The preshow promotional video cuts between live action footage and WWE 2K17 gameplay hyping up the "Fantasy Warfare" of Brock Lesnar facing Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship. It shows Lesnar's beatdown of Randy Orton at Summerslam and it also hypes the three Team Smackdown vs Team Raw matches, 5 vs. 5 of each men and women and 5 tag teams from each brand facing off for Brand Supremacy.
Team Raw consists of the Raw Women's champion, Charlotte (w/ Dana Brooke) Bayley, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks & Alicia Fox
Team Smackdown is Smackdown Women's champion Becky Lynch, Natalya, Alexa Bliss, Naomi & Carmella
This was the first match of the main broadcast of the show and the first voice we hear is Mauro Renallo welcoming us for the Smackdown side with his broadcast partner John "Bradshaw" Layfield, representing Raw in the booth are Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.
Bayley enters first for Team Raw, closely followed by Alicia Fox, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks and finally the Raw Women's champion and self-proclaimed Team Raw leader, Charlotte, accompanied by her lacky Dana Brooke. Smackdown Women's champion, Becky Lynch leads the charge for her team as we see last Thursday Team Raw, and especially Charlotte Flair showed up on Smackdown to beat down team captain Nikki Bella. Naomi follows her down the ramp, then Alexis Bliss and Carmella join them. Nikki Bella's music hits but she's nowhere to be seen. Graves and Saxton wonder if she has cold feet but Mauro swats that idea away quickly. We cut backstage where Nikki's with a trainer and she's been attacked from behind. Smackdown co-General Manager Daniel Bryan is with them along with Team Smackdown's coach Natalya. Natalya says she'll have to substitute in for Nikki and represent Smackdown. As we see her enter the ring Corey Graves says he's checking the rule book on this decision. JBL's suspicious Graves and Saxton are behind this. Mauro trying to be the voice of reason saying Raw want to win on an even playing field.
The bell rings and Carmella starts with Alicia Fox. It can only get better from here folks. They struggle for the advantage in a collar-elbow tie up before Carmella backs Fox into the ropes. Apparently, Alicia Fox is a 10-year veteran. Carmella shoves Fox back into the ropes. Fox shoves back and Carmella asks if she's crazy, Fox ducks a clothesline and hits a dropkick and a Northern Lights Suplex gets an early nearfall. Fox has control of Carmella's wrist and hits a forearm, but Carmella breaks her grasp with two of her own and comes off the ropes with a satellite headscissors! Carmella takes a second to celebrate before hitting a Bronco Buster for a nearfall. Carmella sends Alicia Fox across the ring, but she holds on to the ropes before hitting Carmella with a running kick. Carmella ducks under the second kick and tags out to Becky Lynch. Bayley gets the tag also for Team Raw. Before they can lock up though Charlotte blindly tags herself in. and The Boss follows suit. This starts dissension in Team Raw, Team Smackdown charge the ring to take advantage and all 10 women are in the ring. Nia Jax cleans house, shoving all of Team Smackdown to their corners and ending the chaos as quickly as it began.
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch are legal, and they're left in the ring with Team Smackdown possibly coming up with a new strategy. Lynch rolls up Banks but only gets 1. Banks gets a nearfall from a backslide, and keeps control of Lynch's arm, Lynch able to send Banks off the ropes, allowing Charlotte to get another quick tag. Lynch avoids a charge and hits a pair of arm drags, the second time keeping control of Charlotte's arm. Charlotte struggles to her feet but Lynch ducks a clothesline, grabbing a waistlock, Charlotte grabs the top rope to avoid the O'Connor roll but Lynch gets a sunset flip for 2. Charlotte hits a knee to Lynch's gut and gets a headlock. Charlotte taunts Team Smackdown but misses a chop! Becky Lynch tries an armbar but Charlotte rolls through, Lynch still holding on though and does almost get the Dis-arm her but Charlotte was able to crawl across the ring to the ropes in Team Raw's corner. Charlotte gets to her feet as Lynch backs off and she tags out to Nia Jax.
Jax picks Lynch up and forces her into the corner, hitting an avalanche and headbutting her before she tags out to Carmella. Carmella is clotheslined down and she tags out to Bliss who runs into Jax and then straight to tag out to Naomi. She climbs to the second rope for a cross body but Jax catches her with ease! Naomi struggles out but she gets avalanched down too. Natalya gets the tag and boots Jax in the gut before grabbing a headlock, Jax picks up Natalya, but can't get her over, so sends her off the ropes instead and Carmella is able to get the blind tag. Natalya ducks a clothesline and Jax turns into a double shoulder block, it staggers her off the ropes and she hits back with a double clothesline! Natalya rolls out of the ring and Jax talks trash to Team Smackdown before bringing Carmella over to her corner and tagging out to Fox. As soon as Fox is in Carmella starts fighting back, and we have a catfight! Carmella sends Fox across the ring but misses the Bronco Buster, Fox sends Carmella's head into the turnbuckle repeatedly! Fox backs off but goes back to it, and Dana Brooke gets a cheap shot in from the outside whilst the referee's distracted a second time. Fox hits Carmella in the gut and barely hits the scissor kick, barely is enough to eliminate Carmella though apparently.
Alexa Bliss wastes no time entering for her team and she sends Fox into the corner, Bliss sends her down to the mat and hits a twisting splash on Fox to even out the odds. Charlotte is now legal for team Raw and she charges at Bliss, but Bliss ducks a clothesline and jumps on Charlotte's back, Charlotte flings Bliss off but not before Naomi got a blind tag and she blindsides Charlotte with a sitout jawbreaker. Charlotte crawls to her corner and gets the tag to Nia Jax, but Naomi knocks her off the apron before she can get in the ring. Bayley is sent off the apron with a kick to the gut and Naomi turns back to Jax with a kick through the ropes. Crossbody from the top to the floor wipes out Jax but Naomi took some punishment too. Naomi is first to the apron, and she tries to kick Jax away, Jax sends her into the corner post as the referee counts 6 with both women still out, and Jax gets in the ring. Naomi is counted out as Jax tags out to Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss in and she dominates Banks over in Smackdown's corner, Charlotte distracts the referee momentarily from the apron but Natalya gets the tag and kicks at Banks in the corner. The referee warns her off and Banks has a chance to fight out of the corner, bringing Bliss in the ring and sending her into Natalya. Bliss sent into the corner and Banks blocks a kick from Nattie before hitting a knee to the face. Banks sets them both up for the double knees in the corner but Natalya avoids it. She doesn't avoid a flying variation from the apron though! Banks throws her in the ring, but Natalya blocks a suplex and lifts Banks up for a delayed suplex, Banks wriggles free and attempts a backstabber. Bliss back in the ring to save her team and she eats a forearm, but Natalya is able to roll Banks up from behind to get the three!
Charlotte is legal for her team and she stalks Natalya. Charlotte hits her with some hard chops but Natalya fires back with some of her own before hitting a forearm and knocking Miss Flair down with a discus clothesline, release german suplex sends Charlotte into the corner and the fans chant for Suplex City. Charlotte fights her way out of the corner, sending Natalya down to the mat. Charlotte climbs to the top turnbuckle for a moonsault but Natalya sets her up for a powerbomb, Natalya walks Charlotte to the middle of the ring and hits a sitout powerbomb, Nia Jax breaks up the cover at 2. Natalya locks in the Sharpshooter in Canada and the whole country begs for Charlotte to tap, Dana Brooke helps Charlotte reach the bottom rope and she lays Natalya out with a running boot. Charlotte covers Natalya for 3. Lynch is in next and she ducks another running boot from Charlotte before hitting a side slam. Bliss blind tags herself in and the two remaining women from Team Smackdown argue as Nia Jax gets the tag for Raw. Jax charges at "Team" Smackdown but they both duck the clothesline and kick her in the gut. Lynch and Bliss can't get Jax up for a suplex, so she shows them how it's done sending them both down to the mat hard.
Lynch decides to take a breather on the apron as Bliss recovers in the corner. Bliss is able to avoid an avalanche and ducks under a clothesline. Lynch gets another blind tag as Bliss is caught on a running cross body attempt, Lynch flies off the top and lands on Bliss and Lynch, sending Lynch across the ring away from Jax. Lynch locks in the Dis-arm her! Jax has no choice and quickly taps. Jax not happy with what went on and she drags Lynch out of the ring and sends her into the barricade. Lynch sent back in the ring and Bliss tags herself in, smart move keeping the fresh woman in, although at this point in the match neither are really fresh. Charlotte in again and she boots Bliss in the face, eliminating her too. Charlotte picks up the Smackdown Women's champion from ringside and throws her back in, kicking her in the corner.Charlotte attempts a Figure Four but Lynch hits her with a right hand. Lynch starts fighting back with running clotheslines. Running leg lariat sends Charlotte into the corner, set up for a flying firearm! Bex-plex out of the corner and Lynch heads to the top turnbuckle, leg drop connects, 1, 2, no!
Bayley is able to break it up at the last second. Charlotte is able to crawl over to her corner and tag Bayley in. Bayley and Lynch staredown before Bayley quickly takes Lynch over for a jackknife cover! Lynch kicks out at 2 and when they both get to their feet they throw forearms at each other. Bayley gets the advantage and she sends Lynch off the ropes but Lynch reverses to a pumphandle Bex Plex! Lynch covers for a nearfall. Lynch kicks Bayley in the head as she sits up and hits a leg drop and elbow drop, Lynch misses a running butt attack and Bayley comes back with a sliding clothesline, running back elbow to a seated Lynch's back gets Bayley a nearfall. Charlotte complains it was 3 from the apron. Lynch tries another Dis-arm her but Bayley rolls through, Lynch grabs the arm again but Bayley grabs the top rope, Bayley reverses into a Bayley to belly! 1, 2, 3!
WINNER: TEAM RAW (Survivors: WWE Raw Women's Champion Charlotte & Bayley)
Besides a few laboured looking tags (the whole team let Charlotte crawl across the ring without trying to cut her off at all) this was a decent enough match. It continued the championship feuds on Smackdown and Raw whilst really putting Jax over in short bursts of offense. I liked the idea that Team Raw won due to being able to work as a team properly in the match too. Rating 5.7/10
I'm going to take this space to let you guys know the posting plans for next week. The week begins on 4th July, American Independence day. Also one John Cena makes his return to Monday Night Raw. Therefore Monday I shall review John Cena defending his WWE Championship against Bobby Lashley at The Great American Bash 2007. I couldn't have a WWE GAB match without a WCW counterpart, so I am using Randy Savage vs. Diamond Dallas Paige from Great American Bash 1997, having WWE and WCW it felt best to put an ECW match in, after a quick google search I couldn't find any America vs. Other country rivalries in the company, so I decided to use Lance Storm vs. Jerry Lynn. This pushes my NXT Arrival: R-Evolution reviews back a week. On the week starting Monday 18th July I will be planning a new format going to 4 posts a week, with a Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday split, so far I'm thinking Main Event Monday and Throwback Thursday (with a 20-year limit) any ideas for Tuesday and Friday (or alternatives for Monday and Thursdat) guys keep me informed! Let me know what YOU want from this blog!
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