WWE Extreme Rules - July 15th, 2018

Rey Mysterio (c) v. Andrade 'Cien' Almas - US Championship|No Disqualification Match

It once started as a title opportunity, but now it's a full-out war. Both Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Rey Mysterio haven't been shy in letting their hatred for one another shine through, and now it will become more evident than ever, as they square off for the prize they both cherish. The former makes his entrance first, as always he's accompanied by the lovely Zelina Vega, who both have a certain aura around them, a confident pep in their step. The challenger eventually slides into the ring, and motions for the champion to make it out from behind the curtain. Right on cue, he does so, but the usually interactive individual isn't this evening, as he begins to charge towards the ring instead! Both competitors begin to share strikes, back-and-forth they go, all of this has been boiling up for these two men for weeks, and now there is nothing stopping them from putting eachother through hell.

With that said, the official has no other choice, and decides to simply ring the bell. With this matchup officially started, the two continue to pummel eachother, which eventually gives the challenger the advantage, due to his clear strength advantage. He now transitions to a headlock, attempting to wrench his opposition's head back-and-forth, just as he once learned from a previous PPV opponent. However, with some energy left to muster, he somehow gets Andrade towards the nearest set of ropes, and pushes him off to the opposite side of the ring, but as the latter rebounds, he proceeds to take the champion down with a shoulder tackle! Andrade begins to smirk at his grounded opponent, before charging towards the ropes once more, but as he returns to the center of the ring, REY CATCHES HIM WITH A HURRICANRANA! Looking for a means of safety, Andrade begins to slide out of the ring, and drops to his knees, possibly due to the wind being taken out of him.

Seeing this as his moment to strike, Rey looks FOR A SUICIDE DIVE TO THE OUTSIDE, BUT AS HE DOES SO, HE'S CAUGHT WITH A STEEL CHAIR DIRECTLY TO THE SKULL! Almost immediately after this occurred, Rey falls right down onto a leaning position upon the bottom rope, but the challenger is seeming unfinished, he's unsatisfied as usual. As he begins to issue several chair shots, and as a result, Rey begins to scream out in agony, but this is clearly the dangers of this kind of contest. Wanting to keep his promise, he flips over Rey to his stomach, and positions his neck in the correct spot. Very similar to what almost occurred last month to Daniel Bryan, he attempts to slam the steel chair down on his opposition's neck, REY IS LUCKILY ABLE TO ESCAPE JUST IN TIME! The challenger begins to get frustrated, and hoists up the champion, attempting to irish-whip him into the corner, but Rey is luckily able to reverse it, and sends Andrade into the nearest corner instead.

From there, he sprinted towards the aforementioned part of the ring, AND STRUCK ANDRADE WITH A FOREARM TO THE CHEEKBONE! This ultimately stuns the challenger, which Rey notices almost immediately, which prompts him to take him fully down with A BULLDOG DOWN TO THE CANVAS! Noticing the steel chair on the mat, Rey begins to peek at it, and slowly picks it up, and begins to feel the urge to slam it against Andrade's back, just as he did to him just a little while ago. However, when he looks to do just that, he instead decides to throw the chair back down to the canvas. Which gives Andrade enough time to reach a vertical base, AND KNOCK REY BACK DOWN WITH A DISCUS ELBOW STRIKE! Just like so many before Mysterio, they have fallen to this move, and just like them, the champion falls face-first to the mat, and almost immediately holds onto his neck. 1...2...KICKOUT!

The focus of this contest, has been centered around attempting to destroy the champion's neck, and that motive continues even now. As he begins to stomp onto his neck over-and-over again, and all anyone can do, is simply watch on as Rey begins to once again scream in agony. However, feeling as if he has this match in the bag, he begins to scale up to the top rope, and ATTEMPTS FOR A MOONSAULT, BUT REY MOVES OUT OF THE WAY! Andrade knowing fully well of this, and HE GOES FOR ANOTHER ONE, BUT SOMEHOW MISSES AGAIN! The champion now makes it up to both of his feet, and motions for the San Diego zip code, and as Andrade sluggishly makes it to his feet, MYSTERIO ATTEMPTS FOR THE 619, BUT ANDRADE HOLDS ONTO HIM, AND SENDS HIM BACK DOWN, HARD ONTO THE CANVAS WITH A POWERBOMB! 1...2...KICKOUT! REY IS STILL IN THIS ONE!

With the champion possibly out of commission, Andrade slowly lifts up his opposition, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A LA SOMBRA, BUT REY IS ABLE TO REVERSE THE ATTEMPT, AND COUNTER INTO A SUNSET FLIP! 1...2...KICKOUT BY ANDRADE! Looking for a last ditch effort for the victory, he begins to scale up to the top rope, AND ATTEMPTS FOR A FROG SPLASH, BUT ANDRADE GETS HIS KNEES UP! Once again, Rey screams from the pain, but the challenger simply laughs as a result, which unsurprisingly enrages the fans in attendance. This doesn't bother the challenger though, as he looks to conclude this contest as soon as possible, and attempts for an old trick in his playbook, as HE LOOKS FOR A SOMBRA DRIVER, but REY REVERSES AND LANDS ON HIS FEET! Able to keep his mind in check, he quickly transitions into A ROLL-UP FROM BEHIND...1...2...3...!

Rey Mysterio def. Andrade 'Cien' Almas to retain the US Championship (15:22)

Build to WWE SummerSlam 2018:

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Friday Night SmackDown - July 20th, 2018

Following his devastating loss this past Sunday night, Andrade is seen backstage, quite literally in the dumps, keeping his head down low when passing through the hallways. This continues to occur, until he's stopped by Renee Young, who questions him on what's next for him following his failure to capture the United States Championship. Almost immediately after this is asked, he simply stares at her, clearly not pleased with being asked this. He looks completely filled with rage, as he begins to state that this isn't close to being over, and soon he will make sure of it. Without waiting another second, he leaves the area, without saying another word.

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Friday Night SmackDown - July 27th, 2018

Following his vague statement last week, Andrade is nowhere to be seen for the majority of the evening, but someone that he knows quite well is clearly present, as the current US Champion in the form of Rey Mysterio prepares for his one-on-one bout against Shelton Benjamin. As the champion makes his entrance, he seems relieved after the result coming from the Money In The Bank PPV, but is still noticeably shaken up from the effects of the contest aswell. He slides into the ring, and then into his respective corner, where he waits for the official to ring the bell.

Rey Mysterio v. Shelton Benjamin - Non-Title Match

With that said, the bell officially rings, which prompts both men to make their way to the center of the ring. Both competitors ultimately bring out their very best, as Mysterio pulled out his high-flying expertise, and Benjamin showcased his amateur wrestling background. All of this kept them in a stalemate somehow, but that all quickly became to change, as Rey connected with a HURRICANARANA, but Shelton eventually fired back with a GERMAN SUPLEX! The two firing back on all cylinders, but only one individual would be able to come out on top, which eventually came with it's conclusion. As Benjamin attempted for a DEADLIFT POWERBOMB, but luckily Mysterio was able to counter the maneuver, and LAND A 619! 1...2...3...! REY MYSTERIO COMES OUT ON TOP!

Rey Mysterio def. Shelton Benjamin (10:44)

As soon as the bell rings, Rey Mysterio rises up to a vertical base, and celebrates his rebound victory. He begins to hold up his title proudly, as the cheers echo throughout the arena, as there seems no stoppage in his prideful reign. As he once again raises his hand in victory, HE IS OUT OF NOWHERE BLASTED WITH AN ELBOW STRIKE! IT'S ANDRADE, HE MAKES GOOD ON HIS PROMISE! After doing so, he decides to raise the title up in the air, indicating that he still is on the hunt for it, and one loss won't define him as long as he is here. He now exits the ring, with that same ugly smirk upon his face, relishing in his dirty work this evening, seemingly leaving Rey face-down on the canvas.

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Friday Night SmackDown - August 3rd, 2018

Without consequences, most of our actions would be meaningless, but for one Andrade, it seemed as he could do no wrong. With that said, a video package begins to play, where both Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Zelina Vega are in a local gym, where the former resides near the punching bag, where he begins to use it, and take out his clear frustrations upon it. From there, the camera begins to transition over to Zelina Vega, who stares into the hard-cam, and begins to scold the champion on how he should have seen this coming, and that a fluke victory wouldn't stand. She continues, by stating that Andrade demands another crack at the US Championship, but this time at SummerSlam, and this go around, it will end completely different. That being, with her client standing over a lifeless former champion, and a broken former legend, embarrassment isn't something they let happen twice.

As she finishes with her sentence, Andrade is clearly still pissed off, as he pauses on his training, and itches closer to the camera. He begins to exclaim that, Mysterio got lucky at Extreme Rules, and walked away as one piece, because he let him. When he gets his chance at redemption, he won't make that same mistake again, and he will make sure to finish the job this time around. Zelina Vega intervenes, stating that this is what Andrade can become when something is important to him, but now imagine how he is when he's denied something he cherishes. So, if she was the champion, there wouldn't be a question in their mind to accept the title challenge, or there might not be anyway of stopping what's to come in the near future. As she concludes her statement, she returns next to her client, as they begin to interact until the broadcast heads to commercial break.

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Friday Night SmackDown - August 10th, 2018

With the challenge clearly laid out the prior week, the broadcast is kicked off with the US Champion already standing in the center of the ring, with a microphone noticeably by his side aswell. Without attempting to waste anyone's time, the visibly shaken veteran begins to speak, stating that actions will always correlate with consequences, and no matter his health currently, he's going to make sure Andrade finally learns that important lesson. Since arriving to the 'big leagues', he has pushed over each and every single individual he has shared a ring with, but when it comes down to it, he won't let Andrade continue to disrespect him, and next Sunday night this all comes to it's rightful conclusion. He concludes, by saying that he doesn't just want to humiliate Andrade for a second time, he wants to guarantee there will be no excuses from his part either, which is why at this year's SummerSlam PPV, the two will go one-on-one in a 2 out of 3 Falls match, to settle this once and for all.

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Friday Night SmackDown - August 17th, 2018

With the match now official, a hype package is shown, which is solely dedicated to the entire feud between both Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Rey Mysterio. Not only their complicated history, but each competitor's singles success aswell, seemingly what got them to this very point. Once it concludes, the video transitions to both individuals having a chance to speak their mind, with the challenger stating that the games are now over, this Sunday night is all about cementing his legacy, and finally making good on his promise, even if it took him longer than expected. The champion now responds, as he exclaims that no matter how delusional his opposition currently is, humiliation is always going to be his downfall, because just like at last month's PPV, he will once again come out triumphant, this time leaving Andrade with no other choice, but to head to the back of the line. With nothing left to say for either man, the video fades to black, as we officially head to the SummerSlam PPV.

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WWE SummerSlam - August 19th, 2018

Andrade 'Cien' Almas v. Rey Mysterio II - US Championship| 2/3 Falls Match

The last time these two men met, it ended in absolute humiliation for the challenger, and now with a final chance at redemption, it all comes down to this very contest. Speaking of, Andrade 'Cien' Almas makes his way out from behind the curtain, and over the course of this past month, the hatred that the audience holds for him, has only increased, which is heard loud-and-clear as he steps out into the open, and makes his descent down the entrance ramp, and eventually into the squared circle. Instead of patiently waiting for his opposition, like he might have done on any other given night, he begins to scream for the champion to show his prescence, which in just mere seconds, he does exactly that. Rey Mysterio comes out with a stern look on his face, even less interactive with the crowd than before, as once again, he simply wants to put away this nightmare, one that he hasn't been able to wake up from in over two months. Once he enters the ring, he hands over his precious belt, and awaits for the official to signal for the bell to officially ring this evening, which it does almost on cue.

Last time these two went toe-to-toe, they immediately went after one another, but this time is much different. With neither individual wanting to make an error this evening, they slowly make their way to eachother, only stopping once they reach the center of the ring, and upon doing so, they begin to engage in a lock-up. Without question, the strength advantage goes to Andrade, who simply throws the champion into the nearest corner, and begins to pummel him, landing strike-after-strike on him. He repeatedly begins to do this, until Mysterio had no other choice, but to fall to a seated position in the corner, which ended up putting him in a clearly vulnerable position. Almost immediately realizing this, Andrade backs up a few inches, before taunting Mysterio to return back to a vertical base. The clear disrespect irritates the champion, who eventually does make it to his feet, and attempts to land a strike to the jaw of his challenger, but Andrade moves out of the way, which causes Rey to be left open, for a series of strikes from Andrade, concluding the actions with a HUGE LARIAT!

This unsurprisingly sends Mysterio down to the canvas back-first, which results in Andrade letting out a quick smirk, which garners an incredibly negative reaction from the fans in attendance. Feeling as he now has full control of this contest, he now began to lift up the champion, and positioned him on top of the top rope, as he ATTEMPTED FOR A HURRICANRANA ON TOP, BUT REY MANAGES TO SLIP OUT, AND LANDS A REVERSE FRANKENSTEINER INSTEAD! With the first real offensive maneuver for him this evening, he didn't want to let it go to waste, he motioned for his challenger to rise up to his feet, and just as he did, Rey would ATTEMPT FOR AN EARLY 619, BUT WHEN TRYING TO CONNECT WITH IT, ANDRADE MOVED OUT JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME! Upon now coming through the ropes with the missed attempt, ANDRADE MANAGES TO CONNECT WITH A DISCUS ELBOW STRIKE! 1...2...3...!

ANDRADE SCORES THE FIRST FALL! (1-0)

While Rey spoke about wanting to humiliate his challenger tonight, his desperate attempt at wanting to do so, may have cost him here tonight. After scoring the first fall of this contest, Andrade decides to rest up, and so does his opposition, which lasts for a full 30 seconds. They both begin to make it back up to a vertical base simaltounesly, and simply aren't afraid from sharing their feelings with one another. Once the trash talk commences, Andrade begins to irish-whip Rey into the nearest corner, and attempts to LAND A RUNNING KNEE STRIKE INTO THE CORNER, BUT REY ESCAPES AND SWEEPS THE LEG! Andrade falls to a seated position this time around, as REY PROCEEDS TO FOLLOW UP WITH A RUNNING DROPKICK, AIMED RIGHT FOR THE TORSO AREA OF HIS OPPONENT! The former quickly grabs his aforementioned body part, clearly starting to feel the effects of this contest, but he still pushes on, as a he slides under the bottom rope, possibly hoping for some safety.

Almost immediately taking note of this, Rey looks to the outside, and then back to where he stands, and looks to take out his opponent, but as he remembers how this turned out for him last time, it was already too late. As Andrade pulls Rey out to the ringside area by his legs, and THROWS HIM INTO THE NEARBY STEEL STEPS! Possibly now finding himself in the worst possible position, his neck is currently leaned up against those very steps, which Andrade notices, and immediately makes him pay for, AS HE SENDS HIM CRASHING AGAINST IT WITH A RUNNING DROPKICK! Rey is barely able to function now, as he begins to bleed from the back of the skull off impact, which leads to the challenger sending the champion back into the ring, but he still feels unsatisfied with what has occurred thus far.

Rey attempts to crawl over to his stomach, but Andrade seemingly begins to stop him, as he stomps on the champion's back, and simply begins to gloat, and relish in his dominance. However, knowing quite well that Rey can barely move due to his injuries, he begins to scale to the top rope, and once again smirks at his dominant performance. Only a few moments later, HE MANAGES TO LAND A MOONSAULT, BUT STILL HE SEEMS TO NOT BE DONE! He now returns to a vertical base, and begins to lift up the champion to the same position, but the latter is still barely able to stand up straight, which results in Andrade FINALLY CONNECTING WITH THE LA SOMBRA! He isn't done though, as he once again lifts Rey up to where he stands, AND DROPS HIM WITH YET ANOTHER ONE! 1...2...3...! ANDRADE DOES IT, AS HE CAPTURES THE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP IN DOMINANT FASHION!

ANDRADE SCORES THE SECOND FALL! (2-0)

Andrade 'Cien' Almas def. Rey Mysterio (c) to win the US Championship (19:55)

As the contest had concluded, Andrade's era has officially begun, as the bell officially rings to signify his title victory. Before having the opportunity to take his newly won championship, he heads to the ringside area, and grabs a steel chair, which he returns to the squared circle with. Beginning to position Mysterio to his stomach, he looks to fulfill his promise right here, right now. Which he does without any hesitation, PROCEEDING TO SLAM THE STEEL CHAIR AGAINST THE FORMER CHAMPION'S HEAD! A disgusting act, but one that may cement his legacy regardless.

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Build to Clash Of Champions 2018:

Friday Night SmackDown - August 31st, 2018

It's been 9 days since Andrade 'Cien' Almas captured the US Championship, and after being away for a week to heal from that gruesome title contest, he starts off this week's broadcast already in the ring. He is currently surrounded by celebration festivities, which signifies the importance of successfully making good on his promise, even if it took longer than initially planned. Without any furtherado, Zelina Vega begins to speak for her client, as she states that, no longer the length of the journey or where it took them, their promise was kept, and her client has now taken out three of this brand's very finest. She continues, saying that now that Andrade has the division in the palm of his hands, there isn't a single individual who can stop him, and if you look back to last Sunday night, the decimation of Rey Mysterio was all the proof you need. As she looks to conclude her dialogue, a familiar theme begins to play over the PA System, which takes the champion a bit back.

With that said, out walked Shelton Benjamin from behind the curtain, who didn't seem too pleased with the champion, as he quickly made his way towards the ring, and slid under the bottom rope. With a microphone already in-hand, he begins to speak, as he states that only last month he fell to Rey Mysterio fair and square, but after the contest had concluded, Andrade jumped the former champion from behind and made his case for a title rematch. With doing just that, he showed little-to-no respect for him, simply acting as he was non-existent in that situation. He continues, by saying that he came incredibly close to putting away the former champion, and he wants to remind the current one who he overlooked, and he wants the first crack at the very title he holds over his shoulder. Instead of answering him properly, the two simply laugh at the response, and exit the ring without a verbal response.

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Friday Night SmackDown - September 7th, 2018

Unable to get a sufficient answer the prior week, Shelton Benjamin is seen now pacing throughout the backstage hallways, on his way to SmackDown General Manager, Stephanie McMahon's office. Once he reaches there, he begins to knock on the door, doing so repeatedly until she reluctantly answered it. Shelton almost immediately begins to request for a title shot, stating that just as he said last week, he wants the first crack at Andrade, and he is only in this elite position now, because he let him. As he finishes his train of thought, Stephanie begins to step in, and states that there aren't any free handouts around here, and if Shelton wants a shot at the champion so badly, he will have to earn it. The latter begins to nod in agreement, before a familiar fore begins to make way right next to him, which signifies who is next obstacle will end up being sometime soon.

To the shock of everyone, the man beside him is NXT's very own, Oney Lorcan! He stares heavily towards his future opposition, as he eventually decides to wish Shelton good luck for next week's contest. Stephanie begins to intervene, stating that the winner of their match the following week, will go onto the Clash Of Champions PPV, to take on Andrade for the US Championship, before closing her door. The opportunity for both men are now present, especially for the NXT star, they will have to make the most out of it, with the tools they have been given. The two begin to shake hands, before the segment fades to black, and concludes it as a whole.

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Friday Night SmackDown - September 14th, 2018

Shelton Benjamin v. Oney Lorcan - US Championship #1 Contender's Match

It's coming down to the closing stretches of this contest, as Andrade sits on commentary, clearly scouting out his potential opposition. Lorcan motions for the conclusion of this matchup, closing in on his opponent, attempting for a Blockbuster... but to no avail! The veteran takes advantage of his status, and slips out before anything drastic could be done, AND NAILS HIM WITH A BICICYLE KNEE STRIKE! This completely stuns his opponent, with Lorcan barely able to stand up straight, which Shelton inevitably takes advantage of, as he itches closer to the battered opposition. Seemingly beginning to position him just right, before putting him down to the canvas, WITH A PAYDIRT! 1...2...3....!

Shelton Benjamin def. Oney Lorcan to become #1 Contender for the US Championship (13:00)

Almost immediately following the three count, a sigh of relief comes across Shelton's face, realizing that he does indeed get the first track at Andrade's title, but as he soon would realize, that didn't matter. As Andrade begins to look incredibly frustrated, ripping off his headset, before rushing into the ring, from under the bottom rope. He proceeds to attack his challenger from behind, and with one devastating blow to the back of the skull, he was down to the canvas, and could only hope he would be okay. Andrade began to scold Shelton on his accomplishments, stating that they didn't matter, because he will only be put on the shelf, just like the rest before him. With that said, Oney Lorcan begins to rise to his feet, and realizes what's currently happening, but instead of helping Shelton, he shares a glance with the champion, and walks out of the ring with a bit of hesitation.

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Friday Night SmackDown - September 21st, 2018

With only 2 days left until their inevitable clash, both Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Shelton Benjamin are given the night to share their thoughts, in a face-to-face confrontation. The latter starts us off, as he begins to state that, while Andrade may have taken the very title he holds by fear and intimidation, he simply doesn't roll that way, which is why he earned his title shot on Sunday night. No matter what he attempts to keep him out of contention, including the events that occurred just last week, the result will end up remaining the same. He continues, as he says that, throughout the mid 2000's, he proved to be a one of kind talent, and now individuals such as yourself, pretend to forget who he is, or what he has accomplished. At the Clash Of Champions, he will remind anyone who needs a lesson on the topic, and at the end of the day, he will be returning home as only one thing - a champion.

Andrade now steps up, but instead, he decides to back up, signifying that he doesn't believe his challenger is worth his time. Which prompts Zelina Vega to come face-to-face with Shelton instead, as she begins to question him, on who exactly he thinks he is. She goes on to state, that for the past several years, Shelton has been all but forgotten, no-one cared where he was, or what promotion decided to pick him up, but for Andrade, everyone did. He has been traveling across the world, and simply making a name for himself, while Benjamin's has been falling into irrelevancy. This Sunday night will be no different, as Andrade will inevitably continue his reign as US Champion, and Shelton will return to being forgotten, just as he had been before. She concludes, saying that everything will remain the same, and at the end of the day, nothing will have changed following Clash Of Champions.

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WWE Clash Of Champions - September 23rd, 2018

Andrade 'Cien' Almas (c) v. Shelton Benjamin - United States Championship

Since arriving to the main roster, Andrade has been able to conquer veteran after veteran, and tonight, he will have to do again, if he wants to retain his pride and joy. Speaking of, Shelton Benjamin's theme hits first, as he walks out from the back with purpose, clearly aware of what's at stake tonight, he marches towards the ring, and upon entering it, all of his attention becomes focused on the arrival of Andrade 'Cien' Almas. The champion is out next, and his attention however, it's simply not on his opponent, as his demeanor is much more relaxed as usual, clearly not seeing his opposition as a threat to his title reign, which only infuriates Benjamin even more. As he slowly enters the ring, both men begin to make their way into their respective corners, as they await for the ring of the opening bell, before getting down to business, for atleast one of them anyway.

Shelton doesn't waste a single second, as he begins to charge across the ring, and begins to land multiple strikes upon the champion, only for him to be pushed down to the canvas. The challenger begins to scoot back a few inches, before returning back to a vertical base. From there, the two begin to engage in a gritty lock-up, with both men attempting to find an advantage, but simply neither of them can, which causes them to conclude the sequence, and have to find a different avenue to attack. A test of strength is now prompted by Shelton, and with a shrug, Andrade accepts the offer, but as he locks in one hand, the champion alms his boot into his opponent's gut! The heel antics annoy the challenger, but it's too late, as Andrade seemingly BRINGS HIM DOWN WITH A VERTICAL SUPLEX! As both of them reach the canvas, the champion refuses to let go, and finishes the sequence, AS HE SLAMS HIM DOWN TWICE MORE, AS A THREE AMIGOS IS SUCCESSFULLY CONNECTED!

He decides to not attempt for a cover, and instead begins to drag Shelton to the corner, which is successful. However, upon attempting to continue the attack with a leg attack, Shelton catches him, and returns to a vertical base, deciding to put it back down on the mat, AND PROCEEDING TO SLAM HIS KNEE INTO THE CHAMPION'S JAW! The latter is clearly hurting at the moment, as he attempts to return to the corner, but Shelton simply isn't having any of it, as he grabs onto Andrade's arm, and attempts to irish whip him to the other side of the ring. However, to no avail, as Andrade reverses it and sends Shelton into the corner instead. From there, he begins to charge towards Shelton, but upon reaching his destination, he's almost immediately caught with yet another boot to the jaw, as the challenger avoids a dangerous situation, and proceeds to follow up with A GERMAN SUPLEX!

Underestimating his challenger might have been a mistake, as Andrade seems to be in a lot of trouble this evening. Shelton doesn't seem to be done just yet either, as after connecting with the maneuver, he still holds onto his opponent, and ATTEMPTS FOR YET ANOTHER GERMAN SUPLEX... BUT ITS A NO-GO! Andrade is seemingly able to slip out, and avoid a possible catastrophe, and with a huge opportunity now wide-open for him, he attempts for a back suplex, but somehow, SHELTON LANDS DIRECTLY ON HIS FEET, AND TAKES ANDRADE'S LEGS OUT IN THE PROCESS! By doing this, he has found his opening, and looks to make good on it, as he attempts to roll Andrade over for a tight boston crab, but Andrade wouldn't allow it, AND KICKED HIS WAY OUT OF THE HOLD! Having no other choice, Shelton begins to back up off impact, which gives Andrade a chance to reach his feet, AND TAKES DOWN HIS CHALLENGER WITH A DRAGONRANA!

Landing directly onto his head, Shelton began to visibly look dizzy and completely out of it. Which Andrade fully realized almost immediately, and began to scale up to the top rope. Not looking to waste another moment, HE ATTEMPTED TO LAND A MOONSAULT, BUT SHELTON MOVED OUT OF THE WAY, BUT IT DIDN'T MATTER, AS HE FLIPPED OVER AND LANDED IT ANYWAY! 1...2...KICKOUT! SHELTON IS SOMEHOW STILL IN THIS ONE, WHICH INFURIATES ANDRADE! After quite the back-and-forth battle between these two, it seems as Andrade is finally realizing how dangerous Benjamin can be, and isn't looking to keep this contest ongoing for much longer. He begins to lift up Shelton to a vertical base, and from here, attempted to put it all away, AS HE WENT FOR A LA SOMBRA, BUT SHELTON REVERSED IT INTO A T-BONE SUPLEX... NO ANDRADE COUNTERS IT WITH A BEAUTIFUL DDT! 1...2...KICKOUT! IT ISN'T OVER, SHELTON KICKS OUT AND REMAINS IN THE CONTEST!

By each kickout, each counter, each near-fall, Andrade becomes more livid, and simply just wants this title contest to conclude. Out of desperation, he begins to slam Shelton's skull upon the canvas over-and-over again, as the frustration continues to shine through, but Shelton won't stay down! He begins to beg for the champion to do it again, which takes Andrade out of his game, and gives the challenger a chance to LAND A KICK TO THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD! Now returning to a vertical base, he attempts for one last ditch-effort for the victory, as HE GOES FOR THE PAYDIRT, THE EXACT MOVE THAT GOT HIM THIS MATCH IN THE FIRST PLACE, BUT ANDRADE IS ABLE TO CATCH HIM WITH A DISCUS ELBOW STRIKE FIRST! This completely takes out the challenger, seemingly unable to move, which gives the champion enough time to lift him back up from off the canvas, and send him right back down, WITH A LA SOMBRA, FACE-FIRST DIRECTLY DOWN ON THE MAT! 1...2...3...! ANDRADE RETAINS!

Andrade 'Cien' Almas (c) def. Shelton Benjamin to retain the US Championship (18:33)

This ended up being a clinic of a title defense, as he puts away his first challenger. As he grabs his title from the assigned official, he decides to continue the attack on Shelton! He begins to target the veteran's neck, just like the rest who have fallen victim to him, but as he does so, the crowd begin to cheer throughout the arena, which is unusual for the champion. However, it becomes obvious as to why they are, as the hard-cam peeks over to the barricade, where an individual begins to jump over it, and slides under the bottom rope, to meet the champion face-to-face.

IT'S KEVIN OWENS! After a 5 month hiatus, he has returned to the brand he has unfinished business with, and has targeted Andrade first. The two begin to stare at one another, as the champion eventually retreats to the outside, not wanting to engage with the newly returned Prizefighter just yet. With that said, Andrade might have just found his next challenger, and sooner or later, he won't be able to run any longer. However, he accidently leaves his title in the ring, which Owens decides to pick up, and raises above his head, signifying exactly what he desires. He tosses it back to the outside of the ring, and stands tall this evening, as Kevin Owens has returned in surprising fashion!

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Build to Hell in a Cell 2018:

Friday Night SmackDown - September 28th, 2018

The aftermath of the United States Championship contest at Clash Of Champions has been talked about for almost the past week, which brings us to this week's opening proceedings as Kevin Owens opens up the show for the first time in months. Upon settling in inside the ring, he begins to cut a promo, stating that finding himself was important since his loss at WrestleMania, simply due to not feeling like himself for such a long period of time, but now it's different. He cuts the chance - with a second chance given by the SmackDown GM, he isn't looking to let it slip through his fingers, just like it did on the biggest night of the year. He concludes his dialogue, saying that he came back for one thing, and that's to once again become United States Champion, and be the one man to put down Andrade, because the biggest difference between him and the rest, is that he has nothing to lose.

Right on cue, out comes the champion with his manager, as he's done hearing from the recently returned individual. As he ends up entering the ring, he begins to laugh in response, stating that Kevin should've just stayed home, because while he may have been given another chance, if he dares to step into the ring with El Idolo, it will end up being his last at the end of the day. He has put away veteran after veteran, and while they both have traveled the world, they aren't the same. He will continue to succeed as a champion, while Owens will only continue to fall more down the ladder, until there's nothing left of him, which if he continues down this path, that will end up being the champion's aim. As he concludes his statement, Vega says, they'll be seeing Owens around, as they proceed to leave the ring, and with everything said, Owens simply begins to nod his head in agreement.

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Friday Night SmackDown - October 5th, 2018

As we return from commercial break, Kevin Owens is seen sitting down in the locker-room, with his head visibly facing the floor. It's quite clear that with a long period of time away, the rest of the roster hasn't been too keen on getting to know the 'new' him. However, the empty room quickly becomes full of animosity, as Kevin Owens raises his head to the sight of the US Champion, Andrade! Set to keep his promise, he begins to pummel his possible next challenger, seemingly beginning to slam his head against the wall, over-and-over again. Clearly making his intentions clear, he is set on making Owens' life as miserable as possible, as long as he is gunning for his most prized possession. With the only way to get him to lay off, the individuals that weren't interested in getting to know him, begin to pull the champion off him. After doing so, he leaves the area, with a smirk upon his face.

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