The show opens with the newly-crowned Universal Champion Roman Reigns making his entrance.
He soaks in the atmosphere a moment before saying he’s a man of his word– he said he was going to beat Brock Lesnar, and he did it. He also said when he won it, he’d defend it, and that’s what he plans on doing TONIGHT. Typically he’d make it real easy and open it up to anyone that wants to step up, but he’s got one man in mind, a man that won this title here in Brooklyn and he got hurt and never had a chance to win it back.
Since he won it in Brooklyn, he’s gonna defend it tonight, against Finn Balor!
Enter Finn Balor. He greets Roman cheerfully and accepts his challenge, vowing to take his title back tonight. Reigns offers a hand to make it official and Finn shakes.
Enter Constable Baron Corbin, here to poop on the party. He says the match isn’t gonna happen, and if Finn thinks he’ll be rewarded for the stunt he pulled last night, no-showing in favor of the Demon, an unprofessional and cowardly act. Plus with all the lights, smoke, and noise, Corbin couldn’t hear the bell ring and as far as he’s concerned the match never happened, so tonight he’s wrestling Finn Balor the man.
The Big Dog tells Baron if he sucked as bad as he did last night he’d forget about it, too. Corbin says the only reason Roman is champion is because Brock Lesnar was more worried about Braun Strowman than he was about him. Reigns closes in on him and Kurt Angle makes his entrance to play peacemaker. He says Corbin let the Constable thing get to his head, and here on Raw he makes the matches, not Baron.
He doesn’t care what the Lone Wolf thinks, but he does care what Brooklyn thinks, and he polls them on Roman’s prospective title match. They’re into it, so he makes Reigns/Balor official! Baron has a match tonight too, starting right now, against…Bobby Lashley!
Back from commercial, Finn Balor is taping himself up in the locker room when Braun Strowman rolls up on him.
Braun reminds Finn of what he said last night about cashing in from behind and wanting to do things face-to-face, so he wants to wish Balor good luck tonight.
Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns (c) (WWE Universal Championship)
Collar and elbow, Reigns backing Balor in the corner and throwing him aside when referee Dan Engler orders the break. Finn goes behind, waistlock, catches an elbow and Roman grabs a side headlock. Shot off, duck a lariat but the shoulder block lands true! Whip across, sunset flip, only two, to the apron and Reigns counters the enzuigiri with a big slicing right that sends us to break!
Back from commercial, Roman has a side headlock in but Finn fights out with body blows. Big shot to the midsection from the Big Dog, Balor gasping in the ropes, whip reversed, sunset flip but he rolls through into a basement dropkick to stagger the champion! To their feet, pass to the floor, dropkick through the ropes and Finn hits the Penalty Kick only for Reigns to catch it and trip him up on the apron!
Back inside, cover gets two, and Roman hammer whips Balor into the turnbuckles hard! Big right hand, charging in, boots up in the corner, duck a lariat, hits one of his own, double leg into the double stomp, fired up, Finn in with chops in the corner, whip reversed, up and over, more chops and Reigns shrugs them off! To the corner for the repeated lariats, off the ropes and Balor wipes him out with a dropkick!
Off the ropes… TOPE CON GIRO! Back inside, cover… NOPE! A look of disbelief on the Irishman’s face sends us to break.
Back from commercial and Balor is down and out with Reigns standing over him. To his feet, blocking a right from Roman, firing his own back, slicing right gets the Pele kick and both guys are down and out on the mat! Finn with a flurry of punches, repeated stomps in the ropes, referee Dan Engler warns him off! The Big Dog with the sitout powerbomb… NOPE!
Calling for it, Superman Punch blocked with a kick, inverted headlock elbow drop… NOT ENOUGH! Shove into the corner, to the apron, gamengiri knocks the Big Dog down, up top, Roman recovers, fails to cut him off, lands on his feet, Sling Blade, beckoning him up… SHOTGUN DROPKICK COUNTERED WITH THE SUPERMAN PUNCH! Reigns looking to the sky, trying to figure out what he needs to do to put Finn away and there’s only one answer…
He howls, charges in, and gets cut off with a knee! Victory roll… NO! SUPERMAN PUNCH!
(RRROOOAAARRR!)
Braun Strowman comes to ringside, and Balor hits Sling Blade! Shotgun dropkick, up top… COUP DE GRACE COMES UP EMPTY! SPEAR! IT’S OVER!
Roman Reigns wins by pinfall with a spear, retaining the WWE Universal Championship.
