The crowd buzzed with anticipation as Tatum Paxley, Liv Morgan, and Mercedes Moné stood in separate corners of the ring. The June Byers Classic Tournament had already produced its share of surprises, but this quarterfinal match promised something special. One woman would advance to the semifinals. Two would see their tournament dreams come to an end.
The bell rang.
Mercedes immediately attempted to play the strategist.
She stepped back and motioned for Liv and Tatum to fight each other first. Neither woman was interested.
Instead, Liv and Tatum charged directly at Mercedes.
The crowd erupted.
Liv blasted Mercedes with a running forearm while Tatum followed with a dropkick that sent The CEO tumbling through the ropes to the floor. Mercedes immediately regrouped outside while Liv and Tatum turned their attention toward one another.
Liv struck first.
A kick to the midsection was followed by a snapmare and a basement dropkick. Tatum rolled away before bouncing back to her feet and surprising Liv with a running crossbody.
Both women crashed to the canvas.
The pace picked up quickly.
Tatum connected with a series of arm drags before cartwheeling away from an attempted strike. Liv answered with a running knee that dropped Tatum to one knee. Before Liv could capitalize, Mercedes slid back into the ring and wiped both women out with a double Meteora.
The audience roared.
Mercedes immediately went to work.
She trapped Liv in the corner with a series of knees before turning around and connecting with a backstabber on Tatum. The former champion covered.
One!
Two!
Tatum kicked out.
Mercedes quickly shifted to Liv.
One!
Two!
Liv kicked out as well.
The frustration began showing.
Mercedes knew she couldn’t waste opportunities in a triple threat match.
The action continued escalating.
Liv built momentum first.
She sent Mercedes crashing into the turnbuckles before connecting with a running hip attack. Tatum attempted to attack from behind, but Liv caught her with a codebreaker that nearly stole the victory.
One!
Two!
Mercedes broke it up.
The crowd came alive.
All three women began exchanging momentum at a frantic pace.
Mercedes landed a beautiful tornado DDT on Liv.
Tatum answered with a handspring clothesline.
Liv responded with a running dropkick.
Nobody could stay down.
The audience remained on its feet.
Mercedes eventually took control.
She trapped Tatum in the Statement Maker in the center of the ring. Tatum screamed in pain while desperately reaching for the ropes.
The hold looked inescapable.
Before Tatum could tap, Liv launched herself from the top rope with a diving double stomp onto Mercedes’ back.
The submission was broken.
The crowd erupted.
Liv immediately covered Tatum.
One!
Two!
Tatum barely escaped.
Liv couldn’t believe it.
The former world champion dragged Tatum up and attempted Oblivion, but Tatum shoved her away. Liv rebounded off the ropes and ran directly into a spinning kick that dropped her.
Mercedes returned moments later and blasted Tatum with a running knee.
She covered.
One!
Two!
No!
Tatum somehow survived.
The crowd exploded.
Mercedes looked stunned.
She quickly signaled for the Moné Maker.
The audience buzzed.
Mercedes hooked Tatum and lifted her.
But Tatum fought free.
A forearm connected.
Another.
A third.
Mercedes staggered backward.
Tatum charged.
Running crossbody.
Both women crashed to the mat.
Liv suddenly flew back into the action with a springboard codebreaker that wiped out both competitors. The crowd erupted as Liv hooked Mercedes’ leg.
One!
Two!
Tatum broke up the pinfall.
All three women lay exhausted.
The tournament stakes were beginning to show.
Slowly, they dragged themselves back to their feet and began exchanging strikes in the center of the ring.
Liv rocked Mercedes.
Mercedes rocked Tatum.
Tatum answered both women with a double clothesline.
The crowd roared.
Tatum’s unique intensity was beginning to overwhelm her opponents.
Liv attempted another Oblivion.
Tatum blocked it.
Mercedes attempted a backstabber.
Tatum sidestepped it.
Chaos erupted as all three women exchanged counters and reversals at a blistering pace.
Then came the turning point.
Liv launched herself at Tatum.
Tatum ducked.
Liv accidentally crashed into Mercedes, sending her through the ropes and onto the apron.
The audience gasped.
Liv turned around.
Tatum scooped her up and planted her with a devastating slam.
Both women were down.
Mercedes climbed back into the ring.
She saw an opening.
The CEO grabbed Tatum and attempted to finish things with the Moné Maker.
The crowd rose to its feet.
Tatum fought free.
Mercedes spun around.
Tatum caught her.
CEMETERY DRIVE!
The impact echoed throughout the arena.
Mercedes crashed violently into the canvas.
The crowd exploded.
Liv was still recovering near the ropes and couldn’t intervene.
Tatum immediately hooked both legs.
One!
Two!
Three!
The bell rang.
The arena erupted into cheers.
Mercedes Moné remained motionless in the center of the ring while Liv could only watch in disbelief.
Tatum Paxley slowly sat up, a look of shock and satisfaction crossing her face as the realization set in.
She had just defeated two of the biggest names in the tournament.
The referee raised her hand high into the air as the announcement became official.
Tatum Paxley had advanced to the semifinals of the June Byers Classic Tournament.