Nikki Cross vs. Charlotte Flair
We go right to the ring and out first comes Nikki Cross as Mike Rome does the introductions. We see how Cross and Asuka beat Charlotte Flair and RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley last week. Flair is backstage with Sarah Schreiber now. She asks why this match is so important with Cross tonight. Flair isn’t worried about how she should focus on Sunday’s match at Hell In a Cell, but she needs that last match removed from her record because she fought too hard for that to happen. She goes on about Cross and Ripley before heading to the ring as Cross looks on.
The bell rings and they lock up. Flair with a knee to the gut and a takedown by the hair. The music interrupts and out comes Ripley. Flair talks trash from the ring. Cross rolls her up for a close 2 count. Flair charge but Cross moves. Cross gets sent to the apron but she fights back. Flair knocks Cross from the apron to the floor.
Ripley watches from the stage as Cross goes to the floor and sends Cross face-first into the barrier. Flair keeps giving attention to Ripley, but levels Cross with a big boot again. Flair brings it back into the ring, stopping to trade more looks and words with Ripley. We go to commercial with Flair in control of Cross.
Back from the break and Flair remains in control. Cross tries to mount offense but Flair shuts her down. Flair uses the second rope as the referee warns her. Ripley watches from a chair at ringside, smiling at Flair.
Flair beats Cross around the ring and taunts her. Cross fights from her knees but Flair delivers stiff chops. Cross finally goes down. Flair blocks a roll-up and stomps away while Cross is down on the mat. Cross fights Flair off from the top turnbuckle, then drops her with a big tornado DDT for a pop. Flair rolls to the floor for a breather but Cross leaps from the apron. Flair catches her in mid-air, then turns to taunt Ripley while holding Cross in her arms.
Flair with a fall-away slam on the floor, in front of Ripley, then a kip up. Flair is counted out while paying too much attention to Ripley as Cross runs back in.
Winner by Count Out: Nikki Cross
After the bell, Cross immediately runs out of the ring as a furious Flair charges after her. Cross’ music hits but stops as Flair levels her at ringside with a big boot. Fans boo as Flair brings Cross back int he ring and unloads with strikes. Flair goes for the Figure Four but Ripley runs in and grabs her from behind, dropping her with a Riptide. Ripley stands over Flair with the title in the air as her music hits. Ripley leaves with her title, taunting Flair as she tries to recover on the mat.
We see what happened earlier between Nikki Cross, Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. Schreiber is backstage with Ripley now. She knocks Flair for worrying about her ego instead of their title match. Ripley talks about beating Flair at Hell In a Cell and tells Schreiber to get out of her face so she can get ready for her match with Asuka.
RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka
We go back to the ring and out first comes Asuka for this non-title match. Asuka hits the corner to pose as pyro goes off. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley as Asuka waits in the ring. The bell rings and they size each other up. They lock up and Asuka applies a headlock. Ripley fights free but misses an attack in the corner. Asuka taunts her. Asuka ducks a clothesline and they run the ropes. Asuka takes Ripley down and they trade pin attempts.
Ripley fights Asuka off with strikes. Asuka goes down in the corner. Asuka fights out of the corner but Ripley rocks her. Asuka jabs Ripley. Ripley drops her with a stiff headbutt. Asuka keeps fighting and applies the standing Octopus submission now. They tangle some more and Asuka gets on Ripley’s back with a Sleeper. Ripley slams back to the mat to break it. Asuka kicks out at 2. Ripley with a short-arm clothesline, and another. Ripley ducks a swing but Asuka keeps fighting.
Ripley misses a big dropkick in the corner and she lands hard. Ripley goes to the floor but Asuka kicks her from the apron. Ripley catches another kick and slams Asuka from the apron into the edge of the barrier. Asuka goes down at ringside as Ripley takes a breather. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Asuka mounts Ripley in the middle of the ring with strikes. Asuka with a dropkick. Asuka charges but Ripley knocks her across the ring. Ripley unloads with strikes while she has her on the top turnbuckle. Ripley climbs up for a superplex but Asuka knocks her back to the mat. Asuka flies connects with the big missile dropkick. Both competitors are down now.
Asuka and Ripley trade strikes from their knees to their feet now. Asuka drops Ripley into a big knee strike. Asuka keeps control and clotheslines Ripley for a close 2 count. Asuka with a Hip Attack to the face for 2. They get up and trade holds. Ripley counters and hits the Northern Lights suplex for another close 2 count. Asuka with a spinning back-fist, then a big suplex across the ring to dump Ripley on her head. Asuka charges with the sliding kick for another close 2 count.
Asuka with a big kick to the chest and more stiff kicks as Ripley is on her knees. Ripley catches a kick and delivers knee strikes to the face. Ripley with a stiff forearm. Ripley catches a Hip Attack and blocks a roll-up. Asuka breaks out of the Prism Trap submission. Asuka goes for the Asuka Lock now but it’s blocked as they tangle in the middle of the ring some more, back & forth. Ripley catches Asuka with the Riptide in the middle of the ring for the pin to win.
Winner: Rhea Ripley
After the match, Ripley stands tall as her music hits. Charlotte Flair attacks from out of nowhere and drops Ripley from behind as fans boo. Flair beats Ripley around the ring as the referee tries to restore order. Ripley tries to fight her off but Flair stays on her. Ripley unloads with strikes now as fans pop. Officials hit the ring to break it up, keeping Flair and Ripley apart. They keep fighting free and brawling with each other. Shawn Daivari, Adam Pearce, Shane Helms and other officials get Flair to the floor but she’s irate as she fights them off, going back at Ripley again. Flair is backed up the ramp but she tries to run back down as Ripley is held back in the ring, laughing. Flair has a busted nose and is bleeding now. Ripley taunts her. Flair seethes on the ramp and promises to kick Ripley’s ass on Sunday.