EMPIRE

Empire (stylised as EMPIRE) was a villainous stable that originally consisted of Braun Strowman, Austin Aries and Neville, being managed by Vince McMahon.

The stable existed on both Raw and SmackDown, and included multiple heel wrestlers in various incarnations of the stable. The stable was also parodied at one point by Curt Hawkins, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel.

McMahon founded, formed, and led EMPIRE by hand-picking numerous wrestlers and would often use his political pull in the WWE to give the stable vast degrees of advantages, a similarity to The Corporation and The Authority in real life.

Though the stable has achieved championship success in all incarnations, it's believed that the incarnations from WWE 2K17 were the most successful.

Formation
Following the opening match for SmackDown in Series 2 (Episode #3), the seeds for EMPIRE's formation were planted when Austin Aries was spotted backstage conversing with Vince McMahon. Gore, who was overseeing SmackDown at the time, noted that Aries was repping new merchandise, an EMPIRE tank top. He later ran interference in SmackDown's main event between Shinsuke Nakamura and John Cena, assisting Cena and costing Nakamura an opportunity at the then-vacant United States Championship. Aries, however, did receive a Kinshasa and eventually retreated. At the match's conclusion, Aries returned to the stage, but brought Braun Strowman and Cruiserweight Champion Neville with him and the trio stared down Nakamura.

On Episode #5, Mr. McMahon came to the ring and officially announced the formation of EMPIRE, explaining that he was retiring and leaving the company to his daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Triple H and was going out the only way he could by hand-picking Aries, Neville and Strowman to dominate the singles division on SmackDown, and then expand to Raw to take their championships as well. Following this, Strowman defeated Cesaro for the right to face John Cena for the United States Championship at the SmackDown exclusive pay-per-view Backlash. Two weeks before Backlash on Episode #7, Strowman teamed up with WWE Champion Chris Jericho and defeated John Cena and The Miz in a champions versus challengers warm up.

At the beginning of the go-home SmackDown for Backlash (Episode #12), SmackDown GM The Miz addressed the issues between EMPIRE and Shinsuke Nakamura, as many fans felt Aries had screwed Nakamura and that he deserved a fair chance. Miz responded by booking a three-on-one handicap match between EMPIRE and Nakamura, adding that Nakamura would face Aries at Backlash if he lasted 10 minutes in the match. Additionally, Miz added that EMPIRE would be banned from ringside and Nakamura would be allowed to choose the match stipulation. Nakamura survived the 10 minutes, but failed to win the handicap match.

Championship success
In the first step of dominating the WWE singles divisions across both brands, McMahon had recruited Neville, who won the Cruiserweight Championship at Fastlane in Series 1 of WWE 2K17 Universe Mode before EMPIRE was formed. In his first singles match as a member of the group, Neville retained the Cruiserweight Championship against Noam Dar at the Raw exclusive pay-per-view, Extreme Rules.

EMPIRE quickly gained their second championship in the opening part of Backlash (Episode #13) after Braun Strowman defeated John Cena in the finals of a mini-tournament to win the vacant United States Championship.

After being defeated by Shinsuke Nakamura in an Extreme Rules match earlier in the night, Austin Aries rushed to the ring following Sinister's attack on Chris Jericho at the conclusion of his WWE Championship match against The Miz. He cashed in his WrestleMania Money in the Bank contract on a weakened Jericho, and disposed of him in nearly 3 minutes to become the new WWE Champion.

Following Strowman's United States Championship victory, Gore issued an open challenge for anybody from Raw or SmackDown for the championship, which was answered on SmackDown (Episode #17) by Tyler Bate. Strowman retained the championship and looked to attack Bate after the match with a chair, though he was thwarted by Shinsuke Nakamura, the number one contender to his title. At Unforgiven, however, Strowman defeated Nakamura to retain the United States Championship.

Meanwhile, Aries had his first singles match as WWE Champion on Episode #19's SmackDown and defeated Luke Harper in a non-title match, with neither man having their teammates at ringside. Aries taunted Harper for tapping out, and was attacked by Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt as a result, sparking a feud between the Wyatt Family and EMPIRE.

Neville was only really seen on SmackDown as a manager to Aries or Strowman, though he continued his run as Cruiserweight Champion and defeated Jack Gallagher at Raw's Judgment Day pay-per-view to retain the title. On SmackDown's go-home show before Unforgiven, Neville wrestled Randy Orton in a losing effort, and was attacked by the Wyatt Family after the match, escalating the feud between the two stables.

Feud with the Wyatt Family
After being defeated by Bray Wyatt in a non-title match on Episode #21, many subscribers labelled Austin Aries a weak champion, despite him beating Kevin Owens at Unforgiven not long after to retain the championship. Aries was placed in a warm up match against Luke Harper on Episode #35 to prepare for his title defence against Bray Wyatt at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view, though he was defeated by Harper, raising further questions about Aries' legitimacy as a world champion.

To redeem themselves for Aries' nightmare of a warm up match, Neville was booked to face Bray Wyatt as a warm up for the two on the following SmackDown (Episode #37). However, EMPIRE were unable to kick the trend of losing to the Wyatt Family, as Bray Wyatt picked up the win leading into Money in the Bank.

At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, both Aries and Strowman lost their respective championships to Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper of the Wyatt Family. However, the WWE Championship match was not without controversy, as the referee got stuck in the ropes while running in to count Austin Aries' pin on Bray Wyatt. Gore, who was controlling Aries, believed that it was at least a 6 count before the referee became unstuck. Aries was also on the receiving end of some outside interference from Luke Harper, which hindered his chances even further. On the contrary, Neville continued his run of dominance in the cruiserweight division and defeated Brian Kendrick to retain his title.

Following Braun Strowman and Austin Aries' losses, EMPIRE went on a sabbatical from SmackDown for a few weeks before Aries returned on Episode #47 to invoke his rematch clause against Bray Wyatt at SmackDown's No Mercy pay-per-view in a Hell in a Cell match to prevent any outside interference from the Wyatt Family. He also held an open challenge to prove his abilities to those who doubted him, which The Rock answered. Aries defeated The Rock and attacked him after the match.

In the midst of Strowman and Aries' absence, Neville continued to steamroll through his challengers for the Cruiserweight Championship, defeating Rey Mysterio at Raw's Fatal 4 Way event. At No Mercy, Aries defeated Bray Wyatt inside Hell in a Cell to win back his WWE Championship, snapping the Wyatt Family's winning streak against EMPIRE, making Aries a two-time WWE Champion and bringing the title back to EMPIRE.

On the Raw following No Mercy (Episode #56), Neville made an appearance and attacked Finn Balor, who he was facing at Summerslam for the Cruiserweight Championship. The next night on SmackDown (Episode #57), Gore announced that SmackDown's main event for Summerslam would see the Wyatt Family take on EMPIRE in a Winner Takes All six-man tag team match, with Aries' WWE Championship and Luke Harper's United States Championship on the line. In preparation for both his Cruiserweight Championship match and the six-man tag, Neville faced SmackDown's latest acquisition Sami Zayn on Episode #59 in a winning effort. On the final SmackDown before Summerslam (Episode #61), Neville and Braun Strowman defeated Luke Harper and Randy Orton in a warm up match. However, EMPIRE could not replicate their success at Summerslam, as Neville lost his Cruiserweight Championship to Finn Balor in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match, and EMPIRE lost in the six-man tag. On the SmackDown after Summerslam, Vince McMahon took to Twitter to kick Austin Aries out of the group and announce that they were taking time to "recalibrate and come back stronger than ever". Neville also left the group after Summerslam, though he left on his own accord rather than being kicked out by McMahon.

"The New EMPIRE", struggles
After nearly two months absence in-game, McMahon returned on Episode #81's SmackDown during the build up to King of the Ring. Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe attacked Baron Corbin's King of the Ring opponent that night, Cody Rhodes, and effectively took him out of the tournament. Rhodes was replaced by Drew McIntyre, though Corbin managed to advance anyway. The following week (Episode #83), Gore confirmed that Corbin had been made an official member of EMPIRE. Former EMPIRE member Neville met new recruit Baron Corbin in the next round of the King of the Ring tournament, and ended up defeating Corbin, instantly ending EMPIRE's chances at winning King of the Ring.

Following EMPIRE's failure at attempting to take out the King of the Ring crown, interim SmackDown GM Mark Henry allowed Drew McIntyre and Cody Rhodes a shot at revenge, booking them against Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman. Henry added the stipulation that if Rhodes and McIntyre won, both of them would become contenders for Luke Harper's United States Championship, but if EMPIRE won, only Corbin would go for the championship. EMPIRE won the match, meaning Corbin advanced to Cyber Sunday with a title opportunity. Corbin was unsuccessful in capturing the title at the event.

Two weeks after Cyber Sunday, Braun Strowman competed in a fatal four-way that also featured Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura and Kevin Owens with the winner facing Jinder Mahal for the United States Championship at Great Balls of Fire. Strowman was unsuccessful, but fellow EMPIRE member Samoa Joe was able to defeat WWE Champion Chris Jericho in a warm up match in the main event of the same SmackDown (Episode #109). Unhappy that Strowman was screwed out of the match, Vince McMahon arranged a triple threat grudge match pitting Strowman against Zayn and Nakamura the next week (Episode #111), though Strowman once again narrowly missed out on a victory.

Universal Championship heist, resurrection of the World Heavyweight Championship
After multiple fruitless attempts to get on the Great Balls of Fire card, EMPIRE decided to take matters into their own hands. Baron Corbin and Braun Strowman attacked Dean Ambrose backstage during the night, forcing Ambrose and Roman Reigns to leave the arena to go to a nearby hospital. Samoa Joe then attacked Raw's Universal Champion Seth Rollins before his championship match against Rusev in the main event of the evening, stealing the championship for himself in the process. Rusev ended up winning the match, but not the title since Joe had stolen it prior to the match officially starting.

On the SmackDown following Great Balls of Fire (Episode #119), Joe proclaimed himself the Universal Champion and offered Raw a one-time deal in the form of an open challenge to get back their championship in the main event. Before the open challenge, Braun Strowman defeated Kevin Owens to get a shot at Jinder Mahal's United States Championship at Battleground. In the main event, Rusev, who defeated Seth Rollins at Great Balls of Fire, answered the challenge on Raw's behalf. The numbers game proved to be too much with EMPIRE at ringside, and Samoa Joe officially "won" the Universal Championship.

With Samoa Joe officially being recognised as Universal Champion and Braun Strowman being number one contender to the United States Championship, EMPIRE decided to attempt to capture more gold by having Baron Corbin face Finn Balor on Episode #121, with the winner receiving a championship match at a later date. Corbin was unsuccessful, partially due to Balor bringing Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson with him to level the playing field. To open Episode #123, Vince McMahon announced that EMPIRE had abandoned the Universal Championship and brought back the World Heavyweight Championship, as it "[matched] the prestige of EMPIRE". Joe quickly defeated Jinder Mahal in a non-title match shortly afterwards. Episode #123 also marked Vince McMahon's first official match of the series, as he went up against Finn Balor inside of a steel cage. McMahon picked up the win after rolling up Balor and leveraging his leg on one of the ropes, though Balor got the last laugh, as Hideo Itami attacked McMahon while he was celebrating his victory.

After former Raw GM Big Show was ousted by the frustrated Raw locker room on Episode #118, Shane McMahon was announced as the new general manager on Episode #122, where he announced that Vince McMahon had convinced Joe to allow Raw one more opportunity to reclaim their world championship, under the condition that neither Rusev nor Seth Rollins could challenge for the title. Shane then announced a mini tournament on Raw to find a challenger for Samoa Joe at Battleground, which John Cena ended up winning on Episode #126. Cena was confronted by EMPIRE after the match, but did not back down. At Battleground, Braun Strowman was successful in recapturing the United States Championship, while Samoa Joe retained the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena. Joe also retained his championship against Mark Henry in the opening of SmackDown immediately after Battleground (Episode #133).

Feud with Balor Club, Joe's championship loss and Strowman's success
Following Hideo Itami's post-match attack on Vince McMahon, EMPIRE turned their attention to the Balor Club. To prove Baron Corbin belonged in EMPIRE despite his win-loss record since joining the stable, Vince McMahon booked him against new Balor Club recruit Hideo Itami on Episode #135's SmackDown. Corbin lost the match, leading to Gore booking Itami and Finn Balor against Corbin and McMahon on the following week's SmackDown. EMPIRE lost that match, putting a cloud over Corbin's future with the group.

While Corbin and McMahon were preoccupied with the Balor Club, both Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman were focused on defending their respective championships. During Episode #134, Raw GM Shane McMahon was seen conversing with his old adversary, Brock Lesnar, and shook his hand. On next week's Raw (Episode #136), Paul Heyman sent out a tweet directed to Samoa Joe, telling him to watch and learn from Lesnar, hinting that Lesnar would be Raw's next challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship. After Lesnar's match against Dolph Ziggler, Joe ran in and struck Lesnar with his championship, seemingly accepting the challenge. After Lesnar opened Raw during Episode #138 and won his match against Bo Dallas, Joe appeared again and attacked Lesnar, leading to the two being pulled apart by referees and security. At Hell in a Cell, Joe retained his title against Lesnar inside the Hell in a Cell structure, though he was attacked by Seth Rollins during his celebration. Immediately after Rollins left, Raw's Mr. Money in the Bank contract holder Kenny Omega ran down and cashed in his briefcase on Joe successfully, becoming the new World Heavyweight Champion and bringing the title back to Raw.

Strowman, meanwhile, was dealing with Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers, who were looking to reclaim the United States Championship after Strowman won it at Battleground. Mahal sent a "workout video" to Strowman in an attempt to intimidate him, though it didn't appear to phase him, as he defeated former EMPIRE teammate and WWE Champion Neville in a non-title champion vs champion warm up match. Strowman then went on to defeat Mahal at Hell in a Cell to retain his championship.

Feud with The Shield; First Woman of EMPIRE
On the Raw following Hell in a Cell (Episode #144), Seth Rollins explained that he'd had enough of EMPIRE and his post-match attack on Samoa Joe was simply retaliation for stealing the Universal Championship and attacking Dean Ambrose, as well as putting several other Superstars out of commission. He then challenged EMPIRE to a six-man tag team match at Survivor Series, so EMPIRE could prove they weren't cowards. Samoa Joe declined the proposed Survivor Series match on SmackDown (Episode #145) until he was guaranteed a rematch for the World Heavyweight Championship against Kenny Omega, threatening to go into business for himself if he wasn't granted the rematch. During Episode #146, Rollins asked Shane McMahon for Samoa Joe to be guaranteed a rematch after Survivor Series, which was granted. In a separate backstage segment, Vince McMahon was shown speaking to a mystery Superstar, potentially recruiting a member of the Raw roster to join EMPIRE.

In the opening bout of SmackDown (Episode #147), Tamina Snuka had tweeted Vince McMahon prior to the beginning of the show, saying that she was ready for the next level and implored him to watch her match. During her entrance and the match, Tamina wore an EMPIRE shirt, hinting that she wanted to be a part of the faction. She defeated Carmella and SmackDown's latest signee Asuka, who had been acquired in a trade deal with Raw that sent Becky Lynch to the red brand. McMahon was impressed by Tamina's showing, but announced an open challenge during Episode #151 for any woman on SmackDown to face Tamina, with the winner officially joining EMPIRE. Asuka answered the challenge and defeated Tamina, becoming the first female member of EMPIRE. During the same episode, Samoa Joe defeated Chad Gable in a warm up match for the six-man tag against The Shield.

At the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Braun Strowman retained his United States Championship against Kurt Angle approximately an hour before the six-man tag main event. EMPIRE defeated The Shield in the main event after Samoa Joe lastly eliminated Seth Rollins. Confusion also clouded the match, as Roman Reigns screwed his Shield teammates over by getting himself disqualified for striking EMPIRE member Baron Corbin with a baseball bat in the opening minutes of the match. The following night on Raw (Episode #156), Reigns betrayed The Shield and turned heel by attacking Rollins during his entrance. He then defeated Rollins in an impromptu match, during which Gore announced that Baron Corbin had been kicked out of EMPIRE, and Reigns was quitting the Raw brand to take Corbin's place in EMPIRE on SmackDown. He also revealed that Reigns was the mystery Superstar that Vince McMahon was recruiting during Samoa Joe's visit to Raw on Episode #146. Reigns' defection from The Shield to EMPIRE ended the feud between the two groups.

Championship pursuits
Following Reigns' betrayal and defection, EMPIRE immediately looked to add more championships to the groups ranks. Asuka attacked both SmackDown Women's Champion Alexa Bliss and Carmella at the conclusion of their championship match, while Reigns defeated former EMPIRE member Baron Corbin to move up in the power rankings. In the main event of Episode #161, Undertaker defeated Braun Strowman in a non-title match to warm up for his upcoming championship rematch against WWE Champion Finn Balor. Before he could celebrate the victory, however, Reigns and Joe rushed to the ring and attacked Undertaker from behind, with Strowman joining in once he came to.

At the special Tribute to the Troops event, Asuka was unsuccessful in a six-woman battle royal to determine Alexa Bliss' opponent at Roadblock for the SmackDown Women's Championship. During Episode #168, the go-home SmackDown before Roadblock, WWE revealed that EMPIRE's attack had left Undertaker unable to compete in his WWE Championship match. Strowman and Reigns also defeated the team of Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura in the main event. At the Roadblock event, Nakamura defeated Strowman to end his dominant run as the United States Champion.

Following Roadblock, Roman Reigns again made his presence felt on Raw (Episode #172), attacking Rob Van Dam after his Extreme Rules match with Dean Ambrose. Reigns then defeated Jeff Hardy on SmackDown (Episode #173) in potentially one of the worst tables matches in Universe Mode history, with the win making Reigns the number one contender for Finn Balor's WWE Championship at the joint-branded TLC pay-per-view. Episode #175's SmackDown saw Asuka defeat Nia Jax to be named the number one contender to Alexa Bliss' SmackDown Women's Championship at TLC. SmackDown GM The Miz also conveyed a message from EMPIRE that they would take matters into their own hands, regarding Raw claiming the number 30 spot in the upcoming Royal Rumble for themselves. In the midst of the Royal Rumble controversy, EMPIRE quietly received more championship opportunities, as Samoa Joe revealed he was using his rematch clause against World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega at TLC. Joe defeated Cruiserweight Champion and former rival Hideo Itami in his warm-up match on Episode #177. Roman Reigns had his warm-up match for the now triple threat at TLC, defeating Jeff Hardy in a much better tables match on Episode #179, the go-home show before TLC.

At the TLC event, Asuka and Reigns were unsuccessful in their title matches, as both champions retained their respective titles. However, Samoa Joe regained Raw's World Heavyweight Championship after defeating Kenny Omega in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.

Members
During the 2K18 Series 1 draft, Roman Reigns, Neville And Baron Corbin were drafted to the Raw brand, while Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe And Asuka stayed on SmackDown And Austin Aries And Mr McMahon Was Left Undrafted. Gore & Perkins Didn't mention any references to The Empire during the video, effectively ending The Empire.

Championships and accomplishments

 * WWE Championship (2 times) - Austin Aries
 * WWE Universal Championship (1 time) - Samoa Joe
 * World Heavyweight Championship (2 times) - Samoa Joe
 * United States Championship (2 times) - Braun Strowman
 * WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) - Neville