#↷ braxton dunn ❪ start. ❫

[ofyearnings]

name: braxton dunn. // age: late 30's. // gender: cis male. // pronouns: he/him. // occupation: priest. // romantic: panromantic. // sexual: pansexual. // position: switch. // faceclaim: richard madden.

braxton dunn, an enigmatic figure cloaked in the vestments of priesthood, presents a paradoxical existence. behind the façade of religious devotion lies a character marked by sadism and manipulation. while occupying the esteemed position of a priest, braxton has never truly embraced the tenets he espouses. instead, he cunningly exploits the authority bestowed upon him by his title to elevate his social standing. his ambitions, shrouded in charm and guile, weave a complex narrative that blurs the lines between devotion and deception.

[roswell-rp-archive]

Please see below the scenarios for E.T Fest! These are simply prompts to get your characters interacting with new muses, some fun ideas to push you and your characters from your comfort zones. Allocations are below the cut.

Please don’t feel constrained to the below — they are starting blocks to give you ideas of how to interact with fresh faces.

All these scenarios have been randomly assigned so, if you don’t think they fit with your muse or if there are any problems, please let us know!

Participation in the below is not mandatory.

However, what is mandatory is that you reach out to at least one character you have not interacted before during your time in Roswell.

THE KIDS ARE BACK

You’re enjoying watching your favorite artist play on the main stage, when a child tugs on your shirt with tears in their eyes! It looks like you’ve been chosen to return them to their parents, having lost their guardian in the excitement of the festival. Feeling a twinge of parental instinct your muses band together in order to reunite the child with their company, even if it takes trawling through the entirety of the field to find them. Please tag all interactions with #etf.thekidsareback — Ian Cahill + Isaias Cabrera + Nora Huynh + Jaden Lapointe + Poppy Dupont + Ramona Colby + Winter Carver + Stevie Novo.

SWEATER WEATHER

It’s a wardrobe disaster! Your character spent all month looking for the perfect ensemble for E.T festival, and now a ‘Free Hugs’ guy has covered your outfit in beer, glitter and god knows what else. It’s up to your muses to find something alternative (and equally as stylish) to wear before the next act comes on, whether that’s stealing somebody’s jacket while they’re not looking, buying some of the awesome new merchandise, or fashioning a bralette out of aluminium foil and paper towels. Please tag all interactions with #etf.sweaterweather — ​Zoren Reyes, Olivia “Liv” Sunar, Fletcher Liu, Lara Fitzgerald, Mickey Cannon, Rose Anong, Adrienne Gano.

LOVE & PRIDE

Your characters meet each other in the middle of the Pride march after getting separated from their usual group of friends, and band together to create some eye-catching signs and some new chants to bring cheer to the festivities. With your flags, face paint or some E.T festival merch, you’re showing your Pride and ally-ship by screaming the festival down. Lets hope you don’t get separated from each other too! Please tag all interactions with #etf.loveandpride — Maristella De León, Zoe Lovel, Xiomara Cordova, Sparrow Moore, Jack Huxley, Breanne Samaya, Quentin Dupre, Sophie Jones.​

THE GREAT ESCAPE

Your character’s festival wristband has fallen off in a particularly sweaty mosh pit and now, after leaving the festival grounds (for a cigarette, a sit down, or some food that didn’t require a loan to buy) you’re refused entry. Your muses have to find a way back into the festival without being spotted by security and banned for the rest of the night. Will you band together and ensure you slip beneath the radar undetected, or rush the gates in one mad dash for success? All you know is one thing — you’re not missing the headliner. Please tag all interactions with #etf.thegreatescape — Jovi Dicamillo, Theo Fischers, Juniper Green, Artemis Wallis, Suraj Das, Astra Osorio, Gunner Dunn.​

THE ROCK SHOW

Your character’s favourite artist is performing at E.T Festival! You really enjoyed their set, but now you’re desperate to meet them and it seems you can’t find them anywhere at the festival. You decide to formulate a plan to sneak backstage and it works, but the backstage area is too big, and now you’re lost, Is that a security guard coming toward you? Oh no, come up with an excuse, quick! Maybe that innocent bystander will help you come up with a get-out? Please tag all interactions with #etf.therockshow — Deniz Ersoy, Connor “Soggy” Braxton, Emmett Moore, Sebastian “Seb” Ortiz, Simba ‘Sim’ Gano, Riggs Maddow, Selena Suksai.

KARMA CHAMELEON

Your character is hyping themselves up to perform on the local talent stage where, between acts, there is a karaoke machine to make use of. The crowd that gathered is a little too large for their liking, and they need hyping up to be able to pick a song and, finally, actually get the guts to perform it! Fill this muse with heightened self confidence or shred what little self-esteem they have left by throwing them into the deep end; the choice is up to you. Just, please, don’t sing Wonderwall! Please tag all interactions with #etf.karmachameleon — ​April Winslow, Darryon Sims, Serena Miller, Ender Baptista, Nao Chiba, Alara Zorlu, Juliette “Jett” Moore, Wylie Fyfe.

AMERICAN PIE

Your character promised they’d help a friend run their food truck for a brief stint as they enjoy a break to grab some water and use the facilities. They vowed they’d be back in twenty minutes, but the clock is ticking.. The queue is doubling, there’s the smell of smoke in the air, your favorite artist is only minutes away and your festival outfit reeks of grease. Will you make an excuse and go running into the sunset with a hot-dog burdened stranger, or will you enlist the help of an observer to relieve the tension. Please tag all interactions with #etf.americanpie — ​Lance Cannon, Adiya Kaur, Avery Cooper, Holly Berne, Rollo Moore, Amavi Rosales, Alev Özberk.

CELEBRITY STATUS

Time seems to stand still when you’re at the festival. Your character (and their friends) have stopped off to take a breather, but whilst enjoying the June heat they notice.. wait.. isn’t that? Is that one of the headliners, stumbling through the crowds in a daze? Turns out one of the billed artists has had a little too much to drink backstage and has been unleashed out into the real world. It’s now your responsibility, whether you like it or not, to babysit the celebrity and return them to the rest of the band, but not without having a little fun first. Please tag all interactions with #etf.celebritystatus — ​Imogen Xu, Caroline Davis, Aofie Gallagher, Rhys Taylor, Jurriaan Knight, Manuel ‘Manu’ Gonzáles, Brook Tumanday.

VAMPIRE MONEY

Whilst in the queue to buy some much-anticipated merchandise, your character puts their hand int heir pockets to realise their money has disappeared. What can they do? Perhaps they leave the queue to try and track down their wallet or a few singles caught in the wind, or perhaps a silver tongue could help them sway a few bucks from the person in front of them. Either way, it’s going to be a long night without a dime to their name, and that E.T fest t-shirt would just look great on them. Please tag all interactions with #etf.vampiremoney — Lonette Hastings, Aryan Chabra, Maya Åhlund, Victoria Adsuar, Archie MacMillan, Dilan Sunar, Alicia Molina-Cordova.

FAT LIP

Your character has been having perhaps a little too much fun at the festival, dancing away the afternoons and evenings without a care in the world. It turns out your mother’s vows of drinking enough water and ensuring you’re wearing enough sunscreen weren’t pointless, after all. You’ve been banished to the medical tent and told to stay inside until you feel 100%, to drink water and enjoy a snack (on the house) to replenish lost energy. Time to make some new friends to pass the time — blowing up latex gloves and pretending you’re a cockerel is always endless fun, right? Please tag all interactions with #etf.fatlip — Bryce Sirilan, Matilda “Mattie” Laurent, Mei Xuan, Striker Cannon, Bridget Matusiak, Weston Davis, Joseph Berne.

[chwrpg]

welcome back !

As expected, the start of a new semester at Ravenwood signals a celebratory gala, a changing of the guard from summer to fall and a reset of the social calendar. The school loves to flaunt its impressive roster of alumni, so the ballroom is lathered in decadence-- an arching tunnel dotted with lights designed to imitate a thicket filled with fireflies leads guests up the stairway and into the ballroom. The tone inside is warm, shades from gold through burgundy reflected in the decor. The room’s centrepiece is a grand oak tree sculpture that obscures the high ceilings, lanterns hanging over the dance floor and the occasional copper coloured leaf fluttering down making it quite the intimate and whimsical affair.

plot bunnies ;

The following plots and characters were assigned through a randomiser. They’re not mandatory, you could even change which of your characters takes on the plot if you wish, but with 198 kids in second gen (yes, 198!!!) it would be neat to see some interactions outside of the usual! If your characters are not listed below, you’re more than welcome to have them react as onlookers where appropriate. Remember that none of the interactions on the dash happen in a bubble, everyone is at the same event!

For one reason or another one of them has climbed up the huge oak tree sculpture and become stuck. The other has been roped into helping them down without causing a scene-- a difficult task considering the sculpture is in the middle of the ballroom: Walt Andwood and Beverly Presmont

In someone’s attempt at privacy while smoking in the bathroom, the door has become stuck closed. Now there’s a line of people desperate to pee and security trying to break in and catch the culprits of the smoke seeping out from under the door: Teddy Floyd and Rufus DuChamp

Hungry minds think alike-- these pairs stumbled across each other in the kitchen while on a secret mission for a second round of dessert and/or to find the champagne stash: Araceli Hernandez and Fallon Dunn / Farrah Uppal and Zahir Jordan / Buffy Walsh and Braxton Cruz / Felipe Maston and Maila Geary

One has been waiting out in the courtyard under the impression they are about to meet a secret admirer. The other just happened to wander out for some fresh air at the right time... or did they? (aka it’s up to you to decide what’s going on here): Hollie Sweeney and Xavier Overman

MORE INFORMATION ; 

This opening event for 2gen will run from 8PM Friday through to 8PM Wednesday.

As always, tag your bios and updates with ‘chw2gen’ and outfit posts with ‘chwstyle’!

[writinglionqueen]

News on WWE

So, there has been at least 3 people who have tested positive for COVID within the week and has been shared with the public. Renee Young, Kayla Braxton, and Novak Djokovic being the ones the public is aware of. Due to these positive tests, “the company will ramp up it’s testing and social distancing measures to limit the spread of the virus”.  Sources: X X X 

They have already canceled/postponed the next RAW taping. Source: X

And will test talent before each taping. Source: X

Within this, there have been reports by an anonymous voice within the company that they are not allowed to share what is going on within the company or who test positive from here on out. 

“Now that WWE has more talent and staffers starting to test positive, we’ve been informed by talent relations not to discuss our illness with anyone besides those we may live with that may need to know. We are FORBIDDEN to tell anyone else nor can we come out publicly to make any statements. It was stressed that WWE will take care of any medical treatments, should we need them. In the same breath it was made clear the company would handle the PR and only those that needed to know about our condition would know as HIPPA laws would prevent them from making our names public.” Sources: X X

Kayla Braxton was able to post her positive test result yesterday while Renee Young posted hers 2 days ago. So if the company addressed not speaking out only today or within the last 24 hours since that’s when this anonymous voice has been posted ....we do not know. 

I’m putting this out there for those who wish to make their own thoughts and decisions on how they want to approach watching WWE. 

I can not stress that the validity of the anonymous voice as being “talent” is not necessarily enough to warrant it’s 100% true. It very well could be...I am not saying it is not true because I understand hiding their identity due to not wanting consequences. I wish there was screenshots to any information WWE had given this voice or some form of other evidence they could share besides their words...but....it still can be true and I will not say it is not. 

I will say...Kevin Dunn should definitely be fired and put on blast for this. 

How you want to watch wrestling should be up to you. I do not condone the company at all unless they can show results that how they’re going to handle this works (and they become more open about what is going on...which only time will tell). I’m more upset with management and how they have handled testing in the past over the wrestlers and personnel who have tested positive. I support the wrestlers and the wrestlers only in this. But with this information, to each their own. 

[luvneedsnosyt]

My Favorite Albums From August 2018

Here’s my monthly list of albums released in August I was feeling, and some other discoveries made during the month. My Previous monthly lists from 2018: January , February, March, April, May, June, July

You can find my list of favorite albums halfway through 2018 here

Best:

Aminé - ONEPOINTFIVE [Mixtape] Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: BLACKJACK / SUGERPARENTS (Feat. Rico Nasty) // Bonus: CAMPFIRE (Feat. Injury Reserve)

Ariana Grande - Sweetener Genre: Pop / R&B

Proof: breathin / no tears left to cry

ayokay - In the Shape of a Dream Genre: Electronic / Chillwave

Proof: Sleepless Nights (Feat. Nightly) / Half Past You (Feat. Future Jr.)

Bas - Milky Way Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: Tribe (Feat. J. Cole) / Spaceships + Rockets (Feat. LION BABE, Moe Moks & mOma+Guy)

Big Red Machine (Justin Vernon of Bon Iver & Aaron Dessner of The National) - Big Red Machine Genre: Indie Pop / Experimental

Proof: Air Stryp / OMDB

Blood Orange - Negro Swan Genre: alt-R&B / Soul

Proof: Charcoal Baby / Out Of Your League (Feat. Steve Lacy)

Capital Cities - Solarize Genre: Synth-Pop

Proof: Venus & River / Drop Everything

Chanti Darling - RNB Vol. 1 EP Genre: R&B / Electronic / Funk

Proof: Boogie.503 / Wake Up the Night

Col3trane - BOOT EP Genre: alt-R&B

Proof: Britney / Resume

Diana Gordon - Pure EP Genre: R&B / Pop

Proof: Wolverine / Too Young

Gorgon City - Escape Genre: Electronic / House / Dance

Proof: Kingdom (Feat. Raphaella) / Real Life (w/ Duke Dumont Feat. NAATIONS)

H.E.R. - I Used To Know Her: The Prelude EP Genre: R&B / Soul

Proof: Could’ve Been (Feat. Bryson Tiller) / As I Am

HONNE - Love Me / Love Me Not Genre: Pop

Proof: Day 1 ◑ / Feels So Good ◑ (Feat. Anna of the North)

Jain - Souldier Genre: Indie Pop

Proof: On My Way / Oh Man

Jauz - The Wise and The Wicked Genre: Electronic / Dance

Proof: Diamonds (Feat. Kiiara) / Soldier (Feat. Krewella)

Kiah Victoria - Memo EP Genre: alt-R&B / Soul

Proof: Remedy / Ornament

LAUREL - DOGVIOLET Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: Life Worth Living / Same Mistakes

Marco McKinnis - Underground EP Genre: alt-R&B / Soul

Proof: CPR / Another Love

Matoma - One In A Million Genre: Electronic / Synth-Pop / Dance

Proof: Sunday Morning (Feat. Josie Dunne) / False Alarm (Feat. Becky Hill)

Mitski - Be The Cowboy Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: Geyser / Nobody

pluko - sixteen Genre: Electronic / Chill Wave

Proof: need ya (Feat. Nevve) / asleep (Feat. MOONZz)

Radiant Children - TRYIN’ EP Genre: R&B

Proof: Go Left / Tryin’

R3HAB - The Wave Genre: Electronic / Synth-Pop / Dance

Proof: The Wave (Feat. Lia Marie Johnson) / Radio Silence (Feat. Jocelyn Alice)

Sabrina Claudio - No Rain, No Flowers Genre: R&B / neo-Soul

Proof: Numb / Messages From Her

Seven Lions - Start Again EP Genre: Electronic / Trance

Proof: Start Again (Feat. Fiora) / Dreamin’ (Feat. Fiora)

Stefflon Don - SECURE [Mixtape] Genre: Hip Hop / R&B / Reggaeton

Proof: Uber (Feat. Ebenezer) / Hurtin’ Me (The Remix) Feat. Sean Paul, Popcaan & Sizzla)

Tash Sultana - Flow State Genre: Indie Pop / Soul

Proof: Cigarettes / Salvation

Travis Scott - ASTROWORLD Genre: Hip Hop

Proof: SICKO MODE (Feat. Drake) / SKELETONS (Feat. The Weeknd)

Trevor Powers (fka Youth Lagoon) - Mulberry Violence Genre: Indie Pop / Experimental

Proof: XTQ Idol / Clad In Skin

Troye Sivan - Bloom Genre: Pop

Proof: Dance To This (Feat. Ariana Grande) / Plum

Wild Nothing - Indigo Genre: Indie Rock / Alternative

Proof: Partners in Motion / Shallow Water

Bonus:

Albums I discovered, rediscovered, or just finally got around to listening to during this month that I am feeling.

ayokay - 4ft to Infinity EP Genre: Electronic / Chillwave Released October 2016

Proof: Awake (Feat. Mafalda) / Kings of Summer (Feat. Quinn VCII) // Bonus: Too Young (Feat. Baker Grace)

Sabrina Claudio - Confidently Lost EP / About Time Genre: R&B / neo-Soul Released March 2017 / October 2017

Proof: Too Much Too Late / Tell Me // Unravel Me / Used To

Others:

Animal Collective - Tangerine Reef, Baka Not Nice - 4Mili EP, BANDGANG - In Too Deep, Bassnectar - Reflectove, Pt. 3 EP, Bun B - Return if the Trill, Choker - Honeybloom, Death Cab for Cutie - Thank You for Today, Don Toliver - Donny Womback, Droeloe - The Choices We Face EP, Eminem - Kamaze, Excision - Apex, E-40 - Gift Of Gab, GIVERS - Moving On EP, Good Celebrity - Inna Good Life EP, Helena Hauff - Qualm, Iggy Azalea - Survive the Summer EP, Interpol - Marauder, Iron & Wine - Weed Garden EP, The Kooks - Let’s Go Sunshine, Lauren Sanderson - DONT PANIC! EP, Liam Payne - First Time EP, Loyd - Tru LP, Mac Miller - Swimmin, Medasin - Irene, Nef The Pharaoh - The Big Chang Theory, Nicki Minaj - Queen, Passenger - Runaway, Reese LAFLA - Reese LAFLARE, Rezz - Certain Kind of Magic, Shy Boys - Bell House, Steve Hauschildt - Dissolvi, Tirzah - Devotion, Traci Braxton - On Earth, YG - STAY DANGEROUS

[anenglishnancydrew]

List of Other Known Characters (as gleamed from the Twitter thread)

Please consider all of them wanted connections. And as none of these names are set in stone; if anyone ever wants to pick up one of these characters and change the name...by all means do.

Ioan Price: President of the local horticultural society, drunk on his own power. William and Charles loathe him. (FC: Stephen Fry).

Neville Wilkins: Local pre-school teacher; he is hilariously unable to control his tiny charges, yet cannot be fired because half the village is in love with him. He is delightful and wholesome, yet somehow is the prime suspect for almost half of every episode. (FC: Colin Firth).

Braxton Stokes and Fletcher Dunn: Lewis’s two best mates. Constantly left hanging whenever Lewis is called to his granddad’s aid. Tamsin may have the teeniest tiniest crush on Fletcher; something that would cause her to die of absolute embarrassment should he or even Lewis find out. (FC: Aidan Turner and Allen Leech).

Evelyn Jefferies: The ultra-sexy-detective-inspector who is displeased to have amateurs constantly interfering with her investigations. (FC: Helen Mirran).

Felix Hodges: Befuddled neighbor who keeps witnessing shenanigans and doesn’t understand what’s going on or why the police are always around. An accountant that grows roses as a hobby. (FC: Hugh Laurie).

Tabitha Mann: Charles’s loving but acerbic daughter. Forever trying to keep her father out of scrapes. (FC: Olivia Colman).

Cillian Wells: An art thief. One they can never catch and who just happens to stop by for tea every Thursday. (FC: David Tennant).

Vanessa Rees: Lewis’s fiancé. Their relationship status constantly fluctuates as she is a bit fickle in nature. Still, she is smarter than most give her credit for and just rolls her eyes at the antics around her. (FC: Michelle Dockery).

Oscar Mann: Charles’s favorite son-in-law. Husband of Tabitha. (FC: Idris Elba).

Ellery Watts: Local florist who is actually an undercover MI-6 agent. (FC: Benedict Cumberbatch).

Luke Boulton: Grouchy local mechanic who dated one of [Patrick’s] daughter in high school and [Patrick] has not only never forgiven him for breaking up with her, but has boycotted his shop for 20 years. He’s William’s mechanic, which William goes to great lengths to hide from Charles. (FC: Richard Armitage).

Verity Porter: Charles’s first wife who ran off with a photographer from Lisbon back in the 70s and became a successful art dealer. (FC: Miriam Margolyes). 

Lorcan Bailey: Owner of a nearby B&B who is always curtain twitching. May or may not be William’s secret love child via [Frances de Latour]. (FC: Patrick Walshe McBride). 

Theodore “Teddy” Bryant: One of William’s other grandsons. Tamsin and Lewis’s cousin. (FC: Tom Holland).

Philippa Hayward: An old University chum who they phone sometimes for help decoding a mysterious message in Latin. And every time we see her, she’s clearly in the middle of her own thrilling adventures and is kindly taking five minutes out to answer a call from some old friends. (FC: Maggie Smith). 

Benamin “Ben/Benny/Benji” Dyer: One of Charles’s grandsons. (FC: James McAvoy). 

Aldrich Jones: Chair of the Parish Council who also organizes neighborhood watches. (FC: Bill Nighy).

I think that’s all of them. At least until people started debating who should actually be in what role and just started suggesting Tom Hiddleston for everything.

[placetobenation]

SmackDown on Fox Episode #17 SmackDown Episode # 1,066 Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center 1/24/20 We open the show and immediately go into our first match of the night which is a shocker. Match #1: The Usos & Roman Reigns vs King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, & Robert  Roode Dolph Ziggler and Jey Uso start the match with a lock up and Ziggler pushes Jey into the corner but doesn’t break cleanly as he delivers a back elbow to Jey. Jey gets a headlock on Ziggler but gets sent to the ropes where he comes back with a shoulder block and a chop before tagging in Jimmy. The Usos hit a double back elbow and a double elbow drop on Ziggler. Ziggler rolls over and makes the tag to Roode, Jimmy and Roode lockup and Jimmy grabs an arm, but Roode grabs Jimmy’s hair and forces him back into the corner where he stomps a mudhole in him. Jimmy fights back with some chops and then sends Roode into the corner but Roode backdrops him and when he does Jimmy tries to land on the apron but he slips and falls to the floor selling his leg, Ziggler runs over and slams Jimmy’s head and back into the ring post and steel steps. Jimmy is out of it as Jey and Reigns check on him and the trainers come out to check on him. The trainers help Jimmy walk to the back as we go to commercial.  We come back to Reigns and Ziggler in the ring and Reigns has Ziggler backed up against the ropes and then delivers a right hand before tagging in Jey. Jey takes Ziggler down and hits him with a headbutt. Ziggler hits a back elbow out of nowhere and then tags in Corbin. Jey blocks a right hand from Corbin and delivers some of his own before Corbin reverses an Irish whip only for Jey to stop before hitting the corner and this leads to Corbin doing the slide-out and slide back in clothesline spot, but Jey ducks the clothesline and connects with a back elbow. Jey goes up top and is looking to dive on Corbin but sees Corbin coming his way so he jumps off and rolls through only to walk into a Deep Six that gets a 2 count. Corbin throws Jey to the outside and then starts mouthing off to Reigns. Corbin tags in Roode who drives Jey into the ring apron before throwing him back into the ring where he stomps on Jey’s hand and then hits a neckbreaker that gets a 2 count. Roode tags in Ziggler who hits a jumping elbow that gets him a 2 count. Corbin then gets tagged in and drives elbows into the shoulder and neck region of Jey. Roode tags in and he whips Jey into the heel corner, but Jey uses the momentum to knock Corbin off the apron. Jey hits Roode with an enziguri and just when it looks like he is going to make the tag Corbin pulls Reigns off the apron and then sends him over the barricade into the crowd as we go to another commercial.  We come back to Corbin throwing Jey back into the ring and then he taunts the crowd. Jey is able to reverse Corbin’s attempt to send him shoulder-first into the ring post and now both men are down. Jey crawls over and despite Corbin having a hold of one of his legs Jey finally makes the tag to Reigns and immediately Corbin tags out to Ziggler. Reigns hits clotheslines and uppercuts to Ziggler followed by the repeated corner clotheslines and a running big boot. Reigns set up for the Superman Punch but Roode causes a distraction which allows Corbin to grab Reigns by his hair from behind and this leads to Ziggler hitting Reigns with the superkick for a 2 count. Ziggler sends Reigns to the outside and then distracts the referee which allows Roode and Corbin to put the boots to Reigns. Ziggler goes out and crawls over the ring and picks him up while talking trash the entire time and throws him back into the ring. The heels continue to make tags and work Reigns over.  Roode tags in and goes for the Glorious DDT but Reigns counters and hits the one-armed sitout powerbomb. Jey is finally back up on the apron and it looks like Reigns will make the tag, but Ziggler pulls Jey off the apron and sends him into the barricade and over the announce table. Roode tags in Corbin who works Reigns over in the corner and then tags in Ziggler. Ziggler hits a neckbreaker and then goes for a pin which gets a 2 count. Ziggler goes for the superkick but Reigns counters it with a Superman Punch.  Jimmy Uso finally comes back out limping down the ramp and Reigns is able to make the tag to him and on the other side Ziggler tags in Roode. Jimmy hits a Samoan drop on Roode and then knocks Corbin off the apron and then he hits Corbin with a tope suicida. Jimmy goes up top and hits a crossbody on Roode for a 2 count when Corbin breaks up the pin. Corbin tries for the End of Days, but Jimmy flips through it and then Reigns hits Corbin with the Superman Punch. Reigns goes after Corbin and they fight through the crowd and to the back. Back in the ring Jimmy goes up to the top and Ziggler tries to grab his foot but Jimmy kicks him away and then Jey takes him out on the outside. Roode runs up and tries to throw Jimmy off the top, but Jimmy knocks him off and then hits the Uso Splash to get the win for his team. Winners: Roman Reigns & The Usos via Pinfall   Match Rating: *** Wow, this was a long match to open the show and while it was a good match it probably didn’t need to be that long, especially since there was so much to cover on this Royal Rumble go-home episode. I liked the booking of having Jimmy Uso out most of the match as it was something different and also it made it easier to write the recap for the match. They did a better job of building up the Reigns vs Corbin match during this match than they did the Women’s Royal Rumble on the entire show and nobody gives two shits about this Reigns vs Corbin match.  We get a recap video of what happened last week with Kane, The Fiend, & Daniel Bryan as we go to our first commercial break.  As we come back from commercial we see a recap of the Lacey Evans vs Bayley match last week.  Michael Cole is at the top of the ramp to interview Lacey Evans. Lacey talks about how she was tired of hearing Bayley and Sasha disrespect the SmackDown women’s division and because of her childhood she learned early on to fight back against bullies. She then talks about losing her father after he lost his battle with depression and addiction and while she is saying this she is getting choked up. Lacey then talks about how she wants to be a champion that inspires others to accomplish whatever goals they have. Cole asks Lacey about her daughter and what happened when she was confronted by Sasha Banks, Lacey says that she was brave at that moment but when they got backstage her daughter was in tears and was asking her a bunch of questions and Lacey had to explain to her that this was her job and what she has to do. Out of nowhere, Bayley attacks Lacey until they are broken up and Bayley is yelling at Lacey and asks Lacey where her daughter is at now.  Kayla Braxton interviews Carmella & Dana Brooke about the Royal Rumble this Sunday and each tells why they are going to win the match and then just like last week the interview is interrupted as Lacey and Bayley are still brawling with each other. Lacey is determined to get to Bayley as she takes her shoe off and beats her with it as Carmella and Dana help pull Lacey off of Bayley.  Match #2: Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs Fire & Desire (Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville) We barely get into the match when Bayley runs out with Lacey chasing after her and immediately the referee calls for the bell as all six women brawl around the ring until they are broken up. Winners: No Contest  Match Rating: DUD I really liked the substance of Lacey’s promo but the delivery was terrible as the crying was some of the worst acting I have ever seen as she cut it on and off like a light switch, but had she done the promo without the crying part it would’ve been really good. I don’t know if they could or would do it but it would be fun to see Lacey’s daughter cause a distraction that leads to Bayley losing her title. I liked all the brawling between Lacey and Bayley over the next two segments, however, I wish they hadn’t ruined the tag match because that was going to be the match where they hype the women’s Royal Rumble but because it didn’t happen the Women’s Rumble barely got any attention on the show other than a brief backstage interview. Since I am talking about the women I want to mention someone who was in the audience sitting right behind Cole & Graves none other than Kathryn Dunn who was on last year’s season of Big Brother, I thought it was her at first but wasn’t sure but thanks to good ol’ Twitter it was confirmed that it was indeed her.  As we come back from commercial Elias is in the ring and he sings about the Royal Rumble and then he brings out Braun Strowman to sing with him, but before they can really get started they are interrupted by their opponents for tonight.  Match #3: Braun Strowman & Elias vs Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn We get a lock up and Elias grabs as side headlock and transitions into a hammerlock but Cesaro reverses it and then starts delivering a bunch of strikes. Cesaro tries for a hip toss but Elias counters and hits snake eyes followed by a clothesline. Elias grabs the arm of Cesaro and then goes for a walk on the top rope before coming down with a meteora. Elias grabs Cesaro’s arm and looks to drag him over to make a tag, but Cesaro stops that and pushes Elias into the heel corner, but as he does Elias knocks Nakamura off the apron. Elias comes out of the corner with some forearms but Cesaro once again shoves him into the heel corner and this time Zayn grabs Elias’s leg as a distraction. Elias walks into a clothesline from Cesaro and is then thrown out of the ring. Nakamura lands a big kick to Elias’s head on the outside and then Strowman takes down Nakamura with a running shoulder block which sends Zayn running for his life as we go to commercial.  As we come back Elias is fighting his way out of a rest hold but Cesaro sends him into the heel corner, but Elias is able to get a boot up at a charging Cesaro. Elias once again fights his way out of the corner and attempts to tag Strowman, but Cesaro sends him right back into the corner but Cesaro gets hit with a mule style kick out of the corner. Elias slowly crawls to his corner but Cesaro grabs the foot only for Elias to kick him off which sends Cesaro back far enough for Nakamura to make a blind tag. Cesaro and Nakamura kick Strowman off the apron. Elias backdrops Cesaro to the floor but walks right into a spinning wheel kick by Nakamura. Nakamura gets in place to hit the Kinshasa and charges in but Elias stops him in his tracks with a jumping knee.  Elias finally makes the hot tag and Strowman comes in with shoulder blocks for both Nakamura and Cesaro who he knocks off the apron. Strowman hits an avalanche in the corner on Nakamura and then biels him across the ring. Strowman hits another avalanche in the corner and then a clubbing blow to the chest of Nakamura. Strowman goes for a third avalanche, but Nakamura moves this time and then delivers a kick to the back of Strowman’s head and then he follows up with a diving knee off the middle rope. Nakamura tags in Cesaro and they send Strowman shoulder first into the ring post and then hit him with a double Russian leg sweep and then a running kick but all of that still isn’t enough to keep Strowman down as Cesaro only gets a 2 count on a pin attempt. Cesaro hits a running European uppercut to a seated Strowman but still gets a 2 count. Zayn gets on the apron to distract the referee so that Nakamura can grab a chair, but before Nakamura can do anything with the chair Elias sends him face-first into the ring post. Strowman then hits the Powerslam on Cesaro and that is enough to end the match. Winners: Braun Strowman & Elias via Pinfall   Match Rating: **½  This was a good match but just like last week I don’t have anything to really note about it which is kind of a bummer because I remember a few years ago when I would’ve had a lot to say and get excited about when it came to what Strowman was doing, but this feud is just average as nothing it offensively bad about it, but it isn’t setting the world on fire either.  We get a recap of last week when Bryan made the match between him and The Fiend a strap match. We go to the back where Big E is slathered in baby oil and has some guy try and lift him because he thinks the more oiled up he is, the harder it will be to eliminate him on Sunday. They talk about Kofi’s match coming up. Kayla interviews King Corbin who talks about how he is going to beat Reigns on Sunday and then win the Royal Rumble where he will win and go on to become the Universal Championship.  We get the Royal Rumble by the numbers video package. Kofi Kingston makes his way to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.  As we come back from commercial we get Sheamus talking about his match with Shorty G coming up on Sunday. As Morrison comes to the ring The Miz cuts a promo saying that he doesn’t understand why Morrison got booed last week in his return match, usually, the fans cheer when people come back after being gone for a few years. Miz then says both he and Morrison will be in the Royal Rumble.  Match #4: Kofi Kingston w/ Big E vs John Morrison w/ The Miz The match starts with a lock up and then Morrison pushes Kingston into the corner and then both men shove each other, Kingston blocks a punch and then goes for a jumping spin kick but Morrison rolls under him and then we get cartwheels by both guys as they are matching each other move for move. Morrison sends Kingston into the corner and hits the monkey flip, but Kingston lands on his feet and then Kingston goes for a monkey flip of his own and when he does he sends Morrison face-first into the mat. Kingson sends Morrison into the ropes, but he holds on and then sends Kingston to the outside and tries for a diving corkscrew plancha but Kingston is able to move out of the way sending Morrison crashing to the floor and then Kingston hits a dive of his own to Morrison on the floor that connects. Kingston tries to get Morrison back in the ring, but Miz provides a brief distraction which allows Morrison to shove Kingston face-first into the ring post as we go to commercial. As we come back Kingston is trying to kick Morrison off of him as he had Kingston in a half crab. Morrison sends Kingston into the corner and charges in but eats a boot from Kingston and then Kingston who is on the apron slides under the legs of Morrison and tries for a pin attempt, but Morrison rolls out of it and lands a knee to the face of Kingston. Morrison goes for the Starship Pain but Kingston is able to get out of the way and now both men are down. Kingston starts to make a comeback as he springboards into the ring with a chop and then lands a series of chops and dropkicks, Kingston goes for his jumping clothesline but Morrison evades it and lands a kick to Kingston’s gut. Morrison sends Kingston into the corner which allows Kingston to run up the ropes and spring off the top with a hurricanrana and follows it up with the mushroom stomp which gets a 2 count.  Kingston lands a kick to a seated Morrison and then hits the Boom Drop. Kingston goes for the Trouble in Paradise but Morrison is able to counter with his own kick to Kingston’s face which gets JoMo a 2 count. Morrison picks Kingston up and sets him on the top rope and we get a bit of a struggle on the rope before Kingston headbutts Morrison back down to the mat only for Morrison to poke Kingston in the eye. Morrison runs up the second rope and hits Kingston with a Spanish fly but once again he only gets a 2 count. Morrison hits some kicks before Kingston is able to hit the S.O.S. for another 2 count. Morrison tries to get a quick win as he folds Kingston up and uses the ropes for leverage but Big E takes Morrison’s feet off the ropes which breaks the pin. The Miz hits Big E on the outside which leads to Big E chasing him around the ring and then Miz gets up on the apron only to be hit with a Trouble in Paradise from Kingston. Morrison hits Kingston with a forearm to the back and then hits Starship Pain to pick up the win.  Winner: John Morrison via Pinfall   Match Rating: **¾ This was a really fun match with some really nice counters especially Morrison’s counter of the Trouble in Paradise. I definitely can’t wait to see these two face each other again as they have really good chemistry with each other. I look forward to seeing what kind of crazy elimination save spots we will get from both Kingston and Morrison in the Rumble.  We cut to the back and see Daniel Bryan walking toward the ring for the contract signing as we go to commercial.  As we come back from commercial Michael Cole is in the ring and he informs us of the rules of a strap match and then introduces the participants in the match.  Bryan makes his way to the ring, but when it’s time for Bray to come out he shows up on the tron instead on the set of the Firefly Funhouse. Bryan has a fax machine as he wanted to fax the contract over, but he isn’t having any luck with it, Bryan says he has had enough of Wyatt’s games and wants him to come out and that Wyatt does nothing but run. Wyatt says Bryan never learned his lesson as Bryan betrayed him but Bryan will get his just due. Wyatt says that since Bryan won’t be facing him at the Royal Rumble it’s only fair that The Fiend signs the contract.  The lights go out and when they come back on The Fiend is in the ring and he locks the Mandible Claw on Bryan and then hits him with Sister Abigail. Bryan takes the strap that was laying on the contract table and repeatedly whips the back of Bryan. The Fiend then sits at the contract table and jabs the pen into his hand making it bleed and slams his hand down on the contract and he has signed it in his own blood. The show closes with Bryan looking at the contract as he slowly gets back to his feet with the crowd chanting Yes!  I really liked this segment as it did a really good job of hyping up the match and putting over the strap stipulation. I did get a chuckle out of Wyatt with the fax machine and calling customer service. The more I think about it the more I feel that the match on Sunday has a good chance of being the first worst match of the year contender of 2020, hopefully, Bryan is able to make it passable and not a total abomination but he definitely has his work cut out for him.  I thought this was a decent episode of SmackDown in terms of in-ring action, but it lacked a lot as far as hyping up the Royal Rumble. The fact that they have barely mentioned the Women’s Royal Rumble at all in the last few weeks is really disappointing and they did no favors to that on this show as pretty much all we got was a quick backstage interview with Dana and Carmella and a 3-second match. I did like the main event segment and thought it did a good job of putting over that match on Sunday.  That’s it for this week I’ll be back next week with all of the fall out from my favorite PPV of the year the Royal Rumble and at that time we will officially be on the road to WrestleMania …with three or four rest stops along the way.