Survivor Series 2015
Date: November 22, 2015
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 14,481
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

Oh and before we get going: ISIS was allegedly targeting this show for a terrorist attack. Nothing would come of the rumors but it got quite a bit of attention.

Lillian Garcia sings the National Anthem as a big middle finger to the terrorism charges. I actually liked this and she can sing the heck out of that song.

WWE World Title Tournament Semifinals: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio

Ambrose praises Reigns for his win and Roman is happy to fight Dean for the title. That was pretty much the only possible ending to the tournament and everyone knew it when the brackets were revealed. Kevin Owens comes in after Ambrose leaves and thinks Reigns will screw up at the finish line all over again because Kevin himself will stop him.

WWE World Title Tournament Semifinals: Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose

Rating: B. I liked the energy here as it felt like a back and forth match with Owens not being able to keep Dean down and Dean just trying to sneak in anything he could at any time. It also helps that you could see Owens getting the win instead of waiting around until he got speared. That can do wonders and it made for a better match here.

TLC 2015 ad. I still love that video game theme.

Team Ryback vs. Team Sheamus

Ryback, Usos, Lucha Dragons

Sheamus, King Barrett, New Day

Divas Title: Paige vs. Charlotte

Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler

Back in and Breeze slowly hammers away before grabbing a weak half crab. Ziggler dropkicks him out of the air and hits some running clotheslines into the neckbreaker. To be fair, he does touch his knee before doing the big jumping elbow for two. We hit the pinfall reversal sequence before Tyler kicks him in the knee and hits an Unprettier for the pin at 6:31.

Undertaker/Kane vs. Bray Wyatt/Luke Harper

WWE World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

WWE World Title: Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns

Brogue Kick gets two, second Brogue Kick makes Sheamus champion at 34 seconds. Where did Dean go while this was happening?

Ratings Comparison

Original: C

Redo: D+

Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio

Original: B

Redo: B-

Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose

Original: B-

Redo: B

Team Ryback vs. Team Sheamus

Original: C

Redo: D+

Paige vs. Charlotte

Original: C-

Redo: B-

Dolph Ziggler vs. Tyler Breeze

Original: C-

Redo: D

Brothers of Destruction vs. Wyatt Family

Original: D+

Redo: D

Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose

Original: D

Redo: D+

Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: D

I was WAY too kind to this one the first time around. The last hour and a half is dreadful.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2015/11/22/survivor-series-2015-rise-and-fall/

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Smackdown
Date: November 15, 2024
Location: Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Survivor Series and for the most part, the men’s WarGames match is set. Both versions of the Bloodline need a fifth member though and there is a chance we’ll hear more about that tonight. The rest of the card could use some building of its own and the Tag Team Titles and Women’s Title are both on the line as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Cody Rhodes to get things going, albeit in what appear to be fighting clothes rather than his usual suit. Rhodes gets right to the point by calling out Kevin Owens but, after a few requests, he gets Nick Aldis instead. Aldis gets that this is different as Owens has injured Randy Orton because he’ll use the piledriver. Owens crossed a line last week and until they figure this out, Owens cannot be here.

Rhodes says this is exactly what Owens wants because he wants to handle this. Aldis knows this isn’t about money but rather Owens not being allowed to run the asylum. The idea of dealing with this “internally” doesn’t work for Rhodes, who wants Aldis to put himself in Rhodes’ shoes. Owens is telling everyone that what happened to Orton is Rhodes’ fault. Everything that has happened to Orton is because of Rhodes and he isn’t going to let Owens get away with this. The ball is in Aldis’ court, but Rhodes isn’t going to wait long.

The Usos and Sami Zayn are here and Roman Reigns is on the way. They still need a fifth member and Zayn thinks he might know someone.

Women’s US Title Tournament First Round: Bayley vs. B-Fab vs. Candice LeRae

Bayley gets knocked to the floor to start and B-Fab slams LeRae for an early two. A double clothesline drops Bayley and LeRae and we take an early break. Back with Bayley dropping an elbow on B-Fab but LeRae makes the save to leave everyone down. A triple clothesline puts them all down again before LeRae Codebreakers Bayley and lands on B-Fab for two each.

They go to the corner to load up a Tower Of Doom but LeRae reverses into a high crossbody for another near fall. B-Fab neckbreakers Bayley but walks into the Bayley To Belly with LeRae having to make a save. A half nelson slam plants Bayley but B-Fab has to send LeRae outside, allowing Bayley to steal the rollup for the pin at 9:54.

Rating: B-. The action was good but I could go for a long break from these triple threat qualifying matches. We just got done with some of them on Raw and here they are again on the blue side. B-Fab got to showcase herself here and LeRae has moved up rather well in the last few weeks, but this was about Bayley, who is by far the biggest star of the three.

We’ve got brackets for the tournament, with the finals at Saturday Night’s Main Event (that’s the kind of thing that makes the show feel important so well done).

Bayley

Bianca Belair
Chelsea Green
Blair Davenport

Jade Cargill
Michin
Piper Niven

Naomi
Tiffany Stratton
Elektra Lopez

Not a bad lineup, but you might not want to reveal that Naomi is in the midcard title tournament when she has a shot at the main title.

Sami Zayn is talking to LA Knight.

The Rock was on the Tonight Show, where he hit Jimmy Fallon with a pillow.

B-Fab tells the Street Profits to go win when Chelsea Green and Piper Niven came in to mock her for her loss. Michin, with her kendo stick, interrupts.

Here is LA Knight for a US Title open challenge. Before we get a challenger, he gets something out of the way: he isn’t getting involved in WarGames because he has his own thing going on. We get some Logan Paul insults and here is Legado del Fantasma to interrupt, with Santos Escobar to ask if Paul can say something cool. Escobar thinks he’ll win the title, but Knight sees Berto staring at him like he’s covered in barbecue sauce, so we have a challenger.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Berto

Berto is challenging and jumps Knight before the bell and we take a break. Back with Knight jumping to the top but getting shoved off so Berto can hit a missile dropkick for two. The chinlock goes on but Knight fights up and rams him into the announcers’ table a few times to take over. Back in and Berto hits a springboard kick to the face for two but a moonsault hits raised feet. Knight knocks him off the top and does his jumping top rope elbow, setting up the BFT to retain at 4:00.

Rating: C. I like the idea of having Knight get in the ring for a quick win, which is all he needed to do. It’s not like Berto was going to be a serious challenger and as Knight said, he’s already beaten Santos Escobar so there’s no need in going there again. Now just find Knight a fresh challenger.

Post match Shinsuke Nakamura returns and lays out Knight. That would be a fresh challenger.

The Usos and Sami Zayn go to see Roman Reigns. Post break Reigns comes in and Zayn says they don’t have a fifth guy. Jey Uso says make the call, but the Bloodline comes into the arena to interrupt.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat but Reigns and company interrupt. The brawl is on with Jey hitting a big dive but there’s too much Jacob Fatu. Reigns saves Zayn from the Samoan Spike with the spear to Sikoa, leaving Zayn to hit his own dive. Fatu is up for the showdown with Reigns…and Bronson Reed runs in to drop Reigns. The Usos and Zayn’s save attempt is easily thwarted and Reed hits the Tsunami on Jimmy.

Reigns tries to fight back but gets caught with the Samoan Spike. Fatu’s moonsault and Reed’s Tsunami leaves Reigns laying. The Bloodline leaves and Reigns is told to “make the call”. This was a heck of a segment, with Reed being the kind of monster who can put the Bloodline over the top. Reigns and company are going to need some help and since that almost has to be Seth Rollins, the drama will be rather high.

Kevin Owens has posted a video to social media, showing that he is in Milwaukee but was not allowed into the arena. Then Nick Aldis called him because Cody Rhodes wants him there next week. Owens will be there for himself because he loves Utah. Just remember though: he’s doing what people want him to do.

Tag Team Titles: Street Profits vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are defending. Sabin and the rather serious Ford start things off and trade rollups for some early twos. Back up and Sabin offers a handshake before taking Ford down into an armbar. Shelley comes in with a dropkick for two but Dawkins takes him to the floor for a heck of a Pounce over the announcers’ table. We take an early break and come back with Sabin getting the tag for a middle rope hurricanrana. Everything breaks down and a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination gets two on Ford. Dawkins is back in for the ave but Tommaso Ciampa comes in to jump Ford for the DQ at 7:57.

Rating: C+. This was stating to cook before the ending, which was the right call. The Profits really shouldn’t have been taking another fall but you also don’t want the Guns to lose so soon. Ciampa going a bit nuts and likely getting involved in a triple threat match for the titles is not a bad idea, though Ciampa is probably going to go on his own sooner than later.

Post match Ciampa wrecks a bunch of people until Johnny Gargano comes in to calm him down. Ciampa shoves Gargano and leaves, ranting about how he wants the titles.

Bayley gives Naomi a pep talk and tells her to watch out for Iyo Sky. Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill come in to tell Naomi to win.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Women’s Title: Naomi vs. Nia Jax

Naomi is challenging and is quickly knocked down with raw power. Back up and Naomi strikes away but can’t get very far, instead being knocked down for a chinlock. Naomi gets elbowed in the face and Jax hits a heck of a headbutt. The posing takes too much time though and Naomi knocks her to the floor for a break.

Back with Jax flattening her for two more but the half crab is broken up. Naomi fights up with some kicks to the face and the Rear View gets two. A pop up Samoan drop cuts Naomi off but the Annihilator is broken up. Naomi’s big dive to the floor connects as we cut to the back, where Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez have taken out Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.

Cue Tiffany Stratton for a cheap shot to Naomi though, allowing Jax to drop a leg. The Annihilator is broken up so Jax tries a middle rope powerslam, which is reverses into a super small package for two. Cue Bayley to take out Stratton and Naomi’s split legged moonsault gets two more. Now it’s Candice LeRae to post Bayley, with the super Samoan drop and Annihilator retaining the title at 12:13.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here but it tied together well enough, with the WarGames ramifications being about as obvious as you could get. That’s not a bad thing either, as I could go for a group of mostly thrown together stories and feuds being locked in a big steel box. On top of that, Jax gets a nice win and is ready to move on to something else, likely after Survivor Series.

A banged up Roman Reigns calls Paul Heyman…whose number is no longer in service. Reigns is crushed, even dropping his phone, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Oh yeah now this is more like it, with all kinds of stuff going on and a bunch of things happening. You had a big brawling segment in the middle and a bunch of stories leaving me interested. That’s the best feeling you can have coming out of a television show and if the coming weeks can come close to this, we’ll be in for a heck of a Survivor Series. Pretty great show this week, and one of the better WWE TV shows in a good while.

Results
Bayley b. B-Fab and Candice LeRae – Rollup to B-Fab
LA Knight b. Berto – BFT
Street Profits b. Motor City Machine Guns via DQ when Tommaso Ciampa interfered
Nia Jax b. Naomi – Annihilator

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Smackdown
Date: November 8, 2024
Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re closing in on Survivor Series and that means the Bloodline is going to need some opponents. As luck would have it, Sami Zayn is here to talk to Roman Reigns and that means we could be in for a big showdown, albeit mainly with talking rather than physicality. Let’s get to it.

Here is Crown Jewel if you need a recap.

Crown Jewel recap, focusing on the Bloodline beating Roman Reigns and the Usos, plus Sami Zayn having issues with Reigns after the match.

Here are Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso to get things going but Jey Uso cuts off Reigns’ request for acknowledgment. Jey thinks there has been a lot of misunderstanding going on and he’d like Reigns to listen to Sami Zayn, who joins everyone else. Reigns isn’t impressed as Zayn says the kick to the face at Crown Jewel was an accident. It’s been a long time since they’ve been here together but when it was the four of them for just a minute, it was special. It felt like Zayn was with family and he knows reigns felt it too.

On some level, Reigns wants all of this back. The opposite of love is indifference, and Zayn thinks Reigns still loves him. They can run everything back, but Zayn needs an apology…for Jey. With Jey standing there, Reigns apologizes….for letting Reigns waste his time with this. Zayn isn’t family, so Reigns wants Solo Sikoa out here right now. That makes Zayn leave but Jacob Fatu pops up on screen to say that Sikoa is the Tribal Chief. It’s on Sikoa’s time, so Reigns will acknowledge him. This feels like the latest “will they/won’t they” moment, but they need to get the match set up already.

Post break the Usos want talk to Reigns, who isn’t interested. Reigns wants to know why Zayn is so important. Jey says that was Reigns’ one pass, but otherwise, Jey is out. Reigns sends Jimmy after his brother.

Bayley vs. Candice LeRae

LeRae wastes no time in knocking Bayley down for a step up enziguri. Bayley shrugs that off and hits a basement lariat for a quick two, only to have her neck snapped over the ropes. We take a break and come back with Bayley fighting out of a Muta Lock before they fight up to the corner. Bayley gets knocked off the top so LeRae hits a missile dropkick, which is shrugged off for a hard clothesline. Bayley’s Stunner over the middle rope sets up a swinging side slam for two. LeRae feigns a knee injury but Bayley reverses the nefarious rollup into a cradle for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C. I liked the ending as Bayley used her brain to cut off the cheating, but the rest of the match was pretty basic. LeRae is only so good in the ring and it was slowing Bayley down a bit here. Bayley needs something else to do and even commentary was pointing out that she wasn’t part of the title hunt.

Johnny Gargano comes up to the Motor City Machine Guns and is glad that they’re here. Have fun punching Grayson Waller in the face! The Guns leave and Tommaso Ciampa comes in to yell at Gargano for not being serious enough. DIY wants the titles back but Randy Orton storms past them and heads to the ring.

Here is Randy Orton, with a voice so raspy his dad would be jealous, to demand Kevin Owens get out here right now. That’s just what Orton gets and the fight is on in a hurry. Owens quickly gets the better of things and hits a piledriver, which has commentary panicking. Everyone checks on Orton as Owens leaves through the crowd. Orton even gets taken out on a stretcher as Cody Rhodes is here to check on him. Rhodes gets in the ambulance with Orton.

Pretty Deadly vs. DIY

Ciampa jumps Prince at the bell and the beating is on, with Prince being rammed into the announcers’ table over and over. Prince is sent hard into the steps and the Fairy Tale Ending finishes at 1:37. Neither of the partners ever tagged in.

Video on the European tour.

We look at Tiffany Stratton’s attempted Money In The Bank cash-in costing Nia Jax at Crown Jewel.

Candice LeRae runs into Tiffany Stratton in the back and mocks her for being upset over her loss to Bayley. Nia Jax comes into yell at Stratton for putting them in a tag match but Stratton says it’s part of her plan. LeRae brings up Stratton’s plan at Crown Jewel and Jax says this better work.

Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton/Nia Jax

Non-title. Stratton yells at Cargill to start and slaps her in the face, which does not seem to be the best idea. Cargill easily knocks her into the corner and it’s off to Jax for a Samoan drop as we take a break. Back with a split screen congratulating Golden Corral on hiring veterans. The full screen sees Cargill reversing a suplex into one to drop Jax and it’s Belair coming in to clean house.

Belair hammers away in the corner and it’s back to Jax, who is too big for the KOD. Instead it’s a middle rope G9 for two on Belair as Cargill makes the save. Jax runs Cargill over but Belair hits a spear on Stratton. Cue Candice LeRae to shove Belair off the top so cue Naomi to jump LeRae. The distraction lets Cargill kick Jax down and Belair to hit the KOD to finish Stratton at 9:28.

Rating: C+. I do like it when a bunch of stuff comes together to make a match feel more detailed. That’s what we had here, with LeRae getting involved after what happened earlier. Jax and Stratton keep having trouble and those are going to come to a head. It would be nice to have that happen already so we can get rid of the briefcase, but that’s not how WWE tends to roll.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. A-Town Down Under

Non-title. Theory knocks Shelley into the corner to start but it’s quickly off to Sabin, who armdrags Waller into an armbar. Stereo kicks to the chest/back get two on Waller, who gets in a shot of his own for a breather as we take a break. Back with Waller knocking Shelley down for two and talking a lot of trash as he hammers away.

A missed charge in the corner allows Sabin to come back in and slug away, setting up a missile dropkick to send Waller outside. Back in and a missile dropkick/Downward Spiral combination plants Theory for two but Waller is back in with a jumping Downward Spiral of his own. The middle rope elbow misses though and Skull & Bones finishes for Shelley at 10:29.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice win here as the Guns make it clear that they’re able to beat another regular team. They were in trouble, fought back and won clean. That’s a simple, effective way to make a team look good and it worked for the Guns here. It’s not like A-Town Down Under is going to lose anything from a match like this anyway.

We look at Cody Rhodes beating Gunther at Crown Jewel.

DIY come up to the Motor City Machine Guns and say they want the titles back but the Street Profits come in to say they’re getting the title shot next week. Works for the Guns. Not so much for the Profits.

Nick Aldis is happy with what the women’s division has done around here so he has something new: the Women’s United States Title. Fair enough, though Raw likely introducing their own version is going to flood the title picture even more.

Here is the Bloodline for Solo Sikoa’s acknowledgment ceremony. Roman Reigns joins them to say he doesn’t acknowledge Sikoa but instead to offer a challenge for the undisputed spot as Tribal Chief. Sikoa laughs him off because Reigns can’t be a chief without a tribe. Instead Sikoa offers the challenge for a five on five WarGames, with Sami Zayn as his fifth partner. Cue Zayn, with Reigns turning to look at him and getting jumped by the Bloodline.

The Usos run in for the save and get dropped as well. Sikoa tells Zayn to come to the ring so he slides in…and intentionally kicks Sikoa in the face instead. Zayn helps Reigns take out Fatu and the spear hits Sikoa. Reigns nods at Zayn and the Usos do the One pose. Zayn does it as well….and Reigns joins in to end the show. I’m assuming it’s going to be 4-4 rather than 5-5, as adding another entrant each would seem stupid at this point. I don’t think this was much of a surprise as they didn’t have many other options for WarGames, but it’s nice to actually have it announced with only about three weeks before Survivor Series.

Overall Rating: C+. It wasn’t my favorite show, but this did a good job of getting things ready for Survivor Series. You’ll like WarGames and probably Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens, along with whatever they have with the women’s division. Things are starting to come together, but it would be nice if they had done things a bit more interesting here. Some better matches would have helped too, as there is only so much you can get out of the latest Bloodline episode.

Results
Bayley b. Candice LeRae – Cradle
DIY b. Pretty Deadly – Fairy Tale Ending to Prince
Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill b. Tiffany Stratton/Nia Jax – KOD to Stratton
Motor City Machine Guns b. A-Town Down Under – Skull & Bones to Waller

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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Crown Jewel 2024
Date: November 2, 2024
Location: Mohammed Abdo Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re back in Saudi Arabia and the focus this time is on champion vs. champion. The Raw and Smackdown World Champions, both men’s and women’s, will face off in a match or a belt that they don’t get to take with them, but they do get a ring. That’s not the strongest buildup but the Bloodline is at it again. Let’s get to it.

A bunch of people came to work today.

The opening video is a look at how prestigious everything is, with the focus on the champion vs. champion matches.

Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns/Usos

Roman and Jimmy come out together, with Jey getting his own full on entrance (Jimmy approves, Roman not so much). Jey and Tama start things off with Tama pounding him down without much effort. It’s off to Jimmy to take over, with a double elbow hitting Tama. Fatu comes in and gets kicked out tot he floor so things can reset a bit. Back in Jey armbars Tama as Reigns wants the tag. Jey tags in Jimmy instead, with Jimmy trying to calm him down, even during a double headbutt.

More bickering allows Tama to go after the knee to bring Jimmy down. Jimmy gets beaten own in the corner but manages to get over to Jey to pick up the pace. That doesn’t last long either, as Jey gets sent into the corner, where Sikoa gets in a headbutt from the apron. The nerve hold goes on before it’s back to Tama for a slingshot hilo. Jey fights up again and brings in Roman, who slugs it out with Sikoa.

The clotheslines have Sikoa down and a Superman Punch makes him do it again. The spear is cut off though and the Samoan Spike gets…two, as it seemed to be three with Jimmy making a slightly late save. Jey comes back in to superkick Fatu to the floor and there’s another Superman Punch to Sikoa. Tama offers a distraction though and the referee gets taken out. Fatu headbutts Reigns and runs him over, setting up the moonsault. A pair of Samoan Spikes finishes Reigns at 16:37.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by Sikoa getting the pin and getting it fairly easily, but this was more about setting up the next chapter at WarGames. The Usos and Reigns were outnumbered here and that is going to have to be remedied sooner than later. Good match or the most part though, even with Jey’s issues costing the team a bit.

Post match the Bloodline does their pose but Reigns fights up, only to get beaten down again. The TripleBomb through the announcers’ table is broken up so the chair is loaded around Jey’s neck in the corner. Cue Sami Zayn (who slowly walks to the ring, which for some reason paralyzes the Bloodline, who was ready to destroy Jey and then just don’t). Sami teases hugging Sikoa but suplexes him instead. Sikoa is surrounded on all sides but Zayn and Reigns accidentally hit each other, allowing Sikoa to escape. Jimmy yells at Zayn as Reigns is still down. Again, this is just a big pit stop on the way to WarGames.

We get some sitdown interviews with Gunther (who promises to choke Cody Rhodes out) and Cody Rhodes (who promises to win) about their match later.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Damage CTRL vs. Meta Four vs. Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill

Belair and Cargill are defending. Sky and Belair start fast and Belair grabs a delayed vertical suplex but misses a handspring moonsault. They trade some flips until Green comes in and takes a beating in the corner. Now Belair’s handspring moonsault connects for two and it’s off to Cargill. Legend comes in and slams Green before glaring Cargill back to the corner.

Jackson steps up onto Legend’s shoulders for a flipping backsplash and hits a running hip attack in the corner. Sane tags herself in and hits a middle rope forearm before handing it back to Sky. Sane’s catapult to send Sky into the corner doesn’t quite work so Sky slams Jackson down instead. It’s off to Niven to run Sky over before Legend and Cargill have the big slugout.

Everyone winds up on the floor so Green teases a dive, which has to be caught by Niven. Sky hits a dive and Jackson hits one of her own, followed by Belair hitting a Cactus Clothesline on Legend. Back in and Jaded hits Green but Damage CTRL makes the save. Meta Four is back up to clean house, including a toss sitout powerbomb. We hit the parade of secondary finishers but Cargill escapes the Unprettier. Niven Vader Bombs Green by mistake and a Doomsday Device (geez) finishes Niven to retain at 12:00.

Rating: C+. They got a bit of time here and the match was boosted up a bit as a result. I was expecting a title change here but Belair and Cargill retaining is hardly a bad thing. They’re becoming more dominant champions and that is something you need rather than having the titles bounce around all the time.

We recap Bronson Reed vs. Seth Rollins. Reed injured Rollins a few months back and put him action. Rollins is back and wants revenge so they’ve been fighting a bunch.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

The brawl starts on the ramp and Rollins can’t get very far. They go to ringside and Rollins is driven into the timekeeper’s area. The fight heads inside for the opening bell and Reed hits an early Tsunami but goes up again instead of covering. Rollins rolls away and hits a quick Stomp for two as they’re starting fast. Rollins’ sunset flip is countered with a sitdown splash for two and things slow down a lot.

Back up and Rollins’ attempt at a slam doesn’t work but he counters a powerbomb into a DDT (that looked great) to leave the both down. A middle rope clothesline staggers Reed but he catches Rollins on top. That’s broken up with a headbutt and Rollins drops a frog splash for two. Reed is back up with a Death Valley Driver for two but Rollins slaps him in the face, saying Reed should have finished him when he can. They had outside where Rollins gets in a shot of his own, setting up the Stomp on the steps. Back in and another Stomp finishes Reed at 12:20.

Rating: B-. Gah I’m not sure about that, as Reed needed the win a lot more than Rollins. I’m not saying Reed is done, but that’s not going to do him any favors as a monster taking a loss can be rather damaging. Rollins is hardly a low level star, but I would have stretched Reed’s dominance out just a bit longer.

We recap Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax for the Women’s Crown Jewel Title. Basically the idea is Tiffany Stratton is going to cash in on someone but we’re not sure whom.

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Liv Morgan vs. Nia Jax

We get the Big Match Intros and Morgan plays keep away to start. That only lasts so long as Morgan gets in a few shots, which just seem to annoy Jax. The running shoulder in the corner misses for Jax but she hits a quick super Samoan drop. Jax goes up for the Annihilator but gets countered into a sunset bomb.

Cue Tiffany Stratton, only to have Jax shout her down before the cash in. Morgan gets two off a crucifix so Stratton tries it again, only for Raquel Rodriguez to break it up. A middle rope Codebreaker gives Morgan two and they’re both down for a bit. Jax yells at Stratton on the floor and the big fight is on, with Jax running Morgan over. Dominik Mysterio slides the briefcase in for a distraction though, allowing a quick Oblivion to give Morgan the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C+. This was a good bit better than I was expecting as they played to their strengths rather than trying to have it be a straight match. That being said, I’m once again completely done with the Money In The Bank stuff, as the “THIS IS IT! SHE’S CASHING OH NEVER MIND!” for months on end lost its charm years ago. That was on full display here and I was sick of seeing

HHH comes in for the title presentation.

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton. Owens feels like Orton (and Cody Rhodes) betrayed him by siding with Roman Reigns, causing Owens to turn of both of them. Owens doesn’t want to hurt someone he claims to be his friends but he’s willing to do what he has to. Orton just wants revenge.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

Owens hits him with a chair before the bell and they fight on the floor. Owens drops him onto the announcers’ table and takes the chair inside to keep up the beating. The referee tries to break it up and gets a Stunner as referees and agents come down. Orton gets the chair and hits Owens with it, followed by the hanging DDT. Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis come in so Orton RKOs Pearce. Owens gets up and they fight into the crowd, where Owens uses something metal to knock him onto a table. An elbow off the stage crushes Orton again. They’re both left laying and no match.

US Title: LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade

Knight is defending and lets the challengers beat each other up to start. That doesn’t last long as Hayes knocks them outside. Knight sends Hayes into the announcers’ table a few times and adds the slingshot shoulder to Andrade. Back in and Andrade fights up, including the running knees to Hayes in the corner.

One heck of a moonsault to the floor drops Knight, only for Knight to cut him off with a dive. Back in and Knight can’t BFT Hayes only to get caught with the First 48. Hayes knocks Andrade down for two as well an everyone needs a breather. Andrade drops Knight for two and takes Hayes up top for a super fall away slam. Knight goes up and hits the double top rope elbow for two more. It’s Hayes up this time with Nothing But Net to Andrade but Knight is right back with the BFT to retain at 8:57.

Rating: B-. This was a good TV match and that’s all it needed to be. Knight gets another win and it’s no like either of the other two are really hurt by the loss. It’s time to end Andrade and Hayes’ series though, as it’s gone on long enough. They need to do something new and Knight needs a fresh challenger as well.

We recap Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes. They both want to be the best and prove that they’re better and have gotten physical a few times. Time for a match.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther

Feeling out process to start with Gunther getting the better of some grappling. Rhodes reverses into an armbar to take Gunther down. That’s reversed into a headlock as they’re taking their time to start here. Rhodes fights up to escape and the fans approve as we’re somehow five minutes in. The chops are blocked and Cody goes for the Flip Flop And Fly, only for a big chop to cut him off.

A drop down uppercut works a bit better for Cody but he has to break up a sleeper attempt. Gunther takes him outside for a big chop and slams him on the floor for a breather. Back in and Gunther gets the better of a slugout before slowly chopping Cody down to the floor again. Cody shrugs off a slam and catches Gunther on top as the fans deem this awesome. A top rope superplex brings Gunther down and they’re both down.

Cody gets fired up and hits the Bionic Elbow (the fans chant Dusty), setting up a Cody Cutter for two. The Disaster Kick is countered into the Boston crab before Gunther switches to the sleeper. That’s escaped so Cody hits a quick Cross Rhodes and they’re both down. Back up and Gunther hits the powerbomb for two but he makes the mistake of slapping Cody in the corner. That fires Cody up and he grabs a quick Cross Rhodes for another near fall. Another Cross Rhodes is blocked so Cody goes up for the Cody Cutter, only to get pulled into the sleeper. That’s reversed into a rollup to give Cody the pin at 23:00.

Rating: B+. I don’t think anyone was expecting this to be anything less than very good and they hit that point. It was a clean match with Cody catching him in the end and that’s perfectly fine. The good thing here is that it was basically a match either could afford to lose, but unfortunately Cody doesn’t really gain much from the win. Still though, best match on the show by a wide margin.

Post match Gunther shakes Cody’s hand and we get the big presentation of the title, with HHH and Liv Morgan coming out to celebrate, with some government officials joining them.

Overall Rating: B-. One of the good things about modern WWE is you won’t get many truly bad matches or shows and that was the case here. I wasn’t overly interested in a lot of what they had going on but nothing on the show was anything close to terrible. The main event was very good and some of the other stuff worked well enough. The biggest issue here was a lack of anything impactful happening, but Survivor Series can handle that later this month. Not exactly a must see show, but there are worse options out there.

Results
Bloodline b. Roman Reigns/Usos – Samoan Spike to Reigns
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Damage CTRL, Piper Niven/Chelsea Green and Meta Four – Doomsday Device to Niven
Seth Rollins b. Bronson Reed – Stomp
Liv Morgan b. Nia Jax – Oblivion
LA Knight b. Andrade and Carmelo Hayes – BFT to Hayes
Cody Rhodes b. Gunther – Rollup

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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I’m not sure how to act like I’m interested in this show as there just very much here that I want to see. The show’s main matches are designed around titles that are going to be kept on display at the WWE Experience in Saudi Arabia while the Bloodline match seems to be more about getting us ready or Survivor Series. That doesn’t leave much to get excited about but maybe I can talk my way there. Let’s get to it.

Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed

This is all about Rollins getting revenge on Reed for attacking him a few months ago, resulting in Rollins being left out of action. They’ve been fighting since Rollins got back and this week saw Reed damage Rollins’ ribs. That should make for a big fight, as Rollins is often good at coming back from big odds to win in the end. That is of course assuming it’s the way they go.

I think I’ll take Reed to win here, as he can go a long way with beating Rollins and getting the biggest victory of his career. On the other hand, a Rollins win really diminishes Reed, who is getting over as a monster. There is some potential to this one though and it’s probably the match I’m looking forward to the most. They could do something good here and hopefully it sees Reed getting a heck of an upgrade.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Bianca Belair/Jade Cargill(c) vs. Piper Niven/Chelsea Green vs. Meta Four vs. Damage CTRL

I’m not sure how they managed to make it work but WWE has put together something resembling a women’s tag division. It doesn’t have a bunch of depth, but this feels like something better than what they’ve been doing in recent years. For now, I’ll certainly take that, as we could be getting something going with these belts after trying to make it work forever.

As for a winner….I almost want to say Meta Four but I’ll go with a pick I expect to be wrong and says Green/Niven. Damage CTRL feels like it’s been done and Belair/Cargill can lose the titles without taking much damage as a result. Meta Four winning could give them quite the elevation, but Green has more than earned some kind of a reward after everything she’s done so I’ll take a wild shot with them.

US Title: LA Knight(c) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

This hasn’t been the smoothest build as Knight has felt like a villain throughout most of it, but he’s just kind of a jerk in general so it’s not the biggest switch. Andrade and Hayes have been fighting for months so giving both of them a title shot works as well. That means the title could go in a number of ways, but as you might have guessed, I can’t picture it going in more than one.

I’ll go with Knight to retain here, as there is little reason to think he’s only going to be the champion for about three months. Hayes and Andrade are both capable challengers, but this feels like a way for Knight to beat both of them at once and get to brag about it. That’s the best way to go, as Knight should be holding the title for a lot longer. Just find something else for the other two do from here though, as it’s time to move on.

Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens

This is a grudge match as Owens is mad about Orton and Cody Rhodes being willing to work with Roman Reigns after all the years of battling against him. It’s kind of an interesting long form look at how some people aren’t going to be forgiving after everything that has taken place. You don’t get that kind of an idea very often but it’s working well here, as it rather suits Owens.

This one shouldn’t be that complicated as Owens is going to have to go after Rhodes at some point, so he’ll nee to beat Orton on the way there. I’m not seeing any reason for Orton to win here, as Owens has a bigger story going on. You can easily reheat for his major match with Orton down the line. For now though, this needs to be Owens wrecking Orton, which he is certainly capable of doing.

Bloodline vs. Roman Reigns/Usos

At least Reigns and the Usos don’t have some kind of special name yet. This is another match where it feels like we’re just having to get through this on the way to the bigger story later on. The Usos and Reigns are back together and trying to fight off the new Bloodline, which is probably not going to go that well for them just yet. The big issue they’re facing is probably the main point of the story coming up.

In case it’s somehow unclear, this is going to be the Bloodline, who will likely win thanks to their numbers advantage. Reigns and the Usos are going to need a fourth and there shouldn’t be much of a secret about who that’s going to be. Until Sami Zayn can join them though, Reigns and the Usos are going to be in trouble and that will result in a loss here, likely thanks to Jacob Fatu (or whoever doesn’t wrestle).

Women’s Crown Jewel Title: Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan

I can’t believe they’re actually going through this this, as it doesn’t see that even Rhea Ripley being healthy wouldn’t have shaken this up. The only good thing here is the tease of Tiffany Stratton cashing in the Money In The Bank briefcase as it opens up some actual stakes which could matter after this show is over. That isn’t enough to make me want to see the match, but it does help things out a bit.

I’ll take Jax to win here, as Morgan beating her (even as she has before) is more than a stretch. At the same time, I don’t think Stratton will successfully cash in, as WWE likes to tease something like that so much. Ultimately though, Jax continues her path of destruction as we continue to wait for someone to challenger her. Like Jade Cargill in a few months maybe.

Men’s Crown Jewel Title: Gunther vs. Cody Rhodes

Odds are this headlines (it’s this or the six man) and I’m still not able to get into it. This is the kind of match that should be headlining a big pay per view with some real stakes but, instead, it’s the old Battle For Brand Supremacy style match and that’s not something that has worked most o the time. It really isn’t here, as both of them feel like they’re just getting through this to move on to something else.

Give me Gunther to win here I guess, as Rhodes could have some kind of interference to cut him off (Owens springs to mind). The wrestling itself should be good, but it still feels rather dumb to have one of them lose for the sake of a ring (because they don’t even take the belt with them). I really could go with a better reason for them to be fighting, but I’ll go with Gunther collecting another piece of hardware with the win.

Overall Thoughts

The more I think about this show, the more I’m thinking it’s just a show that we have to get through before we get on to Survivor Series. I get that it’s all about making the Saudis happy and all that jazz, but dang could they come up with something a bit more interesting to make us sit through instead? For now, I’m sure the wrestling will be adequate at worst, but I’m looking forward to moving on to anything else.

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: November 1, 2024
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Corey Graves, Michael Cole

We’re taped from last week as tomorrow is Crown Jewel in all of its glory. That means it is time to give us the final hammering home before the pay per view, including the big push towards the Bloodline vs. whatever the other team is called, which was announced earlier this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Nia Jax to get things going. She wants the Crown Jewel Title and she tends to get what she wants. The last time she was in Saudi Arabia, she wanted to become Queen Of The Ring and that’s what happened. She’s going to win the Crown Jewel Title and Morgan will be crying on the floor.

Cue Morgan, with Raquel Rodriguez and Dominik Mysterio, to talk about how she won in Saudi Arabia too. Morgan beat her the last time they fought but here is Tiffany Stratton to interrupt. She promises to cash in, but she’s not sure which one it will be. Maybe something could change her mind though: if she takes Morgan’s title, does Dominik come with it? She could use a little dirty in her life (Dominik shakes his head no). Morgan thinks Stratton has enough dirty in her life and the fight is on, with a call for a referee. Adding some stakes, even if they’re not guaranteed, to the Crown Jewel match helps so much.

Liv Morgan vs. Tiffany Stratton

Non-title and joined in progress with Morgan taking her to the floor for some rams into various things. Back in and a dropkick sends Stratton into the corner so she grabs the briefcase. Nia Jax pops up on the apron but Morgan uses the distraction to grab a rollup (with trunks) for the pin at 2:27 shown.

Post match Nia gives Morgan the Annihilator.

We look back at Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton being made for Crown Jewel.

Owens has sent in a video saying he doesn’t want to fight Orton because he never wanted to hurt him. Now he’s going to hurt Orton like Orton hurt him.

Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

B-Fab is here with the Profits. Pretty Deadly has Playbills for their upcoming musical and talk to Lin Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame) in a likely smart move. The villains jump the Profits before the bell and it’s Ford getting knocked into the corner, with Prince getting to dance a bit. Wilson comes in for some stomping of his own but Ford slips away and brings in Dawkins to clean house without much trouble. A middle rope Codebreaker cuts Dawkins down but B-Fab cuts off the choking and slams Prince. The Doomsday Blockbuster finishes Wilson at 4:01.

Rating: C. Pretty Deadly has fallen pretty far in the last few months as they have very little to do save for talking about their musical, which doesn’t exactly seem likely for some big payoff. The Profits are stuck in this weird place where they’re good enough to challenge for the titles but have lost so many big matches that it doesn’t seem likely. They need to figure something out though, because this is only going to hold out for so long.

Nia Jax isn’t happy with Tiffany Stratton, who says it’s all part of the plan. Bayley and Naomi aren’t convinced.

Naomi/Bayley vs. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae

Hartwell pounds Bayley down to start and then punches her in the face for a bonus. LeRae adds a dive off the apron to drop Bayley again and we take a break. Back with Bayley fighting out of a chinlock and hitting some knees to Hartwell in the corner. Naomi comes in to slug away on LeRae, including a middle rope splits splash for two with Hartwell making the save. Everything breaks down and the Bayley To Belly hits Hartwell, but LeRae is back up with the Lionsault to Bayley. That’s not worth a count though as Naomi is legal, meaning she hits the Rear View for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. As usual, there is only so much you can get out of a match with so much missing, but they were trying well enough. I’m not sure how much drama there was in the match as Bayley and Naomi are much bigger stars, plus the whole Hartwell is released thing. If nothing else, I’m surprised LeRae took the fall, but it only makes so much of a difference.

We look at the recent Bloodline situations, resulting in the Usos joining forces with Roman Reigns to fight the villains.

Here are Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns to officially clear the air with Jey Uso. Jimmy says he and his brother made up and it’s time for Roman to make everything ok of they’ll lose at Crown Jewel. Cue Jey Uso, who wastes no time in taking off the sunglasses. He gets right to the point in saying that this is about him getting back at Solo Sikoa. This isn’t ok with all three of them yet because he remembers how Reigns treated him.

There was physical, mental and emotional damage, but now they have to show the next generations that it’s family above all. Reigns isn’t going to be the boss though and they’re all equals right now. Reigns can keep going that way or he can act like Jey’s cousin and they’ll be together at Crown Jewel. Jey looks at him as Reigns thinks about it….and says YEET to quite the reaction. Jimmy and Jey hold up the fingers and Reigns joins the pose to blow the roof off the place.

The Motor City Machine Guns are in the back when A-Town Down Under interrupts them. The villains invite them to be on the Grayson Waller Effect next week and the champs are in.

Iyo Sky vs. Bianca Belair vs. Lash Legend vs. Piper Niven

Their respective partners are here too. They pair off to start with Belair hammering on Niven and avoiding a charge in the corner. Niven runs Belair over as Legend drops Sky onto the apron. Back in and Legend and Niven hit a double clothesline for a double knockdown. Niven breaks up Sky’s Asai moonsault but gets taken out by Belair. Legend and Niven drop Belair though and we take a break.

Back with Niven hitting a backsplash for two on Sky, with Legend stealing the cover. Belair comes back in with a high crossbody to both of the, followed by a spinebuster to Niven. Legend takes out Belair but Sky is back in to hit both villains in the corner. Niven and Sky go up but get Tower of Doomed back down by Belair.

Legend plants Belair but Chelsea Green makes the save as the brawl breaks out on the floor. Back in and Niven backsplashes Legend and piledrives Belair. Legend cuts off the basement crossbody as Cargill cleans house on the floor. The KOD hits Legend but Sky comes in with Over The Moonsault to hit Belair and steals the pin on Legend at 12:04.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of formula that tends to work best for these matches as it was a bunch of people going nuts and trying to get in as much stuff as they could. That made for an entertaining match and I had a good time with it, especially when you add in all of the others on the floor. Good stuff here, even if it means almost nothing for the title match.

Cody Rhodes asks Randy Orton to save him a piece of Kevin Owens.

Andrade, Carmelo Hayes and LA Knight are ready for the triple threat for the US Title.

Crown Jewel rundown.

Solo Sikoa isn’t happy with Roman Reigns and the Usos being together again and promises to take them out.

Randy Orton/Cody Rhodes vs. Imperium

Cody and Gunther get things going…and we’ll make that Kaiser instead before anything happens. A gordbuster sends Kaiser outside and Rhodes hits a big dive as we take an early break. Back with Gunther kicking Rhodes down so Kaiser can hammer away. The double kicks in the corner have Rhodes in more trouble and Kaiser grabs the chinlock.

That’s switched into an abdominal stretch until Rhodes hiptosses his way to freedom. A double clothesline leaves both of them own and Rhodes is able to hand it off to Orton. The hanging DDT hits Gunther but he blocks the RKO. Rhodes and Kaiser come back in to slug it out, with a Cody Cutter connecting. The RKO and Cross Rhodes finish Kaiser off at 10:14.

Rating: C+. They could only do so much here as the question was more about which one would pin Kaiser for the win. What matters here is giving us just a taste of Gunther vs. Rhodes, which is what they pulled off, but at the same time, their showdown doesn’t feel that important. This helped the match a bit, but it was facing quite the ceiling.

Post match Kevin Owens runs in with a chair to Orton as Gunther chokes Rhodes out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. I am not feeling Crown Jewel in the slightest and this didn’t do much to help things out. The best thing here was the addition of teasing a cash in for the women’s match, as it at least gives the match some bigger stakes. The Bloodline match isn’t that much better, as it’s clearly just a warmup for WarGames. That’s the problem with Crown Jewel in general: it feels like a show that we have to get through to get to the important stuff and that’s not great. This show boosted it a bit, but it could only go so far.

Results
Liv Morgan b. Tiffany Stratton – Rollup with trunks
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Doomsday Blockbuster to Wilson
Bayley/Naomi b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Rear View to LeRae
Iyo Sky b. Lash Legend, Bianca Belair and Piper Niven – KOD to Legend
Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton b. Imperium – Cross Rhodes to Kaiser

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: 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:

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

AND

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

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

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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.