LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 11/22: Alt perspective, detailed coverage of Survivor Series go-home brawl, Daniel Bryan & The Fiend, chaotic tag matches, more

LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
NOVEMBER 22, 2019
CHICAGO, IL AT ALLSTATE ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON FOX NETWORK

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

-The show opened backstage with the entire Smackdown locker room, dressed in their blue shirts, chatting amongst themselves. King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, and Robert Roode stepped in front of the crowd of wrestlers and asked them to listen. They were ignored.

Roman Reigns, Shorty G, and Ali approached. The crowd immediately fell silent. Reigns gave his rally speech, saying Raw and NXT are going to show up. He said they won’t act like cowards, the way Corbin would. He called for the garage bay door behind him to open. Reigns said they’d let everyone in, and whoop their ass.

Reigns and Corbin began arguing. Sasha Banks stepped between them. Sasha said the Smackdown women’s division is going to take care of business right now. She led a group of women through the crowd of wrestlers as the scene faded out into the usual Smackdown intro package.

-Pyro blasted from a modified Smackdown stage. Michael Cole welcomed everyone to Chicago, just two days away from Survivor Series. He said it was the first of four straight nights in the windy city.

-Sasha Banks’ music played and she marched to the ring with the rest of the Smackdown women’s team, Nikki Cross, Carmella, Lacey Evans, and Dana Brooke. Cole and Graves said things are about to get chaotic.

Sasha grabbed a microphone She said it’s their ring, and their show. She said no one is going to jump them from behind. “NXT doesn’t have the guts to come out here after we dropped them last week, then went to their house and did the exact same thing.” Sasha said she knows Raw is in the building. She challenged them to come out and fight.

Charlotte’s music played and Team Raw appeared on the stage. Charlotte thanked the Smackdown women for “opening the door”, but said Raw would’ve kicked it down anyway. Team Raw hopped up on the apron of the ring. Flair challenged Sasha to a one on one match. The teams got in each other’s faces. NXT’s theme music hit.

Team NXT came through the crowd and surrounded the ring. Rhea Ripley said Sasha was wrong, “NXT does have guts,” she said. She invited herself into the match between Sasha and Charlotte. Team NXT stepped into the ring. Referees tried to separate the fifteen women. A brawl quickly ensued, then the show went to break.

(LeClair’s Analysis: This was all bad. From the contrived promo at the beginning to send the message that the locker room listens to Reigns but not Corbin, to Sasha suddenly playing a babyface surrounded by women who she’s verbally trashed just weeks prior, to Raw to casually being backstage. This all felt incredibly fabricated, phony, and illogical, and the crowd didn’t seem to care about any of it.)

Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Rhea Ripley were in the ring when the show returned from break. The rest of their respective teams surrounded the ring.

(1) SASHA BANKS vs. CHARLOTTE FLAIR vs. RHEA RIPLEY

The bell rang immediately. Cole said the match was made official during the break. All three women began trading shots. Sasha gained control in the opening moments, but got taken down by a double big boot from Flair and Ripley.

Banks rolled to the outside to allow Ripley and Flair to stand toe to toe. Charlotte took Rhea down with a side waist lock. Ripley powered back to her feet. Charlotte took her down again. Ripley quickly fought back. Charlotte went for a body slam, but Rhea slid down her back and drove her into the corner. Ripley drove her shoulder into Charlotte’s midsection repeatedly.

Ripley gave Charlotte a kick to the face. Charlotte stumbled backward, but came back with a big boot. Charlotte backed Ripley into the corner and hit a number of shoulder thrusts. Flair went for a running shoulder, but Ripley moved and sent Charlotte crashing. Ripley stumbled out of the corner and got hit with a back cracker from Sasha Banks, who had quietly returned to the ring.

Banks caught Ripley with the a knee to the face. Ripley stumbled, then hit Sasha with a clothesline. She followed up with a dropkick. Sasha rolled to the outside. Rhea retrieved her and mouthed off to Team Smackdown.

Sasha battled back and took Ripley down. Charlotte threw Sasha into Nikki Cross, who fell into the ring steps. Sasha began arguing with Nikki Cross. This allowed Rhea Ripley to recover and deliver elbows to Banks. Meanwhile, Charlotte had climbed to the top turnbuckle. She landed a moonsault onto Sasha and Rhea. The show went to commercial quickly.

Ripley had pinned Charlotte for a near fall when the show returned from commercial. Flair rolled to the outside. Ripley bounced Banks’ head off the top turnbuckle and then set her up there. Sasha fought Ripley off and hit the Meteora off the top rope, covering Ripley. Flair broke the pin fall attempt with Natural Selection on Banks. Ripley broke the count just in time.

Charlotte was bleeding from her mouth. She sad back on her knees to catch her breath while Ripley and Banks recovered. Ripley caught Charlotte with a quick kick to the head. Charlotte went for a big boot, but Ripley blocked it. Ripley went for a dropkick, but Charlotte ducked. Flair hit Natural Selection on Ripley, who rolled to the outside.

Sasha rolled up Flair from behind for a two count. Flair took Banks down and applied the figure four, then bridged into the Figure Eight. Sasha screamed. Rhea Ripley slid into the ring, slid underneath Charlotte’s bridged body, and hooked her arm beneath her leg for an innovative pin and three count.

WINNER: Rhea Ripley in 10:00

Ripley immediately escaped to the outside and Team NXT celebrated with her. Flair and Banks began jawing at one another. They traded shoves, then came to blows. Their respective teams quickly joined the fray. Team Smackdown cleared the ring of Team Raw, but they returned for round two (or three.) “If you think this is chaotic, just wait until Sunday when NXT is in there too,” Corey said. The crowd broke into a loud NXT chant as their women stood atop the stage and watched the chaos in the ring. Referees finally broke Team Raw and Team Smackdown up.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Fun match. Despite the asinine storylines leading into Survivor Series, there’s been some solid wrestling to come out of this and this match was no exception. The finish was creative, and I give WWE props for actually delivering one, rather than just letting it devolve into a chaotic brawl. Rhea got a big win without really taking anything away from Flair or Banks at all. I don’t see how these triple threat elimination matches are going to work on Sunday, though. Corey Graves said it all with the line I highlighted in my recap above. It’s going to be a chaotic mess.)

-Backstage, King Corbin was talking strategy with Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. Corbin chastised Reigns for opening the door to Raw and Smackdown. Corbin said they’d definitely be attacked during their six man tag match. He suggested he, Ziggler, and Corbin leave the ring when Raw and NXT attack, then come back to pick up the scraps.

Sami Zayn strolled into the frame. He was carrying a bag. Corbin turned to Ziggler and Roode and said Zayn is the most annoying person he’s ever met. Zayn told Corbin to call him annoying to his face, in the ring, right now. Zayn’s music hit.

Sami Zayn walked out onto the stage, then Shinsuke Nakamura’s music played. Nakamura headed to the ring with Zayn in tow. Cole sent the show to commercial.

-Kayla Braxton was joined by Bayley backstage when the show returned from break. She asked about her match at Survivor Series and if Bayley was concerned about Becky Lynch or Shayna Baszler appearing tonight. Bayley said she’s prepared. She said Becky is too smart to show up, but Shayna is too impulsive for her own good. Bayley said her head is on a swivel, because Baszler only shows up when her back is turned. She said she’s ready.

-In the ring, Sami Zayn paced around to Shinsuke’s music. He said King Corbin is afraid of him and Shinsuke Nakamura. He said you can’t call him annoying. He said if there’s one word to describe him, it’s “stud.” Sami said Nakamura is an even bigger stud. Zayn said he got Nakamura a gift. He pulled a brand new Intercontinental title out of the bag.

Sami took the old title from Shinsuke and handed him the new one. Zayn said Smackdown is guaranteed to defeat A.J. Styles and Roderick Strong at Survivor Series. Zayn feigned struggling to remember Strong’s name. Nakamura said he couldn’t remember either. Undisputed Era’s music hit.

Undisputed Era hit the ring. Sami put down the microphone in front of them and put his hands up. He and Nakamura left the ring slowly, never taking their eyes off Undisputed Era. Adam Cole picked up the microphone.

Cole introduced himself. He said they intend to wipe the floor with Raw and Smackdown at Survivor Series. “That’s undisputed,” Cole said. Big E’s voice filled the speakers and he and Kofi Kingston danced onto the stage.

Kofi said Undisputed Era left so quickly last week that New Day didn’t get to say a proper goodbye. He challenged Undisputed Era to a match. Roderick Strong assumed Kofi was proposing a 4-on-2 handicap match. New Day corrected him. Heavy Machinery’s music played and Tucker and Otis joined Kofi and Big E. The show went to commercial.

(2) UNDISPUTED ERA (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, & Bobby Fish) vs. THE NEW DAY (Kofi Kingston & Big E) & HEAVY MACHINERY (Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic)

Big E and Roderick Strong began the match. Cole confirmed it was made official during the break. Strong avoided locking up with Big E. The rest of Undisputed Era faked stepped in the ring, distracting Big E and allowing Strong to strike. Roderick tagged in Kyle O’Reilly, who began double team work with Bobby Fish.

O’Reilly tagged in Fish. Big E took them both down with overhead belly to belly suplexes. He gave Fish a splash on the apron, then took down O’Reilly and Cole on the outside. Everyone returned to their corners. Fish tagged in Adam Cole. Big E tagged in Kofi Kingston.

Cole hit Kofi with a number of shots to the head. Kofi kicked at Cole’s midsection. Cole tagged in Roderick Strong, but Kofi didn’t see it. Cole caught Kofi with a super kick. Strong took Kingston down with a knee to the back. He tagged in O’Reilly.

O’Reilly and Strong double teamed Kofi in the corner. Bobby Fish was tagged in. He and O’Reilly hit a double team suplex. Fish covered Kofi for a two count. Fish tagged in Adam Cole. Cole dropped Kingston with a delayed neck breaker. Undisputed Era continued trading tags in and own, working over Kingston.

Eventually, Kofi caught Roderick Strong with a kick to the face. He climbed to the top rope, but Strong cut him off. Kofi knocked Strong down. Strong bounced back up and dropkicked Kofi off the top rope, down to the floor below. Kofi landed on top of Tucker Knight, he’d rounded the corner to keep Undisputed Era at bay.

This brought everyone to the floor. Otis pulled Kofi off of Tucker. Big E took exception to this, shoving Otis. Tucker broke the two of them up. Cole sent the show to commercial.

Bobby Fish had Kofi Kingston on the mat when the show returned from break. Kofi battled to his feet,, Fish let go of the hold and shoved Big E off the apron. Kofi caught Fish with a big dropkick. Both Kingston and Fish crawled to their respective corners. Fish tagged O’Reilly. Kingston tagged Otis.

Otis clawed house, dripping all four members of Undisputed Era. O’Reilly caught Otis with a kick to the shin. Otis was unphased. He gave O’Reilly a headbutt, then a trapping overhead suplex. Otis splashed Cole and O’Reilly in the corner. He set up for the caterpillar on Cole.

Bobby Fish pulled Adam Cole from the ring. O’Reilly tried to attack Otis, but got dropped. Otis tagged in Tucker Knight. Otis shot O’Reilly into Tucker, who hit Kyle with a big side slam. O’Reilly crawled and made a tag to Roderick Strong.

Tucker took Strong down with a side kick and then a double underhook suplex. He followed up with a big corner splash and a sidewalk slam for a two count. Tucker climbed to the top rope. He hit Strong with a moonsault. Tucker covered Strong, but Cole broke it up at two. Cole gave Otis a bicycle kick off the apron. Big E gave Adam Cole a belly to belly. Big E dumped O’Reilly and Fish over the top rope.

Kofi set up for a dive to the outside, but Cole caught his leg. Fish & O’Reilly pulled Big E out as well. Fish & O’Reilly hit Big E with High/Low. Kofi rushed to Big E’s aid. Fish and O’Reilly hit High/Low on him as well.

In the ring, Tucker dropped Adam Cole with a clothesline. Otis hit Kyle O’Reilly with a spinning slam and followed it up with the caterpillar/elbow combo. Tucker returned to the ring. Adam Cole caught him with a knee. Roderick Strong caught Tucker with a running knee for a three count.

WINNERS: Undisputed Era in 15:00

Undisputed Era celebrated as the second hour of the show began. Cole remarked that it’s been a very successful night, and set of weeks, for NXT. Roderick Strong left the ring and climbed the ramp to stand face to face with Shinsuke Nakamura, who, alongside Sami Zayn, watched the previous match from the stage. A.J. Styles appeared out of nowhere and took both men down. Sami Zayn cracked Styles in the back with a steel chair. He then hit Strong. Undisputed Era rush to Strong’s defense. Sami and Nakamura fled to the back.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Solid match. The large chunk in the middle where UE worked over Kofi was a little slow, but that’s par for the course with these multi-man tag matches on WWE TV. Undisputed Era, and NXT as a whole, looking so strong on this go-home show is likely an indication that the brand won’t be picking up many victories, if any, come Sunday. Styles’ appearance is what it is. Just more brand insanity. Corey Graves made a comment about Myles Garrett that was a little odd, “Sami is swinging heavily artillery like Myles Garrett..” That was a week ago, Graves.)

-Michael Cole and Corey Graves ran down the Survivor Series card from the announcers desk.

-Daniel Bryan was shown walking backstage. Cole said he’d “summon” The Fiend after the break.

-The O.C. was standing near the stage when the show returned from break. Styles was telling Gallows and Anderson that’s okay. He said he’s the best thing going in Chicago and trashed the city. The crowd chanted “CM Punk.” Styles said he’d mop the floor with him. Styles told Nakamura and Strong to enjoy what they got tonight, because it’s all they’re going to get.

(LeClair’s Analysis: Styles and Gallows said “motherluvin'” a couple of times, so I guess that’s a thing they’re trying out. Styles was over big in Chicago, and there was a lot of fire behind his words. This was a fine promo to give the match on Sunday a little bit of extra juice.)

-Daniel Bryan’s music hit and he headed to the ring as The O.C. returned to the back. The crowd chanted his name loudly as he pawed a microphone. He said people want to know why he wants to summon Bray Wyatt. He pointed to the tron. A clip of last week’s MizTV aired.

Bryan said he didn’t come out to chant “yes” or to lecture the crowd about climate change or to play with puppets. He said he came to summon Bray Wyatt. Bryan said he won’t pretend to know what goes in inside Bray’s mind, but Wyatt doesn’t know what goes on in Bryan’s. Bryan suggested clearing the air. He said they could talk about the past, discuss issues, or just fight.

Bryan said he won’t be name on Bray’s hit list, or a toy in his collection. The lights cut out for a moment. Bryan was alone in the ring when they returned. “Mind games, huh,” Bryan said. He called Wyatt out again. The Miz’s music played.

Miz marched to the ring with a microphone. Bryan said Miz is the one thing worse than the Fiend. Miz said, unlike Bryan, he’s a professional. Miz said he bit his tongue and held back when Bryan disrespected him on MizTV. “I don’t care, because I don’t like you and I don’t respect you,” Bryan said.

“The feelings are mutual,” Miz responded. He called Bryan weak and vulnerable. He said he can’t wait for The Fiend to tear Bryan apart. Miz said he thought he could help Bryan, because he’s done it his whole career. He said he could slap some sense into Bryan. “I realized that’s not gonna work, so I’m just going to do part of that.” Miz slapped Bryan. Bryan stepped back and reached for his face slowly. The show went to commercial.

(3) DANIEL BRYAN vs. THE MIZ

The match was already in progress when the show returned from commercial. Miz had Bryan on his knees and was delivering the “it” kicks. Bryan clocked the final kick and slapped Miz in the face. He followed it up with a chop, then dumped Miz to the outside. Bryan hit Miz with a running knee off the apron.

Bryan tossed Miz back into the ring. He gave him a pair of uppercuts. Miz punched back. Bryan gave him a headbutt. Miz caught Bryan with a wrap around knee. Miz covered Bryan for a two count. Miz kicked Bryan in the head repeatedly. He drove his knee into Bryan’s back and slapped on a headlock.

Bryan shot Miz off the ropes. Miz took hm down with a shoulder tackle. Bryan popped up and hit Miz with a kick into the corner. He hit a pair of running dropkicks. Bryan attempted a third, but Miz caught him with a big clothesline into the opposing corner. Miz climbed to the top rope. He went for a double axe handle, but Bryan caught him and tried to transition into the Labell Lock. Miz fought free.

Bryan caught Miz with a flying clothesline. He climbed to the top rope. Miz cut him off. Miz set up for a superplex Bryan blocked it. DB knocked Miz off the top with a headbutt. He hit Miz with a missile dropkick. Bryan began the “yes” kicks. He hit the final kick then headed to the corner to set up for the running knee.

Bryan raised his fingers and looked around at the crowd. His arms shook as he contemplated whether or not to give in. Finally, he lifted his arms to begin the “yes” chant, but the Fiend’s bass drop rang out and the lights began to shut down. The cut to black.

The lights came back on in crimson red. The Fiend lay dormant in the corner where The Miz had been moments prior. The Fiend pulled himself to his feet. Bryan charged. The Fiend caught him with the mandible claw. The Fiend screamed and laughed maniacally. The lights cut out and the show went to commercial.

WINNER: No contest in 5:00

(LeClair’s Analysis: Funny, the one match on the show so far that ends without a finish is not one that involves brand warfare. It was nice to get a full segment not focused on the silly brand stuff, and instead revolve around two Smackdown wrestlers who don’t like each other. It was rather obvious from the get go that The Fiend would wind up getting involved, though. Personally, I’d liked to have seen Bryan get a clean win here before The Fiend interrupted, if only to give him a little bit of momentum heading into Sunday. The transition from Miz in the corner to The Fiend in the corner was neat.)

-Shayna Baszler headed to the ring when the show returned from commercial. Baszler said she heard what Bayley said earlier in the night. She said Bayley isn’t getting the message. “Here I am, in the middle of your ring,” Shayna said. She called Bayley out.

Bayley attacked Shayna from behind and took her out by the legs. Shayna recovered and the two traded blows. Shayna gained control. Bayley slid out of the ring and tried to escape, but Baszler grabbed Bayley. Bayley used her body to check Shayna into the ring and the crowd barrier. Bayley shoved Shayna into the steel steps and escaped up the ramp. Shayna stared Bayley down as the crowd chanted “Becky.”

(LeClair’s Analysis: Short, effective segment. Interesting to see Shayna more or less presented as the babyface in this situation, though it hardly matters in the grand scheme of things. The crowd was really hoping to see Becky cut both women off, but, I think it was better to let the two of them have their own moment.)

-At the announcers desk, Cole and Graves threw to tonight’s Progressive “Match Flo”, recapping the tag match between Shorty G and Ali and Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode on last week’s show.

-Ali, Shorty G, and Roman Reigns headed to the ring for the main event. The team headed to the ring as Cole and Graves argued about Reigns and Corbin’s ongoing saga of being the locker room leader. The show went to commercial as Reigns’ pyro shot from the stage.

Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode circled ringside when the show returned from commercial. King Corbin entered on his new throne, carried by a number of stage hands.

(4) ROMAN REIGNS & SHORTY G & ALI vs. KING CORBIN & DOLPH ZIGGLER & ROBERT ROODE

Roman Reigns began the match with Robert Roode and immediately knocked King Corbin and Dolph Ziggler off the apron. He quickly dropped Roode and then tossed him to the outside. Reigns left the ring and caught Corbin with a drive by. He gave Roode an uppercut and tossed him back in the ring.

Ziggler and Corbin attacked Reigns while the Roode distracted the referee. Roode returned to the outside and slammed Reigns into the apron screen. Both men returned to the ring. Roode tagged in Ziggler.

Ziggler and Roode began working over Reigns. Reigns quickly fought back and dropped Roode with a Samoan drop. He made a tag into Shorty G. G dropkicked Corbin off the apron and hit Roode with an exploder suplex. He followed up with a bridging Northern Lights suplex on Ziggler for a two count.

Roode and Corbin grabbed Shorty G, pulled him to the outside and threw him onto the announcers desk. G bounced off the table and onto the floor. Reigns and Ali went to check on him as the show went to commercial.

Reigns and Ziggler were the legal men when the show returned from the break. Ziggler hit Reigns with a big DDT for a near fall. Ziggler set up for the super kick. Reigns cut him off with a Superman punch. Both men were down in the center of the ring. Reigns made a tag into Ali. Ziggler reached Corbin.

Ali dropped Corbin with a pair of dropkicks, then a kick to the face. He hit the rolling face buster. Ziggler tried to attack Ali from behind, but Ali caught him with a kick. Ziggler fell to the outside. Ali hit Ziggler with a suicide dive to the outside.

Ali slid back in the ring and dove onto Corbin on the other side of the ring. They returned to the ring. Corbin went for a choke slam. Ali blocked it and hit Corbin with a leaping tornado DDT from the top rope. He climbed back to the top, but Robert Roode cut him off. Shorty G went for a German suplex on the outside. Roode blocked it and gave G a spine buster. Reigns came out of nowhere with a Superman punch on Roode. Ziggler connected with a super kick on Reigns.

In the ring, Ali climbed back to the top rope. Ziggler pushed him off. Corbin hit the Deep Six for a three count.

WINNERS: King Corbin, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode in 9:00

(LeClair’s Analysis: Consider me shocked that all three matches involving wrestlers participating in brand warfare matches on Sunday ended with finishes tonight. Nothing much to say about this one. it was a standard WWE six man tag. King Corbin is quickly becoming the most over-exposed wrestler in the company.)

Corbin dragged Ali to his feet and prepared to hit him with his scepter. Reigns speared Corbin. “BURN IT DOWN!” hit the speakers. Team Raw appeared atop the lower bowl of the arena.

Rollins led Team Raw down the steps toward the ring. Rollins turned back to his cohorts and told them to wait. He got in the ring alone. He and Roman stared each other down. The crowd chanted “CM Punk.”

Rollins threw a punch. The brawl ensued. Raw rushed the ring and took out Reigns, Shorty G, and Ali. Braun Strowman’s music hit. He led the Smackdown cavalry. A huge brawl of red and blue shirts unfolded.

The camera cut backstage. Triple H and Shawn Michaels were standing inside a military style jeep with the NXT roster flanking them, a la DX’s WCW invasion in 1998. Michael Cole made sure to make that point clear. The NXT roster exploded onto the stage and the chaos continued.

Keith Lee wound up alone in the ring, leading to a showdown with Braun Strowman. The stared each other down as Cole and Graves wondered who would survive. Lee and Strowman came to blows. The ring filled in again as the show faded to black.

(LeClair’s Analysis: I mean, what can you say? They’ve ended nearly every show for the last three weeks with some sort of chaotic brawl, so this had to be the biggest one yet. I chuckled at NXT showing up in the military jeep a la DX, but to even suggest that the two are remotely similar is comical. Unfortunately, its felt like a lot of NXT’s antics have been more about getting Triple H over than getting the NXT roster over with the main audience.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Some solid wrestling tonight with actual finishes. My opinion on brand warfare is well documented and there’s no reason to continue to stand on my soapbox about it again. This is the last of it. I hope we get some good matches out of Survivor Series, though I question the sheer ability to keep most of it from being anything other than chaotic messes given the number of wrestlers involved in the traditional elimination bouts. I’m intrigued by the story they’re telling with Bryan and The Fiend, and hope that, along with Lesnar and Mysterio, can bring some traditionally to an otherwise messy one-off. I’m happy to see this all magically disappear next week and to get back to some normalcy.