Smackdown – October 11, 2019 (WWE Draft): Spoiler Alert! And It’s From WWE!
IMG Credit: WWE
Smackdown
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
So since we’re starting things new around here, it’s time to reset the roster with the annual Draft. Now that could be interesting this time around as well, with a bunch of non-wrestling celebrities and a big question of who is going to be brought over from Raw. This is only going to be the first half though as things keep going on Raw. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence. Dang that thing looks cool.
Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Non-title and Smackdown vs. Raw with the winner’s brand getting the #1 pick. Feeling out process to start with Seth’s headlock being blocked so he goes with a headlock takeover instead. That’s broken up so they head outside with neither being able to hit a big running strike, meaning it’s time to get back inside for the staredown. They start the shoving with Reigns knocking him down and we take a break.
Back with Reigns blocking the Stomp (oh dang that could have been like 1/10th devastating) and hitting a sitout powerbomb for two. Rollins fights back up and sends Reigns outside for back to back suicide dives (the most common move in wrestling these days). The springboard knee to the head sets up the frog splash for two but the Stomp misses again.
Rollins hits the Buckle Bomb but Reigns bounces out of the corner with the Superman Punch. The spear is countered into a Pedigree (same sequence from Money in the Bank 2016) for two….and we’ve got a Fiend. He pulls Rollins down into a hole in the ring with the Mandible Claw but Seth crawls back out as the lights come back on. Fiend pokes his head out and the lights go out again, with Fiend appearing on the stage. I guess that’s a no contest at 14:43 as Reigns must have stepped out for a hot pretzel.
Rating: C. This was just a match but the important thing here is the Fiend. They’re actually keeping the thing going after Rollins beat the Fiend clean via stoppage? Why? There shouldn’t be any rematches in a match after a disaster like that, but picking it up again so soon is a little surprising.
So officially Rollins won via DQ, even though the bell never rang. They really need to work on that stuff.
Here’s Stephanie to announce the first picks from each show. After asking why no one is booing, we get the following picks:
Raw – Becky Lynch
Smackdown – Roman Reigns
Raw – OC
Smackdown – Bray Wyatt
Raw – Drew McIntyre
The expert panel (Samoa Joe, Renee Young, Booker T. and Beth Phoenix) don’t have much to say.
FOX’s Troy Aikman and Joe Buck talk about the importance of being a #1 draft pick, with Aikman saying his finisher would be a piledriver because it has served him sell over the years. Buck: “I’m Joe Buck, and like all of you, I’ve just learned a lot about Troy Aikman.”
King Corbin vs. Shorty Gable
The real sports show has a guy named Shorty. Before the match, Corbin talks about wanting to sit in his castle because the peasants disturb him. They go outside in a hurry with Corbin sending him into the barricade, only to have Gable start back in on the leg. It heads straight back to the floor with Corbin chokeslamming him onto the announcers’ table as we take a break.
Back with Deep Six being countered into a bulldog and the rolling Liger kick sending Corbin outside again. They head back in with Corbin avoiding the moonsault but getting German suplexes for two. Some rolling German suplexes set up the ankle lock to put Corbin in more trouble but he rolls out without much trouble. The End of Days is good for the pin at 9:17.
Rating: D+. I know it’s old news at this point but EGADS WHY ARE THEY CALLING AN OLYMPIAN SHORTY??? This is just infuriating at this point as you have someone who could be a solid midcard (if not more) talent and you give him a name that belongs in a 1930s gangster movie.
The panel from the NFL on FOX pre-game show talk about the importance of building through a draft. They talk about some of their old favorites, including Dusty Rhodes and Bruno Sammartino.
More picks:
Raw – Randy Orton
Smackdown – Sasha Banks
Raw – Ricochet
Smackdown – Braun Strowman
Raw – Bobby Lashley
Unless I missed it, there is no reason given for the male World Champions not being drafted yet.
The panel talks again.
We look at Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury’s issues. They fight at Crown Jewel.
Here are Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a chat. Heyman talks about how WWE is trying to make Brock Lesnar repeat October 23, 2010, when Cain Velasquez conquered Lesnar. Brock has never made an excuse for that because he has no excuse. That brings Heyman to last week, when Lesnar won the WWE Championship and then had to face the ghost of his past. Lesnar embraces his fears because he conquers them, which he will do at Crown Jewel on October 31.
You can roll this clip back in a few weeks and find out that this is a….moment that is being interrupted by Rey Mysterio and Velasquez. Rey shows us some stills of Velasquez massacring Lesnar in their UFC fight and busting him open, leaving a scar on Lesnar’s face. Cain promises to give him a matching scar on the other cheek at Crown Jewel.
New Day brings out two sisters, one of whom survived breast cancer. They get pink title belts for a nice moment.
New Day vs. OC
Gallows knocks Woods down to start and it’s a double teaming on the floor to make it even worse. We take a break fifteen seconds in and come back with Kofi coming in off the hot tag to clean house, including the Boom Drop to Styles. The high crossbody gives Kofi two and everything breaks down. Woods hits the big flip dive onto Anderson and Gallows and Kofi dropkicks AJ. The Calf Crusher is broken up but AJ rolls Kofi up for two. The fireman’s carry backbreaker is countered as well and it’s Trouble in Paradise to pin Styles at 6:20.
Rating: C-. That was barely enough to rate but egads man. The entire point of having Anderson and Gallows out there is to take a fall here and let Kofi get some momentum back. I could go for Kofi vs. AJ, but there is a real chance that isn’t going to be the case given the Draft.
More picks:
Raw – Alexa Bliss
Smackdown – Lacey Evans
Raw – Kevin Owens
Smackdown – Revival
Raw – Natalya
Raw – Viking Raiders
Smackdown – Lucha House Party
Raw – Nikki Cross
Smackdown – Heavy Machinery
Raw – Street Profits
The panel gets in one more chat.
NFL analyst Jay Glazer lets us know that trades are possible.
Smackdown Women’s Title: Bayley vs. Charlotte
Charlotte is defending. Bayley has cut her hair and doesn’t have it in a ponytail anymore, plus has a new theme. She also doesn’t dance on the way to the ring….but she does pull out an ax and DESTROYS THE BAYLEY BUDDIES! Bayley starts fast and gets knocked right back down. They head outside instead with Charlotte being sent into the steps and we take an early break.
Back with Bayley grabbing a headlock to keep Charlotte in trouble. That’s broken up with Bayley being sent outside for a slingshot dive and it’s time to start in on the knee. Some kicks to the leg put Bayley on the floor and Charlotte hits a moonsault off the barricade. Back in and Bayley grabs a quick Bayley to Belly for two, followed by the top rope elbow for the same. Bayley freaks out and gets caught with Natural Selection, but the Figure Eight is countered into a small package to give Bayley the pin and the title at 11:25.
Rating: C-. The match was nothing but thank goodness they got Charlotte another title reign of five days so she can be a ten time champion. Bayley’s heel turn was a very hard one and that’s a good thing in her case. It didn’t make a ton of sense for her to be upset and then come dancing out there so making her a harder heel is the right move. Not as right as giving her the title back, but a right one nonetheless.
Post match, Bayley grabs the mic and says “B******. Screw all of you!” Well that’s a hard shift.
Overall Rating: C-. It didn’t have the energy that last week’s did but it also felt like they had a point, which is a good sign. It’s still not a very good show but you can tell that it’s a big deal and thankfully the FOX celebrities didn’t sound like buffoons who were miserable to be there. Things can settle down next week, though hopefully that makes the show more interesting as it just seems like a regular show on a bigger budget.
Oh and as a bonus: WWE managed to spoil the Draft order on their own website yesterday. Check this out:
Results
Seth Rollins b. Roman Reigns via DQ when the Fiend interfered
King Corbin b. Shorty Gable – End of Days
New Day b. OC – Trouble in Paradise to Styles
Bayley b. Charlotte – Small package
Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:
https://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/
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So like, I saw Rollins and Brock are in the pool for Raw on monday, and I know it won’t happen because um his strap is you know RED, but if Rollins went to Smackdown would he drop the title or take it with him?
You think they’ve thought that far ahead?
No sir, and I, as a viewer love having my intelligence insulted by seeing Rollins with a Red championship in a draft pool and wondering if he is going to Raw or Smackdown.
Probably the least insulted I’ve been by WWE the last few weeks though.
The whole network war rooms thing was supposed to make it feel more like a legit draft. I think it worked in the opposite way. The idea of war rooms was fine but it should have been a Raw/Smackdown setup not networks. Could you imagine CBS/Fox getting involved with the NFL draft? “Well, we want you to pick this guy because you’re primarily on our network and we feel he’s a star DAMMIT!” No. I know it’s a shaky comparison in a way because you’re talking two shows as opposed to 32 teams, but it ruined it for me.
Also, what in the world is going on with production for Smackdown? The framerate sucks and why are they having shows end 2-3 minutes early?
As far as the show ending early, my guess (emphasis on that word) is that they are having the show end early so the commercial can lead them into the 10pm news instead of having a commercial in the last ten minutes of the show.
Yes kB I agree but then again according to multiple sources their core audience is in the 50 for raw. I read your review on the May 10th raw 1999. You gave it a D I agree most of the Raws were either great or were bad but because they still had to put on a somewhat passable show. They fleshed out their characters. They made Steve Williams resonate to all of America. Triple h was not a blue blood in a fancy suit bowing down
Flash forward to now and the wrestling portion of the shows could not get any higher But there there is no character delevopment anymore. Even if there’s the slightest bit of a character it gets pulled back No it’s not Rusev day darn it stop cheering or it’s not the ko show lets grovel with Shane over a fine
1999 and 2000 was a boom development for characters. Granted some were duds but that’s what pulls us in to watch
It’s no different than watching the simpsons and hearing homer and Bart talk. I find it fascinating that a show can stay on the air for 30 years but yet still get viewers. Maybe not as much as in their past but they still get viewers. People tune in still because they want to see that character.
Marvel is huge business as well because people want to see that character At the end of the day or as Steve Austin eloquently says that’s the bottom line
That may 10th raw as you know got 8.1 million viewers
It did, but there are a lot more details than just the characters. That was an incredibly different time. I’m really not a fan of 1999 but there does need to be more character development and people to care about.
Oh and if samoa Joe has to retire. He would be great to put on commentary. He seems very comfortable in speaking.
That was one of my thoughts last night as well
What a disgrace. Wwe is actually making fun of themselves. kB I read your response to my earlier post and you can’t argue the success but Fox is just too sports oriented for wwe to work with. I remember as a kid Saturday Nights main event and just the aura of how simple the matches were and it was on NBC But when I watched the show Marv Albert did not all of a sudden say yes or dick Enberg say oh my or Ahmad rashad say I’m here live from market square arena. Hulk how do you feel after losing the title tonight. No the interviews were professional because Mean Gene was professional.
My birthday is Monday. I will be 40. This is not about me but I have been watching since I was 6 years old. Throughout the 90s wwe was trying their hardest to even scratch the surface of a sports center commercial Thanks to a former wwe employee in Coach they got amazing coverage on espn but now that he is gone they have really stopped coverage their wwe page is still open but barely gets updated They cover sports as does Fox. Smack down will be preemptive on Oct 25th thanks to the World Series That episode will probably be on another fox channel BUT that’s when I think fox will go to last man standing or even repeat series. Last man standings debut esp on Fox had over 8 million viewers last year but they were gone for a whole year before that. 4 million viewers even for fox on Friday’s is still considered a low number. But hey if smackdown gets moved they will be forced to change their ways
My whole point is the seismic shift from what we used to love is fading Vince and his family only care about themselves They don’t care about the fans that buy the tickets merch and have provided a good life for them. They just think we will accept any outcome and if you don’t like it too bad. Haha we got your money. I just find it very forced and cringe worthy to force celebrities or television celebrities to comment on the product when they are so uncomfortable or fake in their reaction. I know Vince has always been a mark for celebrity but just bring in the Seth greens or celebrities that actually follow the product somewhat. These sports personalities on Fox look so uncomfortable or are laughing as they are responding. Not to mention that Braun goofed at press conference and him and Cain seemed so lost in what to say or react.
I recognize the scripted format I do but every reaction even from wwe talent just seems forced. One thing I will say about Lynch when she started feud with Charlotte was that was burning inside of her to be better than Charlotte so when she hit Charlotte at Summerslam even in a scripted environment it felt organic it felt real. Same thing in Kansas City in November after nia punched her blood streaming down her face
I like Bayleys new look but she seemed so uncomfortable in saying those things. A better idea for her would be to turn heel a year earlier and form a stable with Asuka and maybe some of the other women that have been in Charlottes banks and lynchs shadow.
But she needs to be in a faction where she is the main mouthpiece. Darn this corporate wwe now. Katie Vick is definitely no more that is for sure. Like I said always a wrestling fan. Aew is smart they have not had Charles Shaq or Kenny at their show yet and I hope they stay clear of cross promoting and just let the fans come. MJf May feel like miz but he is golden on the mic. Best regards KB Let’s hope they don’t screw up war games for you at takeover if you can go to that.
Oh one last thing. I don’t think Rollins can wrestle in Northern California anytime soon. He also had a clunker in San Jose against Ambrose at tlc last year
First off, happy advance birthday.
You’re quite right on a lot of this. Things have changed so much and it does seem like it’s all about the presentation rather than what they’re presenting. The scripted stuff drives me crazy and I’m hoping they at least start to drop it a bit.
A lot of the time, if I’m going to be working on something else, I’ll thrown on an old show that I’ve seen a hundred times just for background noise. Today it was Wrestlemania VI, which opens with Rick Martel vs. Koko B. Ware.
It was striking to me how much more laid back everything was back then. You had an arrogant guy who claimed to be a model against a guy who carried a bird around with him. There was no overly annoying announcing, there was no big gimmick to the match and the announcers weren’t talking about everything else that was coming later on in the show.
I know things have changed and I’m not wild on it either, but it always feels like they’re pushing too hard and it’s so tiring.
Least now we know there’s no point in watching Raw Monday with the rest of the draft being spoiled.
Enjoyed the first half of the Draft. Bray Wyatt was the biggest surprise going to Smackdown but apparently Fox wanted The Fiend. Also a good refresh for Braun Strowman and Sasha Banks going to Fridays.
I loved Bayley’s new look, so awesome. Long overdue really but it was a nice slow burn.
Oh my goodness please have Cesaro go to NXT. Just saw hes a free agent as of tonight.