Smackdown
Date: September 23, 1999
Location: Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 13,348
Commentators: Michael Hayes, Michael Cole

It’s the last show before Unforgiven and things got a bit more interesting on Raw, as Vince McMahon made the main event of the pay per view for the vacant title. HHH will be involved as well, with Steve Austin as the referee to stack the odds even higher. Other than that, Jeff Jarrett is still a woman hating psycho so we’ll probably get more from him. Let’s get to it.

Here is Raw is you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Vince McMahon, who wastes no time in introducing HHH, naturally with Chyna. Vince brags about being back in charge, and if what he did to HHH on Monday was a headache, tonight will be a migraine. This Sunday, HHH will be facing five opponents at once, but tonight he’ll be facing all of them again , but one on one. And on top of that, we’ll have a special stipulation for each:

The Rock – Brahma Bull Rope Match

Undertaker – Casket Match

Mankind – Boiler Room Brawl

Kane – Inferno Match

Big Show – Chokeslam Challenge

Now, HHH doesn’t have to win all of the matches to keep his spot in the Six Pack Challenge, but he does have to win 3/5. And we’ll start here.

HHH vs. Big Show

Chokeslam Challenge, meaning you win by chokeslamming your opponent. Show fires off some headbutts to start but HHH slugs away in the corner. That earns him a heck of a chop but Show misses a charge. HHH tries a chokeslam, which goes as well as you would expect, with Show hitting one of his own for the win.

HHH: 0-1

Post match Show chokeslams him again and tries a third but a Chyna distraction is enough for the save.

The referees were on strike earlier today when the Dudley Boyz came in and beat them up.

Chris Jericho is ready to prove how dangerous he is tonight by making Ken Shamrock bleed. Just don’t get it on his clothes. That’s because they have a first blood match, because when HHH is in FIVE GIMMICK MATCHES, we need a sixth.

European Title: X-Pac vs. Mark Henry

X-Pac is challenging and here is D’Lo Brown to join commentary. X-Pac strikes away to start and is quickly launched into the air for a crash down onto the mat. The bearhug is broken up but the Bronco Buster misses. Henry hits a splash in the corner but misses an elbow, with Brown saying that’s why Henry needs to lose weight. X-Pac kicks away and hits the Bronco Buster before knocking Henry out to the floor…for the countout.

Rating: C. X-Pac can do the hit and run offense rather well and this was just believable enough to work. There wasn’t exactly much of a reason to believe that the title would change hands here as Brown vs. Henry is already set but this could have been far worse. If nothing else, at least it wasn’t a pinfall before a title match like Test pinning Jeff Jarrett on Raw.

Luna wants the Women’s Title.

Here is Jeff Jarrett, with Miss Kitty, for a chat. Jarrett introduces himself to the fans, which they should probably know if he’s the Intercontinental Champion, before saying Debra didn’t know her place and that’s why she’s injured. A stage manager asks Jarrett to wrap it up so Jarrett loads up the Figure Four. Cue Chyna with a frying pan to the head for the save, complete with Chyna giving him a soup ladle, frying pan and an apron. Then she steals his trunks and puts them on for a bonus. On Sunday, Jarrett will see who is wearing the pants and the title.

HHH vs. Kane

Inferno match and Chyna is here with HHH. Kane shrugs off the right hands to start but it’s too early to light HHH on fire. The facebuster and jumping knee to the face have Kane down, though not enough to light him on fire either. The Pedigree is blocked and Kane hits a chokeslam….but a bloody X-Pac is down on the stage. Undertaker, Mideon and Viscera show up as well so Kane dives over the fire onto the minions. A hard shot knocks Kane into the fire though and HHH wins.

Rating: D. So in one night, we’re not only burning through a bunch of gimmick matches, but also making them feel lame, as this was a three and a half minute match with interference. Kane vs. HHH in an Inferno Match is easily a pay per view level match, but here it is about 45 minutes into a Smackdown with no notice coming into the show. That’s Russo’s take on gimmick matches in a nutshell and it’s another big waste.

HHH: 1-1

Kane, with his hand still on fire, goes to check on X-Pac, which has to be some kind of a health hazard.

Post break and Kane is very upset at what happened to X-Pac.

Undertaker brags about hurting X-Pac and Kane as a result. With that, he’s ready to go, but Lilian Garcia brings up the casket match. Undertaker says that isn’t happening because Vince McMahon doesn’t order him to do anything. Vince pops in and says if he isn’t in the casket match, he’s not participating at Unforgiven either. Undertaker says maybe he won’t be participating in anything around here and walks away.

Here is the Rock for a chat. He doesn’t think too much of HHH bragging, but he does think something of the Dallas Stars in the front row. The Rock has asked to borrow the Stanley Cup (which the Stars won earlier in the year) for the purposes of personally violating HHH. Cue Mankind to interrupt, and while he doesn’t know who this Stanley guy is, but he has a cup (as in the protective kind) for the Rock, because we have to protect the People’s Jewels so we can have Rock Jr. one day.

Mankind thinks the people want to see the Boiler Room Brawl, because he is going to take a steel pipe, shine it up real nice, turn it sideways….and hit HHH right over the head with it! Cue Road Dogg to interrupt, saying no one wants to see the Boiler Room Brawl or the Brahma Bull Rope match. What people want to see is this, so here is Billy Gunn, as the Outlaws are back together. That sounds like a challenge, and Mankind says the Rock N Sock Connection is in.

Tag Team Titles: Rock N Sock Connection vs. New Age Outlaws

The Outlaws are challenging and Gunn neckbreakers Mankind for two to start. Dogg comes in to hammer away but it’s off to Rock to do the same. Mankind adds the running knee and whips Dogg into the barricade. Back in and Dogg hammers on Rock, who drops him with a single punch.

The low blow has Dogg in more trouble and it’s back to Mankind (who was already in the ring when he was tagged). Everything breaks down and Gunn breaks up the Rock Bottom as Mankind was already posing. Mankind is sent into the ropes, where his knee gives out as he collides with Rock. The Fameasser gives Gunn the pin and the titles totally clean.

Rating: C. Not the smoothest match but it was nice to see something go down without all kinds of shenanigans. At the same time, it’s weird to see the Outlaws getting the big face pop for the reunion against the super team of Rock and Mankind. You usually wouldn’t put two face teams together like that, but 1999 and all that. It does help that Rock and Mankind had to do something before facing HHH, making things a bit more even.

The Outlaws hit their catchphrase as the team is back.

Vince McMahon swaps Mideon and Viscera in for Undertaker in the casket match.

HHH doesn’t care.

Al Snow is worried about someone being late and checks his watch, which he needs to get fixed as it’s running slow. Snow is not wearing a watch.

HHH vs. Mideon/Viscera

Casket Match and the rather busy Chyna is here with HHH as well. HHH slugs away to start but gets taken down, with Viscera’s splash hitting Mideon by mistake. Chyna gets in a low blow on Viscera so HHH hits a Pedigree each and throws Mideon in for the win. Or not actually, as Shane McMahon says HHH has to put BOTH of them in the casket at the same time. The double teaming is on again and some splashes crush HHH for the easy win. Not long enough to rate counting the Shane interference, but egads the overbooking is nuts on this show.

HHH: 1-2

Ivory agrees to face Luna in a hardcore match for the Women’s Title at Unforgiven.

Hardcore Holly vs. Al Snow

Hardcore match and Crash Holly is in Hardcore’s corner. Before the match, Hardcore says Al Snow owes him a favor for injuring Big Boss Man on Raw. Holly hammers away to start and hits a dropkick as commentary talks about everything else going on tonight. We see Big Boss Man tormenting the rottweilers in a car in the back, which fires Snow up. Snow takes out an invading Crash but walks into the Falcon Arrow for the fast pin.

Post match Big Boss Man runs in and feeds Al Snow dog food.

HHH vs. Mankind

Boiler Room Brawl, with the winner being the first person to escape as soon as the door is closed. For some reason HHH doesn’t just step right back outside, instead waiting for Mankind to charge at him and start the brawl. They hit each other with various things as HHH takes over, including hitting him with a big metal pole.

Mankind hits him in the back with a wooden stick but a whip into a transformer cuts him off. A suplex onto a bunch of bolts has Mankind in more trouble but instead of leaving, HHH misses a shot with a pipe. The Mandible Claw has HHH mostly out cold and Mankind goes to leave, only to stop and go for an elbow. Never mind that Foley would have had to jump 15 feet, but someone we can’t see shoves him off the platform for a crash (nowhere near HHH), allowing HHH to win.

Rating: D. Add it to the list of matches we had to rush through to get everything included on this show. This one didn’t exactly work because of the time (shocking) but also because the boiler room was rather cramped and they couldn’t do much. The big crash at the end looked good, but it was also pretty much given away because Foley would have been six feet short on a dive even if no one had pushed him.

HHH: 2-2

The British Bulldog is looking for Vince McMahon.

Ken Shamrock vs. Chris Jericho

First Blood and Jericho is in full Buffalo Sabers hockey gear, complete with a face mask. Shamrock strikes away to start before throwing him down by the mask a few times. A posting doesn’t do much good for Shamrock but Jericho is at least rather shaken up. Back in and Shamrock kicks him low before finally getting smart enough to take off the mask. Cue Curtis Hughes for a distraction, allowing Jericho to get in some hockey stick shots. A top rope splash makes Shamrock bleed internally to wrap it up. That would be it for Shamrock in WWE, as he loses a First Blood match in less than three minutes. Thrilling.

Vince McMahon meets with British Bulldog, who was promised a WWF Title shot. Works for Vince, who gives him Undertaker’s spot in the Six Pack Challenge. Bulldog is pleased, so he’ll be special referee for the Brahma Bull Rope match. Vince doesn’t quite get it but signs of anyway. Bulldog is a stretch for a pay per view main event but if Undertaker is hurt, it’s all they could do.

HHH vs. The Rock

Brahma Bull Rope match, meaning a strap match with pinfalls and submissions, British Bulldog is guest referee and HHH, with Chyna, has to win to stay in the Six Pack Challenge. Rock hammers away to start and they’re on the floor early on. Make that out into the crowd where the camera takes a second to catch up.

HHH gets the better of things before they go back to ringside, where Rock manages a whip into the steps for two on the floor, because this is apparently falls count anywhere. Back in and HHH knocks him down, setting up a low blow. Hold on though as Bulldog and HHH get into a fight, allowing Rock to punch HHH out to the floor again.

A DDT on the floor gets another near fall (because that’s a near fall in HHH’s fifth match of the night) and they fight up to the entrance. Cue Jeff Jarrett to hit Chyna in the back with a frying pan to knock her cold, setting up a Figure Four. Jarrett lets that go in a few seconds and leaves as the people actually in the match get back inside. The facebuster drops Rock but he’s back with the Rock Bottom…and Bulldog drops HHH with a clothesline. The running powerslam sets up the Pedigree to give HHH the win.

Rating: D-. So there was interference that didn’t matter in the result of the match, interference that did matter in the main event and the bull rope didn’t add a thing to the whole thing. I get that they had to do something with another gimmick, but the falls count anywhere thing was out of nowhere and the whole thing was a mess. Maybe it’s just gimmick overload, but this was the one last bad thing on a show full of them.

HHH: 3-2

Bulldog and HHH beat Rock down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Here’s what’s so frustrating about this show: there is a good idea in there somewhere. HHH having to run a gauntlet to stay in a title match isn’t a terrible idea (though it’s quite a good guy thing rather than something you would normally see from a mega heel) but this was all taking place in the span of less than two hours with no notice. Since wrestling five matches in one night for anyone is tricky enough, having those five matches last about half an hour at most combined. It’s hard to fathom how you can run through THAT MUCH in one night, but Russo managed to pull it off.

That’s in addition to a hardcore match and First Blood match, plus two more matches. It’s a case of what could have been and good night there was a lot of potential wasted here. This felt like a video game more than a wrestling show, and it’s also a good example of why that’s a really bad idea. Horrible execution here, even if there was something of an idea.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 18, 2024
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re getting closer to Crown Jewel and the show is going to need something more than just the World Champions clashing. That might be remedied though as earlier today, WWE confirmed that they had signed the Motor City Machine Guns, with a debut likely for this show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns agreeing that they need help, only for Jey Uso to turn Jimmy down on Raw.

Here is the Bloodline to get things going, with Solo Sikoa ignoring the OTC chants and telling the fans to acknowledge him. Sikoa says they are the present and the future and Roman Reigns can’t do anything about it. Jey Uso doesn’t want anything to do with it either, because No Yeet. The beatdowns to Reigns will continue unless he acknowledges Sikoa by the end of the night.

Cue Jey Uso through the crowd to interrupt, saying that he still cares about Sikoa. Jimmy and Reigns aren’t here yet so he’s here to talk about what Sikoa is doing to the family. Jey left to become his own man and now he’s the Intercontinental Champion. Sikoa says he’s trying to unite the family but Jey needs to stop calling him little brother, because he’s the Tribal Chief. So is Jey in or out? Jey asks why the Tongans and Jacob Fatu are here if Sikoa is trying to unite the family. With that, Jey says it’ll be different the next time they meet and he leaves in peace. Sikoa showing up on Raw during Jey’s title match wouldn’t shock me.

Street Profits vs. DIY vs. Pretty Deadly

This is the first of two triple threats with the winners facing off next week for a Tag Team Title match. Ford dropkicks Ciampa down for two to start but Prince suckers Ciampa into a shot from Wilson. That doesn’t work for Ford, who hits a big flip dive, only for Ciampa to knee him down for two. Pretty Deadly takes over on Ciampa though and we take a break.

Back with Ford splashing Ciampa for two with Gargano making the save. Dawkins launches Ciampa into a belly to back to give Ford two but Spilled Milk is broken up. Ford gets crotched on top but he pops back up with a Doomsday Blockbuster to Prince…but DIY is back in with Meet In The Middle to steal the pin (as Ford was pinning the illegal Prince) at 8:11.

Rating: B-. Pretty much a nonstop action match here and that’s what you want in something like this. Let them go out there and tear the house down in the first match of the show, with DIY being smart to steal the win in the end. Odds are they’ll be seeing the Motor City Machine Guns next week and they could be fine victims to set up a Crown Jewel title match.

Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso arrive but run into Jey Uso. Jey goes to walk by the but Reigns says he’s proud of the title win. Jey: “No Yeet.” And he walks away, with Reigns saying he told us so. It’s so nice to have Jey actually remembering what happened to him and not forgiving his family, as that wouldn’t make sense for him.

Nia Jax is annoyed that Tiffany Stratton is sick, but Nick Aldis says find a new partner. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell come in to say they’ll do it, with LeRae getting the spot.

Piper Niven vs. Lash Legend

Chelsea Green and Jakara Jackson are here too. Niven runs her over to start but misses a splash, allowing Legend to kick her in the face. Back up and Niven misses a Cannonball but Legend can’t manage a fireman’s carry. She can however manage a slam and, after avoiding a Vader Bomb, hit her kind of weird over the back faceplant for the pin at 2:58.

Jimmy Uso comes to see Roman Reigns and says he should talk to Jey Uso. Reigns says we tried Jimmy’s way so now we’ll try Reigns’ way. He’s going to acknowledge Solo Sikoa.

Here is Cody Rhodes to greet the fans and talk about the Crown Jewel Championships. It’s not about the last one or the next one but about the first one. What if we saw Harley Race vs. Bruno Sammartino or Ric Flair vs. Verne Gagne or Goldberg vs. Steve Austin? Now we’ll see one of those matches in Saudi Arabia but he’s not going to disparage Gunther.

Why does he think he’s leaving Crown Jewel as champion? Well look at this thing! Rhodes is here to fight for people like his daughter and he wants Gunther here next week to ask what he wants to talk about. Rhodes is one of the best going today but even he can’t make this stupid thing sound interesting.

We look back at Kevin Owens’ path of rage.

Owens has sent in a video talking about how things have never felt as bad as they do right now. It’s unfair that he’s been asked to stay away after what he did to Cody Rhodes, as how many worse things have happened around here? How appreciated is he by WWE? He can’t get around what Randy Orton did to him by picking Cody Rhodes over him. Owens isn’t sure when or if he can come back.

Orton tells Nick Aldis that he wants Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel but Aldis says he can’t do it. That’s coming from up above, so Orton says he knows who he needs to talk to.

A-Town Down Under vs. Legado del Fantasma vs. Motor City Machine Guns

This is the other qualifying match for next week and the Guns are Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, a team who had tremendous success in TNA (where they were multiple time Tag Team Champions and both World Champion). Sabin gets sent into the corner to start but comes back with a high crossbody to Angel and Waller. Sabin’s big dive takes out a bunch of people on the floor but Waller hits him in the face as we take an early break.

Back with Legado hitting some stereo moonsaults to the floor but the Guns drop A-Town Down Under. Legado clears the other villains out, only for the Guns to hit the Dream Sequence (a rapid fire string of kicks, capped off with a running basement dropkick). Skull And Bones (neckbreaker​/top rope splash combination) finishes Berto at 8:23.

Rating: C+. The triple threat aspect gave me the slightest wonder if the Guns wouldn’t win here but thankfully sanity prevailed. The fans seemed to at least somewhat know them and that’s a good way to start them out. They very well might be in for a big upset at Crown Jewel for the titles, but they had to start somewhere and this is as good as anything else they could have done in their first week.

Carmelo Hayes and Andrade get in a fight in the back.

Naomi/Bayley vs. Nia Jax/Candice LeRae

Jax wastes no time in sending Bayley to the corner for the running hip attack. It’s already off to LeRae, who gets taken into the wrong corner so Naomi can come in to take over. Naomi walks on Jax’s back but gets sent flying onto her face for two. We take a break and come back with Bayley and LeRae both coming in so the former can take over. LeRae gets dropped face first onto the buckle and a sunset bomb into the corner gives Bayley two. Jax is sent to the floor for a dive from Naomi, leaving LeRae to drop Bayley. A top rope Lionsault gives LeRae the big upset pin at 7:35.

Rating: C. This “take a break in a short match” is happening more and more often lately and it’s starting to drive me crazy. I know the commercials are what matter more than anything else because it brings the company money, but dang it gets annoying to have nearly half of a match gone to a commercial. It takes all o the energy out of a match and makes it feel like it’s divided in two, which isn’t good when they only had so much time in the first place.

Next week is match #7 between Carmelo Hayes and Andrade so LA Knight is guest referee because he can’t stand either of them.

Here is Roman Reigns to acknowledge Solo Sikoa. Reigns has the fans acknowledge him and here is Sikoa to interrupt. Reigns says the family is divided and broken but he told his father that he could fix this. He wants titles, paydays and abundance from the heavens. Sikoa says Reigns can fix this by acknowledging him as his Tribal Chief, or else. Reigns: “OR ELSE WHAT?” Sikoa says that’s proof that Reigns has never changed, so Sikoa won’t change either. Cue the Bloodline, having attacked Jimmy Uso. Reigns tries to fight them off but gets dropped with a low blow. The Bloodline poses over Reigns to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I had a bit more fun with this one, though that might be due to having the Guns show up and get a nice win. Other than that, the Bloodline is starting to heat back up and that should mean another big moment with WarGames about six weeks away. The Crown Jewel Title matches are still horrible, but that’s not on the wrestlers who have nothing to talk about. A good show this week, but there are still problems to be solved.

Results
DIY b. Street Profits and Pretty Deadly – Meet In The Middle to Wilson
Lash Legend b. Piper Niven – Over the back faceplant
Motor City Machine Guns b. A-Town Down Under and Legado del Fantasma – Skull and Bones to Berto
Candice LeRae/Nia Jax b. Bayley/Naomi – Springboard moonsault to Bayley

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: September 16, 1999
Location: Thomas And Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 8,219
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler

We’re getting closer to Unforgiven and in this case everything is crashing down around HHH. While he survived a title match with Steve Austin on Raw, Vince McMahon is back after HHH went after Linda McMahon. That can’t end well, but we still don’t have a #1 contender to the pay per view in ten days. Let’s get to it.

Here is Raw if you need a recap.

We open with the referees on strike over unsafe working conditions. Why do wrestling promotions think stories about referees are interesting?

Opening sequence.

Here is Steve Austin to get things going. Just because he got disqualified against HHH on Raw doesn’t mean that they’re done with each other by a long shot. When HHH beat him in the knee with a chair, he should have done that much more, because HHH didn’t get the job done. Austin wants a rematch right here tonight and we should make it No Holds Barred.

Or if HHH wants to do this the hard way, Austin can just beat him so badly that he’s going to the hospital. Cue HHH and Chyna, with a bunch of cops backing them up. HHH says that’s not happening because Austin has to go to the back of the line. The title will be defended tonight though, against a main eventer of HHH’s choice. Austin promises to follow HHH all night and it’s going to involve his foot going….well you get the idea.

HHH will officially defend the title in a Six Pack Challenge at Unforgiven after the five way match went to a no contest. That’s a heck of a way to jump from nothing to something.

Here is Shane McMahon, who calls out Joey Abs because of what Joey said about Stephanie McMahon on Raw. Cue the Mean Street Posse, with Terri, so Shane dives onto Joey to start fast.

Shane McMahon vs. Joey Abs

There’s no referee because of the strike, making me wonder why the bell ring if there was no one to call it. The rest of the Posse jumps Shane before going outside as Stephanie and Test are watching in the back. Here is Gerald Brisco to count two off Shane’s rollup and another two off Joey’s suplex.

Shane’s jumping back elbow gets two but Briscoe gets in a fight with Pete Gas on the floor. Rodney comes in to beat on Shane, who fights the off as Pat Patterson, in shorts, comes out to count two on Joey, with Rodney breaking that up as well. Shane hits a corkscrew Swanton (close to a Spinal Tap) for the pin with Shawn Stasiak of all people coming in as the third referee.

Rating: C-. A match between Shane McMahon and a member of the Mean Street Posse, which didn’t even last four minutes, had three referees, two people interfering, and two fights involving some of those referees, who were replacements because the referees are on strike. That’s about as 1999 as you can get and it’s rather exhausting to keep track of all this stuff. That being said, the place was going nuts for Shane, which is one of the reasons he was around so often.

Post match Stephanie comes out and drops Joey again.

Here is Women’s Champion Ivory, who is SO EXCITED that actress/model Cindy Margolis is here. She invites Cindy into the ring and gushes over Cindy’s beauty and star power. Ivory asks Cindy to do one of the poses she gets downloaded on her website but Cindy declines. That doesn’t work for Ivory, who threatens violence if it doesn’t happen. Cindy eventually does it…and here is Jeff Jarrett to put Cindy in the Figure Four, with Cindy kind of begging him not to and then grabbing her knee. Jarrett Figure Fours Ivory for a bonus.

HHH, in trunks but without elbow pads for a weird look, says he won’t be defending against Steve Austin.

European Title: Mark Henry vs. Steve Blackman

Henry is defending after skipping a tag match with Blackman on Raw. Tony Garea is referee as Blackman kicks Henry down without much trouble. Cue Val Venis with a kendo stick to Blackman though, allowing Henry to get the easy pin.

Post match D’Lo Brown comes in and Sky Highs Henry (that wasn’t bad).

Jeff Jarrett yells at Cindy Margolis as she is put in an ambulance. Test comes in for the brawl.

Post break Jarrett challenges Test to a match tonight.

Here is Chris Jericho, with Curtis Hughes, for a chat. Jericho declares himself one bad mamma jamma and says Ken Shamrock has finally admitted defeat. Shamrock has begged him to make sure that they never meet face to face again and then licked the dust off Jericho’s boots in gratitude. He’s also begged Hughes to not rip him limb from limb, but Jericho is allowing Hughes to take his place against Shamrock tonight. That’s not all though, because Jericho has a special guest referee for this match: the masked Mexican legend, El Dopo!

Curtis Hughes vs. Ken Shamrock

Chris Jericho is on commentary as Shamrock takes Hughes down and strikes away. Hughes takes him to the floor for a drop onto the barricade as Cole dares to ask Jericho why he won’t face Shamrock. With that nonsense out of the way, Shamrock fights up and sends Hughes into various steel objects. Jericho offers a distraction though and Hughes cuts Shamrock off so the double teaming can be on. Back in and Hughes drops an elbow for two but Shamrock kneebars him. Hughes grabs the rope so Dopo immediately calls for the DQ.

Post match Shamrock is livid and unmasks Dopo as Howard Finkel, which was fairly obvious as soon as he came into the arena.

Mankind is expecting total mayhem in the five man Royal Rumble, but he and Rock will be working as a team. They’re like an automobile, with Rock being a fine engine and Mankind being the one who holds the bags. Yes he’s the rear end, but he’s the People’s Rear End. And he doesn’t like HHH either!

Remember how the referees were on strike earlier today? They’re still on strike.

Royal Rumble

Five entrants, because we need 1/6 size Royal Rumble with one minute intervals. Rock is in at #1 and talks about how Big Show, Kane or Undertaker need to go play the People’s Slow Machine to land three Brahma Bulls. You’d see Undertaker, with his Mickey Mouse tattoos and his 33lb head jumping around like a girl, Kane doing cartwheels and using his voicebox to say “I won, I won, let’s party”, and Big Show just scaring people in general.

Then the Rock himself would arrive, watch the tears stream down their cheeks, and gather up all the gold coins that they won and…well you know the bit. Anyway, after that whole thing, which I remember reciting with my friends when I was 11 because it was the funniest thing I had ever heard at the time, Big Show is in at #2 and we’re ready to go.

Rock strikes away to start but gets sent face first into the buckle to cut him off. Mankind ins in at #3 and the double teaming has Show in trouble. After what felt like a rather quick minute, Kane is in at #4 so Rock hammers away on him as Show chokes Mankind in the corner. Undertaker, in street clothes, is in at #5 to complete the field but he sits in on commentary rather than getting inside. The other four brawl, with Mankind clotheslining Kane out, only to get thrown out by Rock. Show hits a chokeslam on Rock but can’t throw him out, which is enough for Undertaker to get in the ring and dump them both for the win.

Rating: C-. What is there to say about a match like this? It wasn’t long and ended with something of a screwy finish as Undertaker did one thing and won the match. There was nothing but bragging rights on the line and that doesn’t leave much in the way of interest. Having the star power in there helped, but you need something more interesting for those stars to do.

Post match Mideon and Viscera come in to help Show beat Rock down.

Here are the Hollys to say Chyna has had more than enough time to find a partner. Cue Chyna, who is going to do this on her own.

Hollys vs. Chyna

Chyna forearms Crash (whose gear says HARDCORE HOLLY) to start so it’s quickly off to Hardcore (whose gear also says HARDCORE HOLLY). A shot to the face staggers Hardcore as well and it’s a double low blow to put the cousins down. Hardcore takes Chyna down and here is Billy Gunn to join in as Chyna’s partner. That doesn’t go well to start as a double elbow to the face puts Chyna down and Hardcore adds a suplex. Chyna DDTs her way to freedom though and it’s Gunn coming in to clean house. The Fameasser is good for the fast pin.

Rating: C. Another nothing mach but at least it was long enough to rate for once. In theory Chyna would want to go it alone here and isn’t likely to be happy with Gunn for making the save. The match was just kind of there to give Chyna a reason to get mad, and there are worse options available.

Post match Chyna yells at Gunn, as she didn’t want help, but here is Jeff Jarrett to hit her in the back with a frying pan and cover her with an apron. Jarrett gives her a soup ladle and the frying pan, saying now all she has to do is start fixing him supper.

Big Boss Man, with a bag labeled “DOGGIE BAG” is ready for….the Pepper On A Pole match. Sweet goodness can Russo quit already?

Big Boss Man vs. Al Snow

Pepper On A Pole, because this is a thing. Snow stops away to start and hits the trapping headbutts (strong grapple plus up plus B) but it’s too early to get the bag. Boss Man catches a diving Snow and then hits him with the nightstick. Cue the rottweilers from Raw with the British Bulldog for a distraction, allowing Boss Man to grab the bag…which doesn’t count as he throws it to the floor, allowing Snow to grab it for the win. The remains of a dog on a pole match involving the British Bulldog leading a team of rottweilers is the match that SETS UP the big gimmick match between these two. For the Hardcore Title.

HHH and Chyna are in the back, with Steve Austin stalking them.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Jarrett vs. Test

Jarrett, with Miss Kitty and Debra, is defending. Test kicks him in the face to start but Jarrett comes back as the Mean Street Posse comes out. A powerslam plants Jarrett as Stephanie, Shane and the Stooges come out to brawl as everything is thrown out. The fans of course want puppies.

Post match the brawl stays on and Jarrett damages Test’s shoulder. Shane saves Stephanie from Jarrett’s Figure Four.

Here is HHH, with Chyna to defend the WWF Title and there are a bunch of cops on the stage, presumably to cut off an invading Steve Austin. We cut to the back where Stephanie McMahon and Test (with his bad shoulder) are leaving, which writes Test out of the list of possible challengers. HHH says he gets to pick the guest referee, so he would like Shane McMahon to get out here.

With Shane here, HHH says he won’t be facing Undertaker, Big Show or Kane, which leaves the Rock. Since Rock has an obsession with putting things in a certain place on various people, Rock can kiss HHH’s so it’s not him. That leaves one option, and it’s someone with testicles thee size of grapefruits (Lawler: “ME???”).

HHH calls out Vince McMahon and is willing to put the title on the line to get a piece of him. We cut to the back, where Vince doesn’t want to do it but HHH suggests doing, uh, things, with Linda McMahon, which is enough to get Vince out here. Vince still says no but HHH tells him to go hide behind his skirt. HHH throws in that he can keep it up with Linda all night long and that’s enough to start the match.

WWF Title: HHH vs. Vince McMahon

Vince is challenging and hammers away in the corner, only for HHH to stomp him down without much effort. The comeback is cut off again and referee Shane McMahon does not approve. HHH fires off some shoulders in the corner and stomps Vince down even more, allowing Chyna to get in a cheap shot of her own as the beating continues.

They go outside with HHH choking with a camera cable. HHH beats him onto the announcers’ table and drops an elbow through it, with Shane’s pleas to stop not getting him anywhere. Back in and Chyna hands HHH a chair, allowing him to shove Shane down and blast Vince in the head. Shane tackles HHH down and hammers away so Chyna comes in for the save, with HHH chairing Shane in the head as well.

Cue Linda McMahon and the Stooges, with the men getting beaten down too. Chyna holds Linda so she has to watch HHH beat on the bloody Vince. The Pedigree is loaded up and heeeeere’s Austin to beat HHH down. HHH and Chyna get a Stunner each…and Austin puts Vince on top so Shane can count the pin to make Vince champion. As Austin’s music plays.

Rating: C. The match was little more than a squash until Austin came in at the end, making this the second time Austin has caused a title change in such a similar way this year (after the famous Mankind win). Vince barely got in any offense but there is nothing wrong with that kind of a story in small doses. After Vince was around the main event scene for so long, having him win the title isn’t the biggest shock, especially on a fluke like this. It was fun, and that’s what it needed to be.

HHH chases Austin through the crowd as Vince is helped up. Brisco jumps up and down to celebrate as the show ends. This was such goofy fun and Vince was always right in the middle of everything that having him win the title, even on a fluke like this, was rather entertaining.

Overall Rating: C. The ending didn’t save the show but it was good enough to carry it across the finish line. Above all else, there are still too many completely insane things going on (Pepper On A Pole) but things like Chris Jericho and Shane McMahon are bringing things up a bit. Austin is at his usual incredibleness and the show is still working, but dang they could be so much better if they got rid of some of the nonsense.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 11, 2024
Location: Bon Secours Wellness Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

Other than the birthday for the twins in the Parent Trap, it’s the show after Bad Blood and the big story took place after the show went off the air. Kevin Owens attacked Cody Rhodes in the parking lot, finally turning full on villain again. Other than that, the Rock showed up again and that could go in a few directions. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bad Blood if you need a recap.

We get a quick preview of the card.

We look at the main event of Bad Blood, with Jimmy Uso returning to help Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns defeat the Bloodline. The Rock returned after the match to glare at the winners.

Here is Jimmy Uso to get things going. He’s been on the shelf for six months so we pause for the WELCOME BACK chant. Six months ago, Solo Sikoa jumped him from behind and put him on the shelf, so tonight it’s big brother vs. little brother. Cue Roman Reigns to interrupt, but we’re going to do things a bit different this time.

Instead of acknowledging him, Reigns wants the crowd to join him in welcoming back Big Jim. Reigns isn’t an older brother so he doesn’t get the older vs. younger and he’s not a wise man so he doesn’t make big plans. Instead, he’s the Tribal Chief so he takes whatever he wants. They had money, power and titles. He doesn’t like where things are right now though because things are out of control.

Jimmy says he sees a chief with no tribe right now. He came back at Bad Blood because Reigns needed help and now they need more help. Roman: “No yeet.” Jimmy says Reigns will always be his Tribal Chief, but he is the only one in the family that acknowledges him. Jimmy leaves and Reigns has to think about that.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes

Knight is defending and drops him a few times to start. Hayes gets knocked outside and yells at some fans, allowing Knight to dropkick him through the ropes as we take a break. Back with Knight fighting out of a chinlock as Andrade is at ringside. Knight’s pop up powerslam into the jumping elbow gets two and Knight stomps away in the corner.

Back up and Hayes scores with a superkick and the trade rollups for two each. Knight knocks him down again and hits the top rope elbow for two more. The BFT is countered into an ax kick and a suplex cutter gives Hayes two. Nothing But Net misses so Hayes backflips out of a belly to back suplex, right into the BFT to give Knight the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. Nice enough here as Knight racks up another win. This feels like it is setting up a triple threat with Andrade and Hayes getting title shots, which doesn’t make for the most appealing match when Knight has already beaten both of them. Odds are we get yet another Hayes vs. Andrade match though, which almost has to have some kind of prize for whomever finally wins the whole thing.

Jimmy Uso runs into Cody Rhodes, saying that was a favor on Saturday but don’t get used to it.

Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson are here from NXT to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

We’re ready for the Women’s Tag Team Title match but here is Kevin Owens (in a Dusty Rhodes shirt), who isn’t supposed to be here, to say that Rhodes caused all of their issues. Cue Rhodes but agents hold him back, only for Randy Orton to come in accidentally get hit in the face. Orton drops Owens with one shot.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending, NXT Champion Trick Williams is in the crowd, and Piper Niven/Chelsea Green are at ringside. The challengers jump them to start and it’s Legend (the bigger and stronger) coming in to hammer Belair down for two. A wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination gets two with Cargill making the save. Everything breaks down and the assisted wheelbarrow suplex finishes Jackson at 2:10.

Randy Orton and Nick Aldis get Cody Rhodes to leave because Orton will deal with Kevin Owens. Aldis: “Randy Orton, voice of reason?”

Here are Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton for a chat. Jax praises Bayley for a tough fight but no one can beat her. This includes her Raw counterpart Liv Morgan, who will be annihilated at Crown Jewel. After that’s done, Stratton can cash in on Morgan! Cue Naomi to interrupt to say Stratton saved Jax’s title. Naomi and Jax are ready to fight so Jax says get a referee out here. We get a referee but we also get Morgan, Dominik Mysterio an Raquel Rodriguez. Morgan says they’re here to see Jax lose, just like she will at Crown Jewel.

Naomi vs. Nia Jax

Non-title. We’re joined in progress with Naomi slipping out of a fireman’s carry but not getting anywhere with a sunset flip. Instead Naomi kicks her in the head for a stagger but Jax takes it to the mat for a double arm crank. Back up and Naomi is sent hard into the corner (that sounded awful) and we’re back to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Naomi kicks her out to the floor, setting up another kick to the head. Jax isn’t having that and hits a Samoan drop, setting up a glare at Morgan and company as we take a break.

Back with Naomi hitting a high crossbody for two, with the kickout leaving her confused. Jax is sent outside again for another dive but Rodriguez steals the Money In The Bank briefcase. The distraction lets Jax load up the Annihilator, but Stratton goes for the briefcase again. Naomi pops up and hits a powerbomb out of the corner for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: C+. I like that they’re setting something up with Naomi as a threat to Jax along with Morgan vs. Jax, but it is a bit difficult to get fired up for a champion vs. champion match with neither title on the line. I’m curious to see who is coming after the title next, though hopefully they find a way to spice up the Crown Jewel title match, because there isn’t much to what they have.

Post match here is Rhea Ripley to go after Rodriguez, drop Jax, and take Morgan out. Well that worked.

Carmelo Hayes complains about Andrade costing him the US Title. Nick Aldis makes one more Hayes vs. Andrade match, with the winner likely getting a US Title shot. With Hayes gone, Legado del Fantasma comes in to ask about their title shots. That works for Aldis, who says Angel and Berto will face a special team next week.

Solo Sikoa is ready to make Jimmy Uso acknowledge him.

We get another Detroit themed car vignette, with whomever it is showing up next week.

We look at last week’s Tag Team Title ladder match with the Bloodline retaining.

Nick Aldis says the Street Profits and DIY had their shots and now there’s a new team coming in next week. A lot of arguing ensues but Aldis calls security over because Kevin Owens has attacked Randy Orton.

We look at the Florida Panthers receiving their NHL rings.

Video on Drew McInyre vs. CM Punk inside the Cell at Bad Blood.

Solo Sikoa vs. Jimmy Uso

The Bloodline is here with Sikoa. They stare at each other a bit to start and Sikoa offers him the chance for some acknowledging. Jimmy fights out of the corner but gets elbowed own, only to low bridge Sikoa outside. That means the required dive but Sikoa drops him again inside. Sikoa knocks him to the apron for a clothesline as this is already taking its time. Jimmy gets knocked outside for a cheap shot from Jacob Fatu and we take a break

Back with Sikoa hitting the running Umaga Attack, setting up the running spinwheel kick. Back up and Jimmy manages a quick superkick but walks into Spinning Solo for another near fall. Another running Umaga Attack connects but Jimmy manages a kick out of the corner for a needed breather. A high crossbody into a Samoan drop gets two on Sikoa but Fatu gets in a quick crotching. The Samoan Spike finishes Uso off at 14:00.

Rating: C. There was no reason for Sikoa to lose here but Uso coming back and losing his first match after a six month hiatus is kind of a weak way to go. Granted he’s little more than a foot soldier for Reigns, but you couldn’t build this up for a few weeks and give Jimmy some wins? Anyway, the match was long and fairly sluggish until the Bloodline cost Jimmy, which was the point of the whole thing.

Post match the beatdown is on but Roman Reigns comes in…and gets taken out too. The Bloodline leaves and Reigns looks at Jimmy, as if to say “ok, we need help.”

Overall Rating: C+. This was kind of a rough sit as it was more the show that you have to get through before you get to the bigger stuff. Reigns and Uso are going to need help and this week was more to establish that fact rather than seeing them get any kind of help. At the same time, Owens is a full on villain, as he should be, and we have some things being set up for the next few weeks. This show wasn’t exactly great, but it did what it needed to do for the future.

Results
LA Knight b. Carmelo Hayes – BFT
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Lash Legend/Jakara Jackson – Assisted German suplex to Legend
Naomi b. Nia Jax – Powerbomb
Solo Sikoa b. Jimmy Uso – Samoan Spike

Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Smackdown
Date: October 4, 2024
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s the night before Bad Blood and we have a pretty stacked show. In this case it means we have a triple threat ladder match for the Tag Team Titles as the Bloodline is defending against the Street Profits and DIY. Other than that, we have a dumpster match between Michin and Chelsea Green, plus the return of AJ Styles. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is country music artist Hardy, who introduces the returning AJ Styles. After a rather positive reception, Styles talks about how this is the place where he started. He’s done some things the people might not forgive him for over the last few months, but this is still the house that he built. Cue Carmelo Hayes to interrupt, saying he isn’t surprised there aren’t a lot of people wanting to welcome him back. Hayes says there is no need to introduce himself but does so anyway before saying he loves old timers like Styles.

Hayes says he should be the US Champion instead of LA Knight, which has Styles saying Knight is a bit different. That doesn’t work for Hayes, who doesn’t take advice from quitters (which even Styles has to own up to), but Styles is ready to fight right now. Hayes: “Nah, I’m good.” Cue Knight to mock Hayes before saying Hayes should face Styles. If Hayes can win, Knight will put in a good word about a US Title shot. Either way, Knight is hitting the streets for some drinks. I have no idea what Hardy added to this.

We get a vignette of a car driving rather fast and a shot of….Detroit. As in the Motor City. Coming soon.

Carmelo Hayes vs. AJ Styles

LA Knight is at ringside as Styles chops away in the corner to start. The drop down into the dropkick has Hayes in trouble as we hear about Styles’ time in TNA in this city (which will never feel right on a WWE show). Styles misses a moonsault and gets caught with the First 48 for two before being sent outside as we hear about Styles’ time in Japan.

Hayes sends him into the announcers’ table and we come back with Hayes working on a half crab. Apparently Styles suffered a possible sprained ankle during the break but he’s fine enough to break out and hit a running forearm. The fireman’s carry onto the knee connects but Styles’ leg is so banged up that the referee calls the match at 8:33.

Rating: C+. It was good while it lasted but about half of it was in the break before the referee stoppage. This definitely feels like a storyline situation as Styles’ body is giving out on him and might make him question how much more he has. Other than that, he could be put into the title picture because Hayes didn’t pin him/make him give up, which even ties back into his feud with Knight.

Commentary talks about how Styles’ body is giving out on him as he limps away. Knight comes in and gives Hayes a BFT.

We get a long video on Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes vs. the Bloodline tomorrow at Bad Blood.

Michin vs. Chelsea Green

Dumpster match and Green has sanitation worker themed gear. Michin strikes away with a kendo stick to start and it’s already time for the table. A missile dropkick sends Green outside, where she sends Michin face first into the side of the dumpster as we take a break. Back with Michin fighting her way back inside, where Green drops her with a Canadian Destroyer.

It’s too early to close the lid though and Michin hits a quick Eat Defeat. Green is put into a trashcan for a middle rope backsplash, allowing Michin to put a table over the dumpster. Cue Piper Niven to jump Michin from behind, only for Michin to fight her off as well. A powerbomb puts Green through the table and into the dumpster to give Michin the win at 10:23.

Rating: B-. This was about getting Michin a win and that’s all it needed to be. I’m still not sure why it needed to be a dumpster match, but the idea of Green trying to get the smell of the trash off of her has comedic potential. Now if WWE actually does something with Michin, we could actually be getting somewhere, but I’ll believe that when I see it.

AJ Styles was checked out by the trainer but went to the hospital.

Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair come up to Naomi. They’re going to be hosting Bad Blood together but here is Bayley to interrupt. With Cargill and Belair gone, Bayley says she’s going to call out Nia Jax and Naomi gets the first title shot after Bayley wins at Bad Blood.

Here is Bayley for a chat and she wastes no time in calling out Nia Jax. Cue Jax, with Tiffany Stratton, who tells Bayley to get to it. Bayley talks about how important the title is to the company’s history and brings up names like Molly Holly, Victoria and Beth Phoenix, who are nothing like Jax. The difference is they never had a dominant reign like Jax, but two people can take the title from her.

One is Bayley and the other is Stratton, who very well could cash in the briefcase on Jax at any time. Stratton doesn’t like the idea that she could only beat Jax with the briefcase, which doesn’t sit well with Jax. Bayley doesn’t respect either of them and calls Stratton a stupid b****, meaning the fight is on. Bayley beats Jax down with the briefcase and leaves, with Stratton teasing the cash-in. Jax bails, but here is Naomi for her scheduled match with Stratton.

Chelsea Green is messy and distraught. She runs into Pretty Deadly, who can’t stand the smell. Neither can A-Town Down Under or Legado del Fantasma. She keeps walking and runs into Nick Aldis, who makes puns about the bad smell and Green storms off. Carmelo Hayes comes in and says he wants his US Title shot. Aldis can’t believe Hayes is calling that a win and is off to check on AJ Styles.

Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi

Naomi takes her down to start and hits a sliding…chinlock of all things. Back up and a suplex gives Naomi two but Stratton snaps her throat first across the top rope. A springboard flipping splash gives Stratton two of her own but Naomi hits the splits splash on the apron.

We take a break and come back with Naomi hitting a backpack Stunner and kicking Stratton in the face. A sliding slap into the headscissors driver gives Naomi two more but Stratton handstands her way out of an X-Factor (that was cool). Naomi gets dropped with a basement dropkick but she kicks Stratton in the head out of the corner. Stratton’s handspring though and Naomi gets a rollup for the pin at 10:05.

Rating: C+. This felt like one of the matches that the briefcase holder loses to put her down a bit before she wins the title via cash-in. That doesn’t make for the most original storytelling, but at least it could mean getting rid of the briefcase. Stratton still feels like she has lost a lot of momentum in the last few months though and this didn’t help.

We look back at Kevin Owens’ recent issues with Cody Rhodes over Rhodes teaming with Roman Reigns at Bad Blood.

The Bloodline is on the way to the ring for the main event and Jacob Fatu goes on a heck of a rant about how people need to respect Solo Sikoa.

Tiffany Stratton runs into Nia Jax, who isn’t happy with the tease of the cash-in. Jax demands Stratton vow she will never betray her, which Jax does…but looks at the briefcase.

Bad Blood rundown.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. DIY vs. Street Profits

The Bloodline is defending in a ladder match. The challengers double team the champions to start and knock them to the floor before dropping them out there as well. We take an early break and come back with the challengers all going up but having to knock the champions off. Ford climbs a ladder but gets pulled down and hit in the face with it instead. A snap suplex puts Dawkins on the ladder and a slingshot hilo onto him onto the ladder makes it even worse.

The champs to the floor with the ladder but Dawkins takes them out with a big flip dive. Gargano hits his own dive, only for Ford to hit a big running flip dive (with a superhero pose) for the wipe out crash. Ford grabs a table and we take a break, coming back with DIY pulling Tama off the ladder and into a Shatter Machine. Meet In The Middle lets Gargano go up but Dawkins makes the save this time. A Doomsday Blockbuster off the ladder takes Ciampa down but Dawkins’ ladder gets shoved down.

Tama grabs a chair, which is taken away by B-Fab, allowing DIY to take the champs out again. Ford frog splashes Loa through a table at ringside and Tama is powerbombed through the announcers’ table for the big crash. Back in and Ciampa goes up but Ford springboards onto the same ladder, only for Loa to come back in and shove them down. Loa retrieves the titles to retain at 20:00.

Rating: B. For an almost random ladder match which is pretty much the Bad Blood pre-pre-show match, I had a good time. It was a bunch of wild spots and people getting taken out one at a time, which is how these matches tend to go. It wasn’t a classic and it wasn’t something I’ll remember for very long, but it was a good way to close out a show on a Friday night.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped a good bit, but this show was in a tough spot. The point of the last show before a pay per view is often to build up the bigger show, but there was very little building left to do. Everything, at least from the Smackdown side, was pretty much done before we got here, with only Bayley vs. Jax getting a bit of attention. What we got was good, but other than the main event, there wasn’t much that you would need to see.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. AJ Styles via referee stoppage
Michin b. Chelsea Green when Green was shut in a dumpster
Naomi b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup
Bloodline b. DIY and Street Profits – Loa pulled down the titles

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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Smackdown
Date: September 27, 2024
Location: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Bad Blood with the big Smackdown match being the tag match between Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns vs. the Bloodline. Other than that, we could be in for another match being added this week, though there might not be many options. There is also a good chance that another big match is added for next week’s SmackDown, as tends to be WWE’s custom. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Randy Orton to get things going and the fans sing his song for a nice moment. He hasn’t been around much lately but he loves being back in a Smackdown ring. There are very few people he trusts in this industry but he trusts Cody Rhodes. That’s why he doesn’t get why Rhodes is teaming with Roman Reigns at Bad Blood, so could Rhodes please come out here for an explanation?

Cue Rhodes, who says he looks like a fool but he would rather look like a fool than a coward. Reigns has kept his word to Rhodes so far so he’s going to do it again here. Rhodes thinks it is time to kill the Bloodline and hopes Orton doesn’t have a problem with that. Orton doesn’t seem to but here is Kevin Owens to interrupt. Before he can say anything though, here is the Bloodline to interrupt.

After shrugging off an OTC chant, Solo Sikoa says that Rhodes better hope that he can trust Reigns, because he’s better than the two men in the ring with Rhodes right now. They have failed to take out the Bloodline, so acknowledge that Rhodes. Owens shrugs that off and asks for a tag match. Rhodes is ready to make it a six man but Owens says Rhodes already has his tag match, so tonight it can be Owens/Orton vs. Sikoa/Jacob Fatu (Rhodes didn’t seem to mind). They have all the makings here for either a heck of a WarGames team or a big turn (or both).

Nia Jax rants to Tiffany Stratton about what happened last week with Naomi and Bayley. She grabs Stratton by the throat and says if this ends badly for Jax, it ends VERY badly for Stratton. With Jax gone, Stratton doesn’t seem pleased.

Bayley vs. Naomi

For the Women’s Title shot against Nia Jax at Bad Blood. Bayley rolls her up for two to start and Naomi isn’t pleased so some shoving ensues. A middle rope armdrag sets up a missed running kick at Naomi’s head and she sends Bayley outside. That means a big dive and we take an early break.

Back with Bayley taking Naomi down for a change but the Rear View gives Naomi two. The headscissors driver plants Bayley for two more and a top rope Blockbuster gets the same. Bayley is back up with a gordbuster into a sunset flip into the turnbuckle (didn’t quite work but it looked ok) for two of her own. Bayley To Belly is countered and Naomi hits a bulldog onto the middle buckle. Naomi goes up but dives into the Bayley To Belly, setting up the top rope elbow to send Bayley to Bad Blood at 10:00.

Rating: B-. Right off the bat, major points for this not being a draw of some kind to set up a triple threat. They went with one of them going over and that is what it needed to be. Bayley vs. Jax II is only so appealing, but it’s a lot better than the multi challenger option. Bayley isn’t likely to win, but at least they set up something for the title match.

Post match Naomi shows respect but looks frustrated.

We look at LA Knight retaining the US Title over Andrade last week but teasing another match.

Andrade runs into Knight and isn’t pleased with the lack of a handshake. Knight lost Andrade’s respect, which doesn’t sit well with Knight, who gets jumped by Carmelo Hayes.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

Andrade starts fast by stomping away in the corner. They go to the apron where Andrade hits a powerslam and we take an early break. Back with Andrade fighting out of a chinlock and firing off some elbows to the ribs. A double clothesline puts them both down again though before Andrade goes after the leg.

Hayes grabs the First 48 to pull him out of the air for two but the running knees in the corner. Andrade’s running knees connect for two but Hayes’ springboard DDT gets the same as we take another break. Back again with Hayes crotching him on top but Andrade manages to reverse into a superplex.

Hayes manages the suplex cutter for two but Andrade catches him on top. Another superplex attempt is countered into a cutter (that was sweet) for two more. Andrade knocks him down and Hayes rolls outside, only for LA Knight to interrupt. Andrade tells him to get out but Hayes rams them into each other, setting up a rollup to give Hayes the pin at 16:48, tying the series at 3-3.

Rating: B. I’m not sure about that ending, which was more about making Knight look like he was getting revenge rather than anything involving the two of them. Hayes will likely get a title shot somewhere in there but there is a good chance this winds up being a triple threat. For now though, I’ll setting for another engaging match between these two.

Post match Knight wants Andrade’s handshake but Andrade walks away, looking rather annoyed.

Cody Rhodes comes in to see Kevin Owens and Randy Orton, saying they need to talk. Owens says they have a match to worry about and tells Rhodes to stay back here before leaving. Orton says if it gets bad out there, they would love for Rhodes to have their back.

AJ Styles is back next week.

Michin vs. Piper Niven

Chelsea Green, with a trashcan, is here with Niven. Michin hammers away to start as Green yells about Cole smelling bad. A hurricanrana out of the corner staggers Niven but she’s right back with a toss out of the corner. The backsplash misses though and Green offers a distraction, allowing Niven to hit a cannonball off the apron.

We take a break and come back with Niven hitting a cannonball but Michin manages a crucifix bomb. Niven knocks her off the top and out to the floor, which has Green up off the floor. Michin avoids the cannonball into the trashcan and, after kicking Green off the apron, hits Eat Defeat to pin Niven at 9:56.

Rating: C. I’m still not 100% sure why we’re seeing a dumpster match between Green and Michin but having Michin beat green’s muscle on the way there is perfectly logical booking. This match wasn’t much to see but Michin has been on a heck of a run in recent weeks. She’s being pushed more than she has in a long time and she’s making something of it.

Next week, the Bloodline defends the Tag Team Titles against DIY and the Street Profits in a ladder match. All three teams are ready.

We look at fan signs.

Bayley apologizes to Naomi for the loss but Naomi says Bayley isn’t sorry…just like Naomi wouldn’t be if she had won. Everything seems ok and Bayley leaves. Tiffany Stratton comes in and Naomi is so sick of her that she wants a match next week.

We look at Jey Uso winning the Intercontinental Title on Raw.

We look at the Georgia Tech showdown between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes last week.

Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. Bloodline

Owens and Fatu slug it out until Sikoa comes in for more brawling. With that not going anywhere, Fatu and Orton come in, leaving the fans to yell at Sikoa. Fatu wastes no time in knocking Orton outside, where Orton drops Fatu onto the announcers’ table. Fatu pops up so Orton does it three more times…and throws in one for Sikoa as well. The fans are WAY into this as we take a break.

Back with Sikoa hammering away on Owens in the corner and hitting the running Umaga Attack. Fatu hits one of his own and Sikoa cuts off a comeback attempt to stomp away even more. Owens gets in an atomic drop into a clothesline and it’s Orton coming back in to clean house. The hanging DDT connects but Fatu beaks up an RKO attempt. Sikoa gets in a Samoan drop for a breather as they’re both down. Owens comes back in and plants Sikoa, setting up the Swanton for two.

Cue the Tongas for a distraction, allowing Sikoa to hit Spinning Solo for two more. That brings out Cody Rhodes to brawl with the Tongas and the RKO drops Loa. Fatu dives onto Rhodes though and throws him inside, where the referee is knocked down. That means no count on Sikoa, leaving Fatu to hit some superkicks to pin Owens at 15:06.

Rating: B. This was a match where you could pretty easily figure out what was going to happen and that didn’t hurt a thing. At the end of the day, Owens is going to have problems with anyone who works with the Bloodline and that makes perfect sense. I’m not sure if it is going to lead to a turn from him, but that is the story they are setting up and it is working well.

Orton has to hold Rhodes and Owens apart to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was another show that wasn’t the most important but it did a good job of building things up for later. Next week has a dumpster match, a ladder match for some gold, and the return of AJ Styles. That is not a bad way to go for one night and this show helped get it ready. Throw in a pair of pretty good matches and this was a rather nice way to go.

Results
Bayley b. Naomi – Top rope elbow
Carmelo Hayes b. Andrade – Rollup
Michin b. Piper Niven – Eat Defeat
Bloodline b. Kevin Owens/Randy Orton – Superkick to Owens

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: September 20, 2024
Location: Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We are getting closer to Bad Blood and that means it is time to get ready for a big tag match. Bad Blood will see Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns teaming up against the Bloodline, which should make for an important Smackdown main event. As for tonight, LA Knight is defending the US Title against Andrade. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Cody Rhodes defeating Solo Sikoa last week to retain the Smackdown World Title. Roman Reigns then made the save from the post-match beatdown, eventually setting up the Bad Blood tag match.

Earlier today, the Bloodline arrived and didn’t like being checked in the metal detector. Jacob Fatu beat up security because that’s just what he does.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Andrade

Knight is defending and starts fast with a BFT attempt to send Andrade outside. We take an early break and come back with Andrade hitting a high crossbody for two, setting up the chinlock. Knight fights up and elbows him in the face before they go outside with Knight sending him face first into the announcers’ table over and over.

The slingshot shoulder gets two on Andrade back inside but he manages a quick posting for a breather. Andrade hits a top rope moonsault to the floor and we take another break. Back again with a double knockdown giving them a double breather. Andrade is up first but misses the running knees in the corner, allowing Knight to grab a DDT for two.

A neckbreaker gives Knight two but Andrade scores with the running knees in the corner for the same. Knight comes back with a powerbomb and the top rope spelling elbow but the BFT is blocked. The spinning elbow gives Andrade two more but he misses a missile dropkick. The BFT retains the title at 17:28.

Rating: B. Rather strong match here, which is what you want to see from Knight as he continues to build up his title reign. Beating one star after another is a good way to go and Knight looked strong in his third title defense. Andrade was hot coming off of his series with Carmelo Hayes but for now, Knight getting boosted up is the right way to go.

Respect is shown post match.

We recap the setup of tonight’s women’s tag match, with Bayley and Naomi fighting for a Women’s Title shot while Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton are trying to get rid of them both.

Stratton isn’t overly focused on the match so Jax says Stratton should lose if she doesn’t win tonight.

Carmelo Hayes mocks Andrade over the loss and the fight is on again.

Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns met on the field at Georgia Tech’s football stadium (Cody’s hometown and Reigns’ alma mater). Reigns talks about what he has given on this field, which is his stadium and his city. Rhodes talks about what his family has done in this city because while it is Reigns’ field, it is Rhodes’ home. Reigns says the Bloodline has taken everything away from him and now there is nothing for him to lose.

Rhodes warned him that this would happen before Wrestlemania and now we have both a Tribal Chief and a WWE Champion, but it isn’t Reigns. If Reigns can’t beat the Bloodline, who is he? Rhodes wants Reigns’ word that he’ll have his back at Bad Blood. Reigns agrees, but he’s coming back for what is his, meaning the title, after the match. Rhodes says it isn’t Reigns’ to take, but Reigns says he’s in his way. That was a heck of a setting for a staredown, which worked well, though it felt a bit too big for a match at Bad Blood rather than…well any of the big shows.

Kevin Owens isn’t sure what he just saw.

Apollo Crews vs. Giovanni Vinci

Vinci isn’t happy with his previous loss and hammers away to start, setting up a clothesline out of the corner. Vinci’s fireman’s carry is loaded up but Crews reverses into a rollup for the pin at 1:36. I’m kind of chuckling at this.

Post match Vinci beats him down.

Kevin Owens will talk about Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes in the arena.

Here is Owens for a chat. Owens is about to talk about what he just saw with Reigns and Rhodes but here is the Bloodline (minus Solo Sikoa) to interrupt. Tama Tonga threatens violence but Owens wants to fight. The beatdown is on so here is DIY to clear things out, with Nick Aldis coming to the ring to make the six man tag main event.

Bayley and Naomi are cool with each other before their title match and they both want to win.

Bayley/Naomi vs. Nia Jax/Tiffany Stratton

Texas Tornado. If Bayley or Naomi win, they get a title shot, but if one of them is pinned, they leave Smackdown. It’s a brawl to start (as it should be) with Bayley and Naomi getting in some double teaming to stagger both villains. A double sliding lariat gets two on Jax, who is back up with a toss to Naomi. Something like a middle rope version of Cryme Tyme’s old G9 getting two on Bayley as we take a break.

Back with Jax on the floor and being sent into Naomi’s kick to the head. Bayley and Naomi hit some dives on Jax and a springboard kick to the face/German suplex combination hits Stratton. Naomi won’t let Bayley get the pin but she does take a shot from Stratton for her. Jax is back in to clean house but Bayley saves Naomi from the Annihilator.

Bayley and Jax get stereo covers for near falls (commentary isn’t sure how that would have worked either) but Naomi X Factors Jax out of the corner. Stratton’s Swanton hits Jax by mistake and a 1D puts Stratton down again. Jax Samoan drops Bayley but Naomi grabs a rollup, with Bayley helping, for the double pin at 11:06.

Rating: B-. The tornado rules were a way to set up the ending, which is either setting up Bayley vs. Naomi or the triple threat title match at Bad Blood (or both). For now though, it was a good way to make Jax look vulnerable and it’s a lot more acceptable to have her take a fall in a tag match. Good enough match here, with the result being what it needed to be.

It’s not clear who gets the title shot.

We look at some fan signs.

Chelsea Green goes to take out some trash but gets sick of the smell. She’s training to face Michin in a dumpster match, which would be on Michin’s home turf. As usual, Green is hilarious in stuff like this.

Michael Cole is VERY enthusiastic about the dumpster match and even gets up to demonstrate throwing someone into a dumpster.

Nick Aldis makes Naomi vs. Bayley next week for the title shot.

Kevin Owens/DIY vs. Bloodline

Hold on though as we cut to the back where the Bloodline has taken out DIY. Owens goes to the stage and fights all three of the Bloodline on his own, which goes as well as you would expect. Cue the Street Profits for the save though and Owens hits a flip dive as we have some replacement partners.

Kevin Owens/Street Profits vs. Bloodline

Owens hammers on Tama to start and it’s off to Dawkins to do the same. Ford gets to stomp Loa in the corner but a clothesline gets him out of trouble. Fatu comes in and the fans approve as he kicks Ford down in the corner. A suplex into Tama’s slingshot hilo has Ford in more trouble and a sliding lariat makes it worse. Ford finally fights out of trouble and hands it back to Dawkins to fight off Fatu.

Back up and Fatu hits a superkick out of the corner into a gorgeous moonsault as we take a break. We come back with Dawkins getting double teamed down but managing to kick Tama away. Fatu cuts off the tag attempt though, only to miss a charge into the post. That’s enough for the tag off to Ford to fight back, including a standing moonsault for two on Tama.

Owens comes back in and picks the pace up even more, with a splash off the apron to Loa and a cannonball to Tama. The Swanton connects but Fatu makes the save, leaving Tama and Owens to go to the top. After some very obvious spot calling, Owens reverses into the swinging superplex for two. The Stunner connects and Loa sends Owens into the steps, which is actually a DQ at 14:48.

Rating: B-. This got some time and the ending was a big of a surprise, though I’ll take the doing something a bit different than the same old stuff. The Profits didn’t need to take another loss here so the result was a nice thing to see. Owens was fighting as hard as he could again, which has been his thing for a long time now now.

Post match the brawl stays on with the Bloodline getting the better of things but here is DIY for the failed save attempt. Cody Rhodes makes the real save with a chair and hits Fatu with a Cody Cutter. Owens picks up the chair and stares at Rhodes, with Cody offering him a handshake. Owens drops the chair and we get a hug to end the show. They were teasing something there and we never heard what Owens actually thought of the video with Roman Reigns.

Overall Rating: B. Pretty nice show this week with the Reigns/Rhodes video being quite well done and seemingly setting up some issues with Kevin Owens down the line. The Smackdown side of Bad Blood is coming together nicely, but again it’s feeling kind of small compared to a Cell match and likely World Title match on Raw. This did a nice job of getting things ready for the show though and that’s what matters with about two weeks to go before Bad Blood.

Results
LA Knight b. Andrade – BFT
Apollo Crews b. Giovanni Vinci – Rollup
Bayley/Naomi b. Nia Jax/Tiffany Stratton – Double pin to Jax
Kevin Owens/Street Profits b. Bloodline via DQ when Loa sent Owens into the steps

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: September 13, 2024
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

It’s back to USA as the FOX run has ended after five years. The new era is starting with a bang too as Cody Rhodes is defending the Smackdown World Title against Solo Sikoa in a cage. That should be more than big enough but now we get to see where things are going for Bad Blood as well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence, complete with new theme song and logo.

Here is HHH to say it felt like yesterday when he was main eventing the first episode of this show against the Rock. Now it’s 25 years later and we’re starting big.

The cage is lowered.

We recap Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa. Rhodes retained the title at Summerslam with an assist from the returning Roman Reigns. Now Sikoa wants a rematch and it’s inside a cage to keep things interesting.

Smackdown World Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Solo Sikoa

Rhodes is defending inside a cage. Sikoa knocks him into the corner to start and hits an elbow early on. A bulldog doesn’t do much to Sikoa but ramming him into the cage a few times does. Sikoa is right back with a backdrop into the cage and a splash against it makes things worse. There’s the running hip attack to drive the back of Rhodes’ head into the cage and the front of his head is busted open.

Sikoa misses the running headbutt in the Tree of Woe but he’s fine enough to send Rhodes into the cage again. A toss powerbomb sends Rhodes into the cage as this is mostly dominance so far. Rhodes manages a quick Cody Cutter and they fight to the top, with Rhodes slamming him into the cage. They both go up to the top of the cage, with Sikoa getting a rather scary looking superplex to bring Rhodes back down.

A pair of Spinning Solos gives Sikoa two but the Samoan Spike is blocked. Rhodes hits a quick Cody Cutter for two and they’re both down again. Sikoa is back up to send him into the corner for the running Umaga Attack and a Samoan drop. Sikoa actually goes up and a Superfly Splash gets two.

Another Umaga Attack connects but Rhodes flips over him and Cross Rhodes gives Rhodes two of his own. With Sikoa down, Rhodes goes up and hits a high crossbody for a rather near fall. Rhodes goes for the door but gets is slammed onto his head to give Sikoa an opening. The Samoan Spike is blocked though and another Cross Rhodes retains the title at 16:20.

Rating: B+. This was a heck of a match and probably Sikoa’s best match ever. The title didn’t exactly feel like it was in jeopardy for the most part but what mattered was Rhodes had to work for the win. It felt like a big fight for Rhodes and could have been a pay per view title match on one of the lower level shows. That’s a great way to start the new run on USA and it was a rather solid performance from both guys.

Post match the Bloodline runs in and the big beatdown is on, with Jacob Fatu hitting the triple moonsault. Fatu goes up top….and Roman Reigns is back. Reigns locks himself in the cage and cleans house, even shrugging off Sikoa’s comeback. Reigns has the big staredown with Fatu, who is ready to fight, but Sikoa pulls him out. The Tonga’s come back up and beat on Reigns but Rhodes makes the save. Reigns slowly turns to look at Rhodes, seemingly thanking him without actually saying or doing anything.

Post break Nick Aldis says everyone has been sequestered in their dressing rooms but Solo Sikoa has an offer for a match, which Aldis doesn’t know just yet.

Michin vs. Piper Niven

Chelsea Green is here with Niven. Michin slugs away to start and sends Niven outside, where a big dive can connect. With Niven down, Michin kendo sticks Green and, after shrugging off Niven’s shot back inside, hits a belly to back superplex. Eat Defeat ends Niven at 2:02.

Post match Green and Niven lay Michin out, including the Unpretty-Her onto a trashcan.

We look at some classic Smackdown moments over the years.

Rob Van Dam, Vickie Guerrero and Gunther/Ludwig Kaiser are here.

Kevin Owens/??? vs. A-Town Down Under

Owens’ partner is…..a bald guy that no one recognizes. Owens admits that the guy isn’t his first choice but his original partner had travel issues, so this is (after a whisper from the partner) Ricky! Hold on though as a production member comes over to say Owens’ partner is here. That means a Stunner to Ricky and we have a substitute.

Kevin Owens/Randy Orton vs. A-Town Down Under

It was going to be him or Sami Zayn. Owens hammers on Waller to start but they quickly head outside, where Owens is dropped onto the announcers’ table. Waller mocks Orton’s pose, which Cole says is not a good move for his career. We take a break and come back with Owens hitting a clothesline but Waller breaks up the tag attempt. Waller loads up a superplex and Graves points out that THIS NEVER WORKS.

Owens knocks Waller down and then does the same to Theory, setting up the Swanton. Waller pulls Orton down though and the tag is delayed again. Owens fights out of the corner though and rolls outside, then runs around the ring and slides back in right in front of Orton (that was brilliant) for the tag. Everything breaks down and the villains are dropped onto the announcers’ table. Stereo hanging DDTs set up an RKO and Stunner to give Orton the pin on Waller at 9:20.

Rating: C+. There wasn’t much in the way of drama about who was winning here and that is not a bad thing. It’s ok to have a match where you can just see the bigger stars beat up the goofy villains and that is what happened here. Owens rolling over to the corner was a smart spot and I liked this well enough, though it’s time for Owens to move on to something new.

Post match, Orton says “Sorry Ricky!”.

Nick Aldis has a contract in hand for a tag match at Bad Blood: Solo Sikoa/Jacob Fatu vs. Cody Rhodes/Roman Reigns. Sikoa and Fatu have already signed the contract (which Aldis points out they haven’t read) but Rhodes comes in to say he’s done with the Bloodline, making it Reigns’ problem alone. He won’t be signing the contract and walks away. Aldis has to talk to Reigns.

More classic moments, set to a different Smackdown theme.

Booker T., Queen Sharmell, Sheamus and Michael Hayes are here.

Here is Nia Jax for a chat. She talks about her dominant year since her return and now it’s time for her do annihilate someone else at Bad Blood. While she doesn’t know her opponent, she’s ready to beat anyone. Cue Bayley to say Jax has had a better year than her return, but it wasn’t like she had a hard bar to clear. Bayley wants her rematch but Jax says she doesn’t need a posse like Damage CTRL. Bayley asks why Tiffany Stratton is always around and wonders who owes whom what.

Cue Stratton, who doesn’t like what Bayley is saying. Bayley points out that she beat Stratton last week, with Stratton saying it was Jax’s fault. That doesn’t work for Jax, but Naomi comes out to even the odds a bit. Naomi wants the title shot too, so Jax suggests a tag match next week for the title shot. But if Jax and Stratton win, whoever takes the loss is gone from Smackdown permanently. That’s a big stipulation and enough of a twist to keep things from feeling stale.

Roman Reigns has an answer about the tag match and will address things after the next match.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

They’re 2-2 in their first four matches and Hayes jumps him before the bell. The beatdown is on as we officially start but Andrade takes it to the floor for a moonsault. A big boot drops Hayes and they fight onto the barricade, where Andrade hits a jumping reverse Spanish Fly for the big crash. Thankfully they both seem ok as we take a break. Back with Hayes hitting the First 48 but Andrade hits the spinning back elbow for two and they’re both down again.

The double jump moonsault only hits knees but Nothing But Net misses. Instead Andrade is back with a Canadian Destroyer to send Hayes into the corner. The running knees in the corner connect but Hayes avoids a split legged moonsault. Hayes puts him on top for a kick to the head but gets reversed into the super swinging double underhook neckbreaker for the pin at 9:52.

Rating: B. Good stuff here, as has been the case with the entire series. Odds are this sets up Andrade as the news challenger to the US Title and that’s what it should be. They have had a competition now and one of them has won the series, at least in theory. It was a positive for both of them here and that is always nice to see.

Post match LA Knight comes out and says Nick Aldis has names Andrade the next challenger to the US Title, with the title match coming next week.

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are ready for all comers. Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton come in to say that Naomi needs to keep her nose out of things, with Jax reminding the champs that she beat both of them on the way to becoming Queen Of The Ring. Belair and Cargill are not impressed.

Here is Roman Reigns to respond to the challenge. With Nick Aldis joining him, Reigns takes the mic and says he doesn’t change. Aldis doesn’t need Aldis or a contract, because this is family business. He doesn’t need a partner, and especially not Cody Rhodes. No matter what he has, he is still the Tribal Chief and the ONLY Tribal Chief and this is still his show and WWE.

Cue a rather serious Cody Rhodes (he doesn’t even do the WHOA) to say it WAS Reigns’ WWE. It hasn’t been since Wrestlemania, which is enough to make the both drop their mic’s. Cue Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu for a distraction, allowing the Tonga’s to jumps them from behind. Reigns and Rhodes fight them off and Reigns signs the contract, with Rhodes doing so as well. That’s certainly a Smackdown main event for the show and I like it a lot better than another middle of the road title defense.

We actually get some credits (ok two of them) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Very good opener, good main event, solid main event segment and stuff being set up for next weeks. That’s a heck of a starting point for Smackdown as this was a hot show that gave ans a reason to want to come back. I had a great time with this one and it flew by, with Reigns making things feel that much more important. Keep doing this and Smackdown is going to be the A show again in a hurry.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Solo Sikoa – Cross Rhodes
Michin b. Piper Niven – Eat Defeat
Randy Orton/Kevin Owens b. A-Town Down Under – RKO to Waller
Andrade b. Carmelo Hayes – Super swinging double underhook neckbreaker

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Smackdown
Date: September 6, 2024
Location: Rogers Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re done with Bash In Berlin and that means it is time to get ready for Bad Blood, which is about a month away. Cody Rhodes is going to need a new challenger after beating Kevin Owens, which could open up a variety of options. Other than that, Bayley is back and wants the Women’s Title again so let’s get to it.

Here is Bash In Berlin if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Cody Rhodes retaining the Smackdown World Title over Kevin Owens at Bash In Berlin.

Here is Rhodes to get things going. After saying hello to the fans in the upper deck, Rhodes welcomes Michael Cole back to Smackdown. He knows he’s going to be interrupted any second so he just invites the Bloodline out here right now. Solo Sikoa says he had Rhodes beat at Summerslam but Roman Reigns interfered.

Rhodes thinks there should be a title defense on the season premiere of Smackdown and it should be the person who stepped out of Reigns’ shadow. Sikoa likes that idea…but Rhodes is talking about Jacob Fatu. That seems to work for Fatu, but Sikoa stares at him and Fatu bows. Rhodes says it was worth a shot and Sikoa is wearing the red lei meaning the Bloodline revolves around him.

The difference is Rhodes is wearing the WWE Title, meaning everything revolves around him. The title match seems to be on for next week but Sikoa wants to fight now. DIY and the Street Profits run in, with Nick Aldis popping in to say we’ll do this in the main event. Aldis says the title match is indeed on for next week….and we’ll do that in a steel cage. While there is a good chance Roman Reigns returns next week, this was both a way to set up a major title match and also further Sikoa controlling Fatu, which is not likely to end well.

Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly are getting ready for next week when Nia Jax comes in to ask if Stratton was going to cash in on her last week. Stratton says of course not and blames Chelsea Green, with Jax offering to be in her corner tonight.

Bayley vs. Tiffany Stratton

Bayley goes after the arm to start and wraps it around the rope for a bit before a middle rope armdrag gets two on Stratton. They go to the apron with Bayley trying a sunset flip, earning herself a kick to the face as we take a break. Back with Stratton hitting a rather handspringy elbow in the corner for two, followed by a dropkick into the ropes.

They go outside where Bayley reverses her into the post, setting up a running knee to the head for two back inside. The top rope elbow gets two and now Nia Jax comes out. Stratton uses the distraction to hit the Alabama Slam for two, only to walk into a Bayley To Belly. Bayley dives onto Jax, which draws her up to the apron for a distraction, meaning the referee doesn’t see Stratton’s backslide for a good while. Not that it matters as Bayley gets up and hits the Rose Plant to finish Stratton at 10:13.

Rating: C+. Bayley needed a win after her loss at Summerslam and what would Stratton be if she didn’t lose a few matches while holding the briefcase? They’ve been teasing the cash in already and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them burn the thing off next week on the season premiere. I’m not sure if Stratton will get the title, but if she does, Bayley is right there as another challenger after getting the win here.

A-Town Down Under pesters Kevin Owens about his loss so he says they should have a triple threat tonight. And he steals their Edmonton Oilers belt because it’s too nice for them.

Legado del Fantasma wants more success.

Giovanni Vinci vs. Apollo Crews

Vinci is described as a High Performance Human….and Crews rolls him up for the pin at 7 seconds. I will absolutely take this after seeing Vinci doing pretty much the same character in NXT and being about as uninteresting as imaginable.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven rant to Nick Aldis when Michin interrupts. Aldis makes Michin vs. Green for later.

Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory vs. Grayson Waller

Owens knocks them to the floor to start and hits a cannonball off the apron. The villains get together and load up a table, only for Owens to powerbomb Waller through it as we take a break. Back with Owens hammering on Theory, who drops him with a running forearm to the face. The rolling Stunner is cut off with a DDT though and everyone is down. Owens drops the backsplash on Theory and hits the Cannonball in the corner.

The Swanton connects for two as Waller makes the save, allowing Theory to hit a rolling Blockbuster. Waller steals the near fall and that doesn’t sit well with Theory so the argument is on. Owens knocks the villains off the ropes and hits a super Regal Roll for two on Theory. The swinging superplex gets two on Waller, setting up the Stunner to give Owens the pin on Theory at 9:46.

Rating: C+. This was little more than target practice for Owens, who needed a win after his loss over the weekend. Waller and Theory are little more than jokes at the moment, which is amazing given how hard Theory was pushed for a bit. There is still more than enough time to see things turn around, but dang it’s going to take a big moment to make it happen.

Post match Waller and Theory lay Owens out.

Video on Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade, which is now 2-2.

Commentary thanks FOX for five years and we look back at the show’s run on the network. That’s a nice thing to see.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. Knight is about thirty days into his title reign and he already has two successful title defenses. He knows everyone is coming for the title and here is Carmelo Hayes to interrupt. Hayes talks about stealing the show week after week while Knight is just running his mouth. He’s beaten Andrade twice in a row and that puts him in line for a US Title shot.

Knight points out that the two title defenses in a month are the same as the previous champion (oddly not named) had in ten months, which sounds like him getting in a point he forgot or didn’t get to say earlier. He’s not worried about having the match of the night because he cares about winning, which brings out Andrade, who brings up his two wins over Hayes. Knight cuts off the argument but Andrade speaks Spanish. That all goes over Knight’s head but he doesn’t like Andrade’s tone. The fight is on and Knight hits the BFT on both of them.

They didn’t say that the next Hayes vs. Andrade match would be for a title shot, but assuming that is the case, I would hope that they give it one winner rather than a draw to set up a triple threat. At the same time, that’s exactly what the series needed: a prize to fight over that both of them would want.

A-Town Down Under wants a tag match with Kevin Owens and anyone he can find next week.

Chelsea Green vs. Michin

Piper Niven is here with Green and Michin is banged up after last week. Michin snaps off some armdrags to start but gets kicked down as we hear about Green’s time in TNA. A hurricanrana out of the corner puts Green down but Michin comes up holding her ribs. Niven’s distraction lets Green get two off a rollup, only to have the I’m Prettier broken up. Another distraction lets Niven kick Michin in the face, followed by a backsplash. Back in and I’m Prettier finishes for Green at 3:58.

Rating: C. Michin was fighting through the injury here but Green is on the rise and needed a win here. At some point Green is going to be turned to the good side because the fans won’t be able to ignore her awesome charisma. If she can back it up in the ring, she could be a rather big star pretty quickly. This might not have been the big turning point, but it was a nice win.

DIY and the Street Profits want to take out the Bloodline.

Bloodline vs. DIY/Street Profits

It’s a brawl to start until a triple teaming knocks Fatu outside. We settle down to Dawkins hammering on Loa and suplexing Ford into a moonsault onto him for two. Loa is back up with a clothesline and Tama comes in, only to get caught with Gargano’s slingshot spear. Ciampa comes in as well but gets dropped over the top rope by Fatu. Sikoa sends Ciampa over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

Back with Fatu missing a charge into the post and Ciampa kicks Tama away before tagging…Dawkins and Gargano at the same time. Commentary and the referee are both confused, even as Dawkins neckbreakers Sikoa for two. It’s back to Ciampa as things get back to normal, including a Spinning Solo for two. Ciampa goes up top and superplexes Loa onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Ford hits a 450 on Loa but Fatu makes the save. Fatu cleans house, including the impaler DDT to Ford, setting up a pair of Samoa Spikes to give Sikoa the pin at 11:58.

Rating: B. Fun main event here with the Bloodline, and Sikoa in particular, getting to look strong on the way to next week’s title match. That’s a good way to go and the Profits/DIY are teams with enough value that beating them still means something. I’m not sure how much drama there was about the result, but at least the action was good on the way there.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a tough spot as it was the fallout show from Bash In Berlin, which didn’t have much from Smackdown, and serving as a preview to next week’s big premiere. There was enough to keep me interested throughout, but next week is where things happen and that didn’t leave much for this week to cover.

Results
Bayley b. Tiffany Stratton – Rose Plant
Apollo Crews b. Giovanni Vinci – Rollup
Kevin Owens b. Austin Theory and Grayson Waller – Stunner to Theory
Chelsea Green b. Michin – I’m Prettier
Bloodline b. DIY/Street Profits – Samoan Spike to Ford

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: August 22, 2008
Location: iWireless Arena, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

Summerslam has come and gone and the big story is that Undertaker destroyed Edge inside the Cell, which should get rid of him for a good while. Other than that, HHH dispatched the Great Khali in a match that was better than expected, meaning he’s going to need a new challenger. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the Smackdown matches from Summerslam.

Opening sequence.

Vickie Guerrero welcomes us to the show and says we haven’t been seeing the real her in recent weeks. Everything she has done has been because of Edge, because she corrupted who she was as a person. Now she is free to be her real self with Edge stuck in the same h*** he put her in. She has made some changes, and one of the things she feels the best about is reinstating the Undertaker. Another thing is the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, which will see five people wrestling for twenty minutes with unlimited falls. Whoever gets the last fall will be WWE Champion. Tonight, we find out the competitors.

Maria vs. Natalya

Natalya fireman’s carries her down without much trouble to start but Maria reverses into a headlock. Back up and they fight over wrist control until Maria snaps off a snappy armdrag. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Natalya is back with a dragon screw legwhip. Natalya cranks on the leg until Maria fights up and hits some clotheslines. A Bronco Buster gets the fans a bit more interested…and here is Maryse to go after Maria for the DQ.

Rating: C-. This was little more than a few moves going on until the ending, which just kind of happened. Maria feels more and more like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, who is the young, up and coming star who needs a lot more experience. The potential is there, but Maria is going to need some more time before it happens.

Post match the beatdown is on but Michelle McCool comes in for the save.

La Familia runs into the Big Show, who talks to Vickie Guerrero like a child. He’s happy for the Championship Scramble and he’s ready to face anyone in a qualifying match….but Vickie forgot to put him in one.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Battle Royal

Scotty Goldman, Super Crazy, Armando Estrada, Funaki, Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, Vladimir Kozlov, Ryan Braddock

Big Show is sitting at ringside and this is one of the lamest battle royals I’ve ever seen. A bunch of people get together and toss Kozlov before Goldman is sent out as well. Then Show comes in and tosses most of the people, with Ezekiel Jackson saving Brian Kendrick…which is enough for Kendrick to win, as Show threw everyone else out and then stepped over the top (as apparently he was in).

Rating: D+. The match was barely a thing but points for a clever ending. I guess I’ll take this over another one off match with little in the way of drama, but this was more of a joke than anything else. That being said, they got through it quickly and Kendrick being in the title match is more interesting than most options.

Post match Kendrick does a victory dance for a nice touch.

R-Truth talks about how the truth is what you do when people aren’t watching. It’s about respecting who you are and getting better every day to build a better future. He’s been on the bottom but now he’s heading for the top.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: MVP vs. Festus

Jesse is here with Festus. Before the match, we hear from MVP at Summerslam, where he promises to win the WWE Title. Festus freaks out at the bell but MVP knocks him into the corner anyway. A suplex sends MVP down for two and a clothesline is good for the same. Festus fall away slams him into the corner, only for MVP to pull him into the post. The logical armbar goes on and MVP cranks away, with Festus finally fighting up.

Some fight hands connect while the left arm is left hanging but the bad arm is sent into the corner again. MVP cranks on the arm again….as we see a sign saying “I Love My Mommy And Grandma.” Well that’s just sweet. Festus fights up again and hits a running elbow, setting up something like a running seated senton. A big boot sends MVP outside, where he kicks Jesse in the face. That’s enough of a distraction for Festus to get counted out. Oddly there’s a delay between the ten count and MVP being declared the winner, with MVP’s music starting before the bell rings, making for a bit of a weird situation.

Rating: C-. It’s kind of odd to go with two fairly screwy endings in a row, especially when it’s a star like MVP against Festus, who is almost a novelty. Obviously it’s the right result, but you would think there would be a better way to go than a bunch of sitting around pulling on Festus’ arm. Pretty dull match here, with MVP being capable of better.

Post match the bell turns Festus off again so MVP boots him out to the floor.

Classic On Demand: Trish Stratus b. Stacy Keibler in a swimsuit contest. Same exact clip from Raw.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay

Non-title and Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Before the match, Benjamin talks about how being a champion is about being obsessed with gold. He doesn’t like Olympic phenom Michael Phelps being called the new Gold Standard, because there is only one of them. Finlay wastes no time in taking Benjamin down for some face ripping before driving him into the corner.

A headlock grinds Benjamin down a bit so he bails into the corner for a needed breather. Back up and Benjamin tries to go low on Finlay, who takes him out to the floor where a lot of seething can ensue. They go back inside where Finlay can crank on the leg a bit, with Benjamin going to the ropes. A missed charge sends Finlay shoulder first into the post, giving Benjamin a rather nice target. The chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on, followed by one heck of a kick to the back of the head to have Finlay curled up in the corner.

Finlay bails to the floor for a second, where he ties a sliding Benjamin up in the ring skirt for some clubberin. Benjamin knocks him back into the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benjamin working on a neck crank Finlay jawbreaks his way to freedom for two but Benjamin grabs the neck again. Back up again and Benjamin hits a dragon whip, followed by the t-bone to cut Finlay down again for a delayed two. Finlay fights up but here is Mike Knox to go after Hornswoggle, allowing Benjamin to grab Paydirt for the fast pin.

Rating: C. They went pretty long here until the ending, which was more about setting up Knox vs. Finlay in an ECW feud. They could have done the same match in less time and things would have been that much better. Benjamin getting the nod is fine as it isn’t like he’s doing anything important with the US Title.

Post match Knox beats up Finlay a bit more.

We look back at Chris Jericho punching Shawn Michaels’ wife at Summerslam.

La Familia isn’t sure why Undertaker hasn’t arrived yet. Chavo Guerrero thinks he might even be holding a grudge. Maybe Vickie Guerrero should apologize?

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Great Khali

HHH is on commentary. Hardy slugs away to start but is quickly knocked outside for his efforts. Back in and Khali stomps away before the nerve hold goes on. With Hardy ground down, the tree slam is loaded up (HHH looks nervous) but Hardy goes up to slip out. That earns him a chop out to the floor but Hardy is back in with a Twist of Fate. The Swanton is loaded up but Runjin Singh offers a distraction (Khali was about 80% of the way across the ring so that thing wasn’t coming close anyway). HHH isn’t having this and pulls him down before chairing Khali in the head. The Whisper in the Wind into the Swanton finishes for Hardy.

Rating: C. I’m hoping HHH has to deal with Khali again, as that was quite the heelish move for someone who was just trying to protect his title. Hardy is one of the hottest things in WWE at the moment so he almost had to be in the title match. It also wouldn’t have been the best idea to ask Khali to go for twenty minutes, so there wasn’t much of a choice to be made here.

Post break HHH is in the ring to talk about the challengers coming for the title in the Championship Scramble. The fifth person in that match is a 12 time World Champion and someone who has won everything in every kind of match. Cue Kenny Dkysktra to interrupt because he should be in the match too. The Pedigree lays him out in a hurry, with HHH saying it was good to see him.

Here is La Familia to offer an apology to Undertaker, complete with a standing ovation. Cue Undertaker, with Vickie (eventually) saying she gave Undertaker a chance for revenge on Edge at Summerslam and now she wants a chance to be forgiven. If Undertaker needs more time, they can do this next week and she even gets on her knees to beg him. Undertaker says “look at me woman” because he isn’t here for an apology, but rather Vickie’s soul. The fight is on with Undertaker getting beaten down for a bit, only to fight up and clean house. Undertaker does the throat slit to Vickie to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I do appreciate a show with a central theme running throughout, but this wasn’t their best effort. The qualifying matches set up a nice field for Unforgiven, but it would have been nice to have them be a bit less dull. The ending with Undertaker hunting Vickie isn’t the most thrilling thing either and feels like something rather simple and not that interesting. This show set up the one match at Unforgiven but it didn’t have me wanting to see anything until then.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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