A week after being cleared to wrestle for WWE again, Daniel Bryan’s return match was announced on SmackDown last night.
Bryan issued a challenge to Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn for WrestleMania 34. If they defeat him and Shane McMahon, who was announced as Bryan’s partner despite his hospitalization, in a tag match at WrestleMania, they’ll be reinstated and get their jobs back. If they lose, they’ll remain fired in storyline.
Bryan said Owens and Zayn tried to take his dream of wrestling again away from him when they attacked him last week. He closed the promo by promising to kick their asses at WrestleMania.
Also on SmackDown, Shinsuke Nakamura played mind games with AJ Styles ahead of their WWE Championship match, Rusev pinning Randy Orton in a tag match led to him being added to the United States title picture for WrestleMania, and The Usos vs. New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers was officially set for New Orleans.
Despite Shane McMahon’s hospitalization, Daniel Bryan’s return match was announced as originally planned tonight.
On SmackDown, Bryan & Shane vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn was made official for WrestleMania 34. Bryan challenged Owens and Zayn to the match after “firing” them last week, with him saying that he’s going to give them one more opportunity. The stipulation is that Owens and Zayn will be reinstated if they win. If they lose, they’ll remain fired in storyline.
Bryan appeared on tonight’s SmackDown after being attacked by Owens and Zayn to close last week’s episode. He mentioned that he has reason to believe Shane will be okay for WrestleMania on April 8th, issued the challenge to Owens & Zayn, and said he’s tired of general manager duties like attending board meetings, filling out paperwork, and wearing blazers. He said Owens and Zayn tried to take his dream of wrestling again away from him, then promised to kick their asses in New Orleans.
It was mentioned on commentary that Shane had been discharged from the hospital, where he had been recovering from acute diverticulitis and an umbilical hernia. Tom Phillips also noted that they’d be keeping viewers updated on Shane’s status heading into WrestleMania.
Zayn quickly answered Bryan’s challenge on Twitter: “Daniel Bryan wants payback?? WE GLADLY ACCEPT. He just made the biggest mistake of his life. If he thought what we did to him last week was bad, just wait & see what we will do to him after publicly firing us. #Wrestlemania will be the worst night of Shane & Daniel’s lives.”
With the announcement of the match, Bryan will officially be making his in-ring return at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome four years after the biggest moment of his career took place there at WrestleMania 30.
Roughly two weeks before he was expected to be in a feature match at this year’s WrestleMania, Shane McMahon finds his immediate wrestling future in doubt as he is recovering from both acute diverticulitis and an umbilical hernia in a New York-area medical facility.
This is legitimate and not part of the storyline currently going that saw Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn “fired” for their attack on him after he stepped down as commissioner a couple of weeks ago.
According to a story on WWE.com, McMahon developed “a massive infection” and umbilicial hernia due to acute diverticulitis while vacationing with his family in the Carribean and was hospitalized in Antigua for several days. They said he is currently being treated with “heavy doses” of antibiotics and that the hernia will require surgery once the infection is cleared.
This obviously puts the expected McMahon-Daniel Bryan vs. Owens-Zayn WrestleMania match in limbo, but the organization will likely have to put Plan B in motion starting Tuesday with less than two weeks to go before the show.
WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar famously dealt with diverticulitus during his UFC run, causing him to retire. He had part of his colon removed and changed his diet, eventually returning to both WWE and the UFC.
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn viciously attacked Shane McMahon in the show-closing angle of last night’s SmackDown.
It had been advertised that Shane would be making a WrestleMania announcement on the episode. He revealed that he was taking a “leave of absence” as SmackDown commissioner and that Daniel Bryan would return next week, then announced Owens vs. Zayn for WrestleMania.
That came after Shane prevented both Owens and Zayn from winning the WWE Championship at Fastlane, and they didn’t like his announcement. They attacked him, wrapped a steel chair around his head and smashed him into the ring post, and ended it with a double-team powerbomb onto some equipment backstage.
The show also opened with more fallout from Fastlane, with AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura going face-to-face before Rusev interrupted him. Nakamura then made the save for Styles after his match against Rusev. Asuka later appeared on SmackDown for the first time ahead of her facing Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, and Big E & Jimmy Uso teamed up against The Bludgeon Brothers.
Shane McMahon has taken a storyline leave of absence from SmackDown.
He made the announcement tonight in the final segment of the program. All night it was being pushed on the show that Shane McMahon would be making a WrestleMania announcement. Before he did, he said that some of his actions in the last few months have not been becoming of someone in his position, and thus he would be stepping away indefinitely from the role as SmackDown commissioner. Following that announcement, he made Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens for WrestleMania.
This brought out both Zayn and Owens, who were not happy about being put in that match, but were glad that Shane was leaving. They ended up assaulting Shane, wrapping his throat with a chair and shoving it into the ringpost on the outside. They then dragged him to the back, where Owens powerbombed Shane on a grate.
Before being assaulted, Shane said that General Manager Daniel Bryan would be returning to the show next week.
Date: March 13, 2018 Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
The Big Takeaway —
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn gave Shane McMahon a big-time beatdown at the end of the show after Shane announced the two of them would be having a singles match at WrestleMania. Shane had also announced he was taking a leave as commissioner after speaking with Daniel Bryan (who returns next week). Owens and Zayn were pissed at each other too, so the actual direction isn’t totally clear just yet.
Show Recap —
No intro once again this week. The announcers plugged appearances by Randy Orton, Asuka (a “special guest”) as well as Shane McMahon with his WrestleMania announcement.
AJ Styles came out to a really big reaction. Styles admitted he was in trouble when John Cena put him through the announce table (which the crowd booed) but he found a way and is still WWE Champion. Even better, he’s going to WrestleMania.
Styles recalled how unbelievable it seemed that he would ever even be in WWE, how unbelievable it was that he would become WWE Champion, and now, how unbelievable it was that he would be the defending WWE Championship at WrestleMania. But he made it happen. The crowd chanted, “You deserve it,” and he corrected them saying, “I earned it.”
Styles put over Shinsuke Nakamura and mentioned how similar their paths were, but the comparisons end when it comes to the title. Styles called himself phenomenal and Nakamura interrupted.
Nakamura received a good reaction but it turned into dueling chants. Nakamura said everyone likes the two of them and he respects Styles. He concluded, “At WrestleMania, dreams come true. My dream… knee-to-face, and I become champion.” Rusev and Aiden English interrupted. The announcers said Rusev had a match with Styles and they cut to commercial.
Non-title match: WWE Champion AJ Styles defeated Rusev (w/Aiden English) via DQ (11:15)
Nakamura remained at ringside to watch the match. There were dueling chants for AJ Styles and Rusev Day. Styles was in control until Rusev gave him a shot to the throat and a spinebuster for a two count leading to commercial.
Styles slipped out of a superplex attempt, hit strikes and sliding forearm but Rusev came back with a gutbuster and kick to the head for two. Styles ducked a superkick and hit a Pele kick and fireman’s carry neckbreaker. Rusev countered a Styles Clash attempt and tried an Accolade, but Styles countered that eventually into a Calf Crusher.
English immediately jumped in the ring and broke it up for the disqualification. As he pounded on Styles, Nakamura slowly rose to his feet. Nakamura hit the ring and laid out both English and Rusev with kicks. Nakamura gave Styles a look before leaving the ring.
I believe that was the first singles match between Styles and Rusev. It was good while it lasted.
They showed clips of the beating handed out by the Bludgeon Brothers at Fastlane. Dasha Fuentes interviewed Big E, who was alone. Big E wished he was there with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods trying to figure out a way to fill Corey Graves’ car with pancake batter, but the Bludgeon Brothers took away their title opportunity and tried to destroy them.
Big E said Kingston and Woods would be back, and as long as he was standing, he was representing the New Day. Jimmy Uso, with his arm wrapped, showed up and told Big E he wouldn’t be standing alone tonight. He said they would get a chance to tear the house down when everyone recovers, but tonight they would team up to take care of business. The bumped fists and the crowd cheered.
They aired the entire Hall of Fame announcement video for Kid Rock.
Styles found Nakamura backstage and let him know he didn’t need his help. Nakamura responded, “It looked like you did,” which was funny. Nakamura said he would help every single time until WrestleMania when he beats Styles with a knee to face.
Bludgeon Brothers defeated Jimmy Uso & Big E (2:30)
Big E and Uso jumped the Bludgeon Brothers during their entrance. They grabbed steel chairs and dared Harper and Rowan to get in the ring. They grabbed their mallets and entered the ring. The referee ran away which amused the crowd. Harper and Rowan knocked the chairs away with their mallets. Big E and Uso escaped the ring before more damage could be done.
The match began after a commercial break and the Bludgeon Brothers took control almost immediately. Uso made a tag and ran wild on Harper until Harper cut him off with a big boot. Rowan tossed Big E into the steel steps and the Bludgeon Brothers finished off Uso with an assisted powerbomb for the pinfall win. They laid out Big E again afterwards.
Renee Young asked Sami Zayn who he blamed on his failure to win the title at Fastlane. Zayn called that a loaded question and said if it were not for Shane McMahon, he would obviously be WWE Champion. However, Zayn blamed Kevin Owens, explaining that Shane’s obsession with Owens cost him because he’s guilty by association.
Zayn called Owens a talented guy who has been there for him in the past, but when it came to his career, he was a self-absorbed egomaniac. Zayn said he played Owens perfectly but he paid the price for being guilty by association, and that was a price he was not willing to pay again. Zayn was really good here.
Charlotte Flair came out. She was excited knowing Asuka wanted to challenge her. She knew Asuka was here and wanted to be in the ring when she arrived. Asuka came out. Charlotte welcomed her to Smackdown and Asuka said thank you. Charlotte said people always asked her what would happen if she faced Asuka and we would find out at WrestleMania.
Charlotte said iron sharpens iron (after one of the announcers used the same line already) and wanted to face Asuka. Charlotte said she has never faced anyone like Asuka and Asuka has never faced anyone like her. Charlotte claimed she would end her streak and cement her legacy.
Asuka said she challenged Charlotte because she likes a challenge. “You are the queen, but I am the Empress. And Asuka bows to no one — because no one is ready for Asuka.” Asuka’s music played as they stared down.
Like last week, the women’s segment ended when someone came out for the next segment. This time it was Randy Orton. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal is up next.
Orton said he’s been called many things in his career, some good and some not so good, but never, until now, was United States champion. Orton said this put him on an elite list of grand slam champions, a list he actually cares about. Roode earned his respect at Fastlane, but the title is his now and nobody was stopping him from taking it to WrestleMania. (This was an impressively generic promo.)
Roode came out and congratulated Orton. “You got me.” Roode said he has a rematch, which received literally no reaction. Roode said it would happen at Mania which the crowd lightly applauded. He said it would regain his title and it would glorious.
Mahal interrupted. He congratulated Orton who feigned being touched by this. Mahal egged on Orton by saying Roode was only in WWE for a cup of coffee so far and still won the US title before he did. Mahal said he would beat Roode like he beat Orton last week.
Jinder Mahal (w/Sunil Singh) defeated Bobby Roode (6:30)
The crowd chanted “USA” at these two Canadians. Roode took most of the match but fell for the old get distracted by a Singh and get hit with the Khallas finish. (Mahal won.)
Afterwards, Orton ran in the ring with the biggest look of excitement on his face and hit Mahal with an RKO. This was hilarious. Almost as good as that time Orton did a toe-touch leap after RKO’ing Mark Henry years ago.
Backstage, Young caught up with a miserable Kevin Owens (more miserable than usual, I mean). Owens couldn’t believe what Zayn said earlier and reminded us that he got screwed over by Shane first and if that didn’t happen Zayn never would’ve come close to winning. He was also pissed at Zayn’s little stunt during the match and said he could never get it done on his own.
Owens called himself the rightful WWE Champion and said Shane was like all the other McMahons who need the spotlight. He said there was no reason for Shane to be at ringside at Fastlane and was ready to teach Zayn a lesson. Owens was great here. I feel like this is all a swerve, but we’ll see.
They announced the Fabulous Moolah battle royal and showed the same video from Raw. They also showed (positive) Twitter reactions from some of the women wrestlers.
There was a commercial for Raw plugging Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka, the Ultimate Deletion, and Vince’s Brock Lesnar guarantee.
Carmella did a selfie promo where she called herself a “modern-day Moolah,” said she would win the battle royal and teased cashing in the contract at Mania.
Carmella defeated Naomi (3:02)
Naomi went for a Disaster kick, but Carmella kicked her off the rope, yanked her down and cradled her for the win.
Shane McMahon’s WrestleMania announcement
Shane said he wasn’t going to apologize for what he did and reminded us, again, where this all started and recapped the storyline so far. He did say his conduct may not be suited for a commissioner. Shane said he spoke with Daniel Bryan about this today and announced Bryan would return next week. The crowd booed because they wanted Bryan tonight.
Shane said Bryan would be on his own next week because he was taking an indefinite leave as commissioner. Shane’s announcement was that Kevin Owens would face Sami Zayn at WrestleMania. His music hit and he was about to leave, but Owens came out.
Owens said he wanted to wish Shane the best on his future endeavours and said he could beat up Zayn whenever he wanted. Zayn interrupted. Zayn accused Shane of just listening to the fans and was happy he was leaving. Shane was baffled they weren’t grateful about being on the Mania card. Owens said they did appreciate it, then they attacked him.
Shane attempted a comeback but they fought him off. Zayn gave him a Helluva kick and Owens gave him a pop-up powerbomb. Two referees jumped in the ring and they were attacked as well.
They put Shane’s head through a chair and rammed him into the ring post. They grabbed him by the arms and dragged him to the back (as Zayn aggressively sang the goodbye song). When they got to the back, Owens powerbombed him onto a grate (which had no give) and Shane sold it like he was dying. Officials and EMTs ran in to help Shane. Owens and Zayn left.
WWE’s WrestleMania plans for Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn may become clear on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE is advertising that Shane will be making a WrestleMania announcement tonight. The announcement comes after Shane’s storyline with Owens and Zayn continued at Fastlane on Sunday, with him preventing both of them from winning the WWE Championship.
Owens and Zayn also appeared to officially turn against each other at the pay-per-view. Owens didn’t trust that Zayn was going to let Owens pin him. He went to pick Zayn up, but Zayn turned it into a small package and they started to fight.
Dave Meltzer reported in yesterday’s daily update that Shane is scheduled to wrestle with Owens and Zayn in some form at WrestleMania, but the match type isn’t known yet.
Tonight’s SmackDown will also feature Asuka’s first appearance on the brand after she showed up at Fastlane and made it official that she’ll be challenging Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania.
The build to AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura will continue after Styles retained the WWE Championship on Sunday, and WWE will follow up on the United States and Tag Team title pictures heading into WrestleMania. Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode vs. Jinder Mahal and The Usos vs. New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers appeared to be the direction after Fastlane.
Both Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon explained why they acted the way they did at Clash of Champions on last night’s post-PPV edition of SmackDown.
Shane said his emotions got the better of him after everything Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have done over the past few months. Bryan told Shane that he was protecting him from himself, mentioning that Shane tried to take Owens and Zayn’s opportunity away when that goes against the shared vision Bryan and Shane have had for SmackDown.
Bryan said Shane should fire him if he wants to fire someone and told him that he doesn’t want to see him become Mr. McMahon, but Shane said he trusts Bryan and wished him luck on the show.
Also on SmackDown, Dolph Ziggler left his United States Championship in the ring after saying the fans don’t deserve him, Charlotte Flair and Naomi reacted to Monday’s announcement of the first women’s Royal Rumble, and AJ Styles, Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Owens, Zayn & Jinder Mahal headlined the episode.
Date: December 17, 2017 Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA
Show Recap —
Mojo Rawley defeated Zack Ryder (Kickoff Match)
Rawley won with a running forearm in the corner. He taunted Ryder throughout the match, questioning his killer instinct. This led to Ryder’s comeback which included two Broski boots, but Rawley got his foot on the rope on the cover. Rawley followed with a chop block and his finish for the win.
David Otunga was included on the pre-show panel along with Renee Young and Sam Roberts, if you were wondering.
Dolph Ziggler defeated Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode to become U.S. Champion (12:03)
Roode’s entrance received a good reaction and Ziggler got pretty good heat for his entrance with no music or video. Corey Graves said Ziggler had a list of accomplishments longer than Byron Saxton’s letter to Santa.
Corbin had control on both guys for a bit before Roode made a comeback and hit a blockbuster for two. Ziggler attacked Roode and caught him with a Fameasser but Corbin broke it up. Corbin then ripped off his shirt for some reason.
Roode gave Ziggler a uranage, then Corbin gave Roode a Deep Six for a nearfall. They followed with a tower of doom spot where Corbin powerbombed both guys (Roode catching the worst of it). Ziggler dodged Corbin who ran into the post and tried a superkick on Roode, but Roode ducked and hit a spinebuster.
Ziggler countered a Glorious DDT and hit a jumping DDT of his own for a nearfall. Roode sent Corbin back out of the ring, countered a superkick and hit a Glorious DDT on Ziggler, but Corbin pulled Roode out of the ring.
Corbin pushed Roode back in the ring and went for End of Days, but Ziggler caught them from behind and gave Corbin a Zig Zag for the win (pining Corbin). Ziggler is the new champ. Pretty good match.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan told a production guy to find him a new referee’s shirt because his was too big, like it was made for Earthquake. Shane McMahon jumped in and said his fits just fine (it’s the jersey he always wears).
Shane wanted to know what was up with Bryan. Bryan said Shane can be a bit of a hothead and just wanted to protect the match. Shane wanted to know what his plan was, logistically, and Bryan said they would both be in the ring. Bryan said they could talk about it more in private.
Dasha Fuentes tried to interview Corbin and said he’s developing a reputation for squandering opportunities. Corbin tossed a trash can in anger and said Ziggler was going to pay because he stole the title. (But not as bad as the Patriots stealing a win from the Steelers.)
Fatal 4-Way: The Usos defeated Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable, Rusev & Aiden English and Big E & Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) to retain the Tag Team Titles (12:53)
English introduced Rusev which lead to loud “Rusev Day” chants. English sang the entire Twelve Days of Rusev song… and here it is:
On the twelfth day of Rusev, my partner gave to me, Twelve months of Rusev, eleven Russian medals, ten Lanas leaping, nine-second winning, eight Aiden songs, seven boards a’ breaking, six Machka kicks, five Plovdiv kicks, four of the lads, three hindered Jinders, two Rusev shirts, and a tag team victory.
The Usos sang a song in response, which was lame enough it almost turned them back heel.
Four guys could be in the ring at once. Of course, because it’s WWE, after some high spots, this lead to a moment where English had an Uso in a rest hold and Gable head Kingston in a rest hold right next to him.
The Usos retained the titles. It didn’t get off to a great start but this was a fun match. Rusev & English were the most popular team and got a bunch of nearfalls.
Rusev had Big E in the Accolade for a while, but Gable grabbed him and nailed a German. Gable then gave both English and Big E the O’Connor roll German suplexes, which both looked incredible. The Usos then nailed Gable with a superkick and diving splash for the win.
Lumberjack Match: Charlotte Flair defeated Natalya to retain the Women’s Championship (10:32)
The lumberjacks were Naomi, Carmella, Tamina, Lana, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. After a couple straight weeks of the women not getting entrances on Smackdown, everyone got an entrance here.
Less than a minute into the match, Charlotte sent Natalya to the outside and Naomi, a babyface, kicked her a couple times before tossing her back in the ring. Natalya then tossed Charlotte outside and she was attacked by Tamina, Lana and Charlotte. Later in the match, all six heel women attacked Charlotte outside the ring. This happened several times. Naomi remained on the other side of the ring (off-camera).
When Natalya was sent outside, Carmella simply shoved her back in the ring. This led to Charlotte’s comeback. She tried a Figure Eight but Natalya kicked her outside the ring and Charlotte managed to dive onto Ruby. This led to a brawl with everyone, which was ended when Naomi hit a springboard dive on everyone.
The heels got one more cheapshot on Charlotte and that led to Sharpshooter by Natalya. Charlotte managed a rope break but the heels yanked her out and this led to another brawl. Carmella grabbed her briefcase and it seemed like she would cash in, but she was attacked by Ruby. As everyone continued to brawl, Charlotte nailed a moonsault onto the pile.
Natalya attacked her and went for the Sharpshooter again, but Charlotte countered into a Figure Eight for the submission win. This sucked. The only positive here was Charlotte overcoming everything to still retain the title. Everyone else came out of this looking weaker.
Kayla Braxton asked Natalya what went wrong. Natalya said Charlotte used her family’s name to cut corners (how?). Natalya yelled at the crowd and said she’s given the fans some of the best women’s matches they’ve ever seen. She’s carried the division but the fans don’t respect her. She said everyone turned their backs on her and now she was turning her back and them. She left the ring and cried her way up the ramp.
Fuentes wanted to interview Jinder Mahal but got the Singh brothers instead. They said Mahal was too busy meditating. I’m sure. They laughed at the idea of Styles beating Mahal and claimed they humiliated him on Smackdown. The Singhs said Mahal doesn’t even need them tonight. Fuentes asked if this meant they wouldn’t be at ringside, but they didn’t answer.
Talking Smack is back tonight, hosted by Renee Young and Sam Roberts. Charlotte and the Usos will be the guests.
Bludgeon Brothers defeated Breezango (1:57)
Harper and Rowan won in a squash. Breezango did get a couple of shots in, but it wasn’t much. Harper and Rowan destroyed Breeze on the outside and gave Fandango an assisted sitting powerbomb and double crucifix bomb for the win.
Bludgeon Brothers post-match promo: “The future holds more bludgeoning. More pain. More fear. The end of the beginning. The beginning of the end. Harper. Rowan. Bludgeon Brothers.”
Brock Lesnar was advertised for Raw tomorrow.
Fuentes interviewed Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Owens and Zayn said they know why Bryan made himself the second referee, because he’s the only reasonable person on Smackdown. Owens reminded us that Shane cost him a shot at the U.S. title back in the summer. He said the Sami & Kevin Show isn’t getting cancelled anytime soon, and Zayn said the Yep Movement lives on. Fuentes asked what happens if they lose. They looked at her with disdain and left without answering.
Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeated Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura (Special Referees: Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan) (21:32)
Bryan got a huge reaction. He and Shane shook hands. The crowd loudly sang Nakamura’s theme and they cut his song for a moment so you could hear them. Shane clapped for Orton and Nakamura on their way out.
Orton tried an early pinfall but both Shane and Bryan tried to count and they weren’t in sync, which was part of the story. Zayn then comically sold an uppercut from Orton. Nakamura tagged in and the crowd did dueling chants for him and Zayn.
There were a couple of pinfall attempts where Bryan and Shane were again out of sync, so they agreed to each just take one side of the ring, splitting it down the middle, which was amusing. At some point in here, Shane appeared to lose his ear piece.
After a while, the match spilled to the outside and Owens and Zayn began clearing the announce table. Shane wanted them to stop but Bryan said to let it go. Not sure if it showed on camera, but the announcers said Shane accidentally hit Bryan in the eye as he waved for them to stop.
Owens hit a frog splash on Nakamura through an announce table. Orton followed by hitting Zayn with a draping DDT. Orton followed with an RKO but as Shane counted the fall, Owens tried to interfere but knocked Bryan into Shane, breaking up the fall. Shane yelled “that was three” repeatedly at Bryan.
Orton gave Owens an RKO and this led to Orton and Zayn trading small packages, as Shane and Bryan took turns counting. Finally, Zayn seemed to have the match won with a schoolboy, but Shane stopped his count at two. The crowd gasped. Bryan got in his face and they yelled at each other.
Zayn then gave Orton a schoolboy and Bryan did a fast three count for the win. Shane tried to stop him but wasn’t fast enough. If you didn’t see this, this wasn’t necessarily Bryan siding with Owens and Zayn, but rather, he was pissed off at Shane. Owens and Zayn led a “Yep” chant afterwards.
I’m glad I don’t give star ratings because I have no idea how you would judge this one. It was an interesting angle that happened to last 20 minutes.
(If you didn’t see it, Bryan does take a bump onto Shane McMahon, but it was a soft bump and his head comes nowhere close to the mat. Still, somewhat interesting that they let him do that.)
AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal (w/Singh Brothers) to retain the WWE Championship (22:57)
Mahal wore brown trunks with orange lining and bright green logo. During the heat, he tossed Styles into and over the barricade, and Styles took a bump onto a steel chair. Mahal also dropped Styles onto the announce table.
After many minutes of rest holds, Styles came back with a dropkick as Mahal came off the top. Styles set up for the Phenomenal forearm but Mahal knocked him off the top and hit a poor gutbuster.
Styles came back with an electric chair drop, strikes, sliding forearm and a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two. Styles went for another low forearm but Mahal kicked him out of the air and hit a Samoan drop for two.
Styles countered a Khallas into a Pele kick but Mahal countered a tornado DDT and hit a big boot for two. With Mahal on the ropes, Styles hit another kick and yanked him down. Styles hit a springboard 450 but was in too much pain to make a cover. The Singhs tried to pull Mahal out of the ring, so Styles hit one of them with a forearm and gave the other a Styles Clash on the outside.
Mahal ducked a Phenomenal forearm, hit a running knee and Khallas but Styles kicked out. The crowd sighed. The crowd was mostly quiet until this point but began chanting for Styles. Mahal set up for the Styles Clash but Styles reversed into a Calf Crusher. Mahal fought towards the ropes but Styles pulled him back to the middle of the ring and Mahal tapped.
This was a nothing match but, thankfully, Styles won. After all these months, Mahal doesn’t feel even a little like a main eventer.
On tonight’s go-home edition of SmackDown, it was revealed that there will be two referees for Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs. Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura at Clash of Champions.
After Shane McMahon was announced as the special guest referee for it last week, Daniel Bryan added himself as a second ref for Owens & Zayn vs. Orton & Nakamura at the pay-per-view. Shane also announced a stipulation for the match last Tuesday, with the storyline being that Owens and Zayn will be fired from all of WWE if they lose. That continued the dissension that has existed between Shane and Bryan in recent weeks.
Owens and Zayn tried to get on Bryan’s good side by leading the “Yep Movement” and occupying SmackDown tonight. Though that didn’t end up working, they told Bryan that Shane was going to screw them over at Clash of Champions. Bryan said he and Shane have each other’s back and dismissed that Shane would cost them the match, but he said he’ll make sure it’s fair and announced himself as the second referee.
To further tease Bryan helping them at the PPV, Bryan put on the referee’s shirt after a ref bump and counted the pin for Owens in his main event against Nakamura tonight. Shane wasn’t on the show this week.
Clash of Champions is WWE’s last PPV of 2017 and will take place at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on Sunday night.
Randy Orton has a tag team partner for his match against Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn at Clash of Champions, and Shane McMahon is set to be the referee for it.
It was announced during the opening segment of SmackDown tonight that Orton would be facing Owens & Zayn at the pay-per-view, with the storyline being that Orton would be teaming with a partner of his choosing. That was revealed to be Shinsuke Nakamura after Nakamura made the save for Orton following the main event.
Orton defeated Zayn in a match where Owens was handcuffed to the ring ropes for most of it. Owens and Zayn tried to attack Orton after, but Orton and Nakamura ended up laying both of them out.
A backstage segment with Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon then aired before the show went off the air. Bryan asked if Shane was done punishing Owens and Zayn, but Shane announced that he’d be the referee for their match at the PPV and added a stipulation where Owens and Zayn would be fired from WWE if they lose.
That seems likely to continue the storyline of dissension between Bryan and Shane. That began with the angle where Bryan wasn’t informed of Shane’s invasion of Raw prior to it taking place, with Bryan later deciding not to fire Owens and Zayn when Shane expected him to.
Here’s the updated lineup for Clash of Champions in Boston on December 17th:
WWE Champion AJ Styles defending against Jinder Mahal
Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (with Shane McMahon as the special guest referee)
SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair defending against Natalya in a lumberjack match
United States Champion Baron Corbin defending against Bobby Roode and Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against The New Day, Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable, and Rusev & Aiden English in a fatal four-way match
Date: December 5, 2017 Location: Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, CA
The Big Takeaway —
The jobs of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will be on the line at Clash of Champions. They will be facing the team of Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura with Shane McMahon as the referee, and if they lose, they will be fired from WWE.
Shane made the announcement even after Owens and Zayn were laid out by Orton and Nakamura at the end of the show. The announcement seemed to surprise Daniel Bryan, who thought Shane might be done with this after tonight.
Show Recap —
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn came out to start the show. The director included a shot of the side of the arena that has very few people sitting in it. Owens welcomed us to the Sami & Kevin Show, and Zayn welcomed us to the Kevin & Sami Show. They received pretty good heat and “You suck” chants.
Owens and Zayn talked about what it’s like being on the wrong side of a McMahon family vendetta–just ask Daniel Bryan, Bret Hart or Steve Austin. Owens and Zayn said they were better than those guys and now they’re the latest targets of a McMahon.
Owens said Shane McMahon sent Randy Orton after him, the same way Stephanie McMahon deployed Orton onto others. Owens said Orton has been handed everything, whereas he and Zayn have had to work for everything. Owens knew he had to take out Orton and said they outsmarted Shane.
Zayn then gave everyone a presentation, showing them the difference between being in the ring and at ringside. He pointed out the terrible announce team and the ring announcer whose name he doesn’t know. Then he skipped onto the ramp and let everyone know that was not ringside, and that’s where he attacked Orton.
Zayn said they won last week by playing within the system. As Zayn and Owens bragged, the crowd buzzed as Orton showed up suddenly and gave Owens an RKO.
Shane McMahon entered to make a match for Clash of Champions. Zayn and Owens will face Orton and a partner of his choosing. Shane also put Zayn in a match with Orton tonight and Owens would be handcuffed to the ring rope.
Backstage, Owens complained that he couldn’t turn his neck and said he didn’t hear anything after the RKO. Zayn told him he had a match with Orton. Owens was fine with this until Zayn informed him that he would be handcuffed to the ring. Owens marched off to find Daniel Bryan.
Rusev & Aiden English defeated Big E & Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) (9:24)
Before the match, English proclaimed that every day was Rusev Day and the crowd chanted “Rusev Day.” Rusev and English were delighted. English began signing the Twelve Days of Rusev but they were interrupted by New Day.
Rusev tripped Kingston off the top rope as he attempted a springboard move and hit a superkick to the back of the head for the win. A perfectly fine match. The crowd chanted “Rusev Day” after the match, although it was mostly drowned out by the music.
Mojo Rawley told Renee Young that everyone has been asking about what he did to Zack Ryder, including his pal Rob Gronkowski. But Rawley brought up what Ryder has done to him. After Ryder got hurt, Rawley went out on his own and won the Andre the Giant battle royal, but just as things were going well for him, Ryder returned to drag him down. Rawley called Ryder deadweight and said he was nobody’s tag partner. He told everyone to shove it.
The tag title match at Clash of Champions will now be a fourway with the Usos defending against Gable & Benjamin, New Day and Rusev & English. The announcers said four guys would be in the ring at once.
Backstage, Carmella, Lana and Tamina were in Bryan’s office. Carmella said she rid the world of James Ellsworth and deserved a title match for that. Lana wondered why Natalya was getting a title shot after she bailed on her match last week. Bryan said Carmella could be added to the match if she used her briefcase, but she didn’t want to cash in using “Franky” just yet.
The Riott Squad showed up and Ruby wanted to know why she’s not in the title match after she pinned Charlotte. She wondered if it’s because of her tattoos and doesn’t fit in with his Bella army. Liv Morgan accused him of discriminating against blondes and Sarah Logan accused him of being prejudice against the south.
The two sides started yelling at each other until Bryan yelled, “stop it” at the top of his lungs. He then huffed and puffed and made them lumberjacks for the title match at Clash of Champions.
Elsewhere, Baron Corbin approached Bobby Roode and wondered what he thought of Dolph Ziggler being added to their title match considering he doesn’t deserve a shot. Roode said he could beat Corbin one-on-one, and didn’t really like Ziggler being added to the match either.
Ziggler happened to be nearby and showed up behind them. Ziggler ran down his accolades, including cashing in his Money in the Bank contract successfully (unlike Corbin). He said they needed him in that match (because the performance is more important than the title) and their odds of winning just dropped to zero.
Ziggler looked like retired Shawn Michaels here. It was mostly his camo baseball cap. And his hair. And beard and tan. To be fair to Ziggler, he came off better here than the other two.
Bludgeon Brothers defeated Adam James & Josh Carr (1:01)
Harper and Rowan beat two jobbers in a minute with a double chokeslam.
Owens let Zayn know he spoke to Bryan and all Bryan said was that he would think about it. They weren’t sure if this was a good thing or not.
Non-title match: Bobby Roode defeated U.S. Champion Baron Corbin via DQ (3:26)
Three minutes into the match, Ziggler (who was on commentary) decided to jump in the ring after Roode and Corbin collided with clotheslines. Ziggler gave Roode a Zig-Zag and the referee called for the bell. Ziggler than gave one to Corbin.
Backstage, Natalya was excited that Carmella, Lana and Tamina would be at ringside for her title match. Carmella reminded her that they were lumberjacks. Natalya said she would have Tamina’s back tonight against Charlotte and basically wondered if they would do the same for her at Clash of Champions. They weren’t biting. She took a shot at the Riott Squad when, what do you know, they showed up behind her. She sucked up to them before scrambling off.
They aired a video package for AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal. Tom Phillips wondered if the Singh brothers would be at ringside.
Nobody got an entrance. Charlotte won with the Figure Eight. Tamina tapped before Charlotte fully transitioned from the Figure Four to Figure Eight.
Natalya warned Charlotte of what’s to come when they were interrupted by the Riott Squad. Ruby agreed with Natalya that Charlotte should get a preview of Clash of Champions, but they wanted to do it themselves. Tamina attacked Logan and they brawled briefly before being separated by their respective teams. Charlotte posed with her title on the ramp. This was weak.
Owens and Zayn approached Bryan backstage. Bryan considered their complaint but he agreed with Shane and three security guys showed up with handcuffs for Owens. After a break, Owens and Zayn continued to plead with Bryan, this time at ringside. Bryan told Owens he would be suspended if he didn’t do this, so Owens caved.
Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn (11:37)
Last week was just the second ever singles match between Orton and Owens, and that appears to be the case again this week with Orton and Zayn.
As Zayn had the heat on Orton, he grabbed bolt cutters from under the ring and tried to free Owens, but Orton stopped him. Orton also slammed Owens into the ringpost for fun. The referee kicked away the bolt cutters, but it was hard not to notice that he just kicked it towards the corner of the ring right where Owens was.
Orton hit a great superplex on Zayn as Owens used the bolt cutters to free himself from the cuffs. He was immediately clotheslined by Orton, then Orton gave Zayn a draping DDT. Owens distracted Orton allowing Zayn to use a schoolboy for a nearfall. Orton then dodged a Helluva kick and used a schoolboy of his own for the win.
Owens and Zayn jumped Orton afterwards. Shinsuke Nakamura ran out to make the save, hitting kicks to both Owens and Zayn. He leveled Owens with a Kinshasa, then Orton gave Zayn an RKO. Orton and Nakamura nodded at each other and shook hands.
After a few replays, Nakamura picked up Owens and Orton gave him an RKO. Then Orton picked up Zayn and Nakamura gave him a Kinshasa. The crowd sang along to Nakamura’s music.
They cut backstage and Shane called this a satisfying ending. Bryan wondered if this meant he was done punishing them. Shane said no. He was making himself the referee in the tag match at Clash of Champions, and if Owens and Zayn lost, they’d be fired from all of WWE, not just Smackdown. Shane left and Bryan just stared at him.
Date: November 21, 2017 Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
The Big Takeaway —
Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan debuted as a stable. They laid out Naomi and Becky Lynch backstage before attacking Charlotte Flair and Natalya during their title rematch. This was very obviously a copy of what happened on Raw, so much so that it almost has to be a storyline. Or maybe it isn’t. The positive is they did look strong. Also, when asked about what happened, Daniel Bryan sort of brushed it off and said, “no comment.”
Speaking of Bryan, there was a show-long storyline involving him, Shane McMahon, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Shane was about to fire Zayn and Owens, but Bryan put them in lumberjack match instead. Shane thought this would lead to their firing after the match, but it didn’t. Bryan instead put Owens in a match against Randy Orton next week, so this story will continue.
They are also building to AJ Styles vs. Jinder Mahal for the WWE title at Clash of Champions.
Show Recap —
The show opened with a recap of SmackDown losing the 5-on-5 men’s match against Raw at Survivor Series. Byron Saxton said SmackDown was well on their way to winning the match before Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn interfered, which doesn’t seem true.
Shane McMahon came out to kick things off and got a good reaction as usual. Shane said they came so close at Survivor Series and SmackDown proved that they, even in defeat, will no longer be considered anything but the show in WWE. He almost choked up when saying this, and added that he was proud of the entire roster.
Shane said they all bleed blue and would do anything for the fans. That is, of course, except for Owens and Zayn, who he called out. They came out and Zayn was even more full of energy than usual, to the point where Owens had to motion to him to settle down.
Zayn wondered what excuse Shane would come up with or if he would finally admit that he was wrong. Owens said it was a mistake to leave them off the team because they can beat anyone, including the Shield, the entire Raw team, and even Brock Lesnar. Owens wanted an apology.
Shane told Owens to shut up. He said they don’t have respect for anyone on the roster, for Shane, or for the fans. Zayn agreed with him on every point. Shane had two words for them, but Owens interrupted. He said Shane couldn’t fire them because they were too valuable, and every person in the back and in the industry respected them.
Zayn called them future Hall of Famers and Owens called them the top two superstars in WWE. Shane told them the roster didn’t respect them and called them megalomaniacs. Shane was actually about to fire them, but Daniel Bryan interrupted.
Owens and Zayn called Bryan a voice of reason and Zayn sucked up to him, so Bryan told him to shut up. Bryan said he had to send Randy Orton home because he threatened both men. He said the New Day were furious too and put them in a match against them. Zayn didn’t like that idea, so Bryan told him to shut up again. Bryan announced that their match was a lumberjack match. Bryan’s music played and he led a Yes chant. Shane seemed displeased.
Charlotte vs. Natalya for the women’s title was announced for tonight. AJ Styles will address Jinder Mahal’s challenge as well.
Shelton Benjamin (w/Chad Gable) defeated Jey Uso (w/Jimmy Uso) (7:08)
Saxton said Benjamin and Charlie Haas mentored the Usos when they first arrived in WWE years ago. Jey was about to hit a dive but Gable jumped on the apron to block it. Jimmy Uso yanked him down but Gable then sent him into the barricade. The distraction allowed Benjamin to use a schoolboy for a two count.
Jey followed with a superkick which seemed like it would be the finish, but Benjamin kicked out. Jey superkicked Gable off the apron and the delay allowed Benjamin to dodge a diving splash and hit Paydirt (reverse STO) for the win. This was Benjamin’s first singles match in WWE since 2010 when he lost to… Kane.
Owens and Zayn approached Baron Corbin backstage and wondered if he was on their side. He said he didn’t like them and told them to find someone more weak-minded. They kept walking and approached Bobby Roode (wearing his robe). They asked if he would be on their side and he called them crazy. He was in the match they interfered in and was looking forward to being a lumberjack tonight. He told them he owed them both a receipt.
Naomi spoke with the makeup lady backstage and said she was bummed they lost on Sunday, but was happy to see Charlotte beat Alexa Bliss, and figured she would beat Natalya tonight.
Ruby Riot showed up and introduced her to Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan. Naomi stood up to defend herself but they attacked her and laid her out. Becky Lynch tried to make the save, but they laid her out too. Lynch sold this like she was badly hurt. It’s good to see new faces, but did they really have to do the same angle on both shows?
There was a sponsored segment where they showed clips from Ric Flair’s retirement segment in March 2008.
Bludgeon Brothers defeated The Hype Bros (1:25)
When the match started, Luke Harper took out Zack Ryder outside the ring by launching him into the steel steps, which the referee allowed for some reason. He also allowed Harper and Rowan to hit a few double-team moves on Mojo Rawley, including a double chokeslam for the win. It wasn’t that loud, but people were cheering for the Bludgeon Brothers by the end.
Natalya congratulated Charlotte for beating her last week, which she called an almost impossible task. She mocked the “hot mess” Ric Flair for blubbering like a baby. She said her cat could beat Alexa Bliss and would give Ric something to cry about tonight.
There was a segment a little earlier where Shane told Bryan he liked his idea for Owens and Zayn, because the New Day and the rest of the roster could get their hands on them before Bryan fires them. Shane decided he would rather go back to his hotel room and watch, so he grabbed his bag and left. Bryan said nothing.
AJ Styles promo
Styles received a great reaction. They aired Paul Heyman’s interview putting over Styles and the crowd cheered. They continued cheering Styles for a while before he spoke. Styles wished he could be here celebrating after slaying the beast, but it didn’t go down that way. He appreciated the kind words, but you don’t get a prize for coming in second place.
Styles did say that Brock Lesnar was the one who limped to the back and was willing to have a rematch. He reminded Lesnar that in Rocky II, Rocky wins (spoiler alert). Styles moved on to Jinder Mahal.
Styles heard Mahal wants to take his title, so he took off his vest and called out Mahal for a match right now. Mahal’s big face showed up on the screen (with the flag of India behind him). Mahal said he was too busy watching Styles’ match against Lesnar on repeat.
Mahal claimed Styles took advantage of him in the middle of a European tour, and if he fought Lesnar, he would be standing there as the beastmaster. Styles asked him if he knew how stupid that sounded. He said Mahal should be well-rested because he did nothing at Survivor Series.
Mahal said he brought prestige to the championship and wasn’t going to fight in a place like Texas. Mahal wanted his rematch at Clash of Champions. He laughed as the Singh brothers attacked Styles from behind. Styles fought them off and gave one of them a Styles Clash. Styles came off well here. Mahal, on the other hand, was terrible.
Zayn and Owens approached Rusev and Aiden English backstage. English was singing a new rendition of “Rusev Day.” Zayn said Thanksgiving was coming up, but as French Canadians, they didn’t believe in that crap and would rather celebrate Rusev Day.
Owens said Shane and Bryan didn’t know how to utilize their best talent and reminded Rusev that his qualifying match with Styles was cancelled, while John Cena was just allowed in the match. Zayn and Owens left as Rusev and English seemed to consider their words.
WWE Women’s Championship match: Charlotte Flair NC Natalya (6:48)
During the entrances, Tom Phillips read a promo for WrestleMania tickets, but the graphics on screen were for Clash of Champions. Moments later, they showed the Clash of Champions graphic again and Phillips and Saxton read the proper promo this time.
After a break, Charlotte hit punches in the corner, but Natalya grabbed her and nailed a sitout powerbomb for two. She followed with a Sharpshooter but Charlotte got a rope break. Charlotte fought back with a backbreaker and went for a moonsault, but Natalya got her knees up (barely).
Charlotte hit a spear and Natalya fell to the outside. Riot, Morgan and Logan ran down through the crowd and attacked Natalya. The referee called for the bell. (So this was a DQ or no contest.) People chanted “NXT.”
The three heels then jumped into the ring and attacked Charlotte. They each hit a move and stood tall. Again, this was way too much like the Raw angle, but the crowd was into it. The announcers are acknowledging the similarities to what happened on Raw.
Dasha Fuentes asked Daniel Bryan about what happened during the women’s title match. He responded, “Well, it’s an interesting situation. No comment.” Owens and Zayn interrupted. Zayn said firing them would be his biggest mistake. Bryan wished them luck.
Styles will face the Singh brothers in a handicap match next week. A Saw-themed Fashion Files is scheduled, too.
Lumberjack Match: Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn defeated Big E & Kofi Kingston (w/Xavier Woods) (11:49)
It seems like ring announcer Greg Hamilton is no longer pausing for the crowd to chant along with “one fall.” Shinsuke Nakamura is among the lumberjacks. Woods is (sort of) dressed as a lumberjack.
Kingston was sent to the outside a couple of times, but the lumberjacks didn’t touch him. Zayn went out after him and the lumberjacks immediately jumped him, which got a laugh from the crowd. Zayn tried to escape but they picked him up and tossed him back in the ring.
Zayn and Owens got the heat on Kingston after a break. Owens tried a senton but Kingston got his knees up and made the hot tag to Big E, who suplexed Zayn around the ring. Zayn slipped out of a Big Ending but Kingston tagged in and hit a diving crossbody. Owens broke up the cover, then he and Big E took each other out with clotheslines.
A brawl broke out between the lumberjacks after Corbin accidentally clubbed Roode. The lumberjacks fought up the ramp, which mostly left ringside clear. Woods knocked Mike Kanellis out of the ring, and Owens knocked Woods off the apron. Kingston was distracted so Zayn used a schoolboy for the win.
Rusev and English attacked Big E afterwards, then Kingston took them out with a dive off the top. Owens ran away though the crowd but when Zayn tried to do the same, Woods caught him and dragged him into the ring. Kingston hit him with a Trouble in Paradise. Big E and Woods finished him off with a Midnight Hour. The New Day’s music played and they danced.
They cut backstage to Owens who stormed through the back. He ran into Bryan and pleaded with him. Bryan wondered if he was even concerned about Zayn. Owens mentioned how long he and Bryan have known each other and begged him not to fire them, even getting on his knees. Bryan told him not to beg, he was never going to fire them. He put Owens in a match with Randy Orton next week instead. Owens tried to get out of this, but Bryan made it clear that was a bad idea, so Owens agreed and thanked him.
WWE continued to round out SmackDown’s team for Survivor Series on tonight’s episode.
Shane McMahon opened the show and announced himself as the brand’s men’s division team captain, with the storyline pitting him directly against a familiar rival in Kurt Angle. Angle was announced as Raw’s team captain on Monday night.
Two more members joined SmackDown’s team later in the night as Bobby Roode (who defeated Dolph Ziggler in a two-out-of-three falls match) and Shinsuke Nakamura (who beat Kevin Owens with some help from Randy Orton as he overcame Sami Zayn’s interference) won their qualifying matches.
Earlier in the show, Owens and Zayn met backstage and furthered their issues with Shane by lamenting that he gives himself and his friends all of the opportunities
Shane, Orton, Roode, and Nakamura have now been officially confirmed as being part of the team, with a qualifying match between AJ Styles and Rusev to decide their final member next week. Angle and Braun Strowman have been announced for the Raw side for the traditional five-on-five elimination tag match between the brands.
If all goes according to plan, Styles will be confirmed as SmackDown’s last team member and Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and Finn Balor will join Angle and Strowman.
Shane McMahon came out and said that he’s undergone serious rehab the last two weeks. McMahon mentioned the upcoming Survivor Series and was insulted that Kurt Angle didn’t think the SmackDown roster matched up to Raw. He brought up striking the Raw roster first and the crowd chanted “Under Siege”. He said that SmackDown wouldn’t be caught off guard like Raw was last night.
Sami Zayn interrupted and came down to the ring. Zayn said no hard feelings for Hell in a Cell and tried to shake McMahon’s hand. Shane said there are hard feelings. Zayn informed McMahon that he and Kevin Owens talked it over and they agree to represent SmackDown at Survivor Series. He said SmackDown needs them.
Shane turned down the offer and said he doesn’t need them. If Zayn wants to be on the team all he has to do is win his match later and he’ll be the first person on the team. McMahon informs him that his opponent will be Randy Orton.
Backstage, New Day was on their way to the ring when they saw a bunch of old fruit on a table with a sign that read “raw fruit”. They disposed of the fruit in the garbage.
Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin defeated New Day (w/ Big E)
The Usos joined in on commentary for the match and mentioned facing Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose at Survivor Series.
Gable and Benjamin took over after Kingston took a nasty fall to the floor. Big E tired to revive him using Booty-O’s. Finish came when Gable shoved Woods and Benjamin nailed him with a kick to the back behind the referees back. Gable made the cover to score the win.
In the back, Charlotte, Naomi, Becky Lynch, Lana and Tamina Snuka were all gathered in Daniel Bryan’s office. Carmella showed up and couldn’t find James Ellsworth but nobody cared.
Bryan arrived and said that all of them will be on the Survivor Series team. Lana pointed out that there are 6 of them. Bryan told her she’s not on the team.
Tonight the women will compete in match later with the winner being named the team captain.
Fashion Files “Fashion Dogs”
Breezango was arguing over which one of them is Mr. Pink from the movie Reservoir Dogs. James Ellsworth was tied up to a chair when Ascension showed up with gasoline. Carmella arrived with her briefcase. Fandango took the briefcase and pulled out Ellsworth’s dirty underwear.
Breezango celebrated solving the case but Ascension pointed out they didn’t solve anything. They said it must be The Bludgeon Brothers that are behind the attacks. Next week will be a Stranger Things parody.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon met. Bryan was upset with McMahon for not informing him of the attack last night. He also said he didn’t approve of the attack. McMahon said he’s the commissioner and sometimes needs to make those decisions.
Sin Cara defeated U.S. Champion Baron Corbin by DQ
Sin Cara had the brief advantage but Corbin snapped and wouldn’t stop beating on Cara, which resulted in a disqualification. After the match, Corbin gave Cara the End of Days on the floor.
The Singh Brothers came out and did their intro for Jinder Mahal. They mocked Paul Heyman’s intro for Brock Lesnar and called themselves “advocates”.
Mahal called Heyman a liar and showed Heyman’s promo from last night. Mahal said he’s the most dominant world champion but the WWE universe doesn’t give him the same respect he gets from the people of India. Mahal proclaimed that the Maharaja era has just begun. AJ Styles interrupted Mahal’s promo.
AJ Styles defeated Sunil Singh (w/ Samir Singh)
Before the match, the referee sent Mahal to the back. Styles dominated the match and won easily with the Calf Crusher.
Backstage, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn met. Owens has a Survivor Series qualifying match against Shinsuke Nakamura next week. Zayn has no doubt they’ll both win their matches.
Jinder Mahal and The Singh Brothers charged into Bryan’s office. Mahal demanded and was granted a match for Samir Singh against AJ Styles next week.
Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Carmella (w/ James Ellsworth) and Tamina Snuka (w/ Lana) for the right to captain SmackDown’s women’s division Survivor Series team
Before the match, SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya was introduced.
The match spilled to the floor and they brawled around ringside. Snuka tossed Charlotte into the crowd. Carmella scored a close near fall on Lynch. Lynch made a comeback and used the Dis-arm-her to win the match. Lynch will be the team captain at the Survivor Series for the women.
Another creepy promo for The Bludgeon Brothers aired.
Renee Young interviewed Dolph Ziggler in the back. He mentioned beating Bobby Roode last week. Roode showed up and challenged Ziggler to a 2 out of 3 falls match next week.
Randy Orton defeated Sami Zayn to earn a spot on SmackDown’s men’s division Survivor Series team
Orton had the early advantage but Zayn took over after hitting a moonsault off the barricade on the floor. Orton made a comeback and dropped Zayn on the announce table.
Orton set up for the RKO when Kevin Owens ran out. Orton was distracted and Zayn scored a near fall. The referee was trying to send Owens to the back and missed Orton using a low blow on Zayn. He followed up with the RKO to win the match. Orton will be the team captain for the men at the Survivor Series.
Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon met once again in the back. Bryan pointed out that there was no Raw retaliation tonight but that doesn’t mean they won’t strike back eventually. When they do Shane will have to deal with the consequences.
Next Week: Kevin Owens takes on Shinsuke Nakamura in a Survivor Series qualifying match. In another qualifying match, Bobby Roode faces Dolph Ziggler in a 2 out of 3 falls match. Plus, AJ Styles battles Samir Singh.
