With her family imploding, Stephanie doesn't have much to say so she stays backstage and watches as the show carries on without her. With the reduced competitors due to there only being four weeks left in the contest, there aren't as many matches on the show tonight and she finds herself relieved for it. Less to focus on.
The first match sees Ryback facing off with Michael Bennett, TNA's supposed miracle sneering at the man throughout his entrance. The crowd either boos Bennett or chants Gillberg at Ryback, there's very little in-between, and the two men stare at each other, waiting for the bell to ring to begin atacking each other. Ryback's not the type for power struggles in the middle of the ring and Bennett finds himself quickly overwhelmed by forearms, punches, and other generally brutal attacks. How he stays on his feet, he's not sure, but eventually he gets an elbow up and catches Ryback in the temple, dazing the larger man. Bennett then slowly fights his way back up, kneeing Ryback in the face and scooping him up in a fireman's carry before pulling him over and driving him into the mat.
Taking a minute to catch his breath, deciding to use whatever remains of Ryback's momentum against him, Bennett leans over and presses his forearms to his knees, watching and waiting. When Ryback staggers up after a few moments, Bennett grabs him and piledrives him into the mat, adding to his disorientation. When Ryback struggles to his feet once more, it's easy to snag his wrist, snap him around into a solid hook straight to the jaw that levels him, causes him to collapse backwards. Whatever momentum he may have thought he was gaining against the Social Outcasts is proven worthless as Bennett pins him easily and keeps him from gaining another win towards the title match of his choice.
Bennett's laughter echoes in Ryback's ears as he struggles to regain his senses, sit up and try to sort out what exactly just happened.
Once the ring is cleared, Christopher Daniels makes his way out and stands rigidly in his captain's outfit, watching grimly as Kalisto comes out to a chorus of LUCHA! LUCHA! LUCHA! chants. He's nonplussed by it all, only moving enough to take off his jacket and hand it off in preparation for the match ahead of him. Kalisto's speed doesn't bother him, his jaw clicking as he takes in the younger man, his mask, his eager gaze. Everything. Within moments, Daniels is sure he has a good read for his opponent but, even so, he takes it slowly. Meets Kalisto in the middle of the ring with a few experimental punches while trying to avoid his nimble feet.
Daniels had slowed his in-ring skills down some- at his age and experience level, the flips and the suicide dives and such are available for a little flash, but they're not necessary so why bother?- but Kalisto is proving to be just the challenge he needs to reintroduce them to his skill set, so he does. Kalisto taking advantage of leaving him down and dazed enough after a superkick that had just seemed to appear out of nowhere to attempt a springboard hurricarana is reversed by Daniels rolling away and leaping up to meet him with an dropkick, which he hits perfectly. It dazes Kalisto enough that Daniels leaps up to the top rope and hits his double jump moonsault, pinning him decisively.
The next match is ROH's Moose vs Stardust, and barely has the crowd gotten the "MOOSE! MOOSE! MOOSE!" chant out of their system before it's over, Stardust's every attempt at offense rebuffed until Moose had him trapped in a sequence of left hooks before spearing the staggering man down hard, hooking his leg and pinning him. The fast match does nothing to dissuade the crowd from chanting his name.
The next match goes almost as quickly, Naomi struggling against Lucha Underground's Kobra Moon, trying to weaken her enough for her to lock in her crucifix choke... but there's nothing to be done for it, Kobra Moon keeps the upperhand throughout and when she locks in her snake sleeper, Naomi fights against it fruitlessly until the last of her energy fades away and she passes out in Kobra Moon's hold, slumping against the mat as the referee calls for the bell.
By this point, everyone is buzzing. So far none of the people who had actually won enough matches to advance this far had won tonight, which makes the fans wonder if perhaps some, if not all, of them were just flukes, lucky on any individual night but not actually good enough to actually be in that position. As Neville makes his way to the ring, followed by NJPW's Okada, the buzz only grows while people laugh and consider how embarrassing it would be for WWE should their people all get sweeped, the whispers fading as more and more of Okada's fans try to grab some of the money with his face on the bills pouring from the ceiling overhead following the ka-ching sound leading into his entrance.
Neville is fast, Okada is intense, and their match is fun, quick. Exchanging punch for punch, kick for kick, Neville tries to go to the top rope just to get stopped by Gedo's pride and joy, lifted bodily and suplexed hard against the canvas, Okada going up top and hitting him with an elbow drop that rids him of even more oxygen. Okada waits, then, for him to get up, wanting to hit the Rainmaker and move on, successful in at least making up for not making it further in this challenge, but Neville finds a second wind and meets him with a leg lariat, dazing him as his nose slams into the mat, his entire face stinging now.
Heading for the top once more, Neville lands a solid corkscrew 450 splash, Okada spitting out painfully as his body convulses at the hit, the man curling in on himself in an attempt to temper the agony shooting through his ribs. Neville is gripping his ribs as well, walking a little slower as he heads up once more for the Red Arrow, just to find his feet taken out from under him once more. Okada gasps and pants, struggling to stay on his feet as Neville collapses in front of him in a crumpled mess, his lips twisting into a smug smirk that almost succeeds at turning the crowd on him. Okada ignores this, grabbing Neville by the hair and lifting him up, preparing to snap him forward and into the Rainmaker... but Neville revives just in time and his boot meets with Okada's head, leaving the former IWGP champion on rubbery legs.
He's just back first collapsed to the mat when Neville heads back up to the top, sucking in as big a breath as he possible can before releasing it slowly. Twisting around in midair as he spins towards the mat, Neville lands solidly against Okada's midsection and instinctively grabs for his leg, pulling it up and pinning him, leaving no chance for the man to kick out or get free, gasping painfully as the referee counts the three.
The dazed crowd watches on before the buzz turns into cheers and applause, a sign of respect for the two men in the ring. Okada gets slowly to his feet, holding his ribs and looking annoyed as he examines Neville, who is watching him impassively. Stumbling forward, Okada holds a hand out and waits, his eyes clearing a bit when Neville meets him halfway and shakes his hand. "Congratulations," he says, bowing his head in some sign of respect before rolling out of the ring to let his opponent have this moment.
Neville grins as the crowd shows their support for him, raising an arm in victory. He still has a long road ahead, he knows, but winning here, tonight, brings him one step closer and he's sure he'll make it.