u/forky1899

2005

Chris Benoit vs Chris Jericho vs Christian vs Edge vs Kane vs Shelton Benjamin

IRL Winner: Edge

My Winner: Edge

The Cash-In: Edge def. John Cena (c) to win the WWE Championship at New Years Revolution 2006

(I'm changing nothing about the first MITB match or its cash-in. It was perfect.)

2006

Bobby Lashley vs Finlay vs Matt Hardy vs Ric Flair vs Rob Van Dam vs Shelton Benjamin

IRL Winner: Rob Van Dam

My Winner: Rob Van Dam

The Cash-In: RVD def. John Cena (c) to win the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand 2006

(Again, no changes. Everything here was perfect.)

2007

CM Punk vs Edge vs Finlay vs Jeff Hardy vs King Booker vs Matt Hardy vs Mr. Kennedy vs Randy Orton

IRL Winner: Mr. Kennedy

My Winner: Mr. Kennedy

The Cash-In: Mr. Kennedy def. John Cena (c) to win the WWE Championship at Summerslam 2007

(The winner was perfect but I'm changing the cash-in. It's such a bummer that WWE took the briefcase from Kennedy when they didn't need to. In this universe, Kennedy keeps it & cashes in on Cena to get a short run with the WWE title.)

2008

Carlito vs Chris Jericho vs CM Punk vs John Morrison vs MVP vs Mr. Kennedy vs Shelton Benjamin

IRL Winner: CM Punk

My Winner: Chris Jericho

The Cash-In: Chris Jericho def. Batista (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven 2008

(Punk's my GOAT but it was too early for him to win MITB here; especially given that WWE had no plans to commit to him in the main event. Let's give it to Jericho instead. In this universe, Batista is the WHC since Punk never cashed in to win it. Batista beats Edge on the same Raw that Punk won it & holds it all the way to Unforgiven where he defends it in the Scramble. However, Jericho rushes out & cashes in on The Animal after the match to become the new champion.)

2009

Christian vs CM Punk vs Finlay vs Kane vs Kofi Kingston vs Mark Henry vs MVP vs Shelton Benjamin

IRL Winner: CM Punk

My Winner: CM Punk

The Cash-In: CM Punk def. Jeff Hardy (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules 2009

(No changes. Everything here is perfect.)

2010 (Wrestlemania)

Christian vs Dolph Ziggler vs Drew McIntyre vs Evan Bourne vs Jack Swagger vs Kane vs Kofi Kingston vs Matt Hardy vs MVP vs Shelton Benjamin

IRL Winner: Jack Swagger

My Winner: Kane

The Cash-In: Kane def. Rey Mysterio (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank 2010

(Kane gets the briefcase earlier than irl. However, he gets a few months holding it before getting an identical cash-in to irl.)

2010 (Raw)

Chris Jericho vs Edge vs Evan Bourne vs John Morrison vs Mark Henry vs The Miz vs Randy Orton vs Ted DiBiase

IRL Winner: The Miz

My Winner: The Miz

The Cash-In: The Miz def. Randy Orton (c) to win the WWE Championship on the 11/22/2010 edition of Raw

(Nothing changes here. However, Miz becomes the first person in this universe to cash-in on a Raw or Smackdown!)

2010 (Smackdown)

Big Show vs Christian vs Cody Rhodes vs Dolph Ziggler vs Drew McIntyre vs MVP (replacing Kane) vs Kofi Kingston vs Matt Hardy

IRL Winner: Kane

My Winner: Christian

The Cash-In: Christian def. Edge (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Elimination Chamber 2011

(Since Kane won at Wrestlemania, MVP will replace him as it doesn't make sense for him to be in the MITB while holding the briefcase lol. Christian wins and has a decent run before falling to injury. Christian keeps the briefcase while injured & makes a shock return at Elimination Chamber to save Edge from an attack by Alberto Del Rio. However, Christian then turns on Edge and cashes in on him to win his first ever world title in WWE.)

2011 (Raw)

Alex Riley vs Alberto Del Rio vs Evan Bourne vs Jack Swagger vs Kofi Kingston vs Rey Mysterio vs R-Truth vs The Miz

IRL Winner: Alberto Del Rio

My Winner: Rey Mysterio

The Cash-In: Rey Mysterio def. The Miz (c) to win the WWE Championship on the 07/25/2011 edition of Raw

(ADR was never a world championship caliber guy so he ain't winning here. I considered John Morrison too but he was not in this match unfortunately. Therefore, Rey winning MITB is such a lay-up & this is the perfect opportunity for him to do so. In this universe. The Miz beats John Morrison to win the WWE Championship tournament. Miz gloats a bit too much afterwards & gets laid out by Morrison & Alex Riley. Rey rushes out to cash in and beats Miz after a frog splash to become the new champ!)

2011 (Smackdown)

Cody Rhodes vs Daniel Bryan vs Heath Slater vs Justin Gabriel vs Kane vs Sheamus vs Sin Cara vs Wade Barrett

IRL Winner: Daniel Bryan

My Winner: Daniel Bryan

The Cash-In: Daniel Bryan def. Big Show (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at TLC 2012

(No changes. I loved this.)

2012 (Raw)

Big Show vs Chris Jericho vs John Cena vs Kane vs The Miz

IRL Winner: John Cena

My Winner: John Cena

The Cash-In: John Cena def. CM Punk (c) by disqualification for the WWE Championship on the 07/23/2012 edition of Raw

(If I allowed myself to change the competitors, The Rock would come in as a surprise sixth entrant and win...but I can't. This MITB sucks and there's no other choice than to give it to Cena here. Everything happens the same because at least it led to the awesome Punk heel run.)

2012 (Smackdown)

Christian vs Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow vs Dolph Ziggler vs Santino Marella vs Sin Cara vs Tensai vs Tyson Kidd

IRL Winner: Dolph Ziggler

My Winner: Dolph Ziggler

The Cash-In: Dolph Ziggler def. Alberto Del Rio (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship on the 04/08/2013 edition of Raw

(No changes here. While I hate Del Rio having a world title, I'm not trying to rebook this entire universe so the cash-in happens exactly as it did.)

2013 (Raw)

Christian vs CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan vs Randy Orton vs RVD vs Sheamus

IRL Winner: Randy Orton

My Winner: Randy Orton

The Cash-In: Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan (c) to win the WWE Championship at Summerslam 2013

(No changes. One of my favorite cash-ins ever.)

2013 (Smackdown)

Antonio Cesaro vs Cody Rhodes vs Damien Sandow vs Dean Ambrose vs Fandango vs Jack Swagger vs Wade Barrett

IRL Winner: Damien Sandow

My Winner: Wade Barrett

The Cash-In: Wade Barrett def. Dolph Ziggler (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank 2013

(The power of hindsight proved that Damien Sandow really wouldn't have worked as a main event guy. However, Wade Barrett absolutely would have. I remember continuing to predict Barrett as Mr. MITB for years on end and always getting disappointed. That's not happening here. Barrett wins the briefcase & becomes the first person to cash-in on the same night! Ziggler defeats Del Rio to regain his championship but suffers a brutal attack afterwards by Big E & AJ Lee. Barrett rushes out, hits Ziggler with the Bullhammer, and wins his first-ever world championship.)

2014

Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Swagger vs Kofi Kingston vs Rob Van Dam vs Seth Rollins

IRL Winner: Seth Rollins

My Winner: Seth Rollins

The Cash-In: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 31

(Changing absolutely NOTHING. This was perfect in every way.)

2015

Dolph Ziggler vs Kane vs Kofi Kingston vs Neville vs Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns vs Sheamus

IRL Winner: Sheamus

My Winner: Sheamus

The Cash-In: Sheamus def. Roman Reigns (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series 2015

(This may be unpopular but I loved Sheamus' cash-in & brief WWE title run. The cash-in was well done & briefly got Big Dog Roman over as a babyface. I'm not gonna change it.)

2016

Alberto Del Rio vs Cesaro vs Chris Jericho vs Dean Ambrose vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn

IRL Winner: Dean Ambrose

My Winner: Dean Ambrose

The Cash-In: Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank 2016

(All three Shield members held the WWE title on the same night. It was brilliant and I'm not changing anything.)

2017 (Womens)

Becky Lynch vs Carmella vs Charlotte Flair vs Natalya vs Tamina

IRL Winner: Carmella

My Winner: Carmella

The Cash-In: Carmella def. Charlotte Flair (c) to win the Smackdown Womens' Championship on the 11/21/2017 edition of Smackdown

(Carmella wins the briefcase without the terrible James Ellsworth controversy. In addition, she cashes in earlier than she did irl. The Riott Squad debuts and destroys Flair as they did irl. However, Carmella takes advantage of this & uses it to cash-in & becomes the new champ!)

2017 (Mens)

AJ Styles vs Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura

IRL Winner: Baron Corbin

My Winner: Baron Corbin

The Cash-In: Baron Corbin def. AJ Styles (c) to win the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 2017

(Corbin still wins but he doesn't get screwed with his terrible cash-in. Instead, Corbin gets a lengthy run with the briefcase & cashes in on a battered AJ Styles after his match with Brock Lesnar. Corbin gets a world title run here and doesn't look like a complete fool.)

2018 (Womens)

Alexa Bliss vs Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair vs Ember Moon vs Lana vs Naomi vs Natalya vs Sasha Banks

IRL Winner: Alexa Bliss

My Winner: Becky Lynch

The Cash-In: Charlotte Flair def. Becky Lynch & Asuka (c) to win the Smackdown Womens' Championship at Summerslam 2018

(Charlotte regains her title from Carmella at Fastlane but loses it to Asuka at WM 34. Asuka is a dominant champ throughout the spring & summer. When Becky wins her briefcase, she confronts Asuka & lets her know she's cashing in ahead of time for Summerslam. However, Charlotte beats Becky in a match on Smackdown to have herself inserted to make it a triple threat. Becky is about to win the triple threat when she locks Asuka in the Dis-Arm-Her but Charlotte nails Becky with the Natural Selection during this then pins her. Becky becomes the first MITB holder to directly lose their cash-in. This frustration boils over as Becky snaps and becomes "The Man".)

2018 (Mens)

Braun Strowman vs Bobby Roode vs Finn Balor vs Kevin Owens vs Kofi Kingston vs Rusev vs Samoa Joe vs The Miz

IRL Winner: Braun Strowman

My Winner: The Miz

The Cash-In: The Miz def. AJ Styles (c) to win the WWE Championship on the 08/21/2018 edition of Smackdown

(Strowman was a terrible choice to win MITB. 2016-2018 Miz was on another level & deserved to be rewarded for his work so Miz becomes my first ever two-time MITB winner. He cashes in on the Smackdown after Summerslam after Samoa Joe lays AJ Styles out with the Coquina Clutch.)

2019 (Womens)

Bayley vs Carmella vs Dana Brooke vs Ember Moon vs Mandy Rose vs Naomi vs Natalya vs Nikki Cross

IRL Winner: Bayley

My Winner: Bayley

The Cash-In: Bayley def. Charlotte Flair (c) to win the Smackdown Womens' Championship at Summerslam 2019

(Bayley gets a longer run with the briefcase. She announces in advance that she will cash-in against Charlotte at Summerslam. Charlotte reminds Bayley what she did to Becky at last year's Summerslam when she announced in advance. This stokes fear and paranoia in Bayley; catalyzing her heel turn. Bayley cheats to defeat Charlotte and become the new Smackdown Womens' Champ.)

2019 (Mens)

Andrade vs Baron Corbin vs Drew McIntyre vs Finn Balor vs Mustafa Ali vs Randy Orton vs Ricochet

IRL Winner: Brock Lesnar

My Winner: Mustafa Ali

The Cash-In: Kofi Kingston (c) def. Mustafa Ali to retain the WWE Championship at Super Showdown 2019

(I'm technically breaking my "don't change the competitors" rule by ommiting Brock Lesnar but I don't think you guys will complain. Ali wins the briefcase then confronts Kofi on the next episode of Smackdown. He claims that Kofi's ascent is partially due to his injury earlier in the year & declares he will use his briefcase to challenge Kofi for the title at Super Showdown. Kofi retains after a fantastic match but Ali goes mad, turns heel, & attacks Kofi. This makes Ali the first male to directly lose his cash-in.)

2020 (Womens)

Asuka vs Carmella vs Dana Brooke vs Lacey Evans vs Nia Jax vs Shayna Baszler

IRL Winner: Asuka

My Winner: Asuka

The Cash-In: Asuka is awarded the Raw Womens' Championship due to Becky Lynch's pregnancy on the 05/11/2020 edition of Raw

(This was a beautiful moment so not gonna change it.)

2020 (Mens)

AJ Styles vs Aleister Black vs Daniel Bryan vs King Corbin vs Otis vs Rey Mysterio

IRL Winner: Otis

My Winner: AJ Styles

The Cash-In: AJ Styles def. Drew McIntyre (c) to win the WWE Championship on the 11/16/2020 edition of Raw

(Love Otis but there was no universe where he should have won MITB. Instead, AJ Styles rides the momentum from his awesome Boneyard match & wins his first Money in the Bank briefcase. Styles holds the briefcase for several months before finally cashing in on Drew McIntyre---just minutes after he regained the WWE title from Randy Orton.)

2021 (Womens)

Alexa Bliss vs Asuka vs Liv Morgan vs Naomi vs Natalya vs Nikki A.S.H. vs Tamina vs Zelina Vega

IRL Winner: Nikki A.S.H.

My Winner: Asuka

The Cash-In: Asuka def. Charlotte Flair (c) to win the Raw Womens' Championship on the 07/19/2021 edition of Raw

(Asuka becomes the first ever two-time womens' MITB winner & the first ever competitor to win the briefcase two years in a row in this universe. Asuka cashes in during the Charlotte Flair vs Rhea Ripley match on Raw to secure the title. Since she was dealing with injuries, she wouldn't hold it for long & loses it back to Charlotte at Summerslam before going on her hiatus.)

2021 (Mens)

Big E vs Drew McIntyre vs John Morrison vs Kevin Owens vs King Nakamura vs Ricochet vs Riddle vs Seth Rollins

IRL Winner: Big E

My Winner: Big E

The Cash-In: Big E def. Bobby Lashley (c) to win the WWE Championship on the 09/13/2021 edition of Raw

(No changes. This was perfect.)

2022 (Womens)

Alexa Bliss vs Asuka vs Becky Lynch vs Lacey Evans vs Liv Morgan vs Raquel Rodriguez vs Shotzi

IRL Winner: Liv Morgan

My Winner: Liv Morgan

The Cash-In: Liv Morgan def. Ronda Rousey (c) to win the Smackdown Womens' Championship at Money in the Bank 2022

(No changes. Also, Liv becomes the first ever woman to cash her briefcase on the same night she won it in this universe.)

2022 (Mens)

Drew McIntyre vs Madcap Moss vs Omos vs Riddle vs Sami Zayn vs Seth Rollins vs Sheamus vs Theory

IRL Winner: Austin Theory

My Winner: Sami Zayn

The Cash-In: Roman Reigns (c) def. Sami Zayn to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber 2023

(Winning MITB may have ruined Theory's career. So I'm giving it to Sami Zayn instead. After Sami wins the briefcase, The Bloodline becomes more friendly with Zayn to keep the briefcase in their ranks. However, Sami betrays them at Royal Rumble & announces on the next Smackdown that he will be cashing in on Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber. That match plays out exactly as it did irl so Zayn becomes the third person to lose their cash-in.)

2023 (Womens)

Bayley vs Becky Lynch vs Iyo Sky vs Trish Stratus vs Zelina Vega vs Zoey Stark

IRL Winner: Iyo Sky

My Winner: Iyo Sky

The Cash-In: Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair (c) to win the WWE Womens' Championship at Summerslam 2023

(No changes. This ruled.)

2023 (Mens)

Butch vs Damian Priest vs LA Knight vs Logan Paul vs Ricochet vs Santos Escobar vs Shinsuke Nakamura

IRL Winner: Damian Priest

My Winner: Damian Priest

The Cash-In: Damian Priest def. Drew McIntyre (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 40

(Don't worry LA Knight fans. His time is coming. But for now, I'm keeping this the same because I loved Priest's WHC run.)

2024 (Womens)

Chelsea Green vs Iyo Sky vs Lyra Valkyria vs Naomi vs Tiffany Stratton vs Zoey Stark

IRL Winner: Tiffany Stratton

My Winner: Tiffany Stratton

The Cash-In: Tiffany Stratton def. Nia Jax (c) to win the WWE Womens' Championship on the 01/03/2025 edition of Smackdown

(No changes.)

2024 (Mens)

Andrade vs Carmelo Hayes vs Chad Gable vs Drew McIntyre vs Jey Uso vs LA Knight

IRL Winner: Drew McIntyre

My Winner: Drew McIntyre

The Cash-In: Damian Priest (c) def. Drew McIntyre & Seth Rollins to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

(If I gave myself more freedom to change the participants, I'd have Sami win and use the briefcase to become WHC. But I can't do that...& none of the other options really work for me. McIntyre should have just been in the WHC match instead of MITB but we're working with what we've got. Same thing as irl happens.)

2025 (Womens)

Alexa Bliss vs Giulia vs Naomi vs Rhea Ripley vs Roxanne Perez vs Stephanie Vaquer

IRL Winner: Naomi

My Winner: Naomi

The Cash-In: Naomi def. Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky (c) to win the Womens' World Championship at Evolution 2025

(I got to see Naomi's MITB cashin in person. Not changing ANYTHING.)

2025 (Mens)

Andrade vs El Grande Americano vs LA Knight vs Penta vs Seth Rollins vs Solo Sikoa

IRL Winner: Seth Rollins

My Winner: LA Knight

The Cash-In: LA Knight def. Gunther (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship on the 06/09/2025 edition of Raw

(Third time is the charm. LA Knight FINALLY wins the damn briefcase & makes short work of cashing it in. Gunther still beats Jey Uso for the WHC but is attacked by Goldberg after the match. LA Knight rushes in, hits BFT on Gunther, and wins his first ever world title.)

2026 (Womens)

Jacy Jayne vs Lash Legend vs Lola Vice vs Roxanne Perez vs Sol Ruca vs Tiffany Stratton

IRL Winner: Tiffany Stratton

My Winner: Roxanne Perez

The Cash-In: Roxanne Perez def. Liv Morgan (c) to win the Womens' World Championship on the 01/04/2027 edition of Raw

(Tiffany did NOT need this win. She has a clear path to the world title on her own merits. Roxanne absolutely could have benefitted from this win though. Let the tension between Roxanne/Liv/Raquel continue to simmer over the next few months until it all boils over here. Roxanne snaps, betrays Liv, and cashes her briefcase in to take Liv's title. Ideally, we'd get a Liv vs Roxanne vs Raquel triple threat for the belt at Wrestlemania.)

2026 (Mens)

Bron Breakker vs CM Punk vs Je'Von Evans vs Kevin Owens vs Penta vs Trick Williams

IRL Winner: Penta

My Winner: Bron Breakker

The Cash-In: Bron Breakker def. Oba Femi (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship at Clash in Nigeria

(I love Penta & his win, but I would have rather seen Breakker get the rub here. Breakker keeps the briefcase for six to seven months before cashing in on Femi after a grueling title defense against Omos at Clash in Nigeria. This leads to Breakker vs Femi for the title at Summerslam.)

https://preview.redd.it/8fud0z6u9qgh1.png?width=2223&format=png&auto=webp&s=9ef71e4d86d1ca377f95d7b76b95b54e011d41cd

https://preview.redd.it/wcgpoy6u9qgh1.png?width=2224&format=png&auto=webp&s=7f5946b2a30c76736fc8a8fe351ef017b14dfc2c

https://preview.redd.it/t7r4007u9qgh1.png?width=2229&format=png&auto=webp&s=266f46c0a989e27c55e17564558ffc9604840445

https://preview.redd.it/y8vml47u9qgh1.png?width=2226&format=png&auto=webp&s=c6db2b2c9c9f0cfae2919e52809c633113ebcf6c

(I'm really enjoying booking through PWS. Idk if I'm gonna turn this into a series or not because I do have the other one that I've been neglecting lol & I don't wanna commit to another one yet. But I'm having more fun booking the future than rebooking so it's a possibility.)

https://preview.redd.it/91lscilvzggh1.png?width=2224&format=png&auto=webp&s=88b879af9c0b34ad57a47def0d4a8c908e748494

https://preview.redd.it/ja217ilvzggh1.png?width=2221&format=png&auto=webp&s=d93164d8a77133cf6f096d0930482b41a3e09d0f

https://preview.redd.it/gr30dilvzggh1.png?width=2224&format=png&auto=webp&s=df543b67ca6d001b24556f73244c71f71878f0cb

(I started writing this before the most recent episode of Raw so some aspects, like Raquel winning the IC title, weren't accounted for.)

https://preview.redd.it/uj2wqzuy52gh1.png?width=2226&format=png&auto=webp&s=3db8ffeee5aede77f3f16435cd9d1574bde1cd1d

https://preview.redd.it/utox50vy52gh1.png?width=2232&format=png&auto=webp&s=537223b11015f598013af61b3f747a4c5fac77c0

https://preview.redd.it/cdkck0vy52gh1.png?width=2233&format=png&auto=webp&s=4f5454e5067a922da3f83c45d75391917f340394

For anyone following my series, I'm still working on it. I'm just taking a break as I have a vacation coming up & I don't wanna rush anything out. However, this is a quick little post that should hopefully keep y'all satiated for now :)

---

1988: The Mega Powers (Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage) def. The Mega Bucks (Andre the Giant & Ted DiBiase)

(No changes. This worked for the time.)

1989: Hulk Hogan (c) (w/ Miss Elizabeth) def. Randy Savage (w/ Zeus) in a Steel Cage match to retain the WWF Championship

(Savage wins the 1989 King of the Ring tournament & dubs himself "Macho King" a little earlier than in irl. He uses this win to gain a WWF title rematch against Hogan. Zeus still debuts as Savage's heavy but stays relegated to this role rather than wrestling in the main event. Before the match, Hogan comes out with Miss Elizabeth to play mind games with Savage. Hogan retains after escaping the cage.)

1990: The Ultimate Warrior (c) def. Rick Rude in a Steel Cage to retain the WWF Championship

(No changes.)

1991: Hulk Hogan def. The Ultimate Warrior (c) to win the WWF Championship

(This is The Ultimate Rematch. Hogan regains his title & Warrior is still suspended after this match.)

1992: British Bulldog def. Bret Hart (c) to win the Intercontinental Championship

(No changes.)

1993: Yokozuna def. Bret Hart (c) to win the WWF Championship

(Yoko receives a slower burn push than irl. Bret retains his title against Randy Savage, the Royal Rumble winner, at Mania while Yoko squahes Jim Duggan. Yoko proceeds to kill Hulkamania at King of the Ring & wins the 1993 King of the Ring crown. He challenges Bret at Summerslam & destroys The Hitman to begin his reign of dominance.)

1994: Bret Hart (c) def. Owen Hart in a Steel Cage to retain the WWF Championship

(No changes.)

1995: Shawn Michaels (c) def. Razor Ramon in a Ladder match to retain the Intercontinental Championship

(The only change is that this main events over whatever Diesel's doing. Ideally, it's not facing Mabel but he's also not main eventing so I'm not too worried about it.)

1996: Vader def. Shawn Michaels (c) to win the WWF Championship

(I'm telling Shawn to get over it & put Vader over. The Mastadon deserves a decent run with the gold. If Shawn's too bent over it, I'll promise him that he'll get his win back later on.)

1997: Bret Hart def. The Undertaker (c) to win the WWF Championship (Shawn Michaels as special guest referee)

(No changes.)

1998: Stone Cold Steve Austin def. Mankind, The Undertaker, & Kane (c) to win the WWF Championship

(Kane gets a longer reign with the world title. The build is very similar to irl with Kane & Mankind's as well as Stone Cold & Undertaker's brief partnerships dissolving in a bid for the gold. We also see teases of Undertaker & Kane beginning to join forces throughout the build. The alliance is confirmed when Undertaker & Kane team up throughout the match against Austin & Foley. Undertaker nearly wins the title after Kane offers Mankind up to him after a Tombstone...but Austin wails on them both with a steel chair & pins Mankind to regain his title.)

1999: Triple H def. Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) to win the WWF Championship (Jesse Ventura as special guest enforcer)

(The build runs similarly as irl until HHH defeats Mankind to become the #1 Contender for the WWF title thanks to interference from The Unholy Alliance; which leads to a Rock n' Sock Connection vs Unholy Alliance match. HHH defeats Austin for the title after Jesse Ventura shockingly betrays Austin & aligns himself with The Corporation. Afterwards, HHH escapes with the gold while Austin stuns Ventura in the ring.)

2000: The Rock def. Kurt Angle & Triple H (c) to win the WWF Championship

(No changes.)

2001: Chris Jericho def. Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) to win the WWF Championship

(Chris Jericho is revealed as the WWF's traitor instead of Stone Cold & becomes their #1 asset. Austin becomes a tweener who fights against The Alliance but refuses to align with Team WWF's babyfaces such as Rock & Undertaker. Austin's stubbornness to fight alone costs him after The Alliance screws Austin over to allow Jericho to take home the WWF gold.)

2002: Brock Lesnar def. The Rock (c) to win the WWE Championship

(No changes.)

2003: Goldberg def. Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, & Triple H (c) in an Elimination Chamber match to win the World Heavyweight Championship

(Goldberg kicks out of the sledgehammer shot then spears & Jackhammers HHH to win the gold.)

2004: Randy Orton def. Chris Benoit (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship

(No changes.)

2005: John Cena & Hulk Hogan def. Chris Jericho & Christian (Eric Bischoff as special guest referee)

(After Vengeance, Jericho & Christian revive their alliance after realizing Cena can't take them both out. Bischoff demands that either Jericho or Christian take the WWE title away from Cena. Hogan returns to even the odds & challenges Jericho & Christian to face Cena & himself. Bischoff books it but inserts himself as special referee. Bischoff spends the match trying to screw Cena & Hogan over until Jericho accidentally lays him out with the enzugiri. Another referee replaces Bischoff & makes the count after Cena drops Jericho with the AA & Hogan follows up with the leg drop for the win. Afterwards, seeds are planted for a Wrestlemania title match between Hogan & Cena.)

2006: Edge (c) def. John Cena to retain the WWE Championship

(No changes.)

2007: John Cena (c) def. Randy Orton to retain the WWE Championship

(No changes.)

2008: The Undertaker def. Edge in a Hell in a Cell match

(No changes.)

2009: CM Punk def. Jeff Hardy (c) in a Tables, Ladders, & Chairs match to win the World Heavyweight Championship

(No changes.)

2010: The Nexus (Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, and Darren Young) def. Team WWE (John Cena, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, R-Truth, and Daniel Bryan) in a 7-vs-7 Street Fight

(The match is contested as a one-fall street fight instead of elimination rules. Big Show also replaces Bret Hart since he wouldn't be fit for this match while Kofi replaces Edge since Edge is facing Kane for the WHC earlier on. Each Team WWE member can take on an individual Nexus member. However, the numbers game falls into Nexus' favor until Cena is left alone against all seven members of Nexus. Cena tries his best to fight back but falls victim to every single member's finishers capped off by Wasteland by Barrett for the win.)

2011: John Cena def. Rey Mysterio (c) by disqualification in a match for the WWE Championship; The Miz def. Rey Mysterio (c) in a MITB cash-in to win the WWE Championship

(Cena doesn't challenge Mysterio immediately after Mysterio wins the title. Instead, Cena poises his challenge for the Biggest Party of the Summer. Cena & Mysterio have a fantastic babyface-vs-babyface match that ends with Cena poised to defeat Mysterio until The Miz, who won Money in the Bank for the second year in a row, interferes & attacks both men with the briefcase. Miz capitalizes by cashing in and pinning Mysterio to win the WWE Championship once again!)

2012: Brock Lesnar def. Triple H in a No Disqualification match

(No changes.)

2013: Daniel Bryan def. John Cena (c) to win the WWE Championship (Triple H as special guest referee); Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan (c) in a MITB cash-in to win the WWE Championship (Triple H as special guest referee

(No changes.)

2014: Brock Lesnar def. John Cena (c) to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

(No Changes.)

2015: The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar by referee stoppage

(Ideally, Lesnar has not taken a single pin or submission loss since his 2012 return in this universe. Because of that, we're protecting him with a supernatural finish. After both men have gone through hell, Undertaker does some spooky bs that causes the lights to go haywire. Afterwards, Undertaker drills Lesnar with a Last Ride that sends Lesnar through the ring and STRAIGHT TO HELL AS FLAMES BURST FROM UNDER THE RING!! Lesnar loses as a result to literally being sent to hell. This pays off later when Lesnar claws his way out of hell on an episode of Raw & challenges Taker to HIAC.)

2016: Dean Ambrose (c) def. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

(Shield triple threat happens on a bigger stage. All three men invade each other's show in spite of the draft to mess with each other; leading to this match. Ambrose pins Reigns after Dirty Deeds to retain the title.)

2017: Samoa Joe def. Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar (c) to win the Universal Championship

(No changes except Joe gets the win by making Reigns pass out in the Coquina Clutch. Joe holds the title through the fall since Lesnar was a no-show & the title deserved a full-time champ. Lesnar can regain the title at Royal Rumble so he walks into Mania with the gold.)

2018: Roman Reigns def. Braun Strowman (c) to win the Universal Championship

(Strowman wins the title from Lesnar at Mania & dominates the spring. Reigns becomes #1 Contender at Extreme Rules and wants to fully close his rivalry with Strowman here. Reigns defeats Strowman to win the title. Afterwards, Strowman turns heel & builds to a rematch at Hell in a Cell.)

2019: Randy Orton def. Kofi Kingston (c) to win the WWE Championship

(Kofi's reign is given more steam & Orton is built as a monster heel for Kofi to conquer. Unfortunately, Orton cheats and schemes his way to a win here thanks to an interfering FTR. Kofi regains the title at the Fox Smackdown premiere.)

2020: Roman Reigns def. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (c) in a MITB cash-in to win the WWE Championship

(Bray defeats Kofi for the WWE title on Halloween at Crown Jewel & has a long & dominant run with the title. Meanwhile, Paul Heyman interferes during the Corporate Money in the Bank Ladder match & steals the briefcase while everyone is fighting each other. Heyman teases that "his client" will soon return and lay claim to his WWE Championship by cashing in MITB in his honor. This leads to some legendary promos between Wyatt & Heyman. Most people assume Brock Lesnar will be Heyman's representative but Reigns shocks the world by returning at Summerslam and assuming the role. An uncharacteristically aggressive Reigns becomes the first man to defeat The Fiend cleanly after hitting him with a countless number of spears to win the title; giving birth to The Tribal Chief.

2021: Roman Reigns (c) def. John Cena to retain the WWE Championship

(No changes.)

2022: Roman Reigns (c) def. Bobby Lashley to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

(Reigns & Lesnar have their Last Man Standing match at Wrestlemania where Reigns unifies the WWE & Universal titles. Lashley & The New Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and Omos) step up to oppose Reigns' Bloodline. Reigns is forced into a fair one-on-one fight as Lashley's allies cancel any interference The Bloodline may provide. Unfortunately, Lashley doesn't anticipate the interfere of Reigns' honorary uce, Sami Zayn, when Zayn smashes the WWE title across Lashley's face. Reigns capitalizes & spears Lashley to retain.)

2023: Roman Reigns (c) def. Jey Uso in Tribal Combat to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship

(This match is less of a glorified extreme rules match & more of a brutal fight akin to their 2020 matches. No inteference is allowed but each man is allowed a corner man. The match ends when the corner man throws the towel in on behalf of the winner. The loser must acknowledge the winner after the match. Reigns brings Solo Sikoa while Jey brings Jimmy. After a bloody match, Jey begs Jimmy not to throw the towel in but Jimmy does so anyways just like he did in 2020. Reigns orders Jey to acknowledge him but Jey refuses and attacks Reigns & Sikoa. Jimmy responds by hitting Jey with a superkick for going back on his word & "dividing the family".)

2024: Cody Rhodes (c) def. Solo Sikoa in a Bloodline Rules match to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship

(No changes.)

2025 Night One: CM Punk def. Gunther (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship; Seth Rollins def. CM Punk (c) in a MITB cash-in to win the World Heavyweight Championship

(No changes except Rollins doesn't kayfabe his coworkers lol. Also, this is different than the Summerslam for my series so no spoilers here.)

2025 Night Two: Cody Rhodes def. John Cena (c) in a Street Fight to win the WWE Championship

(No changes except Cena enters the match as a heel still. Instead, Cena turns babyface during the match like Hogan did at Mania x8. This also will not be happening in my series so no spoilers here either!)

2026 Night One: CM Punk (c) def. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Gunther to retain the WWE Championship

(CM Punk wins the WWE Championship in Chicago from Sami Zayn after a nine-day title reign. Zayn responds by crashing out and targetting Smackdown General Manager Nick Aldis. Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and a returning Randy Orton all target Punk's title which leads to this fatal four way. Rhodes nearly hits Punk with Cross Rhodes to regain the title but Orton RKO's Rhodes & tries to punt him again. Gunther intercepts & powerbombs Orton on top of Rhodes. Punk rolls back in, hits GTS onto Gunther, and then hits another GTS onto Rhodes to pin him for the win. Rhodes & Orton spiral into a non-title feud while Punk feuds with challengers such as Gunther & Sami Zayn.)

2026 Night Two: Bron Breakker def. Roman Reigns (c) to win the World Heavyweight Championship

(Breakker defeats Oba Femi to win the 2026 King of the Ring thanks to Brock Lesnar's interference. Breakker subsequently defeats Rollins on the next edition of Raw to end their feud & retain his title shot; while teasing Reigns vs Rollins for Mania 43. Breakker finally seizes his opportunity & pins Reigns after several spears to win his first World Championship.)

Title Defenses Between PLEs:

Lyra Valkyria (c) def. Dakota Kai to retain the Womens' Intercontinental Championship (March 3rd Raw)

Iyo Sky def. Rhea Ripley (c) to win the Womens' World Championship (March 3rd Raw)

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. R-Truth to retain the United States Championship (March 7th Smackdown)

The New Day (c) def. Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee to retain the World Tag Team Championships (March 10th Raw)

Street Profits def. #DIY (c) to win the WWE Tag Team Championships (March 14th Smackdown)

Lyra Valkyria (c) def. Roxanne Perez to retain the Womens' Intercontinental Championship (March 17th Raw)

Bron Breakker (c) def. Finn Balor (March 17th Raw)

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. Damian Priest to retain the United States Championship (March 21st Smackdown)

Nia Jax & Candice LeRae def. Bianca Belair & Tiffany Stratton (c) to win the Womens' Tag Team Championships (March 21st Smackdown)

Bron Breakker (c) vs Penta ends in a no contest in an Intercontinental Championship match (March 24th Raw)

CM Punk (c) def. AJ Styles & Gunther to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (March 24th Raw)

Street Profits (c) def. #DIY to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships (March 28th Smackdown)

Chelsea Green (c) def. Alexa Bliss to retain the Womens' United States Championship (March 28th Smackdown)

Cody Rhodes (c) def. Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Championship (March 28th Smackdown)

Iyo Sky (c) vs Rhea Ripley ends in a double-disqualification in a match for the Womens' World Championship (March 31st Raw)

Nia Jax & Candice LeRae (c) def. Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro to retain the Womens' Tag Team Championships (March 31st Raw)

Lyra Valkyria (c) def. Roxanne Perez in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to retain the Womens' Intercontinental Championship (March 31st Raw)

Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Nia Jax in a No Disqualification match to retain the WWE Womens' Championship (April 4th Smackdown)

Street Profits (c) def. Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships (April 4th Smackdown)

Bron Breakker (c) def. Logan Paul by disqualification in an Intercontinental Championship match (April 7th Raw)

Natalya and Maxxine Dupri def. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae (c) to win the Womens' Tag Team Championships (April 14th Raw)

Bron Breakker (c) vs Sheamus ends in a no contest in a match for the Intercontinental Championship (April 14th Raw)

Street Profits (c) vs Motor City Machine Guns ends in a no contest in a WWE Tag Team Championship match (April 18th Smackdown)

Carmelo Hayes wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale last eliminating Andrade (April 18th Smackdown)

---

Location: Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada

Theme Song: "Timeless" by The Weeknd, "Ali Bomaye" by The Game (Roman Reigns vs The Rock)

Show Opening Segment

(Wrestlemania begins with Travis Scott singing The National Anthem while smoking a blunt because it would be the funniest shit ever & would be way better than him ruining the main event. Afterwards, Triple H does his usual opening hype promo before the show begins.)

Gunther vs AJ Styles

(On the March 3rd edition of Raw, Gunther interrupts a match between Pete Dunne & Dragon Lee & lays both men out. He's furious about losing his World Heavyweight title in the Elimination Chamber and demands an immediate rematch. Dragon Lee tries to fight back against Gunther but Gunther locks him in the rear choke. AJ Styles runs out for the save & nails Gunther with the Phenomenal Blitz and a sliding forearm. He tries to hit the Styles Clash but Gunther bolts and retreats up the ramp. On the March 10th edition of Raw, Gunther faces Dragon Lee in a competitive match that ends with Gunther making Dragon Lee submit in the rear choke. Once again, he keeps the choke in until Styles makes another save. On the March 17th edition of Raw, AJ Styles cuts a promo & says he's sick & tired of Gunther throwing his weight around & compensating for the fact that he lost his championship fair & square. Gunther interrupts & says at least he's a relevant world title contender while Styles hasn't held a world title since 2018. AJ reminds Gunther that he was the longest reigning world champion on Smackdown for years & says he can show Gunther why that was the case right NOW. CM Punk, the reigning World Heavyweight Champion, interrupts & says he might have a Wrestlemania title defense...but he's a fighting champion that will defend whenever against whomever. Adam Pearce later books AJ Styles vs Gunther for the main event with the winner challenging Punk for the title NEXT WEEK. AJ vs Gunther goes for about 10ish minutes before they both take a nasty bump off the top rope to the outside. Unfortunately, neither man is able to make it back in the ring & the match ends in a double count-out. CM Punk confronts Adam Pearce afterwards & says he'll defend his title against AJ AND Gunther; which Pearce sanctions. On the March 24th edition of Raw, CM Punk retains his World Heavyweight Championship after Seth Rollins lays all three men out with steel chairs...but places Punk's body over Styles'. His reasoning will be explained later. On the March 31st edition of Raw, all four men get into a confrontation that leads to a Gunther & Rollins vs Punk & Styles in a tag team match immediately afterwards. The match ends when Gunther tries to powerbomb Styles but Styles reverses with a surprise hurricanrana pin that scores him the win!!! Afterwards, Gunther assaults Styles from behind. Punk tries to make the save but Rollins also attacks him. Gunther checks Rollins & powerbombs him through the table as revenge for costing him the World title on the previous episode of Raw. On the April 7th edition of Raw, Gunther goes one-on-one with Rollins while CM Punk watches on commentary. Rollins & Punk get into a blazing argument at ringside which allows Gunther to take advantage & pins Rollins after a massive lariat. Later on in the evening, Styles attacks Gunther backstage until the two are separated by backstage officials. This leads to an official announcement that Gunther & Styles will go one-on-one at Wrestlemania. On the April 14th edition of Raw, Styles & Gunther meet in the middle of the ring and have a back-and-forth promo segment. Styles acknowledges that Gunther may be the greatest wrestler of the current generation but Styles says that a lot of people consider him to be the greatest of all time! Gunther says Styles was that at one point...but the Styles he's looking at is a shriveled up has-been who doesn't have what it takes to be a main event player anymore. Styles fires back & asks if that's what Gunther thought when he pinned him two weeks before. Gunther responds by laying Styles out with a big boot. He mounts Styles & lays into him with punches until he's busted open. Security tries to pull Gunther away, but Gunther locks Styles in the rear choke until Adam Pearce has to physically pull Gunther off of Styles.

After America the Beautiful & the official Wrestlemania fireworks display, we open with Gunther vs Styles. AJ comes out first & Gunther enters last & debuts his "Symphony No.9" theme song on the main roster. Styles vs Gunther put on a 20 minute barn burner. We see a callback where Styles counters another Gunther powerbomb into a hurricanrana but Gunther kicks out this time. In the end, Gunther clubbers Styles with a lariat & two powerbombs to defeat The Phenomenal One. Afterwards, Styles shares a moment with the crowd & shows his appreciation for their support.)

>!Gunther def. AJ Styles!<

Jade Cargill vs Naomi

(I thought the build & match was perfect. So we're not changing anything here. Jade defeats Naomi after a powerbomb & hitting Jaded.)

>!Jade Cargill def. Naomi!<

Street Profits (c) vs #DIY vs Motor City Machine Guns in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWE Tag Team Championships

(This build was ALMOST perfect. Street Profits still win the titles when they did & everything transpires as it did. However, Nick Aldis announces that this will be happening AT Wrestlemania...not the Smackdown afterwards. That was just stupid. As for the match, we're just copy and pasting the irl match into this Wrestlemania card. Street Profits retain after a banger.)

>!Street Profits (c) def. DIY and Motor City Machine Guns to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships!<

Lyra Valkyria (c) vs Bayley for the Womens' Intercontinental Championship

(Lyra Valkyria won the Womens' Intercontinental Championship on the January 13th edition of Raw in a tournament final against Dakota Kai. Since then, she has been a proud champion. On the March 3rd edition of Raw, Lyra Valkyria successfully defends against Dakota Kai in a rematch. Afterwards, Roxanne Perez comes out to challenge Lyra to a title match. On the March 10th edition of Raw, we see a vignette detailing their past from NXT that includes pre-taped interviews with both competitors talking trash about each other. Also in that night, Bayley is interviewed & she states she will be ringside during the match due to her ongoing rivalry with Perez while also hinting that she's interested in pursing the IC title. On the March 17th edition of Raw, Perez & Valkyria have a great match that ends after Valkyria hits Perez with the Nightwing & pins her to retain her title. Afterwards, Perez tries to attack Valkyria but Bayley runs in for the save. On the March 24th edition of Raw, Roxanne Perez comes out & cuts a promo to demand another match for the title. Bayley interrupts her & says Perez lost fairly & needs to go to the back of the line. They're in turn interrupted by Dakota Kai, Ivy Nile, and Raquel Rodriguez. Adam Pearce books an impromptu fatal five way with the winner challenging Valkyria for the title on the following episode of Raw. Bayley hits Rodriguez with the Rose Plant & is about to win, but Perez throws Bayley out of the ring & pins Rodriguez to steal the win. Valkyria confronts Pearce later on & asks for her defense against Perez to be conducted under 2-out-of-3 falls to leave no room for Perez to force herself into another match. On the March 31st edition of Raw, Bayley confronts Valkyria before her title defense & mentions that she had the match won. Valkyria agrees with Bayley & says whenever she retains, she'll be looking for Bayley so they can see who the better woman is. Valkyria & Bayley shake hands as Valkyria goes into her title defense. Perez & Valkyria put on a 15-20 minute barn burner that ends with Valkyria retaining once again. On the April 7th edition of Raw, Valkyria cuts a promo to celebrate her title retention & asks Bayley to join her. Bayley answers the call & Valkyria says she's someone who keeps her word & states that she consulted with Adam Pearce to grant Bayley an Intercontinental title match...at WRESTLEMANIA! The two shake hands with Valkyria about to walk off...but Bayley keeps the hand shake and pulls Valkyria in. Bayley says she respects Valkyria but says that she's taking the gold home at Wrestlemania. On the April 14th edition of Raw, Bayley faces Roxanne Perez in a blow-off match to their feud while Valkyria watches from ringside. Bayley puts Perez away with the Rose Plant to come away victorious. Afterwards, Perez almost attacks Bayley but Valkyria saves Bayley this time. Bayley offers a handshake to Valkyria & is accepted. As Bayley turns to leave, Valkyria pulls Bayley in this time and warns Bayley about her coming fate at Wrestlemania.

Bayley makes her entrance first and brings the Bayley buddies back for one night only! Lyra comes out last wearing a special valkyrie-inspired attire. As for the match, they're given 12-15 minutes to cook a gourmet technical classic. In the end, Valkyria puts Bayley away with the Nightwing to make yet another successful defense of her title. Afterwards, Valkyria and Bayley shake hands but they're suddenly interrupted by BECKY LYNCH!!! The Man returns for the first time since 2024 and makes her way down to the ring. She stares Bayley down before going eye-to-eye with Valkyria and staking her claim for the IC title.)

>!Lyra Valkyria (c) def. Bayley to retain the Womens' Intercontinental Championship!<

Solo Sikoa vs Jacob Fatu

(The rivalry between Fatu & Sikoa initially materialized when Sikoa went on his sudden departure on the January 10th edition of Smackdown. When Sikoa returned during the Rumble & on the February 7th edition of Smackdown, Fatu was especially upset that Sikoa abandoned them. As mentioned in my previous post, Fatu still keeps himself aligned with Sikoa for the time being. On the February 14th edition of Smackdown, Fatu walks out on Sikoa & Tonga due to their submission to The Rock. Throughout the rest of the episode, Tonga & Sikoa try to find Fatu & convince him to stay on their side but he's not found. Towards the end of the broadcast, Sikoa & Tonga call Fatu out to the ring. After he enters, Sikoa gaslights the hell out of him & reminds him of everything Sikoa has done for him. Sikoa brings Fatu in for a hug...which he hesitantly accepts. On the February 21st edition of Smackdown, Fatu seems fully back on Sikoa's side as he helps with the obliteration of Cody Rhodes until Braun Strowman runs in for the save. On the February 28th edition of Smackdown; Sikoa, Fatu, and Tonga come down to call Strowman out. Sikoa starts the promo off but Fatu rips the mic from his hands and calls Strowman out himself. The Monster Among Men answers the call out & fights against all three Bloodline members & runs them off. Fatu still wants a piece of Strowman but Sikoa and Tonga hold him back. Fatu yells at Sikoa & storms off. Later on, Fatu heads to his car to leave while Sikoa tries to calm him down. Fatu says he's here to take heads and kick some ass---not kiss some Final Boss' ass like a little bitch. Fatu drives off and leaves his family behind. This leads to Elimination Chamber where Fatu fully snaps and betrays Sikoa. On the March 7th edition of Smackdown, Fatu cuts a promo & tell the world he's tired of everyone telling him how to feel and what to do. He loved Solo but he abandoned his family & bent the knee to someone who's just like Roman. Fatu says from now on, he's off the chain and coming for everyone's head! Strowman interrupts and gets into Fatu's face. Strowman says he doesn't care about Fatu's family drama and just wants to kick his ass. Aldis runs out before they can come to blows & says he has a solution to appease everyone. He says that in two weeks, Strowman & Fatu will collide in a Last Man Standing match! Just then, Solo Sikoa appears in the crowd with Tama Tonga and talks shit about both guys. He says Strowman is a big dumbass & says Fatu should be on his knees begging for forgiveness because he wouldn't have a career without Solo Sikoa! Aldis cuts him off & says if that's how Sikoa feels, he can show it in the ring. Aldis books a tag match for next week with Strowman & Fatu forced to team together against Sikoa & Tonga. On the March 14th edition of Smackdown, the scheduled tag match goes ahead as planned. Sikoa goes out of his way to avoid contact with Fatu which leads to Tonga taking the pin after a double jump moonsault from Fatu. Afterwards, Fatu tries to call Sikoa in the ring but is blindsided with a powerslam by Strowman! However, Fatu stands back up a few moments later while Sikoa & even Strowman look shocked. On the March 21st edition of Smackdown, Fatu & Strowman collide in a brutal Last Man Standing match that is won by Fatu. As Fatu gingerly stands up to celebrate, Sikoa blindsides him with several Samoan Spikes until Tonga pulls him off. Even Fatu isn't able to stand after this as Sikoa berates his fallen body. On the March 28th edition of Smackdown, Sikoa comes out with Tonga & The Rock (more about him later in the post though) & Sikoa brags about beating Fatu's ass. Tama Tonga looks a bit apprehensive about Fatu's treatment which Sikoa notices. Sikoa gets in Tama's face & asks if he has anything to say. Tama tells Sikoa that Fatu might have been a problem but he didn't deserve to be attacked from behind. Tonga & Sikoa start squaring up before The Rock separates them & tells them to settle their differences later in the night one-on-one. Sikoa & Tonga make their entrances...but before they can lock up, Jacob Fatu storms his way down to the ring. Fatu runs Sikoa out of the ring while Tonga watches on. Afterwards, Fatu tells Tonga that he's better than being beside an asshole like Sikoa. Tonga nods and daps Fatu up as Sikoa backs up the apron. However, as Fatu is cussing Sikoa out, Tama Tonga BLINDSIDES Fatu from behind! Tonga & Sikoa's rift is revealed to have been a ruse as both guys decimate Fatu. It ends when they sit Fatu in the ringside corner with a chair wrapped around his head and Sikoa hits a running hip attack on Fatu; driving the chair into his face. On the April 4th edition of Smackdown, it's announced that Fatu is on the injured reserves list after the injuries mounting from his Last Man Standing match & Sikoa's repeated attacks. The Rock addresses Sikoa & Tonga to reward them for their thoroughness in taking Fatu out by giving them a tag team title match later that night. Sikoa & Tonga come close to winning the titles until an ambulance shows up on the titantron. Jacob Fatu breaks out of the back and heads down to the ring. Right then, Angelo Dawkins rolls Solo up and takes the win to retain the titles. The Street Profits bolt through the crowd as Jacob hits the ring & annihilates Sikoa & Tonga. Fatu grabs a chair from ringside and lights them up until The Rock storms down to the ring & gets in Jacob's face until ROMAN REIGNS comes out! The O.T.C. hits the ring & spears The Final Boss to a massive ovation!!! As Reigns gets back up, he comes face-to-face with Fatu. However, Fatu shoves him out of the way and clotheslines Sikoa over the top rope. This edition of Smackdown ends with The O.T.C. and The Samoan Werewolf holding the ring. On the April 11th edition of Smackdown, Reigns & Fatu have an intense staredown in the ring before they're interrupted by Rock, Sikoa, & Tama. Roman is ejected from the arena while Fatu is put in a one-on-one match against Tama Tonga. After a steady back-and-forth match, Fatu beats Tonga with the Impaler DDT. Sikoa tries to attack Fatu afterwards with the Spike, but Fatu catches it and drops Sikoa with a Samoan Drop. He attempts the double-jump moonsault but Sikoa escapes & runs off with Tonga. Fatu chases them all the way to the back. Sikoa & Tama lose Fatu once they get to the parking lot & scramble to find a car to escape in. Before they can, Fatu is found with a car of his own and speeds right towards them. Sikoa jumps out of the way but Fatu smashes his car into the one Tama is in!! Sikoa runs off as medical personnel & Nick Aldis rush to the scene. Fatu manages to walk on his own two feet but Tama Tonga is immediately rushed to the hospital as commentators speculate on what the hell is gonna happen. Between the April 11th & April 18th editions of Smackdown, WWE announces that Tama Tonga was admitted to intensive care while Jacob Fatu has been arrested by local authorities & will be extradited to the next edition of Smackdown where he will receive his severance papers from WWE for his actions. On the April 18th edition of Smackdown, Nick Aldis opens the show in the ring & says he will address the Jacob Fatu situation immediately. Fatu is escorted down to the ring in handcuffs & chains (think 2003 Kane) by several armed police officers. Aldis tells Fatu that his actions were reprehensible & unbecoming of a WWE superstar. He's about to fire Fatu but they're interrupted by Solo Sikoa. Sikoa comes down to the ring to berate Fatu & wish him well on his way to prison but is told to leave by the authorities. Sikoa ends up arguing with one of the cops until he pushes him & he also ends up in handcuffs for assaulting an officer. With wrestling logic, this ends up with The Rock pulling strings to have Sikoa and Fatu released from custody so Sikoa can beat sense into Fatu but promises that Fatu's ass will be back in prison after Sikoa wins.

Sikoa comes out first for his first ever Wrestlemania match. Fatu has a really sick entrance where he's unloaded from the back of a SWAT van and then is escorted to the ring by the police. Both guys get about 10-12 minutes to beat the crap out of each other. After that, the match ends after Fatu hits Sikoa with his own Samoan Spike, the Impaler DDT, and two double jump moonsaults; now named the Full Moonsault. Afterwards, Fatu voluntarily leaves with the police but yells at Solo that he just owned his ass in front of the world.)

>!Jacob Fatu def. Solo Sikoa!<

Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Bianca Belair for the WWE Womens' Championship

(On the March 7th edition of Smackdown, Bianca Belair cuts a promo to address the turmoil she's felt ever since Elimination Chamber with Naomi & Jade Cargill. From there, we see the same iconic Naomi/Belair segment as we did irl. Afterwards, Belair tries to calm down backstage when she's confronted by Tiffany Stratton. Stratton says if this is the Belair she faces at Wrestlemania, it'll be the easi-EST match of her life! Belair snaps and tackles Stratton to the ground until they're pulled apart by backstage security. Also during that episode, Naomi barges into Nick Aldis' office and throws her WWE Womens' Tag Team title in & says she REFUSES to tag with a "bitch" like Belair ever again! On the March 10th edition of Raw, Nia Jax and Candice LeRae win a #1 contendership match for the WWE Womens' Tag Team Championships. This takes us to the March 14th edition of Smackdown where Nick Aldis calls Bianca into his office & states that due to Naomi's refusal to defend her half of the tag team titles, he's going to have to vacate the titles & find someone else to face Nia and Candice. Bianca begs Nick for a chance to defend the titles. She says she'll find someone to join her or defend the titles on her own if she has to. Aldis is skeptical, especially with Bianca's upcoming title match, but says if Bianca can find a partner by the end of the night then she'll get her wish. Towards the end of the broadcast, Bianca is confronted by Nia and Candice who laugh at her pathetic attempt to hold onto the gold. However, they're interrupted by Tiffany Stratton! Stratton says that she'll be joining Bianca & tells Nia and Candice that she'll see them in a week. After they leave, Stratton tells Bianca that she wants the REAL Bianca back in time for Wrestlemania so she better lock in next week so they can both walk out with a title. On the March 21st edition of Smackdown, Stratton & Belair make an unlikely duo as they defend against Nia and Candice. It ends in disaster after a miscommunication after Belair "accidentally" hits Stratton. This allows Jax to capitalize & hit Stratton with the Banzai Drop to score a massive upset over the world champion & WIN the tag team championships!! Afterwards, Belair & Stratton get into a massive argument that devolves into a shoving match. Referees file out to keep it from getting physical & they succeed as Stratton storms off. On the March 28th edition of Smackdown, Stratton cuts a scathing promo against Belair & calls her out. Instead, Nia and Candice interrupt. Nia brags about taking the tag team titles but also brags about pinning her former protege. She says that since she pinned the world champion, she's entitled to a title match. So she's spoken to Nick Aldis and has been granted a WWE Womens' Championship match against Tiffany for the next edition of Smackdown...in a No Disqualification match. Tiffany says that's fine but tells Nia when she beats her...again...that she's gonna stay in the back of the line where she belongs. Later on, Belair and Stratton get into another argument backstage but they're both blindsided by Naomi!! The crazed Naomi screams in Bianca's face about abandoning her and taking Jade's side. As a result, it's also announced that Bianca will be facing Naomi in two weeks. On the April 4th edition of Smackdown, Stratton vs Jax opens the show with a brutal match. Candice runs out to interfere on Jax's behalf but Belair stops her. The match ends after Stratton counters a Banzai Drop by powerbombing Jax through a table & finishing her with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever. Stratton confronts Belair later on and says she didn't need her help. Belair and Stratton devolve into another argument until Belair walks off. On the April 11th edition of Smackdown, Bianca receives her match against Naomi while Stratton sits on commentary. After about 8-10 minutes, Belair lifts Naomi up for the KOD but Naomi grabs a turnbuckle pad & rips it off. She uses this to wiggle out and slams Belair head first into the turnbuckle in front of the ref; causing a DQ. Naomi tries to continue her assault until Stratton slides in to stop her. Naomi escapes but is also chased off by a vengeful Jade Cargill. Stratton seems to have a moment of empathy as Belair recovers and goes to check on her; but Belair NAILS her with an elbow to the nose thinking she hit Naomi. Belair looks back & realizes what she did but Tiffany, now with a bloodied nose, cusses at Bianca and storms off. On the April 18th edition of Smackdown, Belair & Stratton come face-to-face in a promo segment where they let ALL of their anger and frustration out. Belair says that she's the reason Stratton became champion in the first place & tells Tiffany she owes all of her success to her. Stratton thinks Belair is jealous that she's a better version of her when she came up. They continue to trade insults but don't get physical. Instead, Stratton holds her title up and gets face-to-face with Belair to end the segment & their Mania build.

Bianca makes her entrance first with several young black womens' dancers, including her step-daughter, cosplaying as her and performing her signature strut as she enters. Tiffany comes out last with her Barbie entrance & a new theme song. I despise her actual theme so I'm imagining she comes out to a new song that has the same vibe as Stateside by Pinkpantheress & Zara Larson. Belair & Stratton then proceed to have a fucking amazing 20-25 minute war for the world title. The match ends after Stratton flips out of the KOD, hits the cartwheel Alabama Slam, & nails Belair with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever for the win! Afterwards, Belair puts the WWE Womens' title around Stratton's waist and raises her hand as a massive show of respect.)

>!Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Bianca Belair to retain the WWE Womens' Championship!<

Drew McIntyre vs Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight

(On the March 21st edition of Smackdown, Drew McIntyre makes his return to Smackdown & distracts Damian Priest during a United States Championship match against Shinsuke Nakamura; costing him the match. Afterwards, McIntyre furthers his statement by blasting Priest with a Claymore. On the March 28th edition of Smackdown, McIntyre interrupts a promo between Cody Rhodes & John Cena. He states that he's done everything he could on Raw & is ready to take Smackdown over. He also says his fight against injustice has been "acknowledged" by the Final Boss & his recent wins (more on that in the next match) have been rewarded with a WWE title match in that night's main event! He also talks trash about Damian Priest; saying he hasn't forgotten how many times Priest screwed him over in the last year and says Priest deserved to lose his title match. Rhodes & McIntyre go on to have a really fun main event that ends after Priest makes an appearance to return the favor by costing McIntyre his match! Afterwards, Priest drills McIntyre with a South of Heaven. On the April 4th edition of Smackdown, McIntyre is interviewed & says he was going to call it even with Priest after what happened two weeks ago, but says Priest just had to get one more over on him. He reminds everyone that Priest helped screw him over at Wrestlemania 40, Clash at the Castle, Money in the Bank, and now once again last week. McIntyre promises the next time he sees Damian Priest, he's coming for blood. He doesn't have to wait long as Priest pulls up and starts fighting McIntyre. Their fight spans all over the backstage area & ends as Priest chokeslams McIntyre through a car windshield. Priest leans over McIntyre & says that he's sick of hearing McIntyre's whining and bitching. He tells McIntyre he's GLAD that he helped screw McIntyre out of his opportunities & says he just needs a time and place so he can beat McIntyre's ass once again. On the April 11th edition of Smackdown, McIntyre comes out with an eyepatch on. He says that Priest maimed him during his sneak attack last week and DEMANDS Priest be punished. Damian interrupts & says what happened to McIntyre’s eye was an accident but he’s also not losing any sleep over it. He’s also wondering where the Drew who said he was “out for blood” is because the only thing he sees in the ring is a whiny little bitch. Drew responds by daring that Damian come down to the ring. Damian obliges but security runs out to keep the two separate. Damian manages to fight his way through them but gets nailed by a Claymore as he slides into the ring. Drew grabs a pen from the commentary desk and tries to jam it into Priest’s eye but is ripped away by security. Later on, Nick Aldis angrily confronts McIntyre for trying to purposefully injure Priest then states that the two will face one another at Wrestlemania in a Sin City Street Fight! Between the April 11th and April 18th editions of Smackdown, McIntyre & Priest get into a loud argument during one of McIntyre's photo op sessions. Security has to keep the two restrained while they curse loudly at each other and throw things at each other. Nick Aldis announces on Twitter that a no contact clause has been issued for both men. He states if they come to contact with each other before Wrestlemania, the aggressor will be charged with a $500,000 fine. On the April 18th edition of Smackdown, McIntyre & Priest come face-to-face to sign the contract for their match while Nick Aldis officiates. It is very intense with both men talking shit about each other throughout. At the end of the signing, McIntyre says that it sucks that he can't physically touch Priest...but the contract says nothing about him "dropping" something & it hitting Priest. McIntyre then throws his chair right into Priest's face and runs off. Priest goes to run after him but Aldis holds him back & yells that McIntyre WILL be eating his fine. McIntyre just shrugs while backing away and says it's worth it.

McIntyre comes out first for his match looking like a badass as he's played down by a bagpipe band while adorning his eyepatch. Priest comes out second & is played down to the ring by Slayer's Kerry King. Before the match, McIntyre removes his eyepatch and reveals that his eye has fully healed. From there, we get the same match that we did irl. McIntyre gets the win after hitting Priest with a Claymore while a chair is wrapped around his head. Afterwards, Priest is carried out by medical personnel while McIntyre limps away.)

>!Drew McIntyre def. Damian Priest!<

Attendance Segment & King and Queen of the Ring Announcement:

(Before the main event goes on, Shawn Michaels makes a special appearance to announce the night's attendance as 58,538. Afterwards, the commentators announce that this year's King & Queen of the Ring event will be TWO NIGHTS from June 28th-29th. The first night will consist of the entire Queen of the Ring tournament & will host the annual Womens' Crown Jewel Championship (Womens' World Champion vs Mens' World Champion) match. The second night will host the entire King of the Ring tournament as well as the mens' Crown Jewel Championship (WWE Champ vs WHC Champ) match. Instead of the initial stages of the tournament happening on Raw & Smackdown, there will be qualifying matches that will be announced as the event draws closer.)

The Rock vs Roman Reigns in Tribal Combat

(On the March 3rd edition of Raw, Roman Reigns, along with Paul Heyman, makes his first appearance since he was put on the shelf at Royal Rumble. He says he has a lot of enemies that he needs to address. He cuts a wild promo where he trashes The Rock for being a family traitor by aligning with the other traitor Solo Sikoa & Drew McIntyre who's terrorized their family and cornered Reigns' mother. Reigns demands an answer from The Great One. The Rock makes his appearance with a giant line of security with him. Rock tells Reigns he needs to know his role & shut his mouth. The two continue to go back and forth with Reigns seemingly having the last word. However, Rock does his count-down from Bad Blood then slits his throat. As this happens, Reigns turns around into a Claymore from Drew McIntyre. Rock reminds Reigns that he is his boss and mandates that Reigns will be going one-on-one with Drew McIntyre in two weeks inside of a steel cage! Later on in the evening, McIntyre is interviewed about his match but is jumped by Jey Uso! This leads to a match between Jey & Drew on the March 10th edition of Raw; where McIntyre once again defeats Jey thanks to a distraction by The New Day (spoilers for Night Two!). This leads to a 3-on-1 attack afterwards until Reigns interferes. Reigns hits a Superman Punch on Woods & Kingston as McIntyre scampers off. Reigns & Uso come together afterwards & hit both men with a simultaneous spear. Afterwards, Reigns promises to end McIntyre inside the steel cage. On the March 17th edition of Raw, the steel cage match headlines the event with both men beating the hell out of each other. The end comes as Reigns sizes McIntyre up for a spear until THE ROCK'S MUSIC HITS! The Final Boss comes out & stares Reigns down from the ramp. This distracts Reigns enough for McIntyre to intercept him with a Claymore! McIntyre finishes Reigns off with one final Claymore and PINS REIGNS FOR THE WIN. With that victory, McIntyre has scored a pinfall victory over every O.G. Bloodline member and has achieved his goal of obtaining revenge. Rock saunters down to the ring as McIntyre leaves. The two shake hands & Rock enters the ring with his belt in hand. From there, Rock proceeds to lay a sickening assault onto Reigns as he repeatedly whips Reigns all over the cage area. He leaves visible welts all over the O.T.C.'s back that begin to bleed. He says that Reigns will pay for "fucking with The High Chief" before finishing his brutal assault with an emphatic Rock Bottom in the center of the ring. Reigns takes some time off to sell Rock's beatdown. However, Rock appears once again on the March 28th edition of Smackdown alongside Solo Sikoa & Tama Tonga. Rock dominates the initial portion of the segment as he berates Reigns for punching above his station & reminds The O.T.C. that he still answers to his High Chief. Rock explains that the High Chief holds legal authority over the Tribal Chief as the High Chief oversees multiple Samoan families per the "O le Ao o le Malo". Rock states he has superceded the elders & promises to unify the family under one undisputed leader where everyone, even the O.T.C., will acknowledge him. The rest of the segment plays out as stated before in the Fatu vs Sikoa build. Later on in the show, Paul Heyman confronts The Rock backstage. He curses Dwayne for his recent actions & promises that he will PAY. Rock laughs Heyman off before SLAPPING him across the face and walking off. On the April 4th edition of Smackdown, the events also happen exactly as previously stated---including Reigns' return to oppose The Rock. On the April 11th edition of Smackdown, Reigns opens the show alongside Heyman and addresses The Rock. Reigns acknowledges that Rock may be the High Chief but he will NEVER acknowledge a blood traitor & states the only one the Anoa'i Family needs to answer to is HIM. This is where Jacob Fatu interrupts before The Rock, Solo, and Tama come out with Rock ejecting Roman from the building. As Roman is ejected, he yells into the camera that he challenges The Rock to TRIBAL COMBAT AT WRESTLEMANIA! On the April 14th edition of Raw, The Rock & Roman Reigns come face-to-face in the middle of the ring. Rock reluctantly accepts Reigns' challenge to Tribal Combat. He states if Reigns can defeat him, he will allow Reigns free reign to run the family without his oversight. However, Rock states that WHEN he wins, Reigns will be stripped of his rank and will be forced to acknowledge The Rock in front of the world. Reigns nods & the match is set in place. Rock tries to hit Reigns from behind but Reigns anticipates it. The O.T.C. sets Rock up for a spear but Rock escapes at the final moment. On the April 18th edition of Smackdown, Reigns makes one final appearance to stress the importance of his upcoming match. The Usos make a rare Smackdown appearance to show their support for Reigns. Jey specifically mentions his ups-and-downs with Reigns but acknowledges that Reigns has changed. Reigns thanks them for their support but also says things aren't the way they used to be. Reigns says that no matter what happens at Wrestlemania, he needs to defeat The Rock on his own. He even stresses this to his Wise Man; who is noticably disappointed. He asks his cousins to respect this---which they do. However, The Rock appears on the stage at that moment & does his throat slit motion again. Immediately afterwards, about a dozen unnamed Samoans head down to the ring & jump Reigns and The Usos. The Rock saunters down to the ring & force them to tie Reigns into the ropes. Rock removes his belt and begins whipping Jimmy and Jey while Roman is forced to watch. The attack lasts an uncomfortable few minutes before Rock turns his attention to Reigns. Rock whips Reigns, drops him with the spinebuster, and delivers an emphatic FINAL, not People's, Elbow to end Smackdown standing tall.

The Night One main event takes shape with The Rock heading out first. His entrance is proceeded by a Siva Tau while he's carried out in a Polynesian-themed throne. Reigns comes out last with the same entrance he had in real life with the only difference coming when Paul Heyman adorns Reigns with the Ula Fala before heading to the back. With the pageantries out of the way, Reigns & Rock proceed to have a pure brawl. It's kinda carried by the crowd & the star power of both men in the same way Rock vs Hogan was at Mania x8. After a slower-paced brawl that's controlled by The Rock, Reigns begins to rally back and control the pacing of the match. Unfortunately, this is off-set by a low blow from Rock. From there, his beating becomes uncomfortable as he begins whipping Reigns with his belt. Between lashes, Paul Heyman rushes down with a towel and begs Reigns to let him throw it in so Reigns doesn't have to suffer anymore. However, Reigns powers through and begins absorbing Rock's lashes before grabbing the belt and lashing Rock himself. The match goes on a bit longer after this but ultimately reaches its conclusion after Reigns runs the ropes several times and puts Rock down with a massive spear to win. Afterwards, Heyman enters the ring to celebrate with Reigns & adorn him with the Ula Fala...but Reigns denies him. He says that Heyman disobeyed his direct order & orders him to hand the Ula Fala to a rising Rock. Afterwards, Reigns orders Heyman to stand outside. Reigns then comes face-to-face with Rock. With tears in his eyes, Rock adorns Reigns with the Ula Fala before hugging his cousin. Rock turns to leave before Reigns grabs him to stop him. Reigns tells Rock that they both know what tonight was & tells Rock to soak this moment in. Reigns leaves alongside a miffed Heyman while Rock stands in the ring with tears continuing to fall down his face as the fans chant "Thank you Rocky". As they do so, Rock removes his elbow pads & his boots before leaving them in the ring. He invites his family in the ring and they have a tender moment before Rock waves at the fans and leaves with his family by his side to end Night One.)

>!Roman Reigns def. The Rock!<

Title Defenses between PLEs:

Lyra Valkyria (c) def. Ivy Nile to retain the Womens’ Intercontinental Championship (February 3rd Raw)

Bron Breakker (c) def. AJ Styles to retain the Intercontinental Championship (February 3rd Raw)

Shinsuke Nakamura (c) def. Andrade in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match to retain the United States Championship (February 7th Smackdown)

Cody Rhodes (c) def. Solo Sikoa to retain the WWE Championship (February 7th Smackdown)

Bianca Belair & Naomi (c) def. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark to retain the Womens’ Tag Team Championships (February 10th Raw)

The New Day (c) def. The War Raiders in a Street Fight retain the World Tag Team Championships (February 10th Raw)

DIY (c) def. Pretty Deadly in a Valentine’s Day Makeover Brawl to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships (February 14th Smackdown)

Bron Breakker (c) def. Dominik Mysterio by disqualification in an Intercontinental Championship match after Judgment Day interferes & attacks Breakker (February 17th Raw)

Chelsea Green (c) def. Michin to retain the Womens’ United States Championship match (February 21st Smackdown)

Bianca Belair & Naomi (c) def. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez to retain the Womens’ Tag Team Championships (February 24th Raw)

—-

Gunther (c) vs CM Punk vs Drew McIntyre vs Jey Uso vs Logan Paul vs Seth Rollins in an Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship

(On the February 3rd edition of Raw, John Cena makes an appearance to announce who he intends to challenge at Wrestlemania. Gunther & Cody Rhodes come out for the annoucement. Cena puts Gunther over for putting him through the ringer when they were the final two in the Rumble, but chooses Cody. Gunther becomes incensed and attacks both men until security runs out to stop him. Adam Pearce screams at Gunther and punishes him by forcing him to defend the World Heavyweight title inside the Elimination Chamber. Later in the night, Jey Uso defeats Logan Paul & CM Punk defeats Sami Zayn in the main event to qualify. On the February 10th edition of Raw, Gunther opens Raw to complain about how unfair it is that he has to defend his title in the Chamber. CM Punk & Jey Uso interrupt him. Punk says Gunther got lucky at SNME and promises to rectify his loss by becoming the new World Champion. Later on, Drew McIntyre defeats Penta to qualify. However, Jey Uso runs out to attack McIntyre after the bell as revenge for the hell McIntyre has put the Bloodline through. In the main event, Seth Rollins defeats AJ Styles to qualify. Rollins yells in the camera that he's winning HIS title back. On the February 17th edition of Raw, Logan Paul defeats AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, and Penta in a Second Chance Fatal Four Way to open the show & qualify. The main event segment sees every competitor enter the ring & tell the world why they're going to win. The segment deteriorates into a brawl after McIntyre tells Uso he's going to end up on the shelf just like Roman. After each guy hits each other with their finisher, Logan Paul somehow ends up on top & ends Raw holding up the World Heavyweight title. On the February 24th edition of Raw; the opening match shows Gunther, McIntyre, & Paul teaming against Punk, Rollins, and Uso in a six-man tag. Rollins refuses to cooperate with his teammates and walks out on the match. This leads to McIntyre hitting Uso with the Claymore to score the win. McIntyre crashes out even more when he hits Gunther, Punk, and Paul with Claymores. Rollins tries to sneak in and curb stomp McIntyre but he also gets laid out. McIntyre ends the segment holding the World Heavyweight title up.

The match ends up being one of the most exciting Chambers in recent memory. CM Punk & Seth Rollins begin the match & immediately beat the crap out of each other. Gunther enters as the third competitor. Jey Uso comes in as the fourth man. In a complete shock, Gunther is the first man eliminated after Rollins hits him with a Stomp, Jey hits him with the Uso Splash, and Punk finishes him with a GTS to eliminate him & guarantee a new World Heavyweight Champion!!! Once Gunther regains his bearings, he completely freaks out and lays Punk, Rollins, and Uso out before being escorted from the ring. Paul enters the ring as the fifth entrant and poses over the fallen bodies around him. McIntyre enters as the final entrant. The second elimination comes when McIntyre hits Jey with the Claymore & pins him. The next elimination comes when Rollins hits Paul with the Stomp to eliminate him. Punk, Rollins, and McIntyre have a great triple threat that lasts about 10 minutes. McIntyre is about to Claymore Punk but Punk counters into a GTS & pins Drew! With that, Punk & Rollins are the final two. Punk begins getting back up but is nailed by a Stomp from Rollins---but it's only two! They go back-and-forth for several more minutes before Punk hits Rollins with a GTS that rebounds Rollins off the ropes followed by ANOTHER GTS! Punk covers Rollins and PINS HIM FOR THE WIN!!!! CM PUNK IS THE NEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!!! Punk celebrates to a massive ovation from the Toronto crowd with confetti and streamers while a furious Rollins looks on with envy.)

CM Punk def. Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Logan Paul, Seth Rollins, and Gunther (c) in an Elimination Chamber match to win the World Heavyweight Championship

Chelsea Green (c) vs Michin in a Toronto Street Fight for the Womens' United States Championship

(Green & Michin's rivalry has progressed for several months at this point. On the February 7th edition of Smackdown, Michin is interviewed where she mentions that she eliminated Chelsea Green from the Rumble & wants one more match for her US title. Chelsea interrupts & tells Michin that she has had PLENTY of opportunities and decrees an "executive order" for Michin to go to the back of the line. On the same episode of Smackdown, Zelina Vega defeats Piper Niven and issues a challenge on her end to face Chelsea for the title. On the February 14th edition of Smackdown, Nick Aldis addresses both womens' claims and books them in a tag team match against Chelsea & Piper where Michin will earn a title match if they win. Michin promises to give Zelina the first crack at the title when she wins. Michin & Zelina win that match after Michin pins Chelsea with Eat Defeat. On the February 21st edition of Smackdown, Chelsea defends against Michin & retains thanks to interference from Piper. On the February 28th edition of Smackdown in Toronto, Chelsea holds a "presidential address" that she addresses as a babyface to the Canadian crowd. However, Michin & Zelina disrupt it and attacks Chelsea and Piper with a singapore cane. They continue hitting both women with the cane until Chelsea gives Michin a rematch; which she does. It's later announced to be a Toronto Street Fight that will END the rivalry between Michin and Chelsea for the forseeable future.

The match proceeds with Chelsea continuing to play the babyface for the Toronto crowd while Michin plays the heel. Both women put on a really physical fight to satisfyingly conclude their months-long feud. Chelsea hits Michin with the Unpretti-her & looks to score the 3-count until Zelina Vega runs in & pulls the ref out. Zelina hits the ring and begins double-teaming Chelsea alongside Michin until Piper Niven runs out for the save. Niven takes both women out & fights with Zelina through the crowd. Chelsea tries to fight back with another Unpretti-her but Michin hits her with the low blow! Michin, unsatisfied with the damage she's done, grabs a kendo stick and looks to beat Chelsea senseless until someone in a suit grabs it from her hands??? IT'S ALBA FYRE! Fyre throws the singapore cane to Chelsea and SALUTES HER! Chelsea smirks evilly and beats the hell out of Michin with the cane & finishes it off by locking her in a crossface while using the cane for the submission win.)

Chelsea Green (c) def. Michin to retain the Womens' United States Championship

Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Trish Stratus for the WWE Womens’ Championship

(On the February 7th edition of Smackdown, Stratton comes down to the ring to celebrate her title retention over Nia Jax. She's interrupted by Bianca Belair. Belair grabs a mic to seemingly choose Stratton as her Wrestlemania opponent but they're suddenly interrupted by Trish Stratus! Stratus tells Belair not to be so sure that she'll be facing Stratton at Wrestlemania because she's officially challenging Stratton to a dream match for the title. Stratton accepts & gets into Stratus' face as Belair leaves with plenty to think about. On the February 14th edition of Smackdown, Stratus opens the show to cut a promo about her challenge to Stratton. She has a clip played where Stratton confronted her backstage at Money in the Bank 2024. Stratus says she hasn't forgotten Stratton's disrespect when they were last in Toronto and promises to beat some respect into her when they return to Toronto. She's interrupted by Nia Jax & Candice LeRae. Jax tells Stratus that fossils like her can't just walk into WWE and demand a title match...they have to earn it. Stratus offers to beat Jax up. Jax declines but says that Candice would be more than happy to face her. Stratus and Candice have a decent 7 minute match that ends after Stratus hits LeRae with the Chick Kick. Jax tries to attack Stratus afterwards but Stratton runs out for the save. Despite the help, Stratton shows no signs of remorse for her previous disrespect and warns Stratus that she's going to put her to pasture in front of her home town crowd. On the February 21st edition of Smackdown, Stratus does not appear but Stratton makes a huge statement. Stratton cuts a vicious promo that cuts Stratus down at every turn. She says Stratus has no business being in a world championship match in 2025. Stratton states that not only will she beat Stratus in front of her home crowd, but she will EMBARRASS her so badly that Stratus never shows her face in WWE again. Unfortunately, Jax & LeRae once again appear and blindside Stratton. On the February 28th edition of Smackdown in Toronto, Stratus and Stratton reluctantly join forces against Jax & LeRae. At the end of the match, Stratton goes for the PME onto Jax but Stratus tags herself in while Stratton jumps on the ropes. The ref refuses to count when Stratton pins Jax while Stratus enters & the two argue. Stratton leaves while Jax stumbles back to her feet in time for Stratus to hit Jax with Stratusfaction to score the win. Afterwards, Stratton gets back in the ring, gets in Stratus' face, and shoves her. Stratus responds with a vicious SLAP right in Stratton's jaw. The two women begin fighting until Stratus lays Stratton out with the Chick Kick. Stratus picks up the WWE Womens' title & poses to a huge pop in front of her home crowd.

As for the match, it plays very similarly to their irl Evolution match. However, Stratton leans into being a full heel due to Toronto's love for Stratus while Stratus is the uber-popular babyface. The match ends when Stratus goes for a moonsault...but is countered by Stratton leading into an Alabama Slam and a PME for the win. While the crowd isn't happy to see Stratus' loss, they warm up when Stratton helps Stratus back to her feet & raises her hand to finally show some respect. Stratton leaves the ring to Stratus & allows her to soak in the love from the Toronto faithful. As another note, Bianca Belair will confront Tiffany Stratton before the womens' chamber and officially declare her challenge to her for Wrestlemania. With this, Bianca Belair vs Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Womens' Championship is OFFICIALLY set.)

Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Trish Stratus to retain the WWE Womens' Championship

Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn in an Unsanctioned match

(I'm gonna be real with y'all. I'm changing nothing about the build or the match...except for maybe adding some blood. A bloodied Owens wins after hitting several apron powerbombs onto a bloodied Zayn. Afterwards, Owens tries to further attack Zayn until RANDY ORTON RETURNS FROM INJURY! The Viper RKO's Owens then tries to punt him but Nick Aldis runs out with security to stop it. Orton RKO's everyone, including Aldis, as Owens escapes from his ass-whooping.)

Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn

Alexa Bliss vs Bayley vs Charlotte Flair vs Liv Morgan vs Naomi vs Roxanne Perez in an Elimination Chamber match to determine the #1 Contender for the Womens’ World Championship

(Elimination Chamber qualifiers begin on the February 3rd edition of Raw as Liv Morgan defeats Iyo Sky after botched interference from Rhea Ripley. On the February 7th edition of Smackdown, Charlotte Flair defeats NXT's Lash Legend while Alexa Bliss defeats Candice LeRae to advance. On the February 10th edition of Raw, Bayley defeats Dakota Kai, her former Damage CTRL ally, to advance. On the February 14th edition of Smackdown, Naomi defeats NXT's Jaida Parker while interestingly using the Jaded as her finisher. The final entrant is determined on the February 17th edition of Raw when NXT's Roxanne Perez defeats Raquel Rodriguez. On the February 21st edition of Smackdown, Alexa Bliss scores a shocking victory over Charlotte Flair after turning the Figure Eight into a small package. A furious Charlotte assaults Bliss but Bliss fights her back. On the February 24th edition of Raw, we see a preview of Elimination Chamber with two separate matches. Firstly, Bayley faces Roxanne Perez one-on-one & loses after Roxanne rolls her up while holding her tight. Secondly, the main event sees Naomi & Bianca Belair defending their Womens' Tag Team Championships against Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez. The evidence Naomi & Bianca found over the last few months strongly suggested that Liv & Raquel attacked Jade Cargill with them requesting this match as a result. After a FANTASTIC main event, Bianca lays Raquel AND Liv out with the K.O.D. & tags Naomi in who pins Liv after the split-legged moonsault. Afterwards, they cut a promo where Naomi promises to win the Elimination Chamber & win championship gold alongside Bianca who won the Royal Rumble. On the February 28th edition of Smackdown, a six woman tag team match takes place in the main event between Alexa Bliss, Bayley, and Naomi facing Liv Morgan, Roxanne Perez, and Charlotte Flair. The match ends after Bayley pins Roxanne after a Rose Plant for revenge from Raw. The show ends with each woman hitting their finishers on each other until Charlotte Flair stands tall & calls Tiffany Stratton & Rhea Ripley out; yelling that she's coming for gold.

Naomi & Liv Morgan look to open the match but JADE CARGILL MAKES HER RETURN! In a shock twist, Cargill goes after Naomi and beats her ass all over the chamber until medics have to come out & carry Naomi away. As Cargill heads up the ramp, a confused and sobbing Bianca Belair runs out & confronts her. Cargill simply stares her down and keeps walking. With no one to face Liv, she yells at everyone currently in their chamber and enjoys her time alone until Bayley comes in as the third entrant. Bayley & Liv have a great back-and-forth until Roxanne Perez comes in at #4. Perez & Morgan briefly double-team Bayley before Morgan turns on Perez. #5 is revealed as Alexa Bliss who comes in like a house of fire. The final entrant is Charlotte Flair. A few minutes go by before Morgan hits Bayley with Oblivion for the elimination. Roxanne Perez is the next to go after being trapped in the Figure Eight by Charlotte. However, Bliss almost immediately rolls Flair up into a bridge AND SCORES ANOTHER PIN OVER HER!! Flair freaks the hell out & attacks Bliss before being escorted away. Morgan seems to have the match in her clutches & hits Bliss with the diving codebreaker but ONLY GETS A ONE COUNT! Bliss deviously begins to get back to her feet but Morgan puts that down with another Oblivion to score the pin & win the Elimination Chamber! Liv celebrates afterwards but is confronted by Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, who will be challenging Rhea Ripley for the Womens' World Championship on the Raw after Elimination Chamber. Liv gets in both of their faces and promises that she'll be front and center to watch them fight.)

Liv Morgan def. Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, & Roxanne Perez to become the #1 Contender for the Womens' World Championship

Cody Rhodes (c) vs The Rock for the WWE Championship

(On the February 7th edition of Smackdown, Cody Rhodes opens the show to talk about retaining his WWE Championship while also addressing his upcoming Wrestlemania match with John Cena. He's suddenly interrupted by Solo Sikoa. Sikoa tells Rhodes that he has been granted a WWE Championship match TONIGHT. Rhodes is confused on how Sikoa earned it but is hit with a Spike. With his injuries mounting, his status is put into question. Sikoa is also confronted by Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga backstage for his sudden departure. Sikoa just says that everything has been made clear to him & asks Fatu & Tonga to watch him beat Cody Rhodes in the main event. Rhodes retains against Sikoa in the main event. However, he's attacked afterwards by Fatu, Tonga, and Sikoa. Sikoa tells them to hold Rhodes & force him to watch the entrance way....as THE ROCK COMES OUT! Sikoa holds his one up in the air while Fatu & Tonga seem confused but still do as Sikoa asks. Rock slaps Rhodes in the face, spits in it, and then drills him with the Rock Bottom. Afterwards, Rock holds the WWE title high above his head. On the February 14th edition of Smackdown, the show opens with Sikoa, Fatu, and Tonga in the ring as Sikoa announces The Rock down to the ring. Rock comes out as Sikoa acknowledges him. Rock cuts a promo where he reminds everyone that he promised to make Cody's life a living hell if he turned him down. After going through his reasons for hating Cody, Rock says he is using his TKO powers to book a match. He says he normally only does business at the grandest stage of them all...but his hatred for Cody Rhodes will not allow him to wait any longer so he says he will be challenging Cody Rhodes for the WWE title at ELIMINATION CHAMBER! Sikoa and Tonga proceed to acknowledge Rock but Jacob is disgusted & walks off. (I'll wait to go into the rest of Fatu & Sikoa's story until I write out Wrestlemania. Just know it continues to develop.) On the February 21st edition of Smackdown, Cody returns from the brutal attack by The Rock & cuts a fiery and passionate promo. He says that he has been champion for 10 months now & has lost mentors, his best friends, and now he's continuing to rehash the same bullshit from one year ago. Cody says he's sick of TKO, he's sick of The Bloodline, and he's especially sick of The Rock. Cody tells Rock that he'll see him at Elimination Chamber...but he's not coming for a wrestling match, he's coming to beat Dwayne's ass. Later on in the night, Nick Aldis tells Cody that he's received a mandate from the powers above him that state Cody has to wrestle tonight. Cody asks who his opponent is but even Aldis doesn't know. In the main event, Cody comes out & his opponent is revealed as...The Miz? Cody's confused but puts down The Awesome One in a few minutes. As Cody celebrates, Aldis appears on the screen and says he's been informed that Cody must wrestle AGAIN. Carmelo Hayes comes out this time & puts up a better fight than Miz but still loses. Cody celebrates again...until Aldis appears again. Aldis apologizes but tells Cody he must now wrestle in a handicap match. Los Garzas come out and really wear Cody down. However, the champ nails them both with a Double Cross Rhodes to win. Cody doesn't even begin to celebrate because he knows Aldis will be on the screen again. When he does appear, Aldis says that Cody has one more match left when Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, and Tama Tonga come out. Fatu is revealed to be Rhodes' opponent & he just destroys Rhodes. There are several moments where Fatu clearly has Cody beaten but Fatu refuses to end the punishment. Fatu hits Rhodes with several moonsaults until the referee calls the match off. The Bloodline are about to continue their destruction of Rhodes until BRAUN STROWMAN RETURNS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SATURDAY NIGHT'S MAIN EVENT! Strowman neutralizes Tonga & Sikoa and clotheslines Fatu over the top rope. Medical personnel try to help Cody but he refuses it. Instead, Cody talks into the camera & tells Rock if he wants to take him out, he hasn't even come close to stopping him. On the February 28th edition of Smackdown, Cody & Rock come face-to-face on equal footing for the first time since the Raw Netflix Premiere. Rock says even he has to respect Cody for surviving everything Rock has put him through...but he hasn't gotten one over on The Final Boss yet. Rock reminds Cody that he pinned him at Wrestlemania last year & says history WILL repeat itself. Cody remains defiant & tells Rock that he represents everything that he hates. Cody calls Rock a fake, plastic, corporate shell of a former great. Cody says Rock put him through hell because Rock knows he doesn't hold a candle to Cody in a fair one-on-one fight because Rock just doesn't have IT anymore. Rock is pissed & tells Cody that come Elimination Chamber, he will be going one-on-one with The Great One...and only The Great One. Rock also promises when he secures the WWE Championship one final time, he will hand it to someone who represents Rock's vision better than Cody ever could. Rock tries to pull a fast one by going for Rock Bottom onto Cody, but Cody escapes and DRILLS ROCK WITH CROSS RHODES! Despite that, Cody is still clearly hurt going into Elimination Chamber and gingerly stands over one of his greatest foes.

We see a segment right before Cody's entrance where John Cena stops him. The two stare down before Cena nods and wishes Cody luck. Then we transition into the match that ends up as a slow-build with Cody trying to build momentum throughout but Rock uses Cody's mounting injuries to stop him in his track. Cody shows exactly why he's the new face of the company & mounts his comeback against The Great One. Unfortunately, this causes Rock to go back on his word & he calls for interference. Carmelo Hayes, The Miz, & Los Garzas hit the ring & unleash a four-on-one attack while Rock threatens the referee if he dares to disqualify him. However, John Cena rushes down and neutralizes Rock's entourage. Cena nods at Cody before leaving him to finish his fight. Cody & Rock begin fighting once again & Cody nails Rock with a Cross Rhodes. Before he can pin Rock, Solo Sikoa hits the ring and spikes Cody. However, Jacob Fatu hits the ring at this point. Solo & Rock believe Jacob is going to join them...but Jacob just yells that he hates Solo and attacks his former Tribal Chief!! Rock tries to intervene but Jacob nails him with a Samoan Drop!!! Jacob follows up with a double jump moonsault on both men before leaving Cody to finish the job. Cody almost pins Rock but only gets a two count. From there, Cody sizes Rock up & nails two Cross Rhodes' BUT DREW MCINTYRE INTERFERES AND CLAYMORES CODY!!! Drew helps Rock, who commentary emphasizes as the man who resigned Drew to WWE in 2024, back to his feet. Rock gingerly sets Cody up for the People's Elbow BUT ROMAN FUCKING REIGNS MAKES HIS RETURN!!! The O.T.C. rushes down and drills McIntyre with a Superman Punch & a Spear...before locking eyes with The Rock. Reigns & Rock stare each other down as the crowd absolutely loses their shit. Rock extends his hand to Roman and says that he has the chance to get his revenge on the man who took his title at Wrestlemania 40. Roman ponders it before taking Rock's handshake. The two alpha males come together & Roman tells Rock to pick Cody up. Rock obliges as Roman sets up for the spear...but ROMAN SPEARS ROCK INSTEAD!!! The crowd explodes as Rock sells as if he's been shot while Roman just simply basks in what he's done. After a moment, Roman tells Cody to finish it & leaves. From there, Cody drags Rock up & hits one final Cross Rhodes to end the match and RETAIN THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP. After surviving a war very reminiscent to Bloodline Rules, Cody celebrates as he finally gets his win back over on The Rock and leaves The Bloodline in his rear view mirror for good. The commentators officially announce that Cody Rhodes vs John Cena is on for Wrestlemania. But while this happens, The Rock stares DAGGERS into Roman Reigns who is simply watching from the entrance ramp.

Cody Rhodes (c) def. The Rock to retain the WWE Championship

CONFIRMED WRESTLEMANIA MATCHES:

Cody Rhodes (c) vs John Cena for the WWE Championship

Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Bianca Belair for the WWE Womens' Championship

Rhea Ripley or Iyo Sky (c) vs Liv Morgan for the Womens' World Championship

I hope you guys enjoyed the wait as we continue into Wrestlemania. If you have any further predictions for what Mania is gonna look like, please put them down below!!

(I was gonna wait until tomorrow to post this. But since I kept a lot of people waiting, I think it's fair to get a double post out today. I hope it was worth the wait. 😄)

Entrant #1: Rey Mysterio

Entrant #2: Penta

(Penta & Rey build on the dream match potential of them facing each other & put on a great showcase of lucha libre to begin the match.

Entrant #3: Chad Gable

(Gable continues his crusade against the art of lucha libre & wears Penta & Rey down.)

Entrant #4: Carmelo Hayes

(Melo shows out & matches Gable with his technical wrestling & also flies high with Penta & Rey.)

Entrant #5: Solo Sikoa

(The former "Tribal Chief" makes his first appearance since his loss to Roman Reigns in Tribal Combat & is on a mission. He lays everyone out with spinning Solos & Samoan Spikes.)

Entrant #6: Otis

(Alpha Academy's Otis makes his way down to the ring & faces off against Sikoa. Sikoa tries to move the 300 pounder with a shoulder block but Otis is unmoved. Otis begins his own dominant streak by suplexing and slamming everyone.

Entrant #7: Gunther (World Heavyweight Champion)

(On Saturday Night's Main Event, it's officially announced that Gunther will be taking the Champion's Gambit & enters the Royal Rumble. Gunther meets everyone with stiff strikes and chops. He specifically gets in Chad Gable's face as a throwback to their previous rivalry.)

Entrant #8: Bron Breakker (Intercontinental Champion)

(Bron sprints down to the ring and immediately starts racking bodies. Melo tries to springboard onto Breakker but gets speared & eliminated. Breakker immediately capitalizes by hitting Otis with a spear and throws him out too. Gunther & Breakker size each other up and start trading blows.)

Otis and Carmelo Hayes eliminated by Bron Breakker

Entrant #9: Akira Tozawa

(Tozawa excitedly begins his entrance but an angry Carmelo Hayes lays him out on the entrance stage. Medical staff rush out to attend to Tozawa & carry him back to gorilla. Triple H deems that he isn't fit to compete and panics...until he sees iShowSpeed streaming. HHH yells at Speed to go out and compete & Speed listens AND HEADS OUT TO THE RING.)

Actually Entrant #9: iShowSpeed

(Speed streams as he heads down to the ring...but soon finds himself between Bron Breakker and Gunther. Gunther looks at him with disgust and yells that Speed being in his ring is disgracing his sport. Speed tries to beg for mercy but eats a chop to the chest. Speed barely gets up but gets slammed by Breakker. Breakker and Gunther start taking turns punishing Speed; trying to one-up each other as they go. Finally, Breakker puts the exclamation point down when he runs the ropes and SPEARS Speed! Breakker finally puts an end to Speed's suffering and gorilla presses him out of the ring onto the announce desk! Immediately, Gunther tries to eliminate Breakker but he hangs on.)

iShowSpeed eliminated by Bron Breakker

Entrant #10: Sheamus

(The Celtic Warrior runs down and beats the hell out of everyone in sight. He specifically faces off with Breakker and gets him in the ropes for about 20 Beats of the Bodrhan.)

Entrant #11: Jimmy Uso

(Big Jim comes out and targets Solo Sikoa.)

Entrant #12: Andrade

(Andrade shows out with an acrobatic exchange against Penta & Rey.)

Entrant #13: Jacob Fatu

(The Samoan Werewolf comes out and immediately wrecks house; eliminating Chad Gable, Andrade, and Rey Mysterio. Fatu also has a tense moment with Solo Sikoa after Sikoa walked out on him, but ultimately pledges allegiance to his leader.)

Chad Gable, Andrade, and Rey Mysterio eliminated by Jacob Fatu

Entrant #14: Ludwig Kaiser

(Kaiser runs to the ring to join Gunther. Both men join together & double team Penta and Sheamus. Kaiser grabs Penta to throw him out but Penta reverses Kaiser's momentum and ELIMINATES HIM! Kaiser is in shock on the outside while Gunther death stares at him.)

Ludwig Kaiser eliminated by Penta

Entrant #15: The Miz

(Miz runs out to join the fray.)

Entrant #16: Sami Zayn

(The Honorary Uce runs out to help Jimmy Uso out with Solo and Jacob. Zayn and Jimmy come together and briefly turn the tides by laying Solo and Jacob out. They even hit Jacob with the 1D. Sami and Jimmy celebrate...until Jacob stands right back up and lays them out. Fatu seems unstoppable at this point.)

Entrant #17: Roman Reigns

(The O.T.C. makes his way down to the ring for his first Rumble match since 2020. He and Fatu come face-to-face but it's broken up by Miz attacking Reigns and Sheamus attacking Fatu. Fatu and Reigns eliminate their attackers before coming face-to-face again. Sikoa hits Reigns from behind & double teams Reigns alongside Fatu. However, Sami and Jimmy are recovered and help Roman fight back. Reigns hits Sikoa with a spear & eliminates him. Fatu looks down at Sikoa with disappointment as he sits in disbelief.

Sheamus eliminated by Jacob Fatu, The Miz eliminated by Roman Reigns, and Solo Sikoa eliminated by Roman Reigns

Entrant #18: Logan Paul

(The Maverick takes his time coming down. While he does so, Bron Breakker tries to eliminate Reigns and runs the ropes for a spear but Reigns catches Breakker with one of his own and throws him out! Breakker recovers in time for him to cross paths with Paul. Paul laughs at Breakker's expense...so Breakker hits Paul from behind! He rams Paul into the steps then runs all around the ring to hit Paul with a spear! Breakker grabs a limp Paul & tosses him in the ring. Almost immediately, Penta clotheslines Paul over the top AND ELIMINATES HIM!

Bron Breakker eliminated by Roman Reigns and Logan Paul eliminated by Penta

Entrant #19: Finn Balor

(Judgment Day's Prince heads down the ring and joins the action.)

Entrant #20: Shinsuke Nakamura (United States Champion)

(The United States Champion joins the match & has a very stiff encounter with Penta. Before the next entry, Jacob Fatu goes on another tear and takes Reigns, Zayn, and Jimmy out all on his own. He caps it off by eliminated Zayn and Jimmy before staring at Reigns like a lion looks at a piece of steak.)

Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso eliminated by Jacob Fatu

Entrant #21: Jey Uso

(Main Event Jey rushes down and helps Reigns with Fatu. They hit Fatu with another 1D & a double spear before Reigns grabs Fatu and finally eliminates the monster. Another elimination also happens when Gunther throws Penta out of the match; ending his iron man run.)

Jacob Fatu eliminated by Roman Reigns and Penta eliminated by Gunther

Entrant #22: Drew McIntyre

(The Scottish Psychopath enters the match & Reigns IMMEDIATELY bolts out of the ring and meets McIntyre before he can make it halfway down to the ring. Reigns and McIntyre beat the hell out of each other; their hatred spilling over after McIntyre attacked Reigns at the Raw Netflix Premiere, yelled at his elderly mother, and tormented his family for weeks leading into the Rumble. Jey is conflicted on whether to step in but has his choice removed when Gunther grabs him from behind and locks him in the sleeper. McIntyre and Reigns' brawl spans throughout the arena for a while as more entrants come out. A side-by-side camera will occasionally catch us up with their fight until they return.)

Entrant #23: LA Knight

(LA Knight rushes down to the ring with the fans firmly behind him.)

Entrant #24: Dominik Mysterio

(Dirty Dom comes down and joins up with Finn Balor.)

Entrant #25: Joe Hendry

(Hendry makes his entrance to a tremendous ovation. Dominik Mysterio gets in his face so Joe drills Dom with a haymaker. Balor tries to come in for the save but Hendry grabs Balor and drills him with the Standing Ovation! Hendry capitalizes and eliminates Balor for a big pop. Unfortunately, Dom sneaks behind Hendry and tosses him out to cut his run short. Dom soaks in the heat for being such a bastard.)

Entrant #26: Damian Priest

(The Wepa King comes out and makes a statement when he drills Dom with the South of Heaven. Shinsuke Nakamura also tries to attack Priest but it backfires as Priest throws Nakamura out! Also at some point, McIntyre knocks Reigns out backstage and uses the opportunity to return to the ring & officially enter the Rumble. McIntyre and Jey naturally go after each other.)

Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated by Damian Priest

Entrant #27: John Cena

(The GOAT makes an emotional entrance; knowing this will be his final Royal Rumble. Cena comes ready with clotheslines for everyone in the ring. Dom tries to be a little rat but ends up as a victim of the Five Moves of Doom. Dom escapes the AA and dropkicks Cena into the ropes for a 619...but Cena catches Dom in the middle of the 619 and muscles him up for an AA OUT OF THE RING for the elimination!)

Dominik Mysterio eliminated by John Cena

Entrant #28: AJ Styles

(The Phenomenal One makes a shocking return after missing several months of action due to injury. Styles hits his signature offense before coming face-to-face with John Cena. Cena & Styles trade words while the crowd gets louder and the clock runs down.)

Entrant #29: CM Punk

(The Best in the World comes out to a huge ovation & immediately gets involved in the staredown between Styles and Cena. Cena and Styles trade words, Cena and Punk trade words, and Punk and Styles trade words. It seems that they're going to collide until the final entrant makes his way out.)

Entrant #30: Seth Rollins

(The Visionary makes his entrance & goes straight after CM Punk. With all entrants now entered, the chaos truly begins now.)

REMAINING COMPETITORS: Gunther, Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, LA Knight, Damian Priest, John Cena, AJ Styles, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins

(We go two or three minutes until the next elimination as McIntyre throws Jey Uso out of the ring. McIntyre smirks and yells at the camera that he's ended The Bloodline's chances of winning. However, the crowd pops as an injured Roman Reigns returns to the ring! Reigns and McIntyre finally face off in the ring with Reigns beating McIntyre's ass. Reigns goes for a spear on McIntyre but McIntyre moves out of way so Reigns hits Rollins instead! McIntyre grabs Reigns and tries to throw him out but Reigns hangs on and stands on the apron. McIntyre tries to throw Roman out but Reigns muscles McIntyre out and ELIMINATES HIM!

Jey Uso eliminated by Drew McIntyre and Drew McIntyre eliminated by Roman Reigns

(McIntyre rages and tries to get at Reigns but referees and security hold him back. Afterwards, Roman re-enters the ring and goes on a dominant spree. He spears Damian Priest & eliminates him. Then he does the same to LA Knight. This marks our final six as Reigns, Gunther, Cena, Styles, Punk, and Rollins. We get a moment to take in the star power before everyone sections off into their own fights.)

Damian Priest and LA Knight eliminated by Roman Reigns

(After a minute or two, our next elimination comes when AJ Styles is about to go for a Phenomenal Forearm...but Gunther trips him up and knocks him out for the elimination.)

AJ Styles eliminated by Gunther

(Afterwards, all five guys fight amongst themselves to a near-stalemate. We get to a point where we see a staredown between Reigns & Rollins before they target each other. CM Punk also gets involved and we get a cool sequence where Punk hits Reigns with the GTS, Rollins hits Punk with the Curb Stomp, and Reigns hits Rollins with the spear. This devolves a few minutes later with Punk & Rollins fighting by the ropes and looking to eliminate each other...but John Cena runs up and throws them BOTH out! Punk & Rollins remain focused on each other and continue brawling.

CM Punk and Seth Rollins eliminated by John Cena

(This leaves our final three as Roman Reigns, John Cena, and Gunther. Reigns establishes himself as in control & goes to spear Gunther...but McIntyre runs back in and CLAYMORES REIGNS! A staggered Gunther takes advantage and throws Reigns out to eliminate the OTC! Afterwards, McIntyre continues his attack since most of security and referees are busy trying to keep Punk & Rollins separated. McIntyre slams Reigns' head into the steel steps several times before hitting the Claymore; driving Reigns' head into the steel. Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis run out to stop McIntyre and only arrive after the Claymore. McIntyre willingly leaves with his mission completed.

Roman Reigns eliminated by Gunther

(Our final two competitors are Gunther, the World Heavyweight Champion, and John Cena. The end of the match is a mini-match that spans 5-10 minutes and mainly consists of Gunther wearing Cena down with his brutal offense. Cena works his way back up and hits the Five Moves of Doom onto Gunther. Cena lifts Gunther for the AA but Gunther slides out and hits a German Suplex on Cena. Gunther follows by locking Cena in the rear naked choke. Cena nearly fades after a minute or two but fights to his feet and manages to hit the AA onto Gunther. Cena grabs Gunther and throws him out...but Gunther survives! Cena goes to finish the job but Gunther traps Cena in the front facelock and tries to heave him out of the ring. Gunther succeeds in getting Cena to the apron but Cena isn't out yet. The two make it back to their feet & trade blows: chops from Gunther and haymakers from Cena. Cena looks to lift Gunther up for another AA but Gunther begins elbowing Cena's neck to escape. Gunther continues to hammer the elbows into Cena...but CENA'S RESLIANCE SHINES THROUGH AS HE LIFTS GUNTHER UP ANYWAYS AND AA'S HIM TO THE FLOOR!!! JOHN CENA HAS WON HIS THIRD ROYAL RUMBLE! The crowd erupts as the Greatest of All Time collapses into the ring. He takes a moment to compose himself before celebrating. The 2025 Royal Rumble PLE comes to a close with Cena posing on the second turnbuckle and pointing at the Wrestlemania sign...one final time.)

2025 MENS' ROYAL RUMBLE WINNER: JOHN CENA (#27)

(Sorry for the delay. I've been very unmotivated lately but I'm trying to get myself back into it.)

---

The War Raiders (c) vs The New Day for the World Tag Team Championships

(On the January 13th edition of Raw, The War Raiders approach Adam Pearce in his office & demand competition. Pearce books a #1 Contendership Four Way for the next episode of Raw with the winner earning a title shot for the week after that. On the January 20th edition of Raw, The New Day defeats Alpha Academy, American Made, and Rey Mysterio/Dragon Lee to earn a match against The War Raiders. They cut a promo afterwards where New Day promises to reach the top of the tag team division once again & prove they can do it without that crippled bum Big E. The War Raiders come out & get in their faces...but The New Day backs off without a fight. On the January 27th edition of Raw, The New Day & The War Raiders have their title match but it ends in shenanigans. Xavier Woods brings in a chair to hit Erik but Ivar rips it away and backs Woods into a corner. However, the ref recovers from an earlier bump & sees Ivar with the chair & disqualifies the War Raiders. All four guys are pissed and complain to Adam Pearce. Pearce agrees to book a rematch & schedules it for the Royal Rumble.

The tag match almost falls victim to the same outcome when Woods grabs a chair from ringside & brings it in. This time, the referee spots Woods with the chair and rips it from him. As the ref disposes of the chair, Woods kicks Ivar with a low blow. Erik tries to interfere but Kofi takes him out on the outside. Woods tags Kofi in & the two debut a new finish where Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise to the back of Ivar's head while Woods catches it into Eat Defeat. Woods covers Ivar for the win and to become NEW World Tag Team Champs! The New Day celebrate their massive title victory before Erik rushes in & chases them out.

>!The New Day def. The War Raiders (c) to WIN the World Tag Team Championships!<

Tiffany Stratton (c) vs Nia Jax for the WWE Womens' Championship

(On the January 10th edition of Smackdown, Tiffany Stratton holds her championship celebration & announces that Tiffy Time has officially began and has no end in sight. She's interrupted by Bianca Belair and Nia Jax. Belair says she deserves a title match because she did most of the damage to Jax while Stratton just capitalized off her work. Jax says she wants a rematch purely just to punish Stratton for her betrayal after Jax selflessly made her a star. Stratton responds by instigating a fight between Jax & Belair before leaving the ring. On the January 17th edition of Smackdown, Jax defeats Belair in a #1 Contendership match thanks to the interference of Candice LeRae. Naomi runs out to help Belair when Jax & LeRae attack her after the match. Stratton, who was watching on commentary, picks the bones when she hits Candice in the back of the head with her title. Stratton tries to get Jax but Jax catches the title and drops Stratton. Belair stops Naomi from helping as Jax puts Stratton down with the Banzai Drop to make a statement. On the January 24th edition of Smackdown, Stratton is scheduled in a non-title match against Candice LeRae. Beforehand, she gets in an argument with Bianca Belair & Naomi about the previous week. Naomi has to hold Belair back from getting physical. As for the match, Stratton scores the win after hitting LeRae with the P.M.E but Jax once again assaults Stratton. Jax goes for the Banzai Drop on Stratton but Stratton gets up & fights back. Stratton grabs a chair from ringside to fend Jax and LeRae off. On the January 31st go-home edition of Smackdown, Stratton is forced to team with Belair & Naomi against Jax, LeRae, and Womens' US Champion Chelsea Green. Stratton & Belair's tension boils over when Stratton drops off the apron & refuses to tag Belair in. This allows Jax to drop Belair and hit her with the Banzai Drop to score a huge win going into her title match. Afterwards, Stratton sneaks from behind and assaults Jax and LeRae with her womens' title. Stratton goes for the PME onto Jax but pulls Jax out of the ring before she can hit it. Stratton trash talks Jax as the two yell back from the apron...until Belair nails Stratton with the KOD! Belair yells that she's winning the Rumble & going to Wrestlemania.

Jax & Stratton end up having a fun David vs Goliath match that ends with Stratton hitting Jax with several PMEs for the win. Afterwards, Stratton yells in the camera & calls Belair out---daring her to use her Rumble win against her.

>!Tiffany Stratton (c) def. Nia Jax to retain the WWE Womens' Championship!<

Cody Rhodes (c) vs Kevin Owens in a Ladder match for the WWE Championship

The build here is nearly identical to irl. However, the contract signing happens on the January 31st edition of Smackdown instead of Saturday Night's Main Event to give more time to the matches. As for the match, it's also identical to irl. Both men go to war until Cody devastates Owens with an Alabama Slam through a ladder & climbs the ladder to secure his WWE title AND the Winged Eagle title.

>!Cody Rhodes (c) def. Kevin Owens to retain the WWE Championship!<

(Stayed tuned because I'll be uploading the Mens' Rumble very soon!)

Soundtrack: The show is scored by Rock Burwell and Mac Quayle. I absolutely LOVE Burwell's score in Obsession and I think a similar vibe can emphasize the loneliness and creepiness of this world. On the flip side, Mac would work best in moments of tension, action, and conflict as his score really works to heighten your anxiety. Ideally, there won't be a lot of licensed music but there will be exceptions that I point out.

Cast: I already know this will be divisive but feel free to let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices.

• Ross Marquand as Rick
• Lincoln Bodin as Carl
• Jensen Ackles as Shane
• Shantel VanSanten as Lori
• Alexandra Breckenridge as Andrea
• Paul Reiser as Dale
• Choi Woo-shik as Glenn
• Colman Domingo as Morgan
• Troy Baker as Jim
• Grey DeLisle as Donna
• Nolan North as Allen
• Jonathan Banks as Hershel
• Margaret Qualley as Maggie
• Laz Alonso as Tyreese
• Jaz Sinclair as Julie
• Talia Ryder as Kristina (remix of Chris because the comic has a million Chrises and white guys)
• Shannon Woodward as Carol
• Vivien Lyra Blair as Sophia
• Valorie Curry as Britt (show original character)
• Random child actors can play Duane, Ben, and Billy

How close is this to the comic?: I don't think it's possible to go with a 100% accurate adaption. Especially during the early seasons, we'd have to slow the pacing a bit and flesh some ideas out. That being said, I want to keep things around 80-90% accurate compared to how the AMC version went completely off the rails. I'm not changing things for the sake of it. But some stories will be added, cut, and rearranged depending on how it benefits the story. For example, Season 1 will have a lot of original story told where each episode will begin in the time period between Rick getting shot & waking up to flesh out the story between Rick, Shane, and Lori.

Side Note: Some of these descriptions will be shorter than others but each episode will still roughly be 50-60 minutes. And if I leave out interactions with side characters, assume they're still there but they just weren't as pivotal for me to explain. That being said, some of the episode descriptors get kinda long (especially the finale) so be prepared.

Season 1 (Volumes 1-2):

1x01 (Days Gone Bye): The first 15-20 minutes show an extended flashback where we flesh out the Rick/Shane, Rick/Lori, and Shane/Lori dynamics before Rick is shot. The rest of the episode is a near 1-to-1 adaptation of issue 1 with certain elements fleshed out. The episode ends with Rick shooting the bike zombie and riding off in his cruiser while "Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash plays.

1x02 (Harsh Reality): The episode begins in the flashback timeline, Shane rides in an ambulance by Rick's side. They make it to the hospital with Lori driving up soon after. They sit in the waiting room for hours before a doctor approaches them. He informs the two that Rick has been induced in a medical coma with the possibility of never waking up. Lori sobs in Shane's arms as we transition to the current timeline. Rick rides into Atlanta & meets Glenn. However, this is far more fleshed out than the comics. Rick and Glenn would bunker in an apartment after a herd surrounds them. Instead of leaping from one building to another, they find a wooden plank and try to balance their way to the other building while dozens of roamers are beneath them. The episode ends with the two making it back to camp & Rick reuniting with Shane & then his family.

1x03 (I Just Pray That You're Alright): The episode begins with a montage set to "House in Nebraska" by Ethel Cain in the past timeline. Shane & Lori struggle for the rest of the day without Rick. Shane visits Lori that night with alcohol. They share memories of Rick dating back to when the three were tight-knit friends in college. They lament that life has caught up to them before Shane offers to help Lori with finances and Carl. Lori thanks him but declines; stating that she can get everything figured out but appreciates Shane's care. When Shane leaves that night, he looks back at Lori's house longingly.

We transition to the current timeline with Rick at the camp. The rest of the episode focuses on building the relationships between the group members & introducing Rick to everyone. Donna has a close call with a roamer that leads to a heavy debate about moving the camp. Shane has his first outburst & refuses to move. However, he does agree to booster defenses and teach the others how to shoot to defend themselves. Andrea reveals herself as a prodigy. Carl also learns how to shoot while Lori mourns his innocence. Unfortunately, it's not enough because roamers attack the camp with Amy dying & Jim getting scratched. We get a standout moment where Carl protects his mother from a roamer. The episode ends with Rick comforting Lori & Carl while Shane, racked with guilt and jealousy, stares on.

1x04 (The Wrong Path): The episode begins in the flashback timeline with a hungover Shane arriving to work. The station seems to have moved on but Shane refuses to. His new partner tries to strike up a conversation but Shane blows him off. This turns into an argument that has to be broken up. Shane is called into his captain's office who questions Shane's mental state. Shane refuses to admit anything is wrong but his captain calls him out on it & puts him on administrative leave. Shane storms out & pulls a bottle of whiskey out in his car before driving off.

When we return to the current timeline, the group recovers in the aftermath of the attack. The group holds a funeral for Amy while mulling over how to handle an increasingly sick Jim. The group needs medicine for him but Glenn remarks that the nearby urgent care clinics have been picked clean and the only other place would be the trauma wing of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Rick, Shane, and Glenn volunteer to go. The group also debuts the guts trick here to walk through the herd. Emotions rack up due to Shane's lingering guilt & Rick's PTSD going through the trauma center & leads to their first big argument that Glenn has to break up. Unfortunately, they find nothing that can help Jim and are forced to return to the group empty handed. Meanwhile, we'd see Jim's condition getting worse than ever at the camp with Jim begging the group to let go of him & let him turn where he last saw his family. The group members decide to abide by his wishes & take him a few miles into the forest where he can turn. The episode ends with Shane & Rick making up & Shane agreeing to move from the camp. Rick says that Lori's parents lived at Wiltshire Estates in Newnan so they can try heading there. The group agrees to this & they drive off. A post-credit scene shows several weeks later where a reanimated Jim, a reanimated woman, and a reanimated child stumble into the remains of the camp.

1x05 (Miles Behind Us): The episode starts in the flashback timeline with Lori preparing for work. She misses a call from her parents; so they leave a text saying "we're thinking of you & love you till the sun doesn't shine". Lori also struggles to make connections at work and has to deal with a very rude guest. Fortunately, she receives some backup from a coworker named Britt. Britt talks with Lori after their shift & empathizes with her loss. When Lori returns home, she finds Carl already tucked in & in bed. She kisses him on the head and starts calling her parents back.

From there, we return to the present timeline. This should be a slower-paced episode that shows the group struggling to adapt to nomadic-survival techniques. It also starts snowing here which complicates things. The group ends up stuck on I-85 South behind a vehicle barricade but are greeted by a stranger. His name is Tyreese and he offers his, his daughter Julie, and her girlfriend, Kristina's, assistance in exchange for supplies. Rick and Shane agree but stay weary of the stranger. Roamers attack them during the process & Tyreese saves Rick's life while Shane, unbeknownst to the others, prioritizes his own safety. Rick thanks Tyreese & offers him a place at Wiltshire. The group makes it in one peace & begin settling in where Lori's parents lived. Rick & Lori find a note from her parents that says: "Left to find our girls. If you see this without us, we love you until the sun doesn't shine." Rick comforts Lori knowing she will likely see or know what happened to her parents. As everyone settles in: Dale & Andrea share a tender moment where they mourn Amy, Glenn and Carol watch over Sophia, Ben, and Billy with Glenn being bashful around Carol; Allen & Donna have sex, Shane finds himself alone, and Rick & Tyreese have a heart-to-heart. They talk about how terrible things have been but also relate that being a parent has always been terrifying. Rick says Tyreese is a good man & thanks him for his help. The episode ends with a montage of dozens of roamers in the other homes before focusing on a sign outside of Wiltshire. Snow blows off & the sign reads: "DO NOT ENTER. ALL DEAD INSIDE."

1x06 (Please Don't Let Go): The episode begins in the flashback timeline about two weeks after Rick was shot. Lori is starting to adjust to her new job & has made good friends with Britt. Shane comes in and sits in her section. He looks worse for wear & the two have their first talk since the scene in 1x03. Shane starts trauma dumping his issues on Lori until Britt calls her over to save her. Soon, Shane pays his bill & leaves. A few more hours go by as Lori goes about her day where she waits on a rude client with feverish symptoms. Suddenly, the client goes unconscious and the general manager performs CPR. Paramedics arrive soon after and can't find a heartbeat with everyone assuming he's passed. However, the client wakes up as a roamer and bites into one of the EMTs; leaving Lori shocked in horror.

We return to the present timeline with a false sense of calmness. Families and couples wake up with each other and convene with the rest of the group for breakfast. Kristina and Julie sneak away with some weed and find a house away from the others. They talk about how they miss their old lives & how there's nothing left for them. Julie mentions loving her dad but Kristina says she lost hers in the outbreak and it's only a matter of time before they lose everyone else they love. Kristina mentions that she can sneak a gun away so they can go through with some plan...but they're interrupted by a roamer before they can finish the conversation. Kristina and Julie barely escape as more roamers chase them down. Kristina and Julie burst in the house and yell at everyone that the roamers are coming. The group struggles to barricade the house as dozens of roamers try to get in. Shane yells at the kids for putting them in danger and starts getting into it with Tyreese until the group separates them. The group tries to plan an escape to the RV using the guts trick but roamers burst in before they can implement it and overwhelm Donna. Allen tries to save her but it's too late. Rick and Ty pull him away as everyone escapes to the top floor & barricade again in one of the bedrooms. Glenn notices there aren't as many roamers since they're piling up inside & volunteers to grab the RV so everyone else can escape. Rick & Shane manufacture a makeshift pully with bedsheets and quilts so they can safely get Glenn down to the ground. While this happens, Allen is having a mental breakdown that no one can seem to calm. He begs the group to leave him but they refuse. Finally, Glenn pulls up with the RV and everyone jumps through the top hatch & escapes. Carl, Sophia, and Carol are the final three but roamers break in at that moment. Carl protects Sophia and Carol as they escape and shoots a few roamers before escaping himself. We linger with the group as they mourn the loss of their safety & Allen breaks down without his wife. Some time passes as the group continue on with no real destination. Soon, they stop & make a makeshift camp for the afternoon on the side of an interstate. Shane confronts Rick, while he's checking on Carl, and says Donna's blood is on his hands for moving. The two argue and square up to each other with Rick daring Shane to hit him. Shane scoffs & walks off. Tyreese finds Rick and offers to take him hunting to blow off some steam. Carl begs to come with them which Rick only agrees to after Lori approves. Lori watches as they leave. Shane tries to approach her but Lori tells him to stay the fuck away from her. The episode ends as Rick, Tyreese, and Carl continue hunting until Carl is suddenly shot in the torso & falls to the ground.

1x07 (Echoes of the Past) The episode begins with Carl bleeding out while Tyreese and Rick put pressure on the wound. Rick has flashes of being shot himself and has a PTSD episode; assuming the worst may happen to Carl. A hunter named Otis comes out of the bushes and profusely apologizes but Rick punches him and yells at Otis before drawing his weapon on him. Before Rick can further escalate, Tyreese yells that Carl is alive. Otis stammers that they can take him to his farm for help. Rick tells Tyreese to go back for the others while he takes Carl. Rick carries Carl in his arms and runs with Otis to a nearby farmstead. The patriarch, Hershel, ushers them in and has Carl laid out and begins working on him. The rest of the group arrives at this point with Lori rushing into Rick's arms. Everyone waits anxiously until Hershel comes out; covered in blood, and invites the group inside. He tells them that Carl's condition has stabilized and he will be okay. Hershel recommends that Carl rests while the wound heals and welcomes the group to stay at his farm for the duration of Carl's recovery. Hershel also introduces his family: Maggie, Billy, Arnold, and Lacey. The group disperses with Rick & Lori watching over Carl. Rick admits that he almost killed Otis and states he never would have done that before. Lori is concerned but admits she'd do the same if she was in Rick's shoes. Shane comes in & asks Rick to come with him. He apologizes for his outburst before. Rick makes a comment that Carl will come back just like he did that seems to upset Shane. Rick returns to his son as Lori looks at Shane from the porch unapprovingly.

From there, we return to the past timeline where the reanimated patron has killed an EMT. The restaurant falls into chaos as everyone tries to run away. The EMT reanimates and begins chasing people down himself. Lori & Britt run to the kitchen but are chased by the patron. With no other choice, Lori grabs a skillet and smashes it against the patron. Lori and Britt try to run, but the reanimated patron gets back up & grabs Britt; biting her in the neck. Lori smashes the patron until his head is pulverized. Lori tries to tend to Britt...but she bleeds out in Lori's arms. A traumatized Lori exits and is almost killed by another roamer but Shane hits it with his car and ushers her in before driving off in a panic.

Back in the present timeline, Shane gives Lori an apologetic look but she walks away. We see several interactions with our side characters for the rest of the day until they all convene for dinner that night. Afterwards, Glenn meets Maggie & they sneak off to hook up. Lori goes back to the RV before Shane confronts her. He tries to apologize for how he's been but she cuts him off and lays into him for his treatment of Rick. Shane asks if that night had any meaning to her but she coldly tells him no. Around the end of the episode, Hershel and Rick watch the sunset and talk about their lives before the apocalypse. They talk about the family that they lost with Rick bringing Lori's parents up before saying he doesn't even know where his family could be. Hershel says he keeps everyone, even the dead, with him. Rick then asks if they're able to move into the barn. Hershel denies this & tells Rick they keep their dead in the barn. Rick reacts in horror as we end the episode seeing the swarm of the dead inside the barn; focusing on Hershel's dead son Shawn.

1x08 (The Only Way) (Special Extended Finale): The episode begins right where the flashback timeline left off as Lori is hyperventilating but Shane brings her back to Earth. She sees Carl in the backseat which brings some relief. Shane says people all over the town have begun attacking each other which Lori affirms. Lori then thinks about Rick and says they need to get him. Shane talks about the impracticality of it but Lori refuses to stay with Shane unless he does. Shane relents and begins driving to the hospital.

Back in the present, Lori wakes up to a restless Rick. Rick talks about them sleeping next to a barn of the dead and his unease. Lori acknowledges his concern and says once Carl is able to go, they can head back on the road. They kiss before Rick leaves the RV. Afterwards, Lori goes to the bathroom and reveals that she has a pregnancy test that she's about to take. The episode slows down from there & shows our characters developing until roughly the halfway mark. Rick & Hershel meet to discuss the barn. Rick admits his concern but promises to respect Hershel's wishes during his stay as long as his family isn't endangered in any way. Hershel promises their safety before noticing a roamer in the distance. Hershel goes to wrangle it to the barn. Events transpire here identically to issue 11 in the comics with Lacey & Arnold's deaths. After Maggie prevents Hershel from shooting himself in the head, he turns to Rick & tells his people to leave. Rick tries to show his sympathy but Hershel shows his gun. He's furious that Rick's son got to live while he has to bury three of his children and tells him one more time to LEAVE. Shane, overhearing this, blows up on Hershel and almost unholsters his gun before Rick gets between them. Shane then screams at Rick about how his decisions have led them to this situation while Shane only looked out for everyone. When it's clear that Rick won't be able to de-escalate Shane, he knocks his best friend out in front of everyone. Rick apologizes to Hershel and asks that they're given the night to make sure Carl can move. Hershel relents and demands they're gone by sunrise. Rick nods & we see the group packing that night. Rick finishes moving something to the RV & looks to see Shane blankly staring at him from the distance.

We return to the past timeline where Shane is outside of Rick's hospital. Lori wants to come with him but Shane tells her to stay in the car and keep Carl safe. Shane has to sneak through the roamer infested hospital but ends up with 5-10 chasing him. He leads them to the cafeteria area & locks them in. Shane goes through the rest of the hall & finds Rick's room. Shane tries to heave a still-comatose Rick but it's no use as there's no way Shane would be able to get Rick out safely. With this dawned on him, Shane puts his forehead on Rick's and promises him that he'll take care of Lori & Carl before abandoning him. Shane returns to his car & lies to Lori that Rick died. Lori breaks down in Shane's arms as we return to the present.

The next morning, the group is about to depart in their RV while Hershel watches on from his porch. Maggie runs past him and runs into Glenn's arms. Glenn promises he'll find a way back to Maggie at some point before leaving with the group. Afterwards, Maggie demands to know from Hershel if he was actually going to shoot Rick & his people which Hershel blankly ignores. But as Maggie storms off, a tear falls from his eye. From there, our group continues on the road for several days & struggle to forage for supplies & food. The group eventually camps out for the afternoon. Dale approaches Rick and says that with Shane becoming more erratic and unhinged, he believes Rick is the leader they need. Rick doesn't know what to say but is interrupted by Shane. Shane approaches Rick and asks him to go hunting with him. Rick is confused & says they need to talk about everything they've been through. Their discussion turns into another shouting match with the two shoving each other and fighting. The group breaks them apart. Shane tries to break free but Lori slaps him. She tells Shane that he's lost his mind and tells him to NEVER fuck with Rick or she'll see that he's permanently exiled. Shane breaks down into tears and runs off to the woods. Lori also breaks down & is consoled by Carol & Dale while Rick goes off after Shane while Carl watches. Shane stumbles through the woods in a psychotic state and stops to catch his breath.

We return again to the past timeline where Shane & Lori have stopped on the side of the interstate to camp for the night. Lori looks longingly out to the path behind them when Shane comforts her. Lori is heartbroken that her chances of ever seeing Rick again are completely gone. Shane puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and says they don't have to feel alone anymore before kissing her. They pull away in shock but go right back at it & have sex on the side of the interstate.

Back in the present, Rick catches up to Shane & tells him to stop. From there, their entire exchange plays out the exact same as Issue 6. Before Shane can kill Rick, Carl steps in and shoots Shane in the neck. Shane slowly dies from blood loss as Rick comforts his son for what he had to do. A few hours later, the survivors stand over Shane's grave in the rain before leaving Rick as the final one. Rick remembers his friendship with Shane and sobs mournfully. Lori returns to comfort him. They embrace each other before Lori pulls back and says she has to confess that she's pregnant. They both have mixed emotions but Rick ultimately pulls Lori into another embrace & says that he'll do everything to keep her, Carl, and their unborn child safe. They look back at Shane's grave one last time before walking off in the rain, while to end the episode.

As a post-credit scene, Dale and Andrea (fully a couple by this point) hike up a wooded hill while bantering. As they reach the top, they're amazed by what they find & Andrea tells Dale to get Rick. We jump to Rick reaching the top of the hill with Dale and Andrea & Dale asks what Rick thinks. We transition to a wide-shot showing a large prison in the horizon. Rick simply says, "it's perfect" to end the season.

I'm writing out the Rumble card in three parts. I'll upload the womens' Rumble first since it's the opener, then the undercard, then the mens' Rumble which will be main eventing. I hope you guys enjoy & if you have any Wrestlemania predictions off the heels of the Rumble.

---

Important Story Addition:

On the January 17th edition of Raw, Adam Pearce & Nick Aldis come together to make a joint announcement regarding the Rumble. Beginning this year, there will be a new Rumble tradition known as The Champion's Gambit. All four world champions (Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Rhea Ripley, and Tiffany Stratton) will be given the option to either defend their championships at the show or take The Champion's Gambit. This new rule decrees that if the champion chooses not to defend, they must enter the Royal Rumble. They will automatically be given a spot between #1-#15. If the champion successfully wins the match, then they will be given the chance to choose their Wrestlemania opponent instead of being chosen themselves. They hope that the new rule will create more star studded matches while keeping every world champion on their toes. (I wanted to experiment a little to keep the Rumble fresh. Let me know how you guys feel about the rule so I know if I want to continue it going forward)

Entrant #1: Rhea Ripley (Womens' World Champion)

(Ripley announces on the January 17th edition of Raw that she will be taking the champion's gambit AND that she'll be entering at #1. She says that she won the 2023 Rumble from the #1 spot and wants to be the first person ever to do it twice. However, she declines to comment who she will be choosing should she win.)

Entrant #2: Iyo Sky

(Iyo & Rhea have a great exchange & feed into the fact that this is the dream match for Rhea at Wrestlemania. They end at a stand-still when the next competitor enters.)

Entrant #3: Roxanne Perez (NXT)

(NXT's Prodigy comes out & holds her own against Sky & Ripley.)

Entrant #4: Lyra Valkyria (Womens' Intercontinental Champion)

(The IC Champ hits the ring & specifically goes at it with Perez; revisiting their rivalry from NXT. Valkyria also has a champion vs champion exchange with Ripley.)

Entrant #5: Liv Morgan

(Morgan comes in and talks shit but gets double teamed by Ripley & Sky; who trade turns hitting their moves on her.)

Entrant #6: Chelsea Green (Womens' United States Champion)

(Chelsea comes out and demands that everyone pledges allegiance. Lyra gets in her face and beats her down.)

Entrant #7: Ivy Nile

(Ivy has an impressive showing as she dominates most of the field with german suplexes until Ripley takes her down.)

Entrant #8: Zoey Stark

(One-third of PFC comes out & showcases her athleticism. I think it would be cool to have Stark & Sky show off their high-flying moves at the same time.)

Entrant #9: Lash Legend (NXT)

(NXT's Legend comes down to the ring and has a dominant stretch; even taking Rhea Ripley down. Valkyria, Nile, and Stark join forces to try to take her down but Nile tries to sneak an elimination onto Valkyria. The stupid mistake allows Legend to recover and eliminate Valkyria & Nile!)

>!Lyra Valkyria and Ivy Nile eliminated by Lash Legend!<

Entrant #10: Bianca Belair (Womens' Tag Team Champion)

(The E.S.T. hits the ring & squares off against the impressive Lash Legend. Belair gets the better of the rookie to even the score.)

Entrant #11: Shayna Baszler

(Baszler hits the ring & immediately joins forces with her PFC teammate Zoey Stark.)

Entrant #12: Bayley

(Bayley rushes out to become the first ever womens' back-to-back Rumble winner.)

Entrant #13: Sonya Deville

(Deville comes out to complete the PFC trio. All three women dominate the ring and wear the other competitors down.)

Entrant #14: Maxxine Dupri

(Dupri runs down to the ring and stands right up to PFC. Of course, they beat her down and throw her out...but Dupri hangs on and re-enters the ring! Stark runs at Dupri to eliminate her but Dupri lowbridges Stark out for the shocking elimination! Unfortunately for Dupri, Baszler and Deville avenge their partner almost immediately by eliminating her.)

>!Zoey Stark eliminated by Maxxine Dupri & Maxxine Dupri eliminated by Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler!<

Entrant #15: Naomi (Womens' Tag Team Champion)

(Naomi hits the ring & almost immediately helps Bianca eliminate Shayna. At the same time, Iyo Sky manages to eliminate Sonya Deville.)

>!Shayna Baszler eliminated by Bianca Belair & Naomi and Sonya Deville eliminated by Iyo Sky!<

Entrant #16: Jaida Parker (NXT)

(Ms. Parker hits the ring and shows out in her first main roster appearance. She even cones close to eliminating Chelsea Green.)

Entrant #17: Piper Niven

(Niven rushes down to the ring & narrowly saves her president from elimination. Between then & the next entrant, Rhea Ripley manages to eliminate Lash Legend! Legend is furious as Ripley winks and waves her goodbye.)

>!Lash Legend eliminated by Rhea Ripley!<

Entrant #18: Natalya

(The Queen of Harts comes out & shows out.)

Entrant #19: Jordynne Grace

(The Juggernaut makes her official WWE debut & wrecks house. Grace specifically suplexes Liv Morgan around to showcase her strength before coming face-to-face with Rhea Ripley.)

Entrant #20: Michin

(The H.B.I.C. rushes out & immediately targets Chelsea Green & Piper Niven. The two use their numbers against Michin until Jaida Parker & Naomi step in. The three work together to eliminate Niven & Michin herself eliminates Green. Green throws a tantrum while Michin signals she wants a title shot against the U.S. Champ.)

>!Piper Niven eliminated by Michin, Jaida Parker, and Naomi and Chelsea Green eliminated by Michin!<

Entrant #21: Nikki Bella (Legend)

(The Bella Army rejoices as Nikki makes her first WWE appearance since the 2022 Rumble. Bella comes out like a house of fire & makes quick work of the competition. Jaida Parker tries to eliminate her but falls victim to elimination herself.)

>!Jaida Parker eliminated by Nikki Bella!<

Entrant #22: Zelina Vega

(Vega heads down to the ring with the announcers reminding us of her transition to Smackdown in the Superstar Shakeup. Before the next entry, we see a shock elimination with Roxanne Perez eliminating Bayley.)

>!Bayley eliminated by Roxanne Perez!<

Entrant #23: Candice LeRae

(The Poison Pixie & Nia Jax's right-hand woman comes down to the ring. Before the next entry, we see Jordynne Grace go on an elimination spree as she throws Natalya & Michin out back-to-back. Naomi tries to step up to her former TNA rival but is also thrown out with a gorilla press to the outside onto Nattie & Michin.)

>!Natalya, Michin, and Naomi eliminated by Jordynne Grace!<

Entrant #24: Stephanie Vaquer (NXT)

(La Primera makes her main roster debut & shows out. Ideally, I'd have her square off with Iyo Sky to tease a future match.)

Entrant #25: Trish Stratus (Legend)

(The hits keep coming as Trish Stratus makes her return. Liv Morgan tries to get in her face but gets laid out.)

Entrant #26: B-Fab

(B-Fab heads down to the ring & joins the chaos.)

Entrant #27: Charlotte Flair

(After weeks of hype, The Queen makes her long-awaited return after over a year of injury rehabilitation. Flair lays everyone out with big boots & spears. She also eliminates Zelina Vega & B-Fab to punch home that she means business.)

>!B-Fab & Zelina Vega eliminated by Charlotte Flair!<

Entrant #28: Giulia (NXT)

(The new NXT Womens' Champion makes her main roster debut & runs down. She has a face-off with Iyo Sky to highlight two different generations of Stardom girls colliding in WWE for the first time.)

Entrant #29: Raquel Rodriguez

(Rodriguez rushes down to the ring & joins Liv Morgan's side. They go on a tear together & even eliminate Nikki Bella from the match. Rodriguez also has a hoss fight with Jordynne Grace.)

Entrant #30: Alexa Bliss

(The crowd ERUPTS for the return of Miss Bliss for the first time in two years. Alexa takes a look at the competition & goes at them as if she hadn't missed any time.)

REMAINING COMPETITORS: Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Jordynne Grace, Candice LeRae, Stephanie Vaquer, Trish Stratus, Charlotte Flair, Giulia, Raquel Rodriguez, and Alexa Bliss

(The match continues with almost half the field still in competition. However, it doesn't take too long for eliminations to occur as Candice LeRae is eliminated by Trish Stratus. Jordynne Grace also concludes her impressive debut as a WWE superstar when Giulia eliminates her.)

>!Candice LeRae eliminated by Trish Stratus & Jordynne Grace eliminated by Giulia!<

(A few moments later, Rodriguez & Morgan find themselves double-teaming Rhea Ripley & looking to eliminate her. Iyo Sky shows up to help Ripley and jumps on Rodriguez's back. This leaves Liv on her own. She tries to hit Oblivion onto Ripley but Ripley catches her and throws Morgan out for the elimination. Rodriguez throws Iyo off her back & tries to eliminate Ripley with a clothesline but her momentum sends them both over the top rope. Rodriguez & Ripley both hang on & start fighting on the apron until Sky dropkicks Rodriguez! Unfortunately, Rodriguez pulls Ripley down with her leading to both of their eliminations! Ripley & Rodriguez are furious at ringside while Sky looks conflict & apologizes to Ripley.)

>!Liv Morgan eliminated by Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriguez eliminated by Iyo Sky, and Rhea Ripley eliminated by Iyo Sky & Raquel Rodriguez (?)!<

(We get a few minutes to breathe from that chaos while the remaining women wear each other down. Our next elimination comes when Charlotte eliminates Trish Stratus from the ring. Vaquer & Giulia also have a highlighted showdown where they shake hands before beating each other up. They take turns trying to eliminate each other but fail until entering a stalemate. Unfortunately, Roxanne Perez takes advantage to grab Giulia from behind & eliminate her as revenge for taking her NXT title.)

>!Trish Stratus eliminated by Charlotte Flair and Giulia eliminated by Roxanne Perez!<

A minute or two later, Charlotte Flair hits Alexa Bliss with Natural Selection & throws her out for the elimination. Flair receives nuclear heat for eliminating the crowd favorite & soaks it up. Roxanne Perez tries to sneak up on the Queen like she did to Giulia, but Flair reverses it & eliminates Perez as well.)

>!Alexa Bliss & Roxanne Perez eliminated by Charlotte Flair!<

The match calms down a little bit more as we're left with our final four: Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Stephanie Vaquer, & Iyo Sky. The four size each other up with Flair breaking the tension by attacking Sky while Belair & Vaquer go at it. Several minutes go by with everyone failing to eliminate each other until Sky finds herself on the apron. Flair hits her with a big boot to seemingly eliminate her...but Sky flies to the ringside barricade & catches herself! The crowd goes crazy as Sky pulls herself up & jumps to the ring steps to save herself. Flair is also nearly eliminated by Vaquer but hangs on and pulls herself up to the apron. Flair & Sky end up meeting on the apron and fight it out with chops and strikes. Belair tries to get in on it but Sky fights her off. Unfortunately for her, Flair takes advantage and shoves her head first into the ringpost to eliminate Sky.

>!Iyo Sky eliminated by Charlotte Flair!<

(At this point, the crowd really despises Flair. Flair re-enters the ring but is immediately clotheslined over the top by Bianca! The crowd erupts to see her finally get eliminated.)

>!Charlotte Flair eliminated by Bianca Belair!<

(Referees are forced to try to calm Charlotte down at ringside which leaves us with our final two: Bianca Belair & Stephanie Vaquer. The announcers hype how huge it would be for an NXT star to win the Royal Rumble while Bianca has a chance of becoming the first ever two-time womens' Rumble winner. The two talk trash for a moment before giving us a nice mini-match. After nearly eliminating each other several times, Vaquer takes Belair down with the SVB. She has the chance to eliminate her...but decides to go up top for the corkscrew moonsault. This backfires as Belair gets her knees up & picks Vaquer up for the K.O.D. over the top rope to eliminate her and WIN the 2025 Womens' Royal Rumble!! Belair collapses & celebrates her historic win. She caps off by pointing at the Wrestlemania sign with a guaranteed world championship match awaiting her at the Showcase of the Immortals.)

>!Stephanie Vaquer eliminated by Bianca Belair!<

2025 WOMENS' ROYAL RUMBLE WINNER: BIANCA BELAIR (#10)

Rhea Ripley (c) vs Bayley for the Womens' World Championship

(On the January 13th edition of Raw, Ripley comes out & cuts a promo about regaining the Womens' World Championship. She announces that she is leaving Liv Morgan & The Judgment Day in her rear view mirror and wants to face fresh competition. She's interrupted by Raquel Rodriguez who's with Liv Morgan. Rodriguez says that Liv might not be in contention anymore but she's happy to get a lick back for the Judgment Day. Iyo Sky interrupts her & says Rodriguez doesn't deserve a title match & knows the world wants to see Iyo vs Rhea. Bayley, who is now a member of Raw per the Superstar Shakeup, interrupts them and says she wants her first impact on Raw to be winning world championship gold. Bayley smacks Rodriguez in the face and a brawl breaks out with the babyfaces fighting Morgan & Rodriguez off. Later that night, Bayley & Iyo are forced to team against Liv and Raquel where Liv pins Iyo after a miscommunication between the former Damage CTRL stablemates. On the January 20th edition of Raw; Bayley, Rodriguez, & Sky face each other in a triple threat #1 Contendership match for a title match at SNME while Ripley watches on commentary. Bayley wins the match after hitting Rodriguez with the Rose Plant. Afterwards, Ripley enters the ring & holds her title up in front of Bayley.

Ripley & Bayley collide in the opening match of the evening & put on a banger in their second ever singles' match. Bayley puts in a great effort but Ripley snuffs her out after 11-12 minutes with the Riptide to retain the title. Afterwards, Bayley raises Ripley's hand out of respect.)

>!Rhea Ripley (c) def. Bayley to retain the Womens' World Championship!<

DIY (c) vs Motor City Machine Guns in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the WWE Tag Team Championships

(DIY have been absolute menaces after their recent heel turn that helped them regain the tag team titles. On the January 3rd edition of Smackdown, MCMG receives a tag team title rematch against DIY that ends in controversy thanks to the interference of Los Garzas, A-Town Down Under, and Pretty Deadly. On the January 10th edition of Smackdown, all four teams compete in a one-night tournament to crown #1 contenders for DIY. MCMG defeat Los Garzas & A-Town Down Under defeat Pretty Deadly in the semi-finals. MCMG and A-Town Down Under put on a really good match in the finals. Johnny Gargano runs in to interfere but accidentally distracts Austin Theory. This allows MCMG to capitalize for the win. On the January 17th edition of Smackdown, A-Town Down Under is granted a non-title match against DIY for revenge. MCMG appear on the titantron to rage-bait DIY which allows Theory to roll Gargano up to steal the win. DIY complains to Nick Aldis backstage but Aldis tells them they had it coming. Aldis also adds that as a contingency to make sure DIY doesn't screw MCMG again, their tag title match will be 2-out-of-3 falls! Later in that night, the match is announced for SNME. On the go-home January 24th edition of Smackdown, Alex Shelley faces Johnny Gargano one-on-one and wins after hitting Sliced Bread #2. Afterwards, DIY blindsides Shelley & Sabin with a sneak attack then holds their titles high above; promising that MCMG have no chance at winning them.

DIY & MCMG are given about 15 minutes to put on a great tag team showcase. The first fall happens about 7 minutes in when Sabin pins Gargano after Skull & Bones. The next fall happens soon after when Ciampa hits Sabin with a running knee to pin him. Sabin & Shelley set Ciampa up for Skull and Bones to clinch the final fall but see two hooded figures jump in at ringside. This distracts Shelley enough to allow Ciampa to roll him up and pin him for the title retention by DIY! Afterwards, DIY confronts the hooded figures but get laid out. The hooded figures also attack MCMG. They reveal themselves to be The Street Profits & yell that they're coming for the tag team titles.)

>!DIY (c) def. Motor City Machine Guns (2-1) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships!<

Bron Breakker (c) vs Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship

(On the January 13th edition of Raw, Sheamus defeats Ludwig Kaiser while Bron Breakker watches from ringside. Afterwards, Sheamus confronts Breakker & says he's coming for his title. On the January 20th edition of Raw, Sheamus wins another match against former rival Pete Dunne. Afterwards, Breakker rushes the ring & hits The Celtic Warrior with a massive spear. Breakker grabs a mic and tells a laid out Sheamus that he ACCEPTS his challenge. However, Breakker warns Sheamus & says that he'll expose Sheamus for the washed-up hasbeen that he is. Later on in the night, Sheamus is getting checked on in the trainer's room and cuts a promo of his own. He says that Breakker might be right about him being a hasbeen. He brings up beating John Cena for the WWE title six months after his debut but is now struggling to win the one title he desperately wants. However, Sheamus is going to bring every ounce of fight to SNME because becoming IC Champion is his one final goal he needs to achieve.

Breakker & Sheamus' match turns out to be a brutal 12-13 minute hoss fight. They take each other to the limit with Sheamus struggling to even stand at the end. Unfortunately, Breakker outlasts Sheamus and hits him with a spear to retain his title. Afterwards, we linger on Sheamus for a moment who takes in the love from the audience.)

>!Bron Breakker (c) def. Sheamus to retain the Intercontinental Championship!<

Braun Strowman vs Jacob Fatu

(On the January 10th edition of Smackdown, Solo Sikoa brings his Bloodline down to the ring. He seems to be ready to cut a promo...but Sikoa just simply hugs Fatu and Tonga before walking out. Tonga & Fatu spend the rest of the evening crashing out backstage before being escorted off the premises by Nick Aldis & security. On the January 17th edition of Smackdown, Fatu & Tonga begin interfering in matches & causing more chaos. They cost LA Knight his US title rematch & have a run-in with Jimmy Uso backstage. This results in a tag team match that's made for the January 23rd edition of Smackdown with Uso & Knight facing Fatu & Tonga. The match ends in chaos when Tonga & Fatu bring in chairs to attack the two. However, Strowman runs down to the ring and dispatches Tonga. Fatu & Strowman have a staredown that ends with Fatu backing off. Later on, Strowman is granted a match against Fatu for SNME.

This "match" doesn't end up going long. After about 5-6 minutes, it devolves into Fatu repeatedly hitting the running hip attack onto Strowman in the corner before the referee calls for the bell to stop the match. But Fatu refuses to stop his attack. Security tries to rush the ring but Tama Tonga comes out with a chair to hold everyone off. Fatu proceeds to hit Strowman with several BME's before finally deciding to stop his attack. Fatu & Tonga leave the scene of the crime as medical personnel, Adam Pearce, and Nick Aldis rush in to help a seriously hurt Strowman.)

>!Jacob Fatu def. Braun Strowman via referee stoppage!<

Gunther (c) vs CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship

(On the January 13th edition of Raw, CM Punk opens the show & celebrates becoming the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. He also celebrates being past Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, and all the other crap thrown his way. Seth Rollins interrupts his promo & tells Punk that he's not done with him at all. Rollins says if Punk somehow beats Gunther, he still has to think about defending against the Royal Rumble winner. Rollins declares himself for the Rumble & promises to choose Punk as his target should he become world champion. Gunther interrupts them & laughs at their never-ending saga. Rollins challenges Gunther to a non-title match in the main event to shut him up; which Adam Pearce makes official. CM Punk comes out before the match to join commentary. Throughout the match, Punk antagonizes Rollins & Gunther which results in Gunther throwing a limp Rollins into Punk. Punk responds by rushing the ring & attacking Gunther. Seth jumps in & distracts Punk enough to where Gunther can lay them both out with powerbombs & end Raw on top. On the January 20th edition of Raw, Gunther opens the show and gloats about how easy his match against Punk will be until Punk & Rollins interrupt. Adam Pearce comes out & forces Punk & Rollins to team together in the main event against Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser. Rollins & Punk continuously try to upstage & screw each other over throughout the match. However, they do reach a flow state where Rollins is able to neutralize Gunther at ringside so Punk can hit Kaiser with the GTS to pick up the win. Afterwards, Rollins & Punk resume bickering until Gunther hits the ring and hits Rollins from behind. Punk simply watches while Gunther & a revived Kaiser attack Rollins with Gunther laying Rollins out with the powerbomb. Gunther poses with the title until Punk snatches it and smashes him & Kaiser over the head. Punk follows up by hitting Gunther with a GTS. Raw ends with Punk gazing at the World Heavyweight title longingly.

When we get to SNME, Punk & Gunther put on a great 16-17 minute main event. The match seemingly can go to either man as we reach the climax. The finish sees Gunther score the win after hitting Punk with two powerbombs for the clean victory. Afterwards, Gunther poses with the title...until Seth Rollins hits the ring and hits Gunther in the back with a chair! Then Rollins hits Punk in the back as well! Rollins sizes Punk up and hits him with a Curb Stomp while Gunther escapes with his title. SNME comes to a close as Rollins stands tall and yells that he will be winning the 2025 Royal Rumble!)

>!Gunther (c) def. CM Punk to retain the World Heavyweight Championship!<

Most wrestling fans collectively agree that the period from Summerslam 2022 through Wrestlemania 40 is considered the modern Renaissance period. However, the product's goodwill seemed to have slowly declined from that period on. I personally enjoyed the rest of 2024 but my perception of the product began to shift when Raw premiered on Netflix. The focus seemed to shift to appeasing corporate suits over the fans who have invested their time, money, and effort into following the product. So I'm going to try my best to steer the WWE ship from the Raw Netflix Premiere. This will be a slower paced project than my Wrestlemania series that will cover each major event (PLE & SNMEs mainly) rather than going by each year. I usually won't do Raws but this is a big one so we're making an exception here. I also plan on writing some non-wrestling projects so I won't be posting everyday, but I will still do my best to upload as much as I can. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!

---

The Rock & Cody Rhodes opening segment

(The Final Boss grabs a microphone & welcomes everyone to the show. He goes through his mandated corporate jargon before calling out Cody Rhodes! A weary WWE Champion makes his way out to the ring. Rock tells Cody he doesn't want a fight...but he wants to show his respect. Rock says he's watched Cody prove himself as a fighting champion against the best of the best. But then he calls back to their previous meeting & asks Cody to reveal what was handed to him. Cody reveals that it was Rocky Johnson's Hall of Fame ring. Rock nods & reminds Cody that even though they come from different families, they both know that family is everything. Rock says they both have carried the weight of their fathers' legacies on their backs for longer than most people can appreciate. Rock says he respects Cody for this & also respects Cody for making amends with his family...so he makes an offer. He offers to go back on challenging Cody for the WWE title if Cody agrees to represent Rock as champion. Cody acknowledges that everything Rock said is true regarding family...but also says he hasn't forgotten the hell Rock put him & his family through in the build to Wrestlemania. Cody also says he will never be bought by TKO's mascot & tells Rock, in no uncertain terms, to go FUCK himself! Rock takes off his sunglasses and stares a hole into Rhodes. Rock tells Cody that he warned him not to break his heart again & says he'll be seeing Cody again VERY soon.)

Roman Reigns vs Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat

(Reigns and Sikoa have a brutal match over the Ula Fala. They survive through chair shots, belt whippings, table spots, and even each other's finisher. As Reigns looks to have it won; Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga run out to save their Tribal Chief. The Usos & Sami Zayn rush out & fight Sikoa's henchmen off. Sikoa and Reigns fight once again until Reigns ducks a Samoan Spike and hits Sikoa with a huge spear to end the match! Reigns celebrates his crowning as the undisputed Tribal Chief. He's met by his family including Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Rikishi, Zilla Fatu, and even a returning Rock. The Rock drapes the Ula Fala over his neck with the two shake hands and hug as Rock whispers something in Reigns' ear. Then Reigns' mother enters the ring and hugs her son tight. The rest of the family leaves with Reigns remaining in the ring with his mother. However, as Reigns points his one to the sky, DREW MCINTYRE appears & hits Reigns with a Claymore! Reigns' mother watches in horror as The Scottish Psychopath grabs Reigns by the throat and says he's coming to destroy everything his family holds dear. Then, McIntyre corners Reigns' mother and screams at her about being a terrible parent that raised a horrible son. The O.G. Bloodline rushes down to chase McIntyre off & helps Reigns up to end the segment.)

>!Roman Reigns def. Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat to become the Undisputed Tribal Chief!<

John Cena's Retirement Tour Premiere

(Cena comes out & cuts a very similar promo to real life & declares his entry into the Royal Rumble. However, he's interrupted by Kevin Owens. KO comes down with the Winged Eagle title and warns Cena that he will be defeating Cody Rhodes for the WWE title at the Rumble. Owens also warns Cena that if he wins the Rumble and chooses the WWE Championship, he will make sure to repeat history and pin John Cena in front of the world! Cena smirks and tells Owens that they don't have to wait until Wrestlemania to run it back one more time. Cena tells Owens if he wants some...COME GET SOME! Owens looks conflicted...but then rushes the ring and yells for a referee!)

John Cena vs Kevin Owens

(Cena & Owens are given about 15 minutes to put on a banger of a match. Unfortunately, Cena is unable to put Owens down even after an AA & the STF. Cena scouts Owens for another AA but Owens grabs the ropes out of desperation. Cena powers him off but accidentally knocks down the referee. Cena drills Owens with the AA again but no one is there to count the pin. Exhausted, Cena picks Owens up for a third AA but GETS HIT WITH A LOW BLOW! Owens capitalizes with two stunners and covers Cena as the referee wakes up to SCORE THE WIN! Owens celebrates his massive win & holds the Winged WWE Championship high above as the Intuit Dome shows their disapproval. A crazed look glazes over Owens & he begins to attack Cena more. He picks Cena up for a package piledriver until CODY RHODES runs down for the save!! Rhodes hits Owens with the bionic elbow & a Cody Cutter! He sets Owens up for a Cross Rhodes but Owens runs off like a scalded dog. Rhodes helps Cena to his feet & shakes his hand. As Rhodes turns to leave...Cena pulls him BACK IN & the two have a tense staredown. After the crowd goes wild, Cena releases his grip, smirks, and leaves the ring to end the segment.)

>!Kevin Owens def. John Cena!<

(There are other segments in this show but I don't feel like writing them all out, so here's a rough list of what else would happen: Damian Priest & Finn Balor cut promos on each other ahead of a street fight next week, Lyra Valkyria and Dakota Kai hype their IC title match next week, vignette for a mystery debut next week that ends up being Penta, Hulk Hogan gets booed out of the building, Chad Gable demanding a match against a luchador next week, and the announcement of the returning Superstar Shakeup that will take place over the next few weeks heading into Royal Rumble.)

Liv Morgan (c) vs Rhea Ripley for the Womens' World Championship

(Morgan & Ripley make their entrances for this huge match. Before the bell can ring, Raquel Rodriguez jumps Ripley from behind with Morgan joining her. Iyo Sky, who's had her issues with Judgment Day, runs out & fights Rodriguez off & even nails her with the Over the Moonsault onto the outside floor. From there, the match officially begins. Ripley & Morgan go about 12-15 minutes with a banger that ends after Ripley hits Morgan with two Riptides to regain the Womens' World title! Afterwards, Dominik Mysterio tries to get on Ripley's good side but eats a Riptide of his own. As Ripley goes up the ramp with her title, she's met by THE UNDERTAKER!! Taker and Ripley raise their fist together to end the segment.)

>!Rhea Ripley def. Liv Morgan (c) to WIN the Womens' World Championship!<

CM Punk vs Seth Rollins to determine the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship

(Punk & Rollins have a fantastic 20 minute match to close out the Raw Premiere on Netflix. It was also announced earlier in the show that the winner will be facing Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship at the next Saturday Night's Main Event. The end comes when Punk delivers two back-to-back GTS's onto Rollins to score the pinfall win. Punk celebrates in the ring while a scorned Rollins watches from the outside. During his celebration, Gunther makes his way down to the ring & comes nose-to-nose with his new #1 Contender to end the show.)

>!CM Punk def. Seth Rollins to become #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Championship!<

Night One:

(Preshow) Damian Priest def. R-Truth via pinfall after South of Heaven

Oba Femi def. Brock Lesnar via pinfall after Three Fall from Graces (Lesnar raises Femi's hand afterwards & cuts his official retirement promo)

Royce Keyes def. Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov, Ricky Saints, Solo Sikoa, & Trick Williams (c) in a Ladder match to win the United States Championship

Jade Cargill def. Charlotte Flair via pinfall after the Jaded (Alexa Bliss turns heel during the match & betrays Charlotte)

Street Profits (c) def. Rey Mysterio & Penta via pinfall after a frog splash from Ford to retain the World Tag Team Championships

Iyo Sky def. Sol Ruca (c) via pinfall after the Over the Moonsault to win the Womens' Intercontinental Championship

Bron Breakker def. Seth Rollins via pinfall after multiple Spears in a Hell in a Cell match

Rhea Ripley (c) def. Tiffany Stratton via pinfall after the Riptide to retain the WWE Womens' Championship

Jacob Fatu (c) def. Roman Reigns via pinfall after an Impaler DDT in a Samoan Strap match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (The Usos are forced to watch at ringside per orders of new Tribal Chief Jacob Fatu. Reigns is seemingly going to regain the title when The Usos run in and hit Reigns with the 1D; fully aligning with Fatu.)

Night Two:

(Preshow) Kiana James (c) def. Giulia via pinfall with the 401K to retain the Womens' United States Championship

Raquel Rodriguez (2026 Queen of the Ring winner) def. Liv Morgan (c) via pinfall after the Tejana Bomb to win the Womens' World Championship (Dominik Mysterio tries to intefere for Morgan but Roxanne Perez runs out & hits him with Pop Rox to fully betray Morgan.)

LA Knight def. Sami Zayn via pinfall after a BFT

Paige & AJ Lee def. The Bella Twins (c) via submission with the PTO to win the Womens' Tag Team Championships

Stephanie Vaquer def. Becky Lynch via pinfall after the spinning moonsault

Je'Von Evans def. Finn Balor (c) via pinfall after the O.G. Cutter to win the Intercontinental Championship

Gunther def. CM Punk via technical knockout with the sleeper hold

Drew McIntyre def. Nick Aldis via pinfall following a Claymore

Randy Orton (2026 King of the Ring winner) def. Cody Rhodes (c) via pinfall after the punt in a No Disqualification match for the WWE Championship (Kevin Owens makes his return during the match to attack Rhodes & align himself with Orton.)

Sorry for the delay on this! So I've been doing some thinking and I'm gonna go ahead and end the series here. I definitely am interested in rebooking 41 & 42, but I have an idea for another series I'd potentially do in the future that would involve those shows. So doing them now would kinda spoil it lol. I don't have a time table on when that will come out but if you enjoyed this, stay tuned. In any event, thank you to everyone who's enjoyed this so far and I hope this is a satisfying conclusion.

Seth Rollins © vs Sami Zayn vs Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship

(Drew McIntyre wins the 2024 Elimination Chamber match to face Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. On the next episode of Raw, McIntyre has a confrontation with Sami Zayn. Zayn has gone through a streak of bad luck since returning at the Royal Rumble. He failed to win the Rumble & he failed to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. McIntyre mocks him for squandering his opportunities and says Sami will never be a world champion. Rollins steps in to defend his friend but Zayn questions where Rollins' focus is. McIntyre faces Zayn later that night & wins after cheating. Zayn calls bullshit & challenges McIntyre to a rematch. It's made with stakes on both sides: if Zayn wins, he's added to the title match but if McIntyre wins, Zayn cannot challenge for a world title for a year. Zayn wins this match after McIntyre argues with Seth Rollins on commentary. Rollins stops McIntyre from attacking Zayn...but Zayn makes his intent know when he also gets in Rollins' face & promises to win the World Heavyweight title. Rollins comes into his title defense banged up from his main event the prior night but still fights valiantly. That being said, the finish comes after Zayn hits Rollins with a Helluva Kick. He's about to win but McIntyre pulls the ref out the ring before he can make a three count. Zayn goes to fight McIntyre but gets laid out with a Glasgow Kick and a Claymore. McIntyre hits the ring but gets stomped by Rollins. Rollins gets a two count before going for another one...only to get hit with a Claymore for the three count! Drew McIntyre celebrates as he finally wins a world championship in front of a crowd. He celebrates with his family at ringside before going up to CM Punk, who's injured & on commentary, & crotch chops right in his face. Punk snaps and beats McIntyre senseless with his cast...until DAMIAN PRIEST RUNS OUT WITH HIS MONEY IN THE BANK BRIEFCASE!! Priest officially cashes in! He throws McIntyre in the ring, hits South of Heaven, and covers him to end McIntyre's VERY brief reign as champion! Priest runs up the ramp to celebrate with Judgment Day as Punk looks on with a smirk on his face.)

Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits vs The Final Testament in a ECW Extreme Rules match

(On the first episode of Smackdown, Karrion Kross aligns himself with AOP to attack Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits. Kross' group becomes known as The Final Testament. Their mission is to bring the apocalypse to WWE by dismantling its strongest roots. They state that Lashley & the Profits are the beginning of their mission & will eradicate them fully. Lashley says that he isn't about to be some victim for a bunch of edgelords' mission. The two groups fight over the next few months until leading to this match. In a shock announcement, Bubba Ray Dudley is named as the special guest referee. Snoop Dogg also gets on commentary. The match ends after Ford hits Kross with a frog splash through a table & Lashley covers Kross for the win.)

Logan Paul (c) vs LA Knight for the United States Championship

(Logan Paul wins the US title at Crown Jewel from Rey Mysterio & immediately becomes the most insufferable champion ever. What he lacks in title defenses, he makes up for in bringing his title onto Impaulsive. Paul does net a successful title retention against Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble. However, he enters the 2024 Elimination Chamber where he is eliminated by LA Knight. On the next episode of Smackdown, Knight calls Paul out for a title match. Paul declines Knight's challenge. This leads Knight to harass Paul in increasingly ridiculous ways; leading to Knight actually invading Paul's home & being arrested. When Knight returns, Paul sneak attacks him with his trusty brass knuckles & finally gives in to Knight's challenge. Knight & Paul put on a great match. Towards the end, Knight looks to have the match won but a guy dressed in a Prime bottle pulls the ref out as he was counting to three. Knight confronts the mascot outside & pushes him down. His headwear comes off to reveal iShowSpeed! Knight grabs Speed & hits him with the BFT on the announce desk. However, Paul takes advantage & hits Knight with the brass knucks! Paul throws Knight back in the ring and starts gloating before setting Knight up for the Buckshot Lariat. However, Knight catches Paul & hits the BFT for the win! Knight groggily celebrates as the new United States Champ!)

Dominik Mysterio vs Ricochet for the returning Cruiserweight Championship

(In early February, WWE announces a new show called "WWE Speed" which will feature some of the cruiserweights from Raw, Smackdown, & NXT. A 16 man tournament commences with men from all three brands with the finals slated for Wrestlemania. Dirty Dom & Ricochet end up advancing to the finals. Dom & Ricochet have a banger that ends after Ricochet hits Dom with the 630 and pins him to win the Cruiserweight title!)

AJ Styles vs Randy Orton vs Kevin Owens

(Randy Orton makes his return from injury during the 2023 Survivor Series Wargames match & almost immediately goes on a warpath for Roman Reigns & The Bloodline. Orton finds backup in the form of Kevin Owens; who also has beef with Reigns' group. Around this time, Styles also returns from injury & demands a shot at Reigns because The Bloodline put him out. Orton & Styles collide in a #1 Contenders' match that Orton wins. Orton receives his shot at the Royal Rumble & almost wins after an RKO...but Styles runs out & pulls the ref out before he can count to three! Reigns takes advantage of the distraction to retain his title. Orton gets his revenge by costing Styles an Elimination Chamber qualifying match after winning his. Owens also manages to qualify for the chamber. Owens & Orton initially team up...but both guys catch each other trying to betray the other. We're about to get a fun show-down until AJ Styles, who flew over 12 hours to Austrailia just to get some petty revenge, runs in the chamber to attack Orton with a chair. Owens stands up for Orton but Styles lays him out too; leading to both of their eliminations. All three guys start bickering and going at it for weeks until this match is made. They put on a true banger that ends after Styles brings back the Spiral Tap for one night only onto Owens for the pinfall win.)

Iyo Sky © vs Bayley for the WWE Womens’ Championship

(Iyo Sky wins Money in the Bank then successfully cashes in against Bianca Belair at Summerslam to win the WWE Womens' (formerly Smackdown Womens') Championship! Sky lowkey begins to take Bayley's spot as the figurehead of Damage CTRL while Bayley unwittingly takes more of a back seat. This is exasperated when Asuka & Kairi are brought in behind Bayley's back. In an inverse from the previous year, Damage CTRL loses Wargames when Bayley is left on her own to fend off the entirety of Becky Lynch's team. Bayley is continuously undermined and gaslit by her friends. But she still perseveres and manages to win the 2024 Royal Rumble. Bayley initially sets her sights on Rhea Ripley's title...but changes her mind when she hears Asuka, Kairi, and Iyo talking about her behind her back. Bayley confronts them the next week & officially declares her challenge for Iyo's title. Damage CTRL responds by attacking Bayley; officially kicking her from the group. Dakota Kai returns from a brief injury around this time & pretends to ally with Bayley; but also stabs her in the back & declares her allegiance to Iyo. Bayley promises to destroy her own creation and win the gold that Damage CTRL held her back from truly capturing. Bayley & Iyo have a fantastic underrated gem that ends after Bayley puts Iyo out with the Rose Plant to win the title!)

Roman Reigns © vs Cody Rhodes in a Bloodline Rules match for the Undisputed WWE Championship

(Off the heels of the Night One main event, Cody Rhodes is given the impossible task of conquering the entire Bloodline so he can finish his story. Cody makes an epic Mad Max-esque entrance alongside his wife. It's followed by Roman Reigns who enters to a new epic orchestral version of his theme song. Rhodes & Reigns spend a good 10-15 minutes wrestling a normal-ish match. However, this changes when Rhodes hits Reigns with a Cross Rhodes. Rhodes covers The Tribal Chief but Jimmy Uso runs out to stop him. Jimmy & Roman begin to double team Cody...until JEY USO HITS THE RING! Jey & Jimmy stare each other down with the remnants of their emotional clash the prior week still lingering. But they devolve into a fight that ends when Jey spears Jimmy off the entrance ramp through a set of tables. Reigns & Rhodes begin fighting again until Solo Sikoa interferes! Sikoa & Reigns manage to hit Rhodes with the Spike/Spear combination that finished him one year prior...but Rhodes KICKS OUT. Reigns & Sikoa look to do it again but JOHN CENA HITS THE RING! Cena, who was brutally attacked by Sikoa the prior fall, rushes down and takes the fight to both men. Cena hits Reigns with the AA in the ring before grabbing Sikoa and hitting an AA of his own through the announce desk. Cena takes a second to recover...but THE ROCK COMES OUT!

Rock & Cena come face-to-face at the battlefield they scarred only 12 years before. Cena tries to punch Rock but is laid out by a Rock Bottom! Rock takes off his belt and threatens to beat the brakes off Cody with it...when THE SHIELD'S MUSIC HITS!!! Seth Rollins hobbles in from out of nowhere with a steel chair. But the broken & battered Architect is nowhere near quick enough to count Reigns coming out of nowhere and spearing him. Rollins rolls out of the ring and leaves the chair in the middle of the ring. Rock helps Reigns up to his feet...then HANDS the belt to him! Reigns is about to destroy Rhodes with the belt until the lights go out. When they come back, THE UNDERTAKER IS IN THE RING! The Deadman stares into the eyes of two of his greatest foes. He glares at Rock first; one of his main rivals in the 90s and the early 2000s. Then he glares at Reigns; the man who ended his streak and retired him from in-ring competition. They both try to rush Taker but he GOOZLES THEM BOTH AND CHOKESLAMS THEM!!! As quickly as he arrived, he leaves with another blackout. When the lights come back...it's just Reigns & Rhodes laid out in the ring with Rollins' chair in the middle of the ring. Reigns and Rhodes both scramble for it but Reigns beats Rhodes to the punch. He's about to nail Rhodes in the back until he sees Rollins using the ropes to get up. In an all too familiar callback to nearly 10 years prior, Reigns SMASHES the chair into Rollins' back and screams at him. Then Reigns goes for a spear onto Rhodes but RHODES COUNTERS! RHODES GRABS REIGNS AND HITS THE TRIPLE CROSSRHODES FOR THE PIN AND THE WIN! CODY RHODES IS THE NEW UNDISPUTED WWE CHAMPION!!!! Cody has an extravagant celebration as his friends, family, and peers pour into the ring to celebrate with him. Wrestlemania comes to a close as Cody....and I....have finally FINISHED the story.)

Rhea Ripley © vs Becky Lynch for the Womens’ World Championship

(Rhea Ripley has a dominant reign as Raw Womens' Champion, which is eventually rebranded as the Womens' World Championship, throughout 2023 & early 2024. During the reign, Ripley & Becky Lynch have several isolated segments throughout 2023 to tease an eventual match between the two. This finally materializes when Becky wins the 2024 Elimination Chamber to earn a title match against Ripley. The build materializes as Ripley wanting to prove that she's the new established face of the womens' division by beating one of the greatest womens' wrestlers of the past 10 years. On Becky's side, she wants to prove that she still has what it takes to be "The Man" after losing her last three Wrestlemania matches & taking a slight bump down the card. Ripley & Lynch have a fantastic opening match that ends after Ripley drops Lynch with two Riptides to retain her title.)

Judgment Day (c) vs Awesome Truth vs A-Town Down Under vs British Strong Style vs DIY vs New Day in a Ladder match for the Raw Tag Team Championships & Smackdown Tag Team Championships

(Finn Balor & Damian Priest of the Judgment Day win the Undisputed Tag Titles at Payback 2023 & defend them across both Raw & Smackdown. Around this time, R-Truth returns from injury & mistakenly believes he's a part of Judgment Day. Former tag team partner, The Miz, tries to talk some sense into Truth to no avail. Eventually, Damian Priest has enough of Truth's antics and has the Judgment Day beat him senseless. Miz comes out to save Truth & reforms their former team. Heading into Wrestlemania, it's announced that the tag titles will be defended separately in a six-pack ladder match. Awesome Truth is among those teams & promise to take at least one of the titles home as revenge. The first titles pulled down are the Smackdown Tag Team titles from Austin Theory & Grayson Waller of A-Town Down Under. The next set are the Raw Tag Titles. Damian Priest is about to pull them down but R-Truth intercepts him, hits an Attitude Adjustment over the top rope, then scales the ladder to bring the titles home for him & The Miz.)

Rey Mysterio & Carlito vs Andrade & Santos Escobar

(Rey Mysterio forms the L.W.O. with Santos Escobar's Legado Del Fantasma right before Wrestlemania 39. The L.W.O. enjoy a moderate amount of success throughout 2023. Escobar is scheduled to challenge Austin Theory for the United States Championship right after Summerslam but is forced to vacate his spot after Theory injures and attacks him. Rey takes his spot & defeats Theory to win the United States Championship. Once Escobar returns, Mysterio grants him his rightful title shot & retains. While the two shake hands, it's clear Escobar feels pretty upset at the situation. This leads to Mysterio losing the title at Crown Jewel to Logan Paul after Escobar "accidentally" leaves Logan's brass knuckles on the ring apron. Carlito, who recently returned & allied himself with the LWO, confronts Escobar on the following episode of Smackdown & accuses him of screwing Rey on purpose. Rey tries defending Santos but Santos blindsides Rey with an attack; putting him on the shelf for the next few months. Santos explains that Rey is an egotistical bastard & hopes his recent surgery didn't go well so they have to amputate his leg. Escobar reforms Legado Del Fantasma with Angel, Berto, and a returning Andrade & rides this heat for several months. However, Rey would make his return in March, leg intact and not amputated, to get his revenge on Santos. A tag team match is soon made with Santos & Andrade teaming up against Rey and Dragon Lee; who was recently recruited into the LWO. However, Dragon is found mysteriously attacked so Carlito takes his spot. We get a fun, high-flying tag team match between the two luchador teams. Towards the end, Santos gets in a shouting match with Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson of the Philadelpha Eagles because they are wearing Rey masks. Santos invites them into the ring & they do hop the railing. However, Santos turns around into Carlito spitting an apple in his face & then getting nailed with a 619 by Rey to end the match. The LWO celebrate with Kelce & Johnson afterwards.)

Jey Uso vs Jimmy Uso in a Brotherly Love I Quit match

(After enduring months of abuse at the hands of Roman Reigns, Jey Uso finally snaps & turns his back on Roman Reigns at the Night of Champions PLE. Jimmy tries to mediate peace between his family but sides with Jey after Roman gives him an ultimatum. The Usos end up defeating Roman & Solo in a tag team match at Money in the Bank after Jey gives Roman his first pinfall defeat in over four years. On the following episode of Smackdown, Jimmy once again looks to reconcile the two sides but Jey challenges Roman to TRIBAL COMBAT at Summerslam. Jey says that Roman's power and abuse has gone unchecked for too long and wants to be the man to end it; given he's been at the forefront of the most abuse. Roman snaps and attacks both Usos. It's revealed that Tribal Combat rules dictate that interference is strictly forbidden under threat of expulsion from the family & the only way to win is for a combantant's cornerman to throw the towel in. In addition, the loser is forced to acknowledge the winner afterwards. Jimmy questions Jey's choice to challenge Roman and states his frustration with the family becoming more split apart. Jey tells Jimmy that he had NO CHOICE because Roman's abuse would never end & someone has to humble him.

At Summerslam, the match commences with Solo in Roman's corner, Jimmy in Jey's, & the rest of the Anoa'i family watching at ringside. Roman & Jey batter each other bloody as their family watches him horror. The end of that match has Roman handcuffed with Jey about to cave his skull in with a steel chair...but Jimmy throws Jey's towel in before he can!!! As a result, Roman retains since Jimmy represented Jey. Jey throws the mother of all crash outs & screams at Jimmy for helping Roman while Jimmy screams that Jey was about to KILL his own blood. When Jey is pressed to acknowledge Roman as his Tribal Chief, Jey refuses so Roman decrees that Jey is removed from the family immediately. Jey tries to attack Roman but JIMMY SUPERKICKS HIM IN THE FACE! Jimmy sobs as Reigns & Sikoa lay Jey out until Rikishi runs in and puts himself between Roman & Jey.

On the following episode of Smackdown, Jimmy officially disowns Jey as his brother and chastises him for not listening to him and working overtime to split the family for good. Jimmy says he doesn't condone how Roman treated them, but says that what Jey did was far worse. Rikishi confronts them & scolds Jimmy for turning his back on his own brother. Additionally, Rikishi promises Roman that Jey will carve his own path away from Roman's toxicity. Jey does just that as he's transferred to Raw. He surrounds himself with friends like Jey Uso, Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes and becomes more fun-loving; adopting a "Yeet" dance that gets over as hell. However, Jimmy becomes a constant thorn in Jey's side as he makes sure to cost Jey several title opportunities. They also enter the 2024 Royal Rumble match with Jey as #1 and Jimmy as #2 where Jimmy eventually gets Jey eliminated thanks to Solo's interference. Jey also engages in a tag team match at Elimination Chamber against Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa that ends in a loss thanks to interference (that I'll go over in the main event). Eventually, Jey becomes sick and tired of the games & challenges Jimmy to a one-on-one match for Wrestlemania. Jimmy accepts but wants it to be an "I Quit" match so he can verbally hear Jey quit just like he quit on the family. Jey & Jimmy have an emotional fight where they keep the superkicks to a minimum and the family drama to a maximum. Rikishi is at ringside to cheer Jey on. However, neither man can find a way to make the other quit. Even when Jimmy handcuffs Jey to the ropes and threatens him, Jey doesn't quit. This leads to Solo Sikoa coming down to ringside and grabbing a steel chair. Solo sizes up a handcuffed Jey for a chair shot to the head until Jimmy stops him; just like at Summerslam 2023. Solo screams at Jimmy, shoves him out the way to brain Jey with the chair but JIMMY QUITS INSTEAD! Solo screams in Jimmy's face for throwing the match but Jimmy yells at Solo for almost killing their brother. After an intense argument, Solo walks off. Jey is uncuffed by the referee and just gives his brother a confused look. Rikishi steps in to possibly mend fences between the two. Jimmy gives Jey a remorseful look but simply walks off before anything else can be said. Jey & Rikishi celebrate in the ring together.)

Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane vs Jade Cargill, Bianca Belair, & Naomi

(Kairi Sane makes her return to WWE at Crown Jewel to help Iyo Sky retain her WWE Womens' title against Bianca Belair. The next night, Asuka also joins Damage CTRL and reforms her team with Kairi Sane. They quickly gain success by winning the Womens' Tag Team titles in early 2024 & grow close to Iyo and Dakota specifically. During this, Bianca's hatred for Damage CTRL remains as she tries to take them out. Belair finds allies in the returning Naomi and the debuting Jade Cargill; dubbing themselves as The Big Three. A six-woman tag is made between The Big Three & Damage CTRL for Wrestlemania. The Big Three make a great impression with the match ending after Cargill pins Kai following the Jaded.)

Gunther © vs Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Championship 

(After Summerslam, Chad Gable won a #1 Contendership match to face Gunther for the Intercontinental title. Gable received his shot two weeks later on Raw and actually won by count-out, but did not win the title due to Gunther's championship advantage. Gable receives a rematch a few weeks later with his family at ringside. Gable almost gets a submission victory with the ankle lock but Gunther barely gets to the ropes in time to break it. Afterwards, Gunther cheats and defeats Gable in front of his crying daughters. Gable spends the next few months training harder than ever before to make up for that loss. During the build to Wrestlemania, Gable asks Adam Pearce for a chance to get one more match against Gunther. However, several other guys also want to face Gunther so Pearce books a gauntlet match where the winner receives a match against Gunther. Gable enters first in the gauntlet and runs the entire distance against Bronson Reed, Shinsuke Nakamura, Ricochet, Otis, and Ludwig Kaiser to win his final shot against The Ring General! Afterwards, Gunther mocks Gable & says that his entire career has been nothing but a failure compared to his instant success. Gable says that since their last match, he hasn't had a night of sleep that wasn't haunted by the look of his traumatized daughter watching Gunther choke the life out of him. Gable says that Wrestlemania isn't just about the IC title, but it's also about standing up to the man who hurt his family. This leads to a fucking 5 star classic between two of the best wrestlers in the entire company. The finish comes when Gable locks Gunther in the Ankle Lock. Gunther almost gets to the ropes but Gable pulls him back. Gunther desperately tries to kick Gable off and escape...but Gable REFUSES to let go of the ankle lock before eventually grapevining it. Without any other choice, Gunther TAPS OUT!!! Chad Gable is the NEW Intercontinental Champion! Gable's family hits the ring with Alpha Academy not far behind. Gable tearfully celebrates his first ever singles' championship win with his wife and children hugging him. He hands the title to the daughter who previously cried to cap off this emotional celebration.)

The Rock & Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins

(Cody spends all of 2023 rebuilding after his heart breaking loss at Wrestlemania 39. He wins a blood feud against Brock Lesnar, goes to war against the Judgment Day throughout the fall which caps off in a Wargames match, and announces his entrance in the 2024 Royal Rumble. Seth Rollins also becomes the inaugural holder of the new incarnation of the World Heavyweight Championship. He defends all throughout 2023 against anyone who wants a shot & finds a reputation as the "workhorse champion". However, he faces an injury in early 2024 that puts him out of action and jeopardizes his title run. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns engages in his Bloodline Civil War while also racking up title defenses against Jey Uso, Bobby Lashley, & a returning Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble. Rumors run hot that Reigns will be facing The Rock at Wrestlemania 40 that only intensify when Rock (who has also been given a seat in the TKO Board of Directors) returns on the first Raw of 2024 and cheekily asks the crowd if he should go for a seat at "the head of the table". Despite that, Cody wins the 2024 Royal Rumble match & immediately calls his shot against Roman Reigns. In spite of that, Seth Rollins confronts Cody on the next episode of Raw & asks him to reconsider. Seth states that Roman's title is the "Hollywood title for lazy part-timers" while his title embodies the spirit of fighting champions like Cody's father, Dusty Rhodes. Cody says he'll give it some thought. That being said, Cody confronts Roman on Smackdown. He says he's thought about Seth's offer...but has also thought about how Roman screwed him at last year's Wrestlemania and robbed him of the chance to finish his story. Cody gets in Roman's face & is about to announce who he chooses...but THE ROCK INTERRUPTS HIM! The Rock comes down to the ring, ignoring Cody Rhodes, and gets in Roman's face. Rock tells Roman that they have family business and that he will see him at Wrestlemania as Smackdown comes to a close.

WWE announces on Twitter that Roman vs Rock has been made official for Wrestlemania. However, we see fan footage leak of a PISSED off Cody Rhodes who is arguing with a stage manager about Rock interrupting him with Triple H coming out to calm Cody. This sparks a huge online "We Want Cody" movement for all the fans who want Cody to finish his story. Cody tries to show up on the next episodes of Raw and Smackdown. However, he's greeted at the door by Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis respectively who both tell him that they have orders from "above" that he's barred from appearing on their shows until further notice. During this time, Rock cuts a cheeky Instagram promo where he outlines the history between himself and Roman that will be resolved at Wrestlemania. He also addresses Cody & states that he really likes Cody and has it on good authority that seeing him challenge Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania will be a fantastic match. This takes us to a Wrestlemania Kickoff press conference where Roman vs Rock & Cody vs Seth are billed as the official Wrestlemania matches. Despite that, Cody interrupts Rock & Roman's confrontation. Cody says that while he has all the respect in the world for Seth and the World Heavyweight title, he did not choose Seth. He chose Roman & he is invoking his power as the Royal Rumble winner to make that decision final. Rock & Roman get in Cody's face culminating with Rock SLAPPING Cody in the face. Seth Rollins runs out to support Cody in a massive pull-apart brawl with even Triple H getting involved. Triple H also confirms that Roman Reigns vs Cody Rhodes is fully set at Wrestlemania & has ensured that no further influence can change that.

On the next episode of Raw, Seth confronts Cody. He says he's disappointed that he won't be facing him but completely understands. Seth offers to be Cody's "shield" against The Bloodline if need be. On Smackdown, The Rock debuts his "Final Boss" persona, acknowledges Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief, and OFFICIALLY joins The Bloodline. Rock uses his corporate powers to force Cody in a handicap match against Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa at Elimination Chamber...unless he finds someone with the balls to team with him. Jey Uso, who briefly won the tag titles with Cody in 2023, answers the call and joins Cody's side to face Jimmy and Solo. Unfortunately, Solo scores a massive pinfall win on Cody after Roman interferes & spears Cody as he's about to win. Seth shows up afterwards with a steel chair to prevent a Bloodline beatdown on Cody & Jey. On the next episode of Raw, Cody & Seth appear together. Seth reveals that he will be medically cleared in time for Wrestlemania where he will defend his World Heavyweight title against the Elimination Chamber winner. Cody also says he's putting everything on the line because he also wants to challenge The Rock to a match for whatever night he isn't facing Roman so he can slap the taste out of The Final Boss' mouth. Rock & Roman appear on Smackdown and somewhat accept...but revise the challenge for he & Roman to face Cody & Seth in a tag team match. Rock says if Cody & Seth win, Cody's match against Roman will be purely one-on-one with zero interference. However, if Roman & Rock win, Roman vs Cody will be BLOODLINE RULES where they will stack the odds so high against Cody & make it impossible for Cody to win. Cody & Seth interrupt to accept Rock's challenge. The stakes intensify week after week until we finally arrive at the match. All four men have a fantastic tag team match that spans over 40 minutes. But in the end, Rock lays into Cody with his weight belt. Then he is tagged in to hit Cody with a Rock Bottom & a People's Elbow to pin Cody for the win. Afterwards, Roman & Rock celebrate their massive win while Cody is once again left in the ring in tears. The odds are fully stacked against him for Night 2 and it seems that all hope has been lost to close Night One.)