Smackdown Live time! Last night we saw a handful of superstars head over to the red brand from the blue. Tonight, we will see who makes the trip over to the Blue brand and who will get called up to the big time from NXT. We also get more of the Shinsuke/AJ saga annnnnnd the ever developing tag team story. Also, we find out what Randy Orton will do now that they took his US title belt to another show. Let’s get it going!
Smackdown starts with a recap of Shinsuke’s “Apology” from last week and his actions during the Styles/Bryan match. Heel Shinsuke is best Shinsuke. He can flourish as the bad guy foreigner that WWE so tenderly loves.
AJ Styles walks to the ring. He comes out and trashes Shinsuke on the mic for his actions and character. Uncle Alan says Shinsuke isn’t just an artist, he’s a Con-Artist. The people still chant Nakamura. He wants retribution! He talks about his match with Daniel Bryan last week and how Shinsuke ruined that as well. AJ isn’t going to let it go until he confronts Nakamura. Uncle Alan is ready for a fight and calls Nakamura out. Aiden English and RUSEV comes out. The crowd LOUDLY chants Rusev Day. Aiden sings his intro thing and it’s wonderful. AJ looks slightly confused but thinks why the hell not. We got a match folks!
AJ Styles vs. Rusev
Rusev takes it to Uncle Alan right away but Styles gets the advantage and hits a calf-crusher. Aiden English comes in for the save and things get wild. Daniel Bryan comes out to save AJ and they clear the ring.
Winner by DQ: AJ Styles
Shane is backstage in his office. Paige walks in looking very…official. She says there is going to be a tag team match playa! Rusev and Aiden English vs D Bry and AJ Styles. Shane is on board and they talk about the Superstar shakeup tonight.
Next up is Shelton Benjamin, without his former partner Chad Gable. Shelton has a time to shine by himself. Shelton talks about finding out that Gable leaving. He says he didn’t need Chad Gable, Chad Gable needed him. Shelton says he needs the respect he deserves! He asked Paige to send him some competition….Big Competition… Randy Orton! Interesting choice. His music stops halfway down the ramp…and out comes Jeff Hardy, the new US Champion! Randy eyes Jeff up and down, pondering new and exciting ways to RKO somebody.
Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin:
Shelton starts out strong, taking the fight to Hardy from the beginning. Commercial time! Back from a long commercial and both men are on the mat. Jeff starts making a comeback, hitting all the usual Jeff Hardy moves. He goes for a Whisper in the wind but Shelton hits him and stops the momentum. Shelton climbs to the top rope, going for a suplex but Jeff defends himself. Shelton comes back quickly with a knee, then goes for another suplex. Jeff blocks again and knocks Shelton down. He hits a Whisper in the Wind and pins but Benjamin kicks at two. Shelton gets a kick to the chin but cant keep Hardy down. All the sudden Jeff hits a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb!
Winner by pinfall: Jeff Hardy
I half expected Randy to come OUTTA NOWHERE to RKO him but it didn’t happen.
There is a Miz, backstage, phone promo. Miz isn’t there apparently, he’s in LA with his wife and new born baby child.
Jey Uso vs. Luke Harper
Luke pushes Jey into the corner and starts beating him down. Jey uses his quickness to break out of it but Luke’s strength is a lot for one person to handle. Rowan tries to interfere but Jimmy assists, then Jey jumps out of the ring but Rowan catches him and sends him flying back in the ring. Harper smacks him down and gets the pin
Winner by pinfall: Luke Harper
Harper and Rowan continues to beat down the Usos after the match. Naomi runs out and gets them to back away. Temporary mercy that seems really out of place for the Bludgeon Brothers but what do I know? Im just a mark.
Sin Cara vs. Samoa Joe:
WHAT THE HELL?! NOT EXPECTED AT ALL. RIP Sin Cara. Joe starts strong but catches a few shots from Sin Cara. Joe recovers and continues the beat down. Sin Cara gets a small come back but Joe isn’t having it and pretty much murders Sin Cara. Coquina Clutch time. Night Night
Winner by submission: Samoa Joe
Hell of an acquisition by Smackdown Live. Business just picked up! Joe has a mic! He puts the locker room on notice, saying it’s the land of handouts. He’s here to get all the opportunities! To put Daniel Bryan to sleep, defangs Randy Orton, and he’ll decimate AJ Styles. He says he’s going to shred Roman Reigns at Backlash. And if Roman beats Lesnar at GRR, he’ll bring back his newly won IC title annnnd the Universal title. He’ll give him the tag titles and US title as well. Also Cruiserweight titles.
Sanity video package!
Daniel Bryan is backstage with Love of my Life, Renee Young. She asks why he helped AJ. He says AJ is on the top of his list of people he wanted to face but Shinsuke ruined it and he’s a good guy and…. All the sudden Big Cass shows up. Cass doesn’t get the hype over Daniel Bryan. Cass is still heel apparently. My wife says he’s rude.
Carmella comes to the ring for a Mellebration? Something like that. Who cares? She’s champion! Carmella stands there listening to the crowd boo. She says everyone can shut up. She’s not just the princess of Staten Island. She’s the Moon Walking, Trash Talking, Crown Princess of Smackdown Live! She says she waited and too her rightful spot on top of the women’s division. She gloats for a while about beating Charlotte last week. A video showing Carmella’s journey to championship gold. She named her championship Cleopatra apparently. Charlotte has had enough and comes down. She says her highlight reel was missing a lot of things (i.e. James Ellsworth/the Iconics). Charlotte congratulates Carmella but tells her its much harder to stay on top than to get to the top. And Charlotte has something of hers….Enter the IIconics. They say Charlotte is pathetic. They mock Charlotte for a little bit. They said they gave her magic last week and her title disappeared from around her waist. Charlotte cant decide who’s ass to whoop. She goes after the IIconic for some reason and then out comes Becky Lynch who runs through everyone. We get a commercial right as things are happening so I guess WWE doesn’t feel it isn’t that important.
Charlotte Flair vs. Billie Kay
Post commercial we see the two ladies fighting outside. Charlotte takes things back inside where she gets a good slam on Billie. At one point, after some confusion, Charlotte jumps over the top rope and Billie clubs her with a forearm. Billie stays in control for a while, putting Charlotte in various holds, showing great offense. Peyton Royce gets a cheap shot in while the ref isn’t look. Becky Lynch, who was supposed to prevent those things, wasn’t paying attention apparently. Commercial time again… back and Charlotte hits a running knee that didn’t really seem to affect Billie. Billie takes some chops from Charlotte, finishing off with a nasty one, causing Billie to fall. Charlottes come back is short lived as Billie has an answer to just about everything that Charlotte has. Charlotte eventually gets the Figure 8 in and Billie taps.
Winner by submission: Charlotte Flair
Mella attacks Charlotte, Becky attacks Mella, Peyton attacks Becky, Asuka shows up and clears the ring! Welcome to Smackdown Asuka!
Gallows and Anderson are coming to Smackdown! Brother me Brotherly. Hopefully they get a good push on Smackdown.
The Bar is coming to Smackdown as well!
New Day is backstage, then they see R-Truth and Tye Dillinger! They have an awkward staredown then do some crazy handshake. New Day loses it. R Truth says he’s happy to be on Monday Night Raw! Everyone looks confused then Truth leaves.
Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega are coming to Smackdown Live!
AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan vs. Rusev Day:
Aiden and Bryan start things out. Bryan gets control early as AJ looks on longingly. Bryan runs the ropes then catches English mid air and gets him in the Surf Board Stretch. AJ jumps off the top rope and hits a double axe handle on English. Aiden rallies but AJ doesn’t let it last long. Rusev tries to interfere but Bryan almost gets him in a Yes! lock while AJ tries to get English in the Calf Crusher. Both get out and roll out of the ring. Commercial time because why not?? Back to the action and English is in control. He sings as he has AJ in a headlock. Styles elbows his way out but Aiden grabs him back and tags in Rusev. The Lion of Bulgaria kicks AJ around, eventually gets Styles in a bear hug. Uncle Alan’s eyes are bugging out of his head. AJ gets out and tries to tag but cant quite reach. Aiden tags in and they go to work on AJ. English looks really good against the WWE Champion and just in general. Glad to see his used for more than comedy. AJ hits a jaw breaker and tries to tag, English pulls him back but AJ knocks him down. AJ just cant quite get there. He hits a Pele Kick on English and makes the tag to Daniel Bryan. Rusev is in as well and the two go at it. Daniel powers up and gets ready to lay a beat down on Rusev. He goes for a Yes Lock and its broken up by English. Rusev goes for Matchka kick but Daniel hits a dragon screw and hits the Yes Kicks! Bryan hits a flying knee. In the background, Shinsuke continues his love affair with AJ Styles crotch. Daniel notices, then turns around to see Large Cass standing in the ring, who gives him one big ass boot and a good night.
Renee Young goes to interview Shinsuke but he says “No speak English…” This had a little bit less effect than last time but still kinda funny.
That’s it for tonight folks. Smackdown ended in a deflating way, but the episode overall was pretty good for what it was. Follow me on Twitter @buuurch1 for more shenanigans, read the things on our site because…Wrestling, and as always, Take Care!
Smackdown starts with a recap of Shinsuke’s “Apology” from last week and his actions during the Styles/Bryan match. Heel Shinsuke is best Shinsuke. He can flourish as the bad guy foreigner that WWE so tenderly loves.
AJ Styles walks to the ring. He comes out and trashes Shinsuke on the mic for his actions and character. Uncle Alan says Shinsuke isn’t just an artist, he’s a Con-Artist. The people still chant Nakamura. He wants retribution! He talks about his match with Daniel Bryan last week and how Shinsuke ruined that as well. AJ isn’t going to let it go until he confronts Nakamura. Uncle Alan is ready for a fight and calls Nakamura out. Aiden English and RUSEV comes out. The crowd LOUDLY chants Rusev Day. Aiden sings his intro thing and it’s wonderful. AJ looks slightly confused but thinks why the hell not. We got a match folks!
AJ Styles vs. Rusev
Rusev takes it to Uncle Alan right away but Styles gets the advantage and hits a calf-crusher. Aiden English comes in for the save and things get wild. Daniel Bryan comes out to save AJ and they clear the ring.
Winner by DQ: AJ Styles
Shane is backstage in his office. Paige walks in looking very…official. She says there is going to be a tag team match playa! Rusev and Aiden English vs D Bry and AJ Styles. Shane is on board and they talk about the Superstar shakeup tonight.
Next up is Shelton Benjamin, without his former partner Chad Gable. Shelton has a time to shine by himself. Shelton talks about finding out that Gable leaving. He says he didn’t need Chad Gable, Chad Gable needed him. Shelton says he needs the respect he deserves! He asked Paige to send him some competition….Big Competition… Randy Orton! Interesting choice. His music stops halfway down the ramp…and out comes Jeff Hardy, the new US Champion! Randy eyes Jeff up and down, pondering new and exciting ways to RKO somebody.
Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin:
Shelton starts out strong, taking the fight to Hardy from the beginning. Commercial time! Back from a long commercial and both men are on the mat. Jeff starts making a comeback, hitting all the usual Jeff Hardy moves. He goes for a Whisper in the wind but Shelton hits him and stops the momentum. Shelton climbs to the top rope, going for a suplex but Jeff defends himself. Shelton comes back quickly with a knee, then goes for another suplex. Jeff blocks again and knocks Shelton down. He hits a Whisper in the Wind and pins but Benjamin kicks at two. Shelton gets a kick to the chin but cant keep Hardy down. All the sudden Jeff hits a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb!
Winner by pinfall: Jeff Hardy
I half expected Randy to come OUTTA NOWHERE to RKO him but it didn’t happen.
There is a Miz, backstage, phone promo. Miz isn’t there apparently, he’s in LA with his wife and new born baby child.
Jey Uso vs. Luke Harper
Luke pushes Jey into the corner and starts beating him down. Jey uses his quickness to break out of it but Luke’s strength is a lot for one person to handle. Rowan tries to interfere but Jimmy assists, then Jey jumps out of the ring but Rowan catches him and sends him flying back in the ring. Harper smacks him down and gets the pin
Winner by pinfall: Luke Harper
Harper and Rowan continues to beat down the Usos after the match. Naomi runs out and gets them to back away. Temporary mercy that seems really out of place for the Bludgeon Brothers but what do I know? Im just a mark.
Sin Cara vs. Samoa Joe:
WHAT THE HELL?! NOT EXPECTED AT ALL. RIP Sin Cara. Joe starts strong but catches a few shots from Sin Cara. Joe recovers and continues the beat down. Sin Cara gets a small come back but Joe isn’t having it and pretty much murders Sin Cara. Coquina Clutch time. Night Night
Winner by submission: Samoa Joe
Hell of an acquisition by Smackdown Live. Business just picked up! Joe has a mic! He puts the locker room on notice, saying it’s the land of handouts. He’s here to get all the opportunities! To put Daniel Bryan to sleep, defangs Randy Orton, and he’ll decimate AJ Styles. He says he’s going to shred Roman Reigns at Backlash. And if Roman beats Lesnar at GRR, he’ll bring back his newly won IC title annnnd the Universal title. He’ll give him the tag titles and US title as well. Also Cruiserweight titles.
Sanity video package!
Daniel Bryan is backstage with Love of my Life, Renee Young. She asks why he helped AJ. He says AJ is on the top of his list of people he wanted to face but Shinsuke ruined it and he’s a good guy and…. All the sudden Big Cass shows up. Cass doesn’t get the hype over Daniel Bryan. Cass is still heel apparently. My wife says he’s rude.
Carmella comes to the ring for a Mellebration? Something like that. Who cares? She’s champion! Carmella stands there listening to the crowd boo. She says everyone can shut up. She’s not just the princess of Staten Island. She’s the Moon Walking, Trash Talking, Crown Princess of Smackdown Live! She says she waited and too her rightful spot on top of the women’s division. She gloats for a while about beating Charlotte last week. A video showing Carmella’s journey to championship gold. She named her championship Cleopatra apparently. Charlotte has had enough and comes down. She says her highlight reel was missing a lot of things (i.e. James Ellsworth/the Iconics). Charlotte congratulates Carmella but tells her its much harder to stay on top than to get to the top. And Charlotte has something of hers….Enter the IIconics. They say Charlotte is pathetic. They mock Charlotte for a little bit. They said they gave her magic last week and her title disappeared from around her waist. Charlotte cant decide who’s ass to whoop. She goes after the IIconic for some reason and then out comes Becky Lynch who runs through everyone. We get a commercial right as things are happening so I guess WWE doesn’t feel it isn’t that important.
Charlotte Flair vs. Billie Kay
Post commercial we see the two ladies fighting outside. Charlotte takes things back inside where she gets a good slam on Billie. At one point, after some confusion, Charlotte jumps over the top rope and Billie clubs her with a forearm. Billie stays in control for a while, putting Charlotte in various holds, showing great offense. Peyton Royce gets a cheap shot in while the ref isn’t look. Becky Lynch, who was supposed to prevent those things, wasn’t paying attention apparently. Commercial time again… back and Charlotte hits a running knee that didn’t really seem to affect Billie. Billie takes some chops from Charlotte, finishing off with a nasty one, causing Billie to fall. Charlottes come back is short lived as Billie has an answer to just about everything that Charlotte has. Charlotte eventually gets the Figure 8 in and Billie taps.
Winner by submission: Charlotte Flair
Mella attacks Charlotte, Becky attacks Mella, Peyton attacks Becky, Asuka shows up and clears the ring! Welcome to Smackdown Asuka!
Gallows and Anderson are coming to Smackdown! Brother me Brotherly. Hopefully they get a good push on Smackdown.
The Bar is coming to Smackdown as well!
New Day is backstage, then they see R-Truth and Tye Dillinger! They have an awkward staredown then do some crazy handshake. New Day loses it. R Truth says he’s happy to be on Monday Night Raw! Everyone looks confused then Truth leaves.
Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega are coming to Smackdown Live!
AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan vs. Rusev Day:
Aiden and Bryan start things out. Bryan gets control early as AJ looks on longingly. Bryan runs the ropes then catches English mid air and gets him in the Surf Board Stretch. AJ jumps off the top rope and hits a double axe handle on English. Aiden rallies but AJ doesn’t let it last long. Rusev tries to interfere but Bryan almost gets him in a Yes! lock while AJ tries to get English in the Calf Crusher. Both get out and roll out of the ring. Commercial time because why not?? Back to the action and English is in control. He sings as he has AJ in a headlock. Styles elbows his way out but Aiden grabs him back and tags in Rusev. The Lion of Bulgaria kicks AJ around, eventually gets Styles in a bear hug. Uncle Alan’s eyes are bugging out of his head. AJ gets out and tries to tag but cant quite reach. Aiden tags in and they go to work on AJ. English looks really good against the WWE Champion and just in general. Glad to see his used for more than comedy. AJ hits a jaw breaker and tries to tag, English pulls him back but AJ knocks him down. AJ just cant quite get there. He hits a Pele Kick on English and makes the tag to Daniel Bryan. Rusev is in as well and the two go at it. Daniel powers up and gets ready to lay a beat down on Rusev. He goes for a Yes Lock and its broken up by English. Rusev goes for Matchka kick but Daniel hits a dragon screw and hits the Yes Kicks! Bryan hits a flying knee. In the background, Shinsuke continues his love affair with AJ Styles crotch. Daniel notices, then turns around to see Large Cass standing in the ring, who gives him one big ass boot and a good night.
Renee Young goes to interview Shinsuke but he says “No speak English…” This had a little bit less effect than last time but still kinda funny.
That’s it for tonight folks. Smackdown ended in a deflating way, but the episode overall was pretty good for what it was. Follow me on Twitter @buuurch1 for more shenanigans, read the things on our site because…Wrestling, and as always, Take Care!