but Briggs BOOTS Corbin down!

Fans fire up with Briggs, and he drags Corbin. Corbin grabs ropes, kicks Briggs away, then he kicks Briggs’ leg out! Corbin hauls Briggs up, HALF NELSON SLAM! Cover, TWO! Corbin is frustrated but Briggs is a former tag champion so he’s tough. Corbin fires hands on Briggs, has him in a corner and whips him corner to corner hard. Corbin runs in to SPLASH! Corbin mocks the cheering of the fans and of Fallon, but Briggs avoids his splash! Then scoops for a SIDEWALK SLAM! SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Corbin is also a former US Champion, he’s tougher than that. Fans rally and Briggs looms over Corbin.

Briggs fires hands but Corbin fires back! They go back and forth, Corbin ROCKS Briggs but Briggs fires a flurry! Briggs BOOTS again and Corbin goes to a corner! Briggs snarls, runs in, but Corbin uses the ref as a shield! THROAT CHOP! Corbin goes up to FLYING LARIAT! Corbin drags Briggs up, reels him in, END OF DAYS! Cover, Corbin wins!

Winner: Baron Corbin, by pinfall

One thing Briggs has to learn is that Corbin will do anything to win. Corbin gets a mic to call out “Badass Bron Breakker. This Saturday, we find out if the little doggy is all bark or if he bites.” Corbin burned his past, is looking to the future. Bron just his in the End of Days. But wait, Bron is here! The “little doggy” storms to the ring with a mic of his own, and he tells Corbin, HAYMAKER! Breon fires off, Corbin hits back and fans fire up! Security rushes in, but fans want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” Corbin and Bron ram into each other, throw hands, the others separate them but they just get hit, too! If this is how fired up they are tonight, how much more violent will it get on Saturday?

Trick Williams walks up to HBK’s office door.

Trick knocks, and Shawn has him come in. Trick asks if he has a minute. Yeah, come on in. What is Trick going to ask of the NXT GM?

NXT takes a closer look at Becky VS Tiffany for No Mercy.

Tiffy thinks she’s effortlessly perfect. But then she talked about the wrong Horsewoman, and ended up thrown into the Big Time. Becky took that title to become a Grand Slam Champion, but Tiffany demanded a title rematch. Becky’s been here nearly a decade, and Tiffany’s only been here a year, and yet she went toe-to-toe with The Man. But Becky says she’s seen the ladies with rockets strapped to their backs and they fizzle out just as fast. But then Tiff had to go and push things, and now Becky’s pushing back with EXTREME RULES! Tiff says she’s hungry, Becky says weapons will be used and bodies will be bruised. But will The Man still be the champ?

Hank Walker & Tank Ledger VS Lucien Price & Bronco Nima w/ SCRYPTS!

Tony D’Angelo’s guest list for dinner is not yet complete, but these two young and hungry teams are ready to eat! Will Hank ‘n’ Tank bring that hoss energy to the table? Or will Reggie’s new crew truly be #OutTheMud?

The teams sort out and Price starts against Tank. Tank dodges the boot to waistlock but Price elbows. Tank tags Hank, whips, and then Hank CLOBBERS Price! Hank ‘n’ Tank DOUBLE FALLING HEADBUTTS! Fans rally while Price goes to a corner. Hank storms up but Price BOOTS! Hank throws hands, whips Price to another corner, then SPLASHES! Hank runs side to side, tags Tank and SPLASHES again! Tank RAMS into Price, feeds him to Hank’s scoop, and then Hank SLAMS so Tank can slingshot SPLASH! Cover, TWO! Tank drags Price up, but Nima distracts. Price wrenches to HOOK KICK! Very Booker T style there!

Tag to Nima, he runs to STOMP Tank down! Tank flounders while Nima fires up. Nima runs to STRADDLE ATTACK! Nima bounces with it, then he throws Tank down. Nima STOMPS Tank’s leg, then tags Price. Price runs to JUMP SPLASH! Tank sputters, Nima cheers Price on, and Price runs in to clothesline! Price snapmares, tags Nima, and Nima runs up. Tank avoids the stomp this time to roll Nima up, TWO! Hot tag to Hank! Hank hits a THESZ PRESS and fast hands! Fans fire up, Price runs in but Hank DECKS him! Fans fire up with Hank as he runs corner to corner to SPLASH! Then whip and scoop, to SNAKE EYES!

Hank keeps moving to BOOT Nima down! Fans are all fired up with Hank and he tags Tank! The big boys scoop the bigger boy, but Scrypts grabs at Hank! The ref stops Reggie but that allows Price to SUPERKICK Tank! Then Nima shoves Tank into Hank! Hank goes down, Nima tags Price. They get Tank up, GRIDIRON SPINEBUSTER!! Cover, OTM wins!

Winners: Lucien Price & Bronco Nima, by pinfall

Scrypts was the brains of the game plan, and they’re ready to eat now! Will Tony have Uncle Chez make some extra helpings for these guys?

Gigi Dolin prepares backstage.

But then the lights go out!? And someone attacks Gigi in the dark!! The lights come back up, and of course it was Blair! Blair tells Gigi she’s pathetic. Did Blair just violently cancel her match? Or will this only further motivate Gigi to get revenge?

NXT checks back in on the D’Angelo dinner party.

Stacks says he’s filling up on bread waiting for the other teams to arrive. Tony says it’s good wine, though. But hey, why does it look like Angel & Humberto got mauled by sabretooth tigers? Garza asks if he is disrespecting their grandfather. Stacks says not at all! Humberto explains that these claw mark tattoos remind them who they are, and is a message from their grandfather. A message that includes taking those tag titles. Oh, some message. Maybe it’ll be a long time before they can respond, huh? Heh. And speaking of family, look who is here! The Creed Brothers walk in, get patted down but Tony assures his guys that these two are alright.

Brutus says he’s starving, so he came to the right place. Tony had them whip up double of the, how did Brutus say it? A-spicy-a meatball-a! Some real I-talian food! Julius says they’ll eat, but they’re also here to discuss business. Stacks rolls his eyes at Julius’ Godfather act. Julius figures maybe Tony can just cut them in on No Mercy with the primos here. Stacks says nothing has been settled, just relax and eat something. Brutus asks if this is where… you know? Know what? Where people have had their last suppers. Food poisoning, that is. Humberto hesitates to eat the pasta now. Tony says no, that’s the place up the street! C’mon!

Stacks reports that OTM is OTM. G O O D. Huh? Good. Oh! And here comes some more pasta! Will Brutus & Julius leave enough for Nima & Price?

Tyler Bate talks with Axiom.

The Big Strong Boi says it goes without saying, but no hard feelings out there, mate. The Undeniable Truth agrees. And no offense to either Bate or Dragon Lee, but understand that opportunities like this don’t come along every day. Bate agrees, you gotta seize these moments with both hands. Trick walks in and he wants everyone to know, face to face… The Triple Threat is now a FATAL 4! See you out there. Well, that changes things. Will Dom be doomed no matter who comes away with the golden tickets?

Strap Match: Eddy Thorpe VS DIJAK!

After going back and forth, The Alpha Wolf being pushed to his limits by Hard Justice, both men are ready to tear into each other! And that’s what the leather strap is for! Who walks away the winner while the other walks away licking his wounds?

In the front row is Thorpe’s family: his mother, father, sister, and six-year-old niece. Will they give Eddy the strength to fight through the pain and bring Dijak down? The strap is secured onto each man’s left wrist, and the bell rings. Fans fire up but Dijak already goes out of the ring. Dijak works to drag Eddy out with him but Eddy uses the corner to stay put! Eddy then YANKS Dijak into the post! And then Eddy DIVES to send Dijak into barriers! Fans fire up, Eddy puts Dijak in the ring, but Dijak YANKS Eddy into the apron! Dijak drags Eddy in, gathers up some slack, but Eddy dodges to use slack to trip Dijak!

Eddy KICKS and CLUBS away but Dijak shoves him away. Eddy comes back with more shots! Dijak shoves again, then BOOTS Eddy! Dijak goes up but Eddy YANKS him down to GAMANGIRI! The fans rally behind Eddy as he uses the strap to help drag Dijak up in a waistlock. Dijak ELBOWS Eddy over and over, but Eddy still holds on! Dijak pries the hold and throws more elbows! Eddy lets go, Dijak gathers up the slack, but Eddy BOOTS him first! Eddy then SHOTGUNS Dijak into a corner! Fans fire up and Eddy aims. Eddy runs in, but Dijak dodges the boot! To LASH Eddy with the strap! Dijak then drags Eddy around to whip and TOSS!

Eddy hits the ground hard, his family and the fans rally behind him, but Dijak just laughs as NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Dijak has Eddy down, with the strap across Eddy’s mouth! Eddy endures and fans boo Dijak but Dijak tells Eddy to stay down, he’s stuck! Eddy claws at the strap, brings it away from his mouth, but Dijak pulls it back down! Fans rally up, Eddy fights to his feet and he throws elbows! And windmill haymakers! And CHOPS! Dijak SUPERKICKS, whips, and then yanks again, but Eddy stops himself! SOBAT! Eddy runs in but Dijak choke grips! But Eddy swings and clotheslines Dijak and himself out of the ring! But Dijak holds on!? APRON CHOKE SLAM!! Eddy sputters while Dijak grimaces.

Dijak drags Eddy from the apron, to whip him into barriers! Right in front of the Thorpe family! Fans boo and mama tells Dijak he’s a bad man. Eddy’s niece fires up for Eddy but Dijak stands Eddy up. Dijak grabs some slack, to LASH Eddy! Dijak says this is for the family! LASH!! Fans boo Dijak for being mean to a kid, but he LASHES Eddy over and over again! Dijak drags Uncle Eddy up and into the ring and fans boo more. Dijak takes off his white belt! The same belt that started it all, and that lashed the tree Eddy uses as a guidepost! Dijak swings, but Eddy dodges! Eddy BOOTS Dijak, then runs in to BOOT in the corner!

Dijak staggers, Eddy has some slack now and he LASHES away on Dijak! Again and again and again! Shot for shot, each one for his family, his heritage and himself! Eddy just unloads and the crowd is thunderous! Dijak grabs for his belt but Eddy stands on it! Eddy shakes his head, and he LASHES Dijak again! Dijak staggers to a corner, Eddy uses the white belt for a LEATHER FIST!! Eddy has Dijak down, drags him into a drop zone, then goes up the corner! Eddy wraps his arm in leather, for a LEATHER MACHO ELBOW! Cover, Eddy wins!!

Winner: Eddy Thorpe, by pinfall

The Alpha Wolf deals with Dijak, but Dijak isn’t done with Eddy! Dijak torture racks Eddy for FEAST YOUR EYES!! Dijak is a sore loser and fans boo, but Dijak drags Eddy up again! Dijak RAMS Eddy into the corner, hoists him up top, then SUPERKICKS him down! Eddy is stuck in a Tree of Woe, and we know what Dijak does to trees! Dijak uses the strap to tie Eddy’s legs to the corner, and then grabs his white belt! Fans boo as hard as they can, and Dijak points at the Thorpes to say watch this! Dijak LASHES Eddy again and again and again!! Then he threatens the refs! Dijak storms off, what will the consequences be for pushing things this far?

Jacy Jayne waits in the hall.

She’s so excited for Thea’s new look. She knocks on the door and asks if she’s ready. Almost ready. She looks so good. Good! Jacy is sure everyone will go nuts, but will this new gear help Thea feel like a winner?

Thea Hail w/ Jacy Jayne VS Dani Palmer!

While Dani makes her entrance for this match, Blair snatches the headset from Vic Joseph to mockingly say “what a shame” that Gigi can’t compete tonight. Maybe her tortured little soul is more beat up than she thought. Next time Gigi wants to play Blair’s game, make sure she remembers how she feels right now. Because next time, it’ll be even worse. And now back to our regularly scheduled match.

Thea makes her entrance, Jacy leading the way to bring out a new theme and tron. Thea walks out in leather and garter belts! Fans seem to accept the new Thea. Will Thea show us she grown in more ways than one? The bell rings, she and Dani tie up, and Thea trips Dani to have a toehold! Dani handstands, slips free and trips Thea into a toehold of her own. Thea rolls, Dani handsprings and headlocks for a takeover! Thea fights around, wrenches out of the headlock to top wristlock, and she wrangles Dani down. Dani kips up, but Thea arm-drags her down! Thea SPLASHES down on the arm!

Thea wrenches, Dani rolls, and then flips to arm-drag free! Thea comes back to wheelbarrow and arm-drag! Dani ducks ‘n’ dodges and tilt-o-whirls to RANA Thea away! Things speed up, Thea tilt-o-whirls to RANA back! They go again and Thea wrangles Dani to a FUJIWARA ARMBAR! Dani rolls Thea up, TWO! Dani DROPKICKS Thea down, and then runs, but the splash only gets buckles! Thea GAMANGIRIS, clinches, and EXPLODERS! Cover, TWO! Thea grabs Dani’s arm to WRING it out! Thea wrenches again, but Dani ROCKS Thea! Then LARIATS! And DROPKICKS! Dani kips up and fans fire up as Dani runs in to HANDSPRING KICK!

Dani pushes Thea down, goes up the corner, and SKY TWISTERS! But she lands out of it as Thea moves! Thea runs in to scoop, and KIMURA!! Dani goes down, she TAPS! Thea wins!

Winner: Thea Hail, by pinfall

New look, new attitude, new Thea? Well, one win does not make a streak, but is this just the beginning? Jacy sees Chase & Duke and waves hi to them. Is that also a wave goodbye for the good ol’ days of good girl Thea?

Melo is on his phone.

And in walks Trick! He’s in his bag right now! He showed Gacy while the whole world will be chanting “Whoop Dat Trick!” And now Trick’s gonna show the rest of the world why… Wait, what’s up? Is Melo listening? Yeah, man, he saw Trick do his thing against Gacy. And knew he would! Trick’s getting in a Fatal 4, he’s gonna win! Yeah, and then Trick will go on to No Mercy to face Dom for the North American Championship. Trick will get his first title shot! Melo, c’mon! Is he on mute? No, Melo is hearing Trick, but the contract signing with Ilja is big stuff. He has to lock in. Trick understands, right? Right, Trick understands. Melo handles his business, Trick will handle his.

Trick heads out, and Melo hopes Trick wasn’t upset right there. Will all be okay when Trick Melo Gang leaves the Golden State dripping in gold?

NXT Media catches up with Baron Corbin.

Corbin’s on his way out as he is asked about Bron confronting him after his match, but Corbin says to stop. He has no time for this! “Badass Bron thinks he’s intimidating people but he’s not. This Saturday, No Mercy, he’s getting his ass whooped, and that’s-” BRON LEAPS IN AND CLOBBERS CORBIN! They brawl again and refs rush in! Security, too! These two are separated, will they even make it to Saturday?!

NXT North American Championship #1 Contender Fatal 4 Way: Axiom VS Tyler Bate VS Dragon Lee VS Trick Williams!

Each man in this match has been disrespected by Dirty Dom ever since Judgment Day started coming around NXT. And each man wants their shot at Dom’s title. What was a one-in-three is now a one-in-four, but will the numbers still spell disaster for Dom at No Mercy?

NXT returns as Axiom makes his entrance so now all four men are here. The bell rings, the four look around at the others, and then Axiom and Bate DOUBLE SUPERKICK Trick! Those two must really not like that Trick got himself into their match, but even Dragon is stunned. But now we have the original Triple Threat, and both Bate and Axiom rush Dragon! Dragon dodges, shoves Bate into Axiom and then trips Bate. Things speed up, Bate hurdles but Dragon comes back. Bate dodges to FLY out onto Trick! Fans are torn but then Dragon runs. Axiom dodges, RANAS, but Dragon handsprings!

Axiom trips Dragon, Dragon reaches up to RANA, but Axiom handsprings through. Dragon kicks low, whips Axiom toa  corner and runs in, but into an ELBOW! Axiom goes up to FLYING ARM-DRAG! Axiom kips up, DROPKICKS Dragon, and fans fire up. Axiom goes up and out to FLYING KNEE Trick down! Bate drags Trick and Axiom up but Dragon builds speed to FLY out onto all three! Dragon hurries to get Trick up and in and fans fire up again. Dragon reels Trick in, but Trick trips Dragon! Trick has the legs, BOSTON CRAB! But then Bate has a FUJIWARA ARMBAR on Dragon! But then Axiom slides in, and he studies this puzzling predicament.

Occam’s razor says the simplest solution is often the best, so Axiom just adds on! SLEEPER on Trick! Trick starts fading while Dragon still endures, but Bate sees Axiom. Bate CLUBS Axiom down and now everyone is free. Fans fire up, Bate goes after Dragon but Dragon fires haymakers! Bate puts Bop up but Dragon ducks Bang to ROCK Bate! Dragon whips, Bate reverses and DROPKICKS! Trick DECKS Bate! Axiom runs in but into body shots and an UPPERCUT! Trick runs but Axiom ducks, the LEAPING LARIAT gets Dragon! GORDO KICK gets Axiom! Bate & Axiom run in, into DOUBLE FLAPJACKS! Fans are thunderous with Trick and NXT goes picture in picture!

Trick huffs ‘n’ puffs but Bate ROCKS him back! And again! Trick ROCKS Bate, storms up but blocks the boot. Bate KNEES Trick away, goes up, and FLYING UPPERCUTS! Trick goes to another corner, Bate runs in but Trick TOSSES him up and out! Axiom runs up but into a knee! Trick CHOPS Axiom down! Trick stalks Axiom to a corner, CHOPS him again, and Axiom flounders around! Axiom tries to hit back but can’t put much into it. Trick just CHOPS Axiom down again! Trick shakes out that hand, then he sees Bate on the outside. Trick drags Bate up but Bate RAMS into Trick! Slingshot sunset flip! TWO!

Trick runs up to knee low! Trick reels Bate in, but Axiom stops the suplex. Bate & Axiom double suplex Trick, btu Dragon joins in! Dragon & Trick VS Bate & Axiom in a battle for suplex superiority! It’s Bate & Axiom that get Dragon & Trick up and over!! All four men are down and the fans are going wild! Trick and Dragon crawl away, so Bate throws a hand on Axiom! Axiom hits Bate back, they go back and forth, and Axiom kicks from below! Bate stands Axiom up to UPPERCUT! Axiom and Bate keep going back and forth, SUPERMAN PUNCH from Axiom! NXT returns to single picture as Bate rebounds!

Bate gest under and around Axiom, underhooks the arms, and TYLER DRIVER- RANA COUNTER! Cover, TWO! Axiom runs up, gets around but Bate bucks the O’Conner. Axiom catches Bate, HALF ‘N’ HALF! Axiom then kicks Trick, runs, but Dragon is back. Axiom goes up and up and ARM-DRAG RANA COMBOS! Bate is up, he kicks Axiom low and whips. Axiom tilt-o-whirls to send Bate into Trick! LARIAT DDT COMBO!! Cover on Bate, but Dragon breaks it! Dragon whips Axiom, runs in to JUMP KICK! Leg sweep! COMBINACION DRAGON! Fans rally as Dragon HYDRAULIC DROPKICKS Trick! Then HYDRAULIC DROPKICKS Axiom!

The Boy Wonder swings, Big Strong Boi dodges, REBOUNDER but Dragon slips through! DRAGON BOMB!! Cover, Trick AND Axiom break it!! Fans are thunderous again as all four men are down! The fans love “NXT! NXT!” for making this match a reality! Trick drags Dragon up to TOSS him out, but Axiom is up top! Axiom leaps, into a HAYMAKER from Trick! Trick scoop SLAMS Bate, stomps him around, then rolls to lift, but Dragon adds on! So Trick just DOUBLE BOOKENDS!! Double cover, TWO!!! Trick keeps his focus on Bate and brings him. Trick CLUBS Bate, fans sing “Trick gonna beat yo’ ass~!”

Trick suplexes but Bate SATELLITE DDTS!! Trick is dazed, Bate is roaring! Bate fireman’s carries Dragon to AIRPLANE SPIN! But Axiom runs in! So Bate trips him, and much like a certain Swiss Superman, AIRPLANE SPIN GIANT SWING COMBOS!!! Fans are thunderous as Bate goes around and around, then stops to SLAM Dragon onto Axiom! And then deadlift GERMAN SUPLEX for Dragon! Trick gets Bate to whip, but Bate hits a REBOUNDER!! Cover, Axiom breaks it while giving Dragon a DESTROYER!!! Fans are losing their minds as all four men are down again!! “This is Awesome!” as all four men stir.

Axiom and Bate rise, Axiom kicks but Bate blocks! Bate Bop up, BANG sends Axiom down! Trick whips, again, POP-UP UPPERCUT! Axiom SUPERKICKS Trick! Axiom aims at Dragon, but Dragon blocks the kick to send it into Trick! Dragon then pops Axiom up in the corner, to SUPERKICK him down! And SUPERKICK again!! Fans fire up with Dragon and he goes up the corner! But Bate GAMANGIRIS Dragon first! Bate climbs up to get Dragon, but Axiom CLUBS them both! Axiom climbs to join them, he SUPERKICKS Bate to the apron! Axiom has Dragon now, for a SUPER SPANISH FLY!!! Cover, TWO?!?!?

Dragon survives and fans are losing their minds! Both men rise, Axiom afraid for his life! Dragon shoves, spins, tilt-o-whirl, DESTINOOO~!! Cover, Trick breaks it! Trick drags Dragon up, Dragon HEADBUTTS Trick into Bate!! Bate falls back, Dragon falls out, and Trick falls forward onto Axiom!! It’s a cover! TRICK WINS!!!

Winner: Trick Williams, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT North American Championship)

Even Trick is stunned! Trick is going to No Mercy to have his own title fight!! Will Trick Melo Gang be the top two of NXT?

NXT returns to the D’Angelo dinner party.

Everyone is enjoying course after course, but only now does OTM arrive. Tony says they were told to impress, and they did. Stacks says Hank ‘n’ Tank ain’t no joke, so they earned their seat at the table. Pull up a chair. They’ll get a booster seat for Scrypts there. The others laugh, but Price says not to disrespect his man. Scrypts says it’s cool. He brought cheese for the rats anyways. What’s that? Nima says they ain’t here to break bread. Brutus says he did, that focaccia bread was amazing. At least someone’s enjoying the hospitality. But Humberto also gets to business. Who will face the champions at No Mercy?

Naturally, Humberto & Angel want their shot, but The Creeds say no one remembers the last time Los Lotharios won. Was it before or after the siesta? Oh, sorry, guess the Creeds were too busy trying to get their jobs back. No, they did that in a Steel Cage Match. Maybe Garza was still napping. Brutus asks if there’s more of that chicken parm. Bro! What? This is great! Better than mom’s. Mom’s is good, too. Eh. Scrypts says it is time for new blood in the division. The D’Angelos invite them just to disrespect them. They won’t even say Lucien’s & Bronco’s names. This man must want to cake walk in Cali. Well, guess Scrypts is a mind-reader now.

Who’re they calling a cake walk? Oh, cake. Brutus, pay attention. The match the people want is Tony & Stacks VS The Creeds! Hey hold up. Everyone’s begging for their shot, but OTM don’t beg. Either Tony gives them the shot, or this place is gonna get real dirty, real quick. Tony says okay. But then he calls in his muscle. Oh, didn’t know Tony rolled like that. Tony says to sit down and shut up. Stacks says this is what they’re gonna do. Everyone makes a good case for themselves. But as their first title defense on a premium event, The D’Angelo Family won’t let others say “Oh, you picked your favorites, you took the easy road.”

So it m ight be high risk, but Tony will see all their ugly mugs at No Mercy! Don’t like it? There’s the door. The three other teams stay quiet, so Tony says that’s more like it. Stacks says they’ve even procured everyone’s favorite beverages for the sake of this toast. Everyone stands, and Tony says to the Fatal 4. Salud. Salud. Everyone toasts, the Creeds having milk while the others have wine. Then No Mercy just got a whole lot bigger! Will The Don & Underboss even make it outta Bakersfield on their own two feet? Or will there be new champions in the NXT Tag Division?

Backstage interview with Dominik Mysterio, again.

McKenzie again has Dirty Dom with her and says it will be Dom VS Trick at No Mercy. Dom says big deal. HBK is throwing curve balls, but Dom will whoop dat Trick, just like he did Dragon Lee. By the way, thanks for the black eye. But HBK needs to realize he doesn’t run NXT, DOM does! On Saturday, Dom will whoop Trick, even DESTROY him, just like he did Dragon Lee. But then Dragon DECKS Dom!! Dragon warns Dom that if he makes it past Trick, they’re going another round. Refs back Dragon off, is the clock running out on Dirty Dom’s run?

Trick catches up with Melo.

Trick is sore and tired, but he and Melo celebrate. Melo is proud of Trick. At No Mercy, they’ll both walk out champions! Trick Melo Gang always gonna be here! They secret handshake, then Melo heads out. The contract signing is next, will Melo and Dragunov keep from blowing things up in the ring before the title match?

Someone is watching.

Watching television, that is. He flips through the channels, watches some classic 80s news, Cincinnati Bengals training came, and even WCW. Just who could this be?

BREAKING NEWS for No Mercy!

HBK heard Dom run his mouth about who runs things, so he’s about to show Dom what’s up! In a bit of karma from before, Dom VS Trick for the North American Championship will have a special guest referee! And it’s none other than DRAGON LEE!! Will Dirty Dom finally taste some of his own medicine at No Mercy?

Ilja Dragunov heads to the ring.

Fans conduct the music along with The Mad Dragon as he goes to the table waiting for him. Then Melo makes his entrance, and both men take their seats. Melo has a mic to tell Ilja, “You and I both know that everything that happened last week, there’s really nothing for us to talk about. So let’s sign this contract, and we’ll see each other on Saturday at No Mercy.” Dragunov asks Melo if he realizes that in that moment last week, Melo is always the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time? And Dragunov is convinced that Melo is just the wrong man to be NXT Champion.

Melo says okay, hold on. Wrong person at wrong time? Like Dragunov at The Bash? Melo didn’t plan for it to go down like that, he didn’t call that shot, but it is what it is. Melo didn’t walk into The Bash thinking he wasn’t gonna win, and now he’s walking into No Mercy knowing Melo will beat you! Dragunov says Melo just explained himself, and it had to hurt, right? Dragunov can clearly see that Melo struggles outside of his comfort zone. So at No Mercy, Melo shall know true unbearable pain when he faces a dragon spitting fire! Melo says hold on. Talk about struggling with confidence? Yeah, for the first time ever, Melo is struggling! But only for a moment before he checked himself.

But if Dragunov wants to talk confidence and pain, the unbearable pain is Dragunov believing his own hype! His own hype that Dragunov beat Melo at The Bash when we all know that Dragunov did not. Dragunov says the people know, and deep inside, Melo knows that Dragunov did. So on Saturday, it is destiny! Dragunov isn’t just talking about a prophecy, but here’s a question. What does Melo do when he throws everything he has at Dragunov, and Dragunov doesn’t stay down? Wait, what does Melo do when he shoots his best shot, and oh, I dunno… he misses? Did Melo prepare himself to answer these questions?

Melo says the reality is, being the NXT Champion is not about how much pain you can endure, how many veins you can make pop out of your head, it is about being undeniable! It is about being… HIM! Fans fire up for that one. And Melo wants Dragunov to realize this: Melo is not like any of these guys Dragunov’s beaten lately. He’s not Wes Lee, he’s not Oro Mensah, he’s not Trick- Melo catches himself there and Dragunov laughs. What was that? Melo says no, hold on. Melo will be the one to push Dragunov to his limits, because Melo is champ for a freakin’ reason! And at No Mercy, we get rid of the What Ifs!

Dragunov stands, takes the contract, and signs his part. Then he hands it over to Melo with some stank. Then he tells Melo, “You will do nothing, because you can do NOTHING!” Dragunov is finished with letting destiny slip through his fingers, and so if Melo wants to push Dragunov to places beyond his limit, great! Because everything Melo will find there is a nightmare he will never forget for the rest of his life! And when Dragunov is crowned the NEW NXT Champion, Melo will realize that his dynasty has fallen. “Long Live the Czar!!” Melo stands up, signs his part, and it is official!

Melo then tells Dragunov that now that he’s done, understand something. This NXT Championship is bigger than either of them. When Melo carries the title, it represents a beacon of hope for kids that look like him. It is a beacon of hope for anyone who has shot their shot in the dark and prayed it went in. So can Dragunov carry this championship and all its responsibilities? Melo says absolutely. But does Melo think he can do it better than Melo? Absolutely NOT. Melo holds up the title as he and Dragunov stare down. Neither man is backing down, and neither is going to back down. But who will be knocked down while the other rises up as THE NXT Champion?

There’s a fight going on!?

Baron and Bron are at it again, this time in the parking lot!! Refs ands security try to stop this but Bron knees low, then RAMS Corbin into the side of a car! It gets dented! Corbin staggers up but Bron fires off haymakers! The refs back Bron off, Corbin gets in the car, but Bron tries to drag him out! Security drags Bron back, but then Bron gets loose! But Corbin moves and Bron rams himself into the car door! Corbin SMACKS Bron off the hood, then fires off hands! The security can’t stop Corbin as he brings Bron over, but Bron sends Corbin into the garage door! And then SPINEBUSTERS Corbin on the car hood!!

Bron isn’t done, he just gets on the hood with Corbin! But Corbin LOW BLOWS Bron! To CHOKE SLAM Bron on the car roof!! The refs say c’mon already! But Bron sits up like the Deadman!! SLEEPER HOLD!! Corbin SLAMS Bron back but Bron won’t let go! Corbin fires elbows but Bron RAMS him into the garage door! Corbin RAMS Bron into the wall! They end up going indoors, but where is this? Bron shouts, “Where’re you goin’, b*tch?!” The brawl continues in this random hallway! Bron ROCKS Corbin, Corbin CHUCKS a fire extinguisher!! Bron narrowly dodges that, to then SPEAR Corbin through the wall!!!

WHOA, they end up in HBK’s office!! Security and producers and pretty much every ref rushes in to stop this as Bron tries to choke Corbin out!! Again, will these two even make it to Saturday?!

My Thoughts:

An awesome go-home for NXT, probably one of their best in this post-2.0 era. For one, we got about as close to Prime Target as we’re probably getting in this current NXT. Didn’t really add much, though, as we got more highlight reel and recap than we did new promo material. As I said for Raw, Tegan facing the winner doesn’t really add any indicators either, but it’ll be great stuff all the same. And really good stuff from the other women’s division stories. Hilarious and fully expected reaction from Duke & Chase regarding Thea’s new look, and of course Thea wins to keep her momentum going. And Blair attacking Gigi to cancel their match, this has to be leading to something extreme of their own for after No Mercy.

Really good series of promos from Tony, Stacks and the tag teams. Hank ‘n’ Tank VS Nima & Price was solid stuff, but I figured #OutTheMud would win on virtue of being the one fully(?) Heel team in this story. And I also figured we were getting a Fatal 4 Way Tag, and that is awesome. This is definitely HBK working to get this brand back to the best times of Black ‘n’ Gold. With this Fatal 4, any team can win this, and it will be a lot of fun. Corbin VS Briggs was a good match, great showing for Briggs, but of course Corbin wins. Then great stuff the rest of the night with Corbin and Bron brawling, and what an awesome closing image of them busting into HBK’s office and still fighting. Bron as a Heel has been doing great, I oddly want him to win.

Awesome opener with the Global Heritage Invitational finals, and I figured Dunne was going to win that. Now, while we’ve got Dom with the North American title and Becky with the women’s title, I don’t know another RawDown star wins an NXT prize. It’d be awesome for Dunne if he did, but unless someone backs Dunne up, Meta Four is totally gonna screw him over like they have all Dar’s other challengers. An obvious move would be for Ridge Holland to show up, but it would be pretty cool if Bate backed Dunne up to harken back to their British Strong Style days. Plus, just Ridge won’t be enough, and for those who haven’t heard, Sheamus is out with shoulder injury. Also, well wishes to The Fella that he gets back quickly.

Great stuff out of the Strap Match, and great win for Eddy, but man, Dijak doubled down on his Heel heat in this match. It feels weird that WWE is also doubling on using a Face’s family as a way to get extra heat on things. Chad Gable with his family for when he lost to Gunther, and now Eddy’s family ringside for both his win but also the beating… Well, if the Strap Match isn’t the end of this, then maybe Eddy and Dijak finish this in a return to NXT Underground? That is where this feud started: Eddy won an NXT Underground match and got praise for it, which pissed Dijak off.

And just awesome stuff in this Trick Melo Gang story. Trick beat Gacy much faster than I expected, though I did expect him to win anyway. And with WWE (stupidly) releasing Mustafa Ali before No Mercy and the match he was scheduled for, NXT had to improvise a new match. They pulled out a genius way of doing it, with Trick getting in on the #1 contenders match and then winning it in such an awesome “luck based” finish. Trick VS Dom with Dragon as the special guest ref is going to be a lot of fun, and this might (emphasis on might) be how Dom loses the belt.

Melo and Dragunov had a great contract-signing segment, and NXT is good about having solely promo-based ones, no fighting at all. Something that could add major intrigue to the story is if Trick beats Dom to be champion, and then Melo loses to Dragunov so that he isn’t. Will Melo put his pride aside to be happy for Trick? Or will Trick being the only one with gold upset Melo?

My Score: 8.9/10

Will Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn get payback for Payback?

Raw is golden as Finn Balor & Damian Priest defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships and Dominik Mysterio defends his NXT North American title! However, Finn & Priest only won thanks to Dirty Dom, will they be out of luck in a fair 2v2 fight?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Otis w/ The Alpha Academy VS Bronson Reed; Reed wins.
• Tommaso Ciampa VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ Imperium; Ciampa wins.
• NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Tegan Nox VS Natalya; Tegan wins and will challenge for the title next week.
• NXT North American Championship: Dominik Mysterio VS Dragon Lee; Dom wins and retains the title.
• Nia Jax VS Zoey Stark; Nia wins.
• Drew McIntyre VS Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods; McIntyre wins.
• Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Finn Balor & Damian Priest VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn; Finn & Priest win and retain the titles.

PLAY BY PLAY

Cody Rhodes is here!

The American Nightmare has Ontario, California all fired up! They sing along with the theme song, “WHOA~ OH!” and the pyro goes off as Cody high-fives the front row and even poses for some selfies. Cody steps into the ring and, after a recap package, he gets a mic to welcome us to Raw. “For those watching at home, if you’ll indulge me for just one moment, I’m gonna turn my back on the camera so I can see a very SOLD OUT Ontario, California!” Fans fire up as Cody turns to see the other half of the arena. Fans chant for “CODY! CODY!” and he then says he has been interrupted two weeks in a row trying to talk about this, so he’ll cut to the chase.

The subject: Main Event Jey Uso. Fans chant “UCEY! UCEY!” and Cody says Jey being on Raw means that someone is going to be sent over to SmackDown. And it also means a very disgruntled locker room that thought Cody should’ve let Jey sink. That’s not Cody. And no, Jey and Cody aren’t best friends. Perhaps, there are other reasons Cody wants Jey here on Raw. Something tells Cody that we’re not in the third inning anymore. But either way, Cody wasn’t gonna watch a man get jumped by three others for making the right decision, and that right decision being turning down The Judgment Day!

Cody says The Judgment Day are “undoubtedly” the most toxic faction in the history of- Well, hold on, here comes the Judgment Day! Finn Balor, Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio have all their prizes on hand, and even mics. Finn tells Cody, “Why you always gotta stick your nose in Judgment Day’s business?” Priest says last week, they gave Jey the chance to join a real family, but Cody couldn’t help himself. Jey turned them down, got dealt with, but Cody had to save they day because everything is about Cody. Priest talks with Dom in Spanish, but then the fans boo as Dom starts talking to Cody.

Dom tells the fans to shut up, but then he tells Cody that Jey is gonna pay! Jey will pay for disrespecting the Judgment Day. Dom tells the fans “YO SOY UN CAMPEON!” Respect him! Cody has everyone stop here. This is rude of Cody, so keep going, Dom. The fans boo again but then Cody speaks up again. Mr. MITB mentioned real family? Dom, you’ve got a real family, and they can’t stand him! And the biggest question is, since this is Raw, if they wanna come get it, he’s game! But before that, here’s a question: All of them defending their titles tonight, what happens when Mami comes back and finds they are emptyhanded?

You keep Mami’s name out your mouth! But the three look to each other, and they drop the mics! Fans fire up as Cody stares the three down, but wait! Here comes Jey from the crowd side! Main Event Jey stands with the American Nightmare against common enemies! Fans chant “USO! USO!” Finn says this is 3v2, this is easy! But then here comes Sami & Kevin from the crowd! They stand with Cody and Jey, that’s 4v3! Judgment Day reconsiders, and fans boo as they retreat. Priest says Kevin & Sami get theirs later. Oh but wait! JD McDonagh appears, with chairs! That’s 4v4 but with a little extra!

Finn nods and fist bumps his boy, and Dom says heck, this is even now! Priest stays back, but the brawl is on! He says to hell with it then! The brawl goes 4v4, but Priest ends up all alone now! He gets jumped 4v1! Cody gets a chair as Priest powers out! SUPERKICK from Jey! CHAIRSHOT from Cody! Priest tumbles out of the ring and Kevin takes a seat in the other chair. Are the walls closing in on the most toxic team in WWE today? Or can they escape the Golden State still wearing gold around their waists?

Otis w/ The Alpha Academy VS Bronson Reed!

While “Master” Chad Gable could not survive the Tsunami, perhaps his number one guy can turn the tide! Will the tree trunk that is The Dozer survive the force of nature that is Auszilla?

Raw returns and Reed makes his entrance. The bell rings and fans rally up as the two mirror images stare down. They tie up, are in a deadlock, then break. They tie up again and Reed headlocks. Otis powers out but Reed RAMS him! Neither man falls and fans fire up! Otis headlocks, Reed powers out and they RAM shoulders again! Neither falls so they both run, to DOUBLE LARIAT! Neither falls and fans are fired up! Reed SLAPS Otis, but Otis shoves Reed! The two titans egg each other on, then run in to DOUBLE LARIAT! Both men fall back and then out of the ring! Both men stand up, and they stare down from across the way.

Otis and Reed meet at the side and Otis LARIATS Reed down!! Otis keeps after Reed but is sent into the POST! Reed then CLOBBERS Otis! Reed flexes, he puts Otis in the ring, and fans fire up. Reed brings Otis up, whips him to ropes, and fireman’s carries Otis to SAMOAN DROP!?! Cover, TWO! Otis hangs in there but Reed clamps on with a neck wrench. Fans rally and Maxxine coaches Otis up. Otis fights to his feet, throws body shots, and fans fire up. Reed HEADBUTTS Otis, Otis blocks a boot, both men run, to DOUBLE CROSSBODY!! Maxxine is stunned while both men are down! Fans fire up as the real-life kaiju stand!

Otis throws body shots and he backs Reed down. Fans fire up as Otis just windmills away! Then ELBOWS him! Otis whips, Reed swings but Otis rolls under!? DISCUS LARIAT! And then an ANGLE SLAM!! Maxxine cheers Otis on as Reed flounders to a corner. Otis runs in to SPLASH! Reed falls, and fans fire up! Otis has his target, and he RIPS OFF his shirt! The CATERPILLAR ELBOW! Otis then hurries up the corner, to VADER BOMB, BUT FLOPS as Reed moves! Reed SENTONS! Reed hurries up top, fans go nuts for the TSUNAMI!! Cover, Reed wins!!

Winner: Bronson Reed, by pinfall

Maxxine is speechless! The Alpha Academy has lost 0-2 to the Colossus! As the song says, this is his moment, will Reed prove he’s ready for war?

Tegan Nox finds Becky Lynch backstage.

The Man is happy to see Tegan’s back, but she was hoping to see her in the ring. When Becky made that Open Challenge last week, she was kinda hoping for someone like Tegan. And Tegan was waiting at gorilla, so what happened? Natty showed up and Tegan showed the veteran respect. Becky says you can’t do that, you gotta step on toes to show your worth. Becky has a huge title defense this Saturday, NXT No Mercy. Becky wants Tegan to be next in line after Becky wins. Tegan’s up for that. Will the girl with the shiniest wizard get her shot at the gold next week? Or will Tiffany Stratton make some big changes to Becky’s Big Time plans?

Adam Pearce is on the phone.

No, as of right now, the trade has not been finalized. Then he excuses himself as Tegan Nox walks in. She’s sorry for interrupting, but while we know Becky has her NXT Women’s Championship match on Saturday, Tegan is just wondering if she can get the winner of that. But then in walks Natty. Natty says it is great that Tegan’s finally standing up for herself. But maybe ask him to give Natty a rematch. Uh, Natty, Tegan respects you, but you lost. So step aside so someone else can have a shot. Clearly, someone is whispering in Tegan’s ear. The greatest trick of a champion is to distract the hungry challengers.

So if Tegan doesn’t think Natty has the passion, just say it to her face. Passion? Natty’s not the only one with passion around here! And Becky said if Tegan has to step on toes around here, then that’s what she’s gonna do! Pearce has them calm down, and says he isn’t handing out title opportunities. Maybe they go to the ring and we see who earns one. Natty says she’s up for that. Maybe Tegan will get hungry and remember her manners. Tegan says she’s starving. Who gets their shot at Big Time Becks?

Tommaso Ciampa VS Ludwig Kaiser w/ Imperium!

The Psycho Killer dealt with Giovanni Vinci, but now he has to deal with Der Ring General’s lieutenant. Will nothing stop Ciampa from going after Gunther and the Intercontinental Championship? Or will the Impeccable German’s European Excellence eliminate Ciampa from the board?

Raw returns and Imperium makes their entrance. The bell rings and the two tie up. They’re in a deadlock, but Ludwig puts Ciampa in a corner. Ludwig lets off, but throws hands! Ludwig headlocks, grinds the hold, and Gunther is watching backstage as Ciampa throws hands. Ciampa powers out but Ludwig runs him over! Ludwig “kicks dirt” at Ciampa, runs, but Ciampa hits a THESZ PRESS and fast hands! Ludwig staggers up into a snapmare, and Ciampa stomps Ludwig’s face! Fans fire up as Ciampa stomps more. Ciampa CHOPS Ludwig, CHOPS him again, but Ludwig ROCKS him with a right! And another!

Ciampa hits back with haymakers, then bumps Ludwig off buckles. Ciampa CHOPS, then ROCKS Ludwig again, and repeat! Ciampa stomps a mudhole in, the ref counts and Ciampa lets off. Ciampa brings Ludwig up but Ludwig throws hands! Ludwig hoists Ciampa up top, and then DECKS Ciampa with a haymaker! Ciampa checks his teeth as he sits on the apron, but Ludwig brings him up. Ciampa ELBOWS Ludwig away and fans rally up. But Ludwig runs in to SHOVE Ciampa off apron and into steel steps! Fans boo as Imperium stands over Ciampa, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns again and Ludwig POSTS Ciampa! Ludwig keeps Ciampa stuck in the ropes, then runs side to side to DROPKICK Ciampa down! The ring count starts as Ciampa is on the floor. Ludwig eggs Ciampa on, Ciampa hurries in at 5 of 10, but Ludwig is on him. Ciampa TOSSES Ludwig out! Fans fire up, Ludwig hurries but Ciampa CHOPS! And ROCKS! And LARIATS! Ludwig flops to the floor and fans fire up with Ciampa. Ciampa puts Ludwig in, runs up and clotheslines Ludwig up and out! Gunther is upset as Ciampa SMACKS Ludwig off apron, SMACKS him off desk, and whips him into the steel steps!

Fans fire up as Ciampa grins and slides into the ring. Ciampa drags Ludwig in through the ropes, WILLOW’S BELL! Cover, TWO! Ludwig survives but Ciampa reels him in! Underhooks and- NO, Ludwig wrenches out to UPPERCUT! Ciampa CHOPS! They go back and forth, Ciampa BOOTS then ripcords, ROLLING- NO, Ludwig fireman’s carries! But Ciampa slips free to REVERSE DDT! Fans fire up as the kneepad comes down! But Vinci gets in, so he takes the PSYCHO KNEE! Ludwig ENZIGURIS Ciampa!! Cover, but the ref is busy with Vinci and his busted nose! Ludwig says get out, and he kicks Vinci away!

Ludwig brings Ciampa up, for a JUMP KNEE! Cover, Ciampa wins!

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa, by pinfall

Ciampa tells Gunther that he better be ready! Ciampa wants everything he has, and he’s taking it all! Gunther is furious, will he tear into Vinci and Ludwig for failing him?

Becky Lynch heads to the ring!

The NXT Women’s Champion holds the belt high as she’s going to be on commentary! She wants to see who is next in line, will it be the Welsh Firecracker of the Queen of Harts?

NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Tegan Nox VS Natalya!

Raw returns and Natty makes her entrance. The bell rings and Natty circles with Tegan. They tie up, Natty hits a headlock takeover but Tegan headscissors. Natty kips free and the two stare down. Natty hits another takeover, denies the headscissors, but Tegan rolls her up. ONE, and Natty holds on. Natty covers, ONE, and Tegan hammerlocks. Fans rally and duel as Natty rolls and Tegan wrenches. N atty rolls and handsprings and hammerlocks, but Tegan hammerlocks back. Natty switches, Tegan switches, then Tegan stops Natty’s switch. Natty ELBOWS free, and then grins.

Tegan shoves Natty and then eggs her on. Natty shoves, spins, but Tegan dodges to TACKLE Natty! Tegan rains down shots but Natty shoves her away. Tegan UPPERCUTS Natty down! And PENALTY KICKS! Tegan then drags Natty up to suplex, for a GOURD BUSTER! Fans fire up and Tegan goes corner to corner, CANNONBALL! Cover, TWO! This is the fire Becky wants to see! Tegan runs in but Natty rolls the shining wizard up, TWO! Natty kicks low, reels Tegan in, and she gets Tegan up for a SITOUT BOMB! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up but Natty has the legs! Tegan scrambles and HOTSHOTS Natty off ropes!

Tegan runs, WORLD’S SHINIEST WIZARD!! Cover, Tegan wins!!

Winner: Tegan Nox, by pinfall (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT Women’s Championship)

Tegan did it! She stood up for herself, stepped on some toes, and took the win! But considering Becky VS Tiffy II is EXTREME RULES, will The Man have to put up the fight of her life just to give Tegan hers? Or will the Wrestling Barbie make her Raw in-ring debut next Monday?

Judgment Day regroups.

Finn says nobody should ever get the better of them! McDonagh says it was 4v4, they should’ve had that. But then Priest CHUCKS a chair at the wall! Priest tells McDonagh to shut up! He doesn’t care who he is friends with, he is NOT Judgment Day! He just took a beating cuz of McDonagh! Get out! NOW! McDonagh leaves, Dom is scared silent and Finn is a bit unsure of what to do. Is the Punisher so stubbornly against adding The Irish Ace that he’s going to lose the war for Raw?

Seth Rollins is here!

Ontario, California sings along, “WHOA~ OHH~ OHHH~!” as the World Heavyweight Champion struts to the ring. Rollins stands in his spotlight and revels in the “WHOA~! OHH~ OHHH~!” The Visionary wants an answer from the King of Strong Style about their world title rematch, will he get it? We find out, after the break.

Raw returns and Rollins now has the mic. “ONTARIOOOOO~! Welcome to Monday… Night… Rollins!” And what say we play a little game? He’s sure they’ll like this one. If you guys are as sick and tired as Rollins is of Shinsuke Nakamura ducking and dodging him, then sing his song. “WHOA~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Well that’s a yes. Rollins says alright, alright, alright. Question number two: If they think it is about time Rollins defended his world title, sing louder. “WHOA~ OHH~ OHHH~!” Two for two. Rollins says they’re beautiful and he loves ’em. And since we’re all in agreement, there’s only one thing left to do.

SHINSUKE! For weeks, Rollins has been calling you out, asking for this rematch, but Nakamura’s been duckin’, dodgin’ and playin’ games, but the time for games is over. Right here, right now, we are getting an answer! If Nakamura does not accept the challenge for a rematch, then Rollins is pulling the offer. He’s moving on! There are a million capable and willing talents, and Rollins wants to fight! So Shinsuke, this is your last chance. “The floor is yours.” Fans sing again “WHOA~ OHH~ OHHH~!” But then Nakamura is on the tron. “Seth Rollins… Name the time. Name the place. You have so many demands. No wonder your body fails you.

“I want nothing more than to be the straw that finally breaks your back, mangles you until there’s nothing left but dust. But I have restraint. Your stamina is admirable. But you have no patience. Only impulse. I dealt the hand, and you showed me all your cards. I have yet to show you mine. Let me make it clear! A match so brutal, so barbaric, you will NEVER walk again. A conclusion so humiliating, your daughter will be ashamed to look at you.” Nakamura says this is ROLLINS’ last chance. The last chance to hear his song, to be called a champion. Nakamura will stand tall, while Rollins will never stand again.

So yes, Nakamura accepts the challenge. Rollins, your career ends at Fastlane. LAST MAN STANDING!! Fans fire up hearing that! Rollins lets that sink in, and he takes off his sunglasses. Last Man Standing, huh? No  pins, no submissions. Just a straight up fight until one man cannot answer the ten count. Two men walk in, only one walks out. Rollins throws his sunglasses down, paces around and laughs. He has to admit, Nakamura played this one perfectly, he really did. Nakamura got the match he wanted, on his terms, and played it perfectly BUT he has made one critical mistake.

Nakamura thinks that Rollins’ back is a weakness. Nakamura thinks he can exploit that weakness and beat Rollins so bad that his daughter will be ashamed to look at her father. Rollins says this broken back is not a weakness. No, no, no. For Rollins, it is a strength. The only way Rollins’ family is gonna be ashamed is if he doesn’t give it every single thing he’s got! The fans fire up and Rollins says the family knows he loves them, but they also know he loves this! Rollins paces a bit more as he says, “You think, Shinsuke, that I don’t know that every single time I step into this ring, it might be the last time I do?”

Shinsuke thinks Rollins is gonna give it less than 100%, knowing this might be his last match? Then Shinsuke’s crazy! Because Rollins’ 100% makes him the best in the world! Rollins’ 100% makes him the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! Fans fire up more and Rollins says if Nakamura wants to get crazy… Rollins VS Nakamura at Fastlane, LAST MAN STANDING! Nakamura does have it right that only one walks outta there, but it ain’t gonna be Nakamura. It’ll be the Visionary, the revolutionary, it’ll be SETH FREAKIN’ ROLLINS!! The King of Strong Style has given Rollins more fuel for the fire, will Rollins #BurnItDown in Indianapolis?

Backstage interview with Ricochet.

Jackie Redmond is with The Highlight of the Night, who is on crutches. After last week’s attack, do we have an update on when he can be back int he ring? Ricochet doesn’t really know. He’s here, he’s on crutches, and he can guarantee his fans that he will return. It’ll take more than this to keep him down. But he wants to make something abundantly clear. It doesn’t matter who wins the World Heavyweight Championship match, because Ricochet has unfinished business with Nakamura. The King of Flight is grounded for now, but will he seek & destroy the King of Strong Style soon enough?

NXT North American Championship: Dominik Mysterio VS Dragon Lee!

Dirty Dom truly did The Boy Wonder dirty when, as special guest referee, he made sure Dragon didn’t win the title shot for No Mercy. However, justice is served, because now Dragon’s getting his shot tonight! Will Dragon take this title back to NXT? Or will Dommy do his Mami proud while she’s away?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if Dragon shows Dom no mercy!

The bell rings and fans fire up for Dragon. The two circle, tie up, and Dom kick slow. Dom throws hands, whips, but Dragon ducks ‘n’ dodges and runs Dom over! Fans fire up and things keep moving. Dom hurdles, Dragon leaps over, and then Dragon comes back to RANA! Fans fire up again as Dom bails out. Dragon builds speed and FLIES! Direct hit at the ramp! Fans are even more fired up as Dragon stands tall. Dragon puts Dom in, covers, TWO! Dragon keeps his cool as he whips. Dom reverses and rolls Dragon into a HALF CRAB! Fans boo but Dragon fights to the ROPEBREAK! The ref counts and Dom lets go.

Dom drags Dragon up, suplexes, but Dragon fights! Dragon suplexes but Dom lands on the apron. Dom kicks low to APRON DDT! Fans boo as Dom stands tall, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns and Dom drags Dragon to a drop zone. Dom climbs the corner, gives some Latino Heat, but fans boo more. Dom tells them he’s the best, then FROG SPLASHES onto knees! Dragon saves himself and Dom writhes. Dragon and Dom rise as fans rally up, and Dragon storms up to ROCK Dom! And again! And again! Dragon whips, CLOBBERS Dom, then LARIATS! Dragon scoops but Dom slips free. Dom shoves Dragon to a corner, runs in, but Dragon pops Dom up to SUPERKICK! And JUMP KICK! Leg sweep! SWINGING BOOT! Combinacion Dragon hits, but Dragon Lee keeps going, HYDRAULIC DROPKICK! Cover, TWO!!

Dragon can’t believe it but Dom survives! Dragon stalks Dom, brings him up and in, but Dom slips free of the bomb! Dom kicks low, ROCKS Dragon, whips but Dragon gets around to SNAP GERMAN! Dom SUPERKICKS! Dragon JUMP KNEES! Dragon runs but Dom scoops, MICHINOKU DRIVER! Cover, TWO!! Dragon survives and shocks Dom! Fans are thunderous while Dom argues with the ref. Dragon stands, Dom DROPKICKS him onto ropes! Dom dials it up while fans boo, but Dragon ducks the 619! Dragon spins and mule kicks, to then FLASH KNEE! Cover, TWO! Dom is still in this and the fans can’t believe it!

Dragon refocuses and he brings Dom up. Dom ROCKS Dragon, Dragon ROCKS Dom! “This is Awesome!” as they go haymaker for haymaker! Dom fires off a flurry, avoids the knee and CHOPS! Dom shoves Dragon, runs in, but Dragon puts him on the apron! Dragon ROCKS Dom, runs side to side and FLYING RANAS to the floor!! Fans are electric and Dragon puts Dom back in! Dragon brings Dom in, lifts, DRAGON BOMB!! Cover, TWO?!? Dom survives, he is not out of this yet! Dragon can’t believe this, but he goes up the corner. Dom ROCKS Dragon first! Dom climbs, but Dragon trips him up! And puts him in the Tree of Woe!

Dragon stands up, to WOE STOMP Dom down!! Dom flounders, Dragon brings down the kneepads! Dragon runs in, Dom pops him up to CROTCH him!! Dom hurries up top to FROG SPLASH!!! Cover, DOM WINS!!

Winner: Dominik Mysterio, by pinfall (still NXT North American Champion)

Dragon came so, so close to winning that title, but shockingly, Dom found a way to win all by himself! Dom might actually have the abilities of a true champion, but when will he have a personality to match?

Backstage interview with Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn.

Jackie brings up their joining Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso against The Judgment Day. Do either of them have something to say about that before tonight’s tag title match? Kevin says earlier wasn’t about helping Jey. All Jey did was prove he wasn’t with Judgment Day. All Kevin cares about is getting at Judgment Day himself. Sami agrees, this isn’t about Jey, about Cody or even Judgment Day. This is about two guys who started this as kids together! Who started at the bottom of the ladder and worked their way up, together! Working day in and day out together, to get to the highest point possible, the WWE Tag Team Championships in the main event of WrestleMania!!

This isn’t about anyone else but Sami & Kevin, and about taking back what is THEIRS! Sami calms down and Kevin says no more talking. Time to punch people in their stupid faces. The Prizefighter and Great Liberator are ready, but will they be able to pry the gold away from Judgment Day?

Michael Cole is in the ring.

The voice of WWE has Ontario welcome The Irresistible Force, Nia Jax. Fans boo but it’s not like Nia’s ever cared about that. She goes to the ring, and Maggle says since her return, she has laid waste to every woman who has crossed her path. So why is she targeting everyone in the Raw Women’s Division? Hm? Oh, sorry, she wasn’t paying attention. Relax, relax. But she is THE Nia Jax. “The baddest human in all of WWE.” They thought it was gonna be Rhea Ripley, the most dominant champion male or female. But Nia squashed her! Fans chant “YOU SUCK!” Nia says they thought it was Shayna Baszler. But Nia squashed her, too!

Zoey Stark? Squashed. Raquel Rodriguez? Squashed. Chelsea Green? Squashed! Piper Niven? Squashed! You put anyone in this ring with her and she will squash them! Wanna know why? Because she is Nia Jax, THE baddest in- Wait! Speaking of Zoey Stark, here she comes! So much for being squashed as she storms down and gets in Nia’s face! Yeah, Nia got her once. Congrats. But she did it while Zoey’s back was turned. Zoey dares her to do something here and now, face to face. Nia just grins and laughs, then she SMACKS Zoey! Zoey leaps in but Nia throws her away! The refs rush in as these two throw hands!

Fans fire up and want to “LET THEM FIGHT!” Stark gets shots in on Nia but Nia shoves her away! Stark is right back up! Will this be a match to prove who is truly the baddest? Or will Nia squash Stark once and for all?

Nia Jax VS Zoey Stark!

Raw returns as Irresistible Force and Hunter get their match! The bell rings, and the two rush in again! Nia shoves Stark, but Stark comes back to jump on! Nia throws her off, but Stark sticks ‘n’ moves and DROPKICKS! And DROPKICKS! Stark springboards but Nia SWATS her out of the sky! Nia then drops an ELBOW! Cover, ONE!! Stark is showing her toughness already but Nia hauls her up. Stark throws hands but Nia throws Stark! Nia runs in to SPLASH at the corner! Nia TOSSES Stark again, then grins as she runs in to SPLASH! Stark flounders, Nia stalks her to ropes, and then CHOKES her!

The ref counts, Nia steps away at 4, and she storms up to bring Stark up. Nia whips her corner to corner, runs in but Stark dodges to POST Nia!! Fans fire up as Stark eggs Nia on. Nia storms up, into a SUPERKICK! HEEL KICK! ENZIGURI! Nia goes back to a corner, Stark runs in but Nia puts her on the apron. Stark GAMANGIRIS, then springboards, MISSILE DROPKICK! Nia stays on her feet, but she staggers into a fireman’s carry! But then Stark falls under the weight! Nia drags Stark onto ropes, then goes to the apron. GUILLOTINE LEG DROP!! Nia pushes Stark back in, has her in the drop zone, and she stands on Stark.

Nia climbs the corner, A-NIA-LATOR!! Cover, Nia wins!

Winner: Nia Jax, by pinfall

Stark gets squashed AGAIN, and Nia has a sinister smile on her face. Will nothing stop her from crushing even the Women’s World Champion, whenever it is that Rhea returns?

Backstage interview with Jey Uso.

Byron Saxton asks Jey why he chose NOT to join Judgment Day. Jey says he has a “no more groups” policy. No teams, no groups, no emo bands, no Judgment Day. Cody gave Jey his second chance so he won’t do Cody like that. Plus, seeing how Judgment Day rolls, he ain’t about that. Well, we also know Sami & Kevin are taking on Finn & Priest, and that Jey has had a strained relationship with them. Where do they stand? Jey says he and KO have beef, it is what it is. As far as Sami goes, Sami is his dog. So as far as that goes, Jey says if Judgment Day tries to act up, Jey will be real close tonight. Yeet.

Judgment Day regroups again.

Finn congratulates Dom on still being champion. Dom asks where Priest went. Finn says he has to cool off, but it’ll be fine. They’ve still got a lot of work tonight. Dom nods and puts the ice pack on his head. Will Dirty Dom once again be an insurance policy for The Prince & Punisher?

The Miz is here!

The Hollywood A-Lister lives very close given Ontario is just outside of Los Angeles. And as such, he’s here to host MizTV with special guest, Drew McIntyre! What will Miz have to ask the Scottish Warrior? We find out, after the break.

Raw returns and Miz welcomes us back to the Most Must-See WWE Talk Show. His guest tonight will speak for the first time since walking away from Jey Uso getting beat down by The Judgment Day. Is he a coward? Or a conflicted hero? We find out tonight. Please welcome DREW MCINTYRE! McIntyre makes his entrance, sword in hand and pyro at his back. McIntyre steps into the ring, gets some more pyro, then sheaths his sword. Miz says give it up for McIntyre! Miz also sees all the pent up frustration in McIntyre, and would love for him to take it all out on Kofi Kingston in their match tonight.

But first, this is an open, judgment free zone, for McIntyre to speak freely. So no questions? Miz wants to explain that he is on McIntyre’s side! Miz commends McIntyre for throwing Jey to the wolves. Miz would’ve done the exact same thing! He repeats, he would’ve done the same thing! But if McIntyre wants a question, then here: Why would the bold and powerful Scottish Warrior just leave Jey high and dry like that? McIntyre says he will make one thing really clear: He is NOTHING like The Miz. Fans cheer that but Miz says they’re a lot alike! No one expected McIntyre to abandon a helpless Jey Uso, that is a very Miz move.

Also, they both know what it is to be the backbone of this company, to take it to new heights, to be the hardest worker both inside and outside the ring, AND be world champion! Only to then lose it. McIntyre was the unwavering, unbeatable WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre! Until he wasn’t. And then he received an opportunity of a lifetime. Clash at the Castle, in his own backyard, in front of his own people, to win it all again! And what happens? The Bloodline happens. Who was front and center to give him beating after beating? The Tribal Chief’s Right Hand Man, Jey Uso!

So safe to say, McIntyre doesn’t trust Jey, and rightfully so, because Jey always does what is best for Jey. So when Judgment Day put the boots to him… McIntyre adds, “Karma’s a b*tch.” Exactly! Jey made his bed, now he has to sleep in it. McIntyre IS the Batman of WWE! Miz says that must mean Cody Rhodes is Superman. Speaking of which, how did it feel to be upstaged by Cody last week? Fans boo but wait, here comes The New Day! Kofi has Xavier Woods with him, and Kofi tells “Drewsy, Big D,” that they didn’t know he was cold blooded like that. Cuz the Drew they know is not a coward like he showed us last week.

Woods says for real. The past few years, he’s been Big D! But uh, maybe there’s some shrinkage going on. What’s wrong. Drew? Scared? Or just worried his big sword was too limp to get the job done? Miz speaks up that “Big D and Massive Miz” were having a conversation, but McIntyre tells him to shut up. You just expect McIntyre to save the day like always? Well, the New Day was in the back. Did they come out to do something? No! Many stars didn’t. Cody did, but not out of the goodness of his heart. It is his mess so he’s just cleaning it up. And to McIntyre, those are the actions of a hypocrite!

Kofi tells McIntyre that HE didn’t do what he was supposed to do. He should’ve helped Jey. Miz says save it but McIntyre again tells him to shut up. Does The New Day remember all the beatings from The Usos? The opportunities taken away by The Bloodline? How Roman Reigns treated Woods? They’re just gonna forgive and forget? No, they remember it all clear as day. But that was not the time. Jey is here, trying to make things right! Miz says “Oh, make it right? Are you kidding me with that?” SHUT UP, MIZ! New Day wants to call McIntyre a coward, but given everything Jey has done to them, the New Day hasn’t stepped to Jey once.

Kofi says because they’re watching, and they look up to McIntyre. As sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, Drew McIntyre does what’s right! And they respect him for it! Miz has his hand raised and asks them what it means. Again, McIntyre tells Miz to shut up. Fans chant “SHUT UP, MIZ! SHUT UP, MIZ!” Miz says no, when his hand goes up, their mouths go- GLASGOW KISS HEADBUTT!! Miz talked too much, and McIntyre says the time for talk is over. Kofi, get in the ring and we’ll find out what hard times is all about. A shot at Cody there? Well, Kofi’s ready, will he give McIntyre some Trouble in Paradise?

The Alpha Academy regroups.

Maxxine comforts Otis and promises to make him feel better. Otis feels bad but Gable says he’s still number one. Nothing to be ashamed of. Bronson Reed is massive, just like Otis. That was a great match, they can study tape and- But then Ludwig walks over. Maxxine, this is what he has been talking about. Look at these guys, and then look at Imperium. Imperium hold themselves to a higher standard while her guys are celebrating a loss. What an embarrassment! Um, for a man who speaks so many languages, who can he not understand what a loss means? SHOOSH! Ya lost! Ya lost! So you must be on your way back to boss man Gunther to get brow beat.

But uh, before you go, give Gunther a little message from Gable. Tell him Gable is still locked onto the Intercontinental Championship and will suplex his way into another shot and then take the title. And remember, that’s from Gable, so put some bass in your voice. Run along back to papa. A danke schoen~!

Drew McIntyre VS Kofi Kingston w/ Xavier Woods!

Raw returns and the bell rings on this match. McIntyre and Kofi circle, with the fans behind Kofimania. They tie up, McIntyre puts Kofi in the corner, but lets off. Kofi dodges the haymaker to CHOP, CHOP and CHOP! McIntyre clinches to TOSS Kofi, but Kofi dodges to fire off more CHOPS! McIntyre shoves Kofi to DOUBLE CHOP him down!  Even Woods is stinging from that one! McIntyre stands Kofi up to CHOP again! McIntyre JABS Kofi, whips him toa corner, but Kofi goes up and up to MISSILE DROPKICK! Kofi then forearms McIntyre in a corner! Then runs in again, but McIntyre catches the splash!

McIntyre pops Kofi around to suplex high and hard! Fans rally for Kofi but McIntyre CLOBBSER him! McIntyre runs, Kofi hurdles, then Kofi leaps, into a waistlock! McIntyre back suplexes but Kofi lands on his feet. Kofi runs to DROPKICK McIntyre outta the ring! Woods fires up and Kofi goes up the corner! SUPER TRUST FALL! Down goes McIntyre and Ontario fires up! Woods lifts Kofi onto his shoulders and the fans cheer along, “NEW! DAY ROCKS!” Kofi hops down to the apron, then he aims, to FLYING AX HANDLES! McIntyre staggers, Kofi CLUBS him, and Kofi puts him in the ring. Kofi climbs again, to CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO!

McIntyre hangs tough but is getting mad, and Raw goes to break.

Raw returns as McIntyre looms over Kofi. Fans rally as McIntyre drags Kofi up to whip corner to corner. McIntyre runs in, Kofi dodges to SWING KICK! Kofi then goes up the corner again, FLYING- NO, McIntyre catches him for an OVERHEAD suplex! And then another OVERHEAD suplex! NECKBREAKER! Fans fire up as McIntyre kips up! McIntyre waits on Kofi as he slowly rises. McIntyre then reels Kofi in, but Kofi trips him up! Jackknife bridge, TWO! FAMOUSER! Cover, TWO! Kofi PENALTY KICKS, then runs for the “NEW~ DAY~!” BOOM DROP! Fans fire up as Kofi goes to the corner, “NEW! DAY ROCKS!”

Kofi aims, spins, TROUBLE- NO, McIntyre moves to reel him in, FUTURE SHOCK! Cover, TWO!! McIntyre is surprised that Kofi survives, but he quickly refocuses. McIntyre drags Kofi up, CHOPS him and Kofi falls over! McIntyre shakes his head as Kofi rises up again. McIntyre brings Kofi around to CHPO him down again! McIntyre drags Kofi up and reels him in, short arm- NO, Kofi slips through! Kofi then sends McIntyre up and out! Kofi BOOTS McIntyre, runs, and DIVES! Direct hit and McIntyre hits desk! Fans fire up and Kofi brings McIntyre around, but McIntyre whips him away! Kofi leaps the steps, comes back but McIntyre gets under!

McIntyre ROCKS Kofi, then inverted Alabama Lifts. APRON ALABAMA SLAM!! Woods is freaking out as McIntyre hauls Kofi into the ring. McIntyre aims from the corner, the countdown begins! “THREE! TWO! ONE!!” CLAY- NO! Kofi ducks it! S O S!!! Cover, TWO?!? McIntyre escapes and Woods can’t believe it! “This is Awesome!” as Kofi CLUBS McIntyre. GLASGOW KISS!! Both men are down, slowly stir, and the fans rally up. Wait, here comes The Viking Raiders! Ivar CLOBBERS Woods! Then TOSSES him into barriers! And then BACKHANDS him down!! Ivar RAMS Woods into barriers, then SPLASHES against them!!

McIntyre and Kofi see all that, but Kofi is the only one who cares! CLAYMORE!!! Cover, McIntyre wins!

Winner: Drew McIntyre, by pinfall

Cowardly? That is a matter of opinion. Merciless? That is for sure! And even more so, he leaves the ring so Ivar can go after Kofi! Ivar fires off elbows in the corner while Sarah shouts praises! Fans boo but McIntyre doesn’t care. Ivar goes up the corner to VIKING MOONSAULT!! The War Beard may have just destroyed the New Day by himself, where will the raid go next?

Gunther verbally tears into Vinci.

Der Ring General is furious with him, and then asks where Ludwig was! Ludwig mentions Gable and Gunther says who cares! He didn’t expect much out of them, but he didn’t expect this! What happened out there? Ludwig blames Vinci! Gunther says that doesn’t matter, this all reflects on him! But since Ludwig seems to know how Vinci messed up, from now on, he is Ludwig’s responsibility. So if Ludwig messes up, there’s an issue. If Vinci messes up, there’s an issue. And in the meantime, Gunther will handle HIS responsibilities: being the greatest, longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time! And he will do so by beating Ciampa himself.

Der Ring General leaves, and then Ludwig looks at Vinci with disappointment. Vinci is again without anyone to pass the buck to, is there about to be a mutiny in the ranks?

Backstage interview with The Viking Raiders.

Byron asks them about brutally mauling The New Day. Do they care to explain? Ivar says Kofi & Woods took Erik out of action, and Sarah says this is merely eye for an eye. Then when and where will Kofi & Woods look to return the favor?

Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships: Finn Balor & Damian Priest VS Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn!

Payback’s match may have been a Steel City Street Fight, but there is no honor among thieves. The Prodigal Son’s already handled his business, will he help The Prince & The Punisher hold onto the gold? Or will the Prizefighter & Great Liberator fight and win these titles like they did at WrestleMania?

Things are heated already as there’s some pushing and shoving, but the ref cools them off. The introductions are made, the belts are raised, and we see which team holds together!

The teams sort out, but then they just brawl! The bell rings, Kevin tosses Priest while Sami and Finn brawl. Finn headlocks, Sami powers out, things speed up as Sami hurdles and arm-drags! And arm-drags again! Finn avoids the third and bails out. Kevin & Sami regroup and Ontario, California is fired up for the Canadians as Raw goes to break!

Raw returns and Priest KICKS away on Sami in the corner, then ROCKS him with a right! Priest whips corner to corner, runs in, but Sami ELBOWS him away! Sami goes up to AX HANDLE! Cover, ONE!! Sami brings Priest up but Priest RAMS him into the corner. Finn tags in and CLUBS Sami. Finn bumps Sami off buckles, CHOPS him, then whips him corner to corner. Finn runs in to CHOP, then he snapmares to ELBOW Sami in the head! Finn wraps on a chinlock and he grinds Sami down. Fans rally, Sami fights up, but Finn puts him in a corner. Finn fires off body shots, whips corner to corner, but Sami comes back to CLOBBER Finn!

Fans fire up, Sami brings Finn around and bumps him off buckles. Tag to Kevin, they whip Finn to drop toehold and SENTON! Kevin tells Priest to “SUCK IT!” Fans fire up but the ref keeps Priest back. Kevin CHOPS Finn, ROCKS him, then ROCKS him some more. Kevin CHOPS again, throws body shots in the corner, and he whips. Finn reverses but Kevin holds ropes. Kevin BOOTS Finn, ducks Priest’s cheap shot and GAMANGIRIS Priest down! But Finn trips Kevin to DOUBLE STOMP! Fans boo but Finn stomps Kevin more. Tag to Priest, he and Finn stomp Kevin, then Priest KICKS Kevin against ropes.

Kevin throws hands but Priest ROCKS Kevin! Priest then CHOKES Kevin on the ropes! The ref counts, Priest lets off and Kevin sputters, but Finn BOOTS Kevin down! Priest drags Kevin from ropes, KICKS him and KICKS him, and KICKS, but Kevin blocks! Priest BELL CLAPS free! Kevin ends up in a corner and Priest digs his knee in. The ref counts, Priest lets off to talk trash, but Kevin CHOPS and CHOPS! Priest and Kevin throw hands, this is a hockey scrum like Payback! Priest knees low, whips, but Kevin turns back drop into DDT! Fans fire up while both men crawl, hot tag to Sami! Sami fires off hands on Priest!

Sami whips, Priest reverses but Sami goes up and over to LARIAT! Fans fire up as Sami puts Priest in a corner and climbs. Sami rains down fists fast and goes to TEN! Sami then whips, Priest reverses but Sami turns pop-up into DROPKICK! Finn runs in but Sami TOSSES him out! Priest runs in but Sami dodges to clothesline Priest up and out! Fans fire up as Sami builds speed, to FLY! Direct hit with the tope conjilo and the champs are down as Raw goes to break!

Raw returns again and Sami fires hands on Priest from above! Priest staggers away, Sami leaps, but into Priest’s choke grip! But Sami wrenches out, knuckle locks and CHOPS! Sami goes up and up and FLYING DDTS!! Fans are thunderous while both men are down! Sami and Priest crawl, hot tags to Kevin and Finn! Kevin dodges to clothesline Priest! Then he fires off on Finn! Kevin stomps away at the ropes, but the ref counts. Kevin lets off, Finn bails out, and fans fire up with Kevin! Kevin goes out and runs in around the way to LARIAT Finn! And he LARIATS Priest! Kevin goes up as Finn gets in, but Kevin avoids the haymaker!

Kevin ROCKS Finn, to CANNONBALL Priest! Kevin hurries back into the ring, goes corner to corner, and CANNONBALLS! Fans are all fired up for Kevin’s constant motion! Priest runs in, but gets a BIG back suplex to the desk! Kevin goes up to FROG SPLASH!! Cover, TWO!! Finn survives but Kevin doesn’t lose hope. “This is Awesome!” as Kevin watches Finn stand. But Finn denies the stunner! Kevin BOOTS Finn, but Finn GAMANGIRIS Kevin! Finn ROCKS Kevin, climbs up after him, and throws elbows! But Kevin throws body shots! Kevin HEADBUTTS Finn down, then adjusts! But Finn is back to ROCK Kevin!

Finn goes up, brings Kevin up, but Kevin fireman’s carries! SUPER ROLLING SENTON!!! Cover, TWO!!! Finn survives and no one can believe it! Kevin crawls his way back to the corner, fans rally behind him as he climbs up again. But Priest runs in! Kevin ELBOWS Priest, pushes him down, and adjusts again. SWANTON BOMB onto knees!! Finn then runs in, to SHOTGUN! Finn goes up as Kevin falls down! COUP DE GRACE!!! Cover, SAMI BREAKS IT!! Priest storms in to drag Sami up, and Priest TOSSES Sami out! The ref reprimands but Priest helps Finn clear out the cobwebs.

Finn rains down fists on Kevin, tags in Priest, and then Priest brings the straps down. Priest slashes his throat, drags Kevin up, SOUTH OF- NO, Kevin slips free, hot tag to Sami! Sami clinches to CORNER EXPLODER! Fans are thunderous as Sami aims, but here comes Dom! Dom distracts, then runs away, and Priest BOOTS Sami! Canadian Rack, RAZOR’S- NO, Sami slips free! Sami baits Priest into the corner, and POSTS him! To hit a BLUE THUNDER BOMB!!! Cover, FINN BREAKS IT!! Finn CLUBS Sami, but Kevin TACKLES Finn! Finn and Kevin scrap, they fall out of the ring, and Dom returns to HOTSHOT Sami!

Priest hits Sami with a FLATLINER!! Cover, TWO?!? Sami almost didn’t get that arm up! Dom can’t believe it, he argues with the ref, but just as promised, here comes JEY! Jey YANKS Dom down, UPPERCUTS him, and fires off more hands! Fans are thunderous as Jey keeps after Dom, but McDonagh attacks Jey! Dom & McDonagh beat Jey down! Fans boo, but HERE COMES CODY!! Cody slides through the ring to DIVE onto McDonagh! Cody & Jey go after Dom now! They run Dom off until security and producers rush out to stop this! Back in the ring, Finn drags Kevin around but Kevin hits a STUNNER!!

Priest TOSSES Kevin! Sami HELLUVA KICKS Priest!!! But McDonagh with a BELT SHOT!!! The ref was busy shouting at Cody and Dom!! Priest covers, Judgment Day wins!!

Winners: The Judgment Day, by pinfall (still Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions)

In the end, The Irish Ace was the trump card for the boys! McDonagh brings the prizes over to them to raise high over their heads, but will this get Priest to accept him? Wait, Jey & Cody return! They attack the Judgment Day! Producers and security rush in again, then Kevin and Sami jump back in! That 4v4 brawl happens after all! Kevin TOSSES McDonagh over the desk! Jey RAMS Dom into the apron! Sami hammers away on Finn! Priest tackles Jey but Cody’s after Priest! STUNNER on Dom!! Raw ends with chaos, but where will the chaos end?

My Thoughts:

A great Raw here tonight, especially the level of action in the matches. Great opener from Otis VS Reed in a true hoss fight, or as popularized by Big E, “big meaty men slapping meat.” But Reed is building himself momentum, so great win for him. Really good stuff from Ciampa VS Ludwig, and I figured Ciampa would win. Really good promo from Alpha Academy with Ludwig and then Ludwig with Imperium. Vinci looks to be close to his limit of taking crap from the others, can’t wait to see how he breaks away. Gunther VS Ciampa seems to be set for Fastlane, but I don’t see Gunther losing this soon after breaking the record.

Really good stuff with Becky firing Tegan up and then getting Tegan VS Natty in a very good match. Great win for Tegan, and great spot for her as she makes a return to TV. Now, No Mercy is going to be big given Becky VS Tiffy is under Extreme Rules, it could go either way. And either way, whether it is Becky or Tiffy, we’re going to get a great match for next week’s Raw for Tegan to showcase her skills against a top talent, but I would think the champ retains. Nia had a good return promo, and I like that it was Zoey Stark that stepped to her. Good match but Nia’s return push of course meant she was winning. But Nia has made so many enemies already, you can bet Piper, Shayna, Raquel and especially Rhea will all want after her. This would’ve been a perfect set-up for Elimination Chamber but that’s not until February.

Hilarious MizTV segment, especially with McIntyre telling Miz to shut up again and again. Also awesome match of McIntyre VS Kofi, though I should’ve figured Ivar would get involved. McIntyre is definitely on course to turn Heel, and they’re doing a great job of showing us the turn progressing week to week, not just having it be instant like is tradition. And at this point, if there’s to be a tag match, McIntyre could team with Ivar to take out New Day. Awesome promos from Rollins and Nakamura, with Nakamura feeling like a supervillain. And Last Man Standing is an awesome way to escalate things, giving Rollins an out of sorts should he end up losing. Plus, Ricochet is waiting to finish this feud with Nakamura, so that’d be a great first defense for Nakamura.

And of course, great stuff from Judgment Day and their enemies all night. Really good opening promo from Cody that then teased a very good 8 Man Tag idea, Judgment Day & McDonagh VS Cody, Jey, Sami & Kevin. But that might have to wait for Survivor Series. I do wanna say, to me personally, Priest having issue with McDonagh is starting to flip around for me. McDonagh is doing his best to be a teammate, bringing chairs for the group to have the advantage. But then, I suppose only bringing two, a chair for him and a chair for Finn, is a bit passive aggressive. Dom VS Dragon was a great match, and it was quite a surprise that Dom won it on his own.

I’m still very disappointed WWE let Mustafa Ali go before No Mercy this Saturday, because it hampers the story they were telling both on Raw and NXT. And now, what? Are they going to throw someone in at the last minute? I mean, great for that guy if it happens, but c’mon. But that aside, amazing tag title main event, where again, McDonagh is the key factor in winning. If Priest still holds a grudge, then maybe Judgment Day has good reason to kick him out for not giving McDonagh a chance when he’s doing the work.

My Score: 8.9/10