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Stress Test WWE report

(Photo courtesy of WWE) The villainous Seth Rollins opens the show bringing important news to the crowd.

Shane Conway
Connector Staff

The villainous Seth Rollins opens the show bringing important news to the crowd. He announces he successfully obtained a championship match against Big E for New Year’s Day. 

 The crowd reacts negatively, and Rollins responds by belittle the town and his recurring opponent, the bold Finn Bálor. Bálor arrives and wastes no time rushing to beat Rollins down to the crowd’s applause. Bálor dominates the majority of the match, but Rollins leveraged a slimy underhanded tactic to steal the victory, just like he had done to steal the championship match.  

Liv Morgan and RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch come to the ring to sign the contract for their championship match and the two hurl insults at each other. Lynch sees Morgan as inferior, and Morgan identifies Lynch as the source of the problems of the locker room.  

Before they explode, WWE official Sonya Deville separates the two parties and has them reach a resolution; a four-on-four tag match later in the night. 

Backstage, tag-team RKBro members, the legator Randy Orton and frat bro Riddle, find some abrasion as well. Riddle thought Orton would act as him tonight, just as Riddle had done for Orton the week previous. Orton tells Riddle he is not anything like him and doesn’t want to be.
 

Later in the ring, their chemistry is visibly distorted, and their opponents, the Dirty Dawgz, seize the opportunity. It is only when Riddle reaches across the aisle to help Orton, that the two reunite and work together to defeat their foes. 

Backstage, Seth Rollins finds the man he labeled a deceiver, Kevin Owens. He sneers at Owens, talking about how he was given a championship shot while Owens wasn’t.  

Owens, utilizing his image, tells Rollins that he was informed that if he wins his match against Big E tonight, he will get added to the match on New Year’s. Rollins, indignant, claims Owens is lying again and takes to WWE official Adam Pearce’s office. Rollins coolly asks Pearce to disconfirm this rumor, to which he replies that it was not the plan but that it does not sound bad. Pearce decides to make it official, leaving Rollins agape in fury. 

“Rated R Superstar” Edge returns to explosive fanfare and equal pyro. He begins talking on why he’s happy to return to RAW after such a long time, and lists people he wants to face before another grand return. The Miz, cuts him off, leading to boos from the audience.  

Miz hates that Edge gets all the attention in spite of being past his prime. Edge claims he has to take attention when guys like Miz leave for Dancing with the Stars. The tension strengthens as barbs about one another’s career failures are traded leaving the two bitter and craving the chance at one another. 

The dualistic Damien Priest defends his United States Championship against Nigerian nationalist Apollo Crews. Crews, similar to challengers before him, turned to taunting Priest to goad him into sloppiness. This, however, only serves to anger Priest. Priest chooses overwhelming violence, a series of moves on a lifeless opponent serves to secure the victory. 

The woman’s tag match is underway with a few rivalries meeting head-to-head, but neither the champion Becky Lynch nor the animated Liv Morgan manage to touch each other. As communication breaks down on Lynch’s team, Lynch avoids getting in the ring against Morgan’s momentum, allowing her to make an example of one of Lynch’s teammates instead, resulting in a Morgan win. 

The battle between Kevin Owens and Big E hits fever pitch early on, and the spectating Seth Rollins’ nerves are on edge. Rollins tries to rally Big E as he wants to keep Owens out of their championship match, but it only serves to distract E. Owens starts running away with the matchup and Rollins can’t contain his anger while on commentary. Owens landing his jaw breaking Stunner is the breaking point, as Rollins charges the ring in anger. The match is awarded to Owens by disqualification, and thereby adding him to the championship match.. 

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