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ELDER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
JULY 17, 2018
WILKES-BARRE, PA. AT MOHEGAN SUN ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
[HOUR ONE]
-Smackdown opened with a recap of Shinsuke Nakamura’s reprehensible tactics used to defeat Jeff Hardy at Extreme Rules.
-Jeff Hardy comes out and receives solid positive reaction from the crowd including a “Hardy” chant. Hardy states that “his heart is broken because he is not champion anymore” and continues to call Nakamura a jackass. Hardy continued to present his goals to ultimately take back his championship before telling the crowd to “enjoy the show.”
-Tom Phillips announced that Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy will face each other later tonight.
-They cut backstage where Renee Young is interviewing Nakamura, with his new title draped over his shoulder. Nakamura stated that he will give everyone a reason to smile by making a clown cry again before ending with “God bless America” before walking away.
-Graves announces that the Miz will be hosting a eulogy for Team Hell No.
A.J. Styles comes out to a huge ovation and we cut to our first commercial break as he enters the ring.[c]
Andrade “Cien” Almas comes out to his music with Zelina Vega and enters the ring while Tom Phillips reminded us that “Almas has not lost since joining the main roster.”
(1) A.J. STYLES vs. ANDRADE “CIEN” ALMAS (w/Zelina Vega)
The match began slowly with the competitors trading some basic holds before we cut to a commercial with the match still on screen PIP. When we return to full screen action, Phillips added: “Almas believes that he is the future of Smackdown Live, and he can prove it in a massive way if he can knock off Styles tonight.” Upon gaining the upper hand, Styles went for the Phenominal Forearm which was blocked by Almas with a reverse elbow. Almas attempted a suplex which was reversed into an enziguri by Styles. A pele kick followed, which led Styles to attempt a superplex. Almas reversed it with a stomp onto Styles chest. Styles kicked out of a pinfall. With Vega cheering on from ringside, Almas tried to finish Stlyes off who was able to reverse into a Calf Crusher, forcing Almas to tap out quickly.
WINNER: Styles via submission in 12:00.
(Elder’s Analysis: This match taking place shows that WWE must be really confident in what they have seen of Almas so far. This loss does nothing to hurt him. It showed he can go back and forth with one of their top guys. While this match was nothing special, I am expecting big things for Almas in the near future with Vega by his side.)
-They showed highlights of the Style’s vs. Rusev match at Extreme Rules, in particular how Aiden English played a part in his loss.
-They cut backstage to Aiden English and Lana. English pleaded with Lana to help him convince Rusev that he is sorry and was just trying to help Rusev. Lana did not seem totally convinced but did say that she will talk to Rusev. Lana added that she is unsure if English is good for Rusev at this point.
Back in the arena, Becky Lynch enters to her music and a hugely positive reaction from the Wilkes-Barre fans.
They then cut to their next commercial break. [c]
They pick up the show with Becky Lynch standing in the middle of the ring as Mandy Rose enters with Sonja Deville by her side.
(2) BECKY LYNCH vs. MANDY ROSE (w/Sonya Deville)
Mandy Rose gains control of the match quickly. Mandy unsuccessfully covers Lynch a few times but each end in two counts. The crowd chimes in with a “Lets go Becky” chant. Becky lands the Becksploder to take the upper hand before applying the Dis-Arm-Her which causes Mandy Rose to quickly tap out.
WINNER: Becky Lynch via submission in 4:00.
Immediately following the match Becky grabs the microphone to address the crowd. Becky describes how good it feels to continue winning. Becky then addresses Carmella directly, saying “Carmella, I’m coming for ya!” and added that it is about time that she becomes the Smackdown Women’s Champion again to the crowds delight.
-We cut backstage to Paige and Carmella. Paige asks Carmella about Lynch’s comments, but she didn’t seem worried. She reminded everyone that she has beaten both Charlotte and Asuka twice each. Paige then announces to Carmella that she will be fighting Becky Lynch next week in a non-title match. If Becky wins, Carmella will have to defend her title at Summerslam.
(Elder’s Analysis: Assuming Becky wins and Carmella’s Championship is on the line at Summerslam… I really, really hope it is Becky Lynch who gets the opportunity. I can’t think of anyone on the Smackdown Women’s roster who is more deserving.)
-We again cut backstage to R-Truth, who received a generous applause from the crowd, and Tye Dillinger. After a brief encounter, it is revealed that Dillinger will be facing Samoa Joe next. Truth didn’t think that was necessarily a wise decision on Dillinger’s part.
We cut to another commercial break, including one for WWEShop.com. [c]
-After the break, they show footage of Samoa Joe’s attack on Dillinger from last week.
-With Dillinger already in the ring, Samoa Joe enters to a solid applause.
(3) TYE DILLINGER vs. SAMOA JOE
Joe took control of the match from the start. Outside the ring, Joe picked up Dillinger and threw him into the corner post face first. Action then made it back into the ring where Joe clamped on the Coquina Clutch causing Dillinger to tap out. The hold was held until Dillinger eventually was put to sleep.
WINNER: Samoa Joe via submission in 2:30
(Elder’s Analysis: Pretty straightforward here. Samoa Joe is as dominant as ever, and he showed that Dillinger is not in his class at the moment. Who can stand up to Joe on this Smackdown roster?)
-A commercial break followed that segment [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Tom Phillips reminds us that Kane’s ankle was broken in the attack by the Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules. The Miz came out to some boos from the crowd. He entered the ring which is adorned with a wreath, photos of Team Hell No together, and a bust of a masked Kane sitting on a pillow on a stand. With the second N’Sync reference in two weeks, The Miz said it is time for Team Hell No to go “Bye, bye, bye.” The Miz continued to express his opinion that Team Hell No is over once and for all, and how their regrouping was a mistake from the start. The Miz asked the crowd to stand to honor Team Hell No with a moment of silence. During the moment of silence, the crowd defiantly erupted with a “Yes” chant. The Miz laid into Daniel Bryan until Bryan’s music hit. With The Miz and the pallbearers looking up to the top of the entrance, Bryan entered from behind and attacked The Miz who quickly retreated up the ramp. Daniel Bryan laid out one of the pallbearers before his music hit again and he led the crowd in another “Yes” chant with The Miz looking on in disgust.
-The New Day is backstage pumping themselves up for Kofi Kingston’s match against Eric Young of Sanity.
A commercial break followed with an advertisement for Summerslam and The Miz and Mrs. TV show. [c]
The show returned with some highlights between The New Day vs. Sanity from the Extreme Rules kickoff show on Sunday. The New Day then entered the arena. Eric Young is already in the ring with his teammate’s ringside.
(4) KOFI KINGSTON (w/Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. ERIC YOUNG (w/Killian Dain & Alexander Wolfe)
Some back and forth action began the match. Kofi showed off some aerial artistry before cutting to another commercial break with the match still airing PIP. [c]
As the match spilled out to ringside, tension mounted between the rest of The New Day and Sanity who came close to coming to blows. Big E and Xavier Woods lead the fans with a “New Day Rocks!” chant which helped turn the tide of the match as Kingston soon took control. Quick action ensued including a suplex from the turnbuckle by Kingston. After a near fall, Young retreated to his teammates at ringside only to be met by a suicide dive by Kingston onto all three of them. With Young down in the middle of the ring, Kofi climbed the turnbuckle only to be distracted by both Wolfe and Dain who were each dispatched by Big E and Woods separately. However, in the confusion, Young mounted an attack and Kingston and Woods collided head first, allowing Young time to hit his wheelbarrow neck breaker and cover Kingston for the three count and win.
WINNER: Eric Young wins by pinfall in 10:00.
(Elder’s Analysis: Kingston and Young, despite some different styles, are more than capable of having a great match on any given night. This won’t be the last we see of these teams mixing it up. I like to see WWE giving Sanity a few big wins over such an established team like the New Day. This wasn’t the cleanest match we could hope for, but expect to see some special bouts between these two factions in the near future. )
-With some sinister music in the background, Nakamura eerily waved his hands around his new United States Championship backstage followed by a cut to Jeff Hardy. Phillips reminded the audience of their upcoming match tonight.
They cut to another commercial break. [c]
-Smackdown returned highlighting the recent developments regarding the newly announced Becky Lynch vs. Carmella match in which Carmella would have to defend her title at Summerslam if she loses against Becky next week.
-Jeff Hardy entered the arena once again to a positive crowd reaction. Shinsuke Nakamura followed. The crowd sounds split over Nakamura, however there is still some who attempt to hum along to Nakamura’s music.
(5) SHINSUKE NAKAMURA [c] vs. JEFF HARDY for UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP
Corey Graves reminded us that if Nakamura is disqualified he will retain his championship. The match began with some light back and forth before Hardy got a bit of an upper hand until they cut to a commercial break. [c]
They pick up the match with Nakamura delivering some leg kicks to Hardy. A series of pin attempts were unsuccessful. Nakamura maintained a slow and methodical style before they cut to another commercial break. [c]
Hardy got the upper hand and was able to execute a Whisper in the Wind. Hardy went for the cover but Nakamura kicked out at two. With Nakamura going for his Kinshasa, Hardy countered with a sling blade. Hardy hit a Twist of Fate followed by a beautiful Swanton Bomb. Hardy goes for the cover but was pulled out of the ring by Randy Orton who appeared out of nowhere.
WINNER: Jeff Hardy wins via disqualification
The ref called the match as Orton continued to beat down Hardy at ringside. Hardy was slammed into the steel steps. Orton to Hardy: “You wanna know why I’m doing this? You wanna know why? You’ll have to wait to find out!” Orton then put his finger into Hardy’s stretched earlobe and began pulling it, stretching it until it nearly ripped. Extra referees and suited staff came to ringside to stop Orton who only continued his onslaught. Orton RKO’d Hardy off of the announcers’ table. Smackdown Live went off the air as Randy Orton walked up the ramp with a maniacal look on his face.
(Elder’s Analysis: Well… That was actually the most enjoyable match I’ve seen Nakamura in for some time. I guess their match at Extreme Rules didn’t go ten seconds simply because Hardy was hurt like some expected, because Hardy had some big bumps tonight, including the Swanton Dive he hasn’t been doing at house shows as of late. I had expected Orton to appear, but the severity of his attack was surprising. His finger stretching Hardy’s ear was actually hard to watch. That being said… this can all be very interesting as it plays out. )
FINAL THOUGHTS:For the first episode of Smackdown Live following Extreme Rules, I thought there was some important storyline development in a few cases. Bryan and The Miz is inevitability at this point. But we have been waiting for it for so long…Why rush it. By the time their feud really takes shape… the crowd is going to really be invested in it. I liked where they went with Carmella tonight. After an awful showing at Extreme Rules, she needs to get away from Asuka as fast as possible, (for Asuka’s sake). Hopefully Becky proves too smart to fall for Ellsworth’s distractions, but if this somehow ends with Lynch getting a title shot…I am all for it. However, it may be time to let Mandy Rose move out on her own. She and Sonya Deville have made for a strange pairing since the day Paige stopped performing in the ring. Finally, this is the most brutal we have seen Orton be in a while, and we have seen him get quite brutal in the past. Is he attacking Hardy to get to Nakamura? I don’t know. He has spared him two times in a row at this point. But as we’ve learned in the past time and time again… Never trust a snake!
NOW CHECK OUT WADE KELLER’S REPORT: WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS 7/17: Keller’s report on Nakamura defends against Jeff Hardy, Extreme Rules follow-up and Road to Summerslam starts
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