WWE has announced that SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode will defend their titles against The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) on this week’s SmackDown. On last Friday’s special WrestleMania edition of the show, Ziggler & Roode retained their titles against The Street Profits, Rey & Dominik Mysterio, and Chad Gable & Otis in a fatal four-way match.
Before last week’s SmackDown Tag Team title match got started, a brawl broke out between the four teams when Ziggler & Roode attacked The Street Profits backstage. Ford hit a frog splash on Gable near the end of the match, but Roode blind tagged in. Ziggler gave Ford a superkick, then Roode pinned Gable to get the win.
The Street Profits had been trying to get a SmackDown Tag Team Championship rematch since losing the titles to Ziggler & Roode this January.
WWE has also announced that Rey Mysterio vs. Otis will take place on this Friday’s SmackDown. It will be the first episode of the show since WrestleMania 37.
A second title match has been added to the lineup for next week’s episode of SmackDown.
On this week’s Talking Smack, it was announced that SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits will defend their titles against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode next Friday (January 8). Big E defending his Intercontinental title against Apollo Crews is also set for next Friday’s SmackDown.
The Street Profits retained their titles against Ziggler & Roode on SmackDown two weeks ago when Montez Ford rolled up Roode while holding onto his tights. Roode had done the same thing to Ford when Ziggler & Roode defeated The Street Profits in a non-title match in November.
Last night’s SmackDown saw The Street Profits host their “New Year’s Day Smoke-Tacular.” They made fun of Ziggler during the segment and were about to make fun of Roode, but Ziggler & Roode then attacked The Street Profits. They used a steel chair to attack both Ford & Angelo Dawkins, including hitting Ford’s leg with a steel chair as his leg was up against the ring post.
Ziggler & Roode were interviewed backstage after the attack. They demanded another shot at the SmackDown Tag Team titles. It was said on today’s Talking Smack that The Street Profits have accepted Ziggler & Roode’s challenge and the match will take place on SmackDown next Friday.
SmackDown makes a one-week shift to FS1 for tonight’s TLC go-home show.
SmackDown is airing on FS1 tonight due to college football’s Pac-12 Championship Game being on Fox. Tonight’s show will feature a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match with The Street Profits defending their titles against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode.
Ziggler & Roode earned a title shot after defeating the champions in a non-title match a few weeks ago. Last Friday, Ziggler defeated Montez Ford in a singles match after Roode attacked Angelo Dawkins at ringside.
Bianca Belair goes one-on-one with Bayley tonight. Belair and Bayley have been taunting each other since their team lost at Survivor Series.
Ahead of challenging for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at TLC, Carmella will present a champagne toast tonight. Last week’s show ended with Carmella breaking a champagne bottle over Sasha Banks’ back after their SmackDown Women’s Championship match ended in a disqualification.
Sami Zayn also hosts the “first annual Sami Awards” tonight. Zayn tweeted that he’ll be giving out the awards because the Slammys are biased toward corporate favorites.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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SmackDown started with a recap of the Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens feud. It included Reigns beating down Owens backstage. Reigns also warned Owens’ wife and kids and told them to talk sense into Owens.
Kevin Owens’s music hit, and he made his way to the ring, which was surrounded by tables, ladders, and chairs. Owens called out Reigns, but he didn’t come out. Owens turned his attention to Reigns’ comments about his family.
Owens told his family not to watch his match with Reigns at TLC. He doesn’t want them to see what he’s going to do to Reigns Sunday night. He called out Reigns again, but he still didn’t come out.
Owens brought up Jey Uso attacking him. He pointed out that Reigns uses his family to do his bidding. Owens called Reigns a coward, and Paul Heyman appeared on the screen.
Heyman’s surprised that Owens is back after last week and wants more. He called Owens a martyr and said he’s dangerous because Owens will do anything to win the Universal championship. Heyman noted that Owens has to be eliminated.
Owens heard enough and cut off Heyman. Owens decided to go to the back and find Reigns since he won’t come to the ring. Owens jumped out of the ring and walked to the back. Heyman looked to the side disapprovingly as they went to break.
Back from the break, Adam Pearce tried to stop Owens from going into Reigns’ locker room. Owens pushed him aside but Reigns locker room door was closed. Suddenly, Reigns music started playing.
There was a monitor conveniently next to Reigns locker room door on an awkward angle.
Reigns made his way down to the ring as Owens watched on the monitor. Reigns wanted to show that he’s a good guy. He gave Owens the same chance as his family. He told Owens to acknowledge him as the tribal chief and head of the table. Reigns demanded Owens come to the ring and apologize, or he won’t even make it to TLC.
Owens marched to the ring, but Jey Uso jumped him from behind. Reigns and Uso then viciously beat down Owens in the aisle.
Referees and officials ran out and tried to stop them. Owens attempted to get up, but he fell. Reigns had a worried look on his face as he walked off.
This was a good opening segment.
In the back, Jey Uso, Reigns, and Heyman discussed beating down Owens. Uso was certain Owens wouldn’t be coming back from the beat down.
Reigns didn’t agree and told Uso to eliminate Owens. Uso walked off looking for Owens.
Actor Clarke Duke gave his opinions on the upcoming match. He was upset that Ziggler and Roode said funny isn’t money. He claimed his big house proves their theory wrong.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defeated Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode to retain the titles
This was a good match. Both teams worked hard.
Ziggler distracted Angelo Dawkins, and Roode jumped him to start the match. The faces quickly recovered and took over. Montez Ford hit a back suplex and moonsault for a near fall. He knocked Roode off the apron and climbed to the top rope, but Ziggler cut him off.
Ford blocked the suplex attempt and climbed back up. Roode recovered and pushed Ford to the floor.
Back from the break, Ziggler scored a close near fall on Ford. Ziggler hit a splash in the corner into a Russian leg sweep from Roode for a near fall. The heels isolated Ford on their side of the ring.
Ford fought back, and Dawkins got the hot tag. Dawkins ran wild and hit a twisting neck breaker on Roode for a close near fall. Dawkins attempted a powerbomb, but Roode went for a Glorious DDT.
In a cool spot, Ziggler and Roode hit an assisted famouser for a very close near fall. The finish came when Ford hit the frog splash on Ziggler, but Roode broke up the pin attempt. Ford then rolled up Roode out of nowhere and held the tights for the win.
After the match, Roode and Ziggler were furious that they lost. They yelled at referee Charles Robinson and blamed him for the loss. Robinson got fired up and stood up for himself. He warned them that they could get suspended. Roode and Ziggler then back off.
In the back, Kevin Owens was looking for Reigns. Adam Pearce was trying to stop him again. Suddenly, Jey Uso attacked Owens with a chair and told him to stay down.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Bianca Belair. Belair is annoyed that Bayley is always talking about her. She promised to defeat Bayley later tonight.
The Riott Squad defeated Billie Kay & Tamina
This wasn’t a good match. Tamina dominated the faces for the majority of it.
Before the match, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott tried to guess who Kay might choose to be her partner. Morgan hoped for Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker, or Wonder Woman.
Before the match, Kay announced her partner Tamina. Graves was excited about Kay and Tamina. He thinks they’ll make a great team.
Tamina dominated the faces and beat them down. She threw Morgan across the ring, and she landed right on her face. Tamina hit the Samona drop on Riott, but Kay tagged herself in to get the pin.
Morgan broke up the pin attempt. Morgan got the tag and ran wild. The faces knocked Tamina off the apron with a double dropkick. The Riott Squad then hit a missile dropkick/downward spiral combo for the win.
Carmella’s Champagne Toast
This was a fine segment, although it went a bit long and dragged at points.
Carmella’s sommelier was in the ring setting everything up for the toast. They recapped the Carmella and Sasha Banks match from last week. After the match, Carmella viciously beat down Banks.
Carmella made her grand entrance and her way to the ring. She had her sommelier choose the perfect champagne so she can toast her upcoming win. Carmella mocked the fans at home and said she’s better.
Carmella noted Banks is physically talented but mentally weak. She said Banks is drowning but not in the champagne she hit her with last week. The fans booed, and Carmella mocked them.
Carmella claimed that Banks got disqualified last week because Banks knew she couldn’t win. Carmella promised to win the title on Sunday. She demanded champagne to celebrate the moment. She had a sip and said it’s cheap like Banks.
Sasha Banks’s music hit, and the sommelier ran up the ramp. Of course, Banks appeared in the ring from the other side. She threw the champagne at Carmella and slapped the sommelier.
Suddenly, Carmella smashed a champagne bottle on Banks’ back and knocked her down.
In the back, Kevin Owens was in the trainer’s room, getting looked at when Jey Uso ran in. They brawled, but Uso ended up slamming Owens through a table and yelled at him to stay down.
There wasn’t much to the match, and it was kept short.
They recapped Otis and Gable losing to Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura last week.
Nakamura had the early advantage, but Gable coached from ringside. Otis used a slam to gain a brief advantage. Nakamura fought back and took over with a series of knees.
Nakamura rocked Otis with kicks, but it just fired Otis up. Otis hit a splash in the corner and went for the caterpillar. Gable jumped up and stopped Otis. He told him to give Nakamura a suplex.
Otis picked up Nakamura, but he used an inside cradle for a near fall. Otis recovered and hit a suplex. He followed up with the Vader Bomb for the win.
In the back, Sami Zayn was nervously getting ready for the Sami Awards. He realized the trophies weren’t polished and took off in search of polish.
Big E emerged from the back wearing a red bow tie. He picked up the envelopes and laughed hysterically.
Michael Cole excitedly wondered what Big E’s up to and can’t wait to see what he does next.
They showed the video of Drew McIntrye defeating 2020 with the Claymore Kick.
In the back, Gable and Otis celebrated his win. Gable didn’t understand why he stopped doing the caterpillar. Otis thought it was a test.
The Sami Awards
This was a fun segment. Zayn was good in his role here.
Sami Zayn came out wearing a stylish purple suit and spoke at a podium on the stage.
He talked about the previous Slammy Awards and noted the quality went down the last few years. He said it hasn’t been good since the late great Jack Tunney oversaw the awards.
Before Zayn gets to the awards, he recapped 2020, which only focused on his career.
The first award is for a comeback of the year. Zayn noted there are several possible winners, including Edge, Roman Reigns, and Sami Zayn.
Zayn introduced himself as the winner and said he couldn’t believe it. The next award is for the match of the year, which went to Zayn’s ladder match against AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy at Clash of Champions.
The final award was for Superstar of the Year. The award went to Big E, which surprised Zayn. Big E came out and accepted the award. Zayn said there had to be a mistake. Big E slammed Zayn on the table and threw him down the ramp.
Big E thanked the fans and celebrated his win.
Kayla Braxton interviewed Bayley in the back. She noted that she doesn’t need to brag about her past accomplishments. She pointed out that she ran cross country in high school and was the basketball team captain.
Bayley defeated Bianca Belair
Bayley and Belair had a good match.
Belair had the early advantage and taunted Bayley. She did a series of flips out of the corner and posed on the middle turnbuckle. She then did a backflip and rocked Bayley with a dropkick.
Bayley regained control and attacked the arm. Back from the break, Bayley was firmly in control and tossed Belair to the floor. Belair shoved Bayley into the steps and jumped back in the ring.
Belair hit a standing delayed vertical suplex and taunted Bayley. She followed up with a handspring moonsault for a near fall. Belair then hit a series of backbreakers and dragged her to the corner.
Belair climbed to the top rope, but Bayley cut her off. Bayley mocked Belair, but Belair recovered and hit a suplex. Belair ran wild and hit a spine buster for a near fall. Bayley fought back and tried using the ropes, but the referee caught her.
Belair rolled up Bayley for a two count. Belair then lifted Bayley into a powerbomb, but Bayley raked the eyes and hit the Rose Plant for the win.
Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Jey Uso Promo
This was a good segment.
Universal Champion Roman Reigns, Paul Heyman, and Jey Uso made their way to the ring.
Back from the break, Reigns didn’t understand why Kevin Owens screwed up this opportunity. He said it was going to elevate his career.
Owens music hit, and he limped his way to the ring. Owens grabbed a chair and went after Uso. The heels quickly took over and viciously beat down Owens. Reigns continued to attack Owens with a chair.
Uso then slammed Owens through a table and set up a second table. Reigns then gave Owens a Samoan Drop through the second table.
Reigns then buried Owens under the pieces of the broken tables, ladders, chairs, and more tables.
Reigns and Uso destroyed Owens and then went to the back with Owens buried under the tables, ladders, and chairs.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Reigns, Heyman, and Uso in front of a monitor. Reigns started talking when Owens pulled himself out of the pile.
The heels were furious and walked off. In the ring, Owens grabbed a mic and promised to win the Universal title, or he’d die trying.
Two matches have been announced for next week’s episode of SmackDown.
SmackDown is making a one-week move to FS1 next Friday due to a scheduling conflict with college football’s Pac-12 Championship Game being on Fox. WWE has announced that there will be a SmackDown Tag Team title match on the show, with The Street Profits defending their titles against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. Bianca Belair vs. Bayley has also been made official for the episode.
Ziggler & Roode defeated The Street Profits in a non-title match on SmackDown two weeks ago when Roode rolled up Ford while holding onto his tights for leverage.. On tonight’s show, Ziggler defeated Montez Ford in a singles match. Ziggler got the win after Ford was distracted by Roode attacking Angelo Dawkins on the outside.
Bayley was on commentary for Belair’s match against Natalya on SmackDown two weeks ago. Bayley insulted Belair during the match and accidentally got struck by Belair after Natalya moved out of the way. Belair defeated Natalya in the match. The next week, Belair was on commentary for Bayley’s match against Natalya. Bayley argued with Belair and focused on her during points in the match. Natalya got the win by submitting Bayley with the Sharpshooter.
Belair interrupted a backstage promo with Bayley on tonight’s SmackDown. Belair said Bayley needs to keep Belair’s name out of her mouth and worry about herself.
Next week’s SmackDown is the go-home show for WWE’s TLC pay-per-view.
SmackDown’s season premiere episode will include Daniel Bryan’s return to WWE television.
WWE has announced that Bryan will make his WWE ThunderDome debut as he kicks off this Friday’s season premiere edition of SmackDown. Bryan remained on SmackDown when he was drafted as the brand’s third pick during the second night of the WWE Draft this Monday.
Bryan and his wife Brie Bella welcomed the birth of their second child, a boy named Buddy Dessert Danielson, this August. Bryan hasn’t made an in-person appearance on SmackDown since June.
A SmackDown Tag Team title match has also been added to this Friday’s SmackDown season premiere episode. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits will defend their titles against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode.
The Street Profits were SmackDown’s second pick during night two of the WWE Draft. They were the Raw Tag Team Champions when they got picked, but there was a segment on Monday’s Raw where The Street Profits and The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) swapped Tag Team title belts.
Kingston & Woods retained their Raw Tag Team titles against Ziggler & Roode on Monday. Ziggler & Roode were drafted to SmackDown on the episode and did a post-show interview where they said they’re coming after The Street Profits’ titles.
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship, The New Day (Big E, Kingston & Woods) vs. Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro in a six-man tag match, and Jeff Hardy vs. Lars Sullivan are also set for this week’s SmackDown. To celebrate the season premiere, Fox will also have a special 30-minute pre-show prior to SmackDown. It will begin on Fox at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time and will be hosted by Renee Paquette (formerly known as Renee Young in WWE) and Booker T.
The six-man tag is being billed as The New Day’s SmackDown farewell match. While Kingston & Woods were drafted to Raw, Big E is remaining on SmackDown.
The men’s WWE Tag Team title situation regarding both sets of champions was made clear in a segment tonight on Raw.
During tonight’s show, WWE official Adam Pearce met with Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods, the SmackDown Tag Team champions who were drafted to Raw, and The Street Profits, Raw Tag Team champions who were drafted to SmackDown. Pearce said he cleared it with WWE and the solution to the problem was to exchange titles — The Street Profits would be recognized as the SmackDown Tag Team champions and vice versa. The two teams agreed, and the switch was made.
The New Day were drafted during the first night of the draft on SmackDown this past Friday. Both Kingston and Woods returned that night, defeating Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro to win the SmackDown Tag team titles. However, it was announced immediately after that title match that Kingston and Woods were being drafted to Raw, while Big E would stay SmackDown, splitting the trio apart for the first time since 2014.
Date: October 5, 2020 Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL
The Big Takeaway —
Mustafa Ali is in Retribution.
As expected, Randy Orton will face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship in a Hell in a Cell match. Orton handed McIntyre a rare loss in the main event, pinning him after an RKO in a six-man tag match.
Murphy turned on Seth Rollins but Rollins ultimately got the better of him. Rollins attacked until Aalyah begged him to stop.
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler successfully defended the tag titles against Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan.
Show Recap —
Randy Orton sat in a dimly lit room in the back (the one where he attacked everyone last week). Orton doesn’t remember a lot about his ambulance ride after Clash of Champions but he does remember the match. He remembers being ambushed by Big Show, Christian and Shawn Michaels.
He remembers Drew McIntyre punting him in the head and being driven off in an ambulance by Ric Flair. Orton felt nothing but darkness and pain in that moment. Twenty-four hours after that, McIntyre celebrated with those legends with a title he didn’t deserve and that made him sick. Those legends even played poker and toasted two of his opponents tonight.
Orton decided to repay the legends last week. He made them feel the darkness and pain that he felt at COC. Orton ran down what he did to each guy in great detail, including whispering to Christian to say to Edge for him.
Orton wished that McIntyre was there to witness it. McIntyre’s bill was not yet paid and wouldn’t be until Orton was the WWE Champion. Orton said McIntyre could attain the legacy he sought if he could survive Hell in a Cell against him.
At the precise moment that Orton issued the challenge, McIntyre barged into the room and attacked him until officials ran in to break it up.
This was certainly a different way to start the show.
Six-woman tag match: Raw Women’s Champion Asuka, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke defeated Zelina Vega, Natalya & Lana (4:51)
Rose and Brooke matched this week with primarily blue gear. Rose picked up the pinfall win for her team with a knee strike on Lana.
After the winning team left, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler marched out. They confronted Natalya and Lana outside the ring. (Vega left.) Jax was going to put Natalya through the announce table but Lana saved her. This resulted in Jax putting Lana through the table instead (for the third time over the past few weeks).
During the match, the announcers talked about the draft and Samoa Joe made reference to GMs (who?) and officials working stuff out ahead of Friday. Tom Phillips mentioned that Adam Pearce was probably stressing out in the “war room.” Isn’t he on both shows?
R-Truth had a white board in the back with his mock draft. His picks included ninjas and Bray Wyatt’s puppets. He also had Vince McMahon going 5th to Smackdown. There was a custodian behind him and he thought it was Orton.
The custodian tried to attack with a mop but Truth ducked and ran away until he tripped over a mop bucket. The custodian pinned him to win the 24/7 title. It was Drew Gulak. He ran away.
MVP met with Mustafa Ali, Apollo Crews and Ricochet. MVP downplayed his loss last week and said they can win an occasional match but they never win the fight. He noted the importance of the draft and how much a move to Raw helped Crews.
MVP said he also had an opening in the Hurt Business tonight only and claimed his brand was a bigger opportunity than going Raw or Smackdown. After MVP left, Crews and Ali blew this off but Ricochet appeared to consider it.
Seth Rollins / Murphy segment
Seth Rollins and Murphy entered for their match. There was a long video recap of the Mysterio family angle. Rollins asked Murphy to hand him the mic but he didn’t because he wanted to get something off his chest. Murphy said he has done everything Rollins has asked of him and more but if Rollins wanted him to continue being his disciple, he needed to apologize.
Rollins couldn’t believe it. Murphy didn’t want the apology for him, he wanted Rollins to apologize to Aalyah. Rollins snatched the mic away and yelled at him. Rollins said he was the one who saved Murphy.
Rollins also noted that he could have shown way more DMs between Murphy and Aalyah, including the ones where she states her true feelings about Murphy and about her family. Rollins stressed that he was the messiah and Murphy was the disciple.
Dominik and Humberto Carrillo ran out and attacked. They cleared the ring and they each hit dives which led to break.
The match began during the break and Rollins quickly gained control on Dominik. Rollins and Murphy couldn’t get along. Rollins wasn’t happy about Murphy tagging himself in. Carrillo tagged in as they argued and took them down with a flying crossbody. There was some back-and-forth until Carrillo wiped out both guys with a nice dive.
However, Carrillo came off the top and Murphy caught him with a mid-air V-Trigger for the pinfall win. Murphy marched off without Rollins after the match. (Two straight matches with the same finishing move, basically.) The match was only about five minutes or less.
Braun Strowman confronted Adam Pearce. He knew Raw Underground wasn’t happening but wanted a match tonight. Pearce said he wasn’t on Raw so he couldn’t do that, but he could give him an exhibition.
Strowman didn’t know what that meant. Pearce said if he could find him an opponent, Strowman could have an unsanctioned match. Strowman was happy with that. He left. Keith Lee, who happened to be nearby, told Pearce to sign him up.
[Second hour]
Rollins confronted Murphy in the back. Rollins wanted Murphy to apologize to him. If he doesn’t apologize by 10:00pm tonight, there would be hell to pay.
KO Show
Owens said he was normally excited to interview his guest but that wasn’t the case tonight. He said it was true that you change when you encounter the Fiend. He felt the anger and agony and dread. He knew tonight wouldn’t be about having a chat so he chucked the furniture from the ring. They aired a replay of Wyatt attacking him on Smackdown.
Owens couldn’t describe how bad the mandible claw felt. He also wasn’t sure why these dark souls kept attacking him, between Aleister Black and Wyatt. Owens wondered if the Brood or the Ministry of Darkness would come after him next. He called out Wyatt.
Wyatt appeared on the screen and said, “bonjour.” Wyatt thanked him for having him on his show and said it was always nice to have new friends, whether it was to play catch with or bury bodies together. Wyatt sang a song for Owens about friendship.
Wyatt invited Owens to sing. Owens wasn’t interested. Owens said maybe they could have been friends before he attacked him. Owens wasn’t going to get brainwashed like Alexa Bliss and didn’t want to wait until Friday to fight. Owens called him to the ring.
Wyatt said the situation with Bliss was none of Owens’ business. That was between her and him. Wyatt said Owens had no idea what he’s gotten himself into but on Friday, he’ll find out. Wyatt excitedly said bye and see you later.
Owens wanted a fight so he left the ring and began making his way up the ramp but was attacked from behind by Black. Black laid him out with a Black Mass.
I don’t like the Fiend stuff but Owens and Bray were good here and it helped build the Smackdown match.
Charly Caruso interviewed McIntyre. McIntyre said he beats up Orton every time he’s in the building. He accepted Orton’s HIAC challenge. McIntyre said Orton would be locked in the cage with him and he would send Orton to hell.
“Exhibition” match: Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee ended in a double countout (1:14)
Phillips said normal rules would apply in this match but the result wouldn’t count toward either man’s win-loss record.
It ended quickly via double countout. Lee tried a shoulder block but Strowman didn’t budge. Lee knocked him back a bit with a second tackle, so Strowman came right back with a “dropkick” which knocked Lee from the ring. Strowman chuckled him into the steel steps and the ref counted to ten for the countount.
Strowman was pissed so he tackled Strowman through the barricade. Officials ran out to stop Strowman from doing more. Lee emerged to his feet like nothing happened so they got into it again. Lee drove Strowman into the video boards before spearing him off the stage. Officials checked on both men as they showed several replays.
It would be nice if Lee could string together some wins, but I thought this segment was just fine.
There was a new Bianca Belair video to show off why she’s the smartest. She rinsed three other women in a trivia game and called herself the new GOAT (over Michael Jordan).
Truth, Akira Tozawa and Drew Gulak fought inside a dumpster. Truth somehow emerged as the new 24/7 champion. This was very dumb.
US Champion Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin (w/MVP) defeated Apollo Crews & Ricochet (w/Mustafa Ali) (9:43)
MVP cut a pre-match promo. He blamed last week’s loss on Retribution and warned “T-Bag” about the Hurt Business. Crews, Ali and Ricochet interrupted. Ali thought it was funny that he blamed the loss on Retribution’s logo appearing on the tron. Ricochet interrupted his buddies because he wanted to address MVP’s offer. Ali and Crews seemed a little worried.
Ricochet acted as though he might accept but gave it a pass and laughed at Hurt Business for believing him. Ali and Crews laughed too. Ricochet said he hasn’t run from them before and wasn’t about to tonight. MVP told Lashley and Benjamin to put a special beating on Ricochet.
They went to break less than two minutes into the match. The good guys were in control before the break and the bad guys were in control after.
Lashley won it for his team by tapping out Crews with the Hurt Lock (full nelson).
(After the match, Ricochet could be heard telling Hurt Business that they were going to keep going after them until they were tired of them. Hurt Business laughed at them.)
No Cedric Alexander again.
Murphy found Aalyah standing in a random area in the back. (There was a “Deadline to Apologize” graphic on the screen with a timer counting down. That made me laugh. He has under 13 minutes left.) Murphy apologized to her. Aalyah said he needed to worry about Rollins, not her. She wondered if he was seriously considering apologizing to Rollins. He wasn’t sure.
Ali approached the Hurt Business. They couldn’t believe he approached them alone. Ali said he would also be alone in the ring later and invited MVP to bring Lashley and Benjamin so he could go after all of them. MVP was amused. Lashley was about to go after Ali but MVP stopped him.
Seth Rollins / Murphy segment
Rollins entered the ring in a better mood and invited Murphy to the ring. Murphy entered. Rollins said he can apologize and they can move forward. Murphy didn’t say anything. Rollins told him that he knows what happens to people when they stand in the way of the greater good. Rollins made Murphy the man he was today and all he needed to do was apologize.
Rollins got angrier the longer Murphy didn’t respond. (It is now 10:00pm) Rollins grabbed him by the beard and demanded that he apologize.
Murphy tackled Rollins and hammered away. The fight spilled out the outside and over the announce desk. Rollins fought back for a moment but Murphy got the better of him. Rollins tried to attack with a kendo stick but Murphy ducked, grabbed the stick, and attacked.
Rollins pleaded with him to stop but Murphy hit him repeatedly with the stick while demanding that he apologize (to Aalyah). Rollins called out for Aalyah (who wasn’t there) and apologized. Rollins was wearing a leather jacket as Murphy attacked him, so he actually took his jacket off as he apologized again to show he was sincere.
Murphy believed him and dropped the stick. Rollins attacked him and gouged him in the eye. Rollins attacked repeatedly with the kendo stick.
Rollins grabbed a chair but Aalyah was in the ring tending to Murphy. She asked him to stop. Dominik ran out to check on Aalyah. Rey and Angie soon followed as Rollins walked to the back. The family wondered why Aalyah would do that. Dominik pointed at Rey’s eye to remind her of what they’ve done.
Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler defeated Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan to retain the Tag Team Championships (10:00)
Baszler did the viscous arm stomp spot to Ruby early in the match. Byron Saxton wondered if the ref should call off the match after that. Baszler continued to work the arm and was still in control after a break. Ruby ducked a kick and used a schoolboy for two.
Morgan made a hot tag and hammered away at Baszler but Jax made a blind tag. Morgan sent her into the buckle with a rana and used running corner strikes on both opponents until Jax cut her off with a clothesline. Ruby tagged back in and gave Baszler a DDT. Morgan blind-tagged in and used a foot stomp for two. Jax ran over Morgan before Ruby knocked down Jax with a kick.
The slight distraction allowed Baszler to catch Ruby with a knee strike. She followed with the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission win. (Morgan tried to save but Jax stopped her.) Baszler held onto the hold after the match until Morgan forced her off.
The Street Profits cut a pretty good backstage promo on Randy Orton. They spoke of their admiration for the legends that Orton took out. They stated that Edge and Christian taught them that they could have fun and still be the champs. They also said that when they go after Orton, it won’t be outta nowhere. McIntyre joined them and they walked off together.
Mustafa Ali vs. MVP (w/US Champion Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin)
MVP was frustrated so he brought Lashley and Benjamin in the ring with him (two minutes into the match). Before they could attack Ali, the lights flickered and the Retribution logo appeared on the screens.
The secondary Retribution members surrounded the ring with Slapjack. T-Bar and Mace watched from the ramp.
MVP asked Ali to join them in fighting Retribution. Ali agreed and got ready to fight.
Ali then left the ring and confronted T-Bar and Mace. MVP was happy to see this.
Ali turned around and smirked at Hurt Business. MVP realized what was happening. Ali sent Retribution after them. Retribution laid out Hurt Business.
Ali posed in the ring with Retribution standing behind him.
The announcers wondered how long Ali was part of this.
Six-man tag match: Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode defeated WWE Champion Drew McIntyre & Raw Tag Champions The Street Profits (10:17)
McIntyre was in control and Montez Ford hit a flip dive and they went to break less than a minute into the match.
Ford tagged in after a break and ran wild on Ziggler until Roode tagged in and cut him off with a spinebuster. Orton tagged in and gave Ford a backdrop on the announce desk. Orton taunted McIntyre so Ford gave him a DDT. They each tagged out and McIntyre tossed Ziggler around with suplexes.
McIntyre attacked Orton, who was not the legal man, until Ziggler and Roode swarmed him. Angelo Dawkins blind-tagged in as McIntyre headbutted Roode. Ziggler superkicked McIntyre before Dawkins cradled Ziggler for two. Ziggler countered a spinebuster into a DDT before tagging Orton.
Orton gave Dawkins a draping DDT. Dawkins came back with a spinebuster before tagging Ford. Ford hit a frog splash and almost pinned Orton but Roode and Ziggler broke up the cover. Everyone traded moves until McIntyre wiped out Ziggler with a Claymore kick.
McIntyre sized up Orton but Roode got in his way so Roode ate a Claymore kick instead. Orton nailed McIntyre with an RKO for the pinfall win. Pretty good match.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton are set to face off in a six-man tag match.
WWE has announced that McIntyre will team with Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits against Orton, Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode in a six-man tag match on Monday’s episode of Raw. This past Monday’s show ended with Orton attacking Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Big Show, and Christian after they got involved in his ambulance match against McIntyre at Clash of Champions. Orton also warned McIntyre earlier in the night that things between them aren’t over until he says they’re over.
Roode returned to WWE television on Raw this week and lost to McIntyre in the main event. McIntyre had issued an open challenge to anyone who hasn’t challenged for his title before. Ziggler told Adam Pearce that he knew the perfect person to answer the challenge.
The Street Profits retained their Raw Tag Team titles against Andrade & Angel Garza at Clash of Champions.
WWE is also hyping that Kevin Owens has invited Bray Wyatt to appear on the KO Show on Monday’s Raw. On SmackDown tonight, Owens appeared as part of the brand-to-brand invitational and hosted the KO Show with Alexa Bliss. After asking Bliss about how she’s been changed by The Fiend, Owens was attacked by The Fiend and put in the Mandible Claw.
Owens will face The Fiend on SmackDown next Friday. Next Friday’s SmackDown is also night one of the WWE Draft. The draft will then conclude on the Monday, October 12 episode of Raw.
A Tag Team title match is the latest addition to the card for Clash of Champions.
Andrade & Angel Garza will challenge for The Street Profits’ Raw Tag Team titles at Sunday’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view. That was confirmed when Andrade & Garza defeated Seth Rollins & Murphy and Dominik Mysterio & Humberto Carrillo in a triple threat number one contender’s match on Raw tonight.
Andrade & Garza won tonight’s match after Rollins walked out on Murphy. Andrade hit a back elbow on Murphy and then Garza gave Murphy the Wing Clipper to get the win.
Zelina Vega wasn’t with Andrade & Garza on tonight’s Raw after seemingly splitting up with them last week. After weeks of dissension between Andrade & Garza, there was a backstage segment last Monday where Vega yelled at Garza for flirting with Lana. Garza blamed Andrade for losing their non-title match against The Street Profits the previous week. When Garza and Andrade argued, Vega told them she can’t do this anymore and walked out on them. Andrade & Garza then brawled but were back teaming together tonight.
Vega is facing Mickie James on Raw tonight. The winner will challenge for Asuka’s Raw Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions.
Here’s the updated card for Sunday’s PPV:
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against Randy Orton in an ambulance match
Universal Champion Roman Reigns defends against Jey Uso
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley defends against Nikki Cross
Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy defends against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn in a triple threat ladder match
Women’s Tag Team Champions Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defend against Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro defend against The Lucha House Party
Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defend against Andrade & Angel Garza
The Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Champions are set to face off next week.
WWE announced tonight that Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits will face off with SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura in a champions vs. champions match on Raw next Monday. The match will presumably be non-title.
Cesaro & Nakamura made a cross-brand appearance on Raw tonight to set up next week’s match. After The Street Profits defeated Andrade & Angel Garza, they were confronted by Cesaro & Nakamura. Cesaro & Nakamura said that when people think of The Street Profits they think of their basketball and golf competitions with The Viking Raiders, playing with ninjas, and not defending their titles. Cesaro said they were there to show The Street Profits what real champions look like.
Cesaro then challenged The Street Profits to a champions vs. champions match next week and The Street Profits accepted. Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford said that — unlike Cesaro & Nakamura — The Street Profits have a real bond. They insulted Cesaro for how many tag team partners he’s had.
It was said that Cesaro & Nakamura being able to face The Street Profits on Raw was because of the brand-to-brand invitational.
Next Monday’s Raw will also feature Asuka defending her Raw Women’s Championship against Mickie James.
The team of Andrade and Angel Garza will be facing Raw Tag Team champions The Street Profits at SummerSlam.
The duo defeated Cedric Alexander & Ricochet and The Viking Raiders in a triple threat tag team match where the winners would become number one contenders for the titles. The finish came when Ivar did a dive that took out most of the competitors in the match. Garza, however, avoided the dive and pinned Alexander with the wing clipper.
After the match, Andrade & Garza confronted The Street Profits, who were at ringside doing commentary. After some back and forth, the two jumped Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford, bolting before either could retaliate.
This is not the first time the two teams have faced one another. They had a match on the July 20 edition of Raw. where The Street Profits defeated Andrade and Garza.
SummerSlam is scheduled to take place on August 23. A location has not been announced.
The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders are finally set to face off with the Raw Tag Team titles on the line.
Ahead of tonight’s Backlash pay-per-view, WWE announced that The Street Profits defending their Raw Tag Team titles against The Viking Raiders has been added to the show’s card. The teams have recently been featured in an “anything you can do, we can do better” series of non-wrestling competitions.
The Street Profits and Viking Raiders faced each other in basketball, axe throwing, golf, and bowling. They were tied at the end of those events, leading into a decathlon on last Monday’s episode of Raw. But that also ended in a 5-5 tie.
The program between the teams began when The Viking Raiders cut a promo in April saying that The Street Profits are a great team, but they’ve only risen to the top when The Viking Raiders aren’t around. The Viking Raiders also defeated The Street Profits in a non-title match on the May 4 episode of Raw.
The Street Profits have been Raw Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Seth Rollins & Murphy in March.
Here’s the updated card for Backlash:
Edge vs. Randy Orton
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defending against Bobby Lashley
Raw Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Nia Jax
Universal Champion Braun Strowman defending against The Miz & John Morrison in a handicap match
Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks defending against Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross and The IIconics in a triple threat match
Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits defending against The Viking Raiders
United States Champion Apollo Crews defending against Andrade
With their series tied at 2-2, The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders are set for another non-wrestling segment on Raw next week.
It was announced on Raw Talk last night that The Street Profits and Viking Raiders will face off in a decathlon next Monday. They’ve previously competed in basketball, axe-throwing, golf, and bowling.
Samoa Joe said the decathlon will consist of varied events spread across The Street Profits and Viking Raiders’ skill sets.
The rivalry between the teams began when The Viking Raiders cut a promo in April saying that The Street Profits are a great team — but they’ve only risen to the top when The Viking Raiders aren’t around. The Viking Raiders have said that anything The Street Profits can do, they can do better.
The Street Profits are the current Raw Tag Team Champions. The Viking Raiders defeated them in a non-title match on Raw four weeks ago.
Next Monday’s Raw is the go-home show for Backlash.
The feud between The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders will continue with another non-wrestling segment on this week’s Raw.
WWE has announced that an axe-throwing contest between The Street Profits and Viking Raiders will air on tomorrow’s episode of Raw. It will follow up on the segment from last week’s show where the teams faced off in a basketball game.
In the basketball game, The Street Profits won 74-2. But the story was that The Viking Raiders let The Street Profits win and were only pretending to be bad at basketball. Erik told The Street Profits that anything they can do, The Viking Raiders can do better.
The Street Profits are the current Raw Tag Team Champions. They lost a non-title match to The Viking Raiders on Raw two weeks ago, with that match being set up the previous week when The Viking Raiders issued the challenge and said The Street Profits are a great team but have only risen to the top when The Viking Raiders aren’t around.
As part of the brand-to-brand invitation, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will face SmackDown’s Baron Corbin in a non-title match on tomorrow’s Raw. Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross will defend their titles against The IIconics on the show.
Note: This post originally said that the Raw Tag Team titles will be on the line in next week’s match.
The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders are set to face off on Raw’s go-home show for Money in the Bank.
The match was confirmed for next Monday’s episode after The Street Profits accepted a challenge from The Viking Raiders tonight. A tweet from WWE indicated that The Street Profits’ Raw Tag team titles would be on the line, but that wasn’t mentioned when the match was announced.
The Viking Raiders cut a backstage promo on tonight’s Raw saying that The Street Profits are a great tag team, but they’ve only risen to the top when The Viking Raiders aren’t around. They said The Street Profits only won the NXT Tag Team titles after The Viking Raiders relinquished them and only won the Raw Tag Team titles when The Viking Raiders were unable to compete.
The Viking Raiders said The Street Profits will always be second best as long as they’re around, then dared The Street Profits to prove them wrong.
Later on tonight’s show, The Street Profits responded to The Viking Raiders and agreed to face them next week.
