WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS 8/21: Keller’s report on Summerslam follow-up, Becky Lynch-Charlotte, Styles-Joe, Creepy Randy

KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
AUGUST 21, 2018
BROOKLYN, N.Y.. AT BARCLAYS CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK

Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton

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[HOUR ONE]

-Phillips opened the show touting that Summerslam was the most watched ever.

-The Miz’s entrance took place. Graves said Smackdown just became “absolutely must see.” Miz and Maryse walked out together. They gazed into each other’s eyes and walked to the ring. Phillips narrated that Maryse appeared to pass a foreign object to Miz. He said they found out later it was brass knuckles. Another angle showed Miz using them against Daniel Bryan to win his match.

Miz and Maryse hung their heads in apparent shame. Fans chanted “Daniel Bryan! Daniel Bryan!” Miz said, “So…” And then he paused as fans booed. He was all teared up and said he closed his eyes and really felt that “in a way I’ve never felt before.” He said two nights ago at Summerslam, something happened. His voice cracked as he said he has a family to think about now. Maryse comforted him. He said, “It is with a heavy heart and the utmost sadness.” He paused, whimpered, and hugged Maryse. “That I officially announce my retirement.” Fans cheered. Fans smiled and chanted “Yes! Yes! Yes!” He then added, “…of ever facing Daniel Bryan again.” Phillips said, “There’s the punchline.”

(Keller’s Analysis: Oh, goodie, another heel pretending to be remorseful and then “surprising” everyone by pulling the rug out and making it clear they were just trying to trick everyone and they haven’t changed at all. Who gets to do this next week? Randy Orton? Shinsuke Nakamura? Becky Lynch? The twist of Miz imitating Daniel Bryan’s retirement speech doesn’t make it okay. In and of itself, it was a good promo. But they should do this once every three years, not once every three weeks.)

He said Bryan gave him everything he had. He said he punched him 100 times, but 100 Daniel Bryan punches don’t amount to one Miz punch. He said he has the hardest punch in WWE and in the entire arena. He said after his punch, he pinned Bryan 1-2-3 in front of his lovely wife and angelic child. He said she’s the Mother of the Century. “That was Sunday,” he said. “Now it’s time to start my new life.” He said he’s going to watch the fifth episode of “Miz & Mrs” tonight after Smackdown.

Bryan stepped out and called Miz a coward. Miz tried to reply, but Bryan kept interrupting and yelling “Coward!” Fans chanted “You’re a coward!” Miz said the record books will never say that. He said the record books will display that Miz beat Daniel Bryan and he’s superior to him in every single way. He said he’ll have to live with the fact that he will never beat him and never have a chance to face him again. Bryan said, “Miz, for once in your life, shut up.” He said he can mock his retirement and try to convince everybody he didn’t cheat to win, but that’s a lie and another layer in the huge facade that is Miz. Just like the lights and the make-up you wear in the ring right now.” The crowd “oooo’d” that commented. He said he has done what he said he would, so take him at his word when he vows to expose him for what he is – a wanna-be Hollywood star cosplaying as a professional wrestler. (Did someone have to explain to Vince McMahon was cosplaying is?) Maryse told Bryan to go retire again and change his name to Daniel Bella. Miz laughed Paul Heyman-style. Brie Bella’s music played.

Brie ran out and went after Maryse. Maryse rolled out of the ring. Brie socked Miz in the face when he blocked her path. Bryan clotheslined Miz over the top rope to the floor. The crowd cheered and chanted “Yes!” Graves said Maryse had a baby four months ago and is Mother of the Century and this could be stressful. Saxton said Brie just had a baby, too, so everyone will be fine. Bryan said he already talked to Paige and they have another match, but it’s a mixed tag with Maryse and Brie also. Miz threw a fit on the ramp.

(Keller’s Analysis: Good segment, although I’d like to have heard more from Bryan about Miz using brass knux “because he knows he can’t really beat him.” He brushed past it pretty quick with one comment. But the progression to including Brie and Maryse worked well.)

-The announcers said there would be an exclusive A.J. Styles interview later addressing the finish of his match against Samoa Joe at Summerslam. Plus Becky Lynch would explain her actions later, plus a no-DQ match with New Day challenging the Bludgeon Brothers. They showed Jeff Hardy backstage, “who gets Randy Orton next!” [c]

-A montage aired of images from Summerslam.

-Miz and Maryse were furious backstage. Miz confronted Paige and said they are the anchors of USA Network. He said they’re the stars of not only Smackdown but also the top rated reality show. He said Paige is a worse general manager than Daniel Bryan. Paige said he got punched in the face by Brie Bella. Fans laughed. She said the tag match stays, and it’ll be awesome. Phillips said that match will be at Hell in a Cell three weeks from Sunday.

(1) JEFF HARDY vs. RANDY ORTON

They replayed some of the things Orton has been doing to Hardy in recent weeks. The bell rang and they locked up mid-ring. Graves said Orton has made a career of exploiting people’s emotions. Orton pushed Hardy into the corner and punched away at him. Hardy fought back with punches. Phillips said Hardy must have reached a breaking point. Orton shoved Hardy off the top rope and to the floor. They cut to an early break. [c]

They showed the action on split screen of Orton beating on Hardy at ringside, including throwing him into the ringside steps. Orton settled into a chinlock mid-ring. Saxton said Hardy has known Orton for 16 years, but he thinks he is more cut-throat than he has ever seen. Hardy made a comeback, but again Orton knocked him off balance on the top rope. Orton put his finger in Hardy’s ear ring hole. The crowd winced. Hardy escaped and stomped Orton on his crotch. The ref DQ’d him.

WINNER: Orton via DQ in 7:00.

-Afterward, Hardy threw Orton over the announce desk and into the barricade. Orton fought back and gave Hardy an uppercut. Hardy knocked Orton down and then into the ringpost. He asked fans to move and then tossed Orton into the crowd. Graves said Hardy has come unglued. They fought past the production area. Hardy leaped off of a staging crate and crashed Orton through a table below. Hardy smiled.

(Keller’s Analysis: They have two more weeks for Orton to get his heat back and get some revenge to set up their grudge fight at Hell in a Cell.)

-The announcers hyped upcoming segments. [c]

-The announcers commented on clips of the Hardy-Orton brawl.

-Backstage, Renee Young interviewed The Bar. She said they requested the time to talk. She asked if they wanted to predict who would win tonight’s Smackdown Tag Team Title match. Cesaro said they are there to issue a challenge to the winner. In walked Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows. They put on comedic glasses and talked about the tag title match as an audition for the Kickoff Panel. Anderson showed off his abs. They then challenged the winners tonight, too. The Bar said they’d kick their heads off next week.

-Naomi made her full ring entrance for the next match. Then Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, The IIconics. Graves said, “I’ve followed The Iiconics since NXT and neither Peyton nor Billie have ever looked better.” They insulted Brooklyn by calling it the answer to “What’s a dumpster fire?” Royce said Naomi is definitely not IIconic. [c]

(2) NAOMI vs. PETYON ROYCE (w/Billie Kay)

The match was joined in progress. A distraction by Billie helped Peyton take control. Naomi made a comeback a couple minutes later and hit an enzuigiri off the middle rope leading to a two count. When Billie at ringside went after Naomi, Naomi rammed her into the ringpost. Royce then knocked Naomi into the ringpost a second later and scored the pin with a fisherman’s suplex into a bridge. Graves called it a massive victory and said the career trajectory for the IIconics is nothing short of iconic.

WINNER: Royce in 6:00.

-Backstage, Xavier Woods asked Big E how his ribs are. He said he likes them smoked with collard greens on the side. Kofi Kingston said they are in Brooklyn, baby! He said that’s where they started their record-breaking tag title reign and it’s the birthplace of Francesca. Big E was snacking some some BBQ sauced covered ribs out of a foil bag. Kofi didn’t want to shake his hand.

-They went to the announcers on camera. They aired a video package on Charlotte beating Becky Lynch and Carmella to capture the Smackdown Women’s Title and then Becky attacking Charlotte afterward. [c]

-Another montage aired of images from Summerslam.

-Lynch marched to the ring to her music. Saxton said she’s had 48 hours to digest what she did. Becky said she should be Smackdown Women’s Champkon right now. She said the moment was stolen from her and Charlotte deserves what she did to her. She said Summerslam wasn’t supposed to be about Ronda Rousey or Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins and certainly not Charlotte. She said it was supposed to be her night because she fought her way for months to a title match and she had even gotten over the fact that Charlotte was added to the match. Fans were cheering everything she said and at this point they began a “Becky! Becky!” chant. She said she had a chance to silence critics who said she was just Charlotte’s friend. She said she had a chance to hold the belt over her head and show she is a top star. She said the fans act like they are with her, “but were you the whole time?” Fans chanted “Yes!” She said there was no #GiveBeckyAChance.

[HOUR TWO]

She said when Charlotte weaseled into her title match, she got a few tweets supporting her, but Summerslam still sold out, there was no boycott. She said fans cheered Charlotte’s win. “So you weren’t really that upset, were you?” she said. She said when people are asked who the greatest star of all-time in WWE is, her name isn’t brought up. She said she’s become an afterthought. She said she doesn’t buy it anymore because “you’re a generation of all talk, all opinions, and no action.” The crowd began to grumble. She said as of Summerslam she had enough opinion and decided to take action. Some cheers. She said the referee slapping the mat the third time was a wake-up call out of her trance. She said she realized Charlotte had stolen her opportunity for the last time. “I knew I was going to raise her hand up and rip her head off,” she said. Burst of cheers. “Because this was supposed to be my opportunity to be champion.” She said she deserves it because she says it, not because of the fans. She said there isn’t a woman on the roster or a person in the arena or anyone at home who can tell her different. Charlotte’s music played. Boos from the crowd.

(Keller’s Analysis: This is such an uphill battle, and totally tone deaf and unfair to Charlotte because she’s getting booed just because fans are upset with the booking of Becky.)

Charlotte charged into the ring and attacked Becky. Boos. “Becky! Becky!” chanted the fans. Becky made a comeback and fans cheered. More chants for Becky at ringside. Charlotte chased Becky into the crowd. Charlotte yanked her back and pounded on her some more. Back in the ring, Becky kicked Charlotte and made another comeback. More chants for Becky. Paige called for help. Out ran some women wrestlers to pull them apart. Louder “Becky!” chants. Charlotte broke free and knocked Becky to the floor. More boos. Charlotte beat up Becky on the floor. [c]

(3) RUSEV & LANA vs. ANDRADE CIEN ALMAS & ZELINA VEGA

The announcers plugged Evolution and said Raw, and Smackdown, and NXT titles would be defended. Saxton said Trish Stratus will wrestle for the first time in seven years. Rusev got in some offense early but Almas then took over with a jaw-jacker to the chin. Almas applied an armbar in the ropes.  Rusev roundkicked Almas as he leaped off the ropes. He tagged in Lana. She showed fire and leaped off of Almas’s back and clotheslined Vega. She let out a big roar. Rusev joined her. The heel duo retreated at ringside. [c]

They showed action on split-screen. Lana beat up Vega for a while, but then Vega took over with a swipe of her leg while on the ring apron. Almas and Rusev tagged back in. Almas took Rusev down with a spinning backfist. Rusev escaped a hammerlock DDT and then clotheslined Almas over the top rope. Vega tried to interfere, but Lana cut her off. Aiden English ran out and took a chair away from Almas. Rusev then kicked Almas and put him in the Accolade for the tapout win. English celebrated at ringside. Saxton said English getting involved actually helped Rusev and Lana. English shouted that he always has their back.

WINNERS: Rusev & Lana in 9:00.

-A selfie-promo aired with Shinsuke Nakamura. He quoted the Statue of Liberty about taking your poor and huddled masses. He said now that he has retained his U.S. Title, he deserves to be a recognized as a hero of the United States “that I truly am.” He renamed the country: “The United States of Nakamerica.”

-They showed A.J. Styles staring intensely in a mirror. [c]

-They aired a video recap of the Styles-Joe match finish at Summerslam.

-Renee interviewed Styles on the stage. She asked him to explain, in his own words (ironic), what happened at Summerslam. He paused and contemplated what to say. Some fans chanted “Who’s your daddy?” He said he’s not sorry how the match ended because Joe crossed a line that a real man doesn’t cross. He said he broke a promise, but he’d like to promise his family and the WWE Universe that the next time Joe mentions his family’s name, he’ll tear his heart out and show it… at which point Joe attacked him. He put him in the Coquina Clutch. He put Styles to sleep as some kids chanted at Joe, calling him “Samoa” as if that was his first name. Joe then yelled into the mic and camera: “Oh, Wendy! It seems like we’re making a lot of promises including to come home and tuck in the kids, but guess what? Daddy’s already gone night-night.”

-The announcers reacted, then commented on a video highlight package of the Bryan-Miz angle earlier. [c]

-Carmella approached Paige backstage. Paige said she looks different, then said she lost weight and looks so good because she lost ten pounds of gold around her waist. “Don’t title shame me, Paige,” she said. “That match was unfair from the get-go.” She demanded a rematch, one-on-one. R-Truth walked in and said Carmella has been ducking and dodging him for weeks. He said he just needs to pin Carmella to get it. Paige said Truth doesn’t get to face Carmella and she asked Truth to give them a minute. Truth told Carmella she got lucky this time. Paige then said she gets a one-on-one rematch against Charlotte next week. Carmella squeaked with joy. Paige told Truth, who was off camera, to “put her down.”

(4) THE BLUDGEON BROTHERS vs. THE NEW DAY (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston w/Big E) – WWE Smackdown Tag Team Title match – No DQ

The New Day made their ring entrance. The Bludgeon Brothers then made their entrance. Saxton said the Bludgeons intentionally got DQ’d because they realized New Day had their number. Phillips said Xavier and Kofi were representing New Day after Big E injured his ribs at Summerslam. Kofi escaped a Luke Harper suplex at ringside, and then Xavier dropkicked him over the desk. Erick Rowan attacked Xavier from behind and then dropped Kofi on his head. Harper threw the desk chair at Kofi. They cut to a break. [c]

Back from the break, they fought back and forth. Harper dove through the ropes and took both of New Day down as Rowan held them up. They took Kofi out of the match for a while after throwing him into the steps. Xavier showed up at ringside with an enzuigiri, but Rowan clotheslined him. Harper swung a chair, but Kofi kicked him. Kofi then DDT’d Harper onto the chair. The Bludgeons came back and dominated for a couple minutes. They set up a ladder on two chairs in the ring. Kofi made the save with a leap off the top rope. The Bludgeons, though, then dropped Kofi onto the ladder and scored a believable near fall. They brought a table into the ring next. Harper slapped Rowan at Rowan’s request to get him psyched up, then sent him with a mallet toward Xavier. Xavier moved and Rowan crashed into the time keeper’s area. Harper then superkicked Xavier as he struggled to stand. Harper set up a powerbomb of Xavier through a table mid-ring. Kofi made the save with the mallet and then gave Harper his Trouble in Paradise kick. Xavier then leaped off the top rope and landed an elbow to send Harper through a table. Kofi joined him in making the cover and they got a three count.

WINNERS: New Day in 17:00 to capture the Smackdown Tag Team Titles.