Before it airs tape-delayed on Fox, Friday’s WWE SmackDown will be shown live in some markets overseas.
It’s a massive weekend for Scottish wrestling as the country prepares to host its first WWE PPV/PLE. The OVO Hydro in Glasgow is the venue for tonight’s SmackDown and Saturday’s Clash at the Castle. Cody Rhodes and AJ Styles will both be in the building tonight in advance of their “I Quit” match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Clash at the Castle.
We’ll also get the final build to the WWE Women’s Championship match at Clash at the Castle. In her home country, Piper Niven is challenging Bayley for the title this Saturday.
Niven’s tag team partner Chelsea Green faces Naomi on SmackDown. Kevin Owens vs. Solo Sikoa and Nia Jax vs. Michin have also been announced for the episode, along with a Grayson Waller Effect segment with DIY.
Join us for spoiler coverage starting at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
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– Cory Graves hyped up Glasgow as we saw clips of Cody Rhodes, AJ Styles and Kevin Owens arriving at the arena.
Naomi (w/ Bayley) beat Chelsea Green (w/ Piper Niven) [08:33]
Chelseas called herself and Piper “the hometown heroes” and promised fans would see not one but two crushing defeats this weekend. Naomi, by the way, has modeled her in-ring look after a unicorn “the national animal of Scotland” (as checked and verified by Cory Graves).
They locked up and Chelsea started out with some chain wrestling, but quickly got overwhelmed as the crowd sang the “Hey Bayley, will you be my girl?” song. Naomi hit the splitt-legged leg drop for a two-count, then followed up with a basement dropkick in the corner. Chelsea escaped to ringside, then stopped Naomi with a slap as she went for a dive as we headed into our first commercial of the night.
Back from commercial, Chelsea still was in control as Bayley got the audience to chant for Naomi at ringside. Naomi hit a kick out of the corner as Chelsea rushed in then hit a springboard enzuigiri, followed by a dive to the outside. Back in the ring, Chelsea hit a cross body from the top for another two-count. Naomi went for punches on the turnbuckle, but Chelsea yanked her down and hit a missile dropkick for a two-count of her own and immediately went for another pin. Chelsea threw a tantrum, then went for a rollup out of the corner and put her feet on the rope, which Bayley shoved down.
Piper Niven got into Bayley’s face and the two had words as Naomi hit a prawn hold in the ring for the quick three count. Bayley and Naomi celebrated on the outside as Niven consoled Chelsea in the ring.
This was a fine little match to kick off the show and put a spotlight on Bayley vs. Piper Niven for tomorrow. There were not a lot of cheers for Niven and the people were into Bayley (Bayley also was massively cheered during the Clash at the Castle pre-show that took place before SmackDown!). The Glasgow crowd, while lively, up to this point couldn’t hold a candle to the crazy French fans in Lyon from a few weeks ago.
– A clip recapped the attack of Legado del Fantasma on Apollo Crews last week
– Baron Corbin was talking to Nick Aldis when Legado del Fantasma walked in and made fun of him. Aldis promised Corbin they would postpone their talk and told LdF they were being fined for their attack on Apollo Crews last week. Santos Escobar asked if Apollo was cleared, then told Aldis to inform Apollo that he would be facing him later tonight.
– A highlight video showcased Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair and their upcoming match against Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn and Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark
The Grayson Waller Effect with #DIY
There was another disturbance in the feed with a QR code for the presumed new Wyatt Family as the segment was beig announced.
Waller insulted the crowd, saying he talked English and thus did not understand any of them. He said he didn’t bring plants as this place was so depressing not even fake plants could cheer it up. Gargano and Ciampa came out and threw one of the chairs that were set up out of the ring.
Ciampa tried to stir something up between Grayson Waller and Austin Theory. Waller said he would take a bullet for Theory and Ciampa threw it to a clip that showed how Waller pulled Theory in the way of a Gargano dive during last week’s match. Ciampa wanted a fight and wanted it here, now and for the tag team titles, which Waller straight up refused. Gargano said everyone was tired of hearing Waller talk and wanted to talk to Austin Theory.
Gargano said they went way back and Gargano always believed in him and was proud of what Theory had accomplished on his own. He told Theory that Waller was using him, prompting Waller to blindside Gargano. As a brawl ensued, Waller once more pulled Theory into the way of a Gargano superkick. Gargano took out Waller with a running knee and Ciampa did the same to Theory. The champions regrouped at ringside while Gargano and Ciampa took a closer look at the tag team titles in the ring.
A fun angle, further planting seeds of dissension between Waller and Theory that possibly might cost the the tag team titles down the line and might lead to a program between the two. Maybe this could be the breakout moment for Theory, who floundered after beating John Cena at WrestleMania and then quickly disappeared deep into the midcard.
– A clip showed the triple powerbomb through a table that Kevin Owens took from the Bloodline last week. Owens was then shown backstage sitting on a box as the Street Profits and B-Fab entered the frame and told Owens they had his back, as Owens had been there for them in the past and they also hated the Bloodline.
– The camera followed Grayson Waller and Austin Theory discussing what just happened, then transitioned into Bayley and Naomi walking down the hallway as Waller and Theory ducked into a dressing room. They encountered Blair Davenport, who insulted Naomi before walking off. Naomi wanted to go after her, but Bayley calmed her down and thanked Naomi for having her back. Naomi told her not to thank her but hug her, which Bayley did. This led to Chelsea Green coming around the corner and getting into Naomi’s face. This was all a ruse for Piper Niven to squash both of them against a wall and welcoming them to Scotland
Santos Escobar (with Legado del Fantasma) beat Apollo Crews [08:55]
Apollo started the match with an overhead belly to belly suplex but the match quickly spilled to ringside with Santos dominating as the rest of Legado del Fantasma distracted Apollo. Suddenly, Baron Corbin’s music hit as he ran out and started beating up Angel and Berto. Back in the ring, Crews used the distraction to launch Escobar into the air with a press slam and hit a standing moonsault for a two-count as we headed into a commercial break.
Escobar was back in control as we returned from break, hitting an enzuigiri from the apron followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Crews came back with an arm drag, kicks to the leg and a Stinger splash into the corner. He hit two consecutive German suplexes but Escobar elbowed his way out of a third one. Crews quickly came back with a high-angle fallaway slam for a two-count. They briefly fought on the top rope before Apollo threw Escobar down and want for a cross body, but got kneed in the sternum in a greatly-timed spot.
Apollo caught Escobar with a Death Valley Driver, but Escobar managed to kick out at the last second. Corbin at ringside cheered Apollo on, but got attacked once more by Angel and Berto. He fought back and threw them into the ring steps, but Elektra Lopez used the ensuing chaos to shove Crews off the top rope. As he argued with her, Escobar rolled him up and hooked the tights for the cheap win.
This was a really good match that showcased both men’s in-ring-talent very well. Apollo Crews may be one of the most underrated guys in WWE today and seeing Ricochet looking to prove himself elsewhere made me remember how great he and Uhaa Nation used to be on the indies and in Japan. Repackaging Baron Corbin as a face is an interesting concept, but he floundered in the role in the past and really was his best as a badass in the recent Wolf Dogs team with Bron Breakker in NXT. Crews and Corbin are still at least one man (and one woman) short if they want to step up to LdF, so we’ll see who they may be able to recruit to their cause.
– a video recapped the great angles leading up to tomorrow’s Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles I Quit world title match at Clash at the Castle; we then saw Cody Rhodes in a suit walking through the backstage area
– Andrade, Cedric Alexander, Ashante “Thee” Adonis and Pretty Deadly were shown in the crowd. Everyone’s life is better with Pretty Deadly in it
Cody Rhodes segment
Cody walked out to kick off hour two as the crowd sang his song (albeit not as loud and enthusiastic as in France) and made a young lad’s day as he signed his Cody poster.
Cody said he really believed AJ was about to retire a few weeks back. He said no one wants to be become the guy who overstays his welcome and AJ Styles is starting to look like that guys. The crowd erupted into singing Cody Rhodes’ name. Cody played into it, then started talking about how AJ Styles wanted him to say the words… before he stopped himself as not to fall into the old Mick Foley trap of having the tape of saying just those words played back at him tomorrow.
AJ Style’s music hit and he came out, flanked by the OC. He said it was really easy fool Cody as all he had to do was faking his own retirement. The crowd started singing “Cody Rhodes” again, drowning Styles out. Cody asked him why he was so far away, told him to leave Gallows and Anderson (who he called “Horace and Jasper”) behind and face him man to man. Styles complied and slowly entered the ring.
They then smartly put up a “SmackDown! Live & Loud” noisemeter on the screen and the video wall above the ring, measuring the crowd at around 92 dB.
Styles talked about how it had taken him 17 years to climb the ladder to get to WWE as the crowd told AJ Styles to refrain from speaking in not so nice terms. Styles accused Rhodes of quitting WWE when things got tough. He said things did not stop there, as Cody also quit NJPW and ROH. He said Cody also helped found another company and quit it too, to which the crowd gasped. He said the saying goes “when things get tough, Cody walks”.
Cody said that Styles was right, he quit all those places but he did not quit, he walked away to chase something greater. He said he bet on himself and accomplished his goals, as he was now standing here WWE champion. Cody said he idolized AJ Styles, but if anyone quit, it was Styles quitting on himself.
Cody said that AJ wanted him to say “I Quit” and AJ pointed out how easy those words came to him. AJ also uttered the words “I Quit” at one point, so at least they canceled that out. AJ said that his family actually would rather have him own, but he told them the same thing he told the rest of the world: “I am done when I say I’m done”. He vowed to win the title tomorrow and make Cody quit.
This was a great go-home segment, hyping tomorrow’s I Quit match and making it meaningful. Mentioning the real-life career decisions of Cody in NJPW, ROH and (even though not mentioned by name) AEW added some intriguing realism.
– Cathy Kelley interviewed the Street Profits and B-Fab and questioned if it was wise for them to put themselves in the Bloodline’s crosshairs. Just as they started answering, Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa appeared on cue and beat the Street Profits down. Nick Aldis and a number of officials ran in to break the melee up and the former Guerillas of Destiny calmly walked away and around the corner just as Kevin Owens came running down the stairs. He also was held back as Solo Sikoa followed Tonga and Loa at a distance.
– a pre-taped promo of Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark aired, where they talked about winning the women’s tag team titles tomorrow
Nia Jax beat Michin [01:20]
Tiffany Stratton joined Cory Graves and Wade Barrett for commentary for this match. They also showed last week’s backstage altercation between Michin and Jax that lead to this match.
Michin hit a few shoulder blocks in the corner as Jax easily threw her off. Michin hit Eat da Feet which staggered Nia and forced her to ringside. Stratton on commentary was asked why she wanted to align with Jax and answered that Jax was on the top of the women’s division and also the Queen of the Ring. She then quickly left the commentary position to jaw-jack at Michin, who quickly grabbed her and threw her over the announce table.
This allowed Jax to gain the upper hand and she quickly hit the Annihilation banzai drop and gain the pinfall victory.
Just a quick squash, with Stratton trying to prover her worth to Nia Jax.
– Backstage, Kevin Owens emerged from the trainer’s room. Cathy Kelley asked him about an update on the Street Profits. Owens said that they would not be able to have his back later on after all, but that was okay, as he had fought the “Bootleg Bloodline” on his own before and would do so again.
– a video of Logan Paul at the Tetris World Championships in Pasadena, CA aired, where he said that he “got his ass handed to him by a bunch of 14-year olds”. We then saw Paul getting home to his Puerto Rico mansion where he was informed that “his boy from L.A. was here and was hanging out in the pool”. Paul was irritated and of course, we saw L.A. Knight floating in Paul’s pool with a drink. Knight took a call, then got out of the pool as Logan screamed for security. L.A. Knight then left and told Paul that they would see each other in Chicago next week and to bring the U.S. title.
– Carmelo Hayes then was in the crowd and cut a promo on both Knight and Paul and also decalred for Money in the Bank
– Solo Sikoa was walking backstage, followed by Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa. Nick ALdis informed them that after what had happened earlier, Tama and Loa were barred from ringside and if they turned up anyway, all three of them would be suspended. Paul Heyman counseled Sikoa that if he lost his match against Owens tonight, he “would his leadership position of men who did not respect leadership in the first place”. Solo told Heyman that if he lost tonight, he would be coming after Heyman, which left Heyman wide-eyed and in shock.
– Fanatics Fest in NYC takes place August 16-18 and in addition to some of WWE’s current top stars, Hulk Hogan will also be on hand
– Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn came out for a quick interview with Jackie Redmond in the aisle. They vowed to win the women tag team titles tomorrow. Alba was wearing a Scottish football jersey, which did her team no good, as Scotland was behind 2:0 against Germany in the kick-off match of the UEFA European Championships at that point.
Solo Sikoa (w/ Paul Heyman) beat Kevin Owens [16:20]
Owens came out wearing a Scotland 3:16 shirt, complete with smoking skull on the back. Owens attacked right away, sending Sikoa to ringside. Owens followed and sent Sikoa into the barricade and the Prime cart at ringside. He hit a frog splash from the apron to the outside as we headed into a commercial break.
Back from the break, both men were back in the ring as Sikoa took Owens down with a back elbow of a whip-in, which only yielded a one-count. He followed with a running hip attack in the corner, that nearly took Owen’s head off. He went for another one, but Owens moved and hit a DDT to even the odds as Paul Heyman watched on with a pained look on his face. Owens proceeded to stomp a mudhole into Sikoa. He proceeded to rock Sikoa with a few clothelines and took the big man down with a lariat.
They went on to battle on the turnbuckles, with Owens getting the better of the exchange and hitting a tornado DDT for a two-count. Sikoa came back with a Samoan Drop for a near-fall of himself as Heyman was on an emotional rollercoaster at ringside. Owens hit a number of superkicks, then followed with a cannonball into the corner and a swanton bomb, for another close two-count. Owens went for a piledriver on the apron but got back body dropped and ended up on the floor as we headed to another commercial break.
Back from the break, Solo was looking for a superplex from the second turnbuckle but Owens threw him off with an elbow to the head and hit a frog splash for another two. Owens went for the stunner but Sikoa blocked it and hit two Spinning Sikoas, but Owens managed to kick out. Owens hit two super kicks and went for another Swanton, but got thwarted when Sikoa put his knees up.
Owens hit the stunner and had Sikoa pinned, but Heyman put Sikoa’s leg on the bottom rope. Owens went after Heyman, then decided to put Heyman through the announce table. As he was dismantling the table, Sikoa hit a Samoan Spike at ringside, then hit another one inside the ring for the pin and the win.
Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga were out immediately to beat down Owens, then went to put him through the announce table again when Randy Orton’s music hit and he ran out for the save. He hit a draping DDT on Solo Sikoa, then set up for the RKO. Tonga Loa appeared from behind and fell victim to said RKO as the Bloodline retreated and Orton checked on Kevin Owens, who hugged him as the show went off the air.
A really good main event, made better by a fired up Kevin Owens and a desperate, emotional Paul Heyman. The return of Randy Orton received probably the biggest pop of the show, as KO finally got some serious backup in his ongoing battle with the Bloodline.
Overall, an entertaining sow that flew by. The crowd was lively and engaged throughout the night and I’m very much looking forward to Clash at the Castle tomorrow. The absence of Drew McIntyre may be a slight disappointment to some, as an appearance in front of his him crowd with a brief promo may have really out them in a frenzy.
