With his now former tag team partner, Chad Gable, having been moved to Raw via the Superstar Shake-up, Shelton Benjamin threw some shade his old partner’s way and then looked to make a major solo impression on the blue brand by calling out anyone on the roster to face him tonight.
First out was Randy Orton, clearly looking to silence Benjamin. However, before The Apex Predator could make it to the ring, he was interrupted by the new United States Champion and the newest SmackDown LIVE acquisition via the Superstar Shake-up, Jeff Hardy!
Benjamin and Hardy tore the house down with a thrilling contest that had the WWE Universe on its feet. After several back-and-forth exchanges, The Charismatic Enigma topped Benjamin with a Twist of Fate and the Swanton Bomb to claim the win in his first night back on the blue brand.
Credit: WWE.com
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Jeff Hardy vs. Jinder Mahal for the United States Championship
HARTFORD, Conn. — The roster has been shaken, to say nothing of the WWE Universe: No sooner did United States Champion Jinder Mahal reveal himself as the first Superstar to hop the divide from SmackDown LIVE to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up than he found himself dethroned by Jeff Hardy in an impromptu title defense that left The Modern Day Maharaja sputtering with anger.
The compromising position Mahal found himself in can partially be attributed to his own imperious attitude, which provoked Raw General Manager Kurt Angle to give an open call for a title challenger. Even after The Charismatic Enigma answered, The Modern Day Maharaja looked good in the early goings, and this Superstar Shake-up seemed that it may lead Mahal to the same career-making heights as the last one. But Hardy slowly crawled back from the deficit, thwarting Sunil Singh’s attempted interference before catching Mahal in the Twist of Fate. One epic Swanton Bomb later and Jeff was U.S. Champion for the first time and the newest Superstar to complete the Grand Slam.
Adding insult to injury, a fuming Mahal ran afoul of No Way Jose, who advised Mahal to stay positive and assimilated Renee Young into his conga line in the middle of The Maharaja’s backstage interview following the match. The result of his evoked rematch at the Greatest Royal Rumble could very well soothe Mahal’s wounds, but for now, he arrives to his new “kingdom” down a title, down an interviewer, and for tonight, at least, down for the count.
“Woken” Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. The Revival
From the battlefield of The Hardy Compound to the Greatest Royal Rumble event, “Woken” Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt are now one win away from becoming the Raw Tag Team Champions. In just their second week as a tandem, the eccentric duo powered past The Revival in the finals of the two-week Tag Team Eliminator to earn a bout against Cesaro & Sheamus for the vacant Raw Tag Team Titles in Saudi Arabia.
They did so despite Dash & Dawson resisting the team’s mind games, which forced the duo to adjust on the fly. Specifically, Hardy turned Wyatt loose on the former NXT Tag Team Champions, and The Reaper of Souls quickly turned the tide in his team’s favor. The result was the one-two punch of Sister Abigail to Dawson and a Twist of Fate-combo maneuver to Dash that ended the bout. With The Great War behind Hardy & Wyatt and tag team glory only one victory away, the future could be very wonderful indeed.
Credit: WWE.com
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New Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins may not be out of the woods with Finn Bálor, but the good news is that he has no shortage of allies when it comes to dealing with The Miz.
After a brief confab between Rollins and The Extraordinary Man (wherein a handshake — though non-binding — deal was struck to battle for the title), former champion The Miz resurfaced to reprimand Rollins for defeating him at WrestleMania, as the loss had made his baby daughter cry… which, in turn, made his wife cry… which made Miz himself cry.
That said, Miz — who made a point of saying he only dismissed The Miztourage at WrestleMania to avoid accusations of playing dirty — wasn’t about to invoke his rematch clause on The Kingslayer. He opted instead to call his shot for WWE Backlash, though he was more than willing to battle Seth and Finn in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match. Alas, that plan was thwarted by the arrival of Jeff Hardy, last seen haunting The Hardy Compound during The Ultimate Deletion. Jeff returned more than willing here to help Rollins and Bálor send Miz and his crew packing. Given that Kurt Angle sanctioned a Six-Man Tag Team Match for later in the evening, The Charismatic Enigma may well be willing to do a little more before all is said and done.
“Woken” Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt vs. Titus Worldwide in a Tag Team Eliminator Match
Last night, Bray Wyatt rose from The Lake of Reincarnation to help “Woken” Matt Hardy win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, signifying the beginning of a wonderful new partnership. On Raw, the two former rivals made it official, teaming up for the first time and notching a Tag Team Eliminator victory that doubled as the start of their “Expedition of Gold.”
With Wyatt “rid of the succubus known as Sister Abigail” and Hardy bolstered by the presence of Humungous Wonder Number Eight, they were near-flawless against Titus Worldwide, despite having never competed together. The Eater of Worlds seemed to have picked up a few of Hardy’s mannerisms as well — he decreed Apollo’s athletics to be “Wonderful!” — but Wyatt still relied on his punishing power moves to take the wind out of Apollo’s sails. A Sister Abigail-Twist of Fate combo landed Hardy & Wyatt a victory, The Expedition of Gold is officially a go, and The Revival await in the distance.
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy is headed to The Hardy Compound, and “Woken” Matt Hardy has Bray Wyatt of all people to thank for it.
In the first match of the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff, at the site of the very first Andre Battle Royal — the sold-out Mercedes-Benz Superdome — the Woken Superstar procured the prestigious prize by eliminating former trophy winner Baron Corbin to claim The Show of Shows’ annual over-the-top-rope fray.
With dozens of Raw and SmackDown Superstars eying the vaunted trophy, the victory was anything but easy. As soon as the opening bell rang, the field of competitors burst into action. Aiden English had the unenviable distinction of being the first man eliminated, a rough way to mark this particular Rusev Day. Dolph Ziggler doggedly avoided elimination at every turn, skinning the cat more than a fellmonger.
Golden Truth reunited briefly before Goldust double-crossed R-Truth and sent him flying (a feat that The Bizarre One topped off with a celebratory dab). As the pack continued to thin, Zack Ryder signaled for a Broski Boot on Ziggler but was cut off by a brutal pounce from another past Andre Battle Royal victor, Mojo Rawley, resulting in the elimination of his onetime Hype Bro teammate.
Eventually, the Battle Royal dwindled down to Hardy, Corbin and Rawley. Corbin and Rawley forged an unlikely alliance and put boots to Hardy. But just when things looked bleakest for The Woken One, Wyatt appeared seemingly out of thin air, marking his first time back in the ring since before Hardy defeated him in The Ultimate Deletion.
To the astonishment of everyone, especially Hardy, Wyatt’s arrival was a blessing in disguise. The New Face of Fear helped Hardy eliminate Mojo, but was almost immediately met by an End of Days from Corbin. With his attention diverted, Corbin stumbled into a waiting Hardy, who backdropped The Lone Wolf onto the floor for the win.
“Woken” Matt thanked Wyatt (as did the WWE Universe, with chants of “Thank you, Wyatt”), and the two twisted forces embraced.
With his challenge to The Undertaker still unanswered, John Cena sat among the WWE Universe with a stunned expression on his face. His reaction said it all. A new and confounding alliance has arrived in WWE.
Credit: WWE.com
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