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WWE brought the Raw brand to Fresno, California on Saturday, September 23rd -- the day before No Mercy. Even though they were expected to perform in front of a packed house in Los Angeles on the next night, the Save Mart Center in Fresno was far from filled.
They had promoted a battle royal for the show where the winner would get a shot at the Intercontinental Title later in the night. But that match didn't happen because The Miz wasn't even there. Enzo Amore was also advertised but didn't make an appearance either.
But there was plenty of action for fans in Fresno. John Cena and Roman Reigns were in the building so very few left unhappy.
It was also Matt Hardy's birthday and although he had to celebrate by taking part in a singles match (because Jeff Hardy is apparently injured) it was still a wonderful birthday celebration.
Due to Jeff Hardy possibly suffering a serious injury, Matt was left all by h
Thanks to @CP3Fan for details who sent in the following humorous note on the show: "Highlight of the night was Mike Rome on the mic before the show and going over the tweets on the video board. 'And I see a lot of you guys wearing your WWE gear. Let's see this tweet.' Dude got super silent and awkward because a picture of my brother wearing a bullet club shirt was on the board."
Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose vs The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) Raw Tag Team Championship Match
WWE's Fresno house show kicked off with a No Mercy matchup a day early. The Raw Tag Team Champions were ready to defend their titles before the big PPV in Los Angeles.
Although the arena wasn't totally full the electricity was still intense. After a great match to start the house show, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins were victorious
Winners: Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose
Neville vs Akira Tozawa
The second match of the night saw WWE's Cruiserweight squaring off against a former rival. Neville and Akira Tozawa have battled in the past and Tozawa even picked up the Cruiserweight Title during their previous feud.
Neville might have Enzo Amore lined up for No Mercy, he still had time to take on the Titus Worldwide representative in Fresno.
After a nice bout of fast-paced cruiserweight action, Neville picked up the win in order to walk into No Mercy with as much momentum as possible.
Winner: Neville
Matt Hardy vs Karl Anderson
Since Jeff Hardy is apparently injured and awaiting word whether he'll need surgery or not his brother Matt had to wrestle alone. But it was still a wonderful night for Matt because it was his birthday.
The former Broken Matt Hardy received plenty of well-wishes from the crowd and he had a delightful performance. He took on Karl Anderson who was representing The Club. Anderson had a few moments where he gained control but Hardy was the overwhelming fan favorite and quickly turned it around.
Hardy ended up scoring the pinfall to celebrate in Fresno on his birthday.
Winner: Matt Hardy
Finn Balor vs Elias
WWE Fresno was treated to a song from The Drifter. He sat down and sang a little tune for Fresno in his unique way. But when Finn Balor came out it was nothing but business from that point on.
Although Elias has looked better in any WWE main roster match than he ever looked in NXT, Balor came out on top of this match. Balor is incredibly over and had one of the best reactions of the night.
As you can see from the clip below, Balor's Coup De Gras found its mark in Fresno.
Winner: Finn Balor
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
It was time for John Cena and Bray Wyatt to battle in Fresno. Each of these guys might have different opponents at No Mercy but they're no strangers to each other.
As reported to me, the general feeling in the audience was John Cena's placement on the show was considered an odd choice.
This contest got a little out of hand at times and even saw a referee bump near the end. However, Big Match John ended pulling down the victory in Fresno thanks to an AA on The Eater Of Worlds.
This match also featured a rather unexpected spot where Bray Wyatt did a "suck it" taunt.
Winner: John Cena
10 Man Tag Match
Jason Jordan, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Goldust and R-Truth vs Dash Wilder, Curt Hawkins, Darren Young, Miztourage (Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel)
This match was said to be very strange considering the fact Goldust and R-Truth were tagging together on the same team and their feud has just recently evaporated into thin air.
Darren Young also competed after returning recently from injury and was on the heel team which might not have been the best place for him either.
The babyfaces ended up winning in the end with Jason Jordan scoring the pinfall.
Winners: Jason Jordan, Heath Slater, Rhyno, Goldust, and R-Truth
Alexa Bliss vs Sasha Banks vs Mickie James vs Bayley
These four women threw down in Fresno a day before the fatal five-way match at No Mercy. Emma and Nia Jax were absent from this show so Mickie James was inserted to make up for it.
Reports were Mickie James was having a hard time keeping a straight face in this match. It wasn't clear what was so funny, but she was obviously having a great time in Fresno.
But there were pockets of the audience who were into the match and they should have been because they were witnessing some great action in the ring.
In the end, Alexa Bliss would come out victorious when she pinned Mickie James.
Winner: Alexa Bliss
Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman are no strangers to each other and they've gotten pretty good at putting on a show. This match got some toys involved and the action was intense.
Braun Strowman looked very strong in this match which is necessary seeing how he was challenging for the Universal Title against Brock Lesnar the next night at No Mercy. But Roman Reigns was booked as the babyface in this match, therefore, the crowd needed to go home happy.
The match ended in a spot Braun and Roman have a lot of experience with involving a table break.
Winner: Roman Reigns
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