Posted on 10/21/125 by Bob Magee
Live from Sacramento, California.
Adam Pearce’s Big Announcement. A recap of last week’s
events set up Adam Pearce in the ring to provide a “physical
update…” but that’s quickly interrupted by Bron Breakker,
Paul Heyman and Bronson Reed entering the arena. Breakker
had the WWE World Title belt over his shoulder. Pearce said
that Rollins was banged up coming out of the match with Cody
Rhodes, but Rollins was put out of action because of what
Breakker and Reed did. Pearce stripped Rollins of the world
title and announced a battle royal for tonight. The winner
of the battle royal goes on to Saturday Night’s Main Event
in Salt Lake City to face CM Punk for the vacant WWE World
Championship. “Bron, I’m gonna need you to hand over that
championship.” Breakker balked at the suggestion, but Heyman
pulled him aside and seemingly talked some sense into him.
Breakker eventually hands the belt over… to Heyman, who
handed it over to Pearce.
Pearce left, and Heyman took a mic to explain his actions.
Heyman didn’t dump Roman and betray Punk back at
WrestleMania just to get to Seth. He did it to get the
Vision, the future of WrestleMania Bron Breakker and the new
Tribal Thief Bronson Reed. Seth isn’t the leader of the
vision; he’s a “bum shoulder b!tch.”
— The other members of the Judgement Day were agitated with
Dominik Mysterio, who last week talked Adam Pearce into a
tag team title defense against AJ and Dragon Lee tonight.
Dragon Lee & AJ Styles defeated JD McDonough & Finn Balor
to win the WWE World Tag Team Championship (13:24)
This is the second defense for the champions in 111 days,
which Joe Tessitore claimed showed the champions are
cowards, but I’d contend is a symptom of PLEs with only five
matches on them. McDonough and Balor cut off Lee and worked
him over in the their corner. McDonough came off the top
with an axe handle. Styles got the tag and tried to run the
ropes, but McDonough held them open and Styles tumbled to
the floor heading into an ad break.
After the break, Dragon Lee got the tag and suplexed
McDonough. Lee went to the top, but McDonough crotched him.
McDonough got tied up hanging upside down in the corner, and
Lee came off the top with a double stomp. Balor pulled
McDonough out of the ring, and Lee followed them both out
with a tope con hilo. Back in the ring, Lee went for a
powerbomb on McDonough, but McDonough countered into a
powerbomb of his own.
Styles and Balor got the tags. Balor caught Styles with a
slingblade and dumped Lee. Styles came back with a
Phenomenal Forearm, but McDonough broke up the pin attempt.
Styles caught McDonough with a Pele kick, but McDonough came
back with a Spanish Fly for a near fall. McDonough came off
the top with a moonsault, Balor came off the top with the
foot stomp, but Lee broke up the cover. Lee took out
McDonough with a dive. Styles blocked a Styles Clash from
Balor, countered with a Styles Clash of his own, and Styles
got the pinfall to win the tag tiles. New Champs!
— In the back, Jimmy and Jey Uso made peace with each other
ahead of the battle royal tonight.
Dominik Mysterio defeated Rusev to retain the WWE Men’s
Intercontinental Championship (9:20)
Mysterio caught Rusev with a dive before he could get in the
ring, then threw him into the ring steps. But once the match
started, it was all Rusev, smashing Mysterio with a
clothesline and mauling him with shoulderblocks in the
corner. Rusev tried to kick off Mysterio’s new neck tattoo.
Mysterio caught Rusev with a boot and came off the middle
ropes with a pair of axe handle blows. Mysterio tried to set
up for the 619, but Rusev came back with a clothesline that
missed, but everyone decided to sell it like it hit anyway.
Rusev dumped Mysterio to the floor with a fallaway slam
heading into an ad break.
Back in the ring after a 3 minute commercial, Dominik hit a
slingshot senton. Dom tried a suplex which Rusev blocked,
but Dominik shifted his weight into a DDT for a near fall.
Mysterio went to the top for a frog splash, but Rusev got
his knees up. Rusev dropped Mysterio with a spinning
uranage. Mysterio had enough and tried to leave, but Penta
cut him off. Rusev threw Domink into Penta. Penta got in
Rusev’s face, so Rusev knocked him out. Back in the ring,
Dominik went for the 619, but Rusev blocked it… and found
the timekeeper’s bell in Mysterio’s boot. Rusev was going to
use the hammer on Dom, but the ref grabbed the hammer away.
As the ref and Rusev argued about the bell hammer, Mysterio
kicked Rusev low, hit the 619 and then a frog splash to get
the pinfall.
After the match, Penta hit Rusev with a springboard DDT.
— UFC greats Max Griffin and Nate Diaz were shown in the
crowd.
Maxine Dupri defeated Becky Lynch by disqualification in a
match for the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship
(9:43)
This is Becky’s 7th defense in 134 days. Dupri is from
Sacramento, so she got a great reaction upon being
announced.
Lynch mauled Dupri in the corner with forearms and
shoulderblocks. Lynch went for the uranage, but Dupri
countered with a rollup for a near fall. Lynch came back and
dumped Dupri to the floor.
After a commercial, Dupri was still on the floor, struggling
to get back in the ring. When she did, she caught Becky with
a cradle, and countered another attempt at the uranage with
a jawbreaker. Dupri hit a pair of flying clotheslines and a
set up legdrop for a near fall. Dupri pulled down her straps
and hit a running knee for a near fall. Boo/Yay punches, but
Lynch got the advantage. Dupri again escaped the uranage and
caught Lynch with a kick, then locked in an ankle lock.
Lynch kicked out the ankle lock, and went for an armbar.
Dupri reversed the armbar back into the anklelock. Dupri
came off the top with a crossbody for two, and Lynch rolled
to the floor. Lynch tried to leave with her belt, but Dupri
brought her back to the ring. Lynch finally had enough and
hit Dupri with the IC title belt, drawing the
disqualification. Becky retained her championship.
After the match, Lynch drove a knee into Lynch’s face in the
corner, then finally put her down with the uranage.
Stephanie Vaquer came out to the ring for her match.
— At some point earlier in the night, a graphic displayed
all the participants in the battle royal and included Bron
Breakker and Bronson Reed. But, Adam Pearce informed Paul
Heyman that he’d had a new graphing made because Bronson
Reed and Bron Breakker were out of the battle royal. Heyman
was then was confronted by Becky Lynch. Just because Seth
Rollins didn’t survive the day last week, there is still
room for Becky Lynch in the Vision. Becky turns him down,
then tried to spin it that Seth knew Heyman was going to
turn on him. When Seth returns, he’ll take his aggressions
out on whatever “nepo-baby” Heyman has attached himself to.
WWE World Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer defeated Roxanne
Perez (w/ Raquel Rodriguez) (11:58)
Vaquer tried for a package piledriver, but Perez escaped and
dropped to the floor to regroup. Back in the ring, Vaquer
tried for a cradle and got caught with a slap from Perez.
Vaquer went for the Devil’s Kiss, but Perez escaped. Behind
the ref’s back, Raquel Rodriguez caught Vaquer with a right
hand.
After a break, Vaquer hit a suplex. Vaquer hit a meteoria in
the corner, then took Perez out of the corner with a dragon
screw leg whip. Vaquer got the Devil’s Kiss, but Vaquer was
selling her left wrist was bothering her. Perez then
attacked the wrist. Rodriguez distracted Vaquer on the
apron, and then Perez snapped Vaquer’s arm against the
ropes. Vaquer caught both Perez and Rodriguez with crossbody
off the top to the floor. Back in the ring, Vaquer hit the
Angel’s Wings at got the pinfall.
Perez and Rodriguez attacked Vaquer after the match, but
Nikki Bella ran in for the save. Vaquer tried to springboard
back into the ring, but slipped and hurt her leg. Eventually
Bella and Vaquer stood tall, double-dropkicking Perez out of
the ring. This was kind of a mess.
— Lyra Valkyra and Bayley have a moment in the back, and
Bayley has a surprise for Lyra next week.
— Bronson Reed and Bron Breakker need an explanation for why
they’re not going to be in the battle royal tonight from
Paul Heyman, who explains that Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and
Roman Reigns are all memorable thanks to him. This somehow
satisfied them.
— Nikki Bella and Stephanie Vaquer have a moment in the
locker rooms and agree to have each other’s back.
Jey Uso won Battle Royal to face CM Punk at Saturday Night’s
Main Event for the World Heavyweight Championship (18:28)
Just when it looked like things would get underway, CM Punk
came out to join the color commentary team.
Otis and Rusev had a standoff after a hot start for Otis,
but Rusev eliminated him. Rusev booted Tozawa and tossed
him, too. Dragon Lee went for a springboard but McDonough
and Balor caught him and sent him to the floor. Penta and
Rusev brawled on the apron, and Dominik Mysterio shoved them
both to the floor.
After a commercial, Ivar was squashing Jimmy Uso and AJ
Styles in the corner. Sheamus and Ivar had a confrontation
mid ring. They battled onto the ring apron, and Sheamus gave
Ivar White Noise on the apron to eliminate him. El Grande
Americano loaded up his mask, but the Usos gave him a 1D
and tossed him. Sheamus tried to eliminate Mysterio, but
Balor and McDonough saved him. Sheamus eliminated McDonough
and Balor. They then helped Kofi Kingston eliminate Sheamus
from the floor. Sheamus brawled with McDonough and Balor,
and the officials missed Styles toss Mysterio trying to
braek that up. So Mysterio got back into the ring and was
able to conitune in the match.
After another break, we’re left with AJ Styles, Kofi
Kingston, LA Knight, Dominik Mysterio and The Usos. Kingston
monkey-flipped Syles across the ring. Styles dumped Kingston
on the ropes (Kingston may have hurt his wrist) and hit him
with a forearm to eliminate him. Knight blocked a Styles
Clash from Lee. Jey Uso and Knight did “Yeet/Yeah” punches,
with Jey Uso dangling from the apron, until Jimmy made the
save with a superkick. This was the second time Jimmy saved
Jey in the match.
AJ went for a springboard on the Usos, but they super kicked
and eliminated him. Jimmy and LA Knight battled against the
ropes, and Jey Uso DUMPED BOTH KNIGHT AND HIS BROTHER JIMMY.
Jimmy was upset; he thought they were looking out for each
other! Jey then tossed Dominik for the win. Jimmy was irate,
but the fans were still behind Jey because it’s anything
goes in a battle royal.
After the match, CM Punk stood in the ring with Jey Uso and
that’s the main event for Saturday Night’s Main Event for
the vacant World Title.
Feels like they should just put the belt on Bron Breakker
and let him run roughshod over everyone.