TRICK OR TREAT

Storm: Blackout is here and surprises are around every corner. We begin with the undefeated Skymen taking on the undefeated Tag Team Champions Usos in one of the best opening matches of the year. Ricochet and Robbie Eagles have taken everyone by surprise with how fast they’ve adjusted to tag wrestling in GAW and that continued here against the champs. It was an even matchup and it came down to an incredibly savvy move by Ricochet. The Skymen hit their hurricanrana/powerbomb combination which was broken up by Jey Uso. Ricochet threw Jey out the ring, clearing space for Robbie Eagles to hit the Warp 4.5. The Skyman walked out new Tag Team Champions.

Dakota Kai brought out Tegan Nox for support in the champ’s match against Bianca Belair but, little did Kai know, Nox was not going to be enough. During the match, Ronda Rousey jumped the barricade to take Nox out. Kai turned her back on the challenger and Belair went for the dangerous KOD. But Kai showed that, for all the underhanded tactics she employs, she is still the best wrestler on earth. She slipped off Belair’s shoulders, hit the Kairopractor and retained the title. After the match she and Rousey exchanged venomous words ending in Kai agreeing to a match with Rousey. If Ronda loses, however, she’d have to leave GAW.

Things calm down- or so we thought- with the Intercontinental Title match between champion Bandido and challenger Damian Martinez. This was a sleeper banger as both men went hell for leather with the white strap on the line. At one point, Bandido defined gravity with an incredible springboard which Martinez tried to turn into a South of Heaven which Bandido turned into a 22Plex. After both men tried everything in the arsenal, Bandido caught an errant right hand from Martinez and applied a tight armbar, forcing Martinez to tap out. After the match, though, Bandido was confronted by former World Champion Roderick Strong, returning to GAW for the first time since 2014. The fans went nuts as Strong walked into the ring and hit Bandido with the End of Heartache, leaving the champion sprawled in the middle of the ring.

Rosita attempts to end the two-defense curse of the US Championship when she puts it on the line against Shayna Baszler. No one since inaugural champ Ronda Rousey has successfully defended the title more than twice and that continued here tonight. Baszler finally tricked the duo of Hernandez and Rosita by drawing Hernandez’s attention away from the action, allowing Baszler to lock in the Kirufuda Clutch. Baszler becomes the sixth US Champion with the win.

Our main event is finally upon us, Aleister Black vs Brock Lesnar for the World Title. It’s a match well worth watching if you haven’t seen it, featuring Lesnar breaking out of Black’s devastating dragon sleeper and Black kicking out of two F5s. But Lesnar, once again, had more in his back pocket than anyone expected. He took Black down and applied an absolutely vicious armbar to force the tap out from former two-time World Champ.