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WWE 2016 - Only Roman Gets Over

4K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  Stojy 
#1 ·
Trying another modern day WWE again. Looking to do something that is both realistic, different from what the WWE is doing now, and yet somehow entertaining. Going to finish up where I'm at with WWF 2000 as well, hopefully going to get to Survivor Series and end it there, for now.


Kalisto © def. Ryback to retain the United States Championship
In the first Wrestlemania Kick-Off Show Match, the little underdog Kalisto overcame the odds in front of just a more-than-empty stadium to defeat The Big Guy. Ryback tried to cheat by removing the turnbuckle pad and exposing the steel, but it came back to haunt him as Kalisto knocked him into the exposed steel, securing the victory moments later with his Salida Del Sol.

Team Total Divas (Brie Bella, Paige, Natalya, Alicia Fox, & Eva Marie) def. Team BAD & Blonde (Lana, Naomi, Tamina Snuka, Summer Rae, & Emma)
In the second Kick-Off Show contest, the ten women got a chance to earn a Wrestlemania paycheck. In the end, after a finisher-spree, it was Brie Bella who got the submission victory for her team by smoothly trapping Naomi in her recently retired husband’s YES Lock. In a sign that she is likely retiring at this event, the rest of her Total Divas hoisted Brie up onto their shoulders after the win, with a neck-brace clad Nikki Bella also coming out to enjoy the moment with her sister and Total Divas.

The Usos def. The Dudley Boyz
In the feud that would just seemingly never end, it finally ended here in a short five minute contest. After the Dudleys tried to use tables on their young rivals, it backfired, with Jey Uso getting the pin after a Superkick. And then, just for good measure, Wrestlemania ended early for The Dudley Boyz because both Uso twins put the Dudley brothers through tables with in-stereo Uso Splashes from the top turnbuckle.

Zack Ryder def. Kevin Owens ©, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Stardust, Sin Cara, and The Miz in a Ladder Match to win the Intercontinental Championship
The Wrestlemania show proper kicked off with this wild ladder match, and it did not disappoint. Sami Zayn dove through a ladder to hit his Flip Dive onto the outside, Sin Cara fell off a ladder only to springboard off the third rope and hit a somersault senton onto the outside, Stardust brought out a polka-dot Dusty Rhodes inspired ladder only to eat a Skull Crushing Finale on it, Kevin Owens gave his rival Zayn a Frog Splash onto a ladder, Zack Ryder gave KO the Elbro Drop from the top of a ladder, Owens shoved Sin Cara off the top of a ladder only to hit a Cross Body Splash onto Stardust who was on a ladder propped between the ring and barricade, Sami Zayn took Owens out of the match with a phenomenal suplex onto a ladder, only for The Miz to push Zayn off the top of the ladder when it looked like Sami’s moment of glory. Instead, The Miz was left all alone at the top of the ladder, gloating for the victory. His arrogance cost him, as the forgotten underdog Zack Ryder shoved him off, climbed up the ladder, and completed his journeyman career by getting his first ever Wrestlemania Moment, winning the IC Title.

Chris Jericho def. AJ Styles
The Phenomenal One gave the self-proclaimed G.O.A.T everything he had in his Wrestlemania debut, connecting with a Springboard 450 Splash, the Styles Clash, and even utilizing his Calf Crusher submission. However, it was not meant to be against the newly turned Jericho, who intercepted Styles mid-air, reversing the Phenomenal Forearm into a Codebreaker to earn a victory and even their battle up a 2 victories a piece.

The League of Nations (w/King Barrett) def. The New Day
It was a handicap match, it was for the Tag Titles, and then it was just a standard six-man tag match. Got it? Sure. The New Day came out through a gigantic box of Booty-O’s Cereal and in Dragon Ball Z armor, but it was not their shenaOxiOxiOxiOxins that made the difference tonight; numbers did. With King Barrett on the outside, it was his timely and sneaky Bull Hammer Elbow to Xavier Woods that allowed Sheamus to get the victory with a Brogue Kick to Woods. The Wrestlemania Moment came after the match when after the Lads ran their mouths, they were on the receiving end of a beat down from legends Shawn Michaels, Mick Foley, and Stone Cold Steve Austin, with Barrett eating all of their finishers. While HBK and Foley were ready to get down and twerk/dance with The New Day, Austin had other ideas, giving Woods a Stunner and having a beer bash with his two fellow Hall of Famers.

Brock Lesnar (w/Paul Heyman) def. Dean Ambrose in a Street Fight
The Lunatic Fringe knew it would take something incredible to defeat The Beast, but all of his attempts failed here tonight. A chainsaw and the barbed wire bat Barbie just couldn’t be used, and Lesnar dominated the match for the most part. Ambrose gave it his all, but ultimately was given a lot of suplexes, and pinned after a solitary F-5 onto a stack of steel chairs.

Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) def. Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks to win the newly christened Women’s Championship
Charlotte came out in a robe made with fabric from her father’s robe from his last match, and Sasha Banks got a Boss-worthy entrance with her cousin Snoop Dog part of a live performance of her theme. The three women tore down the house for the new Women’s Championship, throwing their bodies on the line too with Sasha hitting a Suicide Dive Somersault Senton, and Charlotte taking both challengers out with a Moonsault from the top rope to the outside. There were countless near falls, reversals, and submission maneuvers, as well as Banks honoring her idol Eddie Guerrero with a Frog Splash to break up a Figure Four. While Becky Lynch was able to subdue the outside presence of Ric Flair at one point, The Nature Boy had a final influence on the contest. With Banks trapping Becks in the Bank Statement, Charlotte tossed The Boss to the outside and put Lynch in the Figure Eight submission. Naitch held Banks from getting back into the ring, leaving The Lass Kicker with no choice but to tap out, resulting in Charlotte being crowned the first ever Women’s Champion.

The Undertaker def. Shane McMahon inside Hell in a Cell
The stakes couldn’t have been bigger; Control of RAW for Shane McMahon versus The Undertaker’s iconic Wrestlemania career. The Boy Wonder showed the heart of a lion in this match, giving Taker everything he had and then some, somehow surviving a Last Ride and then a Chokeslam onto the steel steps, urging The Phenom to bring on more pain. Shane used a Triangle Choke Hold and Sharpshooter to grind Taker down, and gave fans a flashback to Wrestlemania 17 when he hit his Coast To Coast Dropkick through a garbage can to Taker, but the action spilt outside the Cell when Taker tackled Shane through the cage. Taker was incapictated on the announcer’s table after Shane used a tool box and monitor to attack him, but Shane’s 20-foot Elbow Drop off the top of the cell only found the announcer’s table as Undertaker rolled out of the way! That pretty much killed Shane O Mac, and he was finished with a Tombstone Piledriver to save Undertaker’s legacy, keep Vince McMahon and The Authority in power, and end with Shane being stretchered out of the AT&T Stadium.

Baron Corbin won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal
There were past stars like Diamond Dallas Page and Tatanka, home state heroes like Mark Henry, past winners in Big Show, and a favorite in Kane… oh, and the appearance of Shaq too. But in the end, it was the debuting NXT starlet Baron Corbin who defied the odds, winning the 3rd ever Andre The Giant battle royal by last eliminating The Devil’s Favorite Demon.

The Rock def. Erick Rowan
The Brahma Bull for reasons unknown needed a flamethrower and the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders to announce the all-time attendance record, only to be interrupted by The Wyatt Family. After a verbal sparring, The Rock revealed he came to Wrestlemania to wrestle, stripping down to his trunks, and then pinning Rowan in just six seconds with a Rock Bottom. When The Wyatts looked for revenge, The Rock had the most unlikely rescuer in the form of John Cena! The two mega stars laid The Wyatts out, with The Rock giving Bray a People’s Elbow to finish the whole Wrestlemania Moment off.

Roman Reigns © def. Triple H to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
The crowd showed their feelings for what was supposed to be the biggest match of the year for the WWE. Triple H was cheered at every turn despite being the bad guy, the supposed-fan favorite Roman Reigns was jeered more than anyone else on the night, and as the match wore on, audible chants of Ole, NXT, and Nakamura could be heard instead. Reigns thought he had the grueling contest won with a Spear, but Stephanie McMahon pulled the referee out of the ring to save her husband’s title reign. Stephanie ended up on the receiving end of a Spear from The Samoan Badass after Triple H and the referee both got out of the way. Reigns kicked out of a Pedigree, hit a Superman Punch, another Superman Punch, and then countered Triple H’s attempt to use a Sledgehammer by ripping him in half with a Spear. Despite a riotious crowd and chants of Bullshit, Roman Reigns won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, ending the night with fireworks going off inside and outside the arena.​



Like it or not, this is The Roman Empire. And he’s the only one getting over now.
 
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#7 ·
Wanted this first show to mirror the post-WM RAW in multiple ways, to both illustrate the notion of trying to be 'realistic' in the way WWE will be booking, but finding ways to carve my own niche on things, I suppose.


WWE Monday Night Raw
Dallas, Texas
April 4, 2016

After we get the RAW opening entrance video set to the tune of “The Night”, we also get still images of Wrestlemania Star 32, set to the always awful Flo Rida’s “My House”. Then, finally, with a massive array of pyro and ballyhoo, it’s Monday Night Raw! Michael Cole, JBL, and Byron Saxton are unfortunately your hosts for the evening, and get ready for what is undoubtedly the most wild and crazy night of sports entertainment! The trio warn the audience that tonight’s crowd is an “international” crowd and like to be different, cheering the good guys, booing the bad guys, and simply excusing anything that happens that Vince McMahon might not like, like…

The Guy
“The Truth Reigns” kicks the broadcast off to absolutely nuclear heat as the brand new WWE World Heavyweight Champion comes out from the back with a gigantic smirk on his face, and most importantly, the title belt on his left shoulder. Reigns just shakes his head at the raucous crowd, the ‘international’ collection of fans booing Reigns nonstop throughout his entire entrance, and continuing to do so once he gets a microphone. The Samoan Badass tries to get the crowd to calm down, but when they won’t do so, he simply laughs as he tells the audience to come on, he’s not a bad guy. He then suggestively adds to though that he’s not a good guy either… “but what I am, without a shadow of a doubt, is The Guy.” As the crowd continues to rain down the nuclear heat on the new Champion, The Juggernaut says that right now, this crowd can do whatever they like - they can keep booing his name, or they can cheer his name - it doesn’t really matter because in this moment, he is proudly standing here as “your” WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Reigns calls last night at Wrestlemania the culmination everything he has worked for. After being screwed over time and time again, after having The Authority put road blocks up at every turn, well… like it or not, he BEAT Triple H, he BEAT The Authority, and he IS STANDING HERE… as Champion. “And hey, I got no disrespect for you guys, even if you do for me, so you don’t have to like the fact that I’m here as Champion, but I am WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and I’m not about to let anyone take this from me again for a long, long time. And like it or not, you do HAVE to Believe. That!

With the crowd continuing to absolutely heckle Reigns at every turn, he has to wait to speak again because of the emphatic “Roman Sucks” chant emanating from the arena. The Champ tries to hide his annoyance with a smirk and nod of his head, but he can’t completely mask his irritation with the crowd. Reigns instead just keeps going on, telling the crowd that jealousy isn’t a good look, and then quickly going past his jab by announcing that he didn’t fight like hell to become Champion again just to stand here and talk… he is a fighting champion, and you can be damn sure that he’s willing to walk the walk. With a devious smile on his face - because he knows of the heel heat that’s about to come - Reigns warns the audience that all who step up to the plate though, are gonna be knocked back with one hell of a Superman Punch, complete with obnoxious fist cocking. Reigns laughs at the crowd’s jeers, but Dallas does a complete 180 when “Swiss Made” hits, the sound of sirens bringing out the returning ‘Swiss Superman’ Cesaro! Reigns himself looks certainly surprised as the expertly dressed Cesaro comes out onto the ramp with an ear-to-ear grin on his face, taking the massive cheers in before he does his machine gun taunt to another big ovation. Sporting awesome shades and a grey pinstriped suit, Cesaro is that epitome of suave that people love about him, and Reigns is forced to sit and wait as Cesaro gets into the ring and gets a microphone of his own. Removing his sunglasses, Cesaro smiles playfully as he extends his hand out and jovially says “Hi” to Roman.

Reigns ignores Cesaro’s handshake, instead giving him raised eyebrows and a look of skepticism. Roman off-mic tells Cesaro that this isn’t his time, and tries to wave Cesaro along, all to major jeers from the crowd. Cesaro instead stays on the mic, being a generally awesome human being as he congratulates Reigns for winning the title last night at Wrestlemania. Cesaro reminds everyone that he’s been out for over the last four months with a shoulder injury, and just before went out on the shelf… the two of them were tearing the house down, fighting for the chance to be World Champion. With a smirk on his face, Cesaro adds that he came very, very close to beating Roman on that night, and, “it makes you think, Roman… maybe I would have beaten you if I was a 100% that night?” The crowd cheering, Cesaro tries to put doubt into Roman’s mind if he can beat Cesaro, and Cesaro plays on that, saying that since Roman wants to be a fighting champion, how about they finish what they started back in November, now that Cesaro is 100%? The ten-plus thousand in attendance break out into an arena wide “YES!” chant, Cesaro grinning and encouraging the crowd on while Reigns is left to roll his eyes and shake his head at the affair. Once the crowd finally calms down, Reigns stares straight at Cesaro. He coolly says that he is going to be a fighting champion, and it’s cool that Cesaro is at 100% now. After a pause, Reigns says that he doesn’t feel like he himself is though after the war he won last night against Triple H, getting massive boos from the crowd, sensing Roman is backing out of the match. Reigns then steps right up into Cesaro’s face, confidently boasting that he doesn’t need to be at 100% to beat Cesaro… “because I am THE GUY now… and I can beat anyone that stands in front of me! You want a match tonight, with this title on the line?” He asks as he puts the WWE World Heavyweight Title Belt up in between their faces. “You got it, son!” The crowd explodes in cheers at Reigns accepting the challenge, and Cesaro nods his head in approval as Reigns raises his title belt up into the air as RAW heads to an early commercial break.

WWE Universe… Now Trending… In Jersey!
The guitar chords bring out the most fearsome fearful foursome in the WWE, The Social Outcasts! The happy go lucky group make their charismatic way down to the ring and get on the mic, Heath Slater starting off with his “WWE UNIVERSE!” The quartet discuss that even though neither one of them won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, now that Wrestlemania, it is essentially a NEW YEAR, BAY-BEE! Adam Rose gives the mic to Curtis Axel, who says that the chains are TRULY OFF now, and he is gonna AX-SAW through all competition! Bo Dallas then says in his falsetto voice that the WWE Universe has faith in the Social Outcasts to achieve greatness, and he does too… because he -

“SAWFT Is A Sin!”

The arena absolutely ERUPTS as the techno heavy music fills the arena as two of the most beloved men from NXT burst out from the back, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady! The ridiculously dressed Enzo sprints out from the back and damn near speed-moonwalks across the stage, speaking over his own theme, the crowd chanting along the whole time, “MY NAME IS ENZO AMORE! And I am a Certified G and a Bonafide STUD, and you CAN’T TEACH THAT! AND THIS RIGHT HERE, THIS IS BIG CASS! And he’s seven foot tall, and you CAN’T TEACH THAT! Bottom boom! Realest guys in the room! HOW YOU DOOOIIINNN!?” Enzo and Cass soak in the massive reception from the cheering crowd, while The Social Outcasts look highly annoyed at the interruption, something not unbeknownst to Enzo & Cass. “You ain’t likin us comin out here and cuttin you off? Well get used to it, ‘cause there’s a new era up in this biz-natch! Heath Slatah, you ******* rock star wannabe! You go ahead and sing your songs, but I’m the real MC with the mic, so you on my stage now! Step off, before I shove my mic down your throat! Adam Rose, you wanna be callin your boys baby baby baby. Well toots, they ain’t gonna call you maybe, but Big Cass will kick your head so hard you’ll be back in childhood! Yo Curtis Axel, you want the chains to be off? That’s good, cause it’s gonna be real perfect when I smack you across the face with ‘em! Cause you boys need to know now that I talk the talk, I’m Smash Mouth so you best be a believah, I spit game and thrown down with the best of em, and if you don’t wanna take it here and now, call us out, you’ll be trendin’ when we’re bendin’ your necks! Oh yeah, and you can Bo-Lieve that, turkeys!” The Social Outcasts are livid with the fast-wit, trash talking Enzo Amore, Slater and Rose both opening up the ropes and yelling at them to get in. Big Cass gets on the mic first, saying that if they want a fight, they’ll get one. But boys, you better know now that he and Zo ain’t got just the gift of gab, but the power of the jab. And the Social Outcasts? There’s only ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE YOU, AND I’M GONNA SPELL! IT! OUT! FOR YA! S-A-W-F-T SAAAAAWFT!

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. Social Outcasts (w/Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas)
The crowd is still red hot with constant chants of “How You Doin, How You Doin!?” and the White Stripes inspired “OOOH, ENZO A-MORE-AH!”” This naturally serves as a showcase match for the boys from Jersey, getting a lot of signature spots in their offense, including Amore getting to do his patented little OG dance after jabbing Heath Slater down to the canvas, and then Enzo doing his backpedal shuffle along the ring apron after Big Cass lawn darts Enzo over the top rope to take out all 3 men with a huge Plancha! While The Social Outcasts get some licks in as well, mainly on the trash talking Zo, it’s short and sweet because the hot tag to Big Cass changes everything. The 7 foot stud runs through both Slater and Adam Rose, dishing out Big Boots to both men, smashing their heads together, and Military Press Tossing Slater over the ropes onto Axel and Dallas! An East River Crossing (Sitout Swinging Side Slam) to Adam Rose would finish it off, but a finishing tag to Enzo gets the win, Amore climbing up to the top turnbuckle as Cass flings him off with the Rocket Launcher for the emphatic debut victory! Enzo and Cass celebrate with Amore’s big dancing while Cass tells Axel and Dallas they can always come back for more, the crowd still red hot for The Realest Guys In The Rooms. The best part of all, at no part during this match or Enzo’s dancing, does JBL utter the phrase, “They just love to have fun, Maggle!”

Not His Time… Yet
Standing backstage in the interview pit is the ever petite but always lovely JoJo, who is standing by with the ginger hair and bearded man who rocks a flat cap like no other, ‘The Underdog From The Underground’ Sami Zayn! With some highlight clips from last night, the audience gets to be reminded of how Sami Zayn put his body on the line in his attempt to win the Intercontinental Title, and despite coming up short, his Half Nelson Suplex onto a ladder to Kevin Owens is what ultimately cost KO the chance to retain his title… and eventually Zack Ryder winning the championship. When asked about how he feels about last night, Zayn humbly says that he is just honored to have been a part of Wrestlemania, and that even though he came up short last night, it was a dream come true. Zayn talks about how he has wanted to be in the WWE ever since he was a little kid, and last night completed the start of a 14 year journey. Zayn promises that last night was only the beginning of a new journey though, to which JoJo discusses how even though Zayn was unsuccessful last night, the new Intercontinental Champion, Zack Ryder, has requested that his first title defense for the title occur here tonight… against Sami Zayn. Smiling like a kid on Christmas, Sami thanks the absent Ryder for the opportunity, and congratulates him on having his own Wrestlemania Moment last night. Sami starts to discuss their match, when all of a sudden he is blindsided and slammed into the wall! By Kevin Owens! The former Intercontinental Champion starts putting a beating on Sami Zayn, stomping on him repeatedly as he shouts things like “you ruined everything” and “I hate you, Sami” and “you don’t even belong here” as he just kicks Sami over and over again, holding nothing back. JoJo tries to call for help at the ambush, but no one is able to arrive in time to stop Owens from picking up his former best friend back off the ground, and giving him a Powerbomb through a table! Officials and road agents show up to stop the assault at that, Owens screaming, as he walks off “I should be Intercontinental Champion! You ruined everything you son of a bitch!” With KO walking away, officials are able to start attending to Zayn, Cole and co. left to wonder if we’re even going to have an Intercontinental Championship match now tonight after what just happened.

Emma vs. Sasha Banks
Needless to say, The Boss gets a huge ovation from the Dallas crowd, Cole, Saxton, and JBL putting over Banks’ excellent performance last night at Wrestlemania, and only coming up short in her bid to win the Women’s Championship because of ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair preventing Sasha from breaking up Charlotte’s Figure Eight on Becky Lynch. Tonight’s show has been light on wrestling so far, but with last night marking the true start of the Women’s Wrestling Movement in the WWE, tonight is only the next chapter as The Boss and the new-look Emma (for anyone who hasn’t watched any NXT in the last year…) absolutely tear the house down. The two ladies have some quick technical interchanges and back and forth reversals, showing the women can, you know, wrestle, only to make way for the two women to start beating the hell out of each other. Sasha Banks’ quick forearm strikes are countered by stinging chops from Emma, and the bad cop looking Aussie shows she’s not going to be easily dispatched by The Boss, smacking her silly with a Short-Arm Clothesline. As Banks tries to recover to a seated position, Emma then scores a near fall with a nasty Basement Dropkick. The two superstars both score offense in the lengthy match, Banks landing on her feet as she spins out of a Vertical Suplex attempt, using the quick counter to spark a run of offense that is highlighted by her Double Knee Stomp to Emma after trapping her on the second turnbuckle. Thinking quick, Emma rolls out of the ring to escape a pinning predicament, but it’s just a chance for Sasha Banks to show her aerial prowess, diving through the ropes with a Suicide Flip Dive! She may have to dive in between the second and third ropes, but she still flips her body with the somersault senton plancha, sacrificing her body to take her opponent down, earning a well earned “Holy Shit” chant from the post-Wrestlemania crowd that for once, thankfully, is fully into this match and not starting a wave or chanting for departed and disgruntled stars like CM Punk. The Legit Boss thinks that high risk maneuver gets her the win, but her attempt to go for the Bank Statement submission is blocked by Emma. Instead, the Aussie smacks Sasha with a hard back elbow strike to the bridge of the nose, allowing her to instead lock in her own submission, Emma Lock! The Muta Lock has Banks screaming in pain, but just as it looks like Banks is going to be forced to tap out, she somehow finds a way to squirm free of the submission! Disgruntled by not winning the match when she had the chance, Emma has a momentary lapse in concentration as she pulls The Boss back up to her feet. She leaves herself open to a quick counter from Sasha, who lands a quick Jawbreaker to daze Emma enough for the Backstabber, which Banks expertly transitions into the Bank Statement! Banks proudly celebrates her hard fought win, the talking heads putting over her victory, the excellent match by the two women superstars, the “Women’s Wrestling” chants during the match, and this “new look Women’s Division” as a whole.

That’s The Bottom Line… BECAUSE… New! Day Rocks!
AAAWWW DALLAS! DON’T YOU DARE BE SOUR! CLAP FOR YOUR WORLD FAMOUS TWO TIME CHAMPS, AND FEEEEL THE POWWAAHH! It’s a New Day, yes it is, and that is why the WWE World Tag Team Champions are on their way out to the ring, dressed once again in their normal wrestling attire, although of course all sporting their Unicorn headbands, Francesca 2.0 for Woods, and Big E’s gyrating hips only half the focus because he has a Booty-O in his hands as well. There’s a lot of dancing, twerking, and trombone blaring from The New Day before they go through some of their usual shenaOxiOxiOxiOxins on the microphone. The three men talk about how they lost at Wrestlemania last night, but there was a silver lining - Kofi excitingly pointing out he did get to twerk with Shawn Michaels! Xavier Woods cannot surpress his smile as he talks about recieving a Stone Cold Stunner last night because, truth be told, he should’ve known not to try and get someone like Stone Cold to dance with The New Day. Big E booms out that they forgot that Stone Cold doesn’t need to eat his Booty-O’s because the grains used to make Booty-O’s are also in Steve Austin’s Broken Skull IPA… available now! The three laugh at their cheap shill for Austin’s homemade brew, with Kofi then acting concerned as he says, “Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys,” eventually getting past the repeater game to point out that they also lost to the League of Nations last night. What gives!? All three men then repeatedly start screeching “What” over and over again in true New Day fashion, stopping only when the cheers and laughter from the crowd overtake them. Big E surmises that the League of Booty must have ate some of their supersized Booty-O’s from their entrance because after all… Booty-O’s, they make sure, you ain’t booty! Big E booms that for one night and one night only The League of Booty were the better team, and Kofi adds that if that means The Lads want another shot at the Tag Team Titles, then that’s just fine with them. Woods then quickly chimes in that since Stone Cold fulfilled a childhood fantasy by giving him both a Wrestlemania Moment and a Stone Cold Stunner last night, he’s going to shamelessly steal from him as he says that no matter when the League of Booty come calling for a tag team title shot, they will once again fall to the New DAY! And that’s THE BOTTOM LINE… Big E then takes over, expertly and smoothly turning back into their own shtick as he quickly yells, BEEECAUSE!... NEW! DAY ROCKS! NEW! DAY ROCKS! As the crowd continues to chant along to the clapping of Big E and Kofi and Woods’ trombone playing, at least until “Phenomenal” hits to bring out ‘The Phenomenal One’ AJ Styles to an absolutely huge ovation, getting ready to kick start this next match…

AJ Styles & The New Day vs. Chris Jericho & The League of Nations (w/King Barrett)
This was at least the originally scheduled match-up, but after ‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho makes his entrance last and sees AJ Styles urging him to come into the match and fight, Y2J flags the match off, walking to the back after shouting, “I’ve already beaten you, you idiot!” King Barrett instead takes his place, but that doesn’t stop the four faces putting an early beating on The Lads, winning out in an emphatic eight-man brawl that gets to end with the highlight reel of in stereo flip dives from AJ and Kofi, and then a wonderful Suicide Dive from Big E… all while Woods plays on the trombone. The League of Nations still get their kicks in, especially when Rusev catches a springboarding Kofi with a hellacious Superkick! The Lads work together like an increasingly cohesive unit throughout the match, making quick tags and distracting the match official so they can illegally work their opponent(s) over. The match gets a lot of time, so Kofi makes a hot tag to AJ Styles, and The Phenomenal One goes on a tear against the Lads, including dropping Alberto Del Rio with his patented Quebrada Reverse DDT! The Phenomenal One gets a lot of highlights for the match, as when Sheamus illegally enters the ring to try and attack Styles, AJ ends up going over to the League of Nations corner and Pele Kick him to the floor! Sadly for Styles, Rusev then clobbers him with a forearm, allowing Del Rio to drop Styles with a running boot to the face and work The Phenomenal One over. Woods ends up as the actual face in peril as the contest gets a lengthy run with all eight men still getting some time to shine, but a hot tag to Big E towards the end of the match helps turn everything on its head. The 300-plus pounder is a mastodon, dropping all four members of The League with suplex after suplex, hitting overhead and spinning Belly-to-Belly’s, getting the crowd once again chanting, “New! Day Rocks!” The match breaks down though with everyone ending up in the ring, Barrett ending Big E’s huge run of offense with a Bull Hammer Elbow, only to eat a Trouble In Paradise from Kofi. Del Rio surprises him with a Back Stabber, but turns straight into Lost in the Woods! Woods has his head nearly decapitated by a Rusev Superkick, but he in turns is clobbered by a Phenomenal Forearm! AJ turns straight into a Brogue Kick, but he ducks it, and connects with another Pele Kick to Sheamus! That sends Sheamus straight into a Big Ending from Big E, and a tag back to Styles caps off the victory with a Springboard 450 Splash! The crowd absolutely loves it, as despite the clusterfuck of the match, the post-match celebrations of AJ Styles dancing with The New Day caps it all off, despite JBL’s cries of, “Look Maggle! AJ Styles is havin’ fun here on Monday Night Raw! With The NEW Day!”

The Role Model For Girls
When Monday Night Raw returns, the ring is covered with the ceremonial red carpet, and Lillian Garcia has the privilege of getting the crowd’s attention to introduce the brand new WWE Women’s Champion… Charlotte! The now ex-Diva’s Champion comes out with the new Women’s Title slung proudly around her waist, dressed to wrestle with her trunks and Do It With Flair shirt. It doesn’t even need to be said that Charlotte’s daddy and manager, ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair, is with her as well. The Flairs enter the ring, Ric holding the ropes open for his Champion daughter, while Charlotte gets to bask in the moment of spotlight being shined solely on her. The new figurehead of Women’s Wrestling thanks the crowd for this moment, and that she is proud to be standing here not as a diva, but as a woman, and as the Women’s Champion. Charlotte tries to thank the audience for making this all happen, praising he fans for supporting the women in this business to get the respect that they deserve, but her attempts are all for naught as the raucous crowd is too busy with chants of “Heeeyyy, We Want Some Bayley!” and “Heeeyyy, Hey Bayley, Ooh Ah! I Wanna Knooow, Will You Be My Girl!?” Charlotte tries to speak over the crowd, but to no avail. She instead is forced to wait for the international crowd to simmer down a bit before she’s able to move on. Charlotte finally says that women’s wrestling is making waves in this business, and that there is only one woman who is genetically superior enough to spearhead this revolution… herself. With Ric laughing and smiling in the background, Charlotte hypes up the fact that she beat not one, but two women last night at Wrestlemania. And it doesn’t matter that the crowd wanted to see poor one-eyed Becky Lynch (with a picture of Becky showing up on the Titan Tron after Mania with her damn near swollen shut) win the Women’s Title, or that everyone including Snoop Dogg wanted to see everyone’s favorite Sasha Banks have her Wrestlemania Moment… because the fact of the matter is, “I’m not just the Dirtiest Player in the Game… I’m the ONLY Player in the Game!” Charlotte boasts that she is the total package of what you want to see in women’s wrestling. She is a superior wrestler to everyone else, she is a beautiful women, she is athletic, she can jump through the air (a picture of her Moonsault from the top turnbuckle to the outside is shown on the Tron), and she has the perfect role model to look up to in her father, a Hall of Famer, Ric Flair! As the two hug it out to complete the nausea-inducing moment, Charlotte then proclaims that because of learning so much from her father, she now knows what it means to be a role model. Charlotte boasts that all of the little girls in the arena here tonight can look up to Charlotte; “I am what you should aspire to be; genetically superior… and most of all, Women’s Champion. WOO~!” The crowd is firmly heckling Charlotte at this point, booing and jeering the arrogance of The Genetically Superior Diva Woman… when the place absolutely comes unglued!

“Turn It Up” blares throughout the arena, grown men and little girls are screaming in delight, and for good reason – It’s Bayley~! The former NXT Women’s Champion comes sprinting out from the back with the biggest of grins on her face, the crowd somehow going even crazier when he arms go up and the inflatable tube men shoot out from the ground! Ric Flair looks like he’s going to have a seizure from everything, while Charlotte just sneers in disgust as Bayley gives out hugs on her way down the ramp, eventually running around the ring several times before finally getting in. When her music hits, the crowd’s still going, serenading her with another loud rendition of “Heeeyyy, Hey Bayley, Ooh Ah! I Wanna Knooow, Will You Be My Girl!?” There is a long delay in anything happening in the ring because of this absolutely marvelous ovation for Bayley, the three announcers just blown away too by the fact that Bayley is getting this huge response. “Heeeyyy, Hey Bayley, Ooh Ah! I Wanna Knooow, Will You Be My Girl!?” Bayley finally goes to grab a microphone so she can say why she is out here right now, but when she does, a furious Charlotte sidesteps into her path, cutting her off! Bayley shakes her head with a wry smile and tries to ask Charlotte to move out of the way please, but the Women’s Champion is livid. Instead, she screams, wanting to know “how dare” Bayley come out and interrupt her, ruin her moment. Charlotte’s voice goes hoarse as she yells at Bayley, who simply takes a step back and still has an ear-to-ear grin on her face, reveling in this moment. The crowd, of course, urges this conflict to be solved with a “Hug It Out! Hug It Out!” chant, so Bayley tries to oblige, sticking her arms out for a hug with the reigning Women’s Champion. Charlotte shakes her head in silenced rage at the whole debacle, and after turning to look at her father, throws a sucker punch at Bayley! Charlotte starts unloading on the beloved superstar, but Bayley starts firing back with right hands of her own! This crowd is going nuts as the two women unload on each other, and Charlotte’s temper results in her swinging an erratic strike that Bayley ducks – BAYLEY-TO-BELLY! No, Charlotte, escapes as Bayley tries to swing her through the air, and Charlotte rolls out of the ring, escaping! Charlotte cowers into her father’s embrace as she sneers while back pedaling up the entrance ramp, the spotlight left solely on Bayley as her music plays. That huge grin still on her face, Bayley raises her arms up and throws them at each side of the ring, each section of the audience replying with the same maneuver at the corresponding time. “We have a new face in the ever growing Women’s Division, guys, and it is a face that is beloved by everyone… a woman who IS a role model for young children everywhere… It’s Bayley!” bellows Michael Cole, the commentating team for once doing an incredible job to put over who Bayley is and how popular she is with all demographics of the WWE Universe.

Baron Corbin vs. Fandango
A pre-match promo from last night’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale winner precludes the match, The Lone Wolf standing by the huge trophy of Andre’s likeness. The NXT superstar gets on the mic and tells the crowd that if they don’t know who he is… then they’re not worth his time. He doesn’t need to introduce himself to anyone; he showed himself to the world last night when he won this Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale. And if anyone still needs to figure out just who in the hell he is, watch and find out; you’ll see real quick. That leads to the entrance of Fandango, who is hugely popular with the post-Wrestlemania crowd. However, that ends real quick. The match is about as simple as Fandango charging straight into a hard right hand from Corbin, and then seconds later, a whip into the ropes and End of Days gives Corbin a victory in less than twenty seconds. It allows Cole, JBL, and Saxton to gush over Corbin, Saxton and JBL especially hyping him up as a big-game talent that can and will make an impact in the WWE.

To Be Found, One Must Be Lost
The quick cut intro and blaring “DEH!” and image of Bray Wyatt cackling into a lantern pops on the screen. The actual pre-recorded vignette shows Bray Wyatt standing in the foreground of a field, with Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman standing off in the distance behind him. Behind The Wyatt Family are a bunch of trees and woods; they’re back in the Bayou countryside somewhere. “Last night was a night for the Showcase of Immortals. A night where simple men are immortalized in history, where the whole world can either illuminated in a beacon of light… or crumble by the deathly light of fire burning us all to ashes and dust. But last night, last night man, we were humiliated by the titans up on Olympus! The night where I was supposed to to ignite the match, LIGHT THE FIR’AH TO TORCH this universe to rubble… saw my world crumble instead, yeah. I have seen the signs, the cards being dealt to me by fate. Brother Harper, he is gone. He was supposed to join me, Bray Wyatt, on our path to immortality. Sister Abigail, you were supposed to LEAD ME! I followed HER PATH to salvation, to immortality, and where has it gotten me!? Where has it gotten mah family!? My brother is gone, man, and I did not set him free this time. I set no one free… but I send them away, yes.” The DEH noise and cut plays again, and when it ends, Bray is still standing in the field, but Rowan and Strowman have disappeared. “My Family… is no more! I will not set them free so they can find me again, no! I have sent them AWAY, nev’ah to return again! We have all failed you, Abigail, myself the most. But there is more to me than a man, I know. I have seen the signs, I know what must be done next. I will find you, Abigail, in myself, so that THE TITANS… cannot burn me to ashes any longer! I will make you proud, Sister Abigail! I will be the Face of Fear I am meant to be! But there is only one way I can do that, to find myself… by getting lost,” he finishes in a deep, ominous growl. “FIND ME!” The cut scene plays again, ending the promo, leaving Cole and co. completely confused as to what they just witnessed from The Eater of Worlds.

Woo Woo Woo… You Know My Reign Is Over, Bro!
The awful sounds of “Radio” brings out the newly crowned WWE Intercontinental Champion to a huge ovation, woo woo woo, Zack Ryder! Cole and co. talk about Ryder’s huge upset, Wrestlemania Moment last night by winning that Intercontinental Championship, with still photos showing Ryder winning the championship just when it looked like it’d be The Miz instead. Ryder gets on the mic when he gets into the ring, thanking the audience for the huge ovation, and talks up how last night, he was just thrilled to finally achieve his boyhood dream by wrestling on Wrestlemania… and then with his father in attendance, he WON the Intercontinental Championship, bro! Ryder talks up getting a picture with Razor Ramon when he won the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania X, and then shows that picture and the picture taken last night with Ramon holding Ryder’s Intercontinental Title. Ryder then says that tonight, he was supposed to defend this Intercontinental Title against Sami Zayn because there was only one man in that ring last night who had the heart, soul, and determination to match his own, and that was Sami. However, Ryder has the unfortunate burden of announcing that because of Kevin Owens’ attack on Sami earlier in the night, he is not medically able to compete against him tonight. The crowd boos that news big time, but Ryder quickly moves past it as he booms with bravado that he came here dressed to compete, and he did not win the Intercontinental Championship last night just to talk about it and revel in the good times… he is out here to put the title on the line still, right here, and right now! That has the crowd cheering again, ready to see Ryder put the gold on the line…

...and that ovation gets even bigger when the ominous drums and Godzilla-like sounding noise marks the “Destroyer” theme of Samoa Joe! The Dallas crowd absolutely loves the arrival of The Samoan Submission Specialist, and coming out in his red and black trunks and that towel around his neck, Joe is the epitome of menacing, walking down the ramp with a cocky swagger about himself that has Ryder looking like he just made a grave mistake by issuing an open challenge for this title. And the crowd certainly thinks Ryder’s made a mistake too, judging by the very loud rendition of “Joe’s Gonna Kill You!”

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Zack Ryder © vs. Samoa Joe
Ryder looks like he has shit a brick as this match begins, and his desire to be a fighting champion only comes back to haunt him more when Joe just unloads on him with a combination of right hands and chops, ending with a big Mongolian chop and then a nasty Jumping Enziguri. To his credit, Ryder both sells like a champ for Joe, and constantly tries to fight back against the Samoan, showing that heart, soul, and determination that helped him capture this title last night. Sadly, it’s just not enough. Even when Ryder gets his foot up to block Joe’s running forearm smash in the corner, Joe just jumps and spins through the air, clocking him with his patented Enziguri. Ryder tries again to mount a comeback, but all he does is run straight into Joe’s Snap STO. It’s an absolutely dominant performance from Samoa Joe, and just moments later, he marks his main roster debut by winning the Intercontinental Title by making Ryder tap out to the Coquina Clutch!

A Public Service Announcement From Vince McMahon
There’s been no Authority sighting of any kind so far on Monday Night Raw… so here is “No Chance” (coupled with background singing from the audience) as the Chairman of the company, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, arrogantly swaggers out onto the stage. McMahon puts over how Wrestlemania was a record-breaking event last night, putting over all of the accolades from the Show of Shows, especially of course the attendance record. McMahon calls last night the greatest Wrestlemania of all time, and it is because of the fact that last night, his Instrument of Destruction, Thee Un-der-TAAKKAAH beat his former son, Shane McMahon, to absolute oblivion. McMahon hypes Taker’s victory over last night, and that even though Shane did everything he possibly could, including that jump off the top of the Cell, it still wasn’t enough to defeat Vince’s “hand-picked man.” Vince reminds the jeering audience that because of The Undertaker’s win last night, it is STILL Vincent Kennedy McMahon’s show, and that is how it will ALWAYS be! The crowd is becoming obnoxious at this point, berating McMahon with chants of “CM Punk!” as Vince tries to laugh at the fact that all that Shane McMahon got out of Wrestlemania was a trip to the hospital. McMahon reminds the Punk-chanting crowd that their beloved Shane O Mac is laying in a hospital bed somewhere right now, and that is how things are going to be for a long, long time. Unable to ignore the crowd’s heckling any longer, Vince then snaps that, “and just like that bastard you love so much, you won’t be seeing Shane McMahon in a WWE ring ever again!”

The great response gets Vince a huge round of boos from the crowd, but his jaw nearly drops to the floor in fear as “Here Comes The Money” hits the PA system! The crowd is on its feet in cheers for Shane O Mac, passionately waiting his arrival… but it never comes. Vince’s face eventually lights up into a diabolical grin, sticking his arms out into the air and embracing the nuclear heat from the crowd as Shane’s music cuts off and the crowd realizes it is all a ruse by The Chairman. Laughing, McMahon tells the crowd that he runs Monday Night Raw, he owns WWE, and he is the only one who can pull little stunts like that off. Vince laughs that it gets under the skin of the WWE Universe, only to tell them that it doesn’t matter if he pisses them off. “Let’s get one thing straight,” he booms in his authoritative voice. “I am the past, present, and future of the WWE, and I will be running MY COMPANY until the second I breathe my very last ever breath on this planet!” McMahon continues to laugh while the crowd boos him heavily, with Vince telling the crowd that the sooner they recognize and accept the fact that Vince McMahon is the WWE, the better and happier everyone will be for it. “This is my playground, and I just am grateful enough to let all of you be a part of it!” Gloating, McMahon then again talks up how great Wrestlemania was last night… except for one thing. McMahon growls how Roman Reigns beating his son-in-law, Triple H, to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship put a damper on what should’ve been the greatest night ever. And to make matters worse, he then had the audacity to Spear his sweet baby daughter, Stephanie! Only the Spear mention gets a small pop from the crowd, the rest is still met with the familiar jeers when Reigns’ name is mentioned. McMahon ignores it this time, instead adjusting his suit as he speaks of his disappointment in Triple H last night, and explains that he would’ve banked on The Game to defeat The Roman Empire last night. The Chairman gives his bank of approval to his son-in-law to have a plan to make sure that Roman Reigns’ reign as Champion is a short one, and that he has a plan to make sure the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is an acceptable face of the company. “I’m sure Triple H has a plan… I know I do,” he finishes in a threatening manner as his music hits again, Cole and co. curious as to just what Vince McMahon means before reminding us not to go away because the main event is up next!

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Roman Reigns © vs. Cesaro
The crowd is absolute abuzz with excitement for this title match, and they love it even more when Cesaro comes out still in the suit and strips it right off his body to reveal his trunks underneath (thankfully without JBL making any awful references to Cesaro acting like a Chippendales dancer from it). The two bruisers stare one another down as the match begins, and Reigns sets the tone right away that he’s not intimidated by the hostile crowd or returning superstar, piefacing Cesaro! Reigns unloads early with his big right hands, winning the early duel with the Swiss Superman. The Champ hits his series of Clotheslines in the corner very early on in the match, having Cesaro on dream street to the point that Reigns lines Cesaro up for a Spear only a few minutes into the match. The crowd is at a riot point because of it, but Cesaro sidesteps the early finisher attempt, flinging Reigns through the ropes to the outside – where Cesaro is able to connecting with a Slingshot Cross Body to take both men down on the mats! The title match is hotly contested between The Roman Empire and the Swiss Superman, Reigns using his raw strength and unbridled intensity to smash Cesaro in the face at every chance with his punches and forearm strikes, while Cesaro is much more classy in his offense, finding technical openings to coincide with some striking offense as well. When Cesaro is able to get Reigns onto the canvas and amateur wrestle with him, it’s all Cesaro, frustrating the self-proclaimed The Guy in the WWE as it puts him on the defensive time and time again. That results in Reigns’ strikes becoming more erratic, allowing Cesaro to catch a right hand, grapevine his legs around Roman’s right arm with a rolling arm bar, and go from a Fujiwara Arm Bar into a Crossface! While the red hot Dallas crowd heckles Reigns into tapping out, the newly crowned World Champion gets a foot on the ropes eventually. Cesaro’s beautiful European Uppercuts continue to keep him on the advantage in the contest, eventually hitting the Uppercut Train as JBL calls it, whipping Reigns into the corner and instantly hitting a Running European Uppercut, doing this a total of seven times before Reigns staggers out of the corner into a beautiful Standing Dropkick for two. However, when the Cesaro Swing is attempted, Reigns shoves the challenger away from him, and then catches Cesaro moments later with a Samoan Drop to telegraph his next attack!

The Juggernaut’s stinging right hands put Cesaro back in trouble, with a combo of jabs and headbutts knocking Cesaro into the ropes… allowing Reigns to head to the outside and hit the Drive-By! The crowd may be constantly heckling and harassing Reigns here tonight, but Roman certainly proves his talents in the ring, continuing to match Cesaro as the lengthy main event keeps going. Cesaro escapes out of a Powerbomb attempt and connects with a perfect European Uppercut as soon as he lands on his feet, and gets a close count with a Bridging Northern Lights Suplex! The pace starts to truly pick up despite both men getting fatigued, Reigns trying to mount a comeback with right hands, only for Cesaro to duck one, trip him up, and lock in him the Sharpshooter! The submission maneuver adopted from his injured best friend Tyson Kidd again has the crowd urging for Reigns to tap out, but through excellent perserverance and strength, Reigns somehow fights through the extended submission to turn himself onto his shoulders, giving him the leverage to push Cesaro off of him. Cesaro stumbles into the ropes, and a desperation Standing Dropkick by Reigns knocks the challenger through the ropes and out of the ring. The crowd may hate him tonight, but even they have to respect what comes next though, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion flying over the ropes with his Superman Dive Plancha to take out Cesaro! The high risk spot pays off as it leaves Cesaro looking worse for wear, but when the action returns to the ring, the Swiss Superman somehow gets a shoulder up before three. A Powerbomb adds more pain to the returning superstar, and the smirking Reigns gets one of his worst jeers of the night yet when he cocks and readies his fist in the corner as Cesaro struggles to pull himself up to his feet. SUPERMAN PU- Reversed into a Very European Uppercut! Reigns leaps into the air for the Superman Punch, but Cesaro catches him with what’s essentially his Pop-Up Uppercut! Cover by Cesaro, but Reigns still kicks out before three! Dallas can’t believe it; they actually thought Cesaro just won the World Title right there! Cesaro can’t believe it either, he’s in disbelief at the kick out by the resilient champion, but the crowd and Cesaro both quickly recover because just a few moments later, Cesaro gets a double leg takedown… and the Cesaro Swing! Over ten thousand fans are counting each rotation, from one all the way to seventeen! But yet again, Roman Reigns kicks out before the count of three!

There’s only one move left for Cesaro to hit that can get him the World Championship and cap off the wildest night in sports entertainment, the Neuralizer. With the signature crank of his neck, Cesaro lifts Reigns up into the air, but Reigns kicks his legs and fights his way back to his feet, blocking the finisher. Cesaro lands a European Uppercut, but Reigns ducks the ensuing clothesline. Both men hit the opposite ropes and charge in for an attack – SPEAR! Reigns throws his body at Cesaro and clatters him with an absolutely brutal looking Spear, and it gets the job done! Three count for Reigns, and The Samoan Badass is still Champion! The crowd may have enjoyed the work rate provided by both men in the match, but the post-Wrestlemania crowd absolutely hates the end result, jeering and heckling Reigns at every turn, especially when he receives his title belt and raises it up into the air. RKO!? Out of nowhere! The crowd isn’t quite sure what to make of it at first, but there he is, The Viper back in the ring, and he just dropped The Guy with The RKO! Dallas loves it, cheering like crazy for the grinning Apex Predator as he stands tall in his trademark pose, sporting one of his custom t-shirts and his trunks, even though he wasn’t even supposed to be here tonight (He doesn’t wear pants, guys!). The crowd is full of joy at seeing Reigns laid out, but that grin on Orton’s face turns sinister quick as he then turns on his heel – RKO to Cesaro too! Seeing the big-time fan favorite in Cesaro get dropped like a ton of bricks as he pulls himself up to his feet instantly puts the Dallas crowd firmly against Randy Orton, the celebratory mood of seeing Reigns laid out now instantly replaced with uproar. While JBL can only growl out, “The Viper’s back, Maggle, and he’s coming for blood,” Cole and Saxton hype that Randy Orton’s got one target in mind by the looks of it, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. And it is with that in mind that RAW ends with the shot of Randy Orton standing over the fallen Reigns and Cesaro, holding the coveted championship gold up high into the air, a dastardly smirk on his face…
 
#8 ·
Superstars
Lucha Dragons def. The Ascension

Paige def. Summer Rae

Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz
Main Event
Ryback def. Fandango

Natalya def. Naomi

The New Day def. King Barrett & Sheamus

WWE Thursday Night Smackdown
Houston, Texas
April 7, 2016

The end of Wrestlemania week is here, and Mauro Ranello, Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, and Byron Saxton are here to call all the action tonight! Mauro promises us that a show worthy of Wrestlemania week is in store for tonight because in the main event, The League of Nations’ Alberto Del Rio & Rusev will team up to take on the returning ‘Swiss Superman’ Cesaro and ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ Dean Ambrose, fresh off his loss to Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania! We also will have the new Women’s Champion Charlotte in action, and in that match, the newest superstar to the Women’s Division, Bayley, will join us on commentary! We will hear from the new Intercontinental Champion Samoa Joe, and much, much more, here tonight!

The Lunatic Fringe Changes
Smackdown is kicking off with “Retaliation” bringing out the huge crowd favorite, Dean Ambrose! The Lunatic Fringe gingerly walks down the ramp to the ring, selling the damage inflicted on him by ‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar in their Wrestlemania Street Fight earlier in the week, which of course gives the commentators a chance to discuss that match while still photos air of the contest. Ambrose gets on the stick once in the ring, and naturally talks about Wrestlemania. The Lunatic Fringe shills how Wrestlemania is the biggest show of the year, and this year it broke all sorts of attendance records, was a monumental event, for many, the greatest night of the year. But for Ambrose? Try the most embarrassing moment of his career. Scowling, Ambrose describes how he knew fighting The Beast was going to be the biggest challenge of his career, and he was going to have to put up the fight of his life just to even try and match what Brock Lesnar brings to the ring. “But I didn’t,” he states bluntly, winding his neck and shoulders in that unhinged way of his. Ambrose says how he talked to the best hardcore legends in the business, how he had chainsaws and barbed wire bats ready to use, and not one bit of it mattered. All of his determination, all of his resiliency, all of his pride to slay the beast… didn’t have any impact on Brock Lesnar. Ambrose surmises that he let the occasion of fighting The Beast at Wrestlemania get the best of him, but if you think that Ambrose is going to let this loss change anything about ol’ Dean Ambrose, then you need to think again, bub. “You see, all Wrestlemania did was make me just that little bit more focused, that little bit more unhinged, that little bit more craaazzzyyy… and a LOT more dangerous.” The Lunatic Fringe promises that he’s a changin’ man now, and The League of Nations are about to witness these changes first hand, tonight. Ambrose then throws the mic up into the air as his music hits, swaggering back up the ramp as the show continues to get on the road.

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. Social Outcasts (w/Adam Rose & Heath Slater)
The NXT tag team are huge favorites with the crowd as they come out from the back to get some in-ring action started tonight, Enzo Amore going through his customary pre-match shtick while Big Cass lets the WWE Universe know that they proved in Monday, and they’re gonna prove it again, there’s only one word to describe the Social Outcasts. S-A-W-F-T! Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas look to do their best to avenge their partners’ defeat to the new boys from RAW, but much like Monday night, tonight’s match is a mere showcase for the self-proclaimed Realest Guys in the Room (how you doin!?). Much of Axel and Bo’s offense is minimal and simplistic, the focus instead on the punching and dapping of Enzo, and the raw strength of Big Cass. The match ends inside only five minutes, with Big Cass chucking Dallas out of the ring onto Adam Rose and Heath Slater with a Military Press Throw, and Amore pinning The Axe Man after the Cass-assisted Rocket Launcher from the top turnbuckle.

AJ Styles vs. Stardust
The Phenomenal One looks to bounce back from his disappointing Wrestlemania defeat to Chris Jericho here tonight on Smackdown, but he has tough resistance in the form of the oddball Stardust. The two men wrestle a fast-paced style early on, both men using the ropes and corner turnbuckles to springboard and launch themselves across the ring, Stardust springboarding from the third rope backwards through the air over a charging Styles before connecting with a Jumping Enziguri, while Styles connects with his Quebrada Reverse DDT. The two men, despite not having competed against each other prior, are able to come up with a lot of reversals and counters on each other, making the match that much more exciting for the viewing audience. Stardust is able to telegraph a Styles attack off a whip with a Tilt-A-Whirl Head Scissors, while The Phenomenal One gets his knees up to block Stardust’s Slingshot Senton from the apron. The high flying action starts to slow down after Styles connects with a running Flip Dive over the ropes, the contest instead changing to a more methodical mat-based game once Stardust reverses a whip to send Styles spiraling into the ringside barricade. The former Cody Rhodes struggles to put the resilient Styles away despite several high impact maneuvers, and misses on the Disaster Kick that might’ve just gotten the job done. Instead, the pace picks back up again as Styles tries to find an opening, ultimately catching Stardust’s Hurricanrana attempt, holding onto him, and planting him with the Styles Clash! The finish comes slightly out of nowhere, but the quick-thinking of Styles gets him his signature move, and is enough to secure the victory! The Phenomenal One celebrates to the tune of the cheering crowd, with the excellent Mauro Ranello and co. discussing what might be next for AJ Styles here in the WWE.

Trailblazers
Smackdown cuts backstage for the first time tonight as a banged up Becky Lynch walks the hallway. With her left eye still swollen shot from that milestone triple threat match at Wrestlemania, The Lass Kicker does not look a happy individual, and she tenses up even more when she walks straight into the trajectory of one of the women she fought against on Sunday, ‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks. The Boss cockily eyes Becks up and gives her a short, silent laugh as she observes Lynch’s injured face. Banks drops her cocky exterior though as she actually asks if Lynch is okay, and commends her on her performance at Wrestlemania. The Lass Kicker bites her cheek at the painful reminder of Wrestlemania, accepting the thanks and saying that she much rather wish she had that brand new Women’s Championship around her waist than this goose egg on her eye. The two superstars both express their anger that Charlotte once again weaseled her way to a victory, and that worse, it was because of Ric Flair yet again. The two ladies both state their desire to give The Nature Boy a taste of his own medicine, Lynch saying she hopes one day she can lock him in the Dis-Arm-Her, while Banks scoffs at that idea since the Bank Statement will most definitely be a better idea. The two ladies laugh and agree that while they have their differences, they both have a lot in common, especially their desire to be the trailblazers for the new women’s division. Lynch tells Banks that she knows they’re going to fight again one day in that ring, and hopefully it’ll be for the Women’s Championship, but she wants The Boss to know that she has her back if she ever needs it. Banks smirks and tells Lynch the same thing, with the two ladies doing some fist bumps before walking off in separate directions.

Baron Corbin vs. R-Truth
With The Sun-Tanned Superman’s attempts to make The Golden Truth a thing having failed, he’s out here tonight on hype duty with his What’s Up antics. However, when the bell rings, he quickly is on sell duty, as he’s on the wrong end of a squash match. The Lone Wolf and Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale winner makes mincemeat of Truth, beating him senseless with hard right hands and planting him with the End of Days for an emphatic victory in under two minutes. It leaves The King especially impressed by Corbin, with all three commentators hyping up just what kind of impact Corbin is going to make here on the main roster of the WWE after the debut week he’s had!

Thee Guy – A Sit Down Interview
After a RAW Rebound segment that features a recap video of events from Monday Night Raw featuring all things our new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Roman Reigns (specifically the crowd’s hostility towards him, his segment with the returning Cesaro, defeating Cesaro in the main event to retain the World Title, and being RKO’ed by the returning Randy Orton), the Smackdown team airs a pre-recorded interview from earlier in the week at WWE Headquarters, featuring Michael Cole and the reigning World Champion, Roman Reigns. Cole discusses Reigns’ big victory over Triple H at Wrestlemania and just what it meant for Reigns, who describes the win as vindication. The Juggernaut talks about how he was screwed over by The Authority for months, having to wrestle 29 other men to defend the World Title, having to deal with the games from Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon… all for wanting to be his own guy. Cole reminisces that The Authority’s problems with Reigns did indeed start because Roman refused Triple H’s offer to join The Authority back at Survivor Series, and Reigns again reiterates that he is his own man. He’s no longer a Shield Guy, and he’s never going to be The Authority’s Guy. But now that he is once again the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, now that he has defeated Triple H, there is one thing that no one can deny, and that is that he is The Guy. Cole mentions that Roman is also seemingly not The WWE Universe’s Guy for many fans, bringing up how a lot of the audience booed him heavily during his title match at Wrestlemania, and then again the next night on Monday Night Raw. “How does that make you feel? Betrayed?” he asks.

Reigns just shakes his head in response at first, and explains to Cole that the WWE Universe can boo, or cheer, whoever they please. They are the best fans in the world, and the most passionate. If they don’t like Roman Reigns as The Guy, then that’s fine… but they’re gonna have to learn to live with it. Reigns tells Cole that like it or not, he is The New Face of WWE, and he is the World Heavyweight Champion. That title means he is the very best the world has to offer, just like we saw on Monday, he will take on all challengers. Reigns speaks of how Cesaro stepped up to the plate first, and while he’s a hell of a competitor, he’s not Roman Reigns. He’s not The Guy, and he’s not The Champ. Reigns then gives Cesaro compliments for the excellent match on RAW, and voices his respect and admiration for the kind of guy Cesaro is, and the talent he has when inside the ring. Cole then moves on to how Randy Orton made his shocking return from injury at the conclusion of Reigns’ successful title defense against Cesaro on Monday night, and he gave Reigns a RKO. This just draws a laugh from The Roman Emperor, and he proceeds to tell Cole that if Orton wants to try and test him, all he’s gotta do is step up to the plate, baby. Reigns then gets serious as he gives Cole a determined look and tells him that Randy Orton’s time has come and gone, and this is now truly the dawn of The Roman Empire. “Love me or hate me, I am the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about that, because that’s the reality now, and I’m not gonna let it change any time soon. So you can think that I’m a good guy, or you can that I’m a bad guy, but the one thing that’s for certain… is that I am Thee Guy.” Cole nods his head in understanding, thanking Roman for his time and wishing him all the best as the World Champion as the interview concludes.

The Dudley Boyz vs. The Lucha Dragons
This match is another contest that allows the commentating team to discuss events from Wrestlemania 32, The King mainly insulting The Mexican Mosquito Kalisto and claiming his victory over Ryback in the United States Title contest was a mere fluke. Byron Saxton, however, focuses purely on The Dudley Boyz, discussing how things have been very disappointing for them since their return to the WWE on the night after Summerslam. They have failed to capture the Tag Team Titles, and even with this new, mean change of attitude, they were soundly defeated by The Usos at Wrestlemania and put through tables to boot. With speculation that The Dudleys are past their primes, they find themselves on the back foot early on in this contest, the speed and agility of Kalisto and Sin Cara far too much for them. Sin Cara’s Tilt-A-Whirl Head Scissors ejects D-Von from the ring on impact, while Kalisto does the same to Bubba with a Springboard Corkscrew Back Elbow strike. In-stereo Springboard Somersault Sentons to the outside only provide icing on the cake for The Lucha Dragons, although the veteran Dudleys turn the tide moments later as Bubba flips Kalisto into the ring apron with a hard whip. Bubba Ray and D-Von keep the pace much slower from there as they isolate Sin Cara, making frequent tags to stay fresh and doing a whole lot of striking in the corner, making it hard for the luchadore to use his speed to find a counter or hot tag. It’s a good showing for The Dudley Boyz in the way they isolate Sin Cara, but the luchadore finds a way eventually, coming off the ropes from a D-Von whip and flipping over top his opponent, somersaulting to his feet to then hit a Springboard Spinning Cross Body, which keeps D-Von down long enough to make the tag! The United States Champion is fresh and rejuvenated, and he is able to use that aerial prowess of his to good use, catching Bubba Ray with a Springboard Swinging Hurricanrana, and then a multitude of quick kicks before scoring a near fall with a Standing Tornado DDT. Little Kalisto just starts ducking and dodging every Dudley strike and attack, going on a great run of offense that includes catching D-Von Dudley with a Quesadora Arm Drag, coming out of the Wheelbarrow position to execute the beautiful arm drag, only to then catch the dazed D-Von with a Step-Up Enziguri! Sin Cara gets back into the action too as he and Kalisto combine for their Monkey Flip 450 Splash to D-Von after a tag, but as soon as Kalisto is back on his feet from the splash, it is straight into a Big Boot by Bubba Ray! It absolutely floors the US Champion, and Sin Cara fears no better, as Bubba ducks a right hand and plants him with the Bubba Bomb. The quick double on the Dragons by Bubba Ray is a match turner, as moments later, Sin Cara is finished off with the 3D for the badly-needed victory for The Dudley Boyz. The victory, according to commentary, serves as a reminder to the rest of the locker room that The Dudley Boyz may have been down on their luck as of late, but things can change in an instant here in the WWE!

A Prizefighter With No Prize
Standing backstage in the interview pit is the always stunning Renee Young, and her guest at this time is the former Intercontinental Champion, Kevin Owens. However, Renee’s first act is to discuss KO’s backstage attack on Sami Zayn this past Monday night, an attack that cost Sami the chance to compete for the Intercontinental Championship that night. This infuriates Kevin Owens, who snaps at Renee for wanting to talk about Sami Zayn instead of KO-Mania, how Kevin is feeling after going through hell in the Ladder Match, or just how his night is going. “It’s called manners, and quite frankly, you’re rude!” he snaps like the complete jerk that he is. When Renee rolls her eyes and apologizes so she can ask about Wrestlemania, Owens is no longer having it, shouting that she wants to talk about Sami Zayn, the whole world wants to hear about Sami freaking Zayn now! Looking absolutely disgusted, Owens says that he had EVERY reason to attack Sami Zayn on RAW. For starters, Sami Zayn is a backstabbing, conniving jerk that despite what people think, isn’t a good guy. Owens then accuses Zayn of costing him the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania by suplexing him right on his head on top of a ladder. Owens whines that what Zayn did not only cost him his title, but it could’ve broken his neck and cost him his career! “I’m a father!” he passionately yells in defense of why that suplex was awful. “Did you know that, Renee? You should have if you’ve done your job correctly!” Owens quits his antagonizing of Young to tell her that Sami Zayn knows that he’s a father, but do you think Sami stopped to consider the feelings of Owens’ little boy when he tried to break his father’s neck? “Of course not, because Sami Zayn is the kind of selfish person who only cares about himself!” Young is gobsmacked by Owens’ hypocrisy, left silent as KO claims that he could’ve been left unable to ever hold his son as a direct result of Sami’s actions. Thankfully he’s still walking right now, but one thing he’s not able to hold is the Intercontinental Title. And despite losing that championship without being pinned, without tapping out, does he get the first title rematch? No. Sami Zayn was going to get the first title shot instead. Owens calls the whole charade a conspiracy, and that it’s obvious to him that this company wants Sami Zayn to be champion, and not Kevin Owens. Owens smugly claims that he made sure Sami Zayn didn’t end the night as Intercontinental Champion, because that belt doesn’t belong to him. “It belongs to me,” he growls in a deep, angered voice. Owens promises to make sure that a two-timing rat like Sami Zayn never wins the Intercontinental Title. “So THERE’S your answer, Renee!” he scoffs before walking off in anger, shaking his head at this self-created theory of a Kevin Owens conspiracy, Young left befuddled by the whole charade.

Non-Title: Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) vs. Paige
The focus on this women’s match is not solely on the in-ring action, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s because Bayley is joining Mauro Ranello and the team at the commentary booth! That gives Bayley a little chance to talk about herself, her RAW debut, and how she is a woman who is just passionate about being in the WWE and wanting to inspire others to live their dream, because that what she does everytime she steps into the ring. Paige certainly brings her A-game for this match tonight, knowing that a victory over the new Women’s Champion will put her right back in contention for a championship shot, something she has not had in several months now, Saxton astutely points out. Paige scores with big offense early, landing a barrage of strikes before connecting with her repeated knee lifts after trapping Charlotte in the ropes. Paige thinks she has an early victory pulled off after connecting with a Side Kick, but it’s only a two count. Paige gets a load of offense in on Charlotte, even taking to the air with a Somersault Senton off the apron onto Charlotte to the outside. The women show that they can get down and dirty on the outside too though, catching The Anti-Diva charging and roughly planting her face off the apron with a Flapjack! That allows the Dirtiest Diva in the Game to work her way back into the contest, and Charlotte grinds Paige down with the unique sequence of multiple Headscissors, flipping herself about the ring to repeatedly slam Paige’s face off the canvas. With Ric Flair strutting, dancing, and of course, WOOing throughout Charlotte’s run of offense, Bayley talks about how when her and Charlotte were in NXT together, Charlotte was just a natural athlete who got by on her talent and passion to succeed, but ever since she came up to the main roster, all she’s done is rely on The Nature Boy. Bayley touts herself as someone that isn’t going to cheat to win, but instead fight the good fight… exactly as Charlotte uses a hair pull slam to thwart a Paige comeback. The Women’s Champion tries to use every cheap trick in the book to maintain her advantage and steal a victory over Paige, but the British beauty keeps finding a way, eventually spinning through the ropes to avoid Charlotte’s running shoulder tackle, causing her to go shoulder first into the ring post! Paige then slingshots over the ropes, pulling Charlotte straight into a Sunset Flip, only for Charlotte to somehow kick out just before three! A stunned Charlotte gets up to her feet and charges again, running straight into a Paige Turner! Again Charlotte somehow kicks out before three, and then when Paige looks for the PTO, the Women’s Champion spin free, somersaulting to her feet. She avoids Paige’s running knee strike, instead chop blocking Paige’s knee out from underneath her. As the Norwich native tries to pull herself up to her feet, Charlotte strikes, connecting with the Natural Selection! That does exactly what it needs to do, giving The Nature Girl the non-title victory! With a whole boatload of WOOs, Charlotte and Ric celebrate in the ring together, stopping only when Charlotte locks eyes with Bayley, the two women staring each other down until Charlotte decides to gloat with her championship belt.

The One Man Wrecking Crew
After a recap video of the debut and Intercontinental Championship winning match from RAW, we go backstage to the interview pit where JoJo is with that new champion, Samoa Joe. JoJo discusses how Joe took advantage of Zack Ryder’s open challenge for the Intercontinental Title on Monday night, accepting the challenge and winning the title in very convincing fashion. JoJo asks if Joe has anything he wants to say to the WWE Universe, after winning such a prestigious championship on his main roster debut. With a smirk and a laugh, Joe informs the backstage correspondent that Monday night was only the beginning. Joe hypes himself up as one of the greatest performers this sport has ever seen, and he has travelled the world honing his craft, winning championships everywhere he has gone. Joe describes how he came to NXT just under a year ago, but he didn’t come to the WWE just to wrestle on NXT. He’s a main roster player, and he proved just that by winning the Intercontinental Title in his very first match on RAW. And now because of that, he’s here to stay. JoJo asks what the WWE Universe can expect from Samoa Joe now that he is here on the main roster of the WWE, and Joe gives just a one word response at first, pain. He then elaborates, calling himself a One Man Wrecking Crew, and Zack Ryder found that out first hand. If anyone else wants to find out too, all they gotta do is step in the ring with him… “I’ll wreck any man. It’s my time now, it’s Samoa Joe’s time now,” he says as he nods his head along to his words. Joe anti-climatically slaps the IC title belt on his chest and walks off without another word said, his message have been laid out for all to hear.

Cesaro & Dean Ambrose vs. Alberto Del Rio & Rusev (w/King Barrett & Sheamus)
Cesaro again comes out to a huge ovation from the Texas crowd, and also to his 007 style ripping the suit off to strip down into his trunks. The beginning of the match serves as a highlight reel for the returning Cesaro and down-on-his-luck Ambrose, the two men out duking their League of Nation opposition to clear them of the ring, allowing Ambrose to hit his Suicide Dive, and Cesaro to then take out Barrett and Sheamus with a Cross Body from the top turnbuckle. While the two faces get in a lot of offense early on, the contest quickly spills into a well-paced back and forth contest, The Lads using their chemistry and numbers on the outside often to get or keep their momentum, but the individual brilliance of Cesaro or Ambrose is a great foil for Del Rio and Rusev. A kick to the small of Ambrose’s back when Dean runs off the ropes too near the Lads’ corner allows Del Rio to connect with a front dropkick, but it is that individual skill of Ambrose that shines through, swinging through the ropes to connect with his Pendulum Lariat to Mexico’s Greatest Export. Ambrose ends up taking a beating as the match progresses on past the back-and-forth offense between the two teams, a distraction from King Barrett allowing to trip and face plant Ambrose off the canvas. The League of Nations make quick tags and work together on the Lunatic Fringe, with Ranello using it to try and put The Lads over as an increasingly competent and cohesive unit, as evidenced by that Wrestlemania win over The New Day. However, despite putting the work over on Ambrose, the Lunatic Fringe is still able to make the hot tag to Cesaro, bringing in a fresh and rejuvenated Swiss Superman. Cesaro starts mowing through the legal Rusev with forearms, and when Alberto Del Rio tries to intervene as well, it ends up being an Uppercut Train into the corners on both men! Cesaro keeps his hot streak going by eventually looking for the Cesaro Swing on Rusev after whipping him into the ropes and planting him with a Standing Dropkick, but instead it is Del Rio coming in off a blind tag to plant Cesaro with a Running Enziguri! That brings in Dean Ambrose though, and he ends up taking on the legal Del Rio, connecting with his corner forearm smash and Running Bulldog combination to the former World Champ. This happens as Rusev takes over the offense on Cesaro, planting him with a high impact Fallaway Samoan Drop! Rusev, despite being the illegal man, looks to trap Cesaro in The Accolade as the match has lost all semblance of order, but Ambrose comes up from behind to toss him out of the ring. Del Rio then comes charging in again, but Ambrose turns in time to catch it, tossing him up into the air with a release Flapjack, allowing Cesaro to catch him with essentially a modified Pop-Up European Uppercut! The excellent innovation by the partners is exquisite, and with Ambrose on guard to make sure no one can interfere, Cesaro is able to finish Del Rio off with the The Neutralizer, giving Cesaro and Ambrose a big victory! While The League of Nations are left sulking up the ramp at the loss, Smackdown ends with the two faces in the ring posing for the cheering crowd, commentary discussing how the victory was exactly what Ambrose needed after Wrestlemania, and Cesaro after coming so close to winning the World Title this past Monday on RAW. And hey, speaking of RAW, tune in next week, folks, when The Authority returns!
 
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#6 ·
My goal is to try and do a modern day WWE project that focuses on realistic aspects, hence the title, but also still doing my own thing. Roman Reigns is the project of Vince McMahon, so he'll be around and be a center piece of the thread. But I also want to still do some things I would like to do with the product, and just hopefully have fun booking and writing while keeping it smaller in length than the 2000 project.

The Main Roster

‘The Radical Mongoose’ Adam Rose - of Social Outcasts
‘The Phenomenal One’ AJ Styles
Alberto Del Rio - of The League of Nations
Alicia Fox
‘The Lone Wolf’ Baron Corbin - 2016 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale Winner
Becky Lynch
WWE World Tag Team Champion Big E - of The New Day
‘The World’s Largest Athlete’ Big Show
‘The Inspirational’ Bo Dallas - of Social Outcasts
‘The Black Sheep’ Braun Strowman - of The Wyatt Family
‘The Eater of Worlds’ Bray Wyatt - of The Wyatt Family
Brie Bella
‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar
Bubba Ray Dudley - of The Dudley Boyz
Cameron
‘The Swiss Superman’ Cesaro - Currently Injured
WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte
‘Y2J’ Chris Jericho
Curtis Axel - of Social Outcasts
D-Von Dudley - of The Dudley Boyz
Damien Sandow
Darren Young
‘The Lunatic Fringe’ Dean Ambrose
Diego
‘The Show Off’ Dolph Ziggler
El Torito
Emma
Erick Rowan - of The Wyatt Family
Fandango
Fernando
Goldust
Heath Slater - of Social Outcasts
Hornswoggle
‘The All-American American’ Jack Swagger
Jey Uso - of The Usos
Jimmy Uso - of The Usos
‘The Cenation Leader’ John Cena - Currently Injured
WWE United States Champion Kalisto - of Lucha Dragons
‘The Demon’ Kane
‘The Prizefighter’ Kevin Owens
King Barrett - of The League of Nations
WWE World Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston - of The New Day
Konnor - of The Ascension
‘The Ravishing Russian’ Lana
Luke Harper - Currently Injured
‘The World’s Strongest Man’ Mark Henry
‘The Chairman’ Mr. McMahon
Naomi - of Team BAD
‘The Queen of Harts’ Natalya
‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’ Neville - Currently Injured
Nikki Bella - Currently Injured
‘The Anti-Diva’ Paige
Paul Heyman
‘The Sun Tanned Superman’ R-Truth
‘The Viper’ Randy Orton - Currently Injured
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Rosa Mendes
‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev - of The League of Nations
‘The Big Guy’ Ryback
‘The Underdog from the Underground’ Sami Zayn
‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks
‘The Architect’ Seth Rollins - Currently Injured
‘The Celtic Warrior’ Sheamus - of The League of Nations
Sin Cara - of Lucha Dragons
‘The Interdimensional Oddity’ Stardust
‘The Principal Owner’ Stephanie McMahon - of The Authority
Summer Rae
Tamina - of Team BAD
‘The A-Lister’ The Miz
Titus O’Neil
‘The King of Kings’ Triple H - of The Authority
‘Prince Pretty’ Tyler Breeze
Tyson Kidd - Currently Injured
‘The Phenom’ The Undertaker
Viktor - of The Ascension
WWE World Tag Team Champion Xavier Woods - of The New Day
WWE Intercontinental Champion Zack Ryder


NXT
Aidan English - of The Vaudevillians
Alex Riley
Alexa Bliss - of Team BAMF
Angelo Dawkins
Apollo Crews
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka
‘The Greatest Man That Ever Lived’ Austin Aries
‘The Lone Wolf’ Baron Corbin
Bayley
Billie Kay
Blake - of Team BAMF
‘The Princess of Staten Island’ Carmella
NXT Tag Team Champion Chad Gable - of American Alpha
‘Big Cass’ Colin Cassady - of Enzo & Cass
‘The Total Diva’ Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder - of The Revival
‘The Drifter’ Elias Samson
Emma
‘Certified G & Bonafide Stud’ Enzo Amore - of Enzo & Cass
Eva Marie
NXT Champion Finn Balor
Hideo Itami - Currently Injured
NXT Tag Team Champion Jason Jordan - of American Alpha
Mandy Rose
Mojo Rawley - of The Hype Bros
Murphy - of Team BAMF
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
‘The Man Beast’ Rhyno
‘The Samoan Submission Specialist’ Samoa Joe
Sawyer Fulton
Scott Dawson - of The Revival
‘The King of Strong Style’ Shinsuke Nakamura
Simon Gotch - of The Vaudevillians
‘The Perfect 10’ Tye Dillinger
Zack Ryder - of The Hype Bros
 
#9 ·
Yeah, this is still alive and going. Work was killer lately, I was put off by feeling like the shows were longer than I wanted them to be, wasn't sure if I wanted to keep trying to do something that was 2 shows a week, and the prospect of the Brand Extension had me intrigued too. However, wanna try and do this, so going to keep plowing along.

News and Notes Around WWE

-Wrestlemania Week is in the books, and it is safe to say that results have been very mixed inside the company. While financially the event has been arguably the company’s greatest success to date with the one-hundred thousand plus packing into AT&T Stadium in Dallas, plus the millions watching around the world on the WWE Network, the event itself was critically panned by many wrestling pundits. The WWE World Heavyweight Title match between Roman Reigns and Triple H was especially slammed by critics for the length of the contest, flat delivery, and of course the fact that almost 100,000 people passionately booed the face of Vince McMahon’s company instead of cheering him. The high profile Hell in the Cell match received plaudits for Shane McMahon’s incredible leap off the top of the cell, but the match itself was still not favored highly by many. Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose also was considered a huge disappointment of a contest, while the decision for the League of Nations to go over on The New Day was also questioned. The triple threat Women’s Title match arguably stole the show, with the 7-man Intercontinental Title Ladder Match also receiving praise.

-A big Wrestlemania moment in Dallas featured The Rock technically wrestling on the show (for six seconds), and then The Rock and John Cena coming together to run off The Wyatt Family. While it was certainly surprising to see John Cena appear at Wrestlemania just three months after having shoulder surgery, he is still not yet ready to appear regularly on WWE programming. Despite his mutant-like healing powers, Cena is still expected to be out of action until the end of May. That timetable is still remarkable, considering his initial prognosis was that he’d be out for 9 months after having that surgery in January. The Rock’s Wrestlemania appearance was naturally just a one-off, and if his schedule allows it, he’ll make his sporadic appearances in the future. The other half of that segment, The Wyatt Family, are also in for some big changes. After the cryptic promo aired on RAW, it can be determined that the Wyatt Family are being taken off-screen for now. Bray Wyatt is being given time off to heal a niggling back injury, while Vince McMahon’s love infatuation for Braun Strowman has cooled recently. He will be given time to return to the Performance Center to continue to hone his craft, while no word on the future of Erick Rowan. Luke Harper, sadly, remains out injured indefinitely with a dislocated patella tendon and torn ligaments; he is not due back until at least August or September.

-The injury crisis within the WWE over the past year, especially the last six months, has been well documented. Along with the injuries to John Cena and Luke Harper, the current injury list is as follows: Neville (broken ankle), Nikki Bella (neck surgery), Seth Rollins (knee tear/surgery), and Tyson Kidd (spine and neck surgery). There is also NXT talent Hideo Itami still out injured with a shoulder injury as well. The list has been trimmed down with the returns of Randy Orton and Cesaro both this week on RAW, although already a new casualty can be added to the list. After just making his main roster debut and winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, Baron Corbin ruptured a tendon in his bicep this week. He will require surgery, and be out of action for the next 3-4 months minimum. The good news for the WWE is that along with the returns of Orton and Cesaro, John Cena and Seth Rollins are both making excellent progress on their injuries; both could be back in May-June. Neville is not due back until June or July, and there are no timetables set for either Nikki Bella or Tyson Kidd. Speaking of the Bella brand, it is also being widely reported that Brie Bella is officially done with wrestling in the WWE. She is still expected to serve as an ambassador for the company, and a Total Bellas spin-off is in the works.

-With the amount of injuries on the main roster, the staleness of the main roster, and the rise of NXT, we have seen quite a few additions already in the past week. NXT stars Samoa Joe, Bayley, and the team of Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady all made their debuts on Monday Night Raw. The debuts of Bayley and Enzo & Cass were both expected considering their successful and lengthy tenures in NXT, and with all three coming highly recommended to Vince McMahon by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. The debut of Samoa Joe was a complete surprise, especially considering the fact that he won the Intercontinental Title on his debut. Joe was initially signed purely to stay down in NXT as it grew into a touring brand, but Vince McMahon himself was impressed with Joe’s performances, and made the decision to promote him to the main roster. Sami Zayn has also been added permanently to the main roster over the last month, and as of now, no other additions are being planned. The Bullet Club’s Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows have been widely expected to debut straight on the main roster imminently, but Vince McMahon has seemingly pulled that from the works. McMahon has decided to send the two down to NXT first, a move that is certainly unexpected.

-Vince McMahon is expected to remain a regular on WWE programming in the near future. After returning to television at the end of the year in the Roman Reigns saga, McMahon has transitioned into a program instead with Shane McMahon. With Shane McMahon is not expected to stay on WWE programming (he was brought in purely for name value for Wrestlemania with so many stars injured), it is expected that Vince will transition back into feuding with Roman Reigns in his never-ending quest to re-create the Austin v. McMahon dynamic and establish Reigns as the face of the company. There are reports of a divide between Vince and Triple H/Stephanie over the Roman Reigns saga. Triple H and Stephanie both did not want Triple H vs. Reigns to main event Wrestlemania because of the crowd responses they knew would happen, and ideally would like to try and push Roman as a heel character instead. Vince wants to continue to force Reigns as the ‘face’ of the company, but it is rumored that he will instead take on more of a tweener role as a result because of the obvious fact that the WWE Universe will continue to reject and jeer Thee Guy.

-The newly revamped Women’s Division is expected to be a focal point of the WWE programming in the immediate future. All four of the WWE’s power people (Vince, Stephanie, Triple H, and Kevin Dunn) remain high on Charlotte, especially with the presence of ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair hanging around as well. The rest of the NXT Four Horsewomen are now up on the main roster too, and Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks all will be staples of the Women’s Division. While the four NXT stalwarts are expected to be the stars, with Triple H and Stephanie getting to have an increased presence with the Women’s Division, other female stars with known in-ring talent like Natalya, Paige, Naomi, and even Emma also can be expected to feature prominently. Fear not though, WWE Universe, Eva Marie is expected to stay in NXT.
 
#10 ·
I haven't commented on this one yet because I don't follow wrestling at all anymore really, so I have no idea who half the guys in your shows are. With that being said, I'm still reading just because your booking alone is good enough for me to be able to read and learn a few things.

News and notes all seemed pretty standard. I'm intrigued to see just how you book Samoa Joe on the main roster, and bringing back some of the guys who have had injuries should only help with the lack of star power on the roster.

As for your first two shows, they were both solid enough. I look forward to reading more to see you really put your own spin on things.
 
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