SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
NORFOLK, VA AT NORFOLK SCOPE ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Announcers: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
-The show opened with a video package recapping Bayley’s heel turn on last night’s Raw.
-Tom Phillips welcomed the audience to the show over a wide shot of the Norfolk Scope Arena. Bayley’s music played and the crowd responded with a loud cheer. Bayley trotted out onto the stage, all smiles, and headed to the ring as she was introduced by Greg Hamilton. The announcers discussed Bayley’s actions and what this means for her going forward.
The reaction turned to boos, then back to cheers after Bayley’s music faded out. “I don’t get it,” Bayley said. She said people have been saying they didn’t see this coming, and she wondered why. She said she’s always been loyal to Sasha. “She’s my best friend, nothing has changed.” Bayley said she’s trying to lift people up, and give women opportunities.
“I’m trying to make you guys feel the way I felt when I was a kid,” Bayley said. “I’m the hero, I’m the role model, and I’m trying to show your kids what it means to be loyal.” Bayley said she couldn’t turn her back on Sasha. She said the fans deserve to have a Smackdown Women’s champion with the same recognition as Becky Lynch. She said that starts are Clash of Champions when she beats the “most selfish person on the roster,” Charlotte Flair.
Charlotte’s music interrupted Bayley. Phillips said Bayley doesn’t have the right to be on a proverbial high horse as Charlotte strutted confidently to the ring. “I’m selfish?” Charlotte feigned surprise. “What you see is what you get,” Charlotte declared. She said there’s no confusion, no blindsiding, and definitely no hugging.
Charlotte told Bayley to hug the title tight, because at Clash of Champions…Charlotte was cute of by Sasha Banks’ music. Banks walked down the ramp and paused, staring down Charlotte. Charlotte dove at Bayley and took her down with a big elbow, then followed it up with a big boot.
Sasha Banks slid in the ring and took down Flair. The two traded shots on the ground before Bayley returned and cracked Charlotte over the back with a steel chair. Bayley hit Charlotte two more times as the crowd chanted “one more time.” She passed the chair off to Sasha. Sasha bashed Charlotte’s back repeatedly with the chair, then handed it back to Bayley. Bayley continued the assault. Sasha and Bayley left together as the fans sat relatively dormant in confusion.
(LeClair’s Analysis: The crowd wanted to cheer Bayley and seemed to turn on her when she continued to rely on the softer aspects of her character. They wanted a hard edge, and we really didn’t get that. Attacking Charlotte with a chair just serves as another confusing plot point, being that Flair is a clear cut heel and the fans certainly aren’t being given any reason to side with her. Not every character needs to be black and white, but this felt like WWE hedging with Bayley and that’s not a liberty I think they have right now.)
-At the announcers desk, the Phillips, Graves, and Saxton ran down the night’s upcoming events – including Daniel Bryan’s demand for an apology from Roman Reigns, and the quarterfinals of the King of the Ring tournament.
-Ali’s music hit and he headed to the ring for the first of two King of the Ring quarterfinal matches. Phillips said he’d face Elias after the break.
-After the break, Bayley and Sasha Banks were shown talking backstage. The announcers continued to talk about their alliance and Bayley’s new attitude.
-Back in the arena, Elias placed his guitar on the King of the Ring throne before walking to the ring. In an inset promo, Elias said Ali would swear to a new oath of King Elias. “Long live the king,” he said.
(1) ALI vs. ELIAS – King of the Ring tournament quarterfinal match
Elias and Ali locked up. Elias immediately twisted Ali’s arm. Ali used the ropes to flip free of the hold. Ali used his quickness to thwart Elias’ offensive attempts repeatedly. He caught Elias with a kick and then shot him to the outside. Ali dove out onto Elias, but Elias caught him and rammed him into the LED board on the apron. He tossed Ali into the ringside barrier.
Elias rolled into the ring to break the referee’s count. He went back outside and tossed Ali face first into the barricade. He grabbed Ali and threw him into the timekeeper’s area. The announcers touted Elias’ aggressiveness. Phillips sent the show to picture-in-picture commercial.
On the small screen, Ali struggled to return to the ring as the referee counted. He was able to break the count. Elias immediately attacked Ali, downing him in the corner and stomping away at him. Elias shot Ali off the ropes and gave him a big overhead backdrop for a two count. Elias shot Ali into the corner and then tossed him into the air, letting Ali land face first on the canvas.
Elias brought Ali to his feet, but Ali fought back with punches. He shot off the ropes, but Elias turned him inside out with a big clothesline for a two count. Elias slapped on a headlock. Ali tried to break free, but Elias just rolled through his momentum to keep the hold locked in.
Ali slowly fought to his feet as the show returned to full screen. He broke free of the headlock and took Elias down with a dropkick. He fired away with elbows and chops. He caught Elias with a swift kick and a rolling face buster for a two count. Elias rolled to the outside. Ali dove through the middle ropes and sent Elias crashing shoulder first into the ringside barrier.
Ali tossed Elias back in the ring and headed to the top rope. Elias met him and set him up for a superplex. Ali fought him off. Ali hit a 450 off the top rope onto the extended, injured arm and shoulder of Elias. He applied a crossface on Elias in the center of the ring. Elias pulled himself to the bottom rope to break the hold.
Elias pulled Ali into the turnbuckle, then hoisted him up into the electric chair. He hit the spinning sit out power bomb for a near fall. Elias swung Ali’s leg over his neck in a leg crank. Ali broke free. Elias dragged Ali to the turnbuckle and wrapped his leg around the post. He tried to pull Ali up to the top turnbuckle, but Ali turned the tables on him. Elias shoved Ali off the top, but Ali backflipped and landed on his feet on the ground below. His injured leg buckled underneath him. Elias jumped from the top turnbuckle to deliver a double axe handle, but Ali caught him in mid air with a super kick.
Ali slowly returned to his feet as the referee began counting both men out. He tossed Elias in the ring and climbed to the top rope. Ali went for the 450 splash, but Elias rolled out of the way. Ali continued selling his leg. Elias grabbed the leg, but Ali kicked him away. He went for an enziguri, but Elias ducked it and gave him a knee drop on the back of the leg. Elias followed it up with Drift Away for a three count.
WINNER: Elias in 11:00
Elias sat in the throne at the top of the stage and played his guitar.
(LeClair’s Analysis: I’m not an Elias fan by any stretch, but credit where it’s due, this was one of his better performances. In general, I think the results of the King of the Ring tournament have been pretty disappointing, but I’ll wait to fully pass judgment until it’s concluded.)
-Backstage, Kayla Braxton congratulated Elias and welcomed Samoa Joe. Kayla ran down the inconclusive finish to Joe’s King of the Ring match last night and talked up the triple threat semi-final. She asked Joe why he’s at Smackdown tonight. Joe called last night a “minor inconvenience” and promised his path of destruction in the tournament would continue. He said came to Smackdown to scout his competition and deliver a warning to whomever his opponent may be. He vowed to become king.
-Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross were shown walking backstage. Graves said they’d be in action after the break.
-Aleister Black sat in a darkened room. He loosened and removed his tie. “Well, if the mountain is not going to come to me, then I’m going to come to the mountain.” Black said he’s headed to the ring to see if there’s anyone man enough to pick a fight with him. He stood up and left the room.
-Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss headed to the ring, followed by Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Phillips recapped a confrontation between the two teams backstage earlier in the day.
(2) ALEXA BLISS & NIKKI CROSS vs. SONYA DEVILLE & MANDY ROSE
Mandy Rose and Nikki Cross began the match. Rose taunted the crowd, then Cross. Cross grew angry and attacked Rose. Mandy shot her off the ropes but Nikki took her down with a head scissor takeover. Sonya distracted Nikki long enough for Mandy to recover. Mandy hit Nikki with a big back elbow, then tagged in Deville.
Deville attacked Nikki in the corner and then tagged Mandy back in. Mandy shot Nikki toward the corner, but Cross knocked Sonya off the apron. She gave Mandy a dropkick. Rose rolled to the outside. Cross climbed to the top turnbuckle and dove onto both Mandy and Sonya on the outside. Phillips send the show to commercial.
Deville had Cross on the mat when the show returned from commercial. She dragged Cross to the corner and tagged in Mandy. Mandy yelled “you’ll never look like me!” at Cross, to which Alexa Bliss responded, “no one wants to look like you!” from the apron.
Cross took Mandy down. Mandy made the tag into Sonya, but Cross reached Bliss. Bliss came in as the fiery babyface, taking Sonya down repeatedly with a series of clotheslines. She dropped Sonya and covered her, but Rose broke it up. Cross returned to the ring. She and Rose fought to the outside.
Sonya attacked Bliss with a series of strikes. She lifted Alexa, but Bliss spun out and into a DDT. She climbed to the top rope, but was distracted by Rose and Cross going at it on the outside. Nikki was clinging onto Mandy’s back. Mandy threw her into the LED board to break it up.
Bliss went for Twisted Bliss, but Deville got her knees up. She made a quick tag into Mandy Rose. Rose and Deville hit their tandem slide and jump kick for the pin fall win.
WINNERS: Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose in 7:00
The announcers said Deville and Rose just made an “impressive statement.” Phillips said they may have punched their ticket to Clash of Champions.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Most of the match was just standard TV tag stuff, with Cross isolated for about 5 minutes of the 7 minute run time. Bliss and Cross played complete babyfaces, which runs contrary, sort of, to the characters they usually play on Raw. The entire women’s division is on shaky ground right now with regard to character placement.)
-Randy Orton was shown walking backstage. Phillips wondered “when the viper would strike again.” He said Orton would be out in the ring next.
-Chad Gable was shown with a resistance band backstage. Samoa Joe ran into him. He apologized for running into him and said he’d look like a “big ass baby” in the King of the Ring chair. Joe said all those jokes are tired, but they still hurt. “You’re mentally weak, Chad, and there’s no room for weakness in the kingdom.” Joe chuckled and walked away.
-Randy Orton headed to the ring. The announcers talked about how Kofi Kingston must feel, wondering when Orton and The Revival would strike next. “Is Kofi Kingston’s mind already broken?” Phillips wondered. “You bet it is,” replied Graves.
The crowd broke into a loud “Randy” chant. Orton said we’d have a new WWE Champion in two weeks. He said he’ll prove the Kofi Kingston is a fraud that’s never been on his level, and never will be. The crowd interrupted Orton with a loud “Kofi” chant. Orton smirked. Orton talked about the trap he set for Kofi last week. “The best part was the sweet sound of Kofi Kingston’s skull bouncing off the floor,” Orton said.
Randy said for weeks, he’s destroyed the New Day and put an end to the “power of positivity crap.” He threw to footage of he and the Revival taking out New Day over the last few weeks on both Raw and Smackdown.
Orton stared smugly into the crowd as the second hour began. “No more games, no more traps,” Orton said. He asked Kofi to come out and face him now. New Day’s music played. Suddenly, Kingston appeared on stage, being dragged down the ramp by The Revival. They continued to fire shots at Kofi as the champion flailed to try to get away.
The Revival got Kofi to the bottom of the ramp and Kofi fought free of their grasp. Orton joined in and thwarted Kingston’s comeback. He tossed Kofi in the ring and called him “stupid” repeatedly. He stomped away at Kofi’s chest. Orton demanded the Revival lift Kofi. He grabbed him by the face.
“Listen, Kofi, I’m going to beat you once and for all and embarrass you in front of your friends, your family, and your brothers,” Orton said. Kofi broke free and cut Orton off, but The Revival pounced. They beat Kofi down and then lifted him up for Orton to hit a super RKO. Orton and the Revival posted on the turnbuckle as the crowd booed.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Effective segment. We’ve heard a lot of the same promos from Kofi and Orton lately, and while this one wasn’t exactly different, it was brief. Orton gaining the repeated, pronounced advantage over Kofi should tell us the result of their Clash of Champions match, but it’s been well done. Those who aren’t as attuned to WWE’s booking patterns should be buying into the fact that Orton has presented near insurmountable odds for Kofi. Meanwhile, The Revival are better lackeys for Orton than they were for Shane.)
-At the announcers desk, Phillips turned the conversation to Roman Reigns and threw to a video package recapping the various events that have led to Rowan being revealed as the culprit of the attacks on Reigns. Phillips confirmed that Reigns will face Rowan at Clash of Champions, and hyped a face to face between Bryan and Reigns later tonight.
-After the break, Andrade headed to the ring with Zelina Vega for his King of the Ring tournament match. Phillips recapped how both Andrade and his opponent, Chad Gable, got to this point. Chad Gable headed to the ring.
Zelina Vega said, from one vertically challenged superstar to another, she respects how Gable overcomes the odds. She said she believes Gable could be King of the Ring if Andrade were not in the tournament. “Unfortunately for you, Andrade is in this tournament.” She said there’s no shame in losing to the future king.
(3) ANDRADE (w/ Zelina Vega) vs. CHAD GABLE – King of the Ring tournament quarterfinal match
Gable and Andrade circled the ring and locked up. Gable grabbed a waist lock and quickly caught Andrade with a big German suplex. Andrade popped back up and caught Gable with a shot to the head. Gable rolled Andrade up for a quick two count.
Andrade tried to lift Gable, but Gable rolled through and hit a monkey flip on Andrade. Andrade back pedaled into the corner. Gable charged, but Andrade caught him and tossed him to the outside. Phillips sent the show to picture-in-picture commercial.
On the small screen, Andrade retrieved Gable on the outside. He hit a running dropkick to the back the head on a grounded Chad Gable. Andrade slapped on a headlock. Gable fought out, but Andrade took him down with a chop. Gable rolled through a backdrop attempt. Andrade charged at him, and Gable shot him up into the air. There appeared to be a miscommunication, leading to both men crumbling to the mat in a bit of an awkward fall.
Both men returned to their feet as the show returned from picture-in-picture.They traded punches. Gable hit a rolling kick to the back of Andrade’s neck, and followed up with a rolling neck breaker. He a wrist-clutch back suplex for a near fall. Andrade returned to his feet and connected with a big boot. Andrade headed to the top rope. Gable cut him off. Gable went for a superplex, but Andrade knocked Gable into a tree of woe position. Gable used his arms to lift himself up, and Andrade hit a diving double foot stomp. He covered Gable for a near fall.
Andrade lifted Gable for a German suplex, but Gable rolled through into a cover for a two count. Andrade caught Chad with a kick and followed it up with two consecutive suplexes. He went to complete the trifecta, but Gable elbowed his way out and hit two German suplexes. He went for a third, but Andrade blocked it and hit his third suplex.
Andrade climbed to the top rope and went for a moonsault. Gable rolled out of the way. Andrade went for a standing moonsault, but Gable got his knees up. Gable hit a big moonsault of his own and covered Andrade for a believable near fall.
Gable charged at Andrade for a German suplex, but Andrade elbowed out. He dumped Gable into the turnbuckle. Andrade ran at Gable for the double knees, but Gable moved. Chad rolled up Andrade, but Zelina slide under the bottom rope to distract the referee. Gable rolled through the pin and hit a bridging German suplex, holding the cover. Zelina continued to distract the referee.
Gable let the bridge go and jawed at Vega. Andrade recovered, hit a quick boot and a bit back elbow. He went for the Hammerlock DDT, but Gable caught Andrade with a sunset roll through and scored a surprise three count.
WINNER: Chad Gable in 8:00
(LeClair’s Analysis: Great match. These two are so insanely talented. I really dislike the way they’ve been handling Gable in recent weeks, but I guess if this is what it takes for him to win some matches, I’ll take it over what we were seeing before. The crowd really got behind him here, and hopefully that trend continues.)
-The announcers showed the updated King of the Ring bracket and teased the semi-final matches for next week’s shows at Madison Square Garden.
-The arena lights dimmed and Aleister Black’s music played. He headed to the ring for action. Phillips sent the show to commercial.
Black’s music continued to play as the show returned from commercial. Shelton Benjamin had come to the ring during the break, accepting Black’s challenge.
(4) ALEISTER BLACK vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN
Benjamin delivered a quick knee to the gut as the bell rang. He shot Black off the ropes, but Aleister flipped off the middle rope and sat in the center of the ring. Benjamin went for a head kick, but Black ducked it. Black went for a kick of his own, but Benjamin ducked it and backed himself into the ropes.
Benjamin charged, but Black hit him with a knee strike. Shelton rolled to the outside. Black immediately left the ring to meet him, He tossed Benjamin in the ring. Black hopped onto the apron, but Benjamin caught him with a leaping knee, dropping Black to the floor.
Benjamin walked Black around the ring, firing punches. He tossed him back in the ring. Black caught him with a series of side kicks. Benjamin went for a punch, but Black caught his arm and kicked him several times. Benjamin went for a spinning kick, but Black ducked and immediately connected with Black Mass for a three count.
WINNER: Aleister Black in 2:00
Black sat stoically in the middle of the ring as his music played. The announcers talked up Black and showed a replay of the finish.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Black’s offense is truly unique and it continuously provides a breath of fresh air to the weekly TV shows when he’s featured. Hopefully this marks more of a shift into Black playing a pivotal role on Smackdown as it prepares to move to Fox next month.)
-Backstage, Sami Zayn was animatedly talking to Shinsuke Nakamura, who stood still, staring off into the distance. Graves said Nakamura would be in action next.
-Drake Maverick and his wife were shown fleeing the arena backstage. Maverick was attacked by the Bollywood Boys, Lucha House Party, and the B-Team. Bo Dallas got a pin on Maverick to become the new 24/7 champion. He ran off, leaving Maverick and his wife in disgust.
-In the arena, Shinsuke Nakamura headed to the ring with Sami Zayn at his side. Zayn carried a microphone at his side. Sami said he knows the crowd wants to sing along to Shinsuke’s music, but the night is not about them. Sami introduced Nakamura’s opponent, “Andrew Howard.” The man in the ring shook his head, indicating that isn’t his name. Zayn said it doesn’t matter. Zayn said as far as they’re concerned, his name is The Miz. Zayn told the referee to “do his damn job” and ring the bell.
(5) ANDREW HOWARD (?) vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA (w/ Sami Zayn)
Nakamura gave Howard a knee. Zayn provided commentary over the mic, touting Nakamura’s precision. Shinsuke backed his opponent into the corner and kicked him to the mat. He hoisted him onto the top turnbuckle, then hit a running knee strike to the gut.
Nakamura set up, charged, and hit the Kinshasa. Zayn screamed along as the referee counted to three.
WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura in 1:00
Nakamura celebrated with Zayn as the announcers talked about Nakamura’s match with The Miz at Clash of Champions.
(LeClair’s Analysis: As weird as I initially found the Nakamura and Zayn pairing, it’s working out well for Shinsuke. Squash matches are never a bad thing in moderation, and this served its purpose perfectly well. I said last week that I’m intrigued by the feud with Miz, and that holds true now. This could be a fun match.)
-New 24/7 champion Bo Dallas slid into the ring, with Curtis Axel behind him. Lucha House Party and Drake Maverick followed shortly after. A quick brawl ensued. Maverick wound up rolling up Dallas for a three count to win back the 24/7 title.
R-Truth, hiding under a lampshade, revealed himself as Maverick ran up the ramp. He rolled up Drake for a three count, becoming a fourteen time 24/7 champion.
-After the break, the announcers hyped The Undertaker’s return to Smackdown next week.
-Daniel Bryan headed to the ring. The announcers discussed Bryan’s denial of knowledge regarding Rowan’s involvement.
Bryan stomped around the ring angrily. The crowd chanted “Daniel Bryan.” Bryan said it looks like there’s finally a group of people who believe him. “I know how it looks to everyone else,” Bryan said. He said people think he’s guilty by association. Bryan reiterated that he had nothing to do with it. He said even if people don’t like him, no one can say that he’s a liar. “I have never lied to any of you, and the truth is, I hate liars.”
Bryan demanded an apology from Roman Reigns. “Not just for accusing me of something I didn’t do, not just for spearing me last week, but because he’s calling me a liar,” Bryan yelled. Roman Reigns’ music hit. Reigns walked onto the stage, fired up. He paced back and forth and began walking down the ramp.
Rowan blindsided Reigns from behind. He tossed him down the ramp, and into the steel steps. Rowan dropped Reigns on the apron. Bryan ran outside to stop Rowan. Rowan shoved Bryan away. Rowan gave Reigns a power bomb into the ring post. He tossed Reigns into the ring.
Phillips said it was “horrifying” that Rowan is no longer answering to Daniel Bryan. Rowan grabbed Reigns and hit him with the Iron Claw. Rowan picked up the microphone. “Roman…” he repeated. “The joke is on you,” Rowan said. He said hi to Daniel. “You think you can control me?” he said to Bryan. “I am nobody’s puppet.”
Rowan told Bryan to step in the ring with him and slap him in the face again. He yelled at Bryan repeatedly. He turned back to Reigns. “I’m proud of what I’ve done to you,” he said. “I’m most proud of the pain you’re gonna feel at Clash of Champions.” Rowan tossed Reigns to the outside and hit him in the head with the steel steps. He tore the announcers desk apart. Bryan tried to stop him. He slapped Rowan in the face.
Rowan gave Bryan the Iron Claw through the announcers desk. “Nobody tells me what to do!” he screamed. Rowan stood between the fallen Bryan and Reigns, incensed.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Interesting development. This isn’t exactly the direction I expected this to go, but I suppose it raises the level of interest after last week’s dreadful angle. I still don’t like how we got here, but now we have to wonder if Bryan is turning babyface, or is somehow set to still be revealed as being involved.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: There was some solid action tonight, as well as interesting developments for Clash of Champions. Thought it wasn’t the most noteworthy of shows, it’s hard to ask for a whole lot more out of an early September push not leading directly into a Pay-Per-View. The closing segment was perhaps most intriguing, given how awful things went last week. I’m intrigued, though slightly worried by the development (or lack thereof) in Bayley’s character tonight, but certainly apt to want to see this through before passing final judgment.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.