Pyro shot off all over the stage as the fans watching at home were welcomed by Mauro Ranallo.
Mauro Ranallo: Get ready folks, it’s time for Warfare!
Nigel McGuinness: We are live from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City tonight, and the King of the Ring tournament continues!
Mauro Ranallo: In fact, our first match tonight will see two resilient performers going one on one!
On cue, Christopher Daniels made his way to the ring. After Christy Hemme announced him, Rocky Romero came down the ramp. The arena was electric with anticipation, as fans eagerly awaited this showdown which would bring them closer to naming the King of the Ring.
Mauro Ranallo: Here we go!
As the bell rang, Daniels and Romero locked eyes, each exuding confidence and determination. They circled each other, studying their opponent's every move, looking for the perfect opportunity to strike. The atmosphere was charged with excitement as the crowd roared. Daniels, made the first move, attempting to outwit Romero with his grappling prowess. He executed seamless takedowns and submission holds, applying relentless pressure on his opponent. But Romero, renowned for his resilience and agility, managed to escape every hold, refusing to be subdued.
Nigel McGuinness: Daniels is going to have to go back to the bag of tricks if he wants to defeat Rocky Romero.
Frustration started to creep into Daniels' eyes as Romero displayed his own offensive skills. With lightning-fast strikes and acrobatic maneuvers, Romero showcased his versatility in the ring. He landed a series of precise kicks and unleashed an impressive flurry of strikes that left Daniels reeling. The crowd was behind him every step away.
Mauro Ranallo: The fans are showing their appreciation for Rocky Romero’s wrestling style!
Seizing the momentum, Romero unleashed his high-flying arsenal, leaving the audience in awe. He soared through the air, executing a magnificent corkscrew moonsault that connected with Daniels' prone body. The impact was thunderous, and the crowd erupted in cheers for Romero's display of athleticism. With his opponent weakened, Romero knew it was time to go for the win. He quickly ascended the turnbuckle, positioning himself for his signature move, the "Romero Special." With flawless execution, he leaped from the ropes, crashing onto Daniels with a devastating double knee strike.
Nigel McGuinness: Are you kidding?
Mauro Ranallo: That might be lights out for Christopher Daniels!
The referee slid into position, counting the pinfall.
1…
2….
3!
Mauro Ranallo: It’s over!
Nigel McGuinness: It was a hard fought victory for Christopher Daniels, but Rocky Romero earned the victory here tonight.
Mauro Ranallo: I’m pretty sure he’s earned himself a few new fans here in Oklahoma as well.
Rocky Romero played to the crowd as the Warfare transitioned to the backstage area.
Seth Rollins and Christian Cage were seen walking down the hallway of the Paycom Center. Suddenly, Seth stopped and tapped Christian on the shoulder.
Seth Rollins: Hey Christian.
Seth pointed to Christian’s left and the camera turned to reveal Alexa Bliss looking at him.
Christian Cage: Go on ahead I'll catch up with you.
Seth nodded and walked away as Christian approached Alexa with a smug look on his face.
Christian Cage: Where's the rest of the girl scouts?
Alexa scoffed and shook her head.
Alexa Bliss: This isn't about them, this is about you.
Christian chuckled.
Christian Cage: Oh really?
Alexa mockingly repeated him silently.
Alexa Bliss: Yes really, you know I always knew you could be extremely petty but this whole thing with Hook has taken it to a whole new level. You really attacked him twice because he "didn't pay his dues" and because he called you out on your actions towards me. You really can't let this go, can you? You wake up everyday with me on your mind don't you?
Christian sighed.
Christian Cage: You're so arrogant you know that? You really think that I have you on the brain every second of every day. The only reason I think about you at all is because people can't keep their nose out of our business and that's part of the reason I did what I did to Hook.
Alexa chuckled.
Alexa Bliss: You know Jay, you sound like a jealous ex right now.
Christian laughed.
Christian Cage: Well Alexis, at least I'm not a talentless ginger from Australia.
Alexa looked at Christian in disgust and scoffed.
Alexa Bliss: You're so pathetic.
Alexa walked away as the camera cut back to the ring.
"The Beaten Path" by Dale Oliver hit and the Oklahoma fans began to boo as Bully Ray made his way to the ring.
Christy Hemme: The following contest is a King Of The Ring First Round match and it's scheduled for one fall. Introducing first, representing the DWO, from Hell’s Kitchen, New York… Bully Ray!
Mauro Ranallo:When the Coalition fell back in January, Bully Ray decided to turn his back on his long time partner D-Von to join the DWO and ever since we've been waiting for the one on one clash between these two! We're finally gonna get it tonight.
Bully entered the ring as "Bombshell" hit and D-Von sprinted down to the ring and tackled Bully to the ground causing the referee to ring the bell to start the match.
Mauro Ranallo: D-Von's not gonna waste any time here.
Nigel McGuinness: This isn't right Mauro, Bully wasn't ready yet!
Bully rolled out of the ring to try and escape but D-Von followed him and threw a series of punches to his head. D-Von grabbed Bully and slammed his head off the steel steps before throwing him back in the ring. Bully staggered to his feet and charged at D-Von but got caught with a spine spinebuster.
1…
2…
Kickout!
D-Von mounted Bully and rained down several punches until the referee pulled him off.
Mauro Ranallo: The referee is trying to make sure D-Von doesn't go too far here.
As D-Von was arguing with the referee, Bully Ray crawled to the corner of the ring. Eventually D-Von charged towards Bully but was met with the steel of an exposed turnbuckle.
Mauro Ranallo: Mamma Mia… I think Bully Ray pulled the turnbuckle pad off!
Nigel McGuinness: And D-Von's head bounced off of it!
The referee checked on D-Von as blood began to trickle down his face. Bully looked at the damage done with an evil smile on his face and pulled D-Von to a seated position and the camera zoomed in on D-Von, who looked like he had no idea where he was. Bully drilled D-Von in the head with an elbow strike. Bully pulled D-Von to his feet and hit him with a Bully Cutter.
Mauro Ranallo: The referee might wanna think about stopping this.
Instead of going for the pin, Bully pulled D-Von to his knees and looked at his former tag team partner and yelled…
Bully Ray: YOU'RE WEAK, YOU'RE WEAAAAAKKK!
Bully began to rain down punches to D-Von's head as the crowd booed. Finally the referee pushed Bully away and rang the bell before going over to communicate with Christy Hemme.
Christy Hemme: Ladies and Gentlemen the referee has determined that D-Von Dudley cannot continue, therefore your winner by referee stoppage is Bully Ray.
The booed even louder as "The Beaten Path" played again and Bully Ray raised his arms in victory.
Nigel McGuinness: Mauro I think we can both agree that the referee made the right call.
Mauro Ranallo: You’re right Nigel and we need medical attention for D-Von.
Bully went to leave but noticed that D-Von was stumbling to feet with the referee's assistance and pulled a chain out of his pocket, then hit D-Von in the head with it!
Mauro Ranallo: Oh come on, this isn’t right!
The referee yelled at Bully Ray to get out of the ring which Bully did as EMTs came out to check on D-Von. Bully walked to the back with a twisted grin as Warfare went to commercial break.
When Warfare returned from the commercial break, a graphic appeared on the screen for the next match.
Mauro Ranallo: Welcome back! We’ve just seen one member of the DWO, Bully Ray, advance to the second round of the King of the Ring tournament, but how will Richard Holliday fare when he goes one on one with the Breakout Champion, Brock Anderson?
Suddenly, the lights in the arena went out, and when they came back on, five masked men were standing in the ring.
Nigel McGuinness: Uh oh… I think the men who attacked Seth Rollins and Xavier Woods last week, are standing in the ring right now!
Four of the men were standing in the four corners of the ring, with the fifth man standing in the center of the ring. The man in the middle of the ring could be heard yelling “now!”, and on his instruction, the other four men removed their masks, revealing themselves to be Richard Holliday, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ray Fenix and Penta El Zero.
Mauro Ranallo: It’s the rest of the DWO, Nigel! And that means the man in the middle must be…
Finally, the man in the middle removed his mask, revealing himself to be Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF. The crowd booed, which seemed to amuse MJF. He started laughing, then asked Richard Holliday to grab a microphone. Holliday did so, then removed the other black clothing he was wearing, revealing his ring gear underneath. As Holliday got ready for his match, MJF began to speak.
MJF: What’s up, Oklahoma? Did you miss me? I know at least one person did. You know the guy, about yea high…wears hooded sweatshirts like a poor…the only CEO that makes the Zuck’s attire look professional, hell, he even makes old Mark seem relatively human. See, I know old Wesley…Weston…you know something weird? The guy signs my big, fat paychecks each month, and I don’t even know his name. Huh, weird. Anyway, I know that he missed me, because he came groveling to my hospital suite - yeah you get a room, I get a suite… you’re poor, I’m not… get over it - he came groveling to my suite, begging me to come back and take part in this stupid King of the Ring tournament. I said to him, “Westonley, I love your enthusiasm but if you hadn’t noticed, I’m not exactly at 100% right now,” and he said, “Max, I recognise that you aren’t at 100%, but if I’m being totally honest with you bro, MJF at 60% is better than most of the roster on their best night. Without you gracing our mediocre television program, the ratings are dropping faster than our former president dropped his pants upon seeing an adult entertainer… or his own daughter. We need you back Max, only you can save us in the demographics we need.” So, completely flabbergasted by what I was hearing, I turned to Westonley, and I asked, “But Westonley Ikeda, don’t you have a self-proclaimed Demo-God already?” and Westonley responded “Max, Chris Jericho has nothing on you, buddy. He was once the GOAT, but a generational talent such as yourself makes him seem like old mutton.” You can imagine my surprise, no, my outrage at this. Christopher has been a good friend to me in the past and I respect that guy ad infinitum. It doesn’t even bother me that that particular wizard makes Gandalf seem like a spring chicken, because old people deserve our respect. But I thought over Westonley’s request, and even though my body is not back to its peak condition, he made some very good points, so I told him so. I said, “Westonley, you make some very good points…unfortunately, I’m less interested in points and more interested in commas, particularly those that go between groups of triple zeroes if you catch my drift…” and that is how I came to be back here and earning more money for one tournament than any of you piss-poor, Oklahoman assholes will ever see in your entire miserable existences. Oh, and before you start cheering people on purely because they’re against me…I had Holliday’s lawyer slash father arrange it so that I still get paid, win or lose. So just know that if your favorite wrestler pins me, I get paid for doing less work. If your favorite wrestler makes me tap out, I get paid for doing less work. And I only wrestle, what…like, six matches a year as it is? So, sure, cheer if my life gets made even easier for me by somebody who wrestles week in, week out for less money. That’ll really teach me a lesson, huh…you marks. Oh, and I’ve had people asking why we attacked Seth Rollins and Xavier Woods last week. The answer to that one should be obvious, no? We did it…just because we can.
The crowd booed once again, and MJF laughed some more. Suddenly, the camera cut to the stage, where several members of EBWF security team had just walked through the curtain and were making their way to the ring.
Mauro Ranallo: Folks, I’ve just been informed through my headset that as a result of their actions last week, MJF, Powerhouse Hobbs and the Lucha Brothers are banned from the arena tonight! Our security team will be escorting them out of the arena, to ensure they don’t get involved in Richard Holliday’s match, or any of the other matches we’ve got scheduled.
As the other members of DWO were escorted to the back, the Four Horsemen theme hit, and the crowd gave a mixed reaction as Brock Anderson made his way to the ring.
Once Brock Anderson was in the ring, the referee called for the bell, and Anderson locked up with Holliday. Holliday managed to take Anderson down with an arm drag, and as Anderson got to his feet, Holliday began taunting him. Anderson responded with a series of punches, before whipping Holliday against the ropes and hitting an arm drag of his own. As Holliday got to his feet, Anderson hit him with a back suplex, then spread out Holliday’s arms and legs and stomped on them one by one. Anderson then hit a leg drop, before hooking the leg. The referee counted - 1… 2… Holliday kicked out! Anderson pulled Holliday to his feet and hit him with some more right hands, then went to whip him against the ropes, but Holliday reversed the Irish whip, sending Anderson into the ropes before hitting him with a clothesline. As Anderson got to his feet, Holliday grabbed him and dragged him towards the corner, going to slam his head off the top turnbuckle… but Anderson blocked it, then grabbed Holliday and slammed his head against the turnbuckle several times. Anderson then trapped Holliday in the corner, before hitting him with repeated shoulder thrusts to the midsection.
Mauro Ranallo: Brock Anderson once again showing that more aggressive style we’ve grown accustomed to in recent weeks…
Nigel McGuinness: He’s doing what he needs to do to stay on top, Mauro. Try not to sound so bitter about it!
Anderson dragged Holliday away from the corner and hit him with a DDT, then hooked the leg. The referee counted - 1… 2… Holliday kicked out! Anderson shook his head in frustration, then yelled at the referee, telling him to count faster. Anderson then pulled Holliday to his feet and set him up for another DDT, but this time Holliday blocked it and he charged Anderson, knocking Anderson back into the corner. Holliday then sat Anderson on the top rope, and hit him with a superplex! He hooked the leg and the referee counted - 1… 2… Anderson kicked out!
Mauro Ranallo: So close to a three count!
As Holliday got to his feet, he stomped on Brock Anderson several times, then dragged him to his feet. Holliday set Anderson up for the Market Crash, but Anderson blocked it, then whipped Holliday against the ropes. As Holliday ran back towards him, Anderson lifted him up, hitting a spinebuster! Anderson hooked both legs, and the referee counted - 1… 2… 3!
Nigel McGuinness: It’s over! Another win for Brock Anderson, and he advances to the second round!
Seth Rollins came to the ring first in a long fur and sunglasses. The crowd gave him a mixed reaction that matched his eccentrics.
Mauro Ranallo: The King of the Ring tournament continues next with this man, Seth Rollins, taking on former EBWF World Champion, Xavier Woods.
Nigel McGuinness: Xavier is trying to fight his way back to the top of the EBWF mountain and we have to wonder how that pressure is going to get to him tonight.
Once Rollins was in the ring, “New Day, New Way” hit and Xavier came out to cheers from the crowd.
Mauro Ranallo: They’re on their feet in OKC here tonight!
Nigel McGuinness: These two look ready to give it their all.
As the two stared across the ring at each other the crowd was buzzing with anticipation, eagerly awaiting the clash between these two formidable athletes. The bell rang, Rollins charged at Woods with unrelenting aggression. He utilized his technical prowess, executing flawless takedowns and wearing down Woods with a series of punishing strikes. Rollins seemed to have the upper hand, overpowering his opponent and keeping him on the defensive.
Mauro Ranallo: Woods seems unprepared for this offense from Rollins!
Xavier Woods refused to back down. Determined to prove himself, he summoned his inner strength and resilience. Woods managed to dodge Rollins' attacks with remarkable agility, countering with lightning-fast strikes of his own. The audience erupted in cheers, inspired by Woods' tenacity. Woods seized an opportunity when Rollins attempted a high-risk maneuver from the top rope. With uncanny precision, he swiftly dodged the incoming assault, leaving Rollins crashing to the mat. Sensing victory within his grasp, Woods rallied the crowd behind him. He went for the pin.
1…
2…
Mauro Ranallo: It’s no good!
Woods kicked and kicked at Rollins in an attempt to keep him down. With a burst of energy, Woods launched into a flurry of high-flying maneuvers, leaving Rollins stunned and struggling to regain his footing. He executed a breathtaking springboard elbow drop, followed by a picture-perfect enzuigiri that sent Rollins sprawling. The fans roared in excitement as Woods positioned himself for his signature finishing move, "Lost in the Woods." With remarkable agility, he hoisted Rollins onto his shoulders and slammed him to the mat, executing the maneuver flawlessly.
Nigel McGuinness: Woods with the pin!
1…
2…
3!
Nigel McGuinness: Lost in the Woods proves efficient once again!
Mauro Ranallo: And King Woods proves he’s not quite ready to give up his thrown. How will this tournament progress for Xavier Woods?
The camera focused on Woods as he celebrated on the top turnbuckle and EBWF went to commercial.
Upon returning from the final commercial break of the evening, the scene opened somewhere backstage at the Paycom Center. At first the shot lingered on the empty interview area, but suddenly the cameraman had company. Maika stormed past, expression full of intense purpose; she seemed to barely register that there was a camera present. No longer hiding her identity, Maika wore a t-shirt and shorts. We could see the shirt had blocky red lettering which read simply 'EVERYONE DIES'. The crowd's reaction was mixed for the former Queen's Court muscle as she made her way down the corridor.
This changed to cheers as we saw Alexa Bliss in the hallway. It was clear that her appearance had immediately gained Maika's attention. In just a few forceful steps Maika moved in front of Alexa and glowered at the Goddess.
Alexa Bliss: Can I help you?
Maika: I know you have issues with her, but Utami's mine.
Alexa raised an eyebrow in mixed confusion and annoyance.
Alexa Bliss: Maika, I know you're mad about what she did to you and Himeka. But imagine that kind of thing happening for months. Imagine going through every day for months struggling to breath. Imagine tasting your own blood and imagine all of this happening with one of your best friends having to witness all of it and suffering emotionally. That's what she did to me.
Maika seemed unmoved.
Maika: You got your revenge. You didn't finish the job. When I get my hands on Utami, I'm going to annihilate her.
Maika smirked and flexed her muscles.
Maika: She ripped out my heart and twisted the person I loved into a thug. She brainwashed her into doing all that awful stuff to you and everyone else. And I had to stand there and just watch. After she put you through, I'm guessing you wouldn't have a problem. But anyone who gets in my way is getting destroyed too. You understand?
Alexa frowned and stepped up to Maika.
Alexa: You don't need to remind me of Himeka's role in my hell. That's why I took a baseball bat to her knee. If you try anything, it's not just me you're going to be dealing with.
Maika: If we fight, it won't be an ambush. I'm not Utami. I fight woman to woman, that's Maika Style.
The two glared at each other, bodies tensed and seemingly ready to fight. A moment later Liv Morgan stepped out from the locker room to back up Alexa. Maika finally shook her head and smirked at Alexa before heading down the corridor. Alexa watched her go, then the scene faded into a graphic for the main event.
Mauro Ranallo: Up next, it’s time for our main event! Chris Jericho, wrestling for the first time in four months, goes one on one with the King of Bros, Matt Riddle!
Matt Riddle made his way to the ring first, and once he was in the ring, “Judas” by Fozzy began to play. The crowd cheered, then sang along to Jericho’s entrance theme as he headed down the ramp. As the song reached the chorus, the camera cut to Matt Riddle, who was singing along too. Once Jericho was in the ring, his music was cut and the referee called for the bell. Riddle grinned at Jericho, but Jericho did not return the smile. He stared at Riddle, stone-faced, then hit him with a right hand!
Nigel McGuinness: In the build up to this match, Chris Jericho talked about the respect he has for Matt Riddle, but once Jericho steps into that ring, he’s all business!
Riddle responded with a right hand of his own, then the two men exchanged punches back and forth. Riddle gained the upper hand, and he took Jericho down with a snapmare, then as Jericho sat up, Riddle hit him with a kick to the back. Jericho got to his feet and went to hit Riddle with a clothesline, but Riddle ducked underneath it, then hit Jericho with an Olympic Slam! He hooked the leg and the referee counted - 1… 2… Jericho kicked out!
Mauro Ranallo: Riddle going for a big move early on there, but it wasn’t enough to put Jericho away!
As Jericho got to his feet, the two men locked up, and Jericho put Riddle in a headlock. Riddle fought out of it, pushing Jericho into the ropes, then as Jericho ran back towards him, Riddle took him down with a shoulder tackle. As Jericho got back to his feet, Riddle hit him with a series of chops to the chest, before whipping Jericho into the corner. Riddle then ran at Jericho, going for a corner clothesline, but Jericho got his foot up and kicked Riddle away, then grabbed Riddle and threw him into the turnbuckles. After trapping Riddle in the corner, Jericho hit his opponent with repeated clotheslines, then climbed to the second rope. Jericho began punching Riddle in the head as the crowd counted along - 1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… before Jericho could get to 10, Riddle grabbed him and ran across the ring, slamming Jericho to the mat with a running powerbomb!
Nigel McGuinness: There was so much force in that powerbomb, it literally shook the ring!
Riddle hooked both legs and the referee counted - 1… 2… again Jericho kicked out! Both men got to their feet, and Riddle went to whip Jericho against the ropes… but Jericho reversed it, whipping Riddle towards the ropes. Riddle went over the top rope, landing on the ring apron, and as he tried to get back into the ring, Jericho hit him with a springboard dropkick! Jericho followed Riddle to the outside, and he hit Riddle with a series of punches before throwing him back into the ring. As he re-entered the ring, Jericho grabbed Riddle from behind, hitting him with a bridging German suplex! Both of Riddle’s shoulders were down, and the referee counted - 1… 2… Riddle kicked out!
Mauro Ranallo: Jericho looks out of breath! You can tell both of these men are giving it their all here tonight!
As he got to his feet, Jericho grabbed Riddle by the legs, going for the Walls of Jericho, but Riddle kicked Jericho away, then got to his feet. Riddle then went for the Final Flash, but Jericho side-stepped it, then grabbed Riddle and hit the Codebreaker! He hooked the leg once more and the referee counted - 1… 2… Riddle kicked out just before the 3!
Nigel McGuinness: Jericho can’t believe it, Mauro! He thought for sure he had Riddle beat there!
Jericho looked frustrated at only getting a 2 count, and he stomped on Riddle several times before dragging him to his feet. Jericho then went for the Judas Effect, but Riddle ducked underneath it, then hit Jericho with a big boot. Riddle then put Jericho in an ankle lock, but Jericho was able to get to the ropes, and the referee ordered Riddle to break the hold. Riddle did so, but then he dragged Jericho towards the center of the ring and stomped on him several times, before climbing to the top rope. Riddle then went for the Broton… but Jericho rolled out of the way! As Riddle cried out in pain, Jericho grabbed him by the legs, putting Riddle in the Walls of Jericho!
Mauro Ranallo: Walls of Jericho locked in! Is Riddle going to tap?
Riddle began crawling towards the ropes, but just as he was about to grab onto the bottom rope, Jericho grabbed Riddle back towards the center of the ring! Jericho then increased the pressure, putting his knee on Riddle’s back and transitioning into the Lion Tamer! Riddle tried once again to get to the ropes, but Jericho had him trapped, and realizing the game was up, he tapped out! Jericho broke the hold as the referee called for the bell.
Nigel McGuinness: Well that was something special, Mauro. Jericho hardly ever uses the Codebreaker these days, and I can’t remember the last time I saw him use the Lion Tamer, but he had to do something different to beat Riddle.
Mauro Ranallo: We’ve seen some great matches in this King of the Ring first round, Nigel, but that might be my favorite match in this tournament so far!
As Jericho celebrated, Riddle got to his feet, clearly feeling the effects of the Walls of Jericho/Lion Tamer. He walked towards Jericho and offered his hand. Jericho nodded, shaking Riddle’s hand. Riddle then rolled out of the ring and made his way up the ramp. Jericho continued celebrating as Warfare went off the air.
