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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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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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 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

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Smackdown
Date: August 23, 2024
Location: Capital One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are just over a week away from Bash In Berlin and the Smackdown side of things seems to be mostly ready. At the same time though, Roman Reigns was taken out by the Bloodline last week and that is not going to go well. I’m not sure if Reigns is going to be back tonight, but the Bloodline almost has to take a victory lap. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline taking out Roman Reigns last week, with Jacob Fatu doing most of the damage.

Here is A-Town Down Under with the Grayson Waller Effect to get things going. They start fast this week because their guest is none other than Cody Rhodes, who the fans seem to life. The villains cut off his entrance though, which is not exactly well received. Cody loads up his catchphrase, which Waller finishes for him to push another button. Waller says the idiot fans don’t know the real Cody, whose friends keep getting beaten up. Cody: “Are you done?”

Waller probably thinks that Kevin Owens getting a title shot is charity but Owens has not stopped fighting the Bloodline since before Cody came back. He has never used Owens, but can Waller and Theory say the same about each other? Waller is using Theory and the fans are waiting for Theory to do something about it. Waller shifts the focus back to a video on Owens, showing him attacking various friends and associates (including Chris Jericho in an all time segment with the Festival OF Friendship), including Sami Zayn and Sami Zayn (Again).

Cue Owens to interrupt, saying everyone he turned on in that video, save for Kofi Kingston, deserved it. Cue Nick Aldis, with Owens cutting him off to ask him to make the tag match. Aldis says it’s on, but Owens asks if he can punch Waller in the face. Aldis: “Make it quick.” The fight is on, but Owens is sent into Rhodes for the tension inducing moment.

United States Title: LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar

Knight is defending and Escobar has the rest of Legado del Fantasma with him. Hold on though as the rest of Legado jumps Knight on the floor before the bell, which is at least worthy of a mass ejection. Knight says ring the bell and avoids an early charge to get two off a rollup.

We take an early break and come back with Knight in trouble as Escobar crushes him with a frog splash for two. An elbow drop misses though and Knight hits an atomic drop into a discus lariat for the double knockdown. Knight stomps away in the corner and gets two off a Side Effect as the fans are rather pleased. The BFT and the Phantom Driver are both broken up so Escobar takes him to the middle rope. That’s broken up for a middle rope LA Elbow, setting up the BFT to retain the title at 9:07.

Rating: C+. Knight gets attacked and injured before the match, fights from behind and retains the title over someone with some status. That’s as simple as it can get and it worked just fine here, with Knight getting his first successful title defense. It’s a case where they didn’t need to make this complicated and it went perfectly well.

We look at Carmelo Hayes beating Andrade last week.

Hayes says Andrade is never going to be as good as he is. Cue Andrade and they have to be held back, with another match being set up for next week.

Santos Escobar yells at the rest of Legado del Fantasma for costing him the match. Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews come in to laugh, with Escobar wanting to face Corbin next week.

Blair Davenport/Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre vs. Naomi/Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Dawn actually takes Naomi down to start, which doesn’t last long as Belair moonsaults over her and sends Dawn outside. The big dive takes Dawn out again and we take an early break. Back with Belair grabbing a slingshot rollup for two on Davenport, who stomps Belair in the back for two. The villains get in a triple choking pose on the ropes and some running knees get two more.

Fyre grabs a Black Widow but Dawn gets caught cheating, allowing Belair to backbreaker her way to freedom. The tag brings in Cargill to clean house but Davenport hits a quick superkick. Naomi comes in to pick the pace up again, with a hanging faceplant/DDT to Dawn and Fyre. Belair hits a big dive to the floor, taking out Cargill as well as some villains. That leaves Naomi to hit the split legged moonsault to finish Davenport at 9:33.

Rating: B-. This started slowly but the last two minutes or so went nuts with everyone getting a chance to shine. Belair and Cargill are already set for a Women’s Tag Team Title shot at Bash In Berlin, though it was nice to see them not get a pin over the champions here to set it up. If nothing else, Dawn and Fyre need to be kept strong, which isn’t always the case around here.

We look at WWE in Germany back in the mid 90s, with Natalya of all people narrating.

Here is the Bloodline for their Tag Team Title shot. Before the match, Solo Sikoa requests acknowledgment and says the OTC is DONE. Sikoa says he is next in line for a title shot after Bash In Berlin, but first there is something wrong with the Tag Team Titles. He tells Jacob Fatu to step up…and hand Sikoa his title. Actually, give it to Tonga Loa, because Fatu is Sikoa’s personal enforcer and not part of a tag team. Cue the Street Profits and B-Fab to mock the new version of the team before we get going.

LA Knight issues an open challenge for a US Title shot next week.

Tag Team Titles: Bloodline vs. Street Profits

The Bloodline is defending. Dawkins hammers Loa into the corner to start but it’s Tama coming in for two off a jumping neckbreaker. Ford comes in to drop Tama and a standing moonsault gets two. An assisted neckbreaker gets two on Ford, who is right back with a jumping enziguri. Dawkins comes back in with a double flapjack as everything breaks down, with Ford being LAUNCHED over the top and onto the steps.

We take a break and come back with Ford hitting a jumping DDT, allowing the diving tag off to Dawkins. Everything breaks down and the Silencer his Tama with Loa having to make a save. The fight goes outside, where Fatu hits some superkicks. That’s enough for Tama to hit a running Downward Spiral for the pin on Dawkins at 9:11.

Rating: B-. This was a good way to change things over to the other Bloodline, which is apparently something that can just be done around here. It makes things that much easier to do though and I’ll take that over some complicated situation. The match itself was a good, fast paced match, but the Bloodline isn’t about to lose the titles anytime soon.

Post match the beatdown continues until DIY makes the save. That doesn’t work either though as Fatu and company wreck the good guys.

Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens have a bit of a strained chat, with Owens bringing up turning on so many people. Cody seems to trust him though.

B-Fab says DIY and the Street Profits are fine, with Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell going into the trainer’s room to check on them.

Michin talks about overcoming negative expectations to get this far while breaking a lot of things.

Nia Jax glares at Pretty Deadly and Tiffany Stratton about fixing her crown. With the three of them gone, Chelsea Green and Piper Niven are overheard mocking Jax, who glares them away.

Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens vs. A-Town Down Under

Rhodes works on Waller’s arm to start and it’s quickly off to Owens for a backsplash. A double back elbow gets two more on Waller but Theory offers a distraction, allowing Waller to get in a cheap shot. Owens gets punched down and we take an early break. Back with Owens fighting his way out of trouble and making the tag off to Rhodes. The Disaster Kick sends Waller outside, with Rhodes sending Theory over the announcers’ table.

Back in and Waller cuts Rhodes off, allowing Theory to get in some choking. The chinlock goes on so Owens plays cheerleader, which brings Rhodes and the fans right back up. The Cody Cutter drops Theory but Waller’s distraction draws Owens out to the floor. Rhodes sends both of them outside though and the diving tag brings in Owens, who drops outside to beat them up in a fresh location. The Cannonball hits Waller in the corner and the Swanton gets two, with Theory making the save. Not that it matters as the Pop Up Powerbomb gives Owens the pin on Waller at 11:38.

Rating: B-. This was more about whether or not Rhodes and Owens could get along and it went well enough, even as A-Town Down Under’s downward spiral continues. The team seems destined to fall apart sooner than later and it might be with Theory getting the needed boost as a result. They did what they needed to here though and I’ll take that for a main event.

Bash In Berlin rundown.

Back in the ring, Owens picks up the title and teases hitting Rhodes but hands him the title instead, leaving Rhodes looking rather relieved to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was only so much that could be added for this show and it wound up doing well enough with everything they had. The main matches are set for Bash In Berlin and there was only so much that could be done here. There is nothing wrong with spending a show advancing stories though and that is what they made work this week. You don’t really need to see this one, but it did accomplish a few things.

Results
LA Knight b. Santos Escobar – BFT
Naomi/Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Blair Davenport/Isla Dawn/Alba Fyre – Split legged moonsault to Davenport
Bloodline b. Street Profits – Running Downward Spiral to Dawkins
Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens b. A-Town Down Under – Pop Up Powerbomb 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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Smackdown
Date: August 16, 2024
Location: Kia Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Corey Graves

We’re just over two weeks away from Bash In Berlin and the show’s biggest match is officially set, as Kevin Owens will challenge Cody Rhodes for the Smackdown World Title. That’s big enough, but other than that, Roman Reigns is back as well, meaning it’s time to go after the new Bloodline. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Roman Reigns returning and wrecking the Bloodline last week.

Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly are in the ring to introduce Nia Jax for her championship celebration. Jax is carried to the ring on her throne and seems a bit overwhelmed by all of the….pink. Jax: “My style is more destruction.” She brags about her success and is proud to be YOUR Women’s Champion, so everyone can bow down to her. Including Stratton. First up though, Pretty Deadly sings an original song about how great Stratton is…and here is Michin with a kendo stick to clean house.

Naomi, Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair enjoyed that and are ready to celebrate, but here is Carmelo Hayes to say they’ll be celebrating when he beats Andrade.

Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes

Andrade chases him to the floor to start but Hayes catches him on the way back in. A hard springboard clothesline drops Andrade again but he comes back with a dropkick. With Hayes knocked to the floor, Andrade drops him again with the middle rope moonsault (and it connects rather well). Back up and Hayes manages to knock him off the ropes and onto the apron for a crash as we take a break.

We come back with both of them going to the top for Andrade’s super Spanish Fly and a near fall. Hayes’ superkick is shrugged off and they trade suplexes to give Hayes two. Nothing But Net misses and they trade rollups for two each. Andrade’s spinning elbow gets two and the fans deem this awesome. The Message is loaded up but Hayes reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: B. This is what Hayes has been needing as he hasn’t won an important match in a good while. The fact that the two of them have chemistry together makes it even better, as they had a heck of a match. I’m not sure if this is going to be enough to move Hayes that far forward, but at least he is getting a clean win to boost him up a bit.

Post match Hayes gets a little too braggadocios and the brawl is on again, with referees breaking it up.

Tama Tonga presents Solo Sikoa with the lei, but Sikoa says if Roman Reigns takes it back, Sikoa will have to acknowledge him.

Giovanni Vinci is coming.

Naomi vs. Blair Davenport

They slug it out to start with Davenport managing to drop her. Back up and Naomi knocks her out to the floor, setting up a dive off the apron. A high crossbody gets two on Davenport back inside and we take a break. Back with Naomi grabbing a headscissors and stating the comeback, setting up the splits splash for two. A kick to the face sends Davenport into the corner but she’s fine enough to block the split legged moonsault. Davenport’s knee to the head finishes at 6:50.

Rating: C. I’m still not getting the appeal of Davenport. She’s fine enough with the stuff in the ring but she’s not someone who gets my attention. I can go with trying someone else though as you always need fresh blood, but this hasn’t been off to a great start. On a sidenote, yes Naomi lost in her hometown, though this didn’t feel like the old school humiliation losses. That’s nice to see, as it came off more as a run of the mill loss which happened to take place in a certain place.

A-Town Down Under argue about Kevin Owens, who pops up behind them to say they’re right: he does get everything handed to him. Owens is willing to take Grayson Waller out there right now and beat him up to prove a point.

Tribute to Afa, with a bunch of legends talking about the Wild Samoans.

Kevin Owens vs. Grayson Waller

Austin Theory is here with Waller. Owens dropkicks him into the corner at the bell and hits a backsplash as the fans rather approve. They go outside with Owens hitting a running clothesline but Theory’s distraction lets Waller hit his own clothesline. For some reason Waller sits on the other side of the barricade, with Owens popping up behind him to drag him back.

A cheap shot puts Owens down though and Waller’s middle rope elbow gets two. Owens knocks him off the top and hits the Swanton for two but Waller’s neck snap across the top is good for a breather. The rolling Stunner takes too long though and Owens hits the Stunner for the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C. This was little more than a workout for Owens before his big title match in a few weeks and that’s all it needed to be. Owens could use the boost, as he hasn’t picked up many big wins lately, which granted is kind of the point of the title match. Waller losing isn’t going to hut him, especially to a star as big as Owens.

Post match Owens jumps Waller again but Theory makes the save and the villains grab chairs. Cody Rhodes runs in for the save and house is quickly cleaned. Owens is behind Rhodes with the chair but picks up the title instead. The fans don’t like that, but Owens hands it back to Rhodes as the fans sing the champ’s song.

Solo Sikoa wants Roman Reigns to acknowledge him.

Legado del Fantasma is at dinner and Santos Escobar thinks the team has gotten complacent. He won’t have the team name diminished and next week, he’ll be the US Champ.

Here is LA Knight to say that looked like a fun dinner. Santos Escobar might have forgotten who he is but next week the BFT is going to make him forget where he is. Escobar thinks Knight is trash, but the trash is going to put him on his a**.

Chelsea Green and Piper Niven thank Michin for breaking up the celebration earlier. Michin is happy because she is getting a title shot. Then Jax jumps her.

Street Profits vs. DIY

For a title shot against the Bloodline. Ford and Gargano lock up to start with Ford flipping out of a wristlock. They both miss kicks to the face and it’s an early standoff. Dawkins and Ciampa come in, with the former hitting a jumping elbow to the face. A double flapjack sends Ciampa outside, where Dawkins runs him over again and we take a break.

Back with Gargano making the comeback and getting a quick two on Ford. DIY is sent into each other but Ciampa comes back in to clean house anyway. A running knee gives Ciampa two but Dawkins powers out of One Final Beat. Everything breaks down again and Gargano and Ford hit slingshot dives to the floor. Back in and they trade superkicks for a double knockdown and we take another break.

Back again with Ford’s 450 hitting Ciampa’s raised knees and a Shatter Machine gets two on Ford. The Revelation gets two on Ciampa with Gargano making a save of his own. Ford gets sends outside and it’s a superkick into the Fairy Tale Ending for a rather near fall on Dawkins. Gargano dives onto Ford but the slingshot spear is countered into the swinging butterfly suplex. The Doomsday Blockbuster hits Gargano and Dawkins cuts off Ciampa, leaving Ford to get the pin at 15:17.

Rating: B. This was an all action match and it would have been even better if about half of it wasn’t missing due to commercials. DIY can still bring it when they get the chance and the Profits got their first big win without Bobby Lashley in a little while. Awesome main event here, with a fresh title match being set up.

Here is Solo Sikoa with Tama Tonga (no Tonga Loa) to order Roman Reigns to acknowledge him. The fans won’t acknowledge him either but if Reigns wants to be the Tribal Chief again, come make it happen. This brings out Reigns, with Sikoa handing the lei off to Tama and telling him to leave. The brawl is on but Tama comes back in to start the double teaming. Reigns shrugs that off and cleans house, including the spear to Sikoa. Reigns gets the lei back…and Jacob Fatu is back to jump him.

The running Umaga Attack hits in the corner (leaving Reigns’ eyes bugging out in a funny visual) and Reigns is powerbombed through the announcers’ table. Tama puts the lei around Sikoa’s neck and the Bloodline poses over Reigns to end the show. This was needed as there was little reason to believe that Sikoa and the Tongas were going to be a long term problem for Reigns. Fatu is a different kind of beast and could give Reigns a real problem.

Overall Rating: B. You had a pair of good to awesome matches and a big angle in the end to make the show work rather well. Reigns being back is still the biggest story on the show but at least Rhodes vs. Owens got a bit of a boost of its own. This show continues to feel about a few big things mixed with a few more minor things, but it’s a formula that works well, especially when you have two matches that were quite the successes.

Results
Carmelo Hayes b. Andrade – Rollup
Blair Davenport b. Naomi – Knee to the face
Kevin Owens b. Grayson Waller – Stunner
Street Profits b. DIY – Doomsday Blockbuster to Gargano

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 9, 2024
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Summerslam and that means we are in for the Smackdown return of Roman Reigns, who showed up at the end of the show and took out Solo Sikoa. That should be the start of the Bloodline Civil War and there is a good chance it will be the top story around here for a long time. Other than that, Bash In Berlin is just over three weeks away and we’re going to need a card. Let’s get to it.

Here is Summerslam if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the Summerslam main event, with Cody Rhodes defeating Solo Sikoa with an assist from the returning Roman Reigns. That was an amazing reaction when Reigns showed up because you knew it was a huge deal.

Here is Rhodes to get things going. He gets straight to the point by saying he doesn’t want to dwell on the past because it’s all about the future. Rhodes has been thinking about who he wants to defend the title against at Bash In Berlin…and here is the Bloodline to interrupt (minus Jacob Fatu and with Tonga Loa’s eye patch on the opposite eye than last week for some reason). Sikoa blames Roman Reigns for the loss at Summerslam and wants another shot at the title.

Rhodes says Sikoa couldn’t get the job done and got Jacob Fatu hurt on top of that, so no chance is he getting another shot. Cue Kevin Owens with a pair of chairs to send the Bloodline running. Owens goes to leave but Rhodes wants to talk to him. Rhodes was going to give Owens the title shot, but Owens says he doesn’t have the win/loss record to warrant that shot. That doesn’t work for Rhodes, who is going to talk to Nick Aldis about the match because Owens deserves it. That’s fine enough for a one off World Title match.

The Street Profits want the Tag Team Titles back. And the smoke.

A-Town Down Under vs. Street Profits

This is a qualifying match for some kind of a #1 contenders match and B-Fab is here with the Profits. Dawkins gets jumped in the wrong corner to start and Waller sends Ford into the barricade on the floor. Back up and Dawkins unloads on Theory in the corner, only to get sent outside as well. Theory goes to yell at B-Fab and gets dropped by a flipping Ford dive as we take a break.

We come back with Theory hitting his rolling dropkick and not seeming pleased by Waller tagging himself in. That’s broken up and the diving tag brings in Ford to pick the pace way up. A flapjack gets two on Waller, who avoids a frog splash and clotheslines Ford into the corner. Ford superkicks Waller on the floor, setting up Dawkins’ Pounce over the barricade. Back in and the Doomsday Blockbuster finishes Theory at 7:13.

Rating: C+. It was a completely acceptable match and that’s all it needed to be, as the Profits could make for a good set of first victims for the Bloodline’s title reign. The Profits haven’t been doing as much lately but with Bobby Lashley gone, they might be able to get back to what made them work in the first place. The division still needs some fresh blood though, as it still feels like the same teams are always around.

Nick Aldis is with Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes, with Owens still not wanting the title shot. Aldis is going to talk to Roman Reigns about the title match, which doesn’t sit well with Owens. He goes on a rant about how Reigns doesn’t deserve it, which is enough for Aldis to give Owens the title shot.

We look at Nia Jax beating Bayley to win the Smackdown Women’s Title.

Tiffany Stratton is planning Jax’s championship celebration. Pretty Deadly comes in to ask if she can plan the celebration for when they win the Tag Team Titles. Stratton doesn’t have time for this but here are Chelsea Green and Piper Niven to interrupt her. Green doesn’t like Stratton’s outfit but Stratton says Green must have a ladder to fall off of. Outfit insults ensue.

We look at Blair Davenport costing Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill the Women’s Tag Team Titles last week.

Jade Cargill vs. Alba Fyre

Bianca Belair and Isla Dawn are here too. Fyre can’t get very far with a waistlock to start and a sunset flip attempt is easily blocked as well. A springboard tornado DDT works a bit better and Fyre grabs a Black Widow of all things. Cargill muscles her way out and Jaded finises Fyre at 2:02.

Post match Blair Davenport comes in for the 3-2 beatdown but Naomi makes the save.

We look back at LA Knight winning the US Title at Summerslam.

Here is Knight, with new music, for a chat. The fans are rather pleased to see him and Knight seems rather pleased with their pleasure. Knight has been asked if it felt sweet to beat Logan Paul in his hometown, which gives him a YOU DESERVE IT chant. Beating Paul in his hometown didn’t matter, but you can call him champ, YEAH. He can’t stop being the US Champion but here is Santos Escobar, with Legado del Fantasma, to cut him off.

Fans: “YOU SUCK!” Escobar: “No you suck. And you suck sir.” Escobar doesn’t buy him as a champion and it is just an opening act to Escobar’s reign with that title. Knight says he didn’t hear a word of that because everyone in Tulsa was telling Escobar that he sucks. Escobar getting a shot is fine, but he has to win this (scheduled) #1 contenders match first.

Giovanni Vinci is coming to Smackdown and looks to be the version he was back on NXT (living the rich life etc).

Santos Escobar vs. Andrade

For a future US Title shot and Legado del Fantasma is here with Escobar. We’re joined in progress with Andrade flipping over him and hitting a clothesline. Legado gets in a cheap shot though, allowing Escobar to nail a jumping knee for two. Cue Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin to cut Legado off though, with Escobar taking Andrade outside and sending him into the post. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker sets up an armbar on Andrade. They go up top and fight over a superplex until Andrade settles for a sunset bomb to send us to a break.

Back with Andrade hitting a running forearm to put Escobar down. A moonsault to the floor takes Escobar down again and a high crossbody gives Andrade two. Three Amigos give Andrade two more and they go up top for a slugout. Escobar’s super poisonrana gets two but Escobar knocks him down and hits the double moonsault for the same. Cue Carmelo Hayes for a distraction, though Andrade hits the spinning elbow for two anyway. Back up and Hayes pulls Escobar out of the corner to avoid the double knees, allowing Escobar to roll him up with tights for the pin at 11:48.

Rating: B-. I was getting into this and they did a nice job by having the first false finish with Hayes getting involved. Escobar getting the title shot makes sense as he has a history with Knight, but it’s nice to see him having to win a match instead of just having it handed to him. That being said, Andrade had been getting some momentum in recent weeks and the loss here kills a good bit of that off.

We look at the Bloodline beating DIY to win the Tag Team Titles.

DIY is ready to become #1 contenders to get their titles back.

Tribute video to Kevin Sullivan.

A-Town Down Under yell at Nick Aldis and get Waller a match against Kevin Owens next week.

DIY vs. Pretty Deadly

#1 contenders qualifying match. Wilson takes Gargano into the corner to start and it’s already time for a standoff. DIY sends them outside but the dives are cut off. The posing is broken up though and we take an early break. Back with Gargano avoiding a charge in the corner, allowing the tag off to Ciampa. A double powerbomb gets two on Prince but the Shatter Machine is broken up as everything breaks down. Wilson elbows Ciampa in the face but Gargano’s slingshot spear cuts off Spilled Milk. The Shatter Machine into Meet In The Middle finishes Prince at 7:10.

Rating: C+. Again there is only so much that can be done when you have a break in the middle of a seven minute match, but at least the right team won. DIY should still be in the title picture as the former champions, though I’m not sure I see the need for them to get another title shot after the beating they took. At the same time, DIY could use a win of any kind sooner than later. If nothing else, the musical needs the attention.

Solo Sikoa is told someone isn’t here.

Here is the Bloodline for a chat. Solo Sikoa requests acknowledgments and reminds us that he is the Tribal Chief now. If Roman Reigns wants the leis back, come get them. Cue Reigns, who wastes no time in taking out Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Reigns gets in the ring for the showdown with Sikoa and the brawl is on with the Superman Punch dropping Sikoa. Reigns retrieves the leis but the Tongans jump him, only to have Reigns fight back. Sikoa gets away with the leis before Reigns spears Tama through the barricade and chairs Loa down to end the show.

Reigns being around makes anything feel important but this beatdown showed that Jacob Fatu is really necessary. With Reigns running through the Tonga’s in short order, Sikoa is going to need his big monster to give Reigns a real problem on the way to the showdown with Reigns.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a weird spot as it had to deal with the fallout from Summerslam while also starting the build towards Bash In Berlin in the span of two hours. The wrestling was mostly in the middle, but they set some things up for the future and gave us a big moment at the end. It really isn’t a show you need to see, but it did what it needed to do.

Results
Street Profits b. A-Town Down Under – Doomsday Blockbuster to Theory
Jade Cargill b. Alba Fyre – Jaded
Santos Escobar b. Andrade – Rollup with tights
DIY b. Pretty Deadly – Meet In The Middle to Prince

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: July 12, 2024
Location: DCU Center, Worcester, Massachusetts
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are done with Money In The Bank and the main Smackdown stories are Tiffany Stratton winning the women’s briefcase and Solo Sikoa pinning Cody Rhodes in the main event. The latter seems likely to be the setup for the Smackdown World Title match at Summerslam but we have a few weeks to get there. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the Bloodline defeating Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton and Kevin Owens at Money In The Bank.

Here is Tiffany Stratton to get things going. Stratton says it is officially Tiffy Time as she has won the briefcase and Trish Stratus isn’t here to ruin her moment again. The fans are REALLY into this as Stratton threatens all three Women’s Champions but here is Bayley to interrupt. She is impressed with Stratton living up to the expectations and reminds us that she won the briefcase in 2019. Stratton says that was a million years ago and brags about her rapid success.

Bayley threatens her against cashing in but here is Nia Jax to remind us that she is getting the title shot at Summerslam. Bayley says she isn’t a hugger anymore because she is the Royal Rumble winner and Women’s Champion so Jax isn’t going to beat her. However, just in case she does, Stratton might be there to cash in. Jax shrugs that off and says Bayley is going to be the victim at Summerslam. Stratton cuts off Bayley but Michin runs in with a kendo stick for the save. That’s a nice tease of Stratton cashing in on Jax later on, though we have to get to Summerslam before that can happen.

Chelsea Green, in a neck brace, with Piper Niven, is waiting to yell at Nick Aldis.

Michin vs. Nia Jax

Tiffany Stratton and Bayley are here too. Michin strikes away to start but a tornado DDT is easily blocked. The running hip attack in the corner hits Michin and we hit the cobra clutch. Jax sends her flying and hits a running splash in the corner before dropping Michin face first onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Jax powering out of a guillotine choke to leave both of them down. Back up and a middle rope hurricanrana drops Jax but Stratton and Bayley get into it on the floor. The distraction lets Jax grabs the kendo stick but Michin reverses into a tornado DDT. Not that it matters as Jax hits the Annihilator for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: C+. This was Jax getting to wreck someone else before her title match in a few weeks. That is something that works well most of the time and Jax is as much of a monster as you’re going to have these days. Michin is someone else who can be heated up for something like this without being used in a bit spot, which is a valuable asset to have around.

Post match Bayley goes after Jax but Stratton gets in a briefcase shot to cut her off. Jax drops the big leg on Bayley and goes to leave….so Stratton teases cashing in. That’s cut off by a quick glare from Jax, who isn’t happy.

The Bloodline is fine with their recent violence, even if it didn’t need to be that way. Tonight, everyone will acknowledge Solo Sikoa.

Earlier today, Andrade was having a sitdown interview about his performance in the Money In The Bank when Carmelo Hayes interrupted. Hayes wondered why he wasn’t getting more attention, so Andrade said he was next.

Angel/Berto vs. Baron Corbin/Apollo Crews

The rest of Legado del Fantasma is here as Corbin launches Crews onto everyone else to start fast. Corbin clotheslines Berto and hands it off to Crews, who gets stomped down in the corner. Everything breaks down and the villains are sent outside as we take a break. Back with the Garza Special not quite connecting so Berto comes in for a springboard spinning kick to the head.

Corbin Death Valley Drivers his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Crews vs. Angel. Everything breaks down and Corbin has to drop an interfering Santos Escobar. The referee yells at Corbin and the distraction lets Escobar knee Crews in the face. Garza grab the Wing Clipper for the pin at 8:01.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as the makeshift team loses to the established one, even with some interference. I’m not sure how much of a point there is to this story, but the interesting thing is Corbin. After turning things around in NXT, he has barely been a thing on the main roster, again making me wonder why he was brought back in the first place.

Pretty Deadly interrupts Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, as they need to talk to Nick Aldis about Pretty Deadly: The Musical! They literally get in line behind Green and Niven when LA Knight comes out of the office, carrying a contract.

Randy Orton is in the back with Cody Rhodes and talks about how he has Rhodes’ back tonight, even if Kevin Owens isn’t here tonight. Orton seems to hint that he is coming for the title when the Bloodline stuff is over.

Here is LA Knight for a chat. He isn’t Mr. Money In The Bank, but we do see him pinning US Champion Logan Paul to qualify for the ladder match in the first place. That brings him to the contract in his hands, which is for a US Title shot at Summerslam. Both he and Nick Aldis have signed it but Paul hasn’t, because he isn’t here. Again. No worries though because Knight will get him to sign and then take that belt (yes belt) at Summerslam.

Video on Blair Davenport.

Naomi vs. Blair Davenport

Davenport shoulders her down to start but Naomi slides underneath a clothesline and grabs a headlock. Naomi sends her into the corner for a running dropkick and the splits splash gets two. Back up and Davenport gets in a stomp to Naomi’s bad shoulder, which is posted hard as we take a break. We come back with Davenport twisting the arm around again and hitting a low superkick for two. Naomi fights back and gets two off a hurricanrana driver. They trade rollups for some near falls until Naomi hits a Bubba Bomb for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C. Davenport hasn’t done much for me either in NXT or on the main roster and that was the case again here. She’s just kind of a generic villain who attacks the heroes before being dispatched. I need a bit more than that, especially with the amount of depth that the division has right now.

We look at DIY winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Naomi runs into Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair. They walk down the hall, where Cargill says Nick Aldis isn’t here tonight. Everyone standing outside his office (Why does he have one if he isn’t here?) overhears and storm off. Blair Davenport comes in and shakes Naomi’s hand. Chelsea Green and Piper Niven come in to rant, allowing Davenport to jump Naomi from behind.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. A-Town Down Under

A-Town Down Under is challenging in a rematch from last week. Ciampa chases Waller outside to start and they all get inside, where the champs hit stereo dropkicks. Waller shoves Theory out of the way though and takes over on Ciampa as we take a break. Back with Waller hammering Ciampa down and handing it back to Theory, who gets dropkicked out of the air.

The tag brings Gargano in to clean house, including the slingshot spear for two on Theory. Everything breaks down and Ciampa rolls Theory up, with Waller making the save off a Downward Spiral. Ciampa ducks Meet In The Middle and Waller knees Theory by mistake. The Shatter Machine and Meet In The Middle finishes Waller to retain at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This felt like a way to wrap things up between these teams for good and that’s all it needed to be. DIY still feel like a pair of underdogs so giving them a win like this, even with the villains messing up, is a good thing. They’ll need some fresh challengers, while the villains seem like they could be on their way to splitting up.

Post match Jacob Fatu runs in to wreck DIY, including a pair of awesome moonsaults. Cue the rest of the Bloodline and, post break, Solo Sikoa wants to be acknowledged. The fans want Roman but Sikoa talks about the people who have refused to acknowledge him. Jimmy Uso, Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns refused, but Reigns will if he wants to come back. Now it is Cody Rhodes’ turn, so here is Cody to interrupt.

Cody says he’ll have to speak to Nick Aldis, but you can more or less guarantee the title match is on against Sikoa at Summerslam. Cody is ready to fight tonight so the Bloodline surrounds him, meaning the fight is on. Randy Orton runs in for the save but the numbers game gets the better of him. Cody gets tied in the ropes and Orton is TripleBombed through the announcers’ table. The Bloodline poses to end the show. Cody vs. Sikoa felt all but set and now it more or less is all but set, so….progress?

Overall Rating: C. With just a few weeks to go before Summerslam, this was the kind of show that they needed to have, even if it wasn’t that great. While the matches aren’t officially set, they’re all but guaranteed and that is good enough. That being said, it’s a show you absolutely did not need to watch, which is going to happen occasionally.

Results
Nia Jax b. Michin – Annihilator
Angel/Berto b. Apollo Crews/Baron Corbin – Wing Clipper to Crews
Naomi b. Blair Davenport – Bubba Bomb
DIY b. A-Town Down Under – Meet In The Middle 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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AND

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Smackdown
Date: July 5, 2024
Location: Scotia Bank Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett

We are a day away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time to get the final push towards the show. The ladder matches are officially set and now we are probably going to be seeing people sitting on ladders and talking to each other. Other than that, the Bloodline has gotten rid of Paul Heyman and now we are going to be seeing the start of the fallout. Let’s get to it.

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

Here is Jey Uso to get things going. He wants to win Money In The Bank but here is LA Knight to interrupt. Knight was the favorite last year and look what happened to him. Tomorrow, the people will be saying YEAH, not YEET. They get into a catchphrase off until Carmelo Hayes interrupts, saying no one wants to hear that.

Chad Gable cuts them off to say he’s been going through all kinds of problems in the last few weeks. Andrade interrupts and doesn’t say much before Drew McIntyre interrupts to brag about having CM Punk’s bracelet. McIntyre mocks most of the other people, including asking how Jey got across the border. The fight is on with Knight and Uso knocking McIntyre to the floor and standing tall. This was as paint by the numbers as you can get.

Bayley is in the back when Chelsea Green interrupts, threatening to cash in on Bayley soon. Piper Niven jumps Bayley, with Green saying that’s how she can cash in.

Post break, Bayley has gotten a match with Niven tonight.

Street Profits vs. Pretty Deadly

B-Fab is here with the Profits. Ford wrestles Wilson to the mat to start as Barrett is swooning over Pretty Deadly’s attire. Prince comes in and gets double hiptossed in short order, only to have Wilson hammer Dawkins down in the corner. We take a break and come back with Dawkins getting two off a sunset flip but getting knocked back into the corner. That doesn’t last long either though as Dawkins gets over to Ford for the house cleaning. Ford gets caught on top but Dawkins makes a blind tag and makes a save. Dawkins knocks Prince off the apron and hits a big dive. Ford’s frog splash pins Prince at 9:45.

Rating: C+. The Profits continue to get built back up, which shows that they might have been better off not being associated with Lashley in the first place. It’s a bit weird to have Pretty Deadly come back and lose, but at least one of the teams is getting a nice boost. For now, they had an ok match, but it’s nothing that is going to have an impact for any time.

A-Town Down Under is ready to retain the Tag Team Titles, with Grayson Waller giving Austin Theory a big pep talk.

We look back at the Bloodline wrecking Paul Heyman last week.

Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae vs. Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair

Joined in progress with Cargill kicking Hartwell in the face but some double teaming brings Cargill down. Cargill fights up and it’s a double knockdown, allowing the tag off to Belair so the pace can pick up. Belair kicks LeRae down and brings Cargill back in for stereo Jaded/KOD and the pin on LeRae at 4:12.

Rating: C. I’m surprised this wasn’t more of a squash, as Cargill and Belair are still the most dominant team in the division. Odds are they’ll get a title shot in the near future and we’ll see where things go from there, but for now they’re still wrecking teams like Hartwell and LeRae. The division could still use more fresh blood, but at least there are some regular teams.

Post match Belair and Cargill say they’re coming to get the Women’s Tag Team Titles back.

Video on DIY vs. A-Town Down Under.

Here are Kevin Owens, Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes for a chat. Rhodes says they have heard enough from the Bloodline so they are ready for a fight. Orton is ready to end that fight with an RKO but it’s off to Owens, with the fans approving. Owens would rather talk about the last four days rather than the last four years, because he got a call from his dad.

Apparently his mom was rushed to the hospital, where he and his family have watched his mom fight for a few days. His mom is still in the hospital and won’t be at Money In The Bank, but that would be a problem for his mother. She did everything to make Owens’ dream come true, and she would be furious if he missed a show because of her. Excellent stuff here from Owens, which tends to be the case when you have a great talker with something important to talk about.

We get a video on the history of the Tag Team Titles, with even Demolition getting a mention.

Bayley vs. Piper Niven

Non-title and Naomi/Chelsea Green are here too while Iyo Sky is watching from the crowd. Niven runs her over to start and they head outside. Bayley is sent into the steps and we take an early break. Back with the Rose Plant being blocked and Bayley grabbing a sleeper, only to get planted down.

Bayley gets in a knockdown of her own as Naomi and Green get in a brawl on the floor. Naomi gets the better of things so Sky jumps the barricade and decks her. Cue Lyra Valkyria, Zoey Stark and Tiffany Stratton to brawl at ringside, with Stratton moonsaulting onto them. Bayley avoids Niven’s moonsault and hits the Rose Plant for the pin at 7:40.

Rating: C+. As you might have been able to tell, this was much more about the insanity going on outside rather than the match itself. They had to do something to give the women’s match a final push but it only worked so well. Not exactly a great match, but they could only do so much with so much else going on.

Post match Nia Jax runs in to lay Bayley out but Michin runs in to make the save with a kendo stick.

Money In The Bank rundown, complete with Trish Stratus being announced as the official host.

DIY talks about their history in this building.

Tag Team Titles: DIY vs. A-Town Down Under

A-Town Down Under is defending and jump them to start, only to get knocked outside for stereo slingshot dives. We take an early break and come back with Gargano in trouble but managing a twisting Canadian Destroyer to plant Waller on the floor. Theory is right there to cut him off though and Gargano gets dropped for two back inside.

We take another break (we aren’t even eight minutes into the match) and come back again with Ciampa hitting Willow’s Bell so Gargano can superkick Waller for two. Waller hits Theory by mistake and gets rolled up for two more. The Shatter Machine hits Waller for a very near fall and you can feel some energy go out of the place on the kickout.

Theory saves Waller from getting taken out but it’s Project Ciampa to drop Waller again. Meet In The Middle gets two, with Theory putting the foot on the rope. Waller’s rollup with trunks gets two but Gargano pulls him into the Gargano Escape. Theory’s save is cut off with a Sicilian Stretch and the double submission gives us new champions at 14:15.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but they nailed the big ending, which was all that mattered. DIY getting the titles gives them by far their biggest moment on the main roster, which they’ve been needing for a long time. Other than that, it likely brings an end to A-Town Down Under, which seemed to have reached their peak, at least for the time being.

Solo Sikoa holds the lei in his hands and says it makes him the Tribal Chief. This isn’t what he wanted but it’s what had to happen. Roman Reigns was not man enough to defend the title from Cody Rhodes so Sikoa is going to take it back himself. Then if Reigns still wants it, he can come take it from Sikoa.

Overall Rating: C+. The ending helped but this was a show where they were stuck in a tough spot. Other than the main event, there was very little here that mattered as it was mainly about filling in time on a show that had to take place before the big event tomorrow. That rarely makes for a good show but they did well in the end and gave us a nice moment. There’s nothing worth seeing besides that, but it did end on a high note.

Results
Street Profits b. Pretty Deadly – Frog splash to Prince
Jade Cargill/Bianca Belair b. Indi Hartwell/Candice LeRae – Jaded to LeRae
Bayley b. Piper Niven – Rose Plant
DIY b. A-Town Down Under – Double submission

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: June 28, 2024
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re in the World’s Most Famous Arena and it could be interesting to see what that means for the new version of WWE. The big story coming out of last week’s show is the debut of Jacob Fatu as the Bloodline is looking stronger than ever. That could make for some serious trouble for Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton, who are facing the Bloodline at Money In The Bank. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look back at last week’s Bloodline ordeal, with Solo Sikoa suggesting that Roman Reigns isn’t coming back and then the debut of Jacob Fatu as a wrecking ball.

The Bloodline, minus Jacob Fatu, arrives. Paul Heyman asks where Fatu is but gets no answer as Solo Sikoa and the Tongans come to the ring for a chat. Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton aren’t far behind and the brawl is on. Owens hits a huge Swanton off some equipment to put Sikoa through a table as Nick Aldis and security come out to break it up. Hot start to the show here.

Post break Aldis can’t get the good guys out of the ring so they beat up security. With security gone, threats are made to the Bloodline. Rhodes talks about how this arena deserves a World Title shot but instead he has to deal with something he ended at Wrestlemania. When he looks at Solo Sikoa, he doesn’t see a Tribal Chief, but rather a seat filler. That was a good line.

Post break, we look back at what we just saw.

Nick Aldis has the Cody Rhodes/Kevin Owens/Randy Orton leave the arena.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Jade Cargill vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Candice LeRae

Cargill shrugs off some double teaming attempts to start and neckbreakers both of them. A superkick sends Stratton outside and Cargill throws LeRae onto her for the big crash. Cue Nia Jax and we take a break. Back with Bianca Belair at ringside as well and Cargill fighting out of trouble. Stratton avoids a charge to send Cargill outside, where Belair cuts off Jax’s stalking. Cue Indi Hartwell to post Cargill, allowing LeRae to grab a rollup for two on Stratton. Not that it matters as Stratton is back up with the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to finish LeRae at 9:08.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and had a good way to avoid Cargill winning while moving Stratton forward. It wasn’t exactly a game changing performance from any of them, but it did what it needed to do on the way to the match that matters. Stratton is certainly a contender to win the briefcase and that is exactly where she should be right now.

Bayley and Naomi find Stratton annoying and wonder what happens if Naomi wins Money In The Bank. Blair Davenport comes in to mock Bayley, with Naomi swearing vengeance.

The Pride comes in to see Nick Aldis, who says they can’t fight the Bloodline tonight but they might be able to do it next week. Pretty Deadly returns and suggest a musical but get a match with the Pride instead.

Solo Sikoa tells Paul Heyman that Jacob Fatu isn’t here but tonight, Heyman is officially becoming his wise man.

Men’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Santos Escobar vs. LA Knight vs. Logan Paul

Non-title and Paul brings Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton (who helped beat the New York Knicks) to show New York what a real winner looks like (with the feed cutting, suggesting a lot of swearing). It’s a brawl to start with Knight getting double teamed down. Paul and Escobar tease a fight but Knight is up again, only to get dropped again. Escobar gets sent outside, leaving Paul to plant Knight and take over. Paul dives onto Knight but gets taken out by Escobar as we take a break.

Back with Escobar hitting a super hurricanrana for two with Paul making a save. Knight slugs away on Paul and DDTs Escobar for two. Knight’s spelling elbow is cut off by Escobar so Knight slams him down for the elbow instead. Escobar is back up with a Phantom Driver to Knight, leaving Paul to make the save this time. Knight German superplexes Escobar off the top so Paul drops a Swanton for…two. Haliburton loads up the knuckles but New York Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson jumps the barricade for a staredown. The distraction lets Knight roll Paul up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B-. The NBA stars were a nice touch and made the match/show feel a bit more important. Other than that, this should get Knight into the ladder match, where Paul can cheat him out of the win and likely set up a title match at Summerslam. Escobar not being the designated victim was a nice surprise, but this was all about Knight vs. Paul.

Post match everyone but Escobar has a staredown, with the villains leaving.

Baron Corbin talks to Apollo Crews, who is happy that Santos Escobar has no chance of being Mr. Money In The Bank. Carmelo Hayes comes in to brag about how he’ll win Money In The Bank.

We get a tribute video to Sika.

Andrade talks about what it would mean to win Money In The Bank.

Women’s Money In The Bank Qualifying Match: Blair Davenport vs. Naomi vs. Indi Hartwell

Naomi dropkicks them both down to start but a double crossbody is cut off. Davenport tries to get the pin but Hartwell doesn’t like it, meaning the alliance lasts all of 18 seconds. They go outside with Davenport taking the other two down as we take a break. Back with Naomi making Hartwell DDT Davenport to leave everyone down for a breather. Naomi hits a spinning middle rope kick to the head to put Davenport down before hitting some running forearms in the corner.

Hartwell gets in a shot of her own and covers both of them for two, with commentary not quite getting why. Back up and they all trade forearms until Naomi knocks Davenport down in the corner. The split legged moonsault misses though and they head outside, with Jade Cargill coming out to jump Hartwell as payback for earlier. Naomi’s Bubba Bomb into a rollup finishes Hartwell at 9:28.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it didn’t exactly come off as smooth, with some of the spots just not quite clicking. It’s also a bit much to have the qualifying matches be triple threats, as the novelty, or whatever novelty there might be, wearing off quickly. Not the worst match, but it didn’t exactly work.

DIY is ready for their Tag Team Title shot next week. Austin Theory comes in to say he and Grayson Waller will win next week, but Johnny Gargano suggests that Waller is only in this for himself. Waller comes in to jump Gargano but Theory gets him out of there.

Here is the Bloodline for an acknowledgment ceremony. Paul Heyman handles the induction but Solo Sikoa cuts him off and says he’s introducing the newest member of the Bloodline: Jacob Fatu, Sikoa’s personal enforcer. Sikoa has the Tongans and Fatu acknowledge him, which goes rather quickly. That leaves Heyman, who is rather hesitant. He loads up the lei and says he acknowledges….that Sikoa IS NOT his Tribal Chief.

Sikoa Samoan Spikes Heyman and Fatu adds the top headbutt before a TripleBomb (with Fatu as Reigns) puts Heyman through the announcers’ table. Fatu gives Sikoa the lei to end the show. The countdown to Reigns’ return continues and now we pretty firmly know which side Heyman is going to be on. I believe that’s called the battle lines being drawn.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener and ending segment were the good parts of the show, with the rest being more things that needed to be covered rather than all that interesting on its own. That is only going to get you so far and while the show wasn’t bad, it was being carried by the Bloodline. Hopefully next week is better, as while this wasn’t terrible, it was beneath what Smackdown, and WWE in general, has been doing lately.

Results
Tiffany Stratton b. Jade Cargill and Candice LeRae – Prettiest Moonsault Ever to LeRae
LA Knight b. Logan Paul and Santos Escobar – Rollup to Paul
Naomi b. Blair Davenport and Indi Hartwell – Rollup to Hartwell

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.