Alexa Bliss makes her entrance, followed by Asuka for a first-time-ever match.
Asuka Vs. Alexa Bliss
The bell rings and they circle each other. Asuka makes a move, Alexa ducks a shot and backs into the ropes to force the break. Back to circling, Asuka tries to go low but Bliss keeps her distance. Asuka with a wristlock, Alexa backs off like match and barely dodges a pair of spinning backfists! Waistlock applied, Asuka levers her arm out with ease, wristlock, Bliss stomps the foot to reverse to a hammerlock, reversed again.
Alexa gets a full nelson out of it for a moment, Asuka slips behind, waistlock to a front chancery, Bliss takes her back but Asuka grabs a kneebar and the champ frantically breaks! Cravate applied, shift to a side headlock but Alexa counters with a mat slam! Asuka right behind her, referee Rod Zapata backs her off when Bliss gets in the ropes, Asuka picks the leg, off the ropes with a shoulder block!
Front roll, taunting her, pass to the side, off the ropes, hip attack and Alexa heads outside for a breather! Bliss slowly makes her way back in and rolls immediately back out when Asuka nearly catches her as soon as she’s in! Alexa begging off, again she makes her way back in and Asuka is right on her with a snapmare into a kick to the back! Another hip attack from Asuka and Bliss is backed into the ropes and she gets a kick to the midsection off and heads outside again to send us to break.
*Commercial Break*
Back from commercial and Bliss inexplicably has a bodyscissors locked on, in firm control. A recap explains that she got Asuka caught up in the ropes and fired a kick off that let her turn the tide. Back in realtime, Asuka reverses to an ankle lock and stands up! Alexa gets the break and manages to kick Asuka into the ropes and follows it up with a ringpost bow-and-arrow, continuing to target the ribs.
Back inside, clubbing blows, a cover gets two but Asuka’s able to fight back with strikes, schoolboy pin gets two, Bliss gets a mat slam backbreaker off and gets some space! Mounted punches ensue, transitioning to elbow strikes, again a cover gets two! Back to the bodyscissors, Asuka fighting hard to break as Alexa yells at her to quit. The Empress of Tomorrow manages to turn around and gets caught in a guillotine choke! Breaking the choke, Asuka transitions to a Kimura Lock, Bliss has the ropes and forces the break! She follows-up with kicks to Asuka in the corner, charging in she fires off a slap that wakes her up and Asuka fires right back! More slaps and shoves, Asuka gets fired up, bounces off the ropes and hits a dropkick to the face. She hits another, reverses an Irish whip and a missile dropkick connects!
Asuka with a charging hip attack in the corner, a snapmare, another hip attack lands true! Stalking behind her, waistlock applied, Bliss breaks with an elbow, she throws a kick but Asuka gets a hip toss lift into a kick to the face! Yoshi Tonic from the champ denied, countered to a pin but it’s no good! Dropkick sends Asuka to the floor, Alexa tries to pull her back in and gets kicked in the face. Asuka ducks a strike, clocks Alexa with a reverse roundhouse and catches her with the cross armbar and Alexa quickly taps!
Winner: Asuka
Asuka dances to celebrate her win. We get a lengthy video package chronicling the rivalry between Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns.
Samoa Joe is interviewed backstage and he says not to worry, he’ll beat Roman Reigns like he has every other time they’ve wrestled. What people need to realize is that he owns and has mentally broken Roman. Not too long ago he was calling himself a fighting champion and the Shield were going to be great champions together, but because of him, they’ll never be champions together and Dean is a stay at home husband living off his wife’s paycheck. Thanks to him, Roman is the kind of champion that gets himself disqualified, but tonight he’s run out of options and time, so when he puts him to sleep and becomes the new Intercontinental Champion he’ll have to understand it may be his yard, but he lives in Samoa Joe’s world!
Braun Strowman’s music hits to a huge pop and the monster among men makes his way to the ring.
*Commercial Break*
Braun Strowman Vs. Rhyno
They lock up and Braun pushes Rhyno to the corner. The Man Beast doesn’t back down and locks up again with the same result. The crowd chants Rhyno’s name as he runs into a shoulder and gets knocked to the mat. Slater gets on the apron and Strowman grabs a mic to tell him to get down and stop being a cheerleader, or get in the ring and suffer the consequences. Slater keeps him distracted until Rhyno can attack. Slater runs in and they team up on the big man – I’m confused why the ref isn’t DQ-ing it. Braun easily takes out both men and wins the match with a running powerslam.
Winner: Braun Strowman
After the match, Strowman looks to give the fans what they want and attack Rhyno again but Slater attacks him from behind. Strowman hits him with a running powerslam, then hits Rhyno with it. His music starts but Rhyno ignores the cue, lifts Slater and hits another running powerslam, much to the delight of Miami. Strowman poses on the top rope but gets down and hits Rhyno with another running powerslam, then Slater again! Corey Graves says someone better call PETA.
Seth Rollins approaches Roman Reigns backstage and asks if he can keep his cool tonight. Reigns says that he can but rants about how he will show everyone tonight that Joe is a punk – it sounds like he won’t keep his cool. Rollins goes to speak but Jason Jordan walks in and says on behalf of him and Seth, that they won’t let The Bar interfere. “Believe That” and Jason leaves. Seth and Roman looks baffled.
*Commercial Break*
Back from commercial, Braun is walking backstage when he runs into Kane. Kane puts his hands up in the universal sign of “I don’t want trouble” and says as strange as it is for him, he just wants to talk about Brock Lesnar. He’s never wrestled him but Strowman has, and they’re the alpha monsters of WWE. Together they can tame the Beast and he has a plan, it just takes being on the same page. Braun says he doesn’t care about Kane or his plan, he’s the only alpha monster around here, and when he takes Brock down, he’ll do it on his own terms. Kane backs away.
Kurt Angle is on the phone talking with somebody about the women’s rumble and says one thing’s for sure, history WILL be made, when Finn Balor rolls up. He wanted to tell Angle in person that he’s the first Universal Champion and never got his rematch, so if it means going through 29 other guys he will, and he enters himself into the Royal Rumble. Angle says he’s sure Finn will represent Raw well but he’s sure he had something else on his mind, namely a six-man against Miztourage and Elias. Balor introduces his partners… The Club! He’s been with them and against them, and if it wasn’t them, who would it be? A couple of NERDS!
Samoa Joe makes his entrance, he’ll face Roman Reigns for the Intercontinental Championship after the break!
*Commercial Break*
