Hardy taps out to the Hurt Lock and The Hurt Business wins.
Winners: The Hurt Business
After the match, The Hurt Business begins celebrating as the music hits. Once again Cedric gets a little wild with his celebration, leading his teammates to look at him awkwardly.
– We see video from last week where Nia Jaxand Shayna Baszler talked about how bad they were going to destroy Lana. We also see how Asuka gave Lana a pep talk backstage, then how Jax intimidated Lana. We cut to Lana and Asuka backstage now. Lana feels like they can win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles at TLC. She feels confident and strong, but she admits she’s a bit scared for tonight. Asuka says Jax is scary, but Lana is going out to face Jax and that makes her the bravest person she knows. Asuka says she’s proud to be Lana’s partner. Asuka gets Lana hyped up and sends her out to the ring.
Lana vs. Nia Jax
Lana defeats Jax by sending her off the top rope and covering her after.
Winner: Lana
Baszler takes out Asuka backstage and Nia attacks Lana after the match. Baszler joins the assault and Nia finishes her off with a leg drop. Baszler then puts Lana’s legs in an awkward position and Nia leg drops her again. Asuka wards off Nia and Shayna, but the damage is done.
Back from the break and Elias is in the ring with his guitar. Jaxson Ryker is with him. Elias talks about how the recent Symphony of Destruction loss to Jeff Hardy would’ve destroyed an ordinary man, but he is no ordinary man, he’s Extraordinary Elias. He was baptized in the light and lost nothing, but gained so much. Elias says he’s h ad visions for his purpose, visions for Ryker – a man who knows deep in his heart, the Universal Truth, which is… WWE stands for Walk With Elias. Elias gets the crowd to yell it twice, and Ryker also goes along with the chant. Ryker takes the mic and says Elias’ music has changed him, he has been re-born by the Universal Truth. He says Elias is a visionary and for far too long he’s been interrupted and attacked, and Ryker is here to stop that. Elias thanks him. Elias wants to demonstrate the healing power of his music. After what we just saw, he dedicates this performance to Lana.
Elias starts playing the guitar but WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth interrupts. He doesn’t want to interrupt but wants to apologize for interrupting Elias on WWE Main Event last week. Truth says he’s not an interrupter. Elias points out how he’s interrupting again. Elias asks Truth if he’s going to say anything. Truth doesn’t want to interrupt. Elias starts playing again but here comes Drew Gulak, Erik, Lucha House Party, and Akira Tozawa, chasing Truth for his title. There’s chaos at ringside instead. Erik rolls Gran Metalik into the ring but Ryker levels him with a clothesline. Erik rolls Tozawa in next. Ryker tosses Tozawa back out onto the large group of Superstars. Truth runs away with his title. Ryker chokeslams Metalik into the mat. Elias strums his guitar to end the segment.
– The Miz and John Morrison are backstage. Miz isn’t happy with AJ Styles recently saying he wants Miz to cash in to take the title off Drew McIntyre because it would be easier to win the WWE Title from Miz. Keith Lee eventually walks up and he has an idea. Miz asks him if it’s like what happened in last week’s Handicap Match. Something like that, Lee says. Lee has a coin and won’t talk about where he got it from, but he proposes a coin toss. Miz calls heads. It lands on heads. Miz and Morrison argue about who won but Lee congratulates them, saying they both won, but that’s all they’re going to win. Lee walks off ahead of the 2-on-1 Handicap Match. Back to commercial.
Keith Lee vs. John Morrison and The Miz – Handicap Match
Miz and Morrison win with a series of double team attacks resulting in Miz chop blocking Lee while holding Morrison, and both Miz and Morrison collapse on Lee for the pin.
Winners: The Miz and John Morrison
After the match, Miz and Morrison quickly retreat to the stage to celebrate as the music hits. Lee seethes from in the ring and we go to replays.
– The announcers lead us to a video package on recent happenings between Randy Ortonand Bray Wyatt. Still to come, Wyatt will bring his friends from the Firefly Fun House to The ThunderDome. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and it’s time for Bray Wyatt’s field trip from the Firefly Fun House to The ThunderDome for RAW. Wyatt comes out wearing an ugly Christmas sweater for The Fiend.
Wyatt looks over at the ringside barrier and waves as we see three of his puppets – Mercy The Buzzard, Huskus The Pig Boy, Ramblin’ Rabbit. Wyatt takes the mic and says hello to the fireflies. The crowd cheers and he says it’s so nice to see their smiling faces at The ThunderDome. It warms his soul. Before we get to the fun stuff, Wyatt has an apology to make. He says he’s sorry to Randy Orton, he really is. Wyatt knows they were having the time of their lives last week and as things do, they got out of hand, one thing led to another and now look at them. Wyatt thinks it was just one giant misunderstanding because he knows sometimes “He” has a very sad, sick, deranged, twisted, mind of his own… anyway, Wyatt laughs.
Wyatt knows he has some things to fix about himself but he really wishes he and Orton got the chance to fix what they started. Wyatt says this Sunday after Orton faces “Him” at TLC, he’s not sure what will be left of Orton. Wyatt says there shall be no fun and games at TLC, just sadness and pain but – Yowie! Wowie! – that’s alright, that sounds splendid. Wyatt says he’s decided to celebrate since TLC will be no laughing matter, tonight is. He’s prepared some jokes for Orton and they’re going to be hisss-terical. Wyatt goes on delivering a few corny snake-themed jokes. He laughs uncontrollably, as do his puppets at ringside. Orton interrupts the laughter, yelling Wyatt’s name from the big screen.
Orton says last week he said when his time came he would look the devil in the face and tell him the most evil son of a b—h has come home. Orton goes on and says after he put Wyatt down with the RKO last week, something changed, Wyatt changed, and The Fiend appeared out of nowhere. Orton doesn’t say this often but he was outmaneuvered last week, but by The Fiend, not Wyatt. Orton says that won’t happen at TLC, and it won’t happen tonight. He knows how much Wyatt loves playing games and can’t help himself, so he thinks Wyatt should extend his little field trip and come pay Orton a visit tonight. Orton suggests they play a little game of hide & seek. Wyatt laughs and says he can’t resist a game. He accepts. Orton tells Wyatt to come find him. Wyatt laughs some more and says he’s coming to find Randy. Let the games begin, Wyatt yells. He tosses the mic and heads to the back as the puppets laugh from ringside and the Firefly Fun House music plays.
– The announcers hype Ricochet vs. Mace for tonight. We get a video package showing highlights from last week’s match that saw Ricochet and Dana Brooke defeat Slapjack and Reckoning.
Mace vs. Ricochet
Mace wins the match with a tilt-a-whirl side slam.
Winner: Mace
After the match, RETRIBUTION hits the ring and the others hold Ricochet while Ali yells at him. Ali says this doesn’t end until he says it ends, and that won’t be until Ricochet joins RETRIBUTION. T-BAR puts Ricochet down face-first into the mat, then kneels down in his face and taunts him.
– We see Bray Wyatt walking backstage. He asks Riddle if he’s seen Randy Orton. Riddle hasn’t seen Orton, but he has seen the future… and the future is Bro-Nouns. Riddle presents a white board with another wacky business idea. Wyatt is a little busy now but he wishes Riddle good luck. He walks off and Riddle tells Wyatt to have his people call Riddle’s people. Ramblin’ Rabbit appears behind Riddle now. Riddle says Ramblin’ Rabbit reminds him of Baby Yoda, so he’s going to call him Baby Bro-da. Riddle talks about his pet rabbit named Skipper at home. He presents a carrot and a marker for Ramblin’ Rabbit to autograph it for his pet. That ends the segment.
Shayna Baszler vs. Dana Brooke
Nia interferes and Shayna gets disqualified.
Winner by DQ: Dana Brooke
Nia and Shayna jump Dana before Mandy Rose returns with kendo stick in hand and she sends Baszler and Nia flying. Asuka comes out and joins the assault to ward them off.
WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth is backstage ranting to Huskus The Pig Boy. Bray Wyatt walks up and says he was worried sick looking for Huskus. Wyatt warned Huskus about talking to strangers. Truth tells Huskus to listen to his father, then asks Wyatt if that is his son. Wyatt yells, “Hide and seek!” and runs off to continue his game with Orton. Truth comments on what a beautiful family they have together as we return to commercial.
– Back from the break and announced for RAW Talk tonight is Jaxson Ryker, Elias, MVP, Bobby Lashley, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke.
– We see Bray Wyatt looking for Randy Orton in the back again. Wyatt walks up on a room with the door open. It’s dark but there’s one light in the middle of the room, shining on an empty rocking chair that is moving. Wyatt proceeds with caution, but stops and takes a seat. Orton creeps up from behind and attacks Wyatt, knocking him out of the chair. They brawl on the floor and then back to their feet. Orton sends Wyatt into a garage door a few times. Orton places Wyatt inside of a large wooden box and beats on him while he’s down in it. Orton shuts the wooden lid and latches it. Orton walks over and grabs a tank of gasoline that’s sitting on top of a production case. Orton begins pouring gas all over the wooden box, and laughing while he does it. Orton empties the gas can and grabs a lighter. He lights it and then drops the lighter on top of the box, igniting it in flames. Orton stares at the fire, smiling.
The box lid suddenly flies open and The Fiend is standing in it, flames around him. Orton is shocked. The Fiend applies the Mandible Claw and rams Orton back into the garage door. The Fiend manhandles Orton with the Mandible, against the door and then to the floor, while laughing and grunting. Orton is laid out from the Mandible. The Fiend looks on as the screen flashes and we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see what just happened with The Fiend and Randy Orton.
MVP vs. Riddle
Riddle wins with the Floating Bro.
Winner: Riddle
After the match, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley runs down and tries to attack Riddle but he retreats as the music hits. Riddle looks on from the ramp with his donuts, taunting MVP and Lashley.
Back from the break and it’s time for the Ascension Ceremony, the main event of the show. Tom Phillips is in the ring with a mic. The ring and ringside area is filled with tables, ladders and chairs. Tom hypes AJ Styles vs. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at TLC, and says they will join him to raise the title belt above the ring here soon. Tom brings out AJ first. The pyro hits and out comes AJ with Omos.
Out next comes the WWE Champion. He carries the sword again and makes the pyro go off. Tom says they will have a chance to address each other after the title is raised. AJ reminds us that he and Drew have never faced, so he figured he should do a deep dive into who Drew is. AJ says he was shocked to find out it took Drew 19 years to climb the WWE mountain and become champion. AJ asks how is that possible. AJ taunts Drew over his recent loss to Randy Orton and says yeah he beat Orton to get the title back, but it changed him. AJ goes on about Drew taking risks. AJ brags about defending the WWE Title in a TLCmatch once, and says he knows what it means to be a champion. AJ says if he has to take every table, ladder and chair in the ThunderDome and break them over Drew’s back to get the title back, he will do just that. He tells Drew to kiss the title goodbye because it’s going to look phenomenal around his waist. Fans boo.
Drew says that was a nice little speech but he’s going to present the facts as he sees them. He says he’s always wanted this match. Drew admits he’s never been in a TLC match while AJ has had some success in them. Drew goes on and says he was the champion that held WWE all year through the uncertainty, he’s the champion that does not crack under pressure, the champion that’s going to tear AJ apart this Sunday. Fans cheer Drew on. Drew says every man dies, but not every man truly lives. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to himself, and to AJ, to make sure he keeps the WWE Title this Sunday. Drew says AJ has to ask himself if he’s willing to do the same. Drew tosses the mic and takes the title from around his waist. Drew latches the title to the holder and it’s raised above the ring as dramatic music starts up. Tom has left the ring now. AJ asks Drew what if it’s not just him he has to face in the TLCmatch on Sunday. The Miz and John Morrison suddenly attack, shoving a ladder over on Drew. Drew is triple teamed now as fans boo.
Drew fights back and hits a Claymore to Miz. He then knocks a ladder into Morrison with a Claymore. AJ tries to come from behind but he gets dropped. Drew tosses a ladder to the floor and waits for AJ to get up. Omos suddenly tosses half of the steel ring steps into the ring, getting Drew’s attention. AJ takes advantage of Drew staring Omos down, and attacks with a cheap shot. AJ flies in from the apron with a Phenomenal Forearm. AJ stomps on Drew while he’s down now. AJ orders Omos to get a ladder and he slides it in. AJ grabs the ladder and keeps ramming it into Drew, then tosses it on him while he’s down. The boos get louder. Omos hands a steel chair in to AJ now. AJ unloads on Drew with chair shots while he’s down.
Omos slides a table and a ladder into the ring now. AJ stands them both up, beating on Drew to keep him down. AJ places Drew on top of the table, then starts climbing the ladder. AJ leaps from half-way up the ladder, putting Drew through the table with an elbow. AJ climbs back to the top of the ladder to retrieve the WWE Title belt. Drew tries to climb up the ladder but he has no luck. The WWE TLC go-home edition of RAW abruptly goes off the air with Drew down and in pain.