Pyros light up the arena as tonight we bring you HWL presents Hard Labor a special Pay Per View tonight where no titles are on the line, but we will crown two No. 1 Contenders for both the men’s and women’s world championships.
 
First though, we have the Cruiserweight Champion in action as Fallah Bahh, accompanied by TJ Perkins, and the Cruiserweight Champion Darby Allin make their entrances. Allin brings with him a body bag with TJP spray painted on it in line with the special stipulation for this match as if Bahh wins, TJP will get a rematch for the Cruiserweight Championship at Fall Brawl, but if Allin wins, Perkins will spend the night zipped up in that body bag.
 
Match #1 – Darby Allin vs. Fallah Bahh
 
The bell rings to start the match and Allin hits Bahh with a Running Dropkick, driving the big man back against the corner. Allin then Monkey Flips the big man across the ring and Bahh is down and his back hurts. Perkins climbs up on the ring apron to try to interject, but Allin knocks him flat with a big right hand and Perkins falls back to the floor. Allin then hits Bahh with an Asai Moonsault and makes the cover, but Bahh kicks out. However, Bahh is unable to get up off the mat as he favors his aching back. Allin connects with a quick series of Leg Drops and then springs off the ropes again for a Flying Guillotine Leg Drop. Allin then heads up to the top turnbuckle and connects with the Coffin Drop and covers Bahh for the three count and Perkins tries to crawl into the ring to try to distract Allin or break up the pin, but he’s too late.
 
Perkins freezes and his face turns to horror as the weight of the situation comes crashing down on him. Perkins slides back to the floor and quickly takes off sprinting up the rampway, unwilling to fulfill what is now his obligation to spend the night in the body bag. Allin charges out of the ring and gives chase, taking the body bag with him and leaving Bahh down in the ring. In the back, our broadcast colleague is standing by with Big Sugar and the six participants in tonight’s World Heavyweight #1 Contender’s Match, for which the stipulation has not yet been revealed. Big Sugar says that none of them have been informed of tonight’s stipulation in advance and the way things are going to line up remains a mystery even to him because what they are going to do tonight is going to be called Prelude to Steel. As they may have noticed tonight, Big Sugar says a steel cage hangs above the ring and we have no steel cage match signed for tonight. Big Sugar then produces a bag that he informs them contains three red balls and three blue balls and they’re each going to pull one out which will divide the six of them into two even teams of three. Big Sugar says the match will start with a 6-Man Elimination Tag Team format, which will last either until one full team has been eliminated or until there is only one combatant left from each of the two teams. The steel cage will then lower and the remaining combatants will then be able to win the match by pinfall, submission or by being the first to escape the cage. Big Sugar then wishes the combatants good luck and opens the bag for the competitors to draw a ball. JBL reaches in first and pulls out a blue ball, which deeply upsets the almighty conservative. Heath Slater is next and grabs a red ball. JBL offers to trade, but Slater pulls away and tucks his ball safely under his armpit. Brodie Lee then takes his draw, another red ball. John Cena is up next and he draw a blue ball. Neither JBL nor Cena is pleased to be tagging up together. Chris Jericho takes the next ball, which is also blue and he will join forces with Cena and JBL. That leaves just one formality as Cody reaches in and pulls out the last red ball. The stage is set then with Cody, Brodie and Heath on team Red Balls and Cena, JBL and Jericho on team Blue Balls for our Main Event.
 
Back at ringside, it’s time for our next contest and it is the six-pack challenge to determine the No. 1 contender for the Women’s World Championship as Alexa Bliss, Sasha banks, Dana Brooke, Allie, Kairi Sane and Charlotte Flair make their way to the ring.
 
Match #2 – Women’s No. 1 Contender Six-Pack Challenge – Alexa Bliss vs. Sasha Banks vs. Dana Brooke vs. Allie vs. Kairi Sane vs. Charlotte Flair
 
The match gets under way and everybody squares off with somebody else as Charlotte pummels Sasha in the corner, Alexa whoops up on Allie in another corner and Dana takes Kairi down with an Armdrag in the center of the ring. Charlotte puts the boots to Sasha until Banks drops down in the corner. Charlotte then turns and sprints to the middle of the ring, hitting Brooke with a Spear. Sane then kicks Charlotte in the back of the head, knocking her through the ring ropes and out to the floor. Sane then goes over to Allie and Alexa and dumps them out over the top rope and out to the ring apron and Bliss crashes all the way to the floor, but Allie hangs on and catches herself on the ring apron. All hell then breaks loose as Shayna Baszler leads Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir to the ring and the three triple team Charlotte and throw her into the ring steps. They then set up a Shield style Triple Power Bomb and toss Bliss over the barricade into the first row of the crowd. Sasha then comes flying out over the top rope, looking for a Flying Crossbody on Baszler, but Baszler catches her and then throws her into the barricade with a Fallaway Slam. Sane comes out and Spears Shafir and pummels her with big right hands as Shafir tries to cover up and Baszler and Duke struggle to pull Sane off of her. While all this is going on out on the floor, Allie climbs back in the ring as Brooke tries to regain her feet and Allie grabs a couple of fistfuls of hair and drives Brooke into the mat with a Facebuster. Allie then makes the cover and scores the three count.
 
Baszler charges into the ring after Allie, but Allie retreats to the floor and runs to the back. Backstage, another chase is still going on as Darby Allin pursues TJP through the hallways. TJ ducks around a corner and tries to hide as Allin slowly closes in. Allin passes by TJP and TJ sneaks out behind him and starts to go back the way he came, but he makes it about 10 steps before he sees security has the hallway blocked. Perkins turns to go back the other way again, but Darby Allin stands there, blocking his path, the body bag hanging from one fist. TJ looks around desperately and sees a steel folding chair and quickly snatches it up. Perkins then charges at Allin with the chair, but Allin sidesteps and uses his ankle to trip up TJ and Perkins crashes face first into his own chair as he crashes to the floor. Allin then starts putting TJ into the bag as TJ moans no and tries to crawl away, but Allin stomps on his back to hold him in place and then finishes pulling the back all the way up over his head. Allin then turns TJ over and zips up the bag as the security team approaches and Allin tells them to get him out of here. The security team then drags TJ away to spend the night in his bag.
 
Back at ringside, it’s time for our next contest as Matt Hardy and Jon Moxley make their way to the ring.
 
Match #3 – Jon Moxley vs. Matt Hardy
 
The two men trade punches as the match gets under way and Hardy pulls Moxley in close and tries to bite his face, but Moxley fights him off and then kicks him in the knee. Moxley then whips Hardy into the corner and follows him in, using his own head as a battering ram as he drives his head into Hardy’s chest. Moxley then follows up with a Snap Suplex and then floats over into the cover, but Hardy kicks out. Moxley says okay, we’ll do things the hard way then. Moxley then puts the boots to Hardy and drags him back up to his feet. Moxley sets up for the Paradigm Shift, but Hardy counters out of it and kicks Moxley in the gut. Hardy then goes for the Twist of Fate, but Moxley spins out of it and now he kicks Hardy in the gut. Moxley cinches Hardy up and this time connects with the Paradigm Shift and makes the cover for the three count.
 
Moxley picks up the win and makes his way to the back. Backstage, our broadcast colleague has caught up with the Undisputed Era, who are complaining about Brock freakin’ Lesnar joining the nWo. Cole says they have to do something about this, that this cannot stand. Cole says they need to hunt down Lesnar before the match and take him out 4-on-1 before the thing starts. Strong says the four of them should split up and search the arena and when one of them finds Lesnar, call the others and they’ll rally together and take care of business. The rest of the group agrees that is a great idea and they have a team huddle and put their hands in and do a team break before splitting up to search for the Beast.

Back at ringside, our next contest is a 6-man tag team match with No Holds Barred as Eddie Edwards and Heavy Machinery make their way to the ring. World Heavyweight Champion Marty Scurll then leads Jake Hager and The Pope to the ring, representing Eden’s Gate.
 
Match #4 – No Holds Barred 6-Man Tornado Tag – Marty Scurll, Jake Hager & The Pope vs. Eddie Edwards & Heavy Machinery
 
Eddie, Tucker and Otis don’t even wait for Eden’s Gate to get to the ring, charging up the rampway to meet Eden’s Gate as this match gets under way and you’re not going to see any tags in this match as in addition to No Holds Barred, this is a tornado tag match with all six men legal in the match at once. Hager tries to get in front of Marty to protect him, but gets run over by both Tucker and Otis at once. Eddie has Kenny the Kendo Stick in hand and Hager tries to sit up, but catches a whack over the skull from Kenny for his trouble. Tucker and Otis catch ahold of Marty and Pope and hold their arms behind their backs as Eddie rears back with Kenny and then smacks Pope across the stomach with the Kendo Stick. Tucker then does a Fully Nelson Slam on Pope on the rampway. Eddie then turns his attention to Marty, but Hager comes up on one knee behind Eddie and hits him with a Low Blow. Scurll gets Otis with a Mule Kick through the uprights and Otis goes down clutching his groin. Tucker knocks Scurll flat with a Big Boot and then he and Hager tie up and Tucker forces Hager down the rampway to the ring and drives his lower back into the side of the ring apron. Tucker then throws Hager into the ring and slides in. As Hager pulls himself back up, Tucker bounces off the ropes and knocks him flat with a huge Running Lariat. Tucker then follows up with a Big Splash and goes for the cover, but Scurll arrives with Eddie’s Kendo Stick and breaks up the cover by driving the point of the handle down into the base of Tucker’s skull. Scurll and Hager then double team Tucker, putting the boots to him. Hager then drags Tucker up and whips him into the corner and follows him in with an Avalanche Splash. Hager then moves out of the way as Scurll pumps his arm up and down and then charges in, trying to run an Avalanche Splash train, but Tucker drives his boot up into Marty’s face and Marty stumbles around the ring in a stupor. Hager then charges in and hits Tucker with a Running Lariat in the corner and then elbows him in the side of the head for good measure. He then whips Tucker across the ring into the opposite corner and follows him in with another Avalanche Splash. Scurll then goes for it again, and again he just ends up eating Tucker’s boot. Tucker fights his way out of the corner, trading punches with Hager and Hager whips him now into a third corner and follows him in with a third Avalanche Splash and then encourages Scurll to give it one more try and Scurll reluctantly backs into the opposite corner to get maximum running room and then goes for the Avalanche Splash one last time, but Edwards slides into the ring and meets Scurll midway and Spears him to the mat. From a side mount Eddie pummels Scurll with a flurry of big right hands. Hager tries to jump onto Edwards to break it up, but Edwards rolls out of the way and Hager crashes onto Marty. Eddie then picks up Kenny and Hager is dispatched by Tucker with a Clothesline out over the top rope. Marty now sits up on his knees and tries to beg off, but Eddie closes in with Kenny. Pope arrives, sliding into the ring and Eddie whirls and cracks Pope over the skull with Kenny. Scurll then tries to get Eddie from behind with another Low Blow, but no good as Otis arrives with a Running Knee Smash to the side of Scurll’s head and then follows up with the Caterpillar into an Elbow Drop. Scurll is now unable to rise under his own power and Tucker and Otis pull him up to his knees, each holding an arm out to the side and Scurll hangs there like Christ on the cross with nowhere left to run as Eddie waylays him over each shoulder with the Kendo Stick and then goes around to the back and delivers five cracks of the cane across Scurll’s back, leaving large red welts. Eddie then stands back as Heavy Machinery pulls Marty all the way up to his feet and Marty is on wobbly legs as Tucker and Otis bounce off the ropes on either side of the ring and prepare to smash Marty between them, but Hager trips up Marty from the outside and pulls him out to the floor to safety. Hager pulls Marty’s arm around him and helps him up the rampway as they retreat, leaving Pope alone in the ring with their three opponents. Pope now gets up in the middle of the ring and Tucker and Otis bounce off the ropes and smash Pope between them and Pope goes down to one knee and Eddie comes charging out of the corner and connects with the Boston Knee Party. Edwards then covers Pope for the three count.
 
Eddie and Heavy Machinery are victorious as now Hager leaves Marty at the top of the rampway, leaning against the Jumbotron and Hager returns to the ring to save Pope and pull him out of the ring and help him to the back too as Otis and Tucker storm around the ring celebrating and Eddie looks like he just wants to avoid getting trampled by his partners. In the back, our cameras follow Roderick Strong as he searches for Brock Lesnar, phone at the ready to tell the rest of the Undisptued Era where to meet up to gang up on the Beast. However, Strong doesn’t find Lesnar. Instead he finds Adam Cole being loaded onto a gurney. Cole’s shirt has been ripped off and n W o spray painted across his chest and stomach. Strong wants to know what in the hell happened? Cole says he found Lesnar, but before he could let everyone know, Lesnar attacked him and F-5ed him into the wall. Strong says to get Cole off the gurney, that they have a match to get ready for, but the medical personnel insist on taking Cole out of the arena and to the hospital to have X-rays. Strong is dejected as they cart Cole away.

Back at ringside, it’s time for our next match as M.V.P. and MJF make their way to the ring.
 
Match #5 – MJF vs. M.V.P.
 
The two men square off and MJF stops and makes a big show of taking off his gaudy Dynamite Diamond ring and handing it out to the production crew for safekeeping and MVP takes the opportunity to get in the first blow, driving his forearm into MJF’s lower back. MVP hits MJF with a flurry of clubbing blows over the neck and then connects with a Snap Suplex. MVP then bounces off the ropes and goes Ballin’ as he goes for an Elbow Drop, but MJF rolls out of the way and MVP crashes to the mat. MJF then bounces off the ropes and goes for a Leaping Knee Drop, but now MVP rolls out of the way and MJF crashes to the mat. MVP bounces off the ropes again and goes for a Drive-by Kick, but MJF ducks and counters into a Schoolboy rollup for a near fall. MVP then ducks a Clothesline as both men get back to their feet and MVP connects with an Atomic Drop. MVP then whips MJF into the corner and follows him with a Running Big Boot to the face. MVP then pulls MJF to the middle of the ring and sets up for the Playmaker, but MJF spins out of it and pokes him in the eye. MJF then connects with an Impaler DDT and makes the cover, but MVP kicks out for a near fall. MJF pulls MVP back up, but MVP tackles him backward through the corner and both men catch themselves on the ring apron to keep from crashing to the floor. The two men trade chops back and forth on the apron and MVP gets the upper hand and Clotheslines MJF over the top rope and back into the ring. MVP then tries to step through the ropes back in, but MJF cuts him off with a kick to the jaw and then leaves MVP hanging from the middle rope as he delivers the Heat Seeker and covers MVP for the three count.
 
MJF is your winner and he makes his way to the back, once again telling anyone who will listen about how great he is. In the back, Roderick Strong is looking around nervously for Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish, who aren’t answering his calls. At the same time, he’s keeping an eye out for Lesnar and checking in every room he passes. He enters a men’s room and sees Bobby Fish down and out in front of a broken sink. Loud groaning is coming out of one of the stalls. Strong checks on Bobby and then sticks his head out the door of the men’s room to yell for help. He then goes back into the men’s room and starts checking stalls until he finds the source of the groaning and it’s Kyle O’Reilly slumped down in the corner of the stall, wearing the toilet seat around his neck. Strong asks Kyle what happened, and Strong says they followed Brock in here and Brock put Bobby through the sink and said if they ever came at him with his dick out again, they’d get a mushroom stamp on their foreheads. Strong is confused and asks what a mushroom stamp is? Kyle doesn’t know either, but it didn’t sound like something he wanted. Kyle says then he got jumped from behind by the other three and that’s all he remembers. Kyle wants to know if Bobby is okay and Strong tells him no, he doesn’t think so. Medical personnel and security then arrive on the scene and tend to Fish and O’Reilly. One of the security guys informs Strong that their match is coming up next. Strong is the only one left standing and it looks like he’ll have to go face the music on his own now.

Back at ringside, Alex Shelley, AJ Styles, Finn Balor and Brock Lesnar make their way to the ring. Roderick Strong then reluctantly makes his way to the ring for what was supposed to be an eight-man tag team match, but now appears to be a 4-on-1 Handicap Match
 
Match #6 – New World Order vs. Undisputed Era
 
Shelley starts things off with Strong and goes to a Wristlock, but Strong fights him off and connects with a Sidewalk Slam-style Backbreaker.  Strong then makes the cover and comes very close to getting the quick three and pulling off a major and immediate upset, but Shelley kicks out at two. Strong puts the boots to Shelley and then drags him back up and throws him head first into the corner. Strong then clubs Shelley a few times over the back of the neck and hoists Shelley up onto one shoulder and then runs out of the corner like for a Running Powerslam, but as he throws Shelley forward, instead of riding him to the ground he throws his knees up under Shelley, turning the move into a Backbreaker. He then goes for the cover again, but now Styles and Balor come in to break it up and double team Strong with a Double Suplex. They then follow up with a Spike Piledriver and then drag Shelley over to their corner before getting back out onto the apron and Styles tags himself in. Styles comes in off the top rope as Strong regain his feet and Styles connects with the Phenomenal Flying Forearm. Styles then makes the tag to Balor and Balor comes off the top rope and connects with the Coup de Grace. Balor then tags in the big boy and here comes Lesnar for the real Coup de Grace as he scoops Strong’s lifeless carcass up off the mat and hoists him up onto his shoulders and finishes the job with the F-5. Balor then makes the cover and scores the three count.
 
The new World order gains the win in this contest in what turned out to be an extracurricular war of attrition. That leaves just one matter left unsettled tonight in our Main Event. A video package replays the highlights from the night so far and then it’s time for the Prelude to Steel.

Back at ringside, Heath Slater, Cody Rhodes, Brodie Lee, Chris Jericho, John Cena and JBL make their way to the ring for our Main Event. Jericho has really gotten into the team spirit as he wears a bandana that reads “Blue Balls” on the way to the ring.
 
Match #7 – Prelude to Steel – Chris Jericho vs. JBL vs. John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Brodie Lee vs. Heath Slater
 
Jericho demands that he start things off for his respective team and asks that JBL and Cena get a team break with him and yell “Blue Balls,” which they promptly refuse. Jericho is adamant though and won’t give up on it, even as the bell rings to start the match and Heath comes in from behind Jericho and hits his signature jumping Neckbreaker and covers Jericho for the three count and Slater has beaten Jericho for the second time in the past month. Jericho is eliminated in near record time. Slater celebrates the pin, jumping up and down and JBL comes in behind him and Slater turns around and is plowed over by the Clothesline from Hell. JBL covers Slater for the three count and things are evened back up at 2-2. Cody Rhodes now comes in to square off with JBL, but JBL says no, he wants Brodie. Cody obliges and tags out to Brodie, who comes in and immediately turns on Cody instead of going after JBL and he knocks Cody off the ring apron with a Big Boot and sends him crashing to the floor. JBL then rolls Brodie up from behind in a Schoolboy and hooks the middle rope with his free hand and scores another three count and now Brodie Lee is eliminated as well, making it Cena and JBL against Cody, 2-on-1, and Cena hasn’t even had to lift a finger yet. JBL then says it’s Cena’s turn and tags him in. Cena drops to the floor and goes around the side of the ring, stalking Cody. He then drags Cody up over by the announce table and hoists him up onto his shoulders and deliver the F-U onto the announce desk, but the table doesn’t break. Cena then drags Cody from the table and hoists him up again and delivers a second F-U onto the table and this time it gives way, breaking apart under Cody. Cena now drags Cody’s limp body to the side of the ring and slowly drags him back up to his feet and rolls him into the ring. Cena then gets back in and now JBL wants the tag. He wants to come back in and finish the job. Cena obliges and makes the tag and now JBL comes in and moves toward Cody, but Cena grabs JBL and spins him around and punts his own partner in the nuts. Cena then hoists JBL up and delivers the F-U in the middle of the ring. Cena then drags Cody over on top of JBL and stands back in the corner as the referee makes the three count and JBL is eliminated. That leaves just Cody and Cena and Cena is fresh as a daisy as the cage begins lowering down from the rafters. Before the cage comes all the way down, Cena drags Cody back up and propels him over the top rope and face first into the bottom of the cage as it comes down and Cody is busted open as he hangs motionless by the waist over the top rope. Cena pulls him back to the middle of the ring and hoists him up onto his shoulders and delivers a third F-U to Cody. The cage now is almost all the way down and Cena goes over and waits patiently near the door, taking his time as he climbs up onto the top turnbuckle and takes a seat. The bottom of the cage reaches the ring and is set in place by the ring crew and now the Steel Cage Match officially begins. Cena orders them to open the door and let him out and this may be the shortest cage match ever as the door opens and Cena takes his sweet time stepping out through the ropes. After all, Cody hasn’t moved since that first F-U onto the table. Cena starts to exit the door, but JBL hasn’t left the ringside area yet and he slams the door shut on Cena’s head. Cena falls back through the ropes into the ring and now JBL climbs into the ring as Cena stumbles back to his feet and JBL hits Cena with the Clothesline from Hell. JBL then exits the cage and heads to the back, leaving both Cena and Cody looking up at the lights. The door is then closed back up and we’re back at 0-0 in this one with both men down and out. Cena stirs first and slowly gets up to one knee and shakes his cobwebs loose. Cena then starts to pull Cody back up, but Cody counters into an Inside Cradle, shocking Cena and nearly getting the three count. The two men then warily get back to their feet and trade right hands. Cody then ducks a big punch from Cena and kicks him in the gut. Cody then springs off the ropes and connects with a Beautiful Disaster Kick. Cody makes the cover, but Cena kicks out for another near fall. Cody then heads up to the top turnbuckle and goes for a Moonsault, but Cena moves out of the way and Cody crashes and burns, landing chest first on the mat and driving out all his air. Cena then grabs Cody’s leg and tries for the STF-U, but Cody kicks him backward into the corner. Cody slowly pulls himself up, but Cena charges out of the corner and flattens him with a Running Shoulder Block. Cena then bounces off the ropes and informs Cody that “You Can’t See Me” before delivering the Five-knuckle Shuffle. Cody slowly rolls over and pulls himself up to one knee and Cena takes him by the wrist and pulls him up onto his shoulders and goes to deliver a fourth F-U, but Cody overrotates and lands on his feet and springboards off the ropes and nails Cena with another Beautiful Disaster Kick. Cody then goes for the door, but too much has been taken out of him and Cena is able to recover and catch him. Cena then pulls Cody back by the tights, dumping Cody on his ass, but Cody rolls through the momentum all the way back to his feet as Cena reaches the corner by the door and yells for them to open it back up. The door starts to open and Cena’s so focused on the door and getting out that he doesn’t see Cody coming as Cody charges into the corner and connects with a flying Stinger Splash to Cena’s back, smashing him into the turnbuckles. Cena slowly turns around to face Cody as Cody backs across the ring to get another running start. Cody then charges and goes for another Stinger Splash, but this time Cena catches him on his shoulders in position for the F-U. Cody hooks the ropes though to block it and Cena can’t pull him off the ropes. Cena then throws him in the F-U anyway, launching him over the top rope into the side of the cage, but Cena has made a pivotal mistake, throwing Cody directly into the only partially closed door that Cena ordered them to open and Cody crashes through the swinging door and out to the floor and wins the match.
 
Cena drops to his knees in disbelief at how he’s now lost this match, F-Uing Cody through the half-open door of the steel cage. Cody is down on the floor, no doubt sore as hell, but as he lays there looking up at the rafters, he holds his arms straight up in victory. Arn Anderson arrives from the back and slowly helps Cody back to his feet and helps the new No. 1 contender start to make his way up the ramp. Thank you for joining us tonight. Be sure to tune in each Wednesday for new episodes of Overdrive and join us again later this month for our next Pay Per View event, Fall Brawl. For now, the night is over and it’s time for us to be signing off.