How WWE Should Book Hell In A Cell 2021

 

Hey everyone! Ever since Night Of Champions 2015, through multiple accounts, before major WWE pay-per-views every month, I’ve come on here and booked the cards to make them as exciting, intriguing, and best possible scenarios for the future. I do both NXT and main-roster pay-per-views, as well as the occasional big milestone RAW or Smackdown weekly show. Without further ado, here is how WWE should book Hell In A Cell 2021!

MY HELL IN A CELL PPV POSTS OF PREVIOUS YEARS:

• 2015: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-wwe-should-book-hell-in-cell-2015.html

• 2016: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/2016/10/how-wwe-should-book-hell-in-cell-2016.html

• 2017: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/2017/10/how-wwe-should-book-hell-in-cell-2017.html

• 2018: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/2018/09/how-wwe-should-book-hell-in-cell-2018.html

• 2019: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/2019/10/how-wwe-should-book-hell-in-cell-2019.html

• 2020: Didn’t do one.

MAIN SHOW

• It’s that time of year once again: Hell In A Cell! Is it October, meaning that the scariest and deadliest WWE match stipulation has been saved for the spookiest month of them all? No! It’s June! Oh… uh, well okay. Have they moved the PPV up because there’s just so many interpersonal, violent and long-storied blood feuds that can ONLY end when two competitors are forced to battle it out inside the cell?! No, it’s just that we have a monthly PPV quota to fulfill and it’s all purely branding. We didn’t really start planning the card until 2 weeks before the PPV, or what matches desere the Cell. We kind of just picked rematches out of a hat. Goddamn all jokes aside the Hell In A Cell PPV and match concept itself is SO DEAD. Rey/Roman was moved to SmackDown and we still don’t know why. But I can guess. Is it because we needed to make room for the cell to house a match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship BUILT AROUND HAHA LAUGHING AT EACH OTHER. Fuck this is the worst PPV card in a long time. Just the worst mix of lazy booking, tired rematches, artificial tension, ingenuine and contrived build of nearly all the feuds, a show that didn’t even have 5 matches by the Friday before, and the overall souring and neutering of the HIAC concept. This PPV NEEDS to go away. Gimmick PPV’s NEED to go away. I didn’t even know whether there was a fucking point in doing a post for this PPV because I didn’t really have any big out-of-the-box ideas besides for the finish of the main event, because HOW can you possibly be creative for a show where you’ve already seen everything before? It’s the age old ancient chinese proverb, “If they don’t care, why should I?” But by god, I’ve been taking on this challenge of trying to improve WWE and create an intriguing PPV show that sets up for the long-term future for many years now. And that’s what we will semi-enthusiastically attempt to do with this inconsequential disaster of a PPV build.

1ST MATCH: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley (Hell In A Cell match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship)

• Bayley is out first, followed by Bianca Belair. We get formal ring introductions, and the ominous music plays, the lights flash all around the ring, and the Cell lowers as the referee holds up the title in the center of the ring. The match gets 16 minutes. They’ll have another good match again. But man this is just indicative of how small the division of people they trust is. It’ll be Bayley for Bianca every PPV until SummerSlam where it’s Sasha again. It’s rough. I’ve already hammered this point into your brain with an ice pick, but this is a feud built around WHOSE LAUGH IS MORE ANNOYING, and it’s a Hell In A Cell match. Fuck, everything sucks. Why couldn’t it have been Bianca Belair vs. Bayley II, Funnybone for a Funnybone match? Can we please stop forcing matches inside the cell just because it’s a women’s match and we have to “make history” every year for some reason? The gender doesn’t matter. The match deserves the cell only if the story is right. I thought this feud might be leaning towards a natural progression of turning into a Hair vs. Hair, you could’ve had Bayley daring Bianca to put on the line part of what makes her so special and what makes her stand out, her long ponytail braid. I’m sure Bayley would be down to get her head shaved for the cause. That would’ve at least added something valuable and an intriguing selling point to the feud, and maybe they can stretch this out to MITB and do Hair vs. Hair there, but no, laughing at each other every week is a feud that even the demonic Hell In A Cell cannot contain!!!! Anyways… let’s end this mess of a ramble. Bianca gets the win and the match ends when Bayley goes up to the top rope for her signature elbow drop, but Bianca, showing her athletic prowess, leaps up to the top rope to meet Bayley there. Bayley tries to wrap her arms around Bianca, teasing a Bayley To Belly off the top rope, but Bianca fights out of it and then backflips off the top rope, landing on her feet. Bianca then scoops Bayley up onto her shoulders off the top rope, and nails a KOD that sends Bayley face-first onto a steel chair introduced earlier in the match. It’s no secret, the return of Sasha Banks is imminent. Bianca vs. Sasha II in a SummerSlam rematch of the WrestleMania Night 1 main event, for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, is the biggest singles match you can possibly promote right now with any of the women on that brand.

WINNER by PINFALL and STILL WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion: Bianca Belair

• We get an ad for WWE Shop, followed by shots of both Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre entering the building earlier in the day. We get a video package for our next match, and then a backstage shot of Shayna Baszler walking up to gorilla position, as Alexa Bliss related dolls appear in the shots during her walk-up.

2ND MATCH: Alexa Bliss vs. Shayna Baszler (w/ Nia Jax and Reginald) (Singles match)

• Shayna Baszler is out first, followed by Alexa Bliss. I’m not even going to waste my time on this. Put this on second so that you have a hot opener, then it’ll drop off temporarily with the worst match of the night immediately following it, and then it’s all uphill from there, so it doesn’t seem as bad in the end being compacted by everything else on the show that was quality. I’ll give it 5 minutes and no more. Alexa Bliss wins after causing the gravitational pull of the sun to stop, and the entire planet of Earth literally drops into the never-ending abyss of the universe, instantaneously compromising Shayna Baszler and friends to a permanent end.

WINNER by some bullshit: Alexa Bliss

• We get an ad for the cities that WWE is returning to on their tour this summer, because it will be funny to air this right after the magic doll stuff. It’ll be almost as if they’re daring you to buy tickets.

3RD MATCH: Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins (Singles match)

• Now, after the bullshittery that is Alexa Bliss and her magic doll, let’s bookend that with a very good one on one professional wrestling match as sort of a pallet cleanser. Seth Rollins is out first, followed by Cesaro, whose entrance is stopped short as Rollins doesn’t feel like waiting for the bell to ring and rushes Cesaro on the ramp, and the two men begin brawling around ringside. Rollins, the heel, gets the advantage before the match has even begun, as Cesaro begins the match hurting after Rollins sends him right into the ringpost with a running Powerbomb. The match gets 12 minutes. I would say I hope Cesaro delivers the 100-rotation swing here, but it would be wasted in front of the Thunderdome, and if he didn’t do it at WrestleMania in front of fans, I don’t think it’s something we’re going to see, unfortunately. Does it really matter who gets the victory here at this point in the feud? Will it really affect either man in who wins and who loses? I mean, they’ll both probably still make it into the Money In The Bank ladder match next month. And that sucks, because wins and losses should matter, but they really just absolutely don’t in WWE nowadays. I think it’s fair to say that Cesaro must get the win here over Rollins. Cesaro was taken out on a stretcher just a few weeks ago at the hands of Rollins. He’s been out and brutally attacked by Seth at every turn, and plus he was bucklebombed into the ringpost before the match and fought his way back up for the win. The match ends when Rollins goes for the Curb Stomp, but we get an RKO from WrestleMania 31 moment as Rollins flies up into the air on Cesaro’s head, and Cesaro hits an uppercut on Seth on his way down. Cesaro then hits the Neutralizer for the pin. From here, you can either have both these guys in MITB, or you can put them in a qualifying match against each other, which I’d honestly have Rollins come out on top in, as I think he’d be the better and more interesting fit for the ladder match. Cesaro looks very good here with another big victory over Rollins and seals his payback from all the attacks in recent weeks. Now end this feud, please.

WINNER by PINFALL: Cesaro

• We get an official ad for the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV next month.

4TH MATCH: Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn (Singles match)

• Kevin Owens is out first, followed by Sami Zayn. The match gets 10 minutes. This feud is SO TIRED and they are dragging it’s dead carcass through the mud and dirt. Please, no more after this. That being said, it is an Owens/Zayn match, and it’ll be good for the in-ring if nothing else. The match ends dirty as both Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez come down to ringside to get a better view of the action. Owens tries to provoke them both to come fight him. Zayn hits a Blue Thunderbomb on Owens for a nearfall. Zayn whips Owens into the corner and goes for the Helluva Kick, but Owens sidesteps and the ref accidentally gets in the way. Ref bump. This prompts Azeez to accept Owens’ earlier invitation, who gets in the ring after Apollo barks instructions for Azeez to spike Owens again in the throat with the Nigerian Nail. Owens goes down and in the process of hacking up a lung, he makes the mistake of leaning against the turnbuckle, perfectly in position for Zayn to deliver on the Helluva Kick this time for the victory once the referee recovers. The Apollo/Owens program over the IC Title continues from here, and Zayn can go onto other things. I’m really struggling here. Pretty much trying to write about this entire PPV. There’s only so many times you can creatively book the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over (did I mention “and over”?) and over again until you can feel yourself going insane. WWE TV programming desperately needs a refresh.

WINNER by PINFALL: Sami Zayn

• We get an ad for WWE on Peacock, followed by a backstage interview with MVP, who speaks on the main event match for the WWE Championship.

5TH MATCH: Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair (Singles match for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship)

• Charlotte is out first, followed by Rhea Ripley. The match gets 17 minutes. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I think you have to have Rhea drop the title to Charlotte eventually because I honestly feel like the biggest RAW Women's Title match you could put on right now for SummerSlam is Charlotte/Alexa Bliss. Rhea’s title reign reminds me vaguely of Randy Orton’s run with the WHC in 2004, when he completely bombed and it was just far too early and far before he was ready. In this specific instance, I’d have Rhea go over, just so we can prove that Rhea CAN beat Charlotte, and to just extend Ripley’s reign that little bit more, but I’d give them one more rematch at MITB, in a stipulation like a Falls Count Anywhere, where Charlotte can get the title in a malicious way that won’t necessarily hurt Rhea by taking it off her or making her look too weak. The match ends after a Riptide to Charlotte.

WINNER by PINFALL and STILL WWE RAW Women’s Champion: Rhea Ripley

• We get an ad for the Covid Vaccine from WWE Wrestlers, followed by another Money In The Bank PPV teaser. We get a video package four our next match.

6TH MATCH: Bobby Lashley (c) (w/ MVP) vs. Drew McIntyre (“Last Chance” Hell In A Cell match for the WWE Championship, where if McIntyre loses, he can no longer challenge for the WWE Championship as long as Lashley is champion)

• McIntyre is out first, followed by Lashley. The match gets 22 minutes. It’s physical as hell and they slam each other into the cell walls, utilizing the environment around them. Lots of power moves and weapon shots, high-impact moves. I’ve made it known in these posts lately that Lashley vs. Lesnar is the match to do at SummerSlam, in the Fight Pit, for the WWE Championship. And I am very much still on that train. Bearing this in mind, All I know is that I need, at some point in this match, for Drew McIntyre to get ahold of his sword and CUT THROUGH THE CELL WALL to escape so he can brawl on the outside with Bobby. The match ends when Lashley devastates McIntyre by snapping him in half with a spear. Then, looking straight down the lens of the camera like the barrel of a shotgun, Lashley hits an F-5 for the victory, and that is enough to retain. This way, it’s a cheeky way of Lashley provoking and calling out Lesnar by getting the win by stealing his finishing move, AND it can potentially set up for another Lesnar vs. McIntyre match in the near future, on the basis of McIntyre having been pinned for the first time by that move after he kicked out of them all at WrestleMania 36. It creates for a big triangle web of roads you can go down in the coming months. With this crushing loss, McIntyre can no longer challenge for the title anymore as long as Lashley is still champion, and after this night, it doesn’t seem as if the All-Mighty era is going to end any time soon. The PPV ends with MVP draping the belt over Lashley’s shoulder, as Lashley again looks right down the hard cam, and mocks Lesnar’s little bounce that he does. The Beast has officially been called out by Bobby Lashley.

WINNER by PINFALL and STILL WWE Champion: Bobby Lashley

FINAL RESULTS:

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times
1	Bianca Belair (c) defeated Bayley by Pinfall	Hell In A Cell match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship	16 minutes
2	Alexa Bliss defeated Shayna Baszler (w/ Nia Jax and Reginald)	Singles match	5 minutes
3	Cesaro defeated Seth Rollins by Pinfall	Singles match	12 minutes
4	Sami Zayn (w/ Apollo Crews and Commander Azeez) defeated Kevin Owens by Pinfall	Singles match	10 minutes
5	Rhea Ripley (c) defeated Charlotte Flair by Pinfall	Singles match for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship	17 minutes
6	Bobby Lashley (c) (w/ MVP) defeated Drew McIntyre by Pinfall with an F-5	“Last Chance” Hell In A Cell match for the WWE Championship, where if McIntyre loses, he can no longer challenge for the WWE Championship as long as Lashley is champion	22 minutes

 

MY CARD FOR MONEY IN THE BANK 2021 (July 18, 2021, Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, TX)

No.	Matches	Stipulations
1	Angel Garza (RAW) vs. Big E (SmackDown) vs. Cesaro (SmackDown) vs. Chad Gable (SmackDown) vs. Damian Priest (RAW) vs. Drew McIntyre (RAW) vs. Jeff Hardy (RAW) vs. Keith Lee (RAW) vs. Kevin Owens (SmackDown) vs. Seth Rollins (SmackDown)	Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder match for a World Championship match contract
2	Alexa Bliss (RAW) vs. Asuka (RAW) vs. Carmella (SmackDown) vs. Io Shirai (SmackDown) vs. Liv Morgan (SmackDown) vs. Naomi (RAW) vs. Sasha Banks (SmackDown) vs. Shayna Baszler (RAW)	Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder match for a Women’s Championship match contract
3	Bobby Lashley (c) (w/ MVP) vs. vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin	1-on-2 Handicap match for the WWE Championship
4	Roman Reigns (c) (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. Jimmy Uso with Jey Uso in a neutral corner	Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship
5	Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair	Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship
6	Bianca Belair (c) vs. Bayley	Hair vs. Hair match for the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship
7	AJ Styles and Omos (c) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle)	Triple Threat Tag Team match for the WWE RAW Women’s Championship
PRE-SHOW	Sheamus (c) vs. Humberto Carillo vs. Mustafa Ali vs. Ricochet	Fatal 4-Way Elimination match for the WWE United States Championship

Well, that was the post. Thanks for reading! As always, let me know what you liked and/or what you didn’t like from the post, and what from the post you’d like to see actually happen on the show! Be sure to look out for my next post for the upcoming PPV, “How WWE Should Book Money In The Bank 2021” Enjoy the show, everyone.

How NXT TakeOver: In Your House II (2021) Should Be Booked

Hey everyone! Ever since Night Of Champions 2015, through multiple accounts, before major WWE pay-per-views every month, I’ve come on here and booked the cards to make them as exciting, intriguing, and best possible scenarios for the future. I do both NXT and main-roster pay-per-views, as well as the occasional big milestone RAW or Smackdown weekly show. Without further ado, here is how NXT TakeOver: In Your House II should be booked!

MY NXT TAKEOVER: IN YOUR HOUSE PPV POSTS OF PREVIOUS YEARS:

• 2020: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/2020/06/how-nxt-takeover-in-your-house-2020.html

MAIN SHOW

• WE. ARE. N! X! T! AND WE ARE IN YOUR HOUSE AGAIN! That’s right! I am literally inside of your home right this instant! Look behind you! How the hell did I find your house and why am I targeting you specifically? DOESN'T MATTER!!! Get on your knees! I’ve now just robbed you at gunpoint! Houses!!!! Wrestling!!!! Happy NXT Takeover!!!!

1ST MATCH: Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight (Ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship)

• Out first before either of the competitors in the match is the Million Dollar Man himself, who’s got the belt around his waist for old times sake. DiBiase cuts a brief promo before the match bigging up both of the men in the match, saying that they are each fit to carry on the Million Dollar legacy. Ted finishes off his speech by reminding us that everybody’s got a price, and then he gets to do the honors as he wraps the championship around the skyhook and we get all sorts of fancy music and lighting as it gets hoisted up to the ceiling. Finally, it’s time to get things underway as out comes LA Knight, followed by Cameron Grimes, who climbs one of the ladders in the entranceway and yells that he is going TO THE MOON. The match gets 15 minutes and it starts off hot as Grimes goes to sucker Knight right out of the gate, but Knight slides out of the ring and plays it cool and brushes it off. Knight is the first one to retrieve a ladder from the outside and throws it in the ring. The first big spot of the match comes as Knight runs at Grimes with the ladder, holding it horizontally, but Grimes manages to hit a CAVE-IN, crushing the ladder right on top of LA Knight. It’s back and forth for a while until a near-climb (that’s gotta be the equivalent of a near-fall in a ladder match, right? A near-climb, when they’re almost at the top of the ladder and about to get their hands on the briefcase/title, but they’re just cut off at the last second) when LA Knight, who has been heeling it up and badmouthing the legacy of Ted DiBiase at ringside the whole match, meets his karma as DiBiase gets into the ring and LOCKS LA KNIGHT IN THE MILLION DOLLAR DREAM from behind while Grimes climbs the ladder to a huge reaction from the hopeful crowd. Just as Grimes is about to undo the belt, LA Knight escapes the hold, clotheslines DiBiase down and lurches forwards to push Grimes off the ladder, sending him tumbling to the outside. I think it would be a huge highlight moment of the night if Ted DiBiase were to get involved physically by locking someone in the Million Dollar Dream. It’s nothing too dangerous or insane for someone his age, and the worst bump he’ll take is Knight shoving him away to get out of it. In the end though, the moon gets a population of 1 as it’s CAMERON GRIMES who climbs the ladder after both he and Knight are trading punches on opposite sides, each teasing, wobbling and falling off. It’s Grimes who gets the last million dollar laugh though, as when Knight is about to hit a move off the ladder, Grimes reaches into his pockets and pulls out a wad of cash which he stuffs down LA Knight’s throat, and then grabs hold of the belt above them and swings it right into Knight’s face, knocking him off the ladder and allowing Grimes to unhook the championship to a big pop. I was debating which guy to give the win to here, as if you went with LA Knight getting the heel win it would create an interesting layer to continue the feud and possibly build Grimes as an even bigger star in the chase, but I honestly feel like this is a moment to strike while the iron is hot. We saw it with Keith Lee last year, when NXT waited until July to crown him the champ some time after he was at his hottest, and I don’t think we can… no pun intended, AFFORD to make a similar mistake with Grimes. LA Knight has only just been adopted into this angle of who will carry on the million dollar legacy, while Grimes has been putting on the act for months now. He’s the one that you’re going to associated with the moniker going forwards. I don’t know also where this idea of LA Knight being super rich has come from, that’s not even really his character like it is Grimes Grimes LEGITIMATELY struck big with dogecoin or whatever it’s called and he’s been the big money guy that they’ve been going with for a while. After the match, the fans are singing along to Grimes' theme as DiBiase gets back in the ring and holds up Grimes’ arm in victory. A very favorable winner to begin the show.

WINNER and NEW Million Dollar Champion: Cameron Grimes

• We get an ad for NXT merchandise on WWEShop, and then we get a shot of Kross and Scarlett entering the building earlier in the day.

2ND MATCH: Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li (w/ Boa and Tian Sha)

• Martinez is out first, followed by Xia Li, who makes her full big intimidating entrance. The bell rings, and Mercedes gets to dominate initially, as she manages to lock in her Surfboard Dragon Sleeper submission move almost immediately and the crowd comes to their feet as it looks like it could end right out of the gate. Oh it does, but not in Mercedes’ favor. Xia Li wastes no time taking over after this misstep, and breaks Mercedes down with swift kicks and strikes. The match ends up at 3 minutes and ends with Xia’s knockout kick to Martinez, who crumples to the mat and Xia gets the pin. What a juxtaposition as we get a shocking and unexpected quick squash immediately after a long and grueling and spotty ladder match in the opener. Take that crowd on a ride, baybay. I have said it for months in these posts that I honestly believe Xia Li is, if not the next NXT Women’s Champion, the next next Champion. She has the greatest presentation of anyone on the brand not named Karrion Kross. Her repackaging has been intriguing and if this is kept up, she could believably be the woman capable of taking down Raquel Gonzalez before the end of the year. That is, of course, assuming that I haven’t decided to put Ember Moon over in our next match...

WINNER by PINFALL: Xia Li

• We get shots of Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne entering the building earlier in the day, and then a backstage interview with the NEW Million Dollar champion Cameron Grimes with Ted DiBiase, and then a video package for our next match

3RD MATCH: Raquel Gonzalez (c) (w/ Dakota Kai) vs. Ember Moon (Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship)

• Ember Moon is out first, followed by Raquel w/ Dakota Kai. We get formal ring introductions, and the match gets 14 minutes. Wow, how unexpected it is for Ember Moon to be back in NXT and getting a one on one championship match on a Takeover show, 4 years after her initial run on the brand. Everything comes full circle eventually. But in the time that she was gone and exploring the main roster, a new regime came along, and her name is Raquel Gonzalez. The match ends when Ember is perched on the top turnbuckle and is about to hit the Eclipse, but before the full extent and impact of the move can be delivered, Raquel powers Ember up before she hits the ground and turns her around, nailing the one armed Chokeslam for the retain. Now is not Ember’s time. It just wouldn’t make sense. Raquel Gonzalez still has a litany of challengers and stories that she can experience in her reign: Dakota Kai, when one of them inevitably turns on each other, and the match I would book for the Summerslam weekend NXT Takeover which you can see my full card for at the end of this post, Tegan Nox once she returns from injury which you can tie in with the history with Dakota, and Raquel having debuted alongside Dakota in her match with Tegan at Takeover: Portland, and finally, Xia Li, who is the one to get it done. It’s up to NXT how they want to execute the turn, maybe they feel it’s the right time on this very night, as maybe Dakota almost costs Raquel at one point by accident, and Raquel turns on her, obviously taking the role of the heel as she’s bigger, ya see? As for Ember’s future, I honestly think she’s already overstayed her welcome in NXT. She’s not getting the title any time soon, and I don’t see what good winning the Women’s Tag Titles again with Shotzi when she comes back from injury would do for her or how it would really advance her in any meaningful way. You could bring Shotzi and Ember up to the main roster as another Women’s Tag team up there, or just re-debut Ember Moon on either RAW or SmackDown, because god knows those divisions need some more established women right now. I think I heard that the SmackDown Women’s division has like 5, yes, FIVE active singles competitors following all the releases. That’s probably not good, maybe.

WINNER by PINFALL and STILL NXT Women’s Champion: Raquel Gonzalez

• We get shots of Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano w/ The Way entering the building earlier in the day, followed by some old-school In Your House themed skits with Todd Petingil and the like.

4TH MATCH: Bronson Reed (c) and MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) (c) vs. Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) (Winner Take All 6-man Tag Team match for the NXT North American Championship and NXT Tag Team Championships)

• The heels are out first followed by the babyface legion of champions. The match gets 15 minutes, and it’s Nash Carter starting off with Joaquin Wilde. Right out of the gate, Legado Del Fantasma try to cut off the face partners and go to knock them off the apron, but in come Bronson and Wes Lee and all 3 men send Legado retreating out of the ring. The babyfaces stand tall in the ring as LDF take a moment to regroup on the outside, and Bronson and MSK go to run after them. Santos Escobar is in a huddle with the Wilde and Mendoza and he’s propped up against the barricade wall again, and it looks like we’re going to get a repeat of 2 weeks ago on NXT as Bronson is charging to crush Santos against the plexiglass, but Wilde and Mendoza see Bronson coming out of the corner of their eye, and they push Santos out of the way, sending Bronson Reed crashing through the plexiglass and he’s taken out of the match for a bit. It’s a 2 on 3 handicap match for the first half of the match, as it’s totally in favor of the heels as MSK try and work together to retain everyone’s championships for the team by themselves. We get a litany of near falls from LDF, which ordinarily seem like it would be the perfect time for Bronson Reed to get back into the match and break up the pinfall, but when MSK realize at the last second that Bronson is still down and out, they dig down deep and find the power remaining within them to be able to muster a kickout. Bronson Reed finally makes his surprise SPLASH back into the match when LDF hit a triple team powerbomb off the top rope on Wes Lee with Santos Escobar in the center delivering the brunt of the move, and then Legado rip a page out of the tribal chief’s playbook at WrestleMania by all 3 of them covering Wes, and before the referee can even count it, BRONSON REED COMES IN FROM OFF-CAMERA AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE’S A MASSIVE FIGURE THAT FLIES INTO FRAME, FALLING FROM THE SKY, AND HE SQUASHES ALL 3 MEMBERS OF LDF WITH A TOP-ROPE SPLASH. In the end, it’s the team of champions who retain as the match finishes with Santos attempting to power Bronson Reed up for the Phantom Driver, but Reed is too heavy and Bronson Reed pancakes Escobar and falls on top of him. We get Reed going up to the top rope, and we get MSK pushing Bronson off for extra momentum as Bronson hits one final big splash on Escobar for the pin. I am very excited to watch this match in real life tonight. It should be utterly chaotic and all over the damn place. Up to this point in the show, every championship has been retained. One has to wonder if that pattern will complete the cycle in the main event, coming up next. I’ve had the babyfaces go over here because while I feel that Santos Escobar could be a very strong North American Champion in the near future, I feel that the other two Legado boys bring the overall faction down enough to the point that Bronson Reed and MSK are just the better combined investment. MSK are the bigger names than Wilde and Mendoza, while I feel that Bronson and Santos are about on the same level. I just don’t think Wilde and Mendoza are strong enough names that putting the belts on them would be wise. I wouldn’t have matters between Bronson and Santos individually end here, though. I’d book a one on one meeting for them at the SummerSlam weekend Takeover, for the title. Perhaps that would be the time for Escobar to take that title if Bronson Reed isn’t getting it done in the role by that point. Whoever would go over there in that match is something you’d just have to ride out and determine when we get closer to that point. For now, the NXT North American and NXT Tag Team Championships will leave the building over the same shoulders that they came in on.

WINNERS by PINFALL and STILL NXT North American and NXT Tag Team Champions: Bronson Reed and MSK

• We get an ad for the Hell In A Cell PPV next Sunday, and then we go to a video package for our main event.

5TH MATCH: Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) (c) vs. Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne (Fatal 5-Way match for the NXT Championship)

• Pete Dunne is out first, followed by Kyle O’Reilly, followed by Johnny Gargano, who finally gets to achieve his dream of copying the classic HBK In Your House entrance by ziplining from the roof, followed by Adam Cole, and finally the champion, Karrion Kross. The match gets 25 minutes. What can I possibly say here? It’s going to be half an hour of 5 of NXT’s top guys going wild and doing insane shit that defies physics and logic. And it’s gonna be awesome. I’ll just get to the finish here. Kross very much plays the straight man in this match as he’s not bothered doing any flashy moves of fancy dives like the other 4. Whenever someone does a big high spot to pop the crowd, Kross is right in there with a Saito Suplex, or a forearm to the back of the head, or he’s there to ground and pound and really grind the momentum to a halt before it eventually picks back up again. Kross is no nonsense and means business throughout all of this. The match ends when Kross gets so physically brutal with everyone at one point that it prompts both Triple H and William Regal to come out with a brigade of referees and medical personnel to try and get Kross to lay off for a bit. To cut to the chase, Kross continues to overstep the line in NXT as he’s been doing in recent weeks as, despite Regal’s orders, he mounts Adam Cole and continues the clubbing forearms to the back of his head. Regal has seen enough and GETS THE REGAL STRETCH ON KARRION KROSS TO TRY TO RESTRAIN HIM, BUT KROSS TURNS IT OVER AND LOCKS WILLIAM REGAL IN THE KROSSJACKET UNTIL HE’S LIFELESS ON THE GROUND, IN A POOL OF HIS OWN BLOOD, URINE AND VOMIT. TRIPLE H HAS SEEN ENOUGH NOW AND PULLS KROSS OFF OF REGAL, AND HITS A PEDIGREE ON KROSS. ADAM COLE HITS THREE LAST SHOTS IN A ROW. Triple H goes to leave with Regal, who is taken out on a stretcher. Cole goes for the cover but Kross kicks out in the closest damn near fall you ever saw. Now shit has gone too far. Kross and Regal have had their issues with each other’s power in recent weeks and that has been paid off here as all hell breaks loose and the inmates are running the asylum as Kross made Regal pass out in the Krossjacket, and HHH retaliated by hitting Kross with a Pedigree followed by 3 finishers from Adam Cole, with Kross STILL managed to kick out of. In the end, all guys come in and hit their finishers on each other, and it ends up that Kross and Gargano are the last two men standing. Gargano locks in the Garga-No Escape, but Kross manages to roll out of it and transitions it into the Krossjacket, which prompts Gargano to pass out, allowing Kross to retain the NXT Championship, overcoming FOUR OTHER MEN and looking like an unstoppable, unbeatable monster in the process. That is… until he IS stopped, and he IS beaten. I really only see WALTER being the guy to beat Kross for the NXT Championship. Do it at the SummerSlam weekend Takeover. NXT Takeover: Bash At The Beach. Then send Kross up to Monday Night RAW. 1. Karrion Kross overcomes the odds and retains the NXT Championship at TakeOver: In Your House in a monster effort. 2. Karrion Kross vs. WALTER at NXT TakeOver: Bash At The Beach, on SummerSlam weekend. NXT vs. NXT UK title. 3. WALTER takes the title off Kross, Kross moves up.

WINNER by SUBMISSION and STILL NXT Champion: Karrion Kross

FINAL RESULTS:

No.	Results	Stipulations	Times
1	Cameron Grimes (w/ Ted DiBiase) defeated LA Knight	Ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship	15 minutes
2	Xia Li (w/ Boa and Tian Sha) defeated Mercedes Martinez by Pinfall	Singles match	3 minutes
3	Raquel Gonzalez (c) (w/ Dakota Kai) defeated Ember Moon by Pinfall	Singles match for the NXT Women’s Championship	14 minutes
4	Bronson Reed (c) and MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) (c) defeated Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) by Pinfall	Winner Take All 6-man Tag Team match for the NXT North American and NXT Tag Team Championships	15 minutes
5	Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) (c) defeated Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne by Submission	Fatal 5-Way match for the NXT Championship	25 minutes

 

MY CARD FOR THE NEXT NXT TAKEOVER: BASH AT THE BEACH (August 22, 2021, Playalinda Beach, Orlando, FL)

No.	Matches	Stipulations
1	Karrion Kross (c; NXT) (w/ Scarlett) vs. WALTER (c; NXT UK)	Singles match for both the NXT Championship and NXT UK Championship
2	Bronson Reed (c) vs. Santos Escobar	Singles match for the NXT North American Championship
3	Raquel Gonzalez (c) vs. Dakota Kai	“Falls Count Anywhere On The Beach” match for the NXT Women’s Championship with Tegan Nox as Special Guest Referee
4	MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) (c) vs. Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa	Tag Team match for the NXT Tag Team Championships
5	KUSHIDA (c) vs. Ariya Daivari vs. Ari Sterling vs. Asher Hale vs. August Grey vs. Curt Stallion vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Jake Atlas vs. Leon Ruff vs. Tony Nese	Cruiserweight Open for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship
6	Adam Cole vs. Bobby Fish vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong	“Losers Leave Town” Undisputed Era Fatal 4-Way match
SEGMENT	The Wedding of Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell, ft. Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae and Austin Theory	“A Match Made On The Creep Farm”

Well, that was the post. Thanks for reading! As always, let me know what you liked and/or what you didn’t like from the post, and what from the post you’d like to see actually happen on the show! Be sure to look out for my next post for the upcoming PPV, “How WWE Should Book Hell In A Cell 2021” the weekend of the PPV. It’s in June this year. It’s so weird. Enjoy the show, everyone.

Hey! If you're a fan of my booking posts, I've got awesome news. I've now got my very own WWE Booking blog! It contains archives of every one of my posts dating back to 2015 and it's also where I'll be posting all of my newest posts for upcoming events from now on. But don't worry, I'll still be posting them here in full text as well. But if you want a full library of my stuff, this new blog is the best place to be. If you're familiar with my posts here and this sounds like a good time to you, you can find the blog here: https://howwweshouldbookit.blogspot.com/