Recapping American wrestling since 2013. Not only following the current stuff in WWE, Impact and ROH but also going back in time and doing stuff from back then as well.
We look back on Eddie Edwards vs. Lashley in an Iron Man Match for the TNA World Championship from Genesis 2017.
Gia Miller interviews The Personal Concierge George Iceman for Around the Ring. Topics include their first Around the Ring interview never seeing the light of day going dark and covering the occult and being branded "the lost interview," the Concierge's acting background prior to entering professional wrestling, his first experiences with the supernatural around the same time, and his lectures with paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren.
We look back on Dani Luna vs. Indi Hartwell in a Dog Collar Match from last night's show.
Jake Something beats Jesse Funaki (who is the son of Sho Funaki).
We hear from General Manager Nick Aldis, who says that bringing Drew McIntyre back has become difficult, as McInytre has returned none of his calls. He gives Drew McIntyre an invitation to come to SmackDown so they can come to a resolution to bring him back. Backstage, "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes is met by Aldis, who tells him that he has a document where McIntyre has declared SmackDown an unsafe working environment. Aldis also states that he is heading straight to McIntyre's home in order to come to a resolution. Cody wads it up and throws it to the floor on the way to the ring to start tonight's show. In the ring, Cody brings up McIntyre's claims of SmackDown being an unsafe working environment, and says that McIntyre is in the position he is in because he is "half in," and if he were McIntyre's boss, he would fire him. Since he cannot fire McIntyre, however, he can whip his ass. All of a sudden, Oba Femi shows up and heads to the ring. Oba notes that Cody is all fired up, but tells Cody that he should be worried about him instead of McIntyre before introducing himself. He notes that their match at Saturday Night's Main Event is being viewed as "present vs. future," then says that the future is now and here and it is him. He says that Cody's time is up, and his time is now. Cody notes their mutual respect for John Cena before telling Oba that he beat Cena for the WWE Championship. Oba stops Cody on his way out, and both men raise their respective titles in a brief staredown.
Backstage, Fraxiom meet up with Ilja Dragunov, telling him that they will have his back in case #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae) gets involved. Dragunov appreciates but rejects the assistance, saying he must do in the painful but honest way. He says he will put Ciampa in his place, and he must do it alone. Dragunov states that John Cena never gave up and never backed down, and that Ciampa will learn that pain will entertain him if he messes with him.
Ilja Dragunov retains the WWE United States Championship against Tommaso Ciampa despite the interference of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae. After the match, Gargano and Ciamapa gang up on Dragunov, then Carmelo Hayes runs into the ring and fights off both of them, sending them into a retreat. He then helps Dragunov up.
We see an John Cena interview snippet about what is next. Cena says he will be an ambassador for WWE for the next five years.
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews Je'Von Evans. Je'Von says that he is on the biggest stage of his career, but he will not be there alone. All of a sudden, The Miz shows up, saying he should be the one being interviewed. Je'Von not only reminds Miz that he blew his chances to face Cena, then challenges to a match. Miz tells him that if he injures him, he will not make it to Saturday. We then see a message from Uncle Howdy saying "We're here."
The Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, Nikki Cross) head to the ring. Uncle Howdy addresses Solo Sikoa and his claims from last week, saying he has discredited him and his family before asking who Solo is to pass judgment. He says Solo does not have the power to look within himself, but The Wyatt Sicks do. He says that Solo's real family has all turned their backs on him, as he used and abused those who claimed to love him. He says that Solo is disillusioned and out of his mind, saying that The MFT's (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Talla Tonga, JC Mateo) run SmackDown. Howdy tells Solo to rip the scales from his eyes, as The MFT's run nothing while The Wyatt Sicks hold the WWE Tag Team Championships. He states that if The MFT's want the titles, then they can come and get them. The MFT's show up on the TitanTron, with Solo stating that he, not Uncle Howdy, calls the shots, and this time, they will do things his way. Next week, they will come to take the titles, and tells The Wyatt Sicks to be ready for war. He says that if Uncle Howdy wants to keep his family safe, then he should give The MFT's the tag team titles, or else all he can do is run.
Backstage, Charlotte Flair warns Alexa Bliss to be careful against Lash Legend on their road back to the women's tag titles. Rhea Ripley shows up and makes it known that she and Iyo want the women's tag titles, but Alexa says that she and Charlotte do not step aside for anyone.
Tom Brady, Snoop Dogg, Peyton Manning, Jelly Roll and Jimmy Fallon, all congratulate John Cena for his retirement and incredible career.
Sol Ruca and Bayley are seen in the crowd.
Lash Legend beats Alexa Bliss after hitting Charlotte Flair on the outside with a pump kick for taking out Nia Jax.
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews Aleister Black and Zelian Vega. Zelina says it did not have to come to this, but Damian Priest does not like the man that he is and that Rhea Ripley will not make him whole. Aleister says that if Priest is so keen to drag his friends to Hell with him, then so be it.
It is announced that SmackDown goes back to three hours on January 2nd.
Je'Von Evans beats The Miz.
Backstage, Rhea Ripley is met by Nia Jax and Lash Legend. They put Rhea on notice, but Rhea is not threatened and says Nia has been brave since she got backup. She warns Nia that she is a problem that she will not solve. Nia and Lash leave. Damian Priest shows up, saying he needs this energy in the ring. He leaves, then Jade Cargill shows up and looks at Rhea briefly before heading to the ring.
We hear from "Michin" Mia Yim, who says that Jade Cargill has been picking on the women's division and that it pisses her off, and says that while Jade will give her all that she has got, she will do the same to Jade. Suddenly, Jade Cargill attacks Michin before heading to the ring. Jade Cargill says that this is what happens women do not know their place in the back, then says that anyone can step up and get stepped on. Michin shows up with a shinai in her hand and officials behind her, and Michin smacks Cargill with the shinai. Cargill hits Michin with a pump kick, then hits her with a choke slam back in the ring.
We see a video package for Oba Femi.
Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley beat Aleister Black and Zelina Vega.
Moose heads to the ring to start tonight's show. Moose says that ever since he became X Division Champion, people have asked him what he will do with the title, and that since he is already a three-time World Champion, he will make the X Division Championship the most important in TNA. He says that "The Wanted Man" Nic Nemeth is one of the best wrestlers today, yet everybody is talking about and not Nemeth. He calls Joe Hendry the hottest act in wrestling, but he does not have a championship like he does. Moose says that the tag titles are held by the most decorated team in wrestling in The Hardys (Jeff and Matt Hardy), but people are not talking about them because they are too busy chanting his name. He then says he does not need the fans chanting his name or their respect and support, for when he is done with the X Division, he will go down as the greatest X Division Champion of all time. Suddenly, Cody Deaner shows up and tells Moose to shut his mouth, as the fans helped him find his way and his love for professional wrestling when he let them make decisions for him. Moose calls the fans "imbeciles" and "idiots," and says that since Deaner has started listening to them, he has not won a match. Deaner says he can win a match with the people behind him and even beat Moose for the X Division Championship. Moose laughs and says this will be the easiest decision ever before booting Deaner in the face and calling him for a ref.
Moose retains the TNA X Division Championship against Cody Deaner.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Fir$t Cla$$ (AJ Francis and KC Navarro) and Tasha Steelz. Navarro says they feel "pretty damn blessed" tonight as they are all future champions, and Tasha says tonight will be a small taste of what she will give Masha Slamovich when she beats her for the Knockouts World Championship. Francis says his match with Nic Nemeth will be a career and life culmination and a chance to prove the doubters wrong, and that he will continue to pick Nemeth up and choke slam until he walks out TNA World Champion.
Backstage, we hear from Mike Santana, who says that he is back on the path to purpose when The Northern Armory ("The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander, Judas Icarus, Travis Williams) interrupts. Alexander tells Santana that he has beaten the same guys he has and that he sent him packing in tag team action, and Santana threatens to send Alexander packing. Alexander says he can put Santana down any time he wants, and that he plans on doing it at Final Resolution.
Rosemary beats Xia Brookside. After the match, Rosemary hits Xia Brookside with the ground and pound, then Jordynne Grace runs into the ring. Rosemary rolls out as Jordynne slides in.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Trent Seven, who finds out that he will face "Inevitable" Ace Austin at Final Resolution. Trent Seven is not happy, as he had already beaten him. Ace Austin steps on Trent's interview in return for Trent stepping on his, and reminds him that he cheated to win. He calls what he did to Speedball disgusting, and says that he will see him at Final Resolution.
The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz) beat Leon Slater and Laredo Kid.
Backstage, we hear from The System (Eddie Edwards, Alisha Edwards, Brian Myers, Moose, JDC). Eddie says they are one day away from facing The Hardys (Jeff and Matt Hardy) in a table match, and Myers says The Hardys have existed for far too long and inspired them to put them through a table. JDC says he has wrestled longer than Leon Slater has been alive and that he will show him how real he can get. Moose says that KUSHIDA will get one more opportunity to trust The System.
PCO and Sami Callihan beat Jake Something and Hammerstone by disqualification after Hammerstone hits PCO in the back with a metal folding chair to absolutely no effect. After the match, the lights go out and the number 23 appears again. The words "It's just a number" can be heard.
Dani Luna beats Heather by Elegance after personal concierge George Iceman gets ejected from ringside and Jody Threat makes Ash by Elegance pay for further interference in the match.
Masha Slamovich, Joe Hendry and "The Wanted Man" Nic Nemeth beat Tasha Steelz and Fir$t Cla$$ (AJ Francis and KC Navarro) in a six-person tag match. After the match, AJ Francis pulls Hendry out of the ring and throws him into the ring steps. Steelz gets on top of Nemeth for a sleeper only to be pulled off by Masha. As Masha beats down Steelz, AJ Francis hits Nemeth with a Spear, then grabs Masha only for Masha to bite his fingers. Steelz then hits Masha with a cutter, and Nemeth fights Francis only to eat three Down Payments. Francis then raises up the TNA World Championship while placing a foot on the chest of a downed Nemeth to end the show.
Backstage, we hear from Billie Starkz, who talks about her Fatal 4-Way match tonight when she is soon interrupted by Athena, who calls an emergency Minion Empowerment Meeting. Athena says that Billie has had her , then says she owes her the biggest of apologies and tells her to lay down for her in the match, as she owes everything to her. She reminds Billie that she signed a contract and that she is a minion for life until she terminates the deal.
Athena beats, Red Velvet, Billie Starkz and "Legit" Leyla Hirsch in an International Women's Cup Qualifying 4-Way Match. At one point, Athena demands Billie lay down for her, but that does not happen when Red Velvet knocks them both out of the ring.
Before the next match, "Smart" Mark Sterling says The Premier Athletes (Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Josh Woods) there are "cosplaying nerds in the crowd tonight," and says that if anyone would like to cosplay as actual, respectable human beings and not "fat man and Dork Vader," they can buy their new T-shirts. He then tries to get the crowd to say The Premier Athletes rule, but gets told that they suck.
The Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd) beat The Premier Athletes (Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari).
In footage from earlier this week, "The Natural" Dustin Rhodes says that The Righteous (Vincent and Dutch) can play their mind games and keep attacking him from behind, and that they do not understand that after 37 years, he has always gotten back up when he has gotten knocked on his back. He says that his family is passionate about what they do, then tells them to keep playing their mind games. He also says that Dutch has crossed a line mentioning his father and his father's bullrope, and while he understands that he trained with him and that he saw something in Dutch after he took him in, he has no idea what kind of man his father was outside of the ring. Dustin says Dutch does not know far he has gone by using his father's kindness against him. He says that he has walked through Hell and kicked the devil in the teeth, and now, it is on at Final Battle in a Double Bullrope Match for the ROH World Tag Team Championships. He says that Sammy Guevara has always had his back and that they will deliver The Righteous straight to Hell where they can rot forever, and warns The Righteous not to mention his father again because it will be the last words that they ever speak.
Madison Rayne beats Allysin Kay.
We hear from The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds and John Silver), who make fun of Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake), much to the hilarity of the three people in the background as Evil Uno is wondering what is going on. All of a sudden, the real Veterans show up, and Reynolds nearly gets shoved into a wall. Evil Uno stops a brawl by handing Grizzed Young Veterans their scarves back.
Toa Liona beats "Big Shotty" Lee Johnson. After the match, "The Judge" EJ Nduka confronts Toa Liona, but Liona walks right past him and bumps into him on his way out of the ring.
Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake) retain the New Japan Pro Wrestling Strong Openweight Tag Team Championships against MxM Collection (Mansoor and Mason Madden) after Gibson takes down Mansoor with a scarf to the throat behind the referee's back.
Backstage, Paul Wight announces that Jay Lethal is returning to competition. Lethal shakes hands with Wight as Sonjay Dutt sits next to him. Lethal says it is an honor to return at Final Battle, then says that it is imperative that he gets back on top in ROH and wants to know who his opponent is when QT Marshall and Aaron Solo show up. Marshall says his heat is with Lethal, not with Wight, and insists that Lethal face him after doing nothing of note in the last year and that Lethal is trying to rekindle a flame that never existed. Lethal gets heated with Marshall, who says that he will not ask for any more matches and says that when whatever Lethal has in mind does not work out, he is free to carry his bags just like Jeff Jarrett. Wight gets between both Lethal and Marshall as the former gets his hands on the latter, then Wight warns Marshall "Not in my office" before telling Lethal to take care of business with Marshall at Final Battle before they talk about his bright future.
We look back at Shane Taylor vs. Keny King in a Fight Without Honor from Final Battle 2021.
We hear from Shane Taylor, who says that he has been told that he is not worthy of championship gold and that he should know his pace. He says that he and the rest of Shane Taylor Promotions ("Taiga Style" Lee Moriarty", "The Captain" Shane Dean, "Bad News and Tattoos" Carlie Bravo, Trish Adora) knows their place and that they are coming for everything.
"The Natural" Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara beat Eric Dillinger and Josh Crane. After the match, The Righteous (Vincent and Dutch) show up. Vincent stops Dutch, then says that if Dustin and Guevara want to fight tonight, he will let the fans decide, as he is "such a nice guy." He asks the fans if they want to see this match tonight, then says "Well, that's just too bad," as the fans do not deserve it and Dustin and Guevara do not decide when it happens. He says that in time, The Righteous will "ring [their] bell with Daddy's bell," where they will see nothing but polka dots. Guevara tries to hold Dustin back as Dustin grabs a metal folding chair.
"Taiga Style" Lee Moriarty retains the ROH Pure Championship against Matt Taven by subsmission.
Backstage, we hear from Athena. Athena hopes that Lexy Nair enjoys her trip to The Bahamas before announcing that "every porcelian hussy" is scared to face her and that she will forego Final Battle for a Fatal 4-Way Match at Wrestle Dynasty. All of a sudden, Billie Starkz confronts Athena. Athena says Billie owes her an apology and that she did everything for her, but Billie says she has done nothing for her. Athena says she took her under her wing and told her how to win the ROH World Television Championship, but lost it when she tried to do things her own way. After Athena says she is still trying to make things work and has no idea what to do with her, Billie challenges Athena to a fight at Final Battle in lieu of an apology. Athena, taking this as Billie wanting to lay down for her, accepts the match and puts the ROH Women's World Championship on the line, then says she will go on to her world tour.
Tony Schiavone moderates a contract signing between Matt Cardona and "The Learning Tree" Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship at Final Battle. Jericho comes out first, followed by Cardona. Jericho flips the fans off for chanting "Always ready" while he is in the ring, then brags about having more championships "than the Royals and the Chiefs combined" and being "The King of New York." Cardona tries to butt in, but Jericho stops him from speaking, leading to a "You're from Canada" chant that Jericho pretends to fail to understand due to the crowd having "too much of an accent." Jericho then tells Cardona that he is lucky that he is granting him a chance at the ROH World Championship, as he has accomplished so much in his career and being in the ring with him puts him on a different level. He wishes Cardona luck, but warns him that there is no way he is taking the ROH World Championship from him. Cardona tries to speak, but Jericho interrupts him again and gets another "You're from Canada" chant which Jericho pretends is "You're from New York." Cardona finally tells Jericho to shut up and tells him that everything that comes out of his mouth is "100% bullshit," and that everything about Jericho is completely fake, and that Jericho does not care about ROH and is using and leeching off ROH like he does everything else. He says that Final Battle is the biggest opportunity of both his career and his life, and that it is all about proving himself right, which he will do when he beats Jericho to become ROH World Champion. Cardona then signs the contract. Jericho asks Schiavone to step out of the ring before signing the contract, which he immediately delays in doing before frantically scribbling his signature on it. Jericho offers his hand, then Cardona takes it, whips Jericho into "The Bad Apple" Bryan Keith, and puts Jericho through the table in the middle of the ring before raising up the ROH World Championship to end the show.
Backstage, Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are interviewed by paparazzi on the way to the arena. After the opening package recapping what happened at last week's show, it is revealed that Carmelo Hayes has been attacked backstage. Trick Williams shows up and tells the referees to get help.
Cora Jade is in the ring. She says that after four long months, the fog was finally lifted, and she states that as deep as the women's division is, it is more fun when she is around. She says the women's Iron Survivor Challenge was one hell of a match, but at the end of the day, everyone was talking about her. All of a sudden, Lyra Valkyria shows up and welcomes Cora Jade back, then says Cora has not changed after the last four months while things in NXT definitely have. As she says that she is not the same woman Cora messed with, Blair Davenport shows up. Davenport brags about being the women's Iron Survivor, then says Lyra should be focused on her right now and that she will become the champion she was always destined to be at New Year's Evil. Lyra says Davenport will not be taking her title before noting that both of them are not best friends despite their both attacking people from behind. All of a sudden, Nikkita Lyons shows up and addresses Davenport for what she did to her in the parking lot. Davenport punches Nikkita, starting a tag team brawl that Lyra and Nikkita get the upper hand in.
Backstage, Kelly Kincaid interviews Dragon Lee, who says that Saturday night was a dream come true, but says it came at the expense of Wes Lee's injury. He saya he will be a fighting champion just like Wes Lee and defend often, and that he will find out who his first challenger will be in the ring tonight.
Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen and Fallon Henley beat Meta-Four (Noam Dar, Oro Mensah, Lash Legend) in a mixed-person six tag match despite Fallon Henley brawling to the back with Tiffany Stratton.
In the trainer's room, Carmelo Hayes is medically cleared for competition. Carmelo says he does not know who it is, but he has a feeling as he knows he has been hit that hard before. He decides to wait until later to tell Trick who it is.
We are introduces to NXT Men's Breakout Tournament participants Trey Bearhill, Dion Lennox, Luca Crusifino, Tavion Heights, Keanu Carver, Riley Osborne, Myles Borne and Oba Femi. All of a sudden, Lexis King attacks Trey Bearhill from behind with a chair and taunts the rest of the participants.
Oba Femi beats Myles Borne to advance in the NXT Men's Breakout Tournament.
Backstage, Lyra Valkyrie is met by Nikkita Lyons. Lyra says that she has people coming at her from all sides and that she will not let Cora Jade's return poison the women's division. Nikkita Lyons says she wants Blair Davenport ten times as badly, then Lyra finds out that Tatum Paxley has pasted her face where Becky's is on the photo on the back of Lyra's locker room door.
Backstage, Kelly Kincaid interviews Tiffany Stratton, who says she is not happy that she lost at Deadline, then says that Fallon Henley will never come close to being on her level. After allowing Kelly to talk, she then leaves.
Tyler Bate answers Dragon Lee's open challenge for the NXT North American Championship.
Dragon Lee retains the NXT North American Championship against Tyler Bate.
Backstage, Brooks Jensen congratulates Josh Briggs on coming through in tonight's match. Fallon Henley shows up and apologizes for deserting them like she did. Briggs then says he wants the NXT Heritage Cup, and despite Jensen's misgivings due to Briggs being a "one round knockout" kind of guy, Jensen and Fallon are game.
Backstage, Ava tells Lexis King that everyone in the NXT Men's Breakout Tournament wants to beat him up, but Lexis King does not care and even thinks Ava is turned on by him. Lexis then finds out that he is replacing Troy Bearhill in the tournament.
Dijak vs. Eddy Thorpe ends with Dijak beating up Eddy Thorpe before tearing off the top turnbuckle and hitting Thorpe with it repeatedly.
At Chase University, as everyone brainstorms ideas for how to help Andre Chase pay back all the money that he gambled away, Scrypts shows up with a briefcase and tells Chase has a proposition for him before leaving.
Backstage, both Cora Jade and Blair Davenport agree to take care of their respective targets as Davenport states that she will be the next NXT Women's Champion.
Riley Osborne beats Keanu Carter to advance in the NXT Men's Breakout Tournament.
Backstage, Dragon Lee is approached by Drew Gulak, Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne and Damon Kemp. After finding out that Dragon Lee is staying true to his word at being a fighting champion, Gulak says that one among his group will face Dragon Lee next week.
Riley Osborne is met backstage by Thea Hail, who is pushed into meeting Riley by Jacy Jayne. Jayne watches as Thea Hail tries to gather strength to talk to Riley and succeeds, and Kiana James and Izzi Dame show up to tell Thea Hail that Riley is out of her league.
Cora Jade and Blair Davenport beat Lyra Valkyria and Nikkita Lyons soon after the distraction to Lyra Valkyria by Tatum Paxley, who shows up from behind the barricade with a raven's feather. After the match, Tatum tosses Nikkita out of the ring, crawls up to Lyra and hugs her.
Backstage, Hank Walker meets with Tank Ledger as he is preoccupied with their match against Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Wolfgang) when Gallus shows up and tells them to drink their sorrows away at the pub. Hank says he and Tank have more heart than all three members of Gallus combined, and after Hank and Tank leave, Joe Gacy then shows up from behind the forklift with a cup of coffee.
Trick Williams heads to the ring. He says that Deadline "was a movie" after he became the men's Iron Survivor, and while he usually comes to the ring and cuts up his opponents, he says that he and his opponents put out a banger on Saturday and predicts it will be match of the year. He says that his opponents made one mistake by not realizing he has been "ballin' [his] whole life," then mentions his NXT Championship with Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov shows up and mentions Trick thanking him to pushing him to a whole new level, then says he admires his courage and that he is proud of him. He says he had to go back and watch Trick's match and says that Trick Williams has been the talk of the town in NXT, then says that Trick's journey will come to an end. Trick says that a few months ago, he would have wondered if he had what it took to face him, but now, he is the man, and in three weeks, he will beat the best NXT has to offer and become the new champion. Dragunov says he has suffered too much to become NXT Champion and stay champion, and that he will do whatever it takes to remain champion. Suddenly, Carmelo Hayes shows up. Carmelo Hayes says he hates to interrupt Trick Williams, then says he knows who attacked Trick because it is the same person who attacked him. As Dragunov leaves to let Carmelo and Trick handle their business, Carmelo stops Dragunov, saying it was him. Carmelo says it was Dragunov who took him and Trick out, as nobody benefits more from Carmelo and Trick being separated, and that Dragunov knew he would have to face both of them and did not want to take that chance. He also says that Dragunov made it so that people would point the finger at him and blame him for Trick being attacked. Dragunov then says that he did not attack him, if he did get attacked, and then tells Trick to talk to Carmelo. Carmelo says he and Trick are on the same page now and that Dragunov does not deserve the NXT Championship, and as Carmelo tires to take it away from him, he accidentally knocks Trick down.
Before the next match, Becky Lynch attacks Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai before chasing them throw the crowd to the back. After Alexa Bliss makes her entrance, Bianca Belair shows up to watch the next match from ringside.
Alexa Bliss beats Bayley to become #1 contender for the WWE Raw Women's Championship after Bianca Belair rats Bayley out for removing a middle turnbuckle and catching a punch meant for Alexa Bliss but refusing not to hit Bayley. This allows Alexa to drop kick Bayley into the exposed turnbuckle to hit Twisted Bliss and get the win. After the match, Alexa goes for a hug with Bianca Belair, but goes for Sister Abigail after Bray Wyatt's butterfly symbol appears on the TitanTron. Alexa snaps out of it and awkwardly walks to the back.
In footage from earlier today, Byron Saxton interviews Alpha Academy (Chad Gable and Otis). Gable says he can play Angle's game and that Angle is a dinosaur who cannot hang in the ring anymore and a fossil who must resort to parlor tricks. As The O.C. ("The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, "Michin" Mia Yim) show up laughing, Gable wants to see what is so funny. When AJ Styles says that Karl Anderson sent a video of what happened to Alpha Academy last week from Japan, Gable calls Styles a fossil and says people only talk about how good Styles used to be. AJ Styles takes this as a challenge and tells Gable to put on gear that doesn't smell like cottage cheese or Otis' beard, then Luke Gallows tells Alpha Academy they stink before calling them nerds.
We see a video package chronicling Austin Theory's current run as WWE United States Champion.
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles beats Chad Gable.
Backstage, Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis decide what to do with the money they got from The Miz as well as the JBL Poker Invitational. Candice LeRae shows up and wishes them luck before her match, then says they have everything they need. Gargano has an idea.
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews Akira Tozawa and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford). Montez Ford says they came to Tozawa's aid after salt was poured into the wound after a tough loss. Tozawa interrupts them and says "We want the smoke" before drinking from his Solo cup and yelling. The Street Profits join in the yelling before the three of them head to the ring.
The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio) beats Akira Tozawa and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) in a six-man tag match.
Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis head to the merchandise table and buy virtually everything, then head to the ring to give the merchandise away. As they head to the ring, Lumis hands a teddy bear to a young boy. After the commercial break, Dexter Lumis and Johnny Gargano show up with merchandise. Gargano talksa bout all he is thankful as Lumis tosses free merchandise into the crowd. At one point, Johnny Gargano fires a T-Shirt deep into the crowd with a T-shirt gun, then The Miz shows up in disguise and takes his bag of money back only to run into WWE official Adam Pearce, who makes him return the money. The Miz gets in the ring and tells Lumis, Gargano and Pearce that this is his money. Lumis goes to get his axe, but Pearce stops Lumis and demands Miz give the money back, but Miz says he will do anything to get his money back, including winning a rematch with Lumis. After Gargano calls The Miz "Mike," much to Miz's chagrin, he tells Miz that Lumis is willing to have the rematch for the money next week if Pearce is okay with it, and that hte rematch will be a ladder match. Gargano then says that the winner must grab both bags of money to win the match, but The Miz mentions that he has no cash and that Maryse controls his bank accounts and gives him an allowance. Miz reluctantly throws the merchandise into the crowd.
Bayley briefly watches from the announce table for the next match.
Iyo Sky beats Candice LeRae.
It is announced that Matt Riddle has suffered damage to his trachea during his last appearance on Raw.
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews Kevin Owens, who says Solo Sikoa is a very dangerous man, then Elias shows up. He says that The Bloodline took Sami from Owens and that they took Matt Riddle from him and that he wants Owens in his corner. Owens brings up the whole ordeal with Ezekiel from earlier in the year and how Elias hit in the head with a guitar afterwards, but Elias says he needs Owens. Owens is flabbergasted.
Before the next match, Elias honors Matt Riddle for his unmatched love for his music as well as his talent as a professional wrestler before saying that Riddle knew the universal truth that WWE stands for "Walk With Elias." He says that it was Riddle's dream to perform with him in this ring, then admits that Riddle won him over as he looks back at the bongos that Riddle carried. He then unrolls a piece of paper with lyrics Riddle wanted to perform. Elias puts Riddle's lyrics to music, but when he goes into the guitar solo, Solo Sikoa makes his way to the ring.
Solo Sikoa beats Elias. After the match, Solo Sikoa attacks Elias again at the behest of Sami Zayn, then Sami holds Elias up so Solo can hit Elias in the throat with the Samoan Spike. When Elias puts his hand on Owens' shoulder, Owens also hits him with a Stunner.
We see a video package of the history of Tribute To The Troops' twenty-year history narrated by John Cena.
We see pictures of The Miz posing with fans while dressed as an elf.
Rhea Ripley beats Asuka following the distraction from Dominik Mysterio putting Rhea's foot on the bottom rope to break the Asuka Lock, which leads to Asuka spitting blue mist into Dominik's face. This distraction allows Rhea Ripley to hit the Riptide for the win.
Backstage, Dominik Mysterio gets treated for the blue mist in the trainer's room.
Backstage, we hear from Dolph Ziggler, who says that the WWE United States Championship is more than a workhorse title and that Seth Rollins and Bobby Lashley are going to war for a chance at a great championship. He says Austin Theory has gone far in a short time, but he is only a champion on paper and snaps when people call him "a kid." He says that he must put the title over his shoulder and put in the work, and that his arrogance will be his downfall.
We see a video package for Bobby Lashley.
We see more pictures of The Miz posing with fans while dressed as an elf.
Seth "Freakin'" Rollins beats Bobby Lashley to become #1 contender for the WWE United States Championship. During the match, Rollins nearly runs Lashley into the referee as he tries to escape the Hurt Lock, and the ref sprains his ankle as he gets out of the ring. Lashley hits the Spear on Rollins afterwards, but cannot get the three-count due to the referee taking slightly longer to get into the ring to count the pinfall due to the sprained ankle. Lashley argues with the referee, then goes for another Spear only for Rollins to counter with the Pedigree for the pin and the win. After the match, Lashley confronts the ref, and when another referee gets in the ring, Lashley inadvertently hits him. WWE official Adam Pearce confronts Lashley, and when Lashley grabs him and shoves him, Pearce responds by firing Lashley. (The firing would be rescinded by Pearce on social media the following night in a statement in which he apologizes for his own actions yet also states that the situtation will not be taken lightly.)
This week on Raw Talk: The O.C. ("The Phenomenal" AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, "Michin" Mia Yim)! Austin Theory! The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio)!
The Jericho Appreciation Society ("Cool Hand" Angelo Parker and "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard) quickly beat Warren Johnson and Zack Mason.
We hear from The Butcher and The Blade. Blade says all the other tag teams need a dose of realizty and that he and The Butcher are that reality, and The Butcher tells all the other tag teams to get out of AEW because they are going to smoke them all.
Willow Nightingale beats Vertvixen. After the match, Anna Jay and Tay Conti attack Willow from behind, but Ruby Soho chases them away with a metal pipe.
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) Zane Valero and "The Reality" Zack Clayton after Clayton walks out on Valero. After the match, Taylor and Beretta set Valero up for the post-match group hug.
Before the next match, "Smart" Mark Sterling says that there is a law in Texas where one cannot eat one's neighbor's garbage, and that this law makes sense when it comes to Texas barbecue. He then says he would call "biggest group of loser weirdos" he and his clients had ever seen in his life, but that was before they met the local fans.
Ari Daivari and The Varsity Athletes ("The Premier Athlete" Tony Nese and "The Technical Beast" Josh Woods) beat Brandon Cutler and Chaos Project (Luther and Serpentico) in a Trios match despite "Smart" Mark Sterling accidentally blasting Tony Nese in the eyes with Brandon Cutler's cold spray.
Jordan Cruz retains the Hollywood Heritage Championship - now known as the United Heritage Championship after being consistently defended throughout the United Wrestling Network - against Effy.
Backstage, Ruby Raze says she got into women's wrestling so she could put Southern California on the map and make the local scene a little bit better. Since then, they have been pushed aside, shoved into corner and put in broom closets. She considers this to be disrespectful to her and every woman who puts their body on the line, but she and other women are still trudging along and putting themselves on the map despite that. She says that she will be carrying the banner for the company and for all the other woman out there and that she will be harder hitting, deeper digging and more heart than anyone has ever seen.
We hear from Halston Boddy, Viva Van and Dom Kubrick. Halston says it is a new era and that more money and more people have been coming since Coastline Clash. He says that Viva Van and Dom Kubrick are two of the most talented human beings, then says the lights are bright and that they are ready to entertain. Kubrick says that being at the top of the pyramid looks beautiful and that they are a guiding light shining like light through a prism. Viva Van says she will raise hell until she is the front of the women's division because she is hell-bent to death.
"The Golden Boy" Jordan Clearwater beats Honest John after Jack Banning shows up and distracts Clearwater before yanking at Honest John's ankle, allowing Clearwater to hit the Midas Touch for the win.
"Sweet" Robin Shaw - now accompanied by Jackson Calhoun and Cameron August, the three of which are now known as "The Enterprise" - beats Snypes with the vice grip. After the match, Jackson Calhoun introduces The Enterprise and says they are going straight to the top, and says that if anyone wants to diversify their portfolio, stocks will rise with them.
Ruby Raze and Savanna Stone beat Viva Van and Johnnie Robbie.
In footage from last week, Quinn McKay interviews Mike Bennett, who says that everything must come to an end and that he did not come back to ROH so that Vincent could tell him and Matt Taven when this ends. Matt Taven says that he and Bennett will settle things once and for all as "the original Kingdom" at Final Battle and put an end to everything.
PCO and Mark Briscoe beat The Bouncers (The Beer City Bruiser and Brian Milonas). Both teams shake hands after the match.
Backstage, Mark Briscoe and PCO are the two of the most insane people on the ROH roster and they will reign victorious. PCO tells Jonathan Gresham and Jay Lethal they will rest in Hell.
"The Mercenary" Flip Gordon beats Josh "The Goods" Woods in a Pure Rules Match via pinfall in 9:34. Both men shake hands after the match.
Tommy Dreamer beats Larry D in an Old School Rules Match after Acey Romero gets involved and John E. Brvo also shows up to fend off Acey and Larry D. As per pre-match stipulation, Larry D must go to jail for shooting John E. Bravo. (Had Larrry D won, he would have been a free man.)
Kenny Omega's tour bus is seen outside of the arena again.
Havok and Nevaeh beat The Sea Stars (Ashley Vox and Delmi Exo).
Backstage, Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz wonder what to do with the roll of money. Tasha considers returning the money, but Kiera tells Tasha she has a plan.
Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb beat Eddie Edwards and Alisha after Sami Callihan's entrance lights distract Eddie and Alisha. After the match, Sami Callihan crawls out of the ringa nd hits Eddie with a baseball bat before nailing him with a package piledriver. As Sami leaves the ring, he notices Alisha crawling towards Eddie, and officials and referees have to stop Sami.
Gia Miller tries to interview Kenny Omega from outside the tour bus, and Don Callis answers the knocks on the door. Callis says that Kenny Omega will not be involved in Final Resolution, and that he is here "visiting family."
Tasha Steelz is the special guest ring announcer for the next match. After introducing herself, she introduces the special guest referee for the next match: Kiera Hogan.
Hernandez beats Fallah Bahh following partial actions by both special guest referee Kiera Hogan and special guest ring announcer Tasha Steelz. After the match, Hernandez demands his money, but Kiera and Tasha find out that Hernandez's money is gone. Hernandez chases Kiera and Tasha out of the ring with a pair of switchblades.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Chris Bey, who says that tonight is the biggest match of his career and the main event he should have been in. He says that it is time to teach Rich Swann a lesson in the art of finesse, and that he will beat Swann tonight. Bey also says that he is called "First Take Bey" because he only needs one shot to get it done.
Eric Young beats Rhino. During the match, the referee is laid out as Rhino and Young go at it, and Joe Doering tries to get into the ring only for Rhino to kick the middle rope into his crotch. Young lays out Rhino, and when he is abot to use his mask as a weapon, The Deaners (Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake) confronts Young only for Deaner to grab Young's mask and smack Cousin Jake in the face with it before leaving. Young then grabs his mask and hits Rhino with it to get the win.
It is revealed that Gia Miller was not supposed to be near Kenny Omega and Don Callis' tour bus as Scott D'Amore chews out a security guy backstage. It is also revealed that "Machine Gun" Karl Anderson is on the list to approach the tour bus.
Rohit Raju enters the ring. He says that he is not only the best Indian wrestler that Impact has ever seen, but one of the best period, and that he is the biggest success story of 2020. Rohit also says he has been proving everyone wrong and has beaten all of his challengers to solidify himself as the best X Division Champion ever. When he asks "Who can defeat Rohit?", the challenge is answered by Manik, who is already behind Rohit.
Manik beats Rohit Raju to win the Impact X Division Championship after Rohit Raju nearly runs into the referee.
Backstage, Gia Miller interviews Moose, who says he took out Willie Mack even though he was not angry, yet Rich Swann as the Impact World Champion makes him angry. He says that Impact World title is the second-most important title in Impact Wrestling, as his title is the most important. Moose says he will be watching the match between Chris Bey and Rich Swann tonight, and says that he will take the World title away from the winner.
Deonna Purrazzo retains the Impact Knockouts Championship against Rosemary after Kimber Lee pulls the referee out of the ring as Rosemary has the match won with the Red Wedding and Taya Valkyrie chases Kimber Lee around the ring.
"Machine Gun" Karl Anderson meets with Kenny Omega and Don Callis in the tour bus, and mentions that he has to face Ethan Page in the ring. After some talk, Omega and Callis are fired up to see Anderson in the ring.
"Machine Gun" Karl Anderson beats "All Ego" Ethan Page with the Gun Stun after knocking "The Walking Weapon" Josh Alexander off the ring apron as soon as he gets back on. (Had Page won, he and Alexander would have gotten a shot at the Impact World Tag Team Championships.) After the match, Ethan Page says everything will be fine and that he has a plan, but Josh Alexander walks away from him. Page then breaks down and repeatedly states that everything will be fine.
Rich Swann retains the Impact World Championship against Chris Bey. After the match, Moose shows up and grabs the Impact World Championship before handing it to Swann. Moose then leaves the ring.
The Bodega (Danny "Limelight" Rivera and "King FatBoy" Papo Esco) run into Jamie Iovine backstage. Danny "Limelight" Rivera demand a title shot before the 500th episode. One call to Nikko Marquez later, it is done.
"The Western Roughneck" Jesse James beats Dan Joseph in a knock-down, drag-out match after using the middle rope for leverage in the corner.
Richie Slade beats Jack Cartwright with the Candy Clutch after Flex McCalleon pushes Cartwright off the top rope as the referee is distracted. After the match, Flex McCalleon and Richie Slade gang up on Jack Cartwright, but when "The Golden Boy" Jordan Clearwater shows up, they both remind him that he can't get physical with Slade. Anthony Idol soon shows up to make the save.
We see another vignette for Jack Banning, who says the battle has always been between the haves and the have-nots, and that he refuses to be a bottom-feeder any longer.
Outside of the arena, Heather Monroe has to snap Halston Boddy to his senses as he stresses about their mixed tag match. After this, the training montage begins. In a wrestling ring at an undisclosed location, the training begins with some squats. Some time later, Halston Boddy makes some progress, but is still struggling. Heather Monroe has an idea, but it will not be known until next week.
Snypes beats Keita Murray.
The Bodega (Danny "Limelight" Rivera and "King FatBoy" Papo Esco) beat SoCal Distancing (Andy Brown and Dom Kubrick, the latter of whom was the mysterious masked man from two weeks ago) to win the United Tag Team Championships! During the match, Andy Brown kicks the referee in the jaw, knocking him out. This leads to SoCal Distancing getting the upper hand, but as Dom Kubrick is about to finish off Danny Limelight, the arena lights fade into darkness before coming back on. When they do, Ray Rosas is in a referee's outfit and a mask, and he fends off Kubrick and Brown. Miguel suddenly shows up and overpowers Rosas, but "BHK" Kevin Martenson shows up and attacks Miguel, and he and Rosas fight off Miguel. As this happens, SoCal Distancing's mysterious masked leader shows up with a crowbar and takes out Rosas and BHK, but when he enters the ring to attack Limelight, Slice Boogie runs into the ring, lays him out and lays out Andy Brown with the crowbar before getting out of the ring. The referee for the match has come to at this point, and he makes the three-count to crown The Bodega as United Tag Team Champions.
Next week: "The Main Event, Mr. All Damn Day" Will Allday vs. "The Golden Boy" Jordan Clearwater for the Hollywood Heritage Championship!
After the match, Kay Lee Ray says she has once again proved how dominant she is, and that she has proved herself against Toni Storm and has Piper Niven rattled and scared. Suddenly, Piper Niven shows up. Before Piper Niven does much, Toni Storm runs out and attacks Kay Lee Ray and knocks Piper down on the apron. Piper and Toni then argue in the middle of the ring while Kay Lee Ray leaves, then Assistant Sid Scala shows up. Scala says there is one logical solution to this: at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II, Kay Lee Ray will defend the NXT UK Women's Championship against both Toni and Piper in a Triple Threat Match.
We hear from Jordan Devlin. This time, he plays a video slideshow of the rest of the roster, but it is just his way of tooting his own horn while mocking Moustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven). He says that this is what happens when you put your faith in Tyler Bate, for Bate has everyone fooled into thinking he is the star while he is "The One True Ace."
In footage from earlier this week, Joe Coffey says that the WWE United Kingdom Championship is the biggest score NXT UK has to offer and the biggest man holding it in Walter. He remembers the big boot that Walter gave him almost a year ago, and that Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Wolfgang) has not taken too kindly to it. Coffey says that this time around, he will leave his mark on Walter and Imperium (Walter, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel, Alexander Wolfe) and take the UK title.
Eddie Dennis assaults Michael May before the next match can begin, then tosses May back into the ring. Trent Seven checks on May as Dennis leaves through the crowd.
Backstage, Radzi interviews Noam Dar, who says that he states facts and not makes claims, then has Radzi follow him to General Manager Johnny Saint's office, where he tells Saint and Assistant Sid Scala that he will take a break until he gets a match at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II. Scala tells him that his contract is not what he thinks it is, and tells him that next week, he will be facing Tyler Bate. Noam Dar walks off in a huff.
Ridge Holland beats Jack Starz.
In footage from earlier this week, Kenny Williams is met by Amir Jordan in the UK Performance Center. Amir announces that he is 100% after six months and that they are tagging up again next week. When Amir says they are dancing again, Kenny tells him he is relentless.
Imperium (Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel) vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships ends in a no-contest. During the match, Grizzled Young Veterans show up and steal the NXT UK Tag Team Championships, but they are confronted by Mark Andrews and "Flash" Morgan Webster, who brawl with them in the ring. After the match, all four teams brawl with one another, then General Manager Johnny Saint and Assistant Sid Scala show up and declare that the tag titles will not be disrespected any longer and that they will be suspended above the ring at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II. Saint and Scala put all four teams in a four-way ladder match for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II.
Before the next match, Adam Cole says that The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong) will get Christmas started early when Bobby Fish embarrasses EC3, who thought that NXT would elevate his career to new heights only to find out that NXT is their world. Cole goes on to proclaim that they are the center of the NXT Universe, which revolves around them, and says that last year was the start of a decade of dominance and that 2019 will be the year The Undisputed Era will be drenched in gold.
EC3 beats Bobby Fish with a surprise inside cradle despite interference from the rest of The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong). After the match, The Undisputed Era attack EC3, but Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovich) show up to make the save and fight The Undisputed Era off. They then drag Kyle O'Reilly into the ring, and O'Reilly falls victim to a One Percenter before Otis Dozovic drops an elbow on him.
We see footage from earlier today where Dakota Kai says that Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke keep getting in her business, and that she and Io Shirai aren't taking it anymore. The two of them want Shafir and Duke in a tag team match next week.
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan beat The Mighty (Nick Miller and Shane Thorne).
Next week: Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano in a steel cage match!
We hear from Johnny Gargano, who tells Aleister Black that he never sinned and that he did nothing wrong. He says it is the greater good and that the ends justify the means, and if that means becoming NXT Champion and everyone celebrating, so be it. He says that Aleister Black was at the wrong place in the wrong time - his path - and continues to do so, and says that even if he is locked in a steel cage, he will do whatever it takes to end the story the right way. Next week, he closes the book on Aleister Black.
Dominic Dijakovic comes to NXT next week!
Backstage, Cathy Kelley interviews "The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler. She says that regardless of who she has to defend the NXT Women's Championship against, she will walk out with the title and her opponent a hospital bill. Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir then laugh at Dakota Kai and Io Shirai's challenge, and says "they're ready."
It is announced that Lacey Evans is the second competitor in the Fatal 4-Way to determine a #1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship in two weeks after beating Karen Q in a house show last week.
Mia Yim beats Reina Gonzalez to quality for the #1 Contender's Fatal 4-Way Match for the NXT Women's Championship in two weeks.
We hear from Aleister Black, who says that the most interesting thing about the human race is that everything they do is based upon how they are feeling. As for how he feels about his steel cage match with Johnny Gargano, Aleister says he does not feel anything; he just knows he has to do this. He says that Gargano is far beyond absolution and redemption, and the only thing left is total annihilation in the form of the match. He says that when the match happens, there will be no running or ducking, and everything about Gargano will simply fade to black.
Next week: Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir in their NXT television debut vs. Dakota Kai and Io Shirai!
Ricochet's opponent for the open challenge for the NXT North American Championship is none other than Tyler Breeze, who shows up with his original pre-Breezango entrance complete with live selfie camera.
Ricochet retains the NXT North American Championship against Tyler Breeze.
It is announced by General Manager Drake Maverick at the start of the show that Noam Dar is not medically cleared to compete, and that Buddy Murphy will be facing Gran Metalik.
Buddy Murphy beats Gran Metalik.
Backstage, Akira Tozawa and The Brian Kendrick are met by General Manager Drake Maverick, who tells them their match against "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak next week will be a street fight. Kendrick admits that when he returned to WWE, he manipulated people because he was a desperate man. He manipulated no person worse than he did Tozawa, and says he is a changed man and wants to bring the Cruiserweight Division up. Tozawa agrees, but says Kendrick looks the same and this needs to change. He takes him to the side, then thanks Maverick for his time before "firing" him for losing the Raw tag team titles.
We hear from "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak, who say that they were trying to save The Brian Kendrick, and that this street fight will let them take this as far as they want and it is all legal.
Next week: The Brian Kendrick and Akira Tozawa vs. "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher and Drew Gulak in a Street Fight! Lio Rush returns!
Backstage, Kaylra Braxton interviews Ariya Daivari, who says that wrestling used to be simple: put two tough men in a ring until one of them wins. He says that all wrestlers care about are social media and dressing up flashy. He says that when he sat injured with a broken neck for seven months, he saw all flash and no substance. Hideo Itami then shows up and says he saw his match last week, and congratulates him. They shake hands, then Hideo Itami leaves. Daivari calls Hideo Itami "one of the last real men around here" and a man worthy of respect.
Cedric Alexander beats "The Premier Athlete" Tony Nese. After the match, Buddy Murphy shows up, then runs into the ring and brawls with Cedric. The brawl ends with Cedric hitting a tope con hiro on Murphy, who then retreats.
Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) beat Ashton Smith and Ligero.
Backstage, General Manager Johnny Saint and assistant Sid Scala meet with Rhea Ripley and Isla Dawn to make their NXT UK Women's Championship official. Rhea and Isla stare down, and Rhea plainly exclaims "See you next week."
Backstage, Radzi Chinyanganya interviews Gallus. Wolfgang says if their match did not impress General Manager Johnny Saint, nothing will. Mark Coffey says they are the team to beat, and Joe Coffey is more focused on Pete Dunne. Joe Coffey says Gallus doesn't win, they take, and that he will rip the United Kingdom Championship from Dunne's mouth. For now, he will squash "The Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks like a bug.
Joseph Conners beats Jack Starz.
Backstage, Radzi Chinyanganya interviews Xia Brookside. She feels confident right now, and while she is not the most experience, every match is an opportunity. Suddenly, her opponent for tonight, Jinny, shows up and stares her down for a few seconds before walking away.
We see a vignette for Tyson T-Bone and Saxon Huxley, who have suddenly become a team and are gunning for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships.
Jinny beats Xia Brookside after Brookside's back gives out as she attempts a pendulum swing.
James Drake and Zack Gibson show up. Gibson tells the fans they saw a glimpse of what they could do last week when they made quick work of "The Lucky Yin" Kenny Williams and Amir Jordan. He says that this was just the tip of the iceberg, and that he and James Drake will soon be recognized as the very best NXT UK Tag Team Champions.
"Bomber" Dave Mastiff beats Eddie Dennis, ending Dennis' undefeated streak in NXT UK while preserving his own.
The NXT UK Tag Team Championships are revealed in this week's cold open.
"Flash" Morgan Webster beats Fabian Aichner. During the match, Mark Andrews shows up at ringside to give Webster his support, and later in the match, Andrews stops Aichner from booting Webster's head into the steel steps, allowing Webster to recover and get a surprise jackknife pin for the win.
Backstage, Radzi Chinyanganya interviews Amir Jordan, who says that he and "The Lucky Yin" Kenny Williams are on the same page as they have a change to get revenge on James Drake and Zack Gibson as well as get in the running for the NXT UK tag team titles. As Amir and Radzi are about to start dancing, Williams shows up and says there is a time for dancing and a time to get serious, and right now, they need to get serious and get lucky. He then tells Radzi he should be ashamed of himself for dancing and takes Amir's scarf.
Backstage, Wolfgang and Mark Coffey tell Joe Coffey he's got it covered tonight, and Joe tells them he will decimate "The Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks. Meanwhile, Mark and Wolfgang will be focused on the NXT UK tag team titles.
Isla Dawn beats Killer Kelly. After the match, Radzi Chinyanganya interviews Isla Dawn, who says that her desires are truly set on the NXT UK Women's Championship. Suddenly, Rhea Ripley shows up. Isla tells Rhea she may be so confident now, then dares her to get in the ring with her and put the title on the line, as she vows that Ripley will walk out empty-handed. Rhea raises the NXT UK Women's Championship into the air.
We see footage from earlier today where "Bomber" Dave Mastiff talks about his aspirations for championship gold when Eddie Dennis shows up and makes it known Mastiff isn't the only "undefeated monster" in NXT UK. Mastiff tells him they will settle this in the ring, and when he finishes smashing through him, there will be one undefeated streak left in NXT UK.
James Drake and Zack Gibson beat Amir Jordan and "The Lucky Yin" Kenny Williams.
Backstage, Tyler Bate tells Trent Seven when he takes down Joe Coffey, they will go for the NXT UK tag team titles.
Next week: "Bomber" Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis!
Joe Coffey beats Trent Seven. During the match, Tyler Bate stops the rest of Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) from ganging up on Trent Seven and ringside, and all three men brawl their way to the back.
Before the next match, Drew Gulak talks about his dream of cultivating a better 205 Live. Next week, he will beat Cedric Alexander and face Enzo Amore for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. He says Cedric may have gotten his second chance, but tonight, his opponent Ariya Daivari is not in the holiday spirit after losing his second chance. He says Daivari will pound Cedric into the dirt tonight. Drew Gulak announces that Noam Dar has suffered a tragic knee injury and will undergo surgery. He then starts a Powerpoint presentation for a successful knee operation, but Cedric Alexander stops it before it can even start.
Cedric Alexander beats Ariya Daivari.
Enzo Amore comes across an unplanned team meeting. Drew Gulak apologizes to Enzo, but says it is still plausible for him to be champion. "The Premiere Athlete" Tony Nese stands up for Drew, but Enzo tells them they are still on The 'Zo Train (Enzo, Drew, Nese, Ariya Daivari). He tells them and Daivari that they are enjoying the fruits of his labor. He then tells them that he needs The 'Zo Train at ringside when he faces Tony Nese tonight.
Before the next match, The Brian Kendrick talks about losing the Cruiserweight title last year. Since then, he has not even been granted a single opportunity to get it back, and says that when Kalisto showed up, he was gifted with opportunities only to squander them. Gallagher says he and Kendrick gave Kalisto the easy option to stay away, and tells him to do the smart thing and stay in the locker room, or else he will find out he is springboarding into a spider's nest. Not surprisingly, Kalisto shows up.
Kalisto beats "Gentleman" Jack Gallagher despite damage done to his right knee. After the match, The Brian Kendrick attacks Kalisto from behind with a chop block, then he and Gallagher surround Kalisto until Gran Metalik shows up to make the save. Kalisto hits Gallagher with a Salida del Sol.
Backstage, Drew Gulak meets with Enzo Amore. Enzo says he is not fighting Tony Nese; instead, they are going to give the crowd a show, and says it will be a learning experience for everyone.
Hideo Itami is coming to 205 Live next week!
Before the next match, Enzo Amore says The 'Zo Train is doing incredibly well. He talks about the first ever 205 Live tour and how he is in the main event. He then says that The 'Zo Train is unbreakable, and that anybody who thinks otherwise is "sawft."
"The Premiere Athlete" Tony Nese shows up, followed by Enzo Amore and the rest of The 'Zo Train (Ariya Daivari and Drew Gulak). Enzo Amore says The 'Zo Train is doing incredibly well. He talks about the first ever 205 tour and how he is in the main event. He then says that The 'Zo Train is unbreakable, and that anybody who thinks otherwise is "sawft." After this, the bell rings. A hesitant Nese does not want to fight Enzo, who dares Nese to fight him. Enzo eventually slaps Nese in the face, and this fires Nese up to the point that he slowly corners Enzo. Suddenly, Ariya Daivari runs into the ring and attacks Nese from behind, and he and Enzo take the boots to Nese. Enzo is about to hit the JawdonZo on Nese when he looks at Drew Gulak, and tells him to get in the ring and prove his worth. After a few minutes of hesitation where both men get in each others' faces, Drew Gulak reluctantly stomps on Nese and attacks him. Enzo eventually hits the JawdonZo on Nese, effectively kicking Nese off The 'Zo Train to end the show.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are seen handing out anti-Shane McMahon flyers backstage as part of their "Yep Movement."
"The Phenomenal" AJ Styles shows up to start tonight's show. He welcomes everyone to the show, then says all he is worried about is defending the WWE Championship at Clash of Champions. He does not want to lose the title again, and says Jinder Mahal feels the same way, but asks what good is being champion if you will not fight for it. He says Jinder held the title for six months and would do anything to keep it, even setting up a Punjabi Prison match and having The Singh Brothers (Samir and Sunil Singh) and The Great Khali to help him. Before he can say much else, The Singh Brothers show up. The Singh Brothers apologize for the interruption. They would usually introduce Jinder Mahal, but not tonight. We then see what happened to them at the hands of Jinder two weeks ago on the TitanTron. Styles says he feels sorry for The Singh Brothers, and asks them to come to the ring so they can hug it out. The Singhs almost do it with each other on the ramp, but AJ wants them to do it with him in the ring. The Singh Brothers approach the ring and get in, and AJ hugs it out with both of them. They thank AJ for their support, then tell him that at Clash of Champions, they want to be in his corner. As far as they are concerned, Jinder Mahal is facing Styles alone, as they are done with him. They go so far as to call Jinder a disgrace to India and its 1.3 billion people, and complain about their subpar treatment at Jinder's hands. Styles then asks why they were at Jinder's side this past Saturday in New Delhi, India. We see footage of The Singh Brothers with Jinder Mahal at the event. When Styles asks if they are with him or against him, The Singh Brothers tell Styles that they are done with Jinder. Styles then asks The Singh Brothers to shake their hands, but Jinder shows up before they can do that. Needless to say, Jinder Mahal is infuriated. Styles says he isn't entirely convinced as far as The Singh Brothers are concerned, but does agree he and Jinder will have a one-on-one match. He then headbutts The Singh Brothers before daring Jinder to get in the ring with him. Jinder yells at AJ Styles from the ring apron, then gets down from it and leaves. Before he does, however, Jinder checks on The Singh Brothers.
Natalya guests on commentary for the next match.
Charlotte Flair beats Ruby Riott by disqualification after Natalya hits Charlotte with a clothesline in response to being hit with a big boot as Charlotte fights off The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan). Charlotte fights off The Riott Squad, but the numbers game catches up. They are about to attack her with the steel steps when Naomi runs in and makes the save, forcing The Riott Squad to retreat after they pull Ruby out of the ring. Before they can make it to the back, the remainder of the lumberjacks - Tamina, Lana and Carmella - run in and attack The Riott Squad on the stage, laying them out.
Backstage, General Manager Daniel Bryan is on the phone. He tells Commissioner Shane McMahon he will be at ringside on commentary in the main event, and that he should not be worried. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn then show up and suddenly leave an anti-Shane flyer.
Bobby Roode guests on commentary for the next match.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin ends when Bobby Roode gets in the and hits both men with Glorious DDTs.
We see a snippet of a very special Fashion Files, where Fandango says that he and Tyler Breeze will face The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) at Clash of Champions. The episode is a WWE.com exclusive.
The Bludgeon Brothers (Harper and Rowan) beat Tom Delaney and Joe Monroe.
We look back on The Rock's return to the WWE in February 2011, courtesy of Snickers.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn show up. Sami says that the WWE Universe has decided to stand with him and Owens against WWE management in the name of change. Owens keeps saying "Yep." Sami says that management took things one step too far, then we see footage from last week of Kevin Owens being handcuffed to the ring ropes as well as Owens taking matters into his own hands. Owens says that after nine months on SmackDown Live, Shane McMahon is the worst McMahon of them all. Sami says "yep." He also mentions Shane making himself the special guest referee for their match at Clash of Champions and put their WWE careers on the line. He calls Shane "a madman on a rage bender," and is making them lose their jobs because he could not defend his family's honor. He says it is time to show that this business is bigger than Shane and his vendetta, then says it is time to occupy SmackDown. Owens calls for a flood of people to come out from backstage to join them, but nobody comes out to the stage...except General Manager Daniel Bryan. It takes a while for Daniel Bryan's entrance to hit after he shows up, but it does, and Daniel Bryan "yesses" his way to the ring. Owens calls Daniel Bryan "the inspiration for the 'Yep Movement," and Sami says it does not matter who joins them as they have the one man who occupies SmackDown Live in Daniel Bryan. Daniel wants to know what they are doing, and Sami and Owens say he had the "Yes Movement," and now they have the "Yep Movement." Owens says he and Sami have been degraded and treated unfairly for the last few months, just like Daniel Bryan. Daniel interrupts by saying they are nothing like him, and says the "Yes Movement" was about the fans, not himself. He goes on to say it was about what the WWE Universe wanted and deserved. Sami agrees, and says the "Yep Movement" is about what they want and deserve. Owens and Sami say that Shane wants to screw them and take food off their tables. They say they have worked for years to get to where they are now, and now Shane wants to take it away just like that. Daniel Bryan says he and Shane have each others' backs. He knows Sami and Owens are incredibly talented, and says he will make sure their match is fair. If they lose, however, there will still be no excuses. He does not know if he and Shane will see eye-to-eye, but he knows they will have each others' backs. He then names himself the second special guest referee for their match at Clash of Champions. Sami and Owens celebrate.
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) guest on commentary for the next match.
Before the next match, Aiden English says "Rusev Day" much like The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods says "New Day," then tries to finish his holiday song from last week. He manages to finish it just before The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso) show up. When The Usos show up, they make fun of Aiden English's singing voice, lack of hair, having Rusev has a tag team partner and lack of a tan. Suddenly, Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable show up. Gable says days are for the week, and they are all weak. Sunday is all that matters, and Shelton says they will take the tag team titles. Gable says they will train their competition like dogs.
Rusev and Aiden English beat The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso).
Renee Young interviews "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles. He says The Singh Brothers were not fooling anybody, and he doesn't need anybody's help. Suddenly, he is attacked by The Singh Brothers and Jinder Mahal. Jinder tells Styles that this Sunday, he will not beat the odds.
Mojo Rawley vs. Zack Ryder will be the kick-off match for Clash of Champions.
Renee Young interviews Randy Orton and "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura in the ring. Orton says he does not like Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn for being obnoxious and self-entitled. On Sunday, he and Nakamura will make sure they lose their jobs. Nakamura simply says "yep" when asked if he agrees with Orton's sentiments.
Tonight on 205 Live: Cedric Alexander vs. Ariya Daivari!
General Manager Daniel Bryan guests on commentary for the next match.
Kevin Owens beats "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura. During the match, Kevin Owens inadvertently knocks out the referee, and General Manager Daniel Bryan has to leave commentary and put on the referee's shirt. Sami Zayn gets Sami Zayn gets in the ring and argues with Daniel Bryan, and Randy Orton goes after Sami. The two of them brawl at ringside, and Sami gets in the ring, stopping the Kinshasa. Owens hits the pop-up powerbomb for the win. After the match, Kevin Owens says that nobody - not Commissioner Shane McMahon, "The Artist" Shinsuke Nakamura or Randy Orton - will take WWE from him and Sami Zayn, as they are the best in the WWE.
The Shining Stars (Primo and Epico) show up during the pre-show to try to sell Booker T the new T-shirt for The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods)...for $250. The validity of the shirts are thrown into question and it's no deal.
In footage from earlier today shown on the pre-show, Bayley finds that a Bayley Bear has been torn into pieces. Alicia Fox shows up, saying that's what she gets for making a move on Cedric Alexander, even though that was not Bayley's intention. Alicia Fox plans to dedicate her victory tonight to Cedric.
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) show up, saying that tonight, they have a chance to join the immortals and break a 25-year-old record. All that stands in their way is one Triple Threat Match. Backstage, The New Day's post-match party is being set up backstage.
The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Big E) retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships against Gallows & Anderson (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) and the team of Sheamus and Cesaro in a Triple Threat Match. The backstage party has already begun after the match, and The New Day go on to break The Demolition's (Ax and Smash) record with the WWE World Tag Team Championships.
At the post tag team title party, The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) finally arrive. Commissioner Stephanie McMahon proposes a toast to their reign, but when the champagne gets on Stephanie, she goes nuts.
As Commissioner Stephanie McMahon dries off backstage, Kevin Owens shows up, saying he has an idea that he wants to pitch to her after saying The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) don't deserve to be tag team champions after what just happened.
Braun Strowman beats Curtis Axel. Byron Saxton interviews Stromwan after the match, and Strowman calls Sami Zayn "another annoyance," saying that General Manager Mick Foley is protecting him, as he shoud. He says Sami Zayn would not last two minutes against him, and neither would anyone else. Backstage, Sami Zayn tells Mick Foley he's sick of asking for his match against Braun Strowman, but Foley refuses to give him the match, even after Zayn tells Foley that nobody saved him. Foley says that he wishes somebody did sometimes, and that he would put him against anyone else, even for championships. Zayn then threatens to head to SmackDown after his refusal, and Foley says he will call SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan to work out a trade.
During Ariya Daivari vs. Lince Dorado, Jack Gallagher shows up to call Daivari a scoundrel before telling he plans to give him a thorough thrashing. Both Daivari and Gallagher brawl, ending the match, and Gallagher stands tall in the ring.
It's time for The Rollins Report with special guest Kevin Owens. Seth Rollins makes it known again that he wants Triple H, and says he can't beat Owens until he can isolate Chris Jericho this Sunday at Roadblock: End of the Line. He then brings Owens out, but Owens brings his own stool out and sits at the entrance ramp instead. Owens says he doesn't care much for Rollins' segment, and that he has an announcement to make as Rollins wants to know how Owens' friendship with Jericho is doing. Owens says he doesn't have to worry about their friendship, and that the only thing he needs to know is that Jericho will have his back on Sunday just like Jericho will have his back that same tonight. We then hear Owens' announcement: The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, Xavier Woods) have another tag team title match, this time against Jeri-KO (Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens). Jericho shows up, and asks Owens if he is crazy enough to believe that Jericho will ever be his tag team partner again after recent events. Owens asks Jericho to stop thinking about the past and start thinking about eh present, as they could ruin potential history by taking the Raw tag titles from The New Day. He tells Jericho that Commissioner Stephanie McMahon has already made the match, too. Rollins tries to drive a wedge between Jericho and Owens, and Jericho tells Rollins he'll be on The List...the disabled list. Jericho and Owens both go after Rollins and gang up on him when Roman Reigns shows up to even the odds. Jeri-KO ends up retreating, with Owens saving Jericho from a Pedigree.
Charly Caruso interviews "The Outlandish" Rich Swann. Suddenly, Brian Kendrick shows up, telling him that if it weren't for T.J. Perkins, he would be Cruiserweight Champion right now. As Kendrick says there are no alliances this Sunday, T.J. Perkins shows up. After Swann says that Kendrick is trying to stir up trouble, Perkins says there's no telling what he'll do to take the title this Sunday, and that Kendrick will get a taste of that right now.
The Brian Kendrick beats TJ Perkins.
Backstage, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns meet with General Manager Mick Foley. He puts the two of them in the second tag team title match as a team, effectively making the tag team title main event a Triple Threat Match.
We see a video package for the WWE Raw Women's Championship Iron Man Match between Charlotte and Sasha Banks. It is then announced that after this match, there will be no championship rematch afterwards, and that this will be the last match between the two for the title.
Bayley beats Alicia Fox.
Lana introduces Rusev into the ring. Rusev says that ever since he got here, he has destroyed everyone's American heroes, one by one. Last week, he took out American trash in the form of Enzo Amore, saying that the "G" in "Certified G" stands for "Garbage." After he took Enzo out like he was trash, he and Lana got busy, and Rusev asks if the fans want to see the tape. He warns everyone that it will be a little bit edgy and "out there." We see the footage of Rusev beating up Enzo, then we find out that was the footage they had in mind and that it was all a swerve. Lana says that we are all gullible just like Enzo, and Rusev says Lana set up a plan of action for him to destroy Enzo in the hotel room. He says he is the only man who can have Lana, and if either of them are disrepected, he will crush. Big Cass shows up alone, and says that Enzo is recuperating at home. He says Enzo loves to run his mouth, but he has the balls to back it up. Enzo was caught with his pants down, but tonight, Cass' pants are on, this isn't a hotel room, and he's not Enzo. Cass rushes into the ring, and he and Rusev brawl until Rusev and Lana are able to flee to the back.
Kevin Owens is irritated that General Manager Mick Foley has placed Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in the tag team title main event, and says that he and Chris Jericho will be tag champs and that they will be a team like they always have. Jericho is open to the idea of them being tag champs if he wants their friendship back.
Emmalina premieres soon, meaning that she will not debut tonight as planned.
Sami Zayn beats Jinder Mahal. General Manager Mick Foley shows up after the match, and announces that Sami Zayn will be traded to SmackDown Live for a talent of equal value. All Sami Zayn has to do is sign the paperwork. Sami asks for a match with Braun Stromwan one more time, but Foley refuses, and Sami is ready to sign. Foley then says that the person he is being traded for is none other than...Eva Marie. An irritated Sami Zayn says he's worth more than 100 Eva Maries, and that Foley used to be like him. He tells Foley he is sick and tired of paying for his mistakes, and wants Braun Strowman. Foley tells Sami Zayn to remember how bitter he is right now, and bottle it and duplicate it on Sunday, because he has a match with Braun Strowman at Roadblock: End of the Line, and that there was no trade all along. Instead of two minutes, Mick Foley gives him ten so he can show why Raw can believe in him, and tells him to tap into the dark part of his soul if he is to last those ten minutes - much less two - against Strowman.
We see footage of John Cena from last weekend's Saturday Night Live.
The New Day (Xavier Woods and Big E) retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships against Jeri-KO (Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens) and the team of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns after Jeri-KO falls apart. After the match, Jeri-KO argue again, and Jericho tells Owens it's over. Owens then turns around and runs into a Spear from Roman Reigns.
