7/1 WWE Smackdown in Odessa, Tex.: Orton & Nakamura vs. Jinder & Corbin, plus Rusev, New Day, Alpha, Styles, Usos

WWE LIVE EVENT – SMACKDOWN BRAND
JULY 1, 2017
ODESSA, TEX.
REPORT BY JONATHAN MARTIN, PWTORCH VIP MEMBER

(1) American Alpha & Breezango beat The Ascension & Rowan & Epico. Breezango did not get much of a reaction from the crowd when they came out, but American Alpha got a minor crowd pop and some chants throughout the match. Alpha hit Epico with Grand Amplitude for the pin.

(2) Luke Harper beat Aiden English. Aiden came out first and cut a great heel promo. He did his singing routine, but also called Odessa a “trash city,” among other things. The crowd booed English loudly. Harper scored the pin with the lariat.

(3) The Usos beat The Hype Bros and The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E.) in a Triple Threat Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship. This was a very entertaining match. In the middle of the match, Mojo and Big E. got in a minor dance-off. The Usos retained by kicking Zack Ryder in the back of the head and rolling him up for the pin. Surprisingly, the Usos got quite a few cheers.

(4) Kevin Owens beat A.J. Styles and Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship. This was my favorite match of the night because of Owens’ heel antics. At the beginning of the match, Owens rolled out of the ring, grabbed a chair, and sat by ringside while Styles and Sami initially fought. After a minute or so, Owens got on the mic and said that Styles and Sami were not worthy of being the United States Champion. Styles and Sami got sick of Owens talking at ringside, so they both went after Owens, taking turns punching him. Roughly ten minutes later, Styles hit Sami with the Styles Clash, but Owens threw A.J. out of the ring and covered Sami for the pin. After the match, Owens went on about being the greatest Superstar ever and mentioned that it was Canada Day. Sami then hit Owens with the Helluva kick and then propped Owens up so that Styles could hit Owens with the Phenomenal Forearm.

[Intermission]

(5) Naomi & Becky Lynch & Charlotte beat Carmella (w/James Ellsworth) & Tamina & Natalya. Carmella came out with the Money in the Bank briefcase. Ellsworth introduced Carmella and got heat for both of them. During the match, the crowd started an “Ellsworth sucks” chant. Naomi got the pin on Natalya with the Rear View.

(6) Rusev beat Tye Dillinger. Rusev applied the Accolade for the submission. Dillinger didn’t get any reaction when he came out, but a few fans chanted “10” after the match.

(7) Randy Orton & Shinsuke Nakamura beat Jinder Mahal (w/The Singh Brothers) & Baron Corbin. Jinder came out first and cut a short promo. He said, “My people are taking your jobs, your businesses, and now your championships.” The crowd started a “USA” chant. Nakamura got a good reaction when he came out, but Randy Orton got the biggest pop of the night by far. As far as match quality goes, this was a standard WWE tag match. Orton got the hot tag from Nakamura and cleaned house. He then gave a double-DDT to the Singh Brothers. Eventually, Orton hit Corbin with an RKO for the victory.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a respectable crowd for a live event. The fans cheered for faces and booed the heels, except for the Usos. The coliseum has a little over 5,000 seats, and I would estimate that 2,700 fans attended.

Biggest pops:

• Randy Orton (The crowd loved everything he did).
• Nakamura
• A.J. Styles

Most Heat:

• Kevin Owens
• Jinder Mahal
• Aiden English

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