Show 22: Empire in Ashes
“To rise, something must fall…”
Venue: United Center, Chicago
Attendance: 19,404 (Sell-Out)
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Taz, Nigel McGuinness
Theme Song: “Empire” by Bring Me The Horizon
PRE-SHOW HYPE VIDEO
A cinematic montage blends empire imagery—fallen thrones, scorched gold, kings in war paint. Voices from Sami Zayn, Jay White, MJF, and Jacob Fatu narrate with escalating tension.
MATCH 1: Tag Team Gauntlet — #1 Contender Spot
Teams:
- Street Profits
- Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
- Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa)
- Creed Brothers
- FTR
Gauntlet Order:
- Street Profits vs Hayes & Trick: Trick eats a sky-high spinebuster/frog splash combo.
➡️ Winners: Street Profits - G.O.D enters: Intense brawl. Tanga Loa hits Ape Sh*t on Dawkins.
➡️ Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny - Creed Brothers: A brutal hoss fight ends with Julius Creed countering a Gun Stun with a slingshot DVD.
➡️ Winners: Creed Brothers - FTR enters last: Crowd splits 50/50. The match goes 10 minutes, full of technical and stiff tag work.
Finish: Brutus Creed German suplexes Dax into Cash on the apron. Julius hits a Brutus Ball to pin Cash clean.
➡️ Winners: Creed Brothers
➡️ New #1 Contenders to the Tag Titles
MATCH 2: Chad Gable vs Samoa Joe – Submission Match
Story: Gable claimed to be the best technician in wrestling. Joe saw it as arrogance. They agreed to a submission-only war.
Highlights:
- Joe controls early with jabs and the Coquina Clutch.
- Gable showcases Olympic counters and transitions into a heel hook/ankle lock chain.
- Joe hits a ST-Joe, and locks in a guillotine, but Gable rolls through and grabs the Chaos Theory roll into a grapevined Ankle Lock.
➡️ Winner: Chad Gable via referee stoppage
Joe refuses to tap, but passes out in pain.
MATCH 3: Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, & Hook (c) vs Sheamus, PAC, & Claudio – Trios Titles
Highlights:
- Cassidy gets rag-dolled by Claudio.
- Darby and PAC fly into each other like missiles.
- Hook and Sheamus throw bombs.
- Sheamus hits White Noise on Hook from the middle rope.
- Claudio and PAC hit a Powerbomb/Springboard 450 combo on Darby for a near fall.
Finish: PAC goes for Black Arrow, but Hook shoves him off. Cassidy hits a rolling Orange Punch, Darby lands Coffin Drop on Claudio for the win.
➡️ Winners: Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin & Hook (retain titles)
MATCH 4: Gunther vs Jeff Cobb – Hoss Fight of the Year
Story: Gunther insulted Cobb’s NJPW legacy. Cobb called Gunther a Euro-snob hiding behind rules.
Highlights:
- Gunther’s chest chops echo like gunfire.
- Cobb deadlifts Gunther for a standing moonsault.
- Gunther counters Tour of the Islands into a short-arm lariat and follows with a Last Symphony.
➡️ Winner: Gunther
Gunther refuses a handshake and raises his arms defiantly.
MATCH 5: The Usos vs Solo Sikoa & Hikuleo
Bloodline War Match
Highlights:
- Emotional psychology-laden bout.
- Hikuleo crushes Jimmy through the timekeeper’s area.
- Jey hits a Superkick Party on Solo.
- Solo recovers and Samoan Spikes both Usos, but Jimmy avoids a second and lands Uso Splash on Hikuleo.
Finish: Solo sets up for a second Samoan Spike, but Jey ducks and hits superkick/Samoan drop combo with Jimmy to pin him.
➡️ Winners: The Usos
MATCH 6: Lucha Bros (c) vs New Day – Tag Team Championship
Story: New Day vowed to restore tag wrestling purity. Lucha Bros claim they are the standard.
Highlights:
- Kofi and Fenix have a dazzling rope-running exchange.
- Pentagon and Big E trade brutal power moves.
- Kofi hits SOS off the middle rope. Big E sets for Big Ending, but Fenix counters with a poison rana.
- Final sequence: New Day goes for Midnight Hour, but Pentagon superkicks Kofi mid-air, Fenix spikes Big E with Spanish Fly, and they hit Fear Factor on Kofi.
➡️ Winners: Lucha Bros (retain titles)
MATCH 7: 8-Man Tag — Winner Gets a Title Shot Opportunity
Teams:
- Jon Moxley, Bron Breakker, Christian Cage, Braun Strowman
vs - Edge, Bobby Lashley, Powerhouse Hobbs, Mark Briscoe
Elimination Rules:
- Mark eliminated early by Breakker
- Christian eats a spear from Edge
- Braun and Hobbs brawl through the crowd—double countout
- Lashley eliminates Breakker with a Hurt Lock
Final 2: Jon Moxley vs Edge
Mox reverses a Spear into a Paradigm Shift on steel steps.
➡️ Winners: Moxley & Breakker
➡️ Mox wins final singles match, earning the title shot.
MATCH 8: Jay White (c) vs MJF – U.S. Title Street Fight
Story: MJF returned seeking vengeance and validation. Jay White mocked him: “You’re not the devil. You’re just a scared little boy in Burberry.”
Violent Highlights:
- MJF piledrives Jay through a barbed-wire table.
- Jay wraps a chair around MJF’s neck and smashes it with another.
- MJF hits Heatseeker on steel steps.
- Jay counters Salt of the Earth with low blow → Blade Runner, but MJF kicks out.
- Juice Robinson runs in and slams MJF through a table.
Finish: Jay White wraps a chain around MJF’s neck, locks in a brutal crossface sleeper, and MJF passes out.
➡️ Winner: Jay White (retains U.S. Title)
➡️ Switchblade Club (Jay + Juice) is born.
MAIN EVENT: Sami Zayn (c) vs Jacob Fatu – World Championship
Story: Fatu called Sami a “paper champ clinging to feel-good moments.” Sami vowed to show why emotion fuels fire.
Highlights:
- Fatu throws Sami like a ragdoll—pounce through the ropes.
- Sami fights back with Helluva Kicks, but Fatu kicks out at 1.
- Fatu hits a Triple Jump Moonsault, but Sami gets the knees up.
- Sami counters a pop-up Samoan Drop into a Koji Clutch.
Finish: Fatu powers out, but Sami hits back-to-back Helluva Kicks, collapses on him.
➡️ Winner: Sami Zayn (retains)
Post-Match:
Moxley walks out slowly. Bloodied, battered from earlier, he stands face to face with Sami, holding up a single finger:
“I’m next.”
FINAL OUTCOMES:
- Sami Zayn retains, will face Jon Moxley
- Jay White retains, forms Switchblade Club
- Creed Brothers become #1 tag contenders
- Lucha Bros, Hook’s Trios Team, and Gunther all retain
- Chad Gable proves himself vs Samoa Joe
- Bloodline fractures deepen
- MJF has hit his lowest point — revenge arc imminent
