Pipers Pit

OCTOBER 2023 ROSTER WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION FINN BALOR WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION BECKY LYNCH INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION GUNTHER UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS KEVIN OWENS AND SAMI ZAYN ANGEL APOLLO CREWS BECKY LYNCH BRANDI RHODES BRAUN STROWMAN BROCK LESNAR BRONSON REED BYRON SAXTON CANDICE LARAE CARLITO CATHY KELLEY CHAD GABLE CHELSEA GREEN CODY RHODES COREY GRAVES DAMIAN PRIEST DOMINIK MYSTERIO DREW MCINTYRE EMMA ERIK FINN BALOR GIOVANNI VINCI GUNTHER HUMBERTO INDI HARTWELL IVAR JD MCDONAGH JINDER MAHAL JOHN CENA JOHNNY GARGANO KATANA CHANCE KAYDEN CARTER KEVIN OWENS KOFI KINGSTON LITA LIV MORGAN LUDWIG KAISER MARYSE MATT RIDDLE MAXXINE DUPRI NATALYA NIKKI CROSS OTIS PIPER NIVEN RANDY ORTON RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ RHEA RIPLEY RICOCHET RONDA ROUSEY SAMI ZAYN SANGA SETH ROLLINS SHAYNA BASZLER SHINSUKE NAKAMURA SONYA DEVILLE STEPHANIE MCMAHON THE MIZ TOMMOSO CIAMPA TRISH STRATUS VALHALLA VEER VIC JOSEPH XAVIER WOODS XIA LI ZOEY STARK

We see side by side videos labeled ‘earlier today’ as Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair arrive at the building ahead of their huge main event match tonight. SEPTEMBER WEEK 4 DESERT DIAMOND ARENA GLENSDALE, AZ The Bloodline and Tamina come down to the ring. Heyman gives the mic right to Roman Reigns. “Glendale….Acknowledge me!” Once the crowd calms down he continues. “Tonight is a special night on the Island of Relevancy. This is a night in which we grow stronger through family. Tonight, our sister takes her place in this Bloodline. Tamina…” Reigns motions her to approach and when she does, she holds up one finger. Roman embraces her as the rest of the Bloodline in the ring mimic her gesture. “Good evening everyone and welcome to Friday Night Smackdown. I’m Michael Cole joined by Wade Barrett and Wade, the Bloodline just keeps getting stronger.” “You’re absolutely right. There’s a reason we say, ain;’t nobody meaner than Tamina. She is arguably the strongest woman in WWE and now she brings an entirely new level of danger.” “And as if that wasn’t enough don’t forget we have a huge main event. Charlotte Flair versus Bianca Belair for the right to be named the number one contender to Auska.” “I expect whoever comes out of this match will be so battered and bruised that the threat they pose to the Empress of Darkness may be undone before their title opportunity arises.” KARRION KROSS W/SCARLETT VS DREW GULAK *Karrion Kross shows how vicious he can be in dominating Gulak. He does whatever he wants before hitting his Saito slam and then locking in the KrossJacket. RESULT: KARRION KROSS WINS BY SUBMISSION Kross doesn’t have long to celebrate as Bobby Lashley runs down to the ring and as Kross turns around, Lashley spears him. Kross rolls out of the ring looking like he was hit by a truck. Lashley stands on the second rope looming over Kross with his arms up. He’s gotten a bit of payback tonight. In Adam Pearce’s office an irate Pat McAfee and Austin Theory are in the middle of a rant about LA Knight. Finally Peace holds up his hands. “Enough! You’re sick of LA Knight. I get it. So I’m going to give you a chance to do something about it. At Fastlane, it’ll be LA Knight versus Austin Theory. How about that?” McAfee suddenly is all smiles. “Mr. Pearce, this is why you’re the best authority in WWE.” The Brand leaves and its clear Pearce isn’t buying what McAfee is selling. IYO SKY VS LYRA VALKYRIA *An even match throughout the first half. They show some good chemistry in the ring. Iyo begins building momentum and hits a spinning heel kick before going to the top for her moonsault. *Behind the referee’s back, Bayley runs down to the ring and shoves Iyo off the top and she crashes and burns when she hits the mat. Bayley ducks down so she isn’t seen as Lyra nails a scissor kick to the back of Iyo’s head for the win. RESULT: LYRA VALKYRIA WINS BY PINFALL Bayley jumps up celebrating as if she won the match. Iyo has her eyes locked on her former friend with a silent vow of revenge, A video is shown from a recent live event in Phoenix, AZ. In their fourth encounter, Ilja Dragunov pulls out a win over Butch to tie their series at 2-2. The fifth and final match will be held at Fastlane. KYLE FLETCHER AND ORO MENSAH VS THE ROUGH RIDERS *Storm and Grimes show off in this one and win it easily with their double super kick. RESULT: THE ROUGH RIDERS WIN BY PINFALL The Rough Riders get their hands raised and head to the back. They turn at the aisle to give their fans a wave and are instantly jumped by Pretty Deadly. Prince and Wilson take advantage of the surprise, throwing both Storm and Grimes into the tron LED display before putting each of them through a table with matching spinebusters. A replay from Superstars is shown of Lacey Evans' attack on Zelina Vega, Michael Cole apologizes for the ‘highly inappropriate’ actions by Evans and tells us she was fined $10.000 by WWE. He further says WWE neither condones nor supports the things she has said or done. SANTOS ESCOBAR AND JOAQUIN WILDE VS THE USOS *Great fast paced action that sees the advantage go back and forth. The LwO makes a hell of a statement going move for move with one of the best teams on the planet. *The Usos have things going their way but Santos gets the hot tag and begins lighting both of them up with a frenzy of lucha offense. Joaquin makes the blind tag as Santos flies with a cross body over the top and wipes out both Usos. *Santos throws Jey back into the ring and when the ref turns to watch the offense… *Solo Sikoa appears behind Santos, spins him around and lands the Samoan Spike. Meanwhile Jey makes the tag to Jimmy and the brothers quickly overwhelm a partner-less Wilde for the win with a 1D. RESULT: THE USOS WIN BY PINFALL The Usos and Solo leave the ring, but Santos returns to check on Wilde, then grabs a mic. “Solo! Next week, the Emperor of Lucha Libre will take care of you. Mano e mano if you have the cojones.” Solo looks like he wants to charge the ring but his brothers hold him back and they go to the back. #1 CONTENDER MATCH CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS BIANCA BELAIR *They are both wary of the other as the match begins but eventually tie up and they go at it with everything they have. Both get in their offensive sets including Charlotte hitting a moonsault from the top to the outside, and later Bianca blocking a second moonsault, and then picking up Charlotte off the top for a KOD but Charlotte gets her foot on the bottom rope at the last second. *Bianca is ready to put this away, sizing up Charlotte for another KOD when…. *Asuka slides into the ring. Everyone is confused until the Champion sprays black mist in the face of the referee. He flails on the mat before motioning for the bell. RESULT: NO CONTEST *Both Charlotte and Bianca are incensed as Asuka leaves the ring, backing up while giving an evil smile with the black juice running down her chin. “Wade, we still don’t have a number one contender.” “You’re right Michael but what we do have are two very angry women and I don’t think Asuka cares one bit!”

SEPTEMBER WEEK 4 STOCKTON ARENA STOCKTON, CA The show opens with Rhea Ripley, Ronda Rousey, and Shayna Baszler in the ring. Rhea asks if Becky, Trish, and Lita got their message. If not, they’ll send it again in two weeks at Fastlane. The difference between her group and their group is that her group doesn’t need to read social media or get likes. They just show up to deliver pain. That’s what they enjoy and at Fastlane, there’s enough pain to go around! The announcers hype a huge match this coming Friday on Smackdown. The Queen Charlotte Flair goes one on one vs the EST Bianca Belair and the winner will be the number one contender for Asuka’s WWE Women’s Championship. TEAGAN NOX AND SHOTZI VS ZOEY STARK AND PIPER NIVEN *Zoey and Piper dominate the match through their fury and brutality. *Shotzi attempts a small comeback to light a fire but its snuffed out when Piper hits a running avalanche in the corner which earns the victory. RESULT: ZOEY STARK AND PIPER NIVEN WIN BY PINFALL We see a shot of Nikki Cross sitting cross legged on the floor, rocking back and forth. She hops up with a crazed smile and takes off running. She’s in action..next! COURTNEY RUSH VS NIKKI CROSS *Nikki is in control from before the opening bell. She attacks Rush early and takes the fight to the outside. Cross runs her into the post, then gets on the apron and hits a running ‘cactus’ elbow with a big smile. She brings Rush back to the ring and after literally toying with her opponent for a few minutes, Nikki ends it with a running neckbreaker which Graves calls the Breakdown. RESULT: NIKKI CROSS WINS BY PINFALL Sonya DeVille is in her office when the door opens. She slowly stands as the camera pans to show Stephanie McMahon. The new Raw Managing Director says she just wanted to touch base with Sonya and ensure that her Raw Superstars were being presented in the correct light here on Superstars. Sonya agrees, saying that is her job. Stephanie turns to leave but stops to remind Sonya, there is only room for one HBIC in the WWE. When she’s gone Sonya’s scowl replaces her smile. ZELINA VEGA VS ASUKA W/JAKE ROBERTS *Zelina shows fire but Asuka absorbs all she can throw at her and then begins a beatdown of her own, chopping Zelina down with chops and strikes. *With Roberts outside guiding the champion, Asuka hits a series of elbow strikes on the back of Vega’s neck before dropping her with the DDT. RESULT: ASUKA RETAINS THE WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP BY SUBMISSION Zelina is down, holding her neck when Lacey Evans makes her way down to the ring. She waits for Zelina to slowly make her way to her feet before attacking her. Zelina is in no condition to fight back when Lacey decks her with a Woman’s Right. Zelina rolls out of the ring and Lacey follows, grabbing a bottle of water from the announcer’s table and pouring it on a face-down Vega. As the show ends, Evans remarks that she just wanted to make Zelina feel at home.

SEPTEMBER WEEK 3 BALL ARENA DENVER, CO “Welcome to Friday Night Smackdown. I’m Michael Cole and alongside me is Wade Barrett. Wade, tonight we have a huge main event. The Unified Tag Team Championship will be on the line as Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn come to Smackdown to defend against the Street Profits.” “This is certainly one of the biggest matches in Smackdown history and if I may be so bold I think we have new champions crowned tonight!” Bobby Lashley suddenly tumbles out from backstage and is followed by an enraged Karrion Kross. Lashley looks like he’s been taking a beating for awhile, his dress closed ripped and torn. When he tries to get up Kross kicks him in the head and then applies the KrossJacket. Officials run out and eventually force Kross to break the hold but Lashley is down, holding his throat. Coming back from the commercial, we’re shown a replay of Kross’ attack on Lashleyt. Michael Cole tells us Lashley was taken to the medical room during the break. BEST OF 5 (BUTCH UP 2-0) BUTCH VS ILJA DRAGUNOV *With his back against the wall Dragunov comes out hot and tries to put Butch away early with a series of submissions but Butch is always able to get to the rope. *The match settles down into a brutal and physical match with both men lighting the other up with strikes, kicks, and chops. *Butch builds momentum and goes to whip Dragunov into the ropes but it’s reversed and Dragunov hits Torpedo Moscow on the rebound. He hooks the leg and gets the win to stay alive in the best of five series. RESULT: ILJA DRAGUNOV WINS BY ;PINFALL In the chaos backstage, Kayla Braxton catches GM Adam Pearce outside the medical room. “Adam, what’s going on?” “Kayla, I wish I knew but if Karrion Kross wants a piece of Bobby Lashley so bad he can have it. At Fastlane, it’ll be one on one and the winner will get a shot at Roman Reigns and the WWE Undisputed Championship at Crown Jewel.” A commercial for Superstars airs, promoting the next episode, available this Wednesday night at 8 pm est on Peacock. It promises a title defense by Asuka who will step into the ring with Zelina Vega AUSTIN THEORY AND GRAYSON WALLER W/PAY MCAFEE VS SANTOS ESCOBAR AND JOAQUIN WILDE *With McAfee’s help The Brand holds control of the match in the early going. Escobar gets hot however and begins taking care of business. He goes to the top for a missile dropkick but Theory pulls the referee intp the way and he’s taken out. *With no official it turns into a three on two handicap until…… LA Knight hits the ring and is hitting anyone from The Brand who moves, eventually hitting Blunt Force Trauma on Theory and clotheslining McAfee over the top and exiting the ring. *Santos gets the ref up and tags Wilde who hits an incredible 450 splash to get the win. RESULT: SANTOS ESCOBAR AND JOAQUIN WILDE WIN BY PINFALL LA Knight walks back up the ramp to his music as The Brand regroups at ringside and looks besides themselves. The Good brothers are backstage playing cards in their locker room when the door is suddenly kicked in. The Bloodline floods the room and swamps Anderson and Gallows before they can even get out of their chairs. Just like last week, the numbers play a huge advantage and as we go to break, the trio of brothers walk out, happy with themselves. Following the commercial break, we see Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair nose to nose backstage. “Well, Bianca, you wanted to talk, so talk.” “Oh, so it’s gonna be like that. Okay. Like I said last week, you’ve had your chance, so now give someone else a chance to do what you can’t.” “Well, I have an idea that will make us both happy. Next week, me and you, the winner gets Asuka, and the loser…you….shuts up.” “Oh Queenie, I’ll do all my talking in the ring.” The two shake hands but the disdain is showing. SHELTON BENJAMIN VS OMOS W/MVP *Benjamin is still showing the effects of the Bloodline beatdown he suffered last week and it doesn’t get any easier this week with the giant Omos. Omos making a rare appearance on Smackdown completely dominates and finishes it with a sky-high chokeslam. RESULT: OMOS WINS BY PINFALL Kayla Braxton is backstage with Gigi Dolin. “Gigi, you’ve had a rough couple of weeks….” “Weeks, Kayla? Ever since I came to Smackdown from NXT it’s been rough. I came here to swim with the sharks and instead I’ve fallen victim time after time. But here’s the thing about me. I keep getting back up and now I know what I have to do.” “What’s that?” “I need to get toxic.” Dolin walks away as Kayla throws it back to Cole and Barrett. MICHIN VS NAOMI *Michin is all business and Naomi looks to be in trouble. Michin is definitely fighting for her fallen comrades and wears Naomi out with a series of snap suplexes. There isn’t much glow going on. *Naomi takes a powder to the outside and Michin follows. Naomi quickly gets back into the ring and turns the referee towards her. Behind the ref’s back….. Tamina enters ringside and blasts Michin with a forceful kick in the back, sending her face first into the pole and rolls her into the ring. *Naomi picks the bones before hitting the Rear View. RESULT: NAOMI WINS BY PINFALL Tamina isn’t done as she slides into the ring and drops a running elbow onto Michin. Naomi joins in with some stomps as Tamina climbs to the top and soars with a Superfly Splash. Naomi and Tamina share a hug and leave the ring together. THE STREET PROFITS VS KEVIN OWENS AND SAMI ZAYN © *A fantastic back and forth match between two teams who have deep respect. *The advantage goes back and forth with both teams getting some near falls. *The match turns when Dawkins misses a running splash, allowing Zayn to make the hot tag. *Owens gets in and is a wildman, going through a lot of his usual offense. Rested, Zayn comes back in and hits a Blue Tiger Bomb followed by an Owens senton. Before Ford can react, Zayn hits a Heluva Kick, sending him off the apron. Owens picks up Dawkins, stunner, and the 123. RESULT: KEVIN OWENS AND SAMI ZAYN RETAIN THE UNIFIED TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP BY PINFALL Following the bell, the two teams meet in the middle of the ring and after a moment, shake hands. Both teams gave it all they had but for tonight the champions retain.

Live from Ball Arena in Denver, Smackdown will play host to the Undisputed Tag Team Champions. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be on hand to put their titles on the line against the Street Profits. In addition to that, Butch and Ilja Dragunov will meet in the third of five matches. Butch is up 2-0, will he close it out this week? Last week Roman Reigns put out the directive to his Bloodline. Put fear into everyone on Smackdown and the Usos and Solo Sikoa acted quickly. Who’s on their hit list this week? Also last week a heated conversation between Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair was interrupted. Belair has already announced she’ll finish that talk this week. But how will the Queen react to the EST? Also in Action: Austin Theory and Grayson Waller vs Santos Escobar and Joaquin Wilde Naomi vs Michin Don’t miss all the action LIVE this Friday night* on FOX! *Show likely to drop tomorrow (thurs)

SEPTEMBER WEEK 3 MAVERIK CENTER WEST VALLEY CITY, UT The announcers recap last week’s huge announcement with the retirement of the Women’s Tag Team Championship and the huge main event that saw Trish Stratus defeat Rhea Ripley with some help from Lita… . Speak of the devil, the Eradicator storms up to the announcers at ringside and she’s angry. She tells them in no uncertain terms that she accepts the challenge thrown at her on RAW. She will form a team and they will destroy those who think it’s a good idea to humiliate Rhea Ripley. They will only have themselves to blame! NAOMI VS SHOTZI *Naomi attacks Shotzi before the bell and never gives her a chance to get her bearings. Naomi hits a stun gun drop on the top rope and with Shotzi on her knees, Naomi hits the Rear View. RESULT: NAOMI WINS BY PINFALL Kelly Kincaid is standing by with Bianca Belair. Bianca says that she and Charlotte have some things left to discuss and this Friday those conversations are going to happen because the EST is going to be the next WWE Women’s Champion no matter who gets in her way! BLAIR DAVENPORT VS LYRA VALKYRIA *An even match which goes back and forth but neither woman can get a clear advantage until Davenport rams Valkyria’s shoulder into the post. Blair then works that shoulder before hitting a belly to back suplex with the arm trapped, then keeps her feel on the ropes for good measure. RESULT: BLAIR DAVENPORT WINS BY PINFALL XIA LI VS BECKY LYNCH © *Xia puts Becky on the defensive with a flurry of martial arts and strikes, but the champ fights back. *Becky floors Xia with a cross body off the second rope and then begins working on her arm. After several minutes she locks in the DisarmHER and Xia submits. RESULT: BECKY LYNCH RETAINS THE WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BY SUBMISSION As the show goes off the air, Becky is up on the ropes holding her title high in the air.

Highlights are shown from the 6 Man Tag at Payback which saw Roman Reigns get involved and help his cousins win…and save Paul Heyman’s job. SEPTEMBER WEEK 2 TD GARDEN BOSTON, MA LA Knight comes down to the ring. “Lemme talk to ya!” When the crowd dies down he walks over, and takes a seat on the top turnbuckle. “Tonight I have two big announcements. First, the suspension is lifted! (More cheers). That means it’s time to settle some business like only LA Knight can. So Brand…McAfee, Waller, Paul, Theory, one of you, all of you, I don’t much give a damn. Come down here and let’s just do this the fun way and the fun way is me kicking all your asses, YEAH!” He waits but the Brand does not come out. “Okay, so I guess that’s gonna lead me to announcement number two because I kinda had a feeling you wouldn’t have the balls to come out. You think you’re just gonna walk away from me? You think you’re just gonna move on? It don’t work that way. YEAH!. I am going to make your lives a living hell until I get what I want. How long that lasts is up to you but either way it don’t make a difference because we all know who’s game it is, right? (Crowd chants “L..A….Knight….”) “Yeah!” \ In the Bloodline’s Lounge, we find the entire group and Paul Heyman is front and center, standing next to Roman Reigns. Reigns addresses his family. “We are strong and we are united, but we’re not feared. People disrespect us. They disrespect our family’s history. They think they can step up? Time to send a message. I don’t care who, I don’t care how. Make it happen.” Solo and the Usos walk out on their mission but Naomi approaches Roman. “Tribal Chief, can I have a moment?” “Of course.” PRETTY DEADLY VS THE ROUGH RIDERS *In a blink and you miss it moment, Pretty Deadly are too busy preening to the crowd, not paying attention that the bell has rung and they turn around into matching super kicks. Storm and Grimes make double covers and get an ultra quick victory. RESULT: THE ROUGH RIDERS WIN BY PINFALL Pretty Deadly can’t believe it’s happened again! As the Rough Riders celebrate Prince and Wilson claim they weren’t ready but the referee says his decision is final. We go to a vignette with Karrion Kross and Scarlett. She’s dealing her Tarot cards. “Death will come for the Emperor….but Strength stands in the way.” She looks up at Kross. “You know what you have to do.” He nods with a smile. GIGI DOLIN VS CORA JADE *A passable match between these two young ladies. Dolin grows frustrated with herself as she tries in vain to lay a glove on Jade. *Jade taunts her into making mistakes before she ends it with a Jaded DDT. RESULT: CORA JADE WINS BY PINFALL We’re shown video highlights from a recent WWE Live Event in Sarasota, Florida. It focuses it on the second match between Butch and Ilja Dragunov. Dragunov missing a diving headbutt from the top rope and Butch hits a sitdown powerbomb for the win putting him up 2-0 in their series. IKEMAN JIRO VS SHEAMUS *It’s FIGHT NIGHT!!! and the fight lasts about 90 seconds. Sheamus dominates this squash ending it with Brogue Kick. RESULT: SHEAMUS WINS BY PINFALL Charlotte Flair comes down to the ring. “Asuka, last week I answered the challenge and from the moment the bell rang you knew you were in trouble. I could see it in your eyes. So what did you do? You made sure you got out with your title. That’s not good enough. It’s not good enough for the WWE Universe and it sure as hell isn’t good enough for me. So come on down here, bring your little garter snake, and let’s do this again!” Charlotte doesn’t have to wait long for a response but it’s not who she wants to see. “Charlotte…Queeny…please, girl, give it up.” Bianca gets in the ring and Charlotte doesn’t look pleased to see her. “You got your chance. You’ve gotten multiple chances. I know you think you’re the only woman in this division but I’m here to remind you that others would like a shot at Asuka too. So maybe you oughta just sit one of these out.” “I don’t sit anything out. And if I need to remind you of who I am, anytime anyplace.” Before Bianca can answer….. “Look at these two losers!” Bayley screeches as she and the Unholy Alliance walk down to the ring. “I want Asuka! No, I want Asuka! This is pathetic. Charlotte you’re so stuck up you can’t see you’re the past and Bianca is so full of her EST that she can’t tell that she’s the weakEST…hahahahaa!” They surround the ring and begin crawling up on the apron when….. Iyo Sky runs down to the ring and slides in and now it’s three on three. Bayley, Dawn, and Fyre back off a bit. Iyo takes the mic from Bianca. “Where you go? You want to fight, let’s fight!” The heels head back up the aisle but someone else comes out. “Iyo, with all due credit, that is one hell of an idea. Tonight in the main event it will be Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky against Bayley and the Unholy Alliance. And that, is official!” Bayley and company instantly follow Pearce backstage arguing his decision. Backstage we see Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin just hanging out when they’re suddenly swamped by the Bloodline. They don’t stand a chance and are quickly left down and seemingly hurt. S0lo Sikoa and the Usos look down at what they’ve done, and nod to one another. CRUZ DEL TORO VS GRAYSON WALLER W/PAT MCAFEE *Cruz is on fire to start the match, out maneuvering Waller at every turn. McAfee gets on the apron but takes a dropkick to the floor. *Waller uses this distraction to his a running knee into del Toro’s back and then takes over, He hammers his opponent and when he backs off to jaw at the official, McAfee gets some cheap shots in. Waller ends the match with a new finisher. He picks del Toro and delivers an inverted DDT which Barrett calls this the Down Under. RESULT: GRAYSON WALLER WINS BY PINFALL Backstage we see Adam Pearce with one of the hottest free agents in WWE, Bron Breakker. “Bron, here is Smackdown’s official offer. We would love to have you on Friday nights.” “Thank you, I’ll definitely look it over and I have to tell you, given the alternative, I think your offer is in pretty good shape. I’ll make a decision soon.” When Breakker walks away Pearce silently celebrates. Following Grayson Waller’s win, he and Pat McAfee exit the building but stop short with their mouths open. The camera pans and sees McAfee’s sports car vandalized. The tires are slashed, the windows and mirror are busted…. and someone has spray painted “YEAH!” all over the car. CHARLOTTE FLAIR, IYO SKY, AND BIANCA BELAIR VS BAYLEY AND THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE *The heels keep Iyo isolated but she ends up making a tag to Bianca who cleans house. *Her rally ends though when Bayley hits a chop block behind the referee’s back. This brings in Charlotte who argues with the official as all three heels stomp Bianca over and over. Flair seems not to care about that. *Bianca fights back and is about to tag Iyo when Flair tags herself in and then chops the hell out of all three opponents. A big boot sends Bayley out of the ring, a fall away slam sends Fyre out as well and then Natural Selection puts Dawn down for three. RESULT: CHARLOTTE FLAIR, IYO SKY, AND BIANCA BELAIR WIN BY PINFALL Following the win Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair begin to have words but Iyo Sky moves in between them and convinces them now is not the time, but it’s clear they’re not done with their conversation.

Live from Boston’s TD Garden, Smackdown comes at us this week with a very angry Queen. Last week Charlotte Flair answered Asuka’s open challenge and did not have to cash in her Money in the Bank briefcase for the opportunity, but the match turned into a brawl and Charlotte left empty handed. This week, Charlotte has promised to call out Asuka but what will the Empress of Darkness’ answer be? Payback saw Roman Reigns ensure that the Bloodline won their six man tag match versus Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits and he also secured Paul Heyman’s job following his ultimatum. With that behind them, what is the next course set by the Tribal Chief? Also in Action: Pretty Deadly vs The Rough Riders Gigi Dolin vs Cora Jade Cruz del Toro vs Grayson Waller Don’t miss all the action LIVE this Friday night* on FOX! *Show likely to drop tonight (Sunday)

SEPTEMBER WEEK 2 BOJANGLES COLISEUM CHARLOTTE, NC The show begins with Superstars General Manager Sonya Deville in the ring on crutches with the Women’s Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey, in an arm sling, and Shayna Baszler. Sonya says that they are without a doubt the most dominant women’s tag team in history…but…the elephant in the ring is that Ronda is obviously injured and the prognosis for return is indefinite. That means, she has to make a hard decision. Both Ronda and Shayna know she respects them for everything they’ve done in WWE and MMA. Ronda cuts her off and says Sonya is right, they are the most dominant team ever and frankly that’s because the competition in WWE sucks. There are no threats, there are no real challengers. So after they talked it over, she and Shayna have made a hard decision of their own. As of this moment, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship….are retired! Sonya looks surprised but she’s not about to argue with them. She simply thanks them for their time as Ronda and Shayna leave the ring with their belts for the last time. Michael Cole questions the legality of what Rousey and Baszler just did, in announcing their titles are retired. Corey Graves suggests he go tell them they can’t, which gets Cole to say he now supports it.. They go onto hype tonight’s huge main event. Rhea Ripley and Hall of Famer Trish Stratus in a steel cage. Graves points out that if Becky Lynch shows her face, she’ll lose the Women’s World Championship. Trish is on her own and the Eradicator wants her pound of flesh! LACEY EVANS VS THEA HAIL *Hail has a bright future ahead of her but Lacey’s mean streak won’t be overcome tonight. She grinds Hail down, punishing her and eventually locks in the Cobra Clutch which brings a quick tap out. RESULT: LACEY EVANS WINS BY SUBMISSION Evans gets a mic and talks about how the youth of America, like the little girl she just defeated is weak and lazy. And where do they get that from? ‘All the people sneaking into our great county.’ She continues to rant about immigration until…. Zelina Vega runs down to the ring and when Lacey turns around, Zelina hits a Thesz Press and begins raining down right hands. Lacey quickly dislodges herself and rolls out of the ring, promising revenge..as she backs up and Zelina isn’t going anywhere. NATALYA VS CORA JADE *Natalya controls the match using her veteran skills until Jade “accidentally” pokes her eye. From there we see an aggressive Jade target Natalya’s neck, at one point bashing her head and neck backwards into the turnbuckle. Jade ends the match and scores an upset with a Jaded DDT. RESULT: CORA JADE WINS BY PINFALL STEEL CAGE MATCH RHEA RIPLEY VS TRISH STRATUS *Rhea reminds Trish that Becky can’t protect her now and lives up to her name of the Eradicator. Trish fights back as best she can but Rhea is just overwhelming. *Trish has a small opening to escape when Ripley is run into the cage, then the other side, then the original side. Ripley hits the mat and Trish begins to climb but just as she gets to the top, Rhea is up and quickly meets her. They exchange punches but Rhea bangs Trish’s head off the cage causing the HOF’er to fall and Rhea hits an elbow drop off the ropes. *Rhea is headed out of the cage with a big smile but as she begins to lean through the frame….. Lita is here! She jumps the barrier and runs to meet Ripley, slamming the door in her face. Rhea is stunned and staggers back into the ring, barely able to keep her feet. When she turns around, Trish connects with a Chick Kick and makes the cover. 1 2 3! RESULT: TRISH STRATUS WINS BY PINFALL Trish escapes through the door and hugs Lita. They’re in full celebration mode as Rhea begins to recover and see what’s going on. She seethes as the Hall of Famers have outsmarted her. Graves closes the show reminding us that this is just going to make Mami mad.

Yes, specifically Elimination Chamber in February will be down under at Optus Stadium in Perth, Australia. We're always looking to increase that footprint in overseas markets. Our fans around the world are so great and the excitement when we do shows overseas is incredible. I loved it when I was in the ring, and I know our current talent do too.

Following Becky Lynch, Logan Paul, and Finn Balor fielding questions, Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque sat down to address the assembled media. “Okay, so, first and foremost I think tonight was a really good show, the Pittsburgh crowd as always was very into it and our performers really stepped it up. One injury coming out of tonight, we're pretty sure Ronda separated her shoulder in the tag title match, but she gutted through it as she always does. We'll have her evaluated tomorrow. Early estimates put this about 475,000 buys which equals about 1.2 million in revenue. Was a sellout which we're pleased with and now it's onto television this week and Fastlane first week of October. I do want to say I'm also very proud of the people who put Superstars together. I think that will allow us to put a well-deserved spotlight on our Women's Division including NXT talents. I’ll guess we'll open it up for questions.” (48 HOURS FOR ANY OF YOU TO ASK US WHATEVER YOU WANT!)

SEPTEMBER WEEK 1 PPG PAINTS ARENA PITTSBURGH, PA Vic Joseph and Corey Graves of Raw welcome us to WWE Payback and we are live from the hometown of one Corey Graves. Corey says that he could not think of a better homecoming than calling Raw’s marquee matches for tonight’s Premium Live Event. And we kick off the night hot…it is time for the World Heavyweight Championship. Joseph & Graves take us through Finn Balor winning the World Heavyweight Championship last month at SummerSlam, his successful defense against Seth “Freakin” Rollins and then Eric Bischoff naming John Cena as the challenger. Will John Cena become the man for a record 17th time? Or will Finn Balor continue his reign atop Raw? We’re about to find out right now. *Cena feels history is on his side and begins the match dominating Balor as he has so many opponents over the years. *The champion rebounds and takes control of the match with unrelenting offense but he can’t put Cena down for the three count. *Balor goes for Coup de Grace but Cena rolls out of the way and when Balot approaches, Cena scoops him up and delivers an Attitude Adjustment. Balor kicks out a shade before three. *Cena is motioning to give him another when Dominik Mysterio comes down to ringside and distracts Cena and the referee. *From behind the time keeper, Damian Priest comes to ringside and takes a chain from around his neck, putting it in Balor’s hand. When Cena turns back to the champion, Balor nails him with the chain before going to the top and hitting Coup de Grace for the win. RESULT: FINN BALOR WINS BY PINFALL TO RETAIN THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP After the match, Balor, Priest, and Mysterio leave the ring quickly while John Cena is shocked. Balor acts like he just won the biggest match of his life..because he just did. Finn Balor is still the Heavyweight Champion of the World and Ric Flair’s record remains safe! Paul Heyman is backstage, pacing in front of the Bloodline Lounge. He approaches it several times, but always stops, rethinking the decision. He looks nervous and continues to pace. *A fantastic back and forth match as these two go move for move with plenty of stiff strikes and suplexes. *Dragunov gains an advantage and gets a close pinfall off a fall away slam from the second rope. *Dragunov sets up for Torpedo Moscow, but Butch dodges it and Ilja crashes into the corner. Butch jumps on him delivering almost a dozen forearms to the back of his head. Butch picks him up to his knees and hits several knees to the face before locking him into a fisherman suplex. 1 2 Kickout! *Butch can’t believe it and argues with the ref for a moment. He goes to deliver the suplex again when Dragunov pulls him into a small package but Butch goes with the momentum and rolls over Ilja for the three count. RESULT: BUTCH WINS BY PINFALL Sheamus and Holland come down and the Brawling Brutes unite on the outside of the ring and are in full celebration mode as Dragunov watches them from inside the ring, furious at himself for the mistake that cost him the match. Announcers put over if this could be Chance/Carter’s moment tonight? And highlight video of the issues between Rousey & Baszler as well as the huge opportunity that lies before the challengers play. It is time for the Women’s Tag Team Title match here at Payback! *The challengers start off hot and it doesn’t help that Rousey and Baszler don’t seem to be on the same page. *Chance gets a close two count on Shayna before Rousey comes in without a tag and judo throws Chance into the corner like a rag doll. She makes the tag while being admonished by the referee. *Rousey zeroes in, even giving a snarky comment to her partner about this is how you do it. She sends Carter off the apron with a running knee and hooks in the arm lock on Chance for the submission. RESULT: RONDA ROUSEY & SHAYNA BASZLER WIN BY SUBMISSION TO RETAIN THE WWE WOMEN’S TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP In the back, The Man Becky Lynch is interviewed by Byron Saxton. Byron asks Becky what the status of her injured arm is and Becky downplays it. Becky says that there is NOTHING that Rhea Ripley could do to keep Becky from this match or from becoming the Women’s World Champion. Pittsburgh, The Man has come around and she’s going to kick Mami’s ass and become the champ! Paul Heyman is still standing outside the Lounge when the Usos and Solo Sikoa exit. “Gentlemen! Is the Tribal Chief busy in there?” Jey lands a hand on Heyman’s shoulder. “Wiseman, I don’t know if I’d go in there. He’s pretty upset still.” “But…but we’re good right?” The trio exchange glances and walk off, leaving Heyman standing there looking even more worried. Logan Paul makes his grand entrance with lasers and smoke, an entourage of beautiful girls and everything like a big time boxer’s entrance. McAfee follows behind, holding up the US title. *Mysterio puts on a clinic early making Paul look silly and frustrating the US Champion to no end. Paul goes outside to converse with McAfee and Mysterio smashes their heads together to the crowd’s delight. *Paul gets back in and takes over thanks to a kick deep in Mysterio’s gut. He uses his size advantage to punish the Hall of Famer for several minutes, topped off by a Guererro-esque frog splash from the top but Rey kicks out! *Paul shares a nod with McAfee and puts Mysterio in position for a 619 but when he plays to the crowd he begins arguing with the referee allowing McAfee to level Rey with a right hand that knocks him out cold. Replays would show McAfee putting on a black glove that he pulled out of his pocket. Paul pushes past the ref and makes a very cocky cover for the win. RESULT: LOGAN PAUL WINS BY PINFALL TO RETAIN THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP McAfee is jumping up and down on the outside, as if he himself won the match. He’s too busy trash talking Rey who is still down on the mat to see….. LA Knight has come through the crowd and jumped the barrier. He tackles McAfee from behind, raining down punches. Officials rush to ringside and separate them, allowing McAfee and Paul to escape up the aisle. The hype video for Randy Orton vs Matt Riddle airs. It shows the long friendship between the two, Orton’s return and betrayal of Riddle at SummerSlam and the road that got us here…. The video suddenly ends as we go live into the backstage area and see Randy Orton wailing away on a downed Riddle with a chair. When officials try to break it up, Orton swings at a ref and they all back up. Orton beats the hell out of Riddle and then drags him through Gorilla and we see them come out into the arena. Riddle tries to swing, but The Apex Predator side steps it and does an RKO on the floor in the aisle! Randy drags a virtually unconscious Matt Riddle by the hair down the aisle and rolls him into the ring. Orton then gets in and orders the ref to start the match….there is no way that this match can happen, right?!? Riddle is nearly unconscious! *The ref refuses to ring the bell until Matt Riddle stands up with the help of the ropes and tells the official that he will fight. The ref checks to make sure and Riddle demands this fight. The ref rings the bell *Riddle takes a step toward Orton who smiles evilly and then Riddle collapses to the mat *Orton screams at Riddle to “be a man” and get up and as soon as Riddle tries to crawl to Orton, Randy goes to a corner and runs….Punt Kick!!!! Orton covers….1….2….3. RESULT: RANDY ORTON WINS BY PINFALL As soon as the bell rings, Eric Bischoff runs and leads a horde of officials and medical personnel who come rushing down to the ring. Immediately, a stretcher is brought out and officials order Orton to leave the ring while Randy laughs. Bischoff tells Orton that if he doesn’t leave, he will be fired….that gets through and The Viper finally goes to the back. The medical personnel quickly get Matt Riddle on a backboard and stabilize him and get him onto the stretcher. Bischoff can be heard yelling “get him the hell out of here” and the medical personnel waste no time as they literally run down the aisle with The King of Bros on a stretcher. The announcers tell us that they hope to have word later tonight and if not, definitely Monday on Raw as to the condition of Matt Riddle. Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits are warming up in their locker room. All three men look focused without a hint of clowning around. *Becky isn’t wearing the sling but the arm is Rhea’s targeted area and Lynch is essentially fighting one handed. *Ripley is unrelenting and Becky sells the pain but she won’t give up. *Lynch begins putting together some offense with her good arm and it’s enough to stun the champion. She even gets Rhea in the DisarmHer but with back arm she doesn’t have the leverage to really crank it in. *Not satisfied with his role in distracting John Cena earlier, Dominik Mysterio climbs onto the apron and begins arguing with Becky, allowing Rhea to hit a forearm smash in the back of her head. But the crowd begins to stir and then pops. *Trish Stratus runs down the aisle and yanks him off the apron. He starts trash talking her but she knocks him down with a Chick Kick when he leans down to her. Rhea’s eyes go wide seeing her man down and now she’s the one distracted. Becky grabs Rhea from behind, turns her around and delivers a Becks-ploder suplex. Graves is beside himself asking how the hell did The Man do that with her arm?!? Ripley lands right on her head and Becky covers…. 1… 2… 3!!!! RESULT: BECKY LYNCH WINS BY PINFALL TO BECOME THE NEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION Following the match, Dominik looks up and sees that Mami has lost while the ref hands Becky the Women’s World Title. Dom and Rhea go up the aisle with Rhea looking manic and screaming that this is not over. Trish looks up at Becky and nods in a sign of respect before walking up the aisle while Lynch celebrates. She kept her word: The Man has come around to Pittsburgh and she is walking out as the new Women’s Champion of this World! *Michin gets the best of Scarlett to begin the match and the men quickly are tagged in where AJ gives it his all and shows he’s not afraid of Kross. *Neither Kross nor Styles holds anything back and it’s clear AJ has a score to settle following the hanging at Summerslam. *When Kross backs Styles to the ring, Michin makes a blind tag. Kross throws AJ out of the ring and turns as if he’s going to fight her. Kross engages the referee telling him to get out of the ring which also distracts Michin. When she turns around, Scarlett blows a red dust into her face, and delivers a snap mare following by a kick to the back of the head. Scarlett makes the cover and gets the win. RESULT: KARRION KROSS AND SCARLETT WIN BY PINFALL Michin exits the ring to check on AJ but he shoves her away. He pauses, looking nearly despondent before turning and walking away from her. A video replay of Roman Reigns’ warning to Paul Heyman is shown. If the Bloodline loses tonight, Heyman is out of a job! *Withn the first five minutes all six men have been the legal man and as the match settles down it’s the Bloodline who is in control. Heyman stands at ringside a bundle of nerves. *They keep Ford in their corner and he’s subject to numerous double and triple teams. *Finally he makes a tag to Dawkins who turns the tide and takes on both Usos at once. He doesn’t see Solo attack him from behind though and for a moment it looks like the Bloodline will regain control when Ford and Lashley hit the ring and it’s a six man brawl. *In the process of the brawl, Jimmy superkicks Dawkins while Jey does the same to Ford. Lashley, in a rush to get to Solo accidentally crushes the referee between himself and Sikoa. *Lashley is on fire and pays no attention to the downed official. He clotheslines the Usos over the top and when Solo charges he backdrops him right on top of his brothers. Lashley goes to the outside to continue his onslaught. Heyman watches in terror as Lashley decimates all three opponents. But when he turns around…. Roman Reigns is charging Lashley and spears Lashley through the barrier wall into the time keeper’s area! Heyman’s eyes are wide as he witnesses his Tribal Chief in action. * Solo and the Usos get back in the ring and while the Street Profits put up a good fight three on two is not to their advantage and when Solo hits a Samoan Spike on Dawkins he earns the pinfall. RESULT: THE BLOODLINE WINS BY PINFALL Heyman thanks Reigns over and over for saving the day. Reigns simply nods and he looms over Lashley in particular. As the show ends, the Bloodline stands over their fallen opponents holding their fingers in the air.

Official Payback Lineup if anyone wants to predict.

SEPTEMBER WEEK 1 GIANT CENTER HERSHEY, PA Welcome to Friday Night Smackdown, I’m Michael Cole alongside Wade Barrett and we are just twenty-four hours away from Payback, coming to live on Peacock from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tonight the action is at a fever pitch, Wade.” “Too right, Michael Cole. We have tensions boiling over left and right and there may no better example of tension than the Bloodline when Roman Reigns declared last week that if Solo Sikoa and the Usos fail to defeat Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits tomorrow night, Paul Heyman, the Wiseman, is out of a job!” “And to open the show tonight, the promised title defense by Asuka against an unknown opponent.” Asuka and her mentor Jake the Snake Roberts are in the ring awaiting her mystery opponent. The crowd gets to its feet when the Queen Charlotte Flair, who’s been out of action since Summerslam and the attack on the Snake Pit, makes her way down to the ring, and wastes no time shedding her robe and sliding into the ring to begin the fight. CHARLOTTE FLAIR VS ASUKA © W/JAKE THE SNAKE ROBERTS *They begin brawling off the bat before Charlotte hits a cross body block on Asuka and takes them both over the ropes. *As much as we all know she wants the title, Charlotte seems out for revenge tonight and as the referee counts, neither woman seems to care as they rip at each other until he hits the ten count. RESULT: DOUBLE COUNT OUT (ASUKA RETAINS THE WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP) The bell continues to ring but neither Auska or Charlotte are ready to stop fighting. They brawl around ringside using whatever they can get their hands on, Officials and referees eventually get them separated but it's clear they want more. A replay is shown of last week’s show where Roman Reigns set down the ultimatum. If the Bloodline loses at Payback, Paul Heyman is out of a job. Backstage. Rey Mysterio is talking to a staffer when he stops and turns to face new United States Champion Logan Paul. “Hey Rey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. How does it feel to know your son has already surpassed your career?” Mysterio bites his tongue for a moment. “Logan, your cheap shot aside, I want to congratulate you on becoming United States champion, but you need to know that title puts a bullseye on your back.” “You don’t have any advice I need. I’m already the greatest US champ in history. Better than John Cena….better than Booker T….way better than Eddie Guererro.” Now Mysterio is hot. “Well, here’s some advice anyways. Watch the right.” “What?” Mysterio decks Paul with a right hand and knocks the champion on his back. Mysterio points down at Paul who’s staring up at him wide eyed. “Tomorrow night, I will bring that title to the LWO. Viva la Raza!” Mysterio walks off as Paul holds his jaw. SHELTON BENJAMIN VS GRAYSON WALLER *Shelton shows he’s still got it and gives the younger man all he can handle and more but it doesn’t last. *Waller takes advantage of his first opportunity and never looks back, finally putting Benjamin down for a three count with a front headlock faceplant Cole refers to as the Down Under. RESULT: GRAYSON WALLER WINS BY PINFALL A video labeled “Earlier Today” is shown where Bianca Belair gets out of her car but as she gets her bag out of her trunk, Bayley approaches her. “Hey, Bianca, guess what.” Bianca sighs, not in the mood for games. “What, Bayley?” “I still hate your guts!” Bayley grabs Bianca by the head and slams it into the trunk lid. Belair is stunned and drops to a knee, opening herself to another attack when Bayley kicks her in the head, hitting the car again.” Bayley stands over a fallen Bianca and cackles. “See you tonight, loser!” “My guests at this time….Pretty Deadly. Gentlemen, last week you lost….” Prince shakes his head. “That’s where you’re wrong Kayla. We didn’t lose. We were cheated.” “How did they cheat?” “You saw it the same as everyone else!” Wilson pipes in. “That’s right Kit but we want a rematch and we want it next week. No more games, and we’ll send these so-called Rough Riders out to pasture.” Pretty Deadly walk off, thinking that last remark was pretty funny. TAMINA VS ZELINA VEGA *Tamina starts off throwing Zelina around the ring. It looks like this will be a quick match as Vega can barely offer resistance. *Tamina plants Vega with a bodyslam and turns to go to the corner for the Superfly Splash but she stops. Looking to the crowd, feeling so happy to be dominating she turns back to Vega to deliver a second bodyslam. *As she bends down to pick up Zelina, Tamina gets pulled into a small package and she can’t kick out. RESULT: ZELINA VEGA WINS BY PINFALL Ilja Draguov is backstage when the Brawling Brutes approach but they don’t attack him, instead Butch steps forward. “I am serving official notice to you Dragunov. Tomorrow night at Payback, I will restore the honor of the Brawling Brutes when I put you in your place, flat on the mat.” Dragunov steps up to meet Butch face to face. “So why don’t we make it interesting for you and me and the entire WWE Universe? Of the three of you, you’re the one I’ve wanted in the ring the most but I don’t think just once, win or lose, will suffice. I suggest that tomorrow night is merely the first battle in a long, bloody, and painful war. I suggest that tomorrow night is just the first round in a series of matches that will define our careers. Five matches, three wins, and your brutes stay out of it. Man to man.” Butch grinds his fist into his cheek as a smile forms. “You’re on.” The Brutes walk away leaving Dragunov stoic. Tamina is backstage and she’s distraught after her loss tonight. Naomi walks up and puts an arm around her. “Sis, I've been there, I know what’s in your heart. But you know what you have that none of these other women have? Family. You have family here. Come on, let’s go talk.” Tamina nods slightly, wiping her eye and leaves with Naomi. AUSTIN THEORY VS JOAQUIN WILDE *As if competition with his Brand team mate, Theory shows why he is a former US Champion. *Theory attacks Wilde before the bell rings and never looks back as he keeps the advantage. *With a wide smirk, Theory nails A-Town Down for the win. RESULT: AUSTIN THEORY WINS BY PINFALL Scarlett is at her table again, drawing her tarot cards while Kross looms behind her. “AJ, I thought you could take a hint. At Summerslam I proved the cards right, I proved your fate when I hanged you. But maybe you’re not as smart as I gave you credit for. You stuck your nose in our business again to save your girl. Well all you did was delay the inevitable. Tomorrow night at Payback, it’s the two of you versus the two of us. And when the final bell rings, both of you will receive what you’ve had coming for a long time.” Scarlett flips a card and holds it up with a deliciously evil smile. BAYLEY VS BIANCA BELAIR *Bayley is very cocky to begin the match but Bianca, who’s still showing signs of the earlier attack, is in no mood for her. *Bayley runs into a series of military press slams before taking a powder to the outside. *Bianca follows and the two brawl before Bayley slings Bianca into the post with her braid. *Bayley rolls Bianca back into the ring but she kicks out of the pin. Bayley comes off the second rope with an elbow drop but gets another two count. *Bianca feeds off the crowd who are urging her to her feet. Bayley pounds her with forearms in the back but Belair feels it less and less. She begins fighting back and hits a series of power moves, wearing Bayley out, before Bianca whips her into the ring and buries a right hand into her guy. Bayley doubles over and Bianca picks her up and hits the KOD for the win. RESULT: BIANCA BELAIR WINS BY PINFALL Cole and Barrett run down Smackdown’s big matches for tomorrow’s Payback PLE. We cut to the back where the six men who will meet tomorrow night are in the midst of an all-out brawl and it’s the Bloodline who’s getting the worst of it. In the Bloodline Lounge, Roman Reigns watches the attack on the monitor. He slowly looks to Paul Heyman, whose eyes are locked on the floor. Reigns looks back to the TV, before clicking it off as the show ends.

Live from Hershey Pennsylvania, Smackdown will feature an open challenge to Asuka's WWE Women's Championship. Her devilish mentor, Hall of Famer Jake the Snake Roberts says the Emperess of Darkness is ready for anyone but nobody's ready for her! Last week we also saw the return of the Tribal Chief and he let his Wiseman Paul Heyman know exactly what's on the line at Payback this Saturday. If the Bloodline loses the six-man tag match to Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits, Heyman is fired. What schemes does the Special Counsel have in mind to save his job? Also in Action: Grayson Waller vs Shelton Benjamin Tamina vs Zelina Vega Austin Theory vs Joaquin Wilde Tune in LIVE this Friday* night for Friday Night Smackdown on FOX! *The Show will be dropping tomorrow (Thursday)

WWE Raw opens with a recap of last week where Finn Balor and The Judgment Day closed the show with their promo and then Bischoff came out and announced that Balor’s opponent for the World Heavyweight Championship this Saturday at Payback is John Cena. The video shows the reaction of the crowd along with the shock of Balor. The crowd cheers of last week from the video cut to live cheers in the arena as we skip the usual opening because we are live….. SEPTEMBER WEEK 1, 2023 SPECTRUM CENTER CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA Cena barely welcomes the crowd to Monday Night Raw before…. The Judgment Day comes down to the ring, slowly surrounding Cena, teasing him by crawling up on the apron. Cena’s not sure where the first attack will come from but it all stops when Eric Bischoff comes down to ringside. Bischoff says he will NOT allow the World Heavyweight Championship match at Payback to be wrecked. But if they want a piece of Cena, he’s sure the 16-time chance will agree to a match here tonight. In the main event it will be John Cena versus Damian Priest….and Judgment Day is banned from ringside! Balor, Dom, and Rhea protest but Priest has his eyes locked with Cena’s. We go to the announcers who put over the fact that John Cena will face Damian Priest tonight just five days from Cena trying to win his 17th World Championship. Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley are both here ahead of their clash at Payback. Settle in folks, anything could happen here tonight! We then see Cody Rhodes walking down toward Gorilla. When Raw returns, the American Nightmare is in action…next! COMMERCIAL BREAK DOLPH ZIGGLER VS CODY RHODES *A great back and forth match between these two who go move for move. *Several close falls and even though they both act as babyfaces, the crowd is definitely behind Cody. *Ziggler goes for a Zig Zag but Rhodes hangs onto the ropes and when Ziggler gets up, Cody immediately nails the CrossRhodes. RESULT: CODY RHODES WINS BY PINFALL We go to Eric Bischoff’s office where the New Day and DIY are arguing. Bischoff smacks his desk and tells them he understands both teams have a claim to face Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. So next week we’ll have a number one contender’s match and the winners will get a title shot at Fastlane. Both teams seem satisfied as they exit but now the arguments have turned to trash talking. A video is shown highlighting the history between Randy Orton and Matt Riddle. KATANA CHANCE AND KAYDEN CARTER VS ZOEY STARK AND PIPER NIVEN *Chance and Carter battle through the match as the heels use double teams to keep them down. *When Niven misses a senton from the second rope, Chance makes the hot tag. A double dropkick sends Stark flying off the apron and when Niven gets to her feet they hit her with a variation of Total Elimination formerly used by ECW’s Eliminators. RESULT: KATANA CHANCE AND KAYDEN CARTER WIN BY PINFALL Byron Saxton is backstage with the Miz and Bronson Reed. The Miz facetiously asks where Drew McIntyre is before ridiculing him for staying home with a boo-boo. Saxton tries to say McIntyre is not medically cleared but the Miz cuts him off and says nobody in the locker room will be medically cleared when Bronson Reed gets done with them! Gunther is on his way to the ring, without Imperium behind him. He’ll be with us after the break! When we return, the Intercontinental Champion Gunther is in the ring. He says greatness is tiring. It’s not easy being the greatest Intercontinental Champion in history. But he wants a new challenger so whoever you are, if you have the guts, come out here and stake your claim! Shinsuke Nakamura saunters down to the ring, and walks up the stairs. Gunther is smiling broadly, seemingly happy with this new challenger. As we go to the commercial, they’re face to face neither showing any fear of the other. LOS LOTHARIOS VS INDUS SHEER W/JINDER MAHAL *Indus Sheer bulldozes the two latin heartthrobs on their way to another impressive victory. RESULT: INDUS SHEER WIN BY PINFALL Byron Saxton is backstage with the Man Becky Lynch. Becky is feeling good about her title match this Saturday at Payback but tells Byron that if Rhea just wants to get it over with tonight she’ll graciously accept! RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ VS NIKKI CROSS *Nikki’s fury pays dividends in the beginning as she keeps Raquel off balance. *Raquel stops Nikki with a big boot and takes over, delivering several power moves before she nails the Tejana Bomb. RESULT: RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ WINS BY PINFALL The announcers hype RAW’s matches for this coming Saturday’s Payback PLE. WWE Payback will air from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this Saturday and only on Peacock. A replay of John Cena’s surprise return is shown. DAMIAN PRIEST VS JOHN CENA *Priest is on full offense and Cena weathers the storm and fights back, only to be shut down with a knee to the gut. Priest hits a chokeslam but Cena kicks out. *Priest grows more and more frustrated with his inability to keep Cena down. Priest begins taking chances and it finally catches up when he misses a splash in the corner which opens the door for Cena. *Cena feeds off the crowd and hits an Attitude Adjustment but Priest kicks out at 2 and ½. Cena is shocked. When he goes for a second, Priest buries a knee in his gut and goes for a Razor’s Egde but Cena slips out from behind and rolls up Priest with some veteran savvy for a three count. RESULT: JOHN CENA WINS BY PINFALL We immediately cut away from Cena’s victory celebration to go backstage where Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch are in the midst of a brawl, hitting each other with anything they can get their hands on. Rhea flapjacks Becky onto a cargo trunk, putting her down for the moment. Rhea then looks off screen and gives a sick grin. She picks up Becky, giving her a punch for good measure and leans her over the trunk with her arm dangling over the side. Ripley walks off screen and then comes rushing into picture again pushing another trunk. She pushes it into the first with Lynch’s arm in between. Becky howls in pain as officials move in but the damage has been done. Graves questions how the Man will be able to beat the Eradicator this Saturday with only one arm. Goodnight from Charlotte!

FREE AGENTS SEPTEMBER 2023 ROSTER AKIRA TOZAWA ALEXA BLISS BAD BUNNY BRON BREAKKER CARMELLA CARMELO HAYES CORA JADE DEXTER LUMIS DOLPH ZIGGLER DREW GULAK JOE GACY LYRA VALKYRIA MUSTAPHA ALI OMOS W/MVP R-TRUTH ROXANNE PEREZ SHOTZI TEGAN NOX WES LEE

SEPTEMBER 2023 ROSTER UNIVERSAL WWE CHAMPION ROMAN REIGNS WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPION ASUKA UNITED STATES CHAMPION LOGAN PAUL UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS KEVIN OWENS AND SAMI ZAYN WOMEN’S WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS RONDA ROUSEY AND SHAYNA BASZLER ADAM PEARCE AJ STYLES ALBA FYRE ANGELO DAWKINS ASUKA AUSTIN THEORY BAYLEY BIANCA BELAIR BOBBY LASHLEY BUTCH CAMERON GRIMES CEDRIC ALEXANDER CHARLOTTE FLAIR CRUZ DEL TORO DAKOTA KAI ELTON PRINCE GIGI DOLIN GRAYSON WALLER ILJA DRAGUNOV ISLA DAWN IYO SKY JAKE ROBERTS JAMES STORM JEY USO JIMMY USO JOAQUIN WILDE KARL ANDERSON KARRION KROSS KAYLA BRAXTON . KEVIN OWENS KIT WILSON LA KNIGHT LACEY EVANS LOGAN PAUL LUKE GALLOWS MEGAN MORANT MICHAEL COLE MICHIN MONTEZ FORD NAOMI PAT MCAFEE PAUL HEYMAN REY MYSTERIO RIDGE HOLLAND ROMAN REIGNS RONDA ROUSEY SAMI ZAYN SANTOS ESCOBAR SCARLETT SHAYNA BASZLER SHEAMUS SHELTON BENJAMIN SOLO SIKOA TAMINA WADE BARRETT ZELINA VEGA

SEPTEMBER 2023 ROSTER WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION FINN BALOR WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPION RHEA RIPLEY INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION GUNTHER UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS KEVIN OWENS AND SAMI ZAYN WOMEN’S WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS RONDA ROUSEY AND SHAYNA BASZLER ANGEL APOLLO CREWS BECKY LYNCH BRANDI RHODES BRAUN STROWMAN BROCK LESNAR BRONSON REED BYRON SAXTON CANDICE LARAE CARLITO CATHY KELLEY CHAD GABLE CHELSEA GREEN CODY RHODES COREY GRAVES DAMIAN PRIEST DOMINIK MYSTERIO DREW MCINTYRE EMMA ERIC BISCHOFF ERIK FINN BALOR GIOVANNI VINCI GUNTHER HUMBERTO INDI HARTWELL IVAR JD MCDONAGH JINDER MAHAL JOHNNY GARGANO KATANA CHANCE KAYDEN CARTER KEVIN OWENS KOFI KINGSTON LIV MORGAN LITA LUDWIG KAISER MARYSE MATT RIDDLE MAXXINE DUPRI NATALYA NIKKI CROSS OTIS PIPER NIVEN RANDY ORTON RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ RHEA RIPLEY RICOCHET RONDA ROUSEY SAMI ZAYN SANGA SETH ROLLINS SHAYNA BASZLER SHINSUKE NAKAMURA SONYA DEVILLE THE MIZ TOMMOSO CIAMPA TRISH STRATUS VALHALLA VEER VIC JOSEPH XAVIER WOODS XIA LI ZOEY STARK