Today is the end of week 2 of Universe Mode, as the blue brand ends the week off strong. In the main event, Randy Orton faces The Rock with the WWE Title on the line. Also on the card, a fatal four way for number one contendership of the US title, Booker T faces Austin Aries, and more!
Universe Mode
Week 2
Thursday Night Smackdown
Location: San Antonio, TX
The Hardy Boyz vs Tyson Kidd and Cesaro w/Natalya
Nikki Bella vs Brie Bella
Booker T vs Austin Aries
Dean Ambrose vs Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler vs Kevin Owens- US Title Number One Contendership
Randy Orton(c) vs The Rock- WWE Title Match
Summary:
The Lone Star State witnessed NXT on Wednesday, and the WWE stuck around, moving to San Antonio for this edition of Smackdown. We kicked things off with tag team action, as The Hardy Boyz faced off with Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, joined by Natalya, who jumped ship from Raw. Natalya would pay dividends for Kidd and Cesaro, interjecting herself into the match to halt the Hardy's momentum. Jeff would hit the Swanton Bomb, but Natalya distracted the referee, leading to Kidd turning the match around, hitting a Blockbuster for the victory. Up next, we saw the Bella Twins go head to head, as they had a falling out after last week's loss to AJ Lee. The two tore each other apart, as the sibling rivalry led to one heck of a match. They both were extremely vicious, but it was Nikki's intelligence that won her the match. Brie tried a dropkick off the top, which Nikki dodged, and nearly took Brie's head off with a forearm shot that earned her the victory. The final preliminary match featured Booker T in action against Austin Aries, who lost his debut match against Shinsuke Nakamura last week. Aries was determined to get back in the winning column, coming out firing on all cylinders. Booker attempted to strike back, eventually trying the Axe Kick, but Aries countered with a roaring elbow for a 2 count. They went back and forth, with Booker attempting the Houston Hangover, but dove right into a second roaring elbow, with Booker barely able to kick out in time. However, Aries hit the Brainbuster, and Booker wasn't able to kick out a third time. This win has to put Aries in the US title hunt.
The co-main event was up next, a four-way for number one contendership to the US title. The match was all over the place, featuring quite a few near falls. Daniel Bryan was busted open, Kevin Owens hit a boatload of pop up powerbombs, and there were a lot of chair shots. In the end, a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose on Owens earned Dean Ambrose another shot at the US title. Finally, it was time for the main event, a match of monumental proportions, as Randy Orton faced The Rock, with the WWE title on the line. The two battled in the ring for a few minutes, before taking to the outside. Both men, rather surprisingly, looked for the submission quite frequently, but neither were willing to submit. Orton hit his signature hanging DDT, but The Rock, wily as he is, just his hand on the bottom rope to extend the match. Orton, frustrated, nearly lost to a Spinebuster, but then connected with a RKO, but The Rock got the shoulder up at 2. The match would then go back and forth, but a neckbreaker for Orton scored momentum, and he followed it up with a vicious punt to the head. Orton was unable to follow up, and The Rock swung the match in his favor, hitting a perfect Rock Bottom. 1-2-3!!! We have a new WWE Champion! The Rock has won the WWE title, right here in San Antonio. The Rock was dominated most of the match, but The People's Champion never gave up, and ended the reign of Randy Orton after just one week.
Wow! The WWE title has changed hands after just one week, and we have a new champion. With The Rock on top of Smackdown, how will Randy Orton respond next week? Be sure to stay tuned for more universe mode. This is just gettin' good!
-Henry
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