XWL Final Stand X: 7/16/2018 - 7/30/2018

LIVE FROM: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
DEADLINE: 4:30 P.M. EST / 9:30 P.M. GMT


























This show is 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING LET'S HAVE A KILLER 2 WEEKS!


Good luck to everyone and here's to 10 MORE!

[Mauro Ranallo]
IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF JOEY STYLES, OH MY GODDDD!!!

[Corey Graves]
MATT SYDAL JUST...JUST...KILLED JBL!

An insanely loud "HOLY SHIT!" chant echoes throughout the sold out AT&T Stadium, as every single person in the audience is stunned by what they just saw happen. Immediately we cut a replay of it, showing it in slow motion. Matt Sydal was looking to stand on top of the ladder to perhaps jump to the case out of desperation, but once JBL pursued him and climbed up quicker than he could follow through with his attempt he quickly went into fight mode. Catching The Wrestling God with a brutal round house from the top of the ladder, and as JBL swayed, dizzy from the stiff shot...Matt to one brief look to his left...and he saw the ladder that was leaned over the barricade and the apron. JBL had previously tried to powerbomb him through it...but his tenacity thwarted that attempt. So with a deep breath, he quickly grabbed JBL by his head, then launched himself and his bitter rival OFF THE LADDER, TO THE OUTSIDE, CRASHING THROUGH THE LADDER! Multiple angles are replayed thereafter, showing JBL completely crash and burn as the ladder snaps in half from the impact.

As jaws hang open we see both men lying completely broken from Sydal's insane last ditch effort to keep the man that's had him trapped beneath The Cabinet's thumb for 9 months. JBL hasn't moved an inch but you see Matt on his hands and knees, no doubt exhausted from everything he's already endured throughout the course of this match, but also feeling a lot of pain from essentially having his back smack off the floor, even if it's padded, he went from the top of a ladder in the ring to the outside, and that's a landing that after going through countless tables already, in this match and so much else, that you truly can't just walk off. Fans are still beside themselves as they chant a mixture of "HOLY SHIT!" and "Matt Sydal!"

[Mauro Ranallo]
Ladies and Gentlemen I am absolutely speechless after what we just saw play out before our very eyes. That is a move that Matt has sparingly used in his arsenal as sort of the nail in the coffin to secure some spectacular things. Most notably, it was first used last year at Downpour when Leo Kruger challenged Sydal's career and was ready to fest on it, when Matt shocked the world and did that very move to the outside, and he did this move to a monster of a human that doesn't feel the average threshold of pain. He did this with Kruger's head smacking off the apron on the way down. What we just saw was Matt taking that insane maneuver to deadly lengths by adding that ladder into the equation.

[Corey Graves]
I'm sorry but alliances in groups and "agreements" to uphold them and whatever feelings Matt has because JBL was trying to get Matt to stay true to his word...is NO excuse to do what he just did. That isn't simply trying to keep someone down so you can climb a ladder, he could have kicked him again, and JBL would have fallen to the mat and victory would be in his hands. What he just did, was forget he's in a match, and he took it beyond the realm of professionalism. He just straight up tried to kill JBL, and thank god he's still breathing, but we need a medic out here right now, and all of these people chanting for Sydal need to ask themselves if they really want to be accessories to the crime Matt just committed?

[Mauro Ranallo]
Corey I understand where you're coming from..but there is an exception to everything in life, and when a man literally takes the reputation you've built for yourself, and tried to destroy every bit of it by reducing you to as Matt has called it, his other word for a female dog...there is a certain breaking point that happens well before now that when you finally get your hands on this man? You have a lot of pent up hatred to let out, and we said it as did Matt back at The Slammy Awards. When he did that move to Kruger, it was a warning, it was a moment that won Oh My God Moment of The Year...because it was a man fighting to save himself...and Matt warned ANYONE as he accepted that award, that if you do not heed that warning, you will be his next warning. Of course I do not wish ill nature to any of our Superstars, but...JBL pushed and he pushed, and I bet you Matt Sydal feels like he just got a little bit of his shine back.

Because a match is still going on, neither have climbed that ladder and retrieved the contract...there are no officials rushing to either of their aids, this is a fight to a finish...and soon we see Matt Sydal finding a bit more life in himself as he drags himself across the floor over to the apron.His hands claw into the skirt surrounding the ring and starts to pull on it, yanking it out of it's place, but trying to use it as a second source of stability, for which his current one is proving to be long gone. As he crawls his way up, literally on spaghetti legs, he starts to fall forward but thankfully the ring is in front of him so he simply collapses against it. Breathing heavily, his back has some remnants of the ladder stuck to it, we're unsure of it's just from rolling around on the floor, of if he briefly landed on the ladder as well when the two crashed to the outside. He looks up, seeing the ladder, and his eyes drift higher, seeing the contract hanging above that is his literal golden ticket out of The Cabinet and finally free of them as well as their leader JBL. His hands grip the bottom rope and he starts to try to pull himself into the ring, but his strength is completely zapped.

Fans seeing how broken he is try to rally him to a second life, continuing to chant even louder now. He manages to pull his upper body onto the apron, then slowly but somewhat surely his lower half starts to follow as he's almost like a literal human snake trying to slither his way back into the ring knowing all of his limbs are virtually useless right now. At last he gets himself onto the apron and starts to roll under the bottom rope and into the ring. But this was just the first half of the battle to win this match. JBL is down, he's not getting up, so while the usual notion is you can't waste valuable time, Matt pretty much probably has until the end of tonight to get up that ladder, JBL's not gonna stop him, at least not from the looks of his current condition. So Matt's able to take a few seconds to try to collect himself, to beat the life back into his arms, to pound his legs to be of use to step up each rung of that ladder. Soon he seems to have more of a stable existence and pulls himself up onto his knees, once again looking up at the contract that hangs up above. It seems so far away, and yet at the same time so close. All he has to do is get this ladder into position, and then climb it, this is the home stretch...this is the end of this hellish experience The Cabinet has put him through.

With a deep breath he jumps up to his feet, nearly tripping but catching himself on the ladder that's not entirely that stable even though it's hinges are in tact. He gingerly moves along with it, literal inch by inch as he tries to become one with it in order to move it, but above all else, move himself as well.  

[Corey Graves]
I know he's supporting himself with the ladder but I don't know how he's even standing right now.

[Mauro Ranallo]
The heart of Matt Sydal has led him to do many incredible things throughout XWL's history. He's been fighting to be the best since day one, his first opportunity to his very most recent to prove he is the best and with a long resume to back it up, I'm no longer surprised by anything he does. He has said if you underestimate him, you empower him to prove you wrong, and while his attitude rubbed many the wrong way for the first half of his career here. He's earned the respect of The XWL Universe for the fact that he's able to back up his words more often than not.

[Corey Graves]
If that's the case then why has he fought against his "word" to join The Cabinet? Let's not forget this all began because Matt was so consumed with stopping The Bullet Club that he put his fate in the hand of a WHEEL containing every XWL Superstar, and it landed on JBL. He then told Matt that if they win, he has to join them. Matt would win with JBL's help, so thus he should have been a willing member, and should still be.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Matt never said yes, and the idea that silence is suddenly compliance is ludicrous. He needed a partner, he said he would win with any partner, and he did. And it wasn't JBL that won for them, it was Matt. So I don't see this agreement and I haven't since JBL drew up this ridiculous lawsuit in the first place that forced Vince McMahon to give Matt the unfair ultimatum of join them or leave XWL forever.

[Corey Graves]
Life's not fair, you'd think Matt would know that by now. He had a problem, and with JBL's help...he took care of that problem. Nothing's free in this business, especially help.

[Mauro Ranallo]
I think The Undisputed Era disputes that idea.

[Corey Graves]
Well for their sake they better hope Matt climbs that ladder and gets that contract fast, because every second it takes is another second for JBL to have a miracle delivered down onto him and get him back up to stop him. And remember, if JBL wins this...Matt Sydal will be fired on the spot. Talk about a literal "Final Stand Moment."

Matt finally has the ladder dead center under the contract, all he has to do now is climb every rung of this ladder and grab it. He takes a deep breath, again trying to push through for just a little bit longer. His hands grip both sides of the ladder, then slowly he starts to hop up the rungs. His first one is a bit quick but as both feet plant on that one rung his second attempt is a stumble. His foot slipping off the second rung back to the first but thankfully the other foot managed to plant on the second rung so he's able to soon pull the other up with it. All the while his eyes stare up, motivating each step to come. He jumps up to the third rung now, then finds the strength to pep it up with an immediate jump to the fourth. He's at the halfway point now, he maybe didn't think he could do it, that he didn't have enough in him to take this journey but 4 rungs separate him and his freedom, his shine back into being The Golden One that just last year at Final Stand stepped out head to toe in gold as the best superstar 366 days a year as his slammy deemed him to be.  

He's no stranger to ladder matches, hell he won his first Championship in XWL in a Ladder Match, but after you are brutalized in a way he's been through the course of this match, the springs in your feet wear out and you're left fighting for every bit of energy left in you, even if nothing is left you have to find some. Hearing the fans cheering you is almost like the fans are lending you their energy, firing you up even if your fire is dead, as they chant and cheer he finds the strength to ascend to the 5th rung now, JBL is still down, this is it...there's nothing that can stop him except himself and falling to his own exhaustion. So as his hands grip the ladder even tighter, he jumps up now to 6TH  rung. All he has to do is climb 2 more rungs and he's within distance of pulling that contract down. The cheers get louder with each rung he ascends, which continues to fuel him to keep trying to navigate up this ladder.  



[Mauro Ranallo]
YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

But there was no kidding. As the Cabinet theme rings throughout the arena, Aiden English and D'angelo Dinero sprint out from behind the curtain towards the ring, as Leo Kruger follows behind slowly, seeming to revel in all of the carnage. Sydal looks back towards men for a split second, before re-focusing on the briefcase hanging above him, climbing yet another rung. However, just before he can reach the final rung, both English and Dinero rip him down from the ladder in unison, leading to quite possible the loudest jeers the Cabinet has ever received. Both men look at each other and smile a devilish grin and begin to bring him back up to his feet. They look at each for a moment before nodding, and both run to the opposite ends of the ring, rebounding of the ropes. As English hits Sydal with a mean boot to the face, Dinero instead goes for his legs, leading nasty collisions from both sides for Sydal, who falls back to the ground while English and Dinero laugh.

[Corey Graves]
See now this is exactly what Matt Sydal should have been prepared for! When you threaten the life of a man who has built the careers and livelihood of such great talents, you have to expect them to try and protect him!

[Mauro Ranallo]
But this doesn't involve them Corey! This match is about a personal grudge between JBL and Matt Sydal! The rest of the Cabinet already has their chance to prove their worth here tonight, and now what they should have done is let these two battle it out once and for all!

As English and Dinero continue to admire their handiwork in knocking down Sydal, both men once again seem to be struck by an idea, and once again lift his limp body up to its feet. Aiden English pulls Matt Sydal's body over to one side of the ring, as Dinero moves towards the opposite side. As English props up Sydal's body, the crowd begins to understand what is now happening and showers the men in boos. However, neither seem to notice, as English finishes setting up Sydal and walks away, before beginning to count down from five with his fingers. As he reaches zero, he raises his fist in the air, which signals Dinero to charge straight at Sydal and deliver the D'Angelo Dinero  Express! However, they are not done with Sydal, and just as he hits the ground Aiden English picks him right back up in order to deliver the Director's Cut!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Alright this is just getting ridiculous now. We get it, you've outnumbered the man! Now just hurry up and put him out of this misery!

[Corey Graves]
Oh Mauro I think they're just getting started. Just wait for what will happen now that Kruger is entering the ring!

As JBL said, Leo Kruger has now finally made his way into the ring, after taking in every last bit of punishment the two men have dished out toe Matt Sydal. However, all three men realize the urgent need to help propel JBL to victory, and so they set to work.The men approach his broken body and attempt to lift him to his feet and motivate him to climb the ladder, but the moment they let go of him he collapses to the floor once again. Undeterred, they try once again, only to meet the same fate. Now clearly frustrated, the men begin to argue over a possible solution. However, almost spontaneously, a plan seems to spring into action. Both English and Dinero begin to raise JBL from his feet, as Kruger stands in front of them, slightly bent over.

[Mauro Ranallo]
No..... they can't be serious can they?

[Corey Graves]
Of course they are! This is genius!

As English and Dinero manage to lift up JBL somewhat, they begin to drag him towards Kruger, who awaits them to place JBL on his shoulders. All three men seem to be ecstatic at the apparent flawlessness of this plan, as Sydal is still laid out from the damage done by both English and Dinero, as well as the match as a whole.



The cavalry is here! As The Undisputed Era's theme rings throughout the building, the audience comes alive and quickly our cameras shift to the stage where Adam Cole, Pete Dunne, & Roderick Strong three Men who were successful in their tag-team match against The Cabinet earlier in the night are rushing down the ramp just as fast as possible coming to the aid of their fellow brother Matt Sydal.

[Mauro Ranallo]
The Undisputed Era is making their way down the ramp, looks like we're about to have round two The Cabinet Vs The Undisputed Era!

[Corey Graves]
With both JBL & Matt Sydal worse for wear, this might come down to which group is able to rally their own to victory.

Without hesitation Leo darts toward the ramp leaving Aiden & D'Angelo to try and gingerly rest JBL up against the apron knowing they're going to have to get involved as well. The Hunter dashes toward the ramp his sights set solely on one man, ADAM COLE BAY BAY! The man that defeated him earlier in the show when it came down to Leo Kruger & the rest of The Undisputed Era. Pete & Roderick all manage to avoid Kruger setting their sights on the other men of The Cabinet but Cole isn't so lucky, he tries to duck Kruger's incoming "Slice" but Kruger being the monster he is almost smelled he would do something like that, and lowers himself as well so that he damn near takes Cole's head off with that wicked clothesline.

[Corey Graves]
That was nasty!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Leo Kruger of course aiming for the man that pinned him tonight, spoiling the comeback he appeared to be on when he was the lone wolf remaining in The Cabinet for that Elimination Six Man Tag Match.

[Corey Graves]
It's interesting to see the three men of Undisputed not try to work together to take Kruger out, but I actually think it may have been the wise decision. Remember when they tried to gang up on him the week after his addition to The Cabinet?

[Mauro Ranallo]
With the stakes so high in this match they can't risk all 3 of them being taken out, Matt would surely be screwed if that happened.

With JBL safely lying against the barricade, barely stable but able to support himself even if it's a small amount. Aiden English & D'Angelo Dinero are free to meet Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne, and immediately as both groups come together fists just start flying everywhere. It's literally fist after fist with little give from any side. But soon enough the groups start to disperse. Aiden's getting the edge over Roderick landing a hard strike that knocks him close to the steel steps. Without any hesitation he launches his boot forward kicking Roderick's face into the steps! Pete sees this and momentarily turns, concerned by this then shifts away from D'Angelo charging at Aiden and quickly he grabs him and tosses him back first into the barricade across from them. The audience is cheering louder knowing this is where Undisputed Era brings it home...but as quickly as Dunne sends Aiden into the barricade, The "Pope" D'Angelo Dinero comes out of nowhere yanking on Pete's hair to pull him into position, then hooks him for The Forward Russian Leg Sweep, looking to aim his face to the apron which will surely put The Bruiserweight out of this fight. However as he starts to drive him forward, Pete kicks him in the shin, stumbling him back a bit, but this doesn't spare him from the move entirely, it does however ensure that Dinero's coming with him. Because as Pete's about to be driven into the floor, the top of D'Angelo's skull cracks off the apron and both men are down!

[Mauro Ranallo]
Wait...Leo Kruger's the only man left standing...

[Corey Graves]
All the members of The Cabinet & The Undisputed Era are down. Suddenly JBL's investment in Leo Kruger is paying off more than he may have ever expected. He's the lone survivor, Matt Sydal's about to be fired at the biggest show of the year!

Leo Kruger looks over at JBL, who is strugging with a grin on his face. It almost seems that JBL doesn't have the power to move on his own to feet. So if JBL is gonna win it will be due to the help of Leo Kruger. The crowd begins booing loudly as they realize Matt Sydal's career is about to end before their very eyes. Kruger begins his walk down the ramp laughing to himself as he is proud of the act he is about to do.

[Mauro Ranallo]
This is sick! Look at Leo Kruger taking in this last few minutes of Matt Sydal's career.

[Corey Graves]
Oh this is sweet irony. Matt Sydal ended Leo Kruger's last year, and it now seems that everything will come full circle now Matt Sydal's career will be ended by the aid of Leo Kruger...

Leo Kruger now inches away from JBL. He nods to JBL who has appears to be still out of it. Leo Kruger puts JBL's arm over his shoulder, and uses his body weight to keep JBL stable. The two men make their way to the ring. Kruger lifts JBL and pushes JBL further into the ring. Leo Kruger quickly hops onto the apron, and gets into the ring. JBL struggles trying to get himself up to his feet. Leo Kruger comes from behind lifting JBL up to his feet leaning him against the rop, and then places the ladder in a spot where he feels comfortable with.

[Mauro Ranallo]
NO PLEASE! SOMEONE DO SOMETHING! THIS CAN'T BE THE WAY IT ENDS!!!

[Corey Graves]
There is no one out here that will stand up to Leo Kruger. We just have to stand by to watch everything unfold...

Kruger helps JBL onto the ladder, but it is clear that he doesn't have the necessary strength to pull himself to the top of the ladder. So to help the man that has given him the chance to get his revenge on the man who ended his career he kneels down putting his head in between JBL's legs from behind, and at this point it is quite obvious that JBL is dead weight, but showcasing his great strength he does not give up even though we can tell He is starting to grow himself exhausted by some much weight on his shoulders while trying to climb.

[Corey Graves]
My god look at the strength of Leo Kruger! That is just incredible. If you are just wondering how strong this individual is. I believe this is only a tiny part of what he can really do.

[Mauro Ranallo]
I hate the situation that is occurring, but that is definitely impressive...

The crowd boos as they know the bitter end of Matt Sydal's career draws near, and there is nothing no one can do. A kid, who is in plain view of where the camera is pointing, wearing a Matt Sydal t-shirt tries to hop over the barrier trying to stop what is transpiring, but the security pulls the kid back into his seat.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Look Corey these fans.. don't wanna lose Matt Sydal.. He is the heart and soul of XWL, and if we lose him who do we have left?

JBL begins coming to his senses, and looks down to see Kruger boosting him up to the very top. A smug smile crosses the face of JBL as he realizes he is about to win. He begins reaching for contract, and he barely taps the breifcase then begins to swing just out reach. JBL looks down upon Leo Kruger.

$JBL$
HIGHER YOU MUTT, GO HIGHER!

JBL's usual demanding nature is on full display as he somehow finds no issue with shouting at the man who essentially is supporting his entire weight like an obedient animal. He does as he is told with a faint smile on his face, and climbs just one more rung higher. As he reaches up for the case, in perfect position, to perfect he may even give Leo a Scooby snack after this is over with, the chances of that snack start to crumble as JBL's weight becomes too much for Kruger, his foot starts to slide off the rung of the ladder, JBL's arms flail about panicking, as Leo's unable to stop himself from falling backward. But the location of the ladder what we didn't notice was set close to the ropes. JBL falls to the outside of the ring with a loud sickening thud, luckily for Kruger he falls towards the ropes catching himself. The crowd falls silent as they are all confused by what has happened.

[Mauro Ranallo]
WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?!? DID KRUGER SLIP?!

[Corey Graves]
I have no idea...

Kruger laughs to himself as he looks out to where JBL fell and gazes upon his broke body. Everyone's stunned, but that shock soon is replaced by immediate excitement as Kruger grabs at the armband he's been wearing all night, and rips it off....REVEALING....AN UNDISPUTED ERA ARMBAND! The crowd in the arena erupts in cheers as they realized what has transpired.

[Mauro Ranallo]
NO WAY....DOES THIS MEAN...IS THIS HAPPENING?!

[Corey Graves]
I...I...I'm just...I'm speechless...Leo Kruger has joined the man that ended his career last year? WHAT?!

Kruger turns to Matt Sydal who is finally showing some life as he is trying to get to his feet. He walks over to Matt Sydal, and extends his hand to help him up. A sight that not a damn person in the arena, in the back, or watching at home ever thought they'd see...Leo Kruger is coming to the aid of Matt Sydal, what in god's name led to this unbelievable turn of events? JBL recruited Leo Kruger to help him bring about Matt's end because he knew he wanted revenge for how things went last year...but something clearly changed between then and now.

[Mauro Ranallo]
Let this sink in Ladies and Gentlemen, Leo Kruger...has his hand extended to Matt Sydal, remember this past year's Slammy Award for Oh My God Moment of The Year? Ending Kruger's career, the man that hunted him down like prey? They're both wearing Undisputed Era armbands right now, this is not a dream, no your eyes are not deceiving you, THIS is happening.

[Corey Graves]
I know they're all about being the "shock" to the system...but this is taking that to an entirely new level. Leo Kruger is in The Undisputed Era? Again I say, WHAAAAAT?!

With Kruger's hand in Matt's face, he stares at it cautious, after all the man Kruger helped just a minute ago is now lying in a broken heap, maybe Kruger stole that armband, maybe this is his audition to be apart of what's growing into one of XWL's top group of Superstars? Matt's hand starts to gravitate toward The Hunter...slowly creeping closer and closer until....HIS HAND LATCHES INTO KRUGER'S PALM, AND A HUGE GRIN FLASHES ONTO MATT SYDAL'S FACE! He confidently takes Kruger's hand, and is pulled right to his feet, the two men sharing a smirk, as if....THIS WAS ALL PART OF A PLAN? AGAIN, WHAT?! The audience is erupting in cheers exploding over this sight, it's so unexpected but you can't help but scream at the top of your lungs because just several minutes ago we thought Matt was done in XWL, and now...it's very evident that's not going to be the case at all. With Matt on his feet, he looks to the ladder, then limps over to it, but before he can attempt to climb, his new friend..yes you read that right, his new friend Leo Kruger mimics his exact method for lifting JBL up by slipping in between his legs and boosting him up in an Electric Chair like position. And with little issue or struggle, Kruger climbs up the ladder rung by rung, until at last...Matt Sydal on Kruger's shoulders is at the top of the ladder, and with the audience already screaming as loud as they could...HE PULLS THE CONTRACT DOWN, MATT SYDAL IS FREE!

[Mauro Ranallo]
HE'S DONE IT, AFTER 9 MONTHS OF HELL ENDURED UNDER JBL'S FALSE AGREEMENT TO JOIN THE CABINET MATT SYDAL IS ONCE AGAIN IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF HIS OWN CAREER!

[Corey Graves]
I'm sorry I'm still picking my jaw up off the floor over Leo Kruger betraying The Cabinet and being the newest member of The Undisputed Era...LIKE...WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!



With the rest of The Undisputed Era recovering from the chaos that ensued at the conclusion of this match. Adam Cole, Pete Dunne, and Roderick Strong all scurry their way into the ring, as Kruger slowly climbs back down the ladder to meet them. Was everyone in on this? Did they plan all this out? I mean that was a pretty wicked clothesline Kruger delivered to Cole, do you mean that was all part of the ruse? As Cole and Kruger's eyes meet, suddenly Adam shouts "NEXT TIME DON'T HIT SO HARD!" bursting out into laughter that the rest of the group all join in on, even Kruger who is not so much a "ha-ha" laughter but more so his maniacal laughter that unlike usual is directed in a friendly manner. Cole, Dunne, and Roderick line up beside Kruger who still has Sydal hoisted up on his shoulders, and they all look up into the air to Matt who holds the contract that has bound him to JBL all this time. This is the contract that forced Matt to walk out of XWL on the very first Anarchy of 2018. He was alone, he was fed up, and we thought that'd be the last of him. Until he reemerged and came back more determined than ever, and with backup of his own to combat The Cabinet's numbers. It's because of JBL that The Undisputed Era has come to be...and immediately as we try to piece together what led to this unexpected new addition to their ranks...we recall tonight's 6 Man Elimination Tag Match earlier in the night...when Dinero & English were all eliminated, leaving Kruger to fend for himself in a 3 on 1. We're not sure if that was the breaking point, to be thrown to the wolves that were The Undisputed Era because the rest of The Cabinet weren't able to pull their weight...but it's a good start to unraveling what's transpired here tonight. With Matt holding the contract in his hands, and his brothers in armbands watching on, as well as all the fans in the building...he places both hands on the top of the contract, then emphatically RIPS IT IN HALF, SECURING HIS FREEDOM!

The cheers get louder as he tosses the pieces aside and then flashes the trademark Undisputed Era hand gesture, a gesture that Adam Cole follows with, then Roderick Strong, then Pete Dunne...then to further drive home this crazy image before us, Leo Kruger joins right in, and this is the sight that solidifies this is real. THIS is The Undisputed Era.

[Mauro Ranallo]
On The 10th Anniversary of Final Stand, it's hard to top the shocking incredible moments we've witnessed on this stage through the decade of immortalized memories...but this definitely has to be up there.

[Corey Graves]
Without a doubt, Leo Kruger...the former leader of The Pack, a group that ravaged XWL through The SOOL Invasion, a monster of a man that has often been deemed unstoppable...has joined The Undisputed Era...if I were apart of any of XWL's many groups I'd be concerned by this...because this groups been on a tear since their formation as it is...but with Leo Kruger as their newest member? I pity whoever finds themselves on The Undisputed Era's list. And I can't believe I'm saying this, I can't believe Leo Kruger has joined The Undisputed Era, no matter how many times I say it I just can't believe it.

[Mauro Ranallo]
I think we're all right up there with you, Corey. Never in my wildest dreams did I see this coming...and I have no idea what's going to come next.  They claim to be here to "shock the system" and that's what they did here tonight at Final Stand. And on Anarchy there's sure to be quite the aftershock from what has happened here this evening.

All 5 members of The Undisputed Era remain in a line, proudly still showing their "U E "hand gesture as medics can be seen in the background rushing to JBL's aid who hasn't moved an inch since that horrible spill to the outside. The camera then begins to fade, showcasing The Undisputed Era in all of its glory as the final image we see.

PART ONE



A video begins to play on the entrance video which shows a date:

S E P T E M B E R　 2 5 T H ,　 2 0 1 7

We are in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The main event is Sasha Banks and Natalya. They are having an incredible match, per usual, but it ends in a very unusual way. Bret Hart's theme song sends everyone into a frenzy of excitement, but also confusion. Both the excitement in the arena drops as the Bullet Club members drag Bret Hart's body out from behind the curtain. Natalya's emotions got the best of her and she was yelling and screaming at them but Sasha... this is where everything started to go wrong in this epic friendship they had... Sasha is seen in the background quickly sliding out of the ring and then pulling the skirt up so she could grab a steel chair. It was held in her hands as she came back in and stood behind the soon-to-be champion. Natalya was confused as she turned around and saw her "best friend" standing there with a chair in her hand. "Sasha, what's going o-" was the last words Natalya was able to say before she was clocked over the head with a steel chair. True friends stab you in the front, they say, but we knew that at this moment, after what Sasha did, they were anything but friends. They were enemies out for blood.

O C T O B E R　 2 N D ,　 2 0 1 7

Anarchy, Sasha Banks explaining why she attacked Natalya: wrote:

"You'd never meet a nicer person than Natalya Neidhart and coming from someone who worked closely with her for plenty of months, I can promise you that's the truth... but that's where the problems stemmed from. She was too nice for her own good that it started to make me look bad for associating myself with her. What I'm saying is I don't like associating myself with LOSERS because I'm a WINNER who likes to hang out with other WINNERS."

Sasha proclaimed as it was now official that their friendship was over. Her reasonings were rather controversial and very, very selfish but she didn't seem to care about any of that anymore. The Boss was now a full-fledged member of the nefarious Bullet Club and this was where things began to go downhill for her. She proclaimed that the face of this division was changed. "With this chair, I shook things up around here. I changed the face of this division because, with this chair, I broke the Hart and Soul of this division. I let the chains loose and as far as I'm concerned, anything goes." Little did the Boss know, she was right, but not in the way she wanted to. The face of this division was changed but not in the way she was expecting. Natalya would return as a changed woman.

N O V E M B E R　 2 0 T H ,　 2 0 1 7

"Ladies and Gentlemen, here to present the next Slammy Award for the Disappointing Moment of the Year... give it up for Sasha Banks!" Of course, there had to further salt rubbed in the wound she left in Natalya and the entire XWL Universe who loved and cherished the friendship between these two women. This comes two weeks after Roulette where Natalya beat Sasha Banks and only a week after Sasha Banks invaded the home of Natalya with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The Boss showed her ruthless and evil she could be. She beat up her father and her mother. She took a baseball bat to the Divas Championship that Natalya won so many years ago. She made this rivalry personal. All four of the nominations were Natalya, of course. Sasha showcased some of her downfalls as of late including failing to win at Final Stand, failing to win inside Hell in a Cell, and failing to win the Money in the Bank ladder match. Things almost came crashing down on Sasha for her actions, literally. The Slammy Statue near her comes crashing down at her! She dives out of the way, barely escaping a horrific end by the hands of Natalya. "THIS IS FOR MY UNCLE! THIS IS FOR MY DAD! THIS IS FOR MY MOM!" Natalya shouted at Sasha before she was able to escape thanks to the help of Bullet Club.

L A T E R　 T H A T　 N I G H T

Slammy Award Edition of Anarchy, Hell in a Cell: wrote:

"April has luckily avoided this move the entire match, but The Champion's luck may have just run out. The cheers grow louder as Natalya hoists April into the air and everyone leans forward in their seats to the very edge, the camera moves in closer... ARE WE ABOUT TO WITNESS THE END OF APRIL'S HISTORIC REIGN?! April tries to flail, doing everything within her power to avoid this potentially certain end... but it's no use, Natalya's got her lifted high into the air ready to ram her down into the double knees waiting below... and as she's bringing the champion down... A LOUD THUD ECHOES THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING, AND THE FEED CUTS!?!"

Sasha Banks once again did something so despicable. Natalya was closing in on winning the championship and Sasha stole it from her. "Does this woman have any morality left?! After all, she's done, THAT WASN'T ENOUGH?! YOU HAD TO MASQUERADE AS A CAMERAMAN AND RUIN THIS MAIN-EVENT JUST AS NATALYA WAS PERHAPS ABOUT TO BECOME WOMEN'S CHAMPION?!" Mauro shouted at Sasha and it was obvious that even he has grown tired of her actions. Everyone was. Everyone was growing sick and tired of Sasha making her life hell for no reason beyond her selfish tendencies. It didn't end there though. She connected with the B-Trigger which spelt the end for Natalya. April was thrown on top of Natalya and the referee had to count the pin. He didn't want to make the pin and it was obvious but he did. He made the pin and April defended her championship.

D E C E M B E R　 4 T H ,　 2 0 1 7

The Boss was in the ring and Natalya was on the ramp.

Anarchy, Sasha Banks on the microphone: wrote:

"There MIGHT have been something that I left out. I said I wanted another match and you seemed to be on the same page as me. You want another chance to really lay it into me and I'm glad we can at least agree on that - that we need to have one more match. It's good to know there's something that we can agree on still... but you don't know the kind of match that got yourself into. I always assumed that training in the dungeon would've given you the common sense to ask questions before jumping the gun. I don't think a normal match was enough for us anymore because... because after I really laid it into your family, I believe things are a little too personal for that. You remember how a few months ago we were supposed to have a Submission match before Dana interrupted us? I was thinking about that... but that didn't feel like enough either. Falls Count Anywhere. Last Woman Standing. Iron Woman. So many different possibilities but let's make one thing loud and clear... I want your career to be killed off and you want all of this done. Sasha Banks versus Natalya... BURIED ALIVE."

The universe was buzzing after hearing this announcement. The women have done so many things but this was another first for them. A second overall since the only other Buried Alive match was between Ted DiBiase and the Undertaker. Twitter kept the news trending for a couple days after the announcement and it was the focal point of the entire show. Sadly, it didn't main event, but it very well should've.

J A N U A R Y　 1 S T ,　 2 0 1 8

This was the night. This was Buried Alive. One woman would be buried alive and the other would walk out the winner. The match started out a little unfair as Sasha got the early jump on the Queen of Harts and she targetted her leg from the very start with a shovel in her hands. There was so much on the line and these women destroyed one another. They battled all over the ring and all around the grave where one of them would be buried. Natalya even used a drop toe hold to drop Sasha face first onto the cement grave! It busted her open big time, the blood was flowing and she likely had a concussion as well. Then Sasha tried to plead with Natalya. She tried to trick Natalya by toying with her heart and it worked. The match looked like it was about to end with the Boss being declared the winner but she struck a nerve when she said five words:

“Give Uncle Owen my best.”

Those words... they triggered something in Natalya that brought out a whole new beast of a woman that Sasha couldn't stop. Sasha was overpowered and then placed on the injured list as Natalya thrust the handle of the shovel into her throat and then she powerbombed her onto the grave stone! And that was it for the Boss. She was down and there was no getting back up. Natalya did the job herself, pulled the man out of the digger tractor and pulled the lever herself which made all of the dirt fall from where it was held and into the hole where the Boss was laying. Natalya has won the match and ended the feud... for now.

A P R I L　 2 N D ,　 2 0 1 8

We are in the renaissance of a new Natalya. She defeated Sasha in Buried Alive. She went on to beat April at International Incident. This was her chance to claim the Woman's Championship as her own. She should've had it sooner had it not been for screwy things but that was in the past and this was her chance... oh yeah, did we forget to mention that her career was on the line as well? Because it was and that made this match at Emergence for the championship that much more important. Ruby Riot, the so-called Gatekeeper of the division, put up an amazing fight but in the end, the Queen could not be kept down. Ruby Riot was hoisted up and her gut was driven into the knees of Natalya. The Hart Attack was hit, the pin was made and Natalya is our new Woman's Champion! ... and Sasha Banks returned this show in the Money in the Bank match. She failed, but that couldn't stop the Boss from getting her hands on that championship and Natalya as well.

M A Y　 1 4 T H ,　 2 0 1 8

Sasha Banks and Natalya met in the ring with the championship on the line... but not how you were expecting. It was the Elimination Chamber and this would determine if we would have a new champion going into Final Stand or if Natalya would walk into Final Stand as our champion. Surprisingly, these two women didn't have much interaction in the match. In fact, Sasha Banks was actually the third person eliminated from the match so she wasn't given the chance to fight Natalya all that much considering she went from beginning to end and won the match. This was a first time ever moment in the ten years that XWL has been around. No one ever has walked into an Elimination Chamber match as champion and walked out as champion as well. Ten years and this was the first time. Natalya cemented her dominance over the division and this left many fans with one question: who on earth was going to challenge her at Final Stand now?

J U N E　 1 1 T H ,　 2 0 1 8

SASHA BANKS HAS DONE IT! A sixty-minute iron woman match to determine the number one contender finished with Sasha Banks picking up the win over April and punching her ticket to Final Stand in the process. Becky Lynch? Defeat. Bayley? Defeated. April? Defeated. Everyone who stepped up to her was beaten. It was similar to Natalya's path to the top and that was likely because this tournament was made to find a woman who could match Natalya in the ring and that woman was Sasha Banks, of course. Could it have really been anyone else? Was anyone else really worthy of challenging Natalya for the championship at Final Stand? Natalya confronted her former best friend and new number one contender and offered a hand but Sasha Banks wasn't looking for respect. She was looking to make a statement and she did just that. They brawled throughout the arena and they wouldn't stop until Natalya was blasted through a mirror. Even Layla tried to stop Sasha but Sasha hit our General Manager! In the following weeks, Sasha Banks would attack Liv Morgan and take her out of actions. Natalya would go on to announce that this would be a Hell in a Cell match. The stage was set. The match was set. They were the main event. What more could you ask for?

J U L Y　 3 0 T H ,　 2 0 1 8

This is Final Stand. This is the main event. And now, introducing the most important match in the history of the woman's division. Sasha Banks versus Natalya for the Woman's Championship:



The Boss' theme begins to play throughout the arena and it's met with a rowdy crowd that boos her. These people habe been looking forward to this match the entire night and are ready to go!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Can you believe it's finally time for our main event? I am getting goosebumps thinking about it because I can guarantee this is going to be an instant classic and possible match of the year contender. I have never been more sure about something in my life because I know what these women are capable of.



[COREY GRAVES]
A match this important must call for an entrance that's just as big and no one can make an entrance quite like the Boss. She's ditched your typical walk down the ramp for a drive down the ramp. I can't say I blame her one bit for not wanting to walk because do you see how big that entrance ramp is? I would be out of breath by the time I finished walking that.



Sasha Banks stands on the very back of the car on a special platform that was made for the occasion. Whoever is driving the car doesn't look anywhere but forward. Everything from the lights and the sounds and the fans don't faze him one bit. The Boss removes her 'BOSS' sunglasses from her face and tosses them to the side of the stage. She gets a good look at the crowd and just how many people there are from the very top of the stage before the car starts to drive down the entrance ramp.



[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha looks ready as ever heading into this.

[COREY GRAVES]
She might be ready but she can't take Natalya lightly.



[MAURO RANALLO]
I don't think she is. I think she knows what she's getting herself into and who's going to be standing across that ring from her. Not to mention, I'm sure the lack of experience inside Hell in a Cell might factor into her confidence some.

The Boss flashes her golden knuckles at the crowd. Only on one hand though because the other kept a tight grip on the bar which gave her the balance she needed on the older style car.



The driver slowed the car as they reached the bottom of the ramp until they came to a complete stop. It allowed Sasha Banks to step off the back and walk the rest of the way. Before she got to the ring, Sasha spun around and struck her signature pose where she pushed 'em all out the way.







Her entrance is more of what you expect now. She walks over to the side of the ring like normal. She shows off both of her knuckles like normal and she climbs the rope like normal. The only thing different about her entrance this time is when she does her signature pose where she leans forward and uses the rope for leverage, fireworks explode at the top of the arena in a beautiful, colorful display.



[COREY GRAVES]
This has been an entrance fit for a boss!

[MAURO RANALLO]
It sounds like you're starting to become a fan?

[COREY GRAVES]
I've always been a fan of Sasha Banks as a performer. I don't like some of the things she's done because there is a line that you don't cross and she has crossed it more times than I could count... but I'm not dumb. She and Natalya are the best two in-ring performers that the women's division can offer and there is no denying that. April might be more ruthless than the two of them. Nia Jax might be stronger than the two of them. But Sasha Banks and Natalya are the two best in-ring performers we have. Try and prove me wrong. I dare you, Mauro.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I'm not going to because I agree! They are the best. No doubts about it.



The electricity in the room the second Natalya's theme sounds is truly that, electric. Fans jump to their feet in support of The Women's Champion, who look to make tonight her stage for redemption. To walk into Final Stand not only as Champion, but WALK OUT OF IT with that very title. A task that is going to prove to be very difficult given her opponent awaiting her in the ring. After several seconds of her theme blaring, Natalya emerges from the back, no flashy entrance, no she's left all of that to The Boss. She's not here tonight to possibly punch through a large Pink maple leaf, or have some school band from Texas recreate her theme song...there's no elaborate jacket or robe that has a train a mile long to play to the "queen" and royal nature of hers. She's here for a fight, to go to hell with her former best friend, and maybe on another night, against someone else she may have put effort into some elaborate larger than life entrance...all the effort she's put in, has gone to her preparation for when she steps inside that cell from beginning to end.

[MAURO RANALLO]
There she is, the woman that has without a doubt dominated 2018 and made it hers.

[COREY GRAVES]
If you had told me this time last year than Natalya would be on an incredible pay-per-view streak, be Champion, retain in The Elimination Chamber in dominate fashion at that, and be walking into Final Stand to Main-Event alongside her best friend I'd have asked you why you came to work inebriated.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Truly a remarkable resurgence for The Queen of Harts, rising to new heights so late into her career. Showing everyone anything really is possible.

Natalya's Championship is wrapped firmly around her waist, and her hand rests on it as she begins to make the long journey down the ramp, eyeing the challenger that awaits her at the end of it...seeing The Cell hover over the ring knowing in just a couple minutes it will be lowered, and all hell will be indeed let loose.



The ramp is lined with fan after fan holding variations of signs that essentially say "We believe in you" it was a long journey to find her way to this point, to stop letting those that did believe in her, down...but now that she's finally worthy of their praise, of their support...she doesn't want to ever let them down again. Especially not here tonight, with the stakes bigger than any match ever before in her career. History is being made, and she wants to be on the right side of that history, not on the wrong...like she was during the famous Final Stand screwjob.

[COREY GRAVES]
It's interesting to see the contrast between both entrances, Sasha with this grand Final Stand worthy setup, where as Natalya...she's here to fight, that's all. I think she's even worn that that outfit before. It's as if every waking minute leading up to this night was spent stressing over not what she would wear, or what cool thing she could do, but how she was going to walk out of Hell the same way she walked in.

[MAURO RANALLO]
But to counter that, you CAN over prepare for something...has Natalya spent so much time training that she isn't physically at a hundred percent? Is she so obsessed with this match and what could happen that she isn't going to be able to see the unexpected coming? Really it's two different strategies at play, two very different people, the highest good, versus the baddest bad.

Natalya nears the end of the long ramp, not breaking eye contact with Sasha Banks for a single second. She's staring into the eyes of her former best friend, the woman that invaded her home and led an assault on her parents...she's staring into the eyes of the woman that wants to do everything within her power to stop Natalya from leaving Final Stand as Women's Champion. This IS personal, this isn't business, this is straight personal, two women that have a burning hatred for one another. Moments before they're locked inside Satan's battleground where they will tear each other apart. Natalya makes her way around the ring post, walking over to the closest side of the ring to the camera, then steps up onto it, removing the title from around her waist, and thrusting it into the air for all to see, which brings about a "pop!" from the audience.



As she lifts her pride and joy into the sky, you see the smile on her face as she does. This Championship means the world to her, and to be here at Final Stand, at the top of the card, able to represent the division is beyond a dream come true for the third generation Superstar.

[COREY GRAVES]
That is what it's all about, The Women's Championship. Beneath the personal rival, that is the core value in this match. Being the one that can leave it with the richest prize in this industry.

[MAURO RANALLO]
And with the incident involving Nikki Cross as April was about to leave the arena...dare I say these two may no longer have to worry about the threat of a cash in. They can truly go ALL out.

[COREY GRAVES]
April's a hard person to pin point where her head is at...and Natalya knows better than anyone she can take a punishment like no other, so I'll reserve holding my breath until the show goes off the air and one of these two hasn't been cashed in on.

Natalya lovingly gazes at the title in her hands, as The Hell in a Cell hangs even higher painting a very strong picture as to what this match is. It's for The Women's Championship but it's contested inside this hellacious dungeon designed to destroy it's inhabitants. Her head turns to behind her, looking at Sasha, then slowly she enters the ring, backs into her corner...ready for the fight of her life.

[JOJO OFFERMAN]
The following...is a HELL IN A CELL MATCH! And it is for The WOMEN'S Championship!

The AT&T Stadium witnessing this monumental moment express how excited they are screaming at the top of their lungs cheering as both Sasha & Natalya remain in a tense staring contest with one another.

[JOJO OFFERMAN]
Introducing first, the challenger... from Boston, Massachusetts... she is the Legit Boss... Sasha Banks!

The crowd once again boos as Sasha confidently struts to the center of the ring and strikes her signature pose again. Both hands pushed out to her side before she turns her head to Natalya. A confident smirk on the Boss' face as she curls some of her fingers until both hands were made into a gun. She aimed the guns down at Natalya and fired the both of them before back stepping back into her corner.

[JOJO OFFERMAN]
And her opponent...she is The Women's Champion...from Calgary, Alberta, Canada...Natalya!

The Queen of Harts steps into the center of the ring, with a determined yet happy smile as he raises The Women's Title up, of course gathering all the love Arlington Texas has to give.



And with that, she lowers it back down, walks over to the referee then before handing it over plants a kiss on the base of the Championship, hopefully not goodbye. Jojo vacates the ring as the referee shows the prize at stake in this upcoming match for all to see. Once he's held it up for a good 5 seconds, he passes it through the ropes to Jojo then positions himself in the center of the ring as the lights begin to dim, and The Cell is about to be lowered.

[MAURO RANALLO]
There it is, Hell in a Cell...Layla & Mickie James were the first two females to brave the challenges that Hell had within, and now tonight Sasha Banks and Natalya look to add themselves to the list of Women that have emerged victorious in this match. Layla the first, April only the second ever victor. Tonight a third will stand above, the question is who?

[COREY GRAVES]
This is Natalya's third Hell in a Cell match, could the third time be the charm?

[MAURO RANALLO]
Or perhaps is she doomed to forever be it's victim and might The Boss take charge of it?

With their final banter before this match begins going on, The Cell starts to be lowered around the ring in all of it's horror as Sasha Banks is focused on, looking into the air with of course fear on her face, but guts nonetheless to not be a victim to it.



It lowers more and more, covering the ring more than it was just seconds before. The reality that this is indeed happening sinking in as the Cell itself sinks lower and lower.



The focus shifts to the defending Champion now as the cell is all but almost fully to the floor. You see the fear in her own eyes as well, but she challenged Sasha to this match. She's won her title in a Steel Cage, she defended in The Elimination Chamber, this while she's of course naturally going to be afraid of it....is in a way her comfort zone. It's a dungeon...and for her entire life all she's done is thrive in them.



[MAURO RANALLO]
This is it, ladies and gentleman. This is the main event. This is what we've been waiting for.

[COREY GRAVES]
And we don't have to wait any longer. The cell is lowered, the women are ready and we are underway.

The bell rings and the main event has began. Two hard working women stepping inside the Hell in a Cell structure in the final match of Final Stand. This was what they worked for. This is what the earned. Natalya was as ready as can be, as was the Boss. Though, Sasha seemed to be taking a second to take in everything that was happening. She looked around the cage that surrounds them and it looked as if a chill ran from the top of her spine down to the bottom. It was her first time stepping into the structure on top of the pre-existing heavy emotions of being in the main event.

Sasha Banks and Natalya begin to approach each other and they start out with a traditional lock up. Sasha takes advantage but she’s backed into the ropes and is pushed off by Natalya. Sasha is about to bounce off the opposite ropes when she catches herself, hooks her arms around the ropes and then slides to the outside. It looked like Natalya was ready to clothesline her head off. As Sasha got to the outside, she turns around and is met with the Hell in a Cell structure looking her dead in the face. She could run but she couldn’t get far. There was no escape in a structure like this. It was meant to torture the people on the inside and keep everyone else out of it. Just then she notices movement from the corner of her eye. Natalya is bringing the fight to her but Sasha wants no part of her yet. She runs away. As fast as she can around the corners before finally sliding back into the ring. As Natalya slides into the ring, Sasha quickly stomps her again and again and again. Natalya, regarding of the stomps, is able to start to get to her feet and she manages to catch one of the boots which shocks Sasha and she’s left helpless and down a leg since Natalya held it in her hands. The Boss begged for her foot to be let down and all Natalya did was flash her former best friend a grin before spinning her around and then knocking her down with a solid closed fist! Sasha grips her jaw and Natalya goes for an early pin.


ONE!


KICKOUT!


[COREY GRAVES]
It’s too early for Natalya to be going for a pinfall. Sasha Banks is no pushover. As solid as that hit was, because I could feel it from all the way over here, it’s going to take more than one punch to keep the Boss down for three seconds.You could say the same about both of these women

Sasha Banks’ hand comes to her mouth and she inspects a tooth. She was so sure that Natalya might’ve knocked one loose or even knocked one out completely with how hard she hit. Her tongue swiped against her teeth and everything was still there, thankfully. There wasn’t the taste of blood or anything either. Even the referee came by to make sure the Boss was okay. Sasha begins to sit up and she looks over and sees Natalya standing there. That cheeky grin still on her face.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I wouldn’t get too confident if I was the champion. She might hold a winning record over her challenger but as you said, Sasha Banks is no pushover. One wrong move and we could have a new champion.

[COREY GRAVES]
I don’t think this is her being confident. I think this is her playing games with Sasha. You know, the same thing Sasha has done with Natalya for the past couple of months. She’s played with her and she’s messed with her head more than any human being should do to another human being.

Sasha pushes herself back on to her feet and once again, she seems ready to go back on the attack. That’s assuming she could get the upper hand over Natalya. The two women close in on another again and as Natalya goes to grab Sasha, Sasha slides under her arm and comes up at her back. Natalya spins around but this time is met with a forearm from the Boss that staggers Natalya now! Turnabout is fair play, obviously, as Natalya is the one who’s rocked after a strong strike. The Challenger takes this time to boast shouting out “Aw, did that hurt? Well I’m just getting started sweetheart!” Sasha charges forward presumably to land another forearm, but immediately Natalya swipes her foot across Sasha’s path, tripping her up, causing her to fall on her back with her legs flailing up...and without any hesitation Natalya grabs them as if she’s ALREADY looking for The Sharpshooter!

PART TWO



Sasha right away panics, refusing to be turned over and locked in this move so quickly, squirming in every way imaginable, pouding at Natalya’s hands as she tries to intertwine her legs to complete the first stage of The Sharpshooter. Then when that doesn’t work Sasha lifts her back up off the mat literally not going to take this lying down, and connects with a stiff forearm to Natalya’s jaw as she was bending trying to trap her challenger in this dreaded submission hold. That one shot is all it took for Natalya’s grip to be lost, and once one of Sasha’s legs is free, she proceeds to launch her boot straight into Natalya’s face and that kick caught her so badly that she collapses to the mat herself now, resting on her hands and knees.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Natalya of course can apply that Sharpshooter at any given time, and while I’m sure it was more of a mind game than anything, going for that this early was a questionable choice by The Champion.

[COREY GRAVES]
Perhaps, but seeing the panic appear on the face of Sasha Banks shows that even if it was too soon, the idea of that move being locked in gave her doubt in herself to withstand it. And while The Sharpshooter hasn’t been Natalya’s chosen Weapon to achieve victory in a long time, this match could see Natalya go back to her roots in this “dungeon” and change that here tonight.

With Natalya temporarily stunned from eating that boot from The Boss, Sasha rises up and screams out “YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO BE THAT EASY?!” before punting Natalya straight in the ribs with such force that The Queen of Harts is sent rolling toward the ropes. But immediately as she reaches them the gears are turning in Sasha’s head, she’s not done not by a long shot. With Natalya perfectly in front of the ropes she starts to taunt her, stalking her waiting for Natalya to get up just as she knows she will. Natalya holding the side of her ribs with one hand, grabs the middle rope with the other to try to use it as leverage to help herself up. Which is also what Sasha knew she would do...which is why the moment Natalya’s upper body is resting against the second rope, Sasha rushes forward driving both of her knees into the back of Natalya, with such impact that as her knees connect, Natalya’s throat ricochets off of the second rope and she collapses to the mat choking from having the ropes essentially crush her windpipes in that one moment. Sasha seeing Natalya down, clutching her throat for the time being knows this match isn’t won here, she knows if she goes for a cover she’ll kick out, so instead she takes this opportunity to further mock her former best friend. Grabbing her own neck with one hands as she proceeds to exaggeratedly choke which gains her no favor with this audience whatsoever. The boos pour in to which she rolls her eyes at, turning her focus back to Natalya who was starting to get up again. With Natalya prone and rising up on her hands and knees, Sasha starts to backup to gain momentum...then starts running forward, dropping down into a baseball like slide, looking to drop kick Natalya out of the ring, but immediately Natalya pulls herself up out of the way in time and Sasha starts sliding under the bottom rope. But as all of her body is slipping to the outside, before her head joins it, Natalya grabs her by her hair! Attempting to “snatch her bald” Sasha screams out “LET GO OF ME!” but instead Natalya starts to pull herself up to her feet, still clutching her foe by her hair as her feet dangle over the floor helpless to whatever Natalya has in mind.

Soon Natalya in one forceful pull yanks Sasha all the way up onto the apron, her back against the ropes, and Sasha’s hair still tightly wound between her fist, then starts to do something that not a single person in the audience expected, nor Sasha herself...she starts to TIE her hair around the ropes. Sasha immediately realizes what’s happening, has a mix of emotions ranging from “NO!” TO “WTF!” as the woman she knows better than anyone is somehow doing something she’s never seen her do in her entire career. As Sasha’s neon locks are locked around the ropes leaving Sasha more helpless than she’s ever been, the audience reacts excitedly cheering as they themselves can’t believe what’s happening.  

[COREY GRAVES]
Well that’s new…

[MAURO RANALLO]
Hell in a Cell has been brandished a “Dungeon” in XWL...and it looks like the only Woman that’s ever actually trained in a Dungeon is embracing that in ways I couldn’t have ever imagined...she’s tied Sasha’s hair around the ropes, The Challenger is in a bad way right now!

[COREY GRAVES]
It’s almost a “dirty” tactic which is something Natalya never embraces, but in a match where there are no rules, perhaps that “naughty” nature she’s spoke of before is being brought out in an effort to throw the woman that knows her so well, into a state of disarray.

[MAURO RANALLO]
But what is Natalya even going to do now?

[COREY GRAVES]
Well Mauro, it’s a dungeon...and in a dungeon...you’re tortured. Sasha better act fast or this could go bad very quickly.

Sasha in distress tries to reach behind her to find where the knots of her hair are, as Natalya casually steps out of the ring on the other side and tosses the ring apron skirt up...and begins to search for a weapon. “WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS, NATTIE!” Sasha shouts, as she still tries to put on a brave front, even though she’s literally trapped right now, very little room to defend herself from whatever Natalya has in store for her. Still fiddling behind her, trying to undo the mess that her hair has unexpectedly put her in. Natalya soon emerges from under the ring, with a steel chair! She holds it up into the air to garner a loud “pop!” from the fans, then as Sasha’s head turns slightly to see what all the excitement is about, she sees the chair and her state of panic intensifies. Still trying to get free of this predicament she’s in. Natalya’s not usually one for mind games, but after all Sasha’s put her through, this match is her night to attain retribution and that means milking this moment for every bit she can. So she starts to hold the chair against the cell, letting it rattle the cage with every step she takes. Methodically gliding it across the steel walls they’re trapped in as if to say “we’re in my world now” and Sasha’s finding out what that means in ways she perhaps didn’t expect to so quickly. As Natalya finally reaches Sasha she looks at her...then with zero compassion or remorse over attacking someone that can’t seem to be in any position to defend themselves...she swings the chair with full force….to which Sasha out of basic human instinct alone tries to jump out of the way of, even though she’s currently bound to the ropes. But as she leaps up, both hands spread around the top rope gripping them as if she’s come up with some scenario where this isn’t the beginning of the end for her and channels her inner “Bella” backflipping over the ropes back into the ring, with very little room to work with, but just enough Natalya’s in coming chair shot instead smacks off the apron, and comes bouncing back at her! Natalya essentially just cracks herself in the face with the chair and collapses against The Cell wall!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Talk about tenacity!

[COREY GRAVES]
I have no idea how Sasha even thought to try something like that but it worked.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Indeed it did, now The Champion has fallen against The Cell and this gives Sasha valuable time to try and free herself before Natalya goes for round two.

Sasha is cringing, and grimacing right now, it may have worked but she’s left herself with very little hair left to work with as some strands are being pulled on just by being back in the ring. Yelling out in frustration and anger over this she tries to find where the knots begin but this is certainly easier said than done. At least she doesn’t have to worry about Natalya for the moment, but she does have to worry about the clock because every second she takes, gives Natalya one more second to get back up and that’s something she can’t risk happening, not at least until she’s free of this unique trap put into effect by The Women’s Champion. As she fiddles with the ropes you start to see some strands being untangled, all while Natalya holds her face certainly dazed from the chair coming back right at her and giving her a serious headache within the blink of an eye. It was a good plan, but suffice to say it certainly didn’t work out as she expected. Now Sasha has been given time to undo the knots around the ropes and that’s exactly what she at last does. Sasha has freed herself from the ropes and she takes a second to grab at her scalp, as a few strands have fallen to the mat because of Natalya’s stunt.

[COREY GRAVES]
This was a brilliant strategy by The Champion but unfortunately for Natalya it wasn’t effective enough against someone who literally sacrificed some of their hair to put a stop to it by any means necessary.

[MAURO RANALLO]
An unexpected strategy at that, which Corey I think paints the picture of this match quite clearly. These two know each other better than anyone else. They can’t rely on what they’re known to do, they have to step out of their comfort zones and catch their opponent off guard with things exactly like what Natalya did. This is only just getting started, there’s a lot of match left and in order to be the one that leaves Hell in a Cell as Women’s Champion? It’s going to take every trick in the book they’ve never used before.

Sasha runs her hands through her hair and as expected, you see her with a few strands of the pink locks in her bare hand. Not many of them since it was only tied in one knot around the rope but you can only imagine the pain Sasha was in having those hairs ripped from her scalp. Sasha can’t spend any more time focusing on this because she needed to get back on the attack before it was too late.The Boss began to exit the ring and once she got two feet onto the apron, she was about to step down when all of a sudden one of her feet are grabbed! Natalya has her hands wrapped around the ankle of Sasha Banks but before she’s able to do anything about it, Sasha connects with a quick boot to the forehead of the champion. Surely that headache just got knocked a little and had it not been for that, it might not have been as effective. She climbs down from the apron and is on the same level as Natalya now. Sasha charges at Natalya and rams Natalya into the cell wall which creaks and rattles as it meets with some human flesh. Luckily for Natalya, she was wearing one of her bodysuits so it didn’t hurt as much as it could’ve but it still hurt nonetheless. Natalya made that obvious as she grabbed her lower back.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha said she was watching tapes and I believe it. She knew right away to use that cell as a weapon.

[COREY GRAVES]
I think that’s more common sense than anything, Mauro. The Hell in a Cell isn’t just a structure. It’s a weapon. It’s a painful weapon. It’s used to hurt people. Anyone who’s stepped inside the Cell has known that. I’m not trying to discredit the Boss. I’m only stating what I believe is the obvious.

There wasn’t a chance for Natalya to recover from the attack because Sasha stays on her and doesn’t give her that chance to rest. Sasha wraps her finger into the blonde locks of Natalya and then throws her face first into the turnbuckle. Natalya collapses against it and what comes next can only be an act of revenge after what we saw a second ago. Sasha moves to the opposite side of the turnbuckle and reaches through the turnbuckle and once again wraps her fingers into the blonde hair of the champion and she begins to pull. “HOW’S THAT FEEL, HUH!?” Sasha shouted at Natalya and the referee watched this happen knowing there was nothing he could do about it. This lasts for another couple of seconds which mostly consisted of Natalya screaming out in pain before Sasha finally lets go. In her hand, she has hair but this time it isn’t hers. She has a few strands of blonde hair and it was obvious who it belonged to. Sasha showed the hair to the crowd on the other side of the Cell and laughed at them as she was booed by each and every person in that front row.

[MAURO RANALLO]
These fans didn’t like seeing that but turnabout is fair play!

[COREY GRAVES]
Especially in a match like this where there are no rules and you can do whatever you want.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Not to mention Natalya asked for this match. She knows what she’s got herself into.

Sasha throws the hair down onto the floor and begins to pull Natalya back to her feet. She drags her former best friend over to the cell and pushes her face against it so the fans could get a close-up view of their hero in this match that she chose herself. Sasha laughs at this little girl in the front row who is very clearly not liking what she sees but that doesn’t seem to stop the Boss. The champion’s face is grinded against the Cell wall before Sasha turns them around and throws the champion back into the ring. Sasha doesn’t follow her though. Sasha turns back to the little girl in the crowd. Her fingers wrap around the cell and she stares at her and says: “You should be rooting for me! You shouldn’t be rooting for her! Me! This is my time! That’s right!” Sasha leaves with her statement made to the fan. She climbs the apron and she walks over to the turnbuckle. Sasha climbs to the top of the turnbuckle and beckons for Natalya to get up and when she does, Sasha jumps and goes for a diving hurricanrana… BUT NATALYA STOPS IT! She holds Sasha and forces herself from flipping forward and brings Sasha back up to be in position to hit her signature powerbomb!... but Sasha punches Natalya’s head until Natalya drops Sasha. The champion is down on her knee and Sasha charges at her and connects with a shining wizard to the champion’s skull! Natalya is rocked and falls down to the mat in a heap as Sasha Banks goes for the pin again..




ONE!























KICKOUT!

[COREY GRAVES]
THAT WASN’T EVEN A TWO COUNT!

Sasha Banks couldn’t believe it. Not that she expected to win off that move but the fact she couldn’t even get a two count off a shining wizard? A move where you would drive your knee into the skull of the other person? If it wasn’t obvious already, this was going to be a tough fight. Sasha sat on her knees and her hands held themselves against her thighs and she shook her head.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha Banks needs to get back in the game and stay on the attack if she wants to follow in the steps of her Bullet Club members. They were successful because they kept their head in the game and they never took their eyes off the prize. Sasha needs to do the same. There’s no other way she can win.

The Boss stands back up onto her feet and slowly brings herself over to Natalya again. Fingers wrap around the blonde locks again and she pulls up Natalya and begins to force her to her feet. She can’t win a match with Natalya on her feet but she had to do some more damage. The Boss pushes Natalya back into the ropes and with her hand, she grabs Natalya’s chin. Forcing her to look her in her eyes, Sasha screams at Natalya again. Possibly a fault in her fault since talking wouldn’t win her the match either. Then a hard slap across the face made Natalya grab where it stung the most.

[COREY GRAVES]
Sasha Banks needs to stop this. She CAN’T get too confident. We’ve seen before what has happened when she’s gotten too confident. In case you’ve forgotten, let me remind you. She got beat by Natalya in a match she chose. She got buried alive by Natalya in yet another match that she chose. She lost not just one but two Money in the Bank ladder matches in a row. She lost inside the Elimination Chamber when she was the number six entry and you want to guess who that was to? Natalya. That’s who. So I think she needs to learn from her mistakes or lie down and take the pin now.

Disrespectful to her very core, which is of little surprise to anyone watching right now, Sasha could go for actual damaging offense but instead wants to embarrass Natalya, to show her what she thinks of her and how little of a threat she deems her to her hopes of leaving this Cell with The Women’s Title. But as Natalya rested against the ropes holding her cheek, suddenly she fires back with a slap of her own! Natalya’s palm cracks off the side of Sasha’s face so hard that she nearly spirals across the ring as she stumbles forward, stunned and also somewhat caught off guard. The audience erupt in loud cheers seeing Natalya once more stick up for herself and give Sasha a taste of her own medicine. But a moment later Sasha’s regained her stability, turns her head, and her eyes pierce Natalya’s soul as she stares at her with pure rage. “YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!” she screams running at Natalya like a bat out of hell, except we’re technically in Hell so a bat in hell is the proper terminology? Sasha comes charging at The Champion ready to pounce on her and let her have it, but as she comes within reaching distance, suddenly Natalya bends slightly, and THROWS SASHA OVER HER HEAD WITH A BACK BODY DROP!

[MAURO RANALLO]
As they say...what goes up must come down, and The Boss just came down with a hard landing!

As Sasha crashes to the canvas, she starts to instinctively situp, as if her back being pressed against the mat would be too painful after that hard landing. However that almost seems to have fallen right in line with what Nataly expected. Because as soon as Sasha’s starting to sit up, Natalya propels herself forward, walking up the spine of Sasha, her weight causing The Boss to fall forward as The Champion literally steps over her. Then Natalya continues onward to the opposing ropes, bouncing off them and coming back around with a basement dropkick that knocks The Challenger onto her back just as quickly as she had risen back up  and Natalya hooks the leg going for a cover to test the waters.




ONE!

Just as the referee’s hand was halfway back down to the mat, Sasha’s shoulder flies off the canvas much like Natalya refusing to stay down for longer than a one count.  

[COREY GRAVES]
We are seeing the level of preparation put into this match by both Women, normal offensive maneuvers have little effect right now because they knew going into this they had to up their endurance and it’s easy to see that they did just that.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Both competitors know that it is going to be one of the most brutal matches they’ve ever been apart of, and if you want to be the one left standing at the end? You’ve gotta grit your teeth and find a source of immunity that can take you to that point.  

Natalya doesn’t seem upset at the short count, she expected as much her cover was more so a dial to see where Sasha was at in this match, is she winding down, or does she have a lot left, and it’s safe to now say she’s got a lot left in her. So instead of trying for another cover or even picking Sasha up for some sort of follow up offense, she instead rolls under the bottom rope exiting the ring, once more venturing under the apron for some sort of a weapon. But with The Steel Chair she introduced previously not working out for her, she certainly needs to be careful it doesn’t happen again. After all she may be on adrenaline right now, but you don’t just forget about hitting yourself in the head with a chair. She was lucky last time, next time may be a different story. This match is a dungeon which caters to Natalya’s upbringing, but a dungeon isn’t simply a location it is having everything in that place set up to test whoever you’re in there with. So that is what Natalya is doing now, she’s not looking for what she’s going to do in this moment, she’s looking the bigger picture. What can find, and what can she setup that will be called on in the future? We soon get our answer as she returns with something heavy that she starts to pull out...a TABLE! Tables of course were under the ring tonight because of The TLC Match and other hardcore inspired matches and lucky for Natalya there's some to spare or maybe they’ve even been restocked. Either way as she fully removes the table from underneath the ring she starts to turn it over looking around her for the best position for it. The Queen of Harts walks around the table she just pulled out so that she’s able to use the apron for added support in carefully turning the table over.. As she hoists The Table up she kicks down each hinge to secure it then centers it by the left wall of The Cell. Seeing it in proper positioning for whatever sinister thought had entered her head, she turns around to turn that thought into a reality...and IMMEDIATELY SASHA BANKS BARREL ROLLS OVER THE TOP ROPE CRASHING INTO NATALYA SENDING THE CHAMPION THROUGH THE TABLE SHE JUST SET UP!

[COREY GRAVES]
Sasha just sent herself and Natalya plummeting through a table!

[MAURO RANALLO]
The “Legit” Number One Contender laying it all on the line to spoil whatever Natalya had in mind.

[COREY GRAVES]
But was that a mistake? Natalya took the brunt of that sure, but Sasha went through that table too, they’re both lying in what remains of it.

While Sasha’s not a favorite of these fans by any means, especially against Natalya the pure excitement of seeing something so sudden forgoes all “good guy” and “bad guy” response, everyone was watching to see what Natalya would do with that table, but as soon as she placed it, as soon as she turned around, Sasha Banks picked her spot and seize it for her own. Launching over the top rope without a single bit of hesitation to claim the first “big” spot of tonight’s match. The loud cheers of electricity are the prominent sounds in the arena, but the other sounds we hear are the groans of anguish from both Natalya and Sasha as they’re left to pick up the pieces of themselves as pieces of the table are digging into them as they try to use this moment to recover. But it’s kind of difficult to do that when you’re hurting from what just happened, but also hurting because jagged remains of a table are poking you literally as if to say “YOU’RE IN A MATCH AND YOU JUST WENT THROUGH A TABLE DO YOU THINK YOU CAN LAY HERE AND TAKE A BREATHER? NO GET UP!” of course the table remains aren’t actually saying that because it’s an object, albeit a bunch of tiny little objects now, but that’s neither here nor there. Sasha of course felt it the least and is already clinging to the wall of The Cell to try and pull herself up, unintentionally, or intentionally pressing her foot into Natalya for stability, it’s probably intentional but it doesn’t really do any severe damage so it could just be something that’s naturally happening that just so happens to be in line with her arrogance to do something like this.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha Bank recovering first, normally I’d suggest she get Natalya back in the ring and try to cover her, but I think it’s going to take a lot more moments such as what just happened before any thought of ending it crosses Sasha’s mind.

[COREY GRAVES]
Absolutely, she turned the tables on Natalya, literally...but that is but a small victory, and it is going to take many victories in this match to be in position for the ultimate victory. What Sasha needs to do is stay on the attack, don’t let Natalya rest there, don’t make the mistake of looking for a weapon, you’re surrounded by a weapon use that to ensure that if you go browsing for something under the ring, your opponent will still be down when you emerge with it.

Sasha’s finally up and as if she had heard Corey’s words she immediately sends a stiff kick into the side of Natalya’s ribs which inadvertently rolls her over onto her stomach, then once more entangles her fingers into the hair of The Champion, places her boot on the back of her head...and starts to repeatedly curb stomp her into the remains of the table! We’re not talking about the type of stomp you’d see from Seth Rollins or Alexa Bliss, no this is much more controlled and personal at that. She is yanking Natalya’s hair to force her face up, then repeatedly stomping it back down into what’s left of the table she just sent her through just a minute ago. Normally when a table’s used it’s quickly cast aside as useless, but in a match where everything around you is a weapon, Sasha Banks is finding a new purpose for what's left of that table. Now the excitement over Sasha’s leap over the ropes has long faded and with each vicious stomp the boos are pouring in louder and louder. This is vicious, this is effective, this is Sasha taking control of this match and sticking to her disrespectful roots but this time it’s not a slap, it is one step to the back of the skull after another and it’s getting hard for some fans to watch. This isn’t a normal match so the referee can’t step in and stop it like under normal circumstances, the only one able to stop this is Sasha and she’s clearly enjoying herself far too much.  

[MAURO RANALLO]
Good grief, this...this is bad for Natalya.

[COREY GRAVES]
Someone repeatedly driving your face down with stomp after stomp, into what used to be a table isn’t just bad it is detrimental. Up until this point what we’ve seen hasn’t tipped the scale one way or the other...but this...this is putting The Champion’s reign in jeopardy.

Finally Sasha pulls Natalya back up, this time arching her even further than she was, to the point Natalya’s face is right up to Sasha’s so she can see the damage she’s done, then releases her hair as Natalya drops to the floor completely dazed from every single stomp into the broken table that she brought into the equation and has once again, like the chair...backfired on her. But Sasha’s not about to let her former best friend have a minute to regain her bearings, she may have let go but that’s because she had something else in mind next, and that’s why she grabs Natalya by her bodysuit and starts to pull her deadweight off the floor, tossing her against the apron before digging her heels into the floor to roll Natalya back into the ring. With Natalya going nowhere for the moment, Sasha kicks the pieces of table around her to the side and starts to venture under the apron herself. But unlike Natalya she’s not looking for one specific thing, so quickly she pulls out a metal trash can and immediately tosses it over the top rope into the ring. Thankfully it misses Natalya as it falls to the mat, and Sasha’s already looking for something else. In her hand next? A kendo stick! Much like the trash can she tosses it into the ring and resumes her search. But what she emerges with next...is puzzling to say the least. A fire extinguisher!

[COREY GRAVES]
What the…

She presses the nozzle slightly to ensure it works then as a puff of smoke spurts out from it she flashes a grin. The Challenger returns to the ring and the switch that was vicious switches back to arrogant as The Champion is right where she wants her. Mockingly she starts to address Natalya. “OH NATALYA, YOU’RE ON FIRE THIS YEAR!” fans of course boo, knowing where this is going the moment she starts to show a false sincerity. “DON’T WORRY, I’LL PUT THAT OUT!” With purpose as if she’s literally try to save Natalya from going down in flames she applies pressure to the nozzle and proceeds to cast extinguishment all over The Women’s Champion, prompting numerous coughs gasping for air, rolling around the mat as she continually pelted by the smoke all serving little purpose to hurt her, but every bit of purpose to embarrass her. Mocking this idea that she’s “on fire” in 2018 by literally extinguishing it.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I know we’ve often spoke of how Natalya is “on fire” since the year began, but this is ridiculous.

[COREY GRAVES]
Clearly she’s decided her stomps were enough to warrant a little, or I should say a lot...of gloating.

At last the extinguisher stops, seeming to have run out of what is usually supposed to stop a fire out of safety but tonight was used for nothing of the sort. Sasha seems disappointed, enjoying seeing Natalya roll around and cough, not at all the type of behavior you’d expect from someone who used to be their best friend, but we suppose that’s why the words “used to” are thrown in there. With the fire extinguisher now useless, she tosses it aside and starts to bark orders at the referee, who he himself is having a coughing fit as well. “QUIT STANDING AROUND AND DO YOUR JOB!” Turning Natalya over Sasha goes for the cover.


ONE!






TWO!



Just after the ref’s hand had collided with the mat for the second time Natalya kicks out, unfortunately staying down for a count two for the first time this match.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Not a victory, not that we expected one to come there, but Sasha gaining the first TWO count of this match is certainly going to do wonders for her confidence, not that it needs any support.

[COREY GRAVES]
A two count is still far away from a three, but the fact she kept Natalya down for something beyond a one count now, is showing that she’s doing all the right things, albeit some of them questionable.

[MAURO RANALLO]
For her sake, she better continue to do the right things if she wants this win. You can tell this is the same but a different Sasha Banks from the last time these two fought. There’s something about her that is different. She’s got this bigger and brighter fire burning deep inside her heart.

Sasha looks around the ring at some of the weapons she’s thrown into the ring and tries to formulate idea in her head. To go a safer route and inflict some damage or to go the more dangerous route and inflict a lot of damage. That’s where her mind was at the moment as she looked back and forth between the kendo stick and the trash can. Suddenly, her eyes stare at the trash can and the Boss nods her head now that it seems like a light bulb went off in her head. She struggles to her feet and grabs the trash can and places it a few feet away from the turnbuckle. Sasha then grabs Natalya and drags her to the trash can and lays her body over the trash can. She makes sure Natalya was in the right position for her idea before turning to the turnbuckle. She climbs through the ropes and then forces her body up onto the top rope. Brown eyes scan the arena before Sasha slaps her chest and then points her index finger high into the heavens - though we have to be honest. The person she was pointing to couldn’t have been too happy with her. Sure, he made a living off of lying, cheating and stealing but some of the things that Sasha did were just stretching too far over the line. Regardless, Sasha still kept that move as part of her moveset and she was going for it right now. She leaped off the turnbuckle and Sasha went for the Frog Splash!... BUT SHE MISSED! NATALYA MOVED OUT OF THE WAY AND SASHA CRASHED STOMACH FIRST INTO THE TRASH CAN! Natalya couldn’t have seen her coming so it was surely instinct telling her what Sasha was doing and that she had to move out of the way. Actually, she didn’t even move. She kind of just flung her body to the side and off of the trash can. Sasha quickly grabs her stomach and yells out in pain from the impact against the trash can. Natalya on the other hand, she still has barely moved. She’s shown life, but still not moving fast.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha Banks with the frog splash and she lands on the trash can! That had to have hurt!

[COREY GRAVES]
Take a look at her stomach, Mauro, and you’d be able to see the mark from the trash can. Stuff like this is what I was talking about. Getting too confident and it coming back to bite her in the ass.

Natalya wraps her hands around the bottom rope and uses it as leverage to pull herself up. Beyond her hair, she looks at Sasha and then the trash can only to realize what she nearly avoided. She’s back to her feet and Natalya grabs the trash can. Her grip around the edges is tight as she watches as Sasha starts to squirm back up to her feet and when the Boss is back on her feet, Natalya swings the trash can and the trash can smacks off the Boss’ head which drops her to the mat in a heap.

[MAURO RANALLO]
MAMA MIA! WHAT A SHOT FROM NATALYA!

Natalya throws the trash can out of the ring and you would think that this would be where she’d go for a pin and try and pick up the win but Natalya knew better. Natalya knew that this wouldn’t get Sasha down for three whole seconds. Natalya then grabbed Sasha and tossed her out of the ring as well and Sasha lays on the mat with her stomach facing up. The camera even manages to get a glimpse of a small line of blood that comes from somewhere on her head. Surely that rough trash can hit must’ve caused it. It doesn’t take long for the Woman’s Champion to follow the number one contender to the outside. Of course, she comes out of the ring a little more willingly compared to Sasha who was tossed out.

[COREY GRAVES]
You have to wonder what’s going through her mind right now. She didn’t go for the pin and she’s staying on the attack. I don’t know if Natalya has some sort of plan to torture Sasha Banks or what but consider me intrigued right about now. I want to see what our champion is going to do next.

The body of Sasha Banks is dragged along the floor, past the table scraps and to the cell wall that was close to the announcers table. Sasha is sat up with her back against the wall and Natalya makes sure she stays in place. She doesn’t walk away yet though. She stands above Sasha and stares at her and shakes her head in a disapproving manner. So much hatred and disdain built up throughout months of feuding and fighting being let out in this one match between the two of them. Natalya begins to back up while keeping herself in line with the Boss and right before she charges… she changes her mind because she sees something from the corner of her eye… Something big and made of cold steel that would hurt more than any dropkick would. The steel steps sitting there practically begging to be used. Natalya, quick because she knew Sasha wouldn’t sit there forever, hustled over to the steel steps and used all of her strength to pick them up. She came back to where she was and she lined herself up again.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Oh my… No. She can’t be thinking of doing this. Sasha is defenseless!

[COREY GRAVES]
Hey, Mauro. Ever heard of a thing called revenge? This is what it looks like.

Natalya adjusted her grip on the steps and then charged at Sasha. It looked like Sasha was going to be smashed between the steel steps and the wall of the Hell in a Cell structure but at the last second, she somehow manages to dive out of the way and Natalya misses! The steel steps go full force into the wall of the structure and the wall wasn’t able to handle the impact. No. The wall has ripped off a little from where it was held together and there’s now a small enough hole there in the side that someone of smaller size could crawl out of the cell if they wanted - or crawl into the structure. You never know. The Boss wipes away that small bit of blood that ran down the side of her face before she notices that hole, and then notices that Natalya is still holding the steel steps. She didn’t even think twice about it because she knew she only had one option. Sasha scrambles on her hands and knees and squeezes through the hole which brings her out of the Hell in a Cell while Natalya is still left inside of it!

[COREY GRAVES]
WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE INSIDE THE STRUCTURE!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha can’t win The Women’s Championship outside of The Cell, but after Natalya just tried to crush her with The Steel Steps I think that’s the last thing on her mind right now. She got the hell out of there and now the question, what now?

Natalya is beside herself as she chucks the steps aside and realizes her challenger has slipped out of The Cell from the opening that came about when she charged at The Cell full force with those steps. Sasha’s of course taking this time to egg Natalya on, mocking her by saying “COME ON NATTIE, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!” as if it’s that simple to join Sasha on the outside. Natalya looks at the opening, and while maybe if she had a moment of no interruption she could try to maneuver herself between the off hinged wall, but with Sasha literally standing there likely primed to attack Natalya the second she even gets within reaching distance, that’s not a wise option for The Champion to take. Fans of course are booing Sasha for fleeing this fight, some evening going as far to start up a small but growing “YOU’RE A COWARD!” chant. Of course Sasha ignores it, after all it may seem cowardice, but isn’t it also smart? The Champion can’t retain without retrieving Sasha, this match can’t end without both of them being back in the structure. Sasha’s sitting pretty, literally, resting up against the barricade as she has the gaul to yawn. Natalya’s clearly upset, frustrated, angry, furious at Sasha’s antics, but she can’t stand there and allow Sasha this valuable time to recover, sure it may be nice to take some time herself to rest up...but by doing so Sasha is given the same luxury, and that’s a risk you never want to take with stakes as big as The Women’s Championship on the line. So instead of trying to be foolish and slip through the “rock and hard place” she simply nods and calmly says “Okay, have it your way.”

Turning away from Sasha, she heads right over to the ring, then throws the skirt draped over the apron up on top of it, and immediately reaches in. She doesn’t spend too long scavenging, it’s as if she knew what she wanted, what could help her in this situation, so much so that within seconds we already clear clanging as her arms start to come out from under the ring...and in her hands….IS A LADDER!”  

[COREY GRAVES]
Do I even want to ask what she’s about to do?

[MAURO RANALLO]
I’m not too sure myself, the ladder’s obviously not tall enough to try to reach the roof of the cell.

Sasha continues to bask in this moment, laughing at this visual. “HEY CHAMP, IT’S NOT A LADDER MATCH, YOU CAN’T CLIMB IT AND RETRIEVE YOUR TITLE, STOP EMBARRASSING YOURSELF!” With clear insults to Natalya’s intelligence introduced, Natalya turns her head slightly as she remains on kneeled by the ring, and simply smiles. She’s got something in mind, but what? She starts to rise back up to her feet, gripping the ladder long ways, almost...like a battering ram? Without any hesitation, she backs up the furthest end of The Cell, Sasha still cackling not realizing there’s a legitimate plan here, too consumed by her amusement we suppose. But sure enough, Natalya’s back hits the opposite wall, and right away she shouts “CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!!!!” showing her own “humor” to the situation, rushing with everything she has.

[COREY GRAVES]
No….

[MAURO RANALLO]
Oh dear god if this works…

[COREY GRAVES]
Sasha better quit laughing and get the hell out of the way!

But of course Corey’s warning falls on deaf ears as Natalya RAMS INTO THE PANEL OF THE CELL WALL, AND CHARGES STRAIGHT THROUGH IT! The piece of the wall first loosened thanks to the steps, goes flying off and collapses right toward Sasha, who in her fit of laughter, suddenly stops and screams bloody murder falling to the floor to avoid being hit by the wall, instead it leans against the barricade she was just parading against, and the audience comes alive with a thunderous “THIS IS AWESOME!” chant.

[COREY GRAVES]
I’ve never seen anything like that!

[MAURO RANALLO]
The Champion barreling through The Cell and suddenly Sasha’s in more danger than ever.

Natalya places the ladder down, having served its purpose for the time being, then starts to stomp over the collapsed wall as her sights return to Sasha who is sitting under the leaned wall with a look of pure terror on her face. This got real very quickly, and once again as Sasha had fallen into her old habit of getting too confident and letting her arrogance get the best of her...it’s proven to be her achilles heel pushing Natalya to again do something unexpected and downright crazy in response to make her pay. But her moment of terror is soon intensified when Natalya starts to reach under the wall and grabs Sasha’s leg trying to drag her out from under it against her will. Sasha’s hands slap the floor panicking, she tries to kick Natalya with her other foot but it’s no use. So her last ditch effort is to cling to the steel fence panel wrapping her fingers around it to give her the ability to not be pulled toward Natalya. The Queen of Harts gets more annoyed by the second, and again nods as if to say “okay.” Then tries a new plan...letting go of Sasha, and instead getting a firm grip of the wall, and starts to LIFT IT UP BACK INTO THE PLACE IT JUST WAS. Sasha soon finds herself panicking for a new reason before Natalya is lifting her up higher and higher into dangerous territory. She’s going to fall, there’s no way around it she’s barely hanging on, one foot is barely stable from the suddenness of this.

[COREY GRAVES]
At this point I’m not sure what’s better, holding on or letting go, both seem like horrible options right now.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha Banks is in a bad way, that wall is nowhere near stable, it’s off it’s hinge, it’s barely supported by Natalya, The Boss needs to think quick or this honestly could be it for her.

The audience is rowdy and cheering, so pumped for what’s to come, they know Sasha’s screwed either way, this is literally karma coming back to bite her, what can she even do right now? With her balance slipping, with Natalya swaying the wall as she supports it around to further terrify Sasha to let her know how badly she truly has messed up..Sasha looks back at Natalya, then at the wall which can hardly be called a wall at this point, then suddenly propels herself off of it! Instantly everyone’s shocked, but it soon all comes together as if it was her literal last ditch effort because once she springboards, albeit very sloppily but you try being crisp in her predicament. But as she springs off of the wall, she quickly pulls her knees together, and crashes onto the truly unprepared Natalya with one hell of a meteora!

[MAURO RANALLO]
THE BOSS JUST HIT NATALYA LIKE A METEOR!

[COREY GRAVES]
How did Sasha turn that around?!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sometimes a leap of faith is all you need, and it is what Sasha needed, and now with Natalya rocked by that impressive aerial maneuver things are looking up for The Boss.  

Sasha’s face told what was going on in her head: Oh My God. What do I have to do to keep her down and away from me long enough to breath? Breath. That was the answer she was looking for. Natalya has kept coming after her no matter where she’s gone but how could someone follow someone if they were unconscious. Her head frantically looked around the area until she took a close look at the announcers table and saw a wire sticking out of there. That was it. That’s what she needed. That was the answer to the question she was trying to answer. The Boss crawled over and began tugging on the wire. One hard tug and she was able to bring it out enough to have some movement to it. It wasn’t perfect by any means but it would get the job done. Sasha then began to drag Natalya closer to the table.

[COREY GRAVES]
Please tell me she’s not going to do what I think she’s going to do.

Sasha dropped Natalya and then quickly went with her plan. She pulled Natalya up so she was sitting down, placed a knee in her back and then she took the black wire and wrapped it around the neck of Natalya. The reaction from the attempt was almost instant as Natalya swung her arms and then tried to grip the wire so she could remove it from around her neck but there was no use. Sasha had this around her neck so tightly that there was no room for her fingers to squeeze in there.

[MAURO RANALLO]
The Boss is literally choking the life out of Natalya with this!

[COREY GRAVES]
This is wrong. What’s she going to do next? Drag Natalya back into the ring and pin her off this? Where’s the sense of pride in that? Like, seriously, you choke someone out with a wire and then just lay on them. At least wrestlers like Samoa Joe and Roddy Piper have used their own bodies to make people pass out.

The Queen fought to try and get out but she just couldn’t do it. Her strength was fading and her lights were starting to shut off. Her arms swang at a much, much slower pace until they finally fell and weren’t moving anymore. Sasha refused to take any chances and she held it for a few more seconds before she let the wire go and Natalya collapsed to the floor. She wasn’t moving. Sasha Banks choked her out with that wire and she was defenseless at this point. You would assume this would be the point where Sasha would drag Natalya back into the ring, apply the Bank Statement and win the championship or something along those lines.. But instead she had other ideas in mind… she looked up to the very top of the Hell in a Cell structure and then at the announcers table. Everyone was starting to catch onto what idea was starting to forumate in her mind. Even the announcers who were a few feet away from them. They yelled at Sasha and told her that she didn’t have to do that but she didn’t listen to them. Natalya was picked up and dragged over to the announcers table. Sasha cleared the table before pushing the body of the champion up onto it and set her in perfect position where her body was parallel with the nearby wall of the Hell in a Cell structure. Sasha took a deep breath and it was obvious that this idea scared even her but the championship was on the line and this was Final Stand. You had to be willing to put everything on the line if you wanted to walk out of this event with the championship and the win on your record.

[COREY GRAVES]
You don’t need to do this, Sasha!

Corey shouted at her but Sasha ignored him. One more deep breath and she raised her right hand and wrapped her fingers around the cage. Then the left hand rose and did the same. Then she secured her right foot on the chair and then her left foot. Sasha Banks began to climb the cell wall. The fans were quiet as a mouse as they watched and saw that Natalya was still not moving. She was about halfway up now when she looked back down at Natalya to double check that she wasn’t being followed. Then she continued on until she reached the top of the structure. The Boss then rose to her feet and looked out at the crowd. It was a view like no other as long as you didn’t look down but she knew she had no time to appreciate the view or anything else that came with being this high up. Sasha walked to the edge of the cell and lined the tips of her boots up with the very edge of it and over it she saw her ex-best friend lying there. Was she really going to do this? Could she even do it? The look on her face look terrified and she closed her eyes for a second to forget about how high she was off the ground. This was crazy. Even for someone like her who always looked like they were putting their life on the line in the ring. The crowd stood on their feet with their phones ready to take pictures of this monumental moment… but then Sasha chickened out. She took a step away from the edge and shook her head. Her fingers violently ran through her hair as she looked bad at herself. It even looked like she was saying something to herself… and then she looked up at one of the smaller titantrons and saw the match graphic and the words “Woman’s Championship” which might’ve been the reminder that she needed. She had to do this. There was no risk without reward. If there was no reward then was any of this even worth it? Sasha nodded her head and moved back over to the edge of the Cell and it looked like she had to do this now because Natalya was starting to stir. She did the same thing she did earlier. A few slaps to the chest, her finger pointed up and then the pointed finger fell down until Sasha was pointing at Natalya. The point then turned into her making a gun out of her hand and she fired the gun before she did what she had to do.

A FROG SPLASH FROM THE TOP OF THE CELL!

It drove both Natalya and Sasha Banks through the announcer table and the arena exploded! A massive instantaneous stunned “HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!” chant echoed throughout the entire building as everyone’s in disbelief over what just happened. Sasha Banks just risked her life by leaping off the top of The Cell, in a display unlike anything we’ve ever truly seen before from her.

[MAURO RANALLO]
MAMA MIA! THEY JUST DESTROYED OUR ANNOUNCE TABLE!

[COREY GRAVES]
OUR ANNOUNCERS TABLE!? SASHA MIGHT’VE JUST DESTROYED THE BOTH OF THEM.

[MAURO RANALLO]
We need the doctors out here to check on these two and we need them now.

The General Manager and a few of the members of the medical team rush the ringside area and surround the women as the two of them lay in a heap of broken bodies and announcer table. Neither of them were barely moving but Sasha was moving more than Natalya was. Four more workers from the medical team come rushing down the entrance ramp, two of them rolling one of the stretchers and the other two rolling the other stretcher.

[COREY GRAVES]
Is this the end of the match? What’s going on?

[MAURO RANALLO]
I don’t know. I don’t see how these women can continue.

[COREY GRAVES]
Would Sasha be declared the winner or would this be a draw?

The two announcers continue to go back and forth about this as a few of the medical team members begin to load the champion onto the stretcher. The Boss, on the other hand, is being a pain in the ass but what’s new about that. They were insisting that she needs to get on the stretcher but she refused to. She could barely stand but she refused to get on. Layla was even demanding that Sasha call it quits and get on the stretcher but Sasha wouldn’t even listen to the General Manager and what she had to say. The doctors and the General Manager continued to bicker with Sasha when Sasha noticed that Natalya was about to be stretched away. That’s when Sasha shoved past the General Manager and limped and barely made her way over to Natalya before they could take her away. Sasha grabbed the doctor by his shirt and spun him around. He questioned what she was doing, but Sasha didn’t answer with words. She answered with a fist to the face! One of the other doctors tried to reason with her but Sasha knocked that doctor across the face with a punch as well. Layla yelled at Sasha again but instead of knocking Layla with a punch, Sasha actually screamed at her. “NO!” and Layla was taken back by that. “I’m not winning like this. I’m not going to let this happen. If I’m going to win then I’m going to actually win and that means I’m going to tap her out or I’m going to pin her legit. I deserve that. Natalya deserves that. This division deserves that.” Layla kept her mouth shut and she didn’t like it but maybe Sasha did have a point and that women's wrestler inside of Layla wanted this for them… so she backed off. She wasn’t happy about it but she backed off and let Sasha continue with the match like planned.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I don’t know if this is the best move on our General Manager’s behalf. I don’t care if this is a big match for these women and the division itself. She shouldn’t have let them go on the way she is. At the rate they are going, they are going to hurt themselves and this is going to end up on her.

[COREY GRAVES]
For once, you and I can agree on something. This match should’ve ended and Sasha Banks should be the champion right now. I don’t see how Layla expects Natalya to go on when she was just put through the announcers table by someone who dove off the top of the Hell in a Cell. It’s insane. I don’t care what’s on the line, that this is the first women’s main event or whatever. This should’ve been called.

Sasha Banks rolls the stretcher back to ringside and begins to undo the restraints that held Natalya down. Weirdly enough, that was the most selfless thing Sasha has done in a long while. She had that win and she could’ve taken it and walked away but she chose not to because she couldn’t accept winning like that. It might’ve been earned but it’s not how she wanted to earn it. The last restraint was undone and Sasha Banks having Natalya lined up by the ring gave her a shove, rolling her back into the ring, and pushing the stretcher to the side so that she could then slide into the ring herself. Sasha didn’t get up. She threw an arm over Natalya and on her face was this happy look because she knew that this was it. This was her moment to shine and win the championship.




ONE!


































TWO!















































NO! KICKOUT BY NATALYA!

PART THREE



The second Natalya’s shoulder rises up off of the mat, as if it was merely her instinct alone that pushed her to do it, the roof comes off of the building as fans rejoice over Natalya’s fighting spirit. To the announcer’s and maybe Layla and the doctors this match needed to be stopped, but to them? This is what they came to see, a fight befitting the landscape that Hell is, and they’re damn well getting that. .

[COREY GRAVES]
HOW!? HOW DOES NATALYA HAVE A SINGLE SHRED OF FIGHT LEFT IN HER!?

[MAURO RANALLO]
LET GO OF YOUR PRIDE NATALYA AND JUST STAY DOWN, THIS ISN’T WORTH IT, YOU’LL HAVE A REMATCH CLAUSE, YOU DON’T NEED TO PUSH YOURSELF THIS HARD!

Sasha is completely beside herself, sitting on her knees, emotions starting to run wild within her as she shakes her head at the referee. Refusing to believe it was only a two count. You see tears forming under her eyes, there’s no way Natalya wasn’t down for a three, it’s impossible. But despite her questioning, he stands by it, it was only a two, hell he himself seems flabbergasted by it, but it happened. Natalya got her shoulder up, and this match while maybe questionable to be continuing after Natalya was nearly wheeled out of the arena...is very much still on. These two Women had something to prove tonight, each their own thing to prove, but they went in knowing they’d have to leave it all out here, there was no option, it was either risk it all, or what did they or this division for that matter fight so long for to get this moment? Their egos from dealing with each other for 3 years consume them, its why Sasha refused to take a potential victory via Natalya being deemed unable to continue. It’s why Natalya miraculously was able to kick out.

Sasha sits there her hands resting on her knees, against the ropes, shaking her head profusely. Was she in this moment regretting not taking that potential victory? Did her pride get the best of her? The desire to best Natalya causing her to make a mistake? No one knew how Natalya was still going, the only conclusion we ourselves can come to is that her heart just won’t allow her to give this up. This is what she fought 8 years for. To be Champion, it is why she defended successfully in The Elimination Chamber, so that she could enter Final Stand as Champion and have the chance to avenge the screwjob that cost her the last reign she had before now 8 years ago. It may be foolish, she’ll surely feel every bit of this tomorrow when the adrenaline is no longer flowing through her veins, but she’s come too far to give up.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I have no Earthly idea how this is even still going.

[COREY GRAVES]
That makes two of us, Mauro. We knew how big the stakes of this match were, but...to see what we’ve seen, and for it to STILL not be over...I just don’t know what it’s going to take for either of these Women to put each other down. They are literally risking life and limb for the right to be Women’s Champion.

[MAURO RANALLO]
In one respect, it’s incredibly inspiring to see how much this means to them...but in another, is it really worth risking your careers for this one moment? Because that’s the point we’re slipping into. One wrong move and this could be the final match of either of them.
[COREY GRAVES]
Without question. It’s commendable, but also very stupid because in this business any match could be your last if you aren’t careful, and these two are not even trying to look out for their own wellbeing.

Unbelievably, Natalya starts to rise to her hands and knees, and Sasha’s disappointment is cast aside for a new emotion...ANGER. She pulls herself up, stumbles and staggers over to Natalya, then screams in her face “WHY WON’T YOU JUST STAY DOWN!” She shoves her hand in her face knocking her back down to the mat, but five seconds later Natalya’s back in the same position, to which Sasha continues. “WHERE THE HELL WAS THIS WHEN YOU FOUGHT APRIL!?” Again, pie facing her knocking her back down, frustration consuming her. And once more, Natalya pulls herself to her hands and knees drawing the ire of Sasha still. “YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BEAT ME, DO YOU HEAR ME?!” Her hand clutches Natalya’s jaw as she repeatedly screams those words in her face. “I AM BETTER THAN YOU, THIS IS MY NIGHT, AND IF YOU WANT ME TO END YOUR CAREER SO BADLY...THEN GOOD RIDDANCE!”

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha is losing it…

[COREY GRAVES]
Everything aside, Natalya shouldn’t have kicked out, Sasha’s clearly in better shape than her right now, and this frustration seems to be pushing Sasha into a new lane. A lane that might very well be the end of Natalya.

Sasha having had enough of Natalya’s “heart” shoves her back down to the mat, then starts to look around as she fumes, as proverbial smoke comes out of her ears, letting her thoughts guide her to the finish of this match. And that’s when suddenly she comes across something, something that makes her smile...a very sinister like smile at that. Stumbling over herself and gingerly making her way across the ring, she quickly starts to reach through the ropes, as if she were coming through the screen at us at home...but she almost is...her hand reaches out as she screams into the lens of the camera. “GIVE ME THAT!” Without even allowing the cameraman a chance to surrender it, she snatches the camera out of his hand, and thankfully he wasn’t the only one tasked with videoing this match, so we cut away from the one that was just robbed of his camera, and switch to another as suddenly...we’re experiencing a bit of deja vu.  

[MAURO RANALLO]
Wait a second...this….THIS IS HOW SHE COST NATALYA THE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP AT THE SLAMMY AWARDS!

[COREY GRAVES]
You know as much as I can’t stand Sasha, you have to give it up to her, she’s an evil genius...she robbed Natalya of the championship before with this very move, and now she’s looking to give her one hell of a blast from the past.

The audience is booing as loudly as they can, completely upset at what Sasha’s about to do. She’s got the camera held with both hands, stalking Natalya, almost transporting herself back to that night when she saw Natalya about to hit April with The Hart Attack 2.0, and she suddenly swooped in to steal that moment from her. But now, this moment is hers...she’s not going to drag an unconscious opponent on top of Natalya, she’s going to toss the camera aside, cover her, and reap the rewards for herself this time. Soon Natalya unsuspectingly starts to pull herself up, which is virtually a miracle in itself...as her feet are planted on the mat, her hands try to push up off the canvas to stand up, not knowing what was waiting for her. As The Women’s Champion finally is up….SASHA RUNS RIGHT AT HER, LOOKING TO BASH THE CAMERA RIGHT OFF THE BACK OF SKULL, AND AS SHE SWINGS IT FORWARD….NATALYA DUCKS!

[MAURO RANALLO]
SHE DUCKED!

Sasha flies forward, missing the mark completely, and before she can even react, Natalya’s scoop her up off the mat by wrapping her arms around her waist, and Sasha in a stunned state can only wave her arms around, the camera falling to the mat, as Natalya drives her back with a German Suplex!

[COREY GRAVES]
Sasha just landed right on her neck!

Of course as amazing as it was to see it, and the fans came alive in delight...Natalya’s not in any shape to go for a bridged pin like normal, no as soon as she drives Sasha into the mat she releases her and now they’re both simply flat on the canvas, as again a “THIS IS AWESOME” chant makes it way into the building. Natalya obviously spent, has had SOME, keyword SOME time to recover, so while she’s clearly not in the best shape right now, she’s not beaten either. She starts to crawl her way over to the ropes, grabbing them for dear life, trying to pull herself up, and soon she does. Soon The Champion is on her feet, and Sasha is down. She knows she has only one chance now, there’s no time to waste, so as she stumbles over to Sasha she nearly falls forward over her instability, but is able to keep on her feet as she bends and wraps her arms around Sasha...normally, this would the start of the N-Powerbomb, a move that she’s done countless times by deadlifting her opponent off the mat before dropping them back down with so hard of an impact that it keeps them down. But with Natalya on spaghetti legs, can she really perform that feat of strength? She certainly looks like she’s going to try. Giving it all she has, she starts to LIFT SASHA’S BODY OFF THE MAT, CAUSING THE BUILDING TO ERUPT IN CHEERS...but as Sasha had barely left the mat, Natalya is struggling more than ever. She can’t lift her up, she’s trying, she grunting, she’s digging deep...but this isn’t going to happen. At least, not under her power...but Sasha? Suddenly she starts to help Natalya lift her up, pulling herself up into a seated position trying to slip up into Natalya’s grasp...it’s confusing, it’s almost like Sasha has no idea where she even is...but as she pulls herself up onto Natalya’s shoulders who is staggering around clearly unable to support her like this...Sasha drives her nails into Natalya’s eyes, raking them as if she even needed to at this point, then pushes herself up even further, pulls her knees together, then her weight counters Natalya’s balance fully, and The Champion starts to fall back, as Sasha’s knees drive into her with one hell of an impressive meteora that as soon as Natalya’s driven into the mat, Sasha pulls both of Natalya’s legs up for added leverage into a pin!

[MAURO RANALLO]
This could be it!

[COREY GRAVES]
A valiant effort, but Natalya just didn’t have it in her..


ONE!














TWO!





















T- WAIT NATALYA JUST REVERSED THE PIN, SHE’S FLIPPED SASHA OVER HER AND NOW THE CHALLENGER’S SHOULDERS ARE PITTED AGAINST THE MAT!

[MAURO RANALLO]
NO WAY!

ONE!








As the referee’s hand is about to strike the mat for a second time Natalya starts to pull herself up higher, as if to increase the leverage….



TWO!








BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT SHE WAS TRYING TO DO AT ALL! Suddenly Natalya maneuvers Sasha around, pulling her shoulders off the mat apparently not even attempting a pin...THEN WITHIN SECONDS SUCCESSFULLY DEADLIFTS SASHA OFF THE MAT, AND THEN DROPS HER WITH SITOUT N-POWERBOMB!

[COREY GRAVES]
SHE HIT IT! SHE ACTUALLY HIT IT!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Is it over? Has Natalya done it? Has her heart and drive led her to defend on the grandest stage of them all!?

ONE!

As the referee’s hand strikes the mat, the audience shouts along with the count, too excited to contain themselves.


















TWO!

Again they shout out at the same time as the referee hits the mat a second time, this is it...this is the ending they all wanted, this is the example that Natalya isn’t a failure anymore, they supported her through thick and thin...and this moment belongs not only to her, but to them as well. THIS IS IT!





















THR- NO! SASHA’S SHOULDER PUSHES OFF THE MAT AS HER ENTIRE BODY NEARLY FLIPS OUT OF THE PIN IN A PANIC!

[COREY GRAVES]
SASHA’S STILL IN THIS!

[MAURO RANALLO]
I’d say I can’t believe it, but with everything these two have left out here thus far, I don’t know what to believe anymore. Natalya after struggling to hit The N-Powerbomb the first time, lands it impressively a minute later, and Sasha kicks out as if her life depended on it.

[COREY GRAVES]
If there was any question as to why these two Women are clashing over the championship tonight, this is your answer. They are defying all logic and reason, all in the name of leaving this night as Women’s Champion.

Natalya did all of this while still being somewhat blinded from when Sasha raked her eyes, but now as she lies there on her back, frustrated herself that this wasn’t it, she lies there physically and emotionally spent. She dug deep to lift Sasha’s entire weight off of the mat and deliver the very move that led to her first victory over The Boss 3 years ago the night after Final Stand. The move that kickstarted their story, but 3 years later...as she delivers it again, even after everything both have been through, it wasn’t enough.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Natalya’s gotta be asking herself what she has to do, or even what is she able to do in her condition?

[COREY GRAVES]
I think we all keep asking ourselves that, what more can these two competitors have in them?

With Natalya and Sasha both lying on their backs, the referee looks around seeing both virtually down for the count...and while it’s not a popular decision to the audience who clearly want a decisive winner crowned...when both participants in a match are down, this is typically when the official will perform a 10 count to see if they’re even able to answer it. But with the rules broken already, and medical officials waved away, as he’s about to begin his count, suddenly his hand grabs at his ear, as if something was being heard over his earpiece, and immediately he stops himself. Perhaps told to forgo the count, that both Women want a true fight to the finish, and thus that is what they will get. So he stands there watching both Women stir. Digging their nails into the canvas trying to drag themselves close to the ropes, anything to get back to their feet as their bodies try to fail them. Natalya and Sasha almost insync reach opposing sides of the ring, pulling up on the ropes to give them the leverage to get to their feet, and at last they do just that. Natalya still seems a bit unaware of her surroundings, having your eyes raked is something that leaves you disoriented for a bit and while she was able to feel her way around up until this point. Now that she’s up, she’s finding herself in a foggy state, her vision blurry unable to see where Sasha is, if she’s even up.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Natalya looks a bit lost.

[COREY GRAVES]
Which may be exactly what The Boss was hoping for. It may not have helped her immediately, but now that both Women are in virtually the same predicament, it gives Sasha an edge...and sometimes an edge is all you need.

Natalya rubs her eyes trying to fully restore her sight, feeling her way over to the corner at the same time whether intentional or not. As she slumps against the turnbuckle beyond exhausted, you see Sasha eyeing her like a falcon stalking its prey. Natalya’s inadvertently positioned herself right where The Challenger wants her. With a deep breath, The Boss charges at Natalya, pulls both knees together for her double knee strike to the corner, and as her knees collide into the spine of Natalya you see The Champion scream out in pain, groaning more so than anything, then Sasha tries to do one better, she attempts to pull Natalya down with her into the backstabber, which would surely lead into The Bank Statement if she’s able to, but as she starts to pull back, Natalya grabs onto the ropes in front of her for dear life, blocking it causing Sasha to crash down to the mat all on her own. She quickly rolls back to her feet, stunned but not about to let Natalya capitalize, but that’s exactly what The Queen of Harts does. Natalya turns around, then spins in rotation for a discus clothesline! But Sasha knows Natalya so well she’s able to spot it coming, blocking it with her knee as she thrust it into the jaw of her former best friend. Natalya’s rocked so hard she spins right back around in full rotation….COMING BACK AROUND WITH THE DISCUS CLOTHESLINE! The fans are electric, cheering at the top of their lungs as somehow someway, Natalya after having her jaw kneed in so stiffly that she spun around, pushed through to connect with the clothesline that turns Sasha inside out.

[MAURO RANALLO]
That was straight nasty.

[COREY GRAVES]
Natalya needs to go for the cover like NOW. There’s no time to waste.

But while Corey is absolutely right, Natalya fell to the mat after delivering that clothesline, collapsing from how powerful that knee was, and once again both competitors are down on the mat, clinging with what little they have left in themselves. Perhaps Natalya could win if she’s able to cover Sasha, but the seconds that continue to pass by, are making those chances become slimmer and slimmer. She starts to look up, seeing Sasha so close, yet so far from her, and begins to crawl toward her, trying to push herself to get her hand over, and after barely getting close enough, that’s exactly what she does. She’s not able to completely cover her and hook the leg, instead she’s able to literally get one arm over her chest, and the referee begins to count.




ONE!































TWO!




BUT SASHA POPS HER SHOULDER UP!

[COREY GRAVES]
She didn’t just take too long, she didn’t have nearly enough of a cover on her, for Natalya’s sake let’s hope that wasn’t her last breath in this contest.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Something’s gotta give at this point, they are running on borrowed time, and eventually it’s going to run out. Sadly, I don’t see either of these women going down easily as we’ve witnessed.

Natalya has a clear look on her face that spelled out “what the hell do I have to do to put this woman away?” and we’re certain the same could’ve been said about Sasha. You know, if she wasn’t nearly dead on the mat following that Discus Clothesline. She still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve but would they be enough to keep this challenger down? After everything they’ve already went through? Who the hell knows at this point. Natalya drags herself to the ropes and her fingers wrap around them. A pained expression was on her face as she used her strength to help get herself up. Conveniently, on the outside of the ring at the side she got up on, she noticed a weapon that helped her out earlier in the match and perhaps it could help her out again. It was that ladder that she used to break open the cell wall. The champion stared at it for a second, then back at Sasha and then back at the weapon. She had nothing to lose giving this a try. Well, actually she had everything to lose but she had to try something new if she wanted to get Sasha down for the three count. The Queen of Harts slides outside the ring and she grabs the ladder which brings a pop out from the crowd now that they see the fan-favorite of the match with another weapon. The ladder is brought in the ring and Natalya follows… but she doesn’t pick it up when she gets in the ring. She opens the ladder and it could’ve been climbed had it not be on it’s side but that was clearly not the intention here. Natalya takes Sasha by the wrist and drags the Boss over and places her on the bottom part of the ladder. She was sort of like a sandwich now. The Boss was on one part of the ladder but there was still the other part above her that was extended. Natalya changed that soon enough as she slammed the extended part down to create a Boss-sandwich. Ladder. Sasha. Ladder. It made Sasha squirm and yell out in pain but she couldn’t move. And then Natalya did it again!

[COREY GRAVES]
Natalya is crushing Sasha between the two pieces of the ladder!

[MAURO RANALLO]
That’s what this match has come to. These two women are putting it all on the line and breaking out every trick in their books. We are seeing them do things we’ve never seen before because they want that championship around their waist by the end of the night.

[COREY GRAVES]
It’s gonna suck for them when, after all of this, all the bumps and the breaks and the dives of the top of the Cell, April cashes in her Money in the Bank briefcase and steals the moment for herself.

Natalya is squeezing Sasha like a pimple in the ladder and Sasha tries to push the ladder off of her but Natalya is obviously the stronger of the two of them. Sasha might’ve been faster, she might’ve even been a little smarter, but she would never be able to match the strength of our champion. For good measure, Natalya takes the ladder up and slams it down onto Sasha’s body one last time. Sasha rolls out of it clutching her stomach, chest and everywhere else that was affected by Natalya’s actions.

[COREY GRAVES]
What on earth could Natalya have in mind now? Hasn’t she done enough with that ladder?

The ladder is placed in the corner except not how you expect. The ladder is bridged across the middle ropes. It’s almost like it was in perfect position for someone to be powerbombed onto it. Maybe that’s what Natalya is going for. From the looks of it, we could very well be right because she drags Sasha over to her set-up and she positions Sasha to be lifted up in a powerbomb hold and she’s got it! The Boss is lifted up in position. The last time they were like this, a couple moments ago, Sasha dug her nails into Natalya’s eyes but this time she might have other ideas in mind. Sasha desperately punches Natalya in the head but Natalya tries to fight through it. She’s able to fight it off and keep Sasha up there until Sasha decides to use what little weight she has to her advantage. It might not have been a lot but it was enough to get the job done. She leans back and Sasha reverses the hold and hurricanranas Natalya face first into the bridged ladder! Her nose could’ve very-well been broken from that since the front of her face did take the brunt of that hit while Sasha fell to that mat. Clearly, her plan backfired and Sasha got the upperhand.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I think I see some blood, Corey! Look. Coming from her nose.

The cameraman gets a close up view of Natalya as she leans against the ladder. Mauro was right. There is indeed some blood dripping from the champion’s nose after that move.

[COREY GRAVES]
We said it before and I’ll say it again. These women need to stop. They aren’t going to have careers at this rate. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the last time we saw them in a wrestling ring.

Natalya wipes her nose and the blood leaves a slight stain on her hand but that isn’t enough to stop the nose that might’ve been broken from bleeding. This should’ve been when Natalya got a chance to breathe and rest but Sasha wasn’t going to let her have that because she couldn’t let her have that. Natalya is suddenly dropkicked in the back which sends her chest into the ladder! And that makes Natalya yell out in pain as she clutches her back with one of her hands.The champion is then forced up and onto the ladder so she was laying on it and it becomes obvious what Sasha was going for now. For good measure, she slaps Natalya across the chest and then uses the bottom rope to get a little bounce in to make sure she has enough air and she drives both knees into the ribs of Natalya who’s on the ladder! It lets out a gasp from the crowd as Natalya rolls off the ladder, gripping her back and crying out in more pain. Sasha wastes no time going for a pin, but she doesn’t hook the leg.







ONE!































TWO!


























































TH- NO! NOT YET!

NATALYA KICKS OUT!

Sasha sits there with that same expression on her face. That same look of disbelief because she just drove her back first into a ladder with her knees. Then again, Natalya survived taking a Frog Splash from the top of the cell and managed to kickout somehow so perhaps it wasn’t really that shocking. Natalya’s running off steam at this point, steam that will keep going until the very last puff comes out of her.  The Boss shakes her head now and it seems a little more obvious that she was growing frustrated. Perhaps upset that she just didn’t take the win earlier. The Women’s Championship should be hers, that is what she feels right now, so much so that her head turns toward the opening of The Cell outside the ring, in the direction of the timekeeper’s area. We’re not sure what is running through her mind, but she rolls out of the ring and starts to stumble her way over to the direction her gaze was just that. Leaving Natalya to lie on the mat, unable to have enough power to get back up, at least right now that is. Giving Sasha the time she needs to trek over to where the Cell wall panel lies on the floor, and the scattered remains of what was the announce table cover the ringside area, pieces flying everywhere when Sasha made that death defying leap for stardom. Her hand glides along the wall using it for support as she leaves The Cell, again this is typically a match designed to keep both participants inside from start to finish, but what’s become an unplanned tradition since it’s inception is for the fury between its inhabitants to somehow breakfree of the cage that bound them.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I wonder what Sasha’s doing over here?

[COREY GRAVES]
At this stage, I firmly believe even she isn’t sure. She’s put Natalya through hell, literally in every sense, and The Champion refuses to give up.

[MAURO RANALLO]
This has been an insane match from the very beginning, and I thought it was over several points before now, but here we are The Main-Event, the first Female headlined Final Stand is STILL raging on. I think one thing to take away from this, is that The Women’s Division was indeed ready for this kind of spotlight. We’ve seen Hell in a Cell’s close out this show before, and they always have this special feel to them that sets each apart from the last. And I think Sasha & Natalya have managed to do that, in fact I’d dare to say even saying that is an understatement to the match we’ve witnessed.

[COREY GRAVES]
It’s also not just a “female” Main-Event, this is The Main-Event because look at the turmoil these two have put each other through? Our table? Broken. The Cell? Broken. There’s a table somewhere on the other side of The Cell smashed in half, steps thrown a side, a ladder across the turnbuckles, a camera man’s stolen camera, a flattened trash can, a steel chair with The Champion’s head indented into it. Let’s not forget about those wires over there from when Sasha literally choked the life out of her former best friend. Natalya & Sasha have gone to war, and now Sasha appears to be looking for her next course of action to come out on top of this war.

Beaten and exhausted herself, Sasha manages to go over to the time keeper’s area where ring announcer Jojo sat with The Women’s title in her lap. As she turns to see Sasha coming right at her, a multitude of things enter her mind, but thankfully as The Boss approaches her, all she wants...is the title. Sasha beckons for Jojo to hand over “her” as she calls it, title. Without any hesitation, knowing she doesn’t want to be the one that tells Sasha know, after seeing what she’s done throughout this match, Jojo does just that. Hands Natalya’s Women’s Championship over, and this causes the boos in Sasha’s direction to grow louder.

[MAURO RANALLO]
That doesn’t belong to her…

[COREY GRAVES]
Normally I’d question if Sasha was about to try and run off with Natalya’s Championship...but I think she has something else in mind.

Sasha stares at The Women’s Championship in her hands, feeling a newfound motivation within seconds of it’s warm soothing her. This is why she ascended The Cell and dived off of it to Frog Splash Natalya through the announce table. She wants this, she wants her name to be where Natalya’s currently is. One lone fan annoyed to see Sasha holding what currently belongs to Natalya heckels out “THAT’S NOT YOURS!” to which she turns right to him, with a gleam and a confidence in her demeanor...and says calmly “It will be.” After uttering those clear words, she turns back to The Cell and re-enters it now armed with The Women’s Championship. Just as Natalya had finally started to pull herself up to her hands and knees, a bit of blood of course dripping down her nose that she’s too exhausted to even notice, she’s gone numb to everything because she’s in such agony. Sasha methodically makes her way over to the ring, slipping in through the ropes, and once again, looks at her surroundings, sees the fallout of their fight thus far, and looks to put the final nail in Natalya’s reign as Champion. She starts to stalk Natalya, pulling the title in close anticipating the moment Natalya rises up, and she no doubt bashes Natalya’s own title in her face to add insult to injury, and officially win this match. Fans are booing, trying to alert Natalya of the fate that’s waiting for her the second she gets up...and as soon as she does...Sasha lunges forward with every bit of pep in her step as if she knows THIS...THIS is it ready to clock Natalya with the title she’s held dear. And as Natalya looks up, WHAM!! Sasha Banks thrusts The Women’s Title right into the face of Natalya, knocking her back down to the mat with a brutal thud as if she was knocked out the second contact was made.  

[COREY GRAVES]
Good lord.

[MAURO RANALLO]
The knockout blow...I hate to say it, Corey...but I think that’s it. I think Sasha Banks just won The Women’s Championship, courtesy of The Women’s Championship.

The audience is stunned, a pin could drop and you would hear it, because the mood just completely dies. Natalya dropped to the mat like a sack of potatoes, you can see even a bit of her blood on The Women’s Championship as Sasha still has hold of it. We’re all in disbelief, is this it? Is Sasha Banks The New Champion? Has The Woman that betrayed her best friend in the name of success, just proved it WAS all worth it? Sasha looks to the title with a proud gleam in her eye, then places it onto the mat directly beside Natalya’s body, so that when she covers her, she can stare into it’s loving image for all 3 seconds that it takes for her become Champion. Having set the stage, the mood just right, the silence music to her ears...she covers Natalya, knowing this IS it.

ONE!










TWO!






























[MAURO RANALLO]
It’s really over…













































THREE! SASHA BANKS IS THE NEW WOMEN’S CHA- WAIT WHAT! NATALYA GOT HER SHOULDER UP! NATALYA’S SHOULDER POPPED UP JUST AS THE REFEREE’S HAND WAS LITERALLY ECLIPSING IT’S OWN SHADOW OVER THE MAT! But as her arm shot off the mat, he stopped himself from going through with it, BECAUSE SHE GOT UP IN TIME!  


[COREY GRAVES]
WOW!

[MAURO RANALLO]
WOW IS RIGHT, COREY! Sasha Banks is beside herself. Natalya may be The Queen of Harts, but tonight she’s the Queen of perseverance..

The fans rejoice everyone rising to their feet in a sudden shift in mood, as Natalya is STILL as of now, STILL in this! As the referee was about to hit his hand on the mat for a third time, you see the look of pure happiness of Sasha’s face...but when he didn’t make that third meeting with the canvas...immediately all that happiness and elation dissipates, as a thunderous “ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!” bellows out from The Boss. Her fist pounds into the mat, turning in a fit of rage to the referee screaming in his face. “NO! NO! NO!!! RAISE MY HAND, I’M THE WINNER, RAISE MY HAND, RAISE MY HAND I SAID, YOU COUNTED THREE!!”  but he shakes his head, pointing to Natalya saying she got up in time, it may have been literally the last possible millisecond The Champion had before she would have lost everything, but she did it. “JUST GIVE UP!” her rage turns back to Natalya who lies on the mat in front of her. “YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BEAT ME! YOU’RE WASTING YOUR TIME! THIS IS MY TIME! DO YOU HEAR ME?! MY TIME! THIS IS MY TIIIIIME!!!!” Her voice cracks screaming so loud, before turning around away from Natalya, on her knees, frustrated, emotional, asking herself what is it going to take? “WHY WON’T THIS BITCH STAY DOWN?!” Again she pounds her fist into the mat several times over and over, truly losing her cool, granted this isn’t the first time, but everytime it happens the frustration grows deeper and deeper until her very core and existence is nothing but frustration.

[COREY GRAVES]
Sasha’s just lost it, she is a Woman unhinged.

[MAURO RANALLO]
You’ve got that right, I’ve never seen her emotions so out of control. She’s gone from thinking she had won, to not, then thinking she had won, to not, over and over in this match.

[COREY GRAVES]
This is one time I’ll side with her, I one thousand percent thought that was the end right there, Natalya had her lights knocked out, but someone turned them back on just in the knick of time.

The Challenger is leaning forward right now, pounding both fists against the mat, trying to reel her frustrations in but the natural human side of herself is just at its witt’s end. After everything she has put Natalya through, physically throughout this match, she still has enough in her to keep fighting. I mean it shouldn’t be THAT much of a surprise given Sasha’s done exactly the same herself, but when you’re in this moment, it feels like the end of the world every time your opponent kicks out of what you were sure was the last thing you’d do before that title was in your hands for real this time. Through her anger she still sits on her knees angrily shouting “JUST STAY D-” SUDDENLY SASHA’S PULLED FROM BEHIND INTO A ROLL UP BY NATALYA! Who had seemingly risen up ironically from the dead to catch The Challenger into a sudden state in jeopardy of losing!

[MAURO RANALLO]
NATALYA’S GOT SASHA’S SHOULDERS PINNED TO THE MAT!

ONE!






TWO!






Natalya’s school boy style roll up was so deep that her upper body was mounted over Sasha’s legs, but even STILL Sasha’s able to get her shoulder up.But wait, the second her shoulder flies up,her leg falls over Natalya’s right arm interlocking it between both of her legs...AND SUDDENLY SASHA STARTS TO SQUIRM AROUND TRYING TO APPLY THE CROSS FACE PHASE OF THE BANK STATEMENT! Natalya tries to fight it, jerking her head away, but with her arm trapped between Sasha’s legs she's in no position to do anything, and Sasha’s arms soon lock over Natalya’s face successfully executing the cross face!

[COREY GRAVES]
Oh my god, is Natalya going to be forced to TAP OUT?

[MAURO RANALLO]
A rather cruel joke from fate that would be...remember Natalya lost The Divas Championship at Final Stand 8 years ago when Michelle McCool locked in her MAD-T submission, of course she didn’t tap and it was all a part of a Montreal like screwjob...but imagine if Sasha’s able to end Natalya’s reign via submission, knowing this is all she’s ever wanted this entire time to avoid the face of yesterday.

[COREY GRAVES]
Against a Woman that for YEARS went undefeated in Submission Matches, Natalya’s as much of a submission expert than anyone Man or Woman...If Sasha can make her give up, this would put her in a category of her own.

Sasha shrieks “TAP!!! TAP!!!” wrenching back on the crossface, trying to make Natalya give up as the audience loudly shout back “NO! NO! NO!” not wanting to see this match end like this..with their hero forced to give up. Natalya fights trying to struggle out but she’s not having any luck. She digs her nails into the mat and starts to try and crawl her way presumably to the ropes, but in Hell in a Cell the ropes mean nothing, they don’t force a break, perhaps she could use them to get leverage and force Natalya off of her due to the positioning, but that’s a stretch in itself. Maybe this is Natalya’s auto pilot kicking in? The basic instinct she was taught to always aim for the ropes when in a situation like this because it’s meant to be the holy grail of avoiding a submission loss? But in this predicament that grail is useless.

[MAURO RANALLO]
The Anvilette struggling with all she has.

[COREY GRAVES]
Which isn’t saying much given how long this match has been going.

Inch by inch Natalya crawls closer and closer to the ropes, fans rooting her on to keep fighting. A roaring “NATALYA!” chant picks up steam which only aggravates Sasha more than she already was. “GIVE UP!!” she continues to scream, but Natalya screams out “NO!!” The referee remaining in position to watch closely in case that changes but Natalya refuses. Pulling herself with every last dying bit of energy within. She was raised in a Dungeon, pushed to her absolute limits on a daily basis, and all of that prepared her for tonight. To not roll over and admit defeat because that is not what a Hart does. A Hart fights for themselves, a Hart fights in the name of their family, and a Hart fights for those that have supported them. Natalya can’t give up, not when she’s come this far, not when she’s pushed her body beyond its capabilities as it is. So she keeps digging deeper, until at last her hand is about to grab the ropes, Sasha responds by torquing back on the hold even more but it doesn’t stop her, Natalya’s hand latches onto the bottom rope! She starts to pull herself even closer, looking to attempt to separate Sasha from her via the ropes as a partner in this task, but Sasha’s not about to allow this. She extends her foot forward, and begins to repeatedly stomp Natalya’s hand, trying to get her to let go, something Natalya even through the pain refuses to do. “I’LL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR HAND, NATTIE! NOW LET GO!” Still, she’s met with defiance, defiance The Boss won’t stand for. With stomping not working, she goes one step further, placing the top of her foot on the bottom rope where Natalya’s hand resided, then starts to push on the rope, you could say she’s maybe trying to bring the rope out of Natalya’s grasp but this is a tactic Sasha’s used in many matches before when someone was about to be free of her submission. She’s not trying to pull the rope away from them, she’s trying to push off of the rope to send them rolling back to the center of the ring. As she starts to do this very tactic, a tactic she’s used against Natalya before...the reality that these two again know each other better than any other competitor comes into play when Natalya suddenly in the moment the two were about to be rolled back to the middle of the ring...Natalya uses her strength advantage over Sasha to her advantage taking control of the momentum the ropes gave them and shifts Sasha’s shoulders down to the mat! The Crossface is very much still locked in, but it’s as if Natalya’s countered with her entire weight to reverse the positioning entirely. Sasha’s now under her, and if she doesn’t break this hold, the referee’s going to count 3!

[COREY GRAVES]
We said their past matchups would make this one very difficult, and it’s because of this exactly right here.

[MAURO RANALLO]
It’s almost like Natalya baited Sasha, because she knew what she would do, and it allowed her to turn this completely around!


ONE!















TWO!













Angrily Sasha breaks her hold, allowing her get her shoulders off the mta, rolling away from Natalya who starts to rise to her hands and knees not wanting to waste time, but to Sasha? The feeling seems quite mutual. She also doesn’t want to waste time, so once she rolls back and rises to a knee, she sees Natalya squirming to her feet….THEN HITS THE B-TRIGGER OUT OF NOWHERE!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Where the hell did that come from?!

[COREY GRAVES]
Within a matter of 5 seconds Sasha again has shifted the course of this match, but Mauro..I don't think she got all of it.

Corey’s assessment is indeed correct, she clipped Nataly with the knee, which at this point could be as good as if she connected entirely because Natalya fell flat on her face, potentially down for the count. But Sasha’s been here before, she’s been here numerous times in this match, she thought something was enough, and it wasn’t. She wasted time going for a pin when it wasn’t time, so as she stands there looking at Natalya, she shakes her head, not finished with her yet. Slowly she backs away, getting further from her until she’s backed herself into the corner. She brings her hand out in front of her, then bends in her last 3 fingers until only her index and thumb are sticking out. She’s forming a “gun” with her hand...and it’s aimed right at The Champion’s head. Boos and jeers echo in from the fans not wanting to see what’s about to come, some parents shielding their children’s eyes knowing this is going to be a sickening sight...with the barrel of the gun that is her index finger pointing at Natalya, she unloads the chamber, firing the last remaining bullet she left….and charges at the rising Natalya ready to put this Champion out of her misery once and for all. Her B-Trigger itching knee thrusts forward…..BUT NATALYA KICKS HER FOOT IN FRONT OF SASHA’S OTHER LEG, TRIPPING HER! Sasha’s face smacks off the mat as Natalya...in one fluid motion flows from tripping Sasha, to rising up to a slight stoop with Banks’ legs interlocked with the leg that tripped her...and as she starts to squat back up…..SHE’S LOCKED IN THE SHARPSHOOTER!

[MAURO RANALLO]
THE SHARPSHOOTER! NATALYA JUST LOCKED IN THE SHARPSHOOTER!

[COREY GRAVES]
That has to be one of the swiftest Sharpshooters I’ve ever seen. She didn’t waste one single motion!

[MAURO RANALLO]
As a master technician, her ring awareness truly is on another level. But can she make Sasha tap out?

Instantaneously as the roof had returned to the building feeling as if that B-Trigger spelled the end for Natalya, it flies back off with every man, woman, and child jumping to their feet screaming in exictement! Sasha however is screaming for an entirely different reason. She HAD IT. All she had to do was land that knee, but Natalya tripped her, and now...she’s trapped in The Sharpshooter, the very move that made Natalya such a threat in her early days. She’s screaming at the top of her lungs in agony, in anger, in pure hatred over Natalya and her stupid Sharpshooter. The referee seeing Sasha in such pain asks her if she wants to give up, if she gives up, if she’s had enough but just as Natalya did when Sasha had her locked in The Bank Statement, Sasha is just as defiant. Shouting at him “GET OUT OF MY FACE!!” Not taking too kindly to him asking her such a stupid question, but I mean does anyone ever take it too kindly when someone is like “HEY, DO YOU WANNA GIVE UP?” No one WANTS to give up, but the human body was made with limits, each different from each other, but each has a limit...and with these two rivals giving everything they had and beyond that, they crossed that limit a long time ago.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Sasha’s fighting but how much fight does she have in reserve?

[COREY GRAVES]
The Sharpshooter is one of Wrestling’s most infamous submissions, because it has a very high success rate. Once it’s locked in...very few can endure it’s torture.

[MAURO RANALLO]
But Sasha is perhaps part of that few, given very few have the determination to leap off the top of Hell in a Cell, very few have the boldness to challenge someone to a Buried Alive Match, very few become Champion in their very first opportunity as Sasha did at the start of last year.

[COREY GRAVES]
You’re absolutely right, as it stands right now? Sasha may have to tap out, whether she wants to or not, the very spine that was bounced off a tombstone with one of the most sickening powerbombs I’ve ever seen back at the beginning of the year is being bent in ways it surely should not bend after something like that.

The guts and willpower of Sasha Banks whether we like her or not, which is mostly in the not column given everything she’s done to Natalya since this all began...you do have to hold at least a fraction of respect for her right now. She is holding firm, she is in dire pain, but she won’t give in. She can’t give in as she repeats over and over. “I can’t...I CAN’T….I CAN’T!!!” she answers to the referee who again asks, as Natalya keeps the pressure locked in, no doubt her tank on empty itself. But as Sasha lies there, suddenly a new life enters her, her palms press up onto the mat bridging herself up slightly, still in the hold but with more stability, stability that she could try to mirror Natalya’s strategy for trying to break out of her submission just minutes ago. Dragging herself to the ropes that again won’t force a break but those ropes could be her best friend, and certainly her best chance for escaping this hell, in more ways than one. Unbelievably Sasha starts to pull her way to the ropes, very slight traction but still movement, Natalya stumbles along with her desperately trying to keep the hold in place. Sasha’s finger tips are within the ropes...she’s close, it’s still half of the battle once she grabs them, but getting the ropes will be just what she needs to stay in this, to cling to them for dear life while she figures out what to do next so that she doesn’t tap out. As her palm is extends forward...her fingertip touches the rope….AND NATALYA STARTS TO PULL HER BACK TO THE CENTER OF THE RING! Sasha’s nails scratch across the mat becoming consumed in her hysteria as she’s dragged back to the center of the ring...where again the referee asks her…”DO YOU GIVE UP?!” But her answer while delayed, remains the same… “NO! NEVER! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID NEVER!” With Sasha holding firm on her refusal to give up...Natalya within seconds of hearing this...starts to firmly plant her feet more on the mat than they already were, we’re not sure what’s happening but she’s clearly about to do something to try and change Sasha’s mind. Rock solid in her submission Natalya pulls back even further, bending herself backward...BRIDGING OVER SASHA’S BODY WITH THE SICKEST SHARPSHOOTER IN EXISTENCE! A BRIDGED SHARPSHOOTER THAT HAS SASHA BANKS LITERALLY SNAPPED IN HALF!

[COREY GRAVES]
SASHA’S FEET ARE TOUCHING HER HEAD!

[MAURO RANALLO]
I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW SHE COULD BEND LIKE THAT!

[COREY GRAVES]
I DON’T THINK CAN CAN, MAURO! I DON’T THINK SHE’S IN CONTROL OF THAT!

The only way to describe Sasha’s screams in this moment, the moment as Natalya bridged over into the very Sharpshooter that forced now Miss Money in The Bank April to tap out last year and score Natalya her first victory over the wicked sister herself...is banshee like. Her screams are blood curdling, so loud that her voice is cracking, you hear the sadness creeping into anger because...this...this unlike a normal submission, submissions torture you yes, but this...THIS is actual torture, Sasha’s very confinds as a human are being pulled apart as her feet press against the back of her head, her face pressed against the mat under Natalya’s entire bodyweight. You can’t see any expression on her face because of it, but the inhuman sounds blasting out of her paint a terrifying picture. Her hand literally is shaking as it hovers the mat, you feel the pain that not only this submission has her in, but the pain of what she may be forced to do. She’s quivering, she’s afraid of having to give up her dream of leaving Final Stand as Women’s Champion. Terror that she tries to not succumb to, she stops herself from tapping out, balling her hand into a fist to not allow her to do such a thing. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I WON’T….I…. I REFUSE!!” Natalya’s entire being is mounted over what used to be Sasha’s spine, The Challenger to Natalya’s title is physically being snapped in half before our very eyes and while this is a horrifying sight….it’s happening to Sasha Banks so of course the entire building is roaring with a “TAP! TAP! TAP!” chant. You hear Sasha’s cries grow quieter, as if that fire within was dying, and the sounds that follow are the mere embers of that flame that weren’t all the way out yet. Until they stop, no sound leaves Sasha, she taps!  





[MAURO RANALLO]
NATALYA’S DONE IT!

[COREY GRAVES]
SASHA BANKS TAPPED OUT, NATALYA’S STILL CHAMPION!

Natalya lets go immediately as the bell sounds, and she falls to the mat a broken heap lying beside the woman she just tapped out to retain The Women’s Championship on the grandest stage of them all, in The Main-Event. The fans are screaming, rejoicing, every emotion they felt through the course of this match, the up and down roller coaster ride it was led to this moment of celebration as Natalya’s theme blares throughout the arena, the official sign that she has in fact won. After a hellacious defense against a Woman that knew her better than any other potential challenger, she brought it home...she didn’t fail...she did as she’s done since 2018 began, she overcame, and she proved why she is indeed THE BEST THERE IS, THE BEST THERE WAS, AND THE BEST THERE EVER WILL BE!



[MAURO RANALLO]
What can be said that hasn’t already been said, what an incredible match...I am in awe of what these two Women did tonight.

[COREY GRAVES]
They embodied the very name “Hell in a Cell” and they embodied out of The Cell as well, I can’t believe it’s over, I truly thought they may actually fight forever.

[MAURO RANALLO]
The pure determination of both to leave everything they had, to leave what they didn’t have, all for The Women’s Championship is nothing short of remarkable.

[COREY GRAVES]
And in the end, this wasn’t The Champion’s final stand. It may very well after that performance, truly be the beginning. I thought Natalya surviving The Elimination Chamber was amazing, but this...tonight somehow topped that.

[MAURO RANALLO]
And Sasha, what can we even say? Her methods may be questionable at times, morally and logically...but the ability she possesses, the fire within her to succeed..it’s hard to look past the things she did to Natalya leading up to this night. But if you manage to, you see a competitor that will stop at nothing to achieve what she wants. And while tonight may not have fallen in her favor...I don’t think anyone can fault her for coming up short here. When you’re physically being snapped in half, and you still don’t give up immediately? That is heart. Black or not.

Natalya’s theme continues to play as she lies there, emotions filling her face as everything she endured up to this point suddenly fades away. She is free, she has avenged the horrible things Sasha did, to her, to her family, to anyone in the crossfire. And not only that, she has achieved everlasting redemption for the only memory any of us had of her at Final Stand before now. 8 years ago she walked into Final Stand for the first time, as Divas Champion...and was screwed out of that title. A walking shell of the woman that first arrived so impactfully leading up to that night. But now, 8 years later...she walked into Final Stand for the first time since then as Champion...and successfully defended the right to call herself champion in The first Female Final Stand Main-Event on top of it all. Redemption has never felt so sweet, in so many ways. The referee picks The Women’s title off of the mat that Sasha had bashed into Natalya’s face not too long ago, and then walks over to Natalya, offering his assistance in helping her up. She grabs onto his hand as if she had no strength to get up on her own, he presents what is STILL her title. With The Women’s Championship extended to her, you see a lone tear stream down her face as this moment becomes all too real. She thanks him and takes her title, holding it in one hand as the official raises the other, fans of course still loudly cheering proud of The Champion for her performance tonight, and excited to see her retain.



The Cell having server its purpose is lifted into the air, as The Champion proudly displays what very much rightfully belongs to her.



She had all the pressure in the world on her shoulders, but she didn’t buckle under that pressure, she rose to the occasion and left every bit of blood, sweat, and tears in this ring. You can still see some dried blood under her nose from when we certain Sasha broke it. She wanted the biggest challenge possible to prove to herself and everyone else that she was deserving, that she was “worthy…” and that is what she did.

[COREY GRAVES]
This night was 10 years in the making and I think it’s fair to say it lived up to its name. An incredible night from a lot of talented Superstars. All culminating with an unforgettable Main-Event that somehow makes their Buried Alive Match look like nothing in comparison. They may have been best friends, and great enemies, but I think most of all they’re even better opponents.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Seeing how they combatted one another, how they seemed to know what was going to come next, it was a beautiful disaster that I never wanted to end.

Just when you think the storm had subsided...suddenly Sasha Banks rips the referee’s arm away from Natalya, a look of blind fury across her face...seething with anger and frustration. Everything stops in this moment, Natalya immediately readies herself for a potential assault, though let’s be real how much could any of these Women have in them for an assault, much less avoiding one? Natalya’s theme ceases...this feels like it could go very bad very easily...when just as suddenly as she had pulled the referee’s hand away from Natalya...she extends her own.

[MAURO RANALLO]
Oh I don’t know about this...

[COREY GRAVES]
Imagine being Natalya right now. Every single time she’s gone for a handshake herself Sasha’s duped her, is that the case right now?

After beating the living hell out of each other to the point we’re surprised they’re even living period...you would think every ounce of hatred would have been resolved, the bad blood cleansed...maybe even a shred of respect earned between both for what they did. But can that really be the case here? Is Sasha being genuine, offering a handshake? Can Natalya trust it? No, she can’t...but the competitor in her, is hard to tame. She believes in respect, she’s wanted nothing but a reign that embodies what she believes this division should be. To have integrity, and while this is the woman that’s put her through hell...Natalya repaid that in full tonight. They’re “even” if you want to call it that, and that’s why with a seriousness in her eyes, to show Sasha she’s ready for whatever she might try to do...she slips her hand forward until it meets Sasha’s, and they literally just shake hands. Like this isn’t a ploy drawn out to build suspense for a potential blindside which then leads to April miraculous coming out to cash in, conflicted about it because y’know it happened to her, and Natalya is her best friend...but she missed her precious. No, it’s not that at all. They lock hands for a couple seconds, then Sasha lets go, and raises Natalya’s arm herself, which gathers a nice response from the audience. It’s a feel good moment touchy feely of respect and all that nonsense that you don’t often get to see in Wrestling. We doubt this match suddenly resolved their differences and soothed the hatred they had...but at the end of the day these were two women that dreamed about competing on a stage like this as little girls...and they did that, together. It may be a bitter pill for Sasha to swallow, but give credit where it’s due.

[MAURO RANALLO]
It’s hard not to respect someone that bested you, but I can’t say I expected that from Sasha.

[COREY GRAVES]
Neither did I, but game does respect game...and Natalya was on her A-Game tonight, just as she’s been all year long thus far.

She doesn’t raise it long, and soon lets go, limping out of the ring, to leave Natalya to her moment. She earned it...whether she’d ever verbally admit that is another story...but Sasha can’t harp on any excuse. She gave her everything, she took everything Natalya herself had to give...it just wasn’t enough. That Sharpshooter broke her, in every sense of that word. She stumbles out of ring, gingerly walking toward the ramp, shoving away any referees, wanting to walk out under her own accord, and that is what she does. With Natalya all alone in the ring now, she flashes a pure smile of elation as she herself stumbles over to the corner, and mounts the second rope raising the symbol of all of her hard work for all to see. Not to boast, though perhaps a little. But to show all of these people no matter what obstacles that have in front of them, or how many times they’re knocked down. They can achieve their dreams, she is proof of that now. She’s no longer a fairytale character that didn’t get her happy ending, she’s a human being that through much adversity and pain, has become everything she ever hoped to be.



[COREY GRAVES]
I don’t know what might be next for Natalya, but I’d say she’s ready for it, hopefully that next challenger was watching closely...because this is an entirely new Natalya that I’m not sure who is capable of stopping.

[MAURO RANALLO]
There’s always new challengers waiting in the wings...but they’ve certainly got quite the feat to overcome themselves if they hope to become Women’s Champion.

[COREY GRAVES]
The Queen of The Dungeon has arrived here at Final Stand...she’s successfully overcome the trifecta of steel throughout her reign from the night it began to right here tonight.

[MAURO RANALLO]
I’d say she made her family very proud, as she did all of us.

Natalya so exhausted from the literal hell she endured tonight, carefully dismounts the corner then just as carefully leaves the ring, looking to the fans along the barricade outpouring with love and she takes a couple seconds to interact with them. Touching their hands, even leaning in to hug one, though she soon regrets that, wincing before smiling as if to say she’s okay. Slowly she makes her rounds as she gets closer to the ramp, where at last when she reaches it she turns on her heel and faces the camera..as well as the ring where she just left part of her entire being in.



There she looks around, then again raises The Women’s Championship high above her, but this time this powerful image has the addition of celebratory pyrotechnics! Pyro blasts off at the stage, covering it in a color wonder, most of it’s pink which you could say really worked for either Sasha or Natalya whoever won. But this extravagant display shoots off behind Natalya as she revels in her moment.

[COREY GRAVES]
Well, as if it’s not already implied... congratulations to Natalya!

[MAURO RANALLO]
Once known as the victim of a screwjob on this stage, she’ll now forever be etched in history as The Women’s Champion that defended her crown in The First Female Final Stand Main-Event. And what a first it was..

[COREY GRAVES]
All the little girls and Women watching here and at home, now see that it’s no longer a pipedream, it isn’t just “possible” it happened. Goodnight everyone, we'll see you on Anarchy!

The fireworks start to dissipate after a while, leaving Natalya’s smile to serve as the last image we see before Final Stand X, goes off the air.



UNLESS APRIL’S ABOUT TO CASH IN? No? No there’s no sign of Miss Money in The Bank April...this is Natalya’s moment, and she earned it. But as we fade...we know that with her best friend, and one of her greatest rivals looming with a contract for a title shot whenever she chooses...their paths may indeed still cross, just not tonight.

END OF SHOW