#1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. King Baron Corbin vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Adam Pearce

We go to the ring for tonight’s Gauntlet Match main event and out comes Rey Mysterio with Dominik Mysterio. The winner will become the new #1 contender to challenge WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at the Royal Rumble. Sami Zayn is out next. Sami starts ranting about a conspiracy against him. He has a film crew with him and says they are here to document and uncover the conspiracy against him, which led to him losing the Intercontinental Title. He goes on and says when the documentary comes out, it will prove he’s the rightful champion. Fans boo as Sami continues ranting. He enters the ring and goes on about beating Rey, then everyone else who comes down to the ring because he is undeniable.

The bell rings and Sami is still ranting to his film crew. He turns around to a dropkick from Rey. Rey knocks Sami into the ropes and then hits 619. Rey goes to the top and hits the big Frogsplash for the easy pin. Sami has been eliminated. Sami, still wearing his coat, rolls to the floor as Rey’s music hits. Sami storms away as his film crew follows. The music hits and out next comes Shinsuke Nakamura. Rey looks on as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and the bell rings as they lock up and go at it. Nakamura with a headlock before running the ropes and dropping Rey with a shoulder. Rey counters a move and they tangle. Rey rolls through and hits a kick to the face for a quick pin attempt as Dominik looks on.

More back and forth now. Rey sends Nakamura to the floor with a hurricanrana. Rey with the baseball slide but Nakamura catches him and drives a knee to the chin on the apron. Nakamura leaps off the apron but misses a knee as Rey dodges it. Rey slides under the bottom rope with the Sunset Bomb on the floor. Nakamura ends up coming right back up and nailing a sliding knee on the outside. Nakamura brings it back in but Rey kicks out at 2 by grabbing the rope.

Nakamura controls Rey in the corner and drops him again for a 2 count. Nakamura with another takedown and a double knee drop for a 2 count. Nakamura with kicks while Rey is down. Nakamura takes Rey to the top and works him over. Nakamura climbs up for a superplex but Rey resists and fights back. Rey headbutts Nakamura to the mat. Rey nails the flying senton as Nakamura gets up. Rey with more offense and a roll-up for a close 2 count. Rey gets dumped to the apron and then stunned with a kick to the face. Rey blocks a shot into the top turnbuckle. Rey fights back from the apron and flies in but Nakamura catches him. Rey blocks a powerbomb attempt and sends Nakamura into position for 619. Rey nails it. Rey goes back to the top for the splash but Nakamura gets his knees up. Nakamura goes right into the arm bar but Rey tries to fight it off. Nakamura fights back and tightens it to make Rey tap out. Rey has been eliminated.

Nakamura’s music starts to play but King Baron Corbin runs down and attacks Dominik from behind, laying him out at ringside. Corbin rushes the ring and unloads on Rey in the corner. Corbin drives Rey into the mat with a big chokeslam as fans boo. Corbin stands over Rey and talks some trash as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Corbin is going at it with Nakamura. They trade shots in the middle of the ring. Corbin hits a big clothesline for a 2 count. Corbin with body strikes in the corner now. Corbin takes Nakamura to another corner and unloads with more body strikes. Corbin charges but Nakamura moves and Corbin hits the ring post shoulder-first. Nakamura drops Corbin with a kick. Corbin rolls to the floor to regroup.

Nakamura leaps off the apron but Corbin catches him and rams him into the post. Corbin brings it back in for a 2 count. Corbin continues to work Nakamura around the ring. Corbin drives Nakamura back into the mat for another close pin attempt. Nakamura counters a move and nails a leaping kick to the face to drop Corbin. Nakamura unloads with kicks now. Corbin catches one leg but Nakamura drops him with the other. Nakamura moves out of the corner and Corbin hits hard. Nakamura drops Corbin with a kick to the head. Nakamura leaps off the second rope with a flying kick for a close 2 count.

Nakamura waits in the corner for Corbin to get up now. Corbin dodges the Kinshasa and nails the Deep Six for a close 2 count. Nakamura immediately pulls Corbin into a Triangle submission. Corbin powers up and breaks it with a powerbomb. Corbin runs out and back in but Nakamura levels him with a Kinshasa to the face for the pin to get the elimination. Nakamura’s music hits as he recovers. We get a replay of the Kinshasa. The music interrupts and out next comes Daniel Bryan as a “yes!” chant breaks out. Nakamura stands tall in the ring and tells Bryan to bring it. Bryan hits the ring and poses in the corner as the “yes!” chant gets louder. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Bryan nails a dropkick as soon as the bell hits. They tangle and Bryan ends up sending Nakamura to the floor and then nailing a suicide dive, sending Nakamura into the announce table. Bryan brings it back in and goes to the top but Nakamura kicks him in the gut in mid-air. Bryan with the reverse Exploder suplex now. Nakamura charges for Kinshasa but Bryan counters and applies a half Crab in the middle of the ring. The referee checks on Nakamura. Bryan pulls him back to the middle of the ring and then applies an ankle lock.

Nakamura tries to break it but Bryan turns that into a German suplex with a bridge for a close 2 count. Bryan with Yes Kicks while Nakamura is on his knees now. Nakamura gets up and takes more kicks, going back down to his knees. Bryan keep the kicks coming as fans cheer him on. Nakamura ducks the roundhouse kick and then kicks Bryan. Nakamura counters and rolls Bryan into an arm bar takedown. Bryan counters with an arm bar of his own. Nakamura resists but Bryan goes into the Yes Lock in the middle of the ring.

Nakamura tries to fight out of the hold. Bryan transitions again but Nakamura finally gets his foot on the bottom rope to break free. Bryan drops Nakamura to his knees and delivers a few more kicks, focusing on the arm. Bryan backs Nakamura into the arm and continues to work on the arm. Bryan takes Nakamura to the top for the Frankensteiner but Nakamura blocks it and Bryan falls to the mat. Nakamura with a flying kick for a close 2 count. Nakamura drives big knee strikes into Bryan now on the mat.

Nakamura barely hits a roundhouse kick. More back and forth between the two. Bryan forces another pin attempt. They get to their feet and exchange kicks, then punches. Bryan boxes Nakamura into the corner. Bryan with kicks to the chest in the corner now. Bryan drops Nakamura with a kick to the head in the corner. Bryan runs with the corner dropkick, and another. Bryan runs again for the third dropkick but Nakamura flies out of the corner with the Kinshasa out of nowhere to get the pin to eliminate Bryan.

Nakamura starts celebrating as his music hits. We go to replays while Bryan is still down. Nakamura kneels down on the mat and looks at Bryan. Bryan stands up and helps Nakamura up. Bryan offers his hand and they shake as fans pop. They then have a few friendly words but the music interrupts and out comes WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman and Jey Uso. Nakamura stares Reigns down. Cole and Graves remind us that there is still one man left in the Gauntlet. We go back to commercial with Nakamura staring back up at Reigns, Uso and Heyman on the stage.

Back from the break and Nakamura is still waiting in the ring while Reigns and his crew look on from the stage. Heyman motions to the back and out comes WWE official Adam Pearce. Pearce looks like he wants no part of this. He walks past Reigns and crew, down the ramp to the ringside area. Reigns, Uso and Heyman follow him. Pearce is wearing a pair of pants, no shirt on and a WWE jacket. Pearce looks like he doesn’t know what to do. Uso enters the ring and gets in Nakamura’s face, talking trash. Uso with a cheap shot to Nakamura in the face. Uso beats Nakamura down and Reigns joins him. They double team Nakamura now as fans boo. Pearce watches from ringside. Heyman watches from the other side, clutching the title.

Uso delivers a big superkick to Nakamura, then Reigns finishes him off with a Superman Punch. Uso goes to the top and delivers the big Uso Splash. Nakamura is laid out. Reigns goes out and tells Pearce that this is his show and he does what he wants to do. Reigns aggressively rolls Pearce into the ring. Pearce says some words to Reigns but turns around to a big superkick from Uso. Pearce goes down. Reigns signals for the timekeeper to ring the bell for Pearce vs. Nakamura.

Fans continue booing as Uso pulls Pearce on top of Nakamura. They are both laid out. The referee gets down and counts the pin for Pearce to win.

Winner and New #1 Contender: Adam Pearce

– After the bell, Reigns’ music hits as he stands tall and raises the title. Pearce starts to recover as the boos get louder. Cole and Graves wonder if this means Pearce will challenge Reigns for the title at the Royal Rumble. Reigns raises the Universal Title in the air and looks down at Pearce as SmackDown goes off the air.