The show opens with a recap centered around Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns again. closing on the brawl from last week. And thence into Raw’s intro video.

Commentary hypes up our Intercontinental Championship match and then Kurt Angle makes his entrance to really kick the show off.

He tells us that Braun suffered a shattered elbow last week and flew directly back to the United States for surgery on his elbow and may be out of action for six months. Strowman had set his sights on the Universal Championship, so he has given a lot of thought to who should challenge Brock Lesnar next, but it has to be earned, not given.

So at Extreme Rules, they’re doing a five-way #1 contender’s match for the Universal Championship. As for who’s gonna be in the match, it’ll be Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Bray Wyatt, and Roman Reigns. So whoever wants to slay the beast will have to win at Extreme Rules. It’s gonna be historical and it’s gonna be extreme, it’s true, it’s damn true.

He goes to leave but is interrupted by Roman Reigns. He gets in the ring and says we don’t need a five-way match because he’s the number one contender. This is his yard, he beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania, he put Strowman in that ambulance, and he’s the only guy around here that can beat Brock Lesnar.

Enter Finn Balor. He says he’ll tell Roman the same thing he told Seth Rollins– he was the first Universal Champion and he never lost the title, so, uh, if you want a piece of the Beast, the line starts behind him. Reigns tells Finn he has a lot of heart but he doesn’t have the killer instinct to beat Brock. Finn reminds Roman that he beat him on his first night on Raw as a counterpoint.

Enter Samoa Joe. He tells them they have it very wrong, it’s not about big hearts, about anybody’s yard, and definitely not about anybody’s club. It’s about two things, actions and results. Action, he locks the Coquina Clutch on Rollins; result, Seth is unresponsive on the ground and his body goes limp. Action, he enters the five way; result, he wins. Action, he goes on to face Brock Lesnar–

(Wyatt noise.)

Bray Wyatt is in the ring when the lights come back. He says the Beast approaches and all of them put on their brave faces but he can feel them trembling. Roman, Joe, and Finn will cower, fall, and run respectively, but him, on the other hand–

Enter Seth Rollins. He says there’s a lot of time for talk, but New Jersey didn’t come for talking, they came for fighting, and more specifically, he came here to fight Samoa. They brawl in the ramp and chaos breaks loose! Seth takes Joe’s knee out through the ropes and the Destroyer backs off.

Wyatt knocks Rollins out, Reigns catches him with a Superman Punch to send him outside, Bray and Seth fight and Finn takes them out with a shotgun dropkick! Balor gets back in the ring, ducking and dodging, sling bloade on Roman… TOPE CON GIRO!

Back from commercial Balor, Rollins, and Reigns are bickering when Angle rolls up to tell them they let their aggression out in the ring, so he’s gonna book some matches. He makes Rollins vs. Wyatt and Balor vs. Reigns and tells them all to go get ready.

Finn Balor is interviewed backstage and he quotes the old canard about dogs and fights. There’s a whole world of fight in him and he can do things guys twice his size can’t. He finishes up saying it may be Roman’s yard, but it’s his universe.

Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns

Roman forces Finn in the corner and breaks clean at referee John Cone’s behest. Circling, Balor goes behind, waistlock, back elbow escape and Reigns biels him across the ring! Finn comes at him with strikes and the Big Dog backs him in the corner and biels him again before putting boots to him in the corner.

Face to turnbuckle, Roman follows with the big slicing right hand, he shoves Finn into the ropes but Balor blocks it and throws elbows. Whip, Samoan drop, the president of Balor Club is writhing in pain under the ropes and the Big Dog draws him to his feet on the apron.

Trying to suplex him in, Finn blocks with punches, a gamengiri, charging elbows, basement dropkick, Balor getting fired up. Chop in the corner and Reigns has had enough, knocking Finn across the ring with a right. He charges over and Balor sidesteps, sending Roman’s bad shoulder into the ringpost! Penalty Kick from the apron sets up a double stomp to the Big Dog’s back!

Finn paces outside and we go to break.

Back from commercial and Reigns fires off a headbutt and a right hand before Balor dumps him outside. Finn knocks him back down with a kick, charging around outside but Roman lifts him up one-handed and puts his back into the ringpost! Breaking the count quickly, the Big Dog follows it up by putting Balor into the barricade.

Setting him up first, the Drive-By connects and Reigns makes a cover… NOPE! Corner lariats follow, looking for a boot but Finn sidesteps, Roman with the Blue Thunder Driver! Calling for the Superman Punch, Balor kicks him in the ribs, strike rush, off the ropes and the Big Dog is the one kicking the midsection this time!

Thinking powerbomb but his shoulder gives out and Finn capitalizes with a double stomp. Sling Blade connects but Balor runs right into the Superman Punch… FINN KICKS OUT AT THE LAST FRACTION OF A SECOND! Calling for the spear but Balor counters with a knee, another Sling Blade, calling for it, shotgun dropkick connects!

Finn rolls outside, climbing as fast as he can in the pain he’s in, up top but Roman cuts him off! Gutting it out, Reigns charges…

Roman Reigns wins by pinfall with the spear.

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