11/5 WWE SMACKDOWN TV RESULTS: McDonald’s “alt perspective” report on Reigns’ return, Baszler vs. Naomi, and more

WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
NOVEMBER 5, 2021
EVANSVILLE, IN AT THE FORD CENTER
AIRED ON FOX
REPORT BY ALEX McDONALD, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

[HOUR ONE]

-They opened with a wide crowd shot. Michael Cole announced the location and mentioned that Survivor Series is two weeks away. Roman Reigns’ music hit and Reigns made his entrance. Pat McAfee stated we are in for a treat, back on Fox, and stupid baseball is over. Reigns was flanked by Paul Heyman and the Usos. Cole said it’s the first time we’ve seen Reigns since the attack from Brock Lesnar two weeks ago. Reigns got a big pop from the crowd. The fans on the entranceway barrier were visibly cheering for Reigns. They cut to a video package that recapped last weeks interaction and match between the Usos and the New Day. McAfee said the biggest story out there is the Head of the Table, Roman Reigns. Cole said Reigns was on vacation last week. McAfee called Reigns the hardest working champion of all time. Reigns stood mid-ring as the pyro went off. Reigns handed the Universal Championship to Heyman and Heyman handed Reigns the mic. The crowd chanted “you suck”. Reigns smirked. Reigns said that he wasn’t at Smackdown last week, because when you smash someone like Lesnar, you celebrate. He said he went on vacation, but he heard the complaints. He called the city a tiny no-name town, and asked them to acknowledge him. Reigns said he was running around naked on a private island and his wife was loving it. He said everyone else had a bad week because he wasn’t there. He said Lesnar had a bad week because he got himself suspended. Reigns asked Heyman what else happened last week. Heyman said Kayla started bothering him about Kayla. Reigns cut him off and asked again, what else happened last week. Heyman said the Usos had a match with the New Day, but the titles weren’t on the line. Reigns cut Heyman off and asked who won the match. Heyman told Reigns the New Day won. The crowd chanted “New Day rocks”. Reigns asked the crowd if they like New Day. The crowd cheered. Reigns said he likes the New Day and they’re entertaining, but they’re not as good as the Bloodline. Reigns said he didn’t understand how the Usos lost. Reigns asked which one of the Usos got pinned. Jey pointed at Jimmy. Reigns walked up to Jimmy and put his arm around him. The crowd chanted “New Day rocks” again. Reigns said the chant is because of Jimmy, because he lost. Reigns asked Jimmy how he was going to fix the problem. Jimmy said he’s going to knock the crown off of his head. He said he’s going to make them acknowledge the Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns. New Day’s music hit and they made their entrance. Kofi Kingston took the mic and asked the crowd to hear the creed of King Woods. Xavier Woods took the mic and said they forgot his table. Woods said when you’re the king, you sit at the head of the table and you don’t stop talking about it. Kingston said maybe the table was forgotten on the island of relevancy. Kingston said it must be sad and lonely on the island with no one else there. Woods said it’s time to get to the part of the show people actually care about. Woods said if Jimmy beats him tonight, he will acknowledge Reigns. Woods said if he beats Jimmy, Jimmy will have to bend the knee. The crowd chanted “bend the knee”. Jimmy took the mic and said no one’s taking orders from the New Day. Jey took the mic and said the Bloodline bends the knee for nobody. Heyman yelled at Jey and told him to give the mic to Reigns. Reigns took the mic and accepted the challenge. Kingston announced that Jimmy shall face “our king” in combat tonight.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Thank God Reigns is back. He was great here, bragging about his vacation. They dropped some of the subtlety with Heyman this week. It was interesting that Heyman started to explain the deal with Kayla from last week, but Reigns didn’t care and wanted to hear about the loss from the Usos. I also liked that Reigns accepted the challenge for the Usos after they both said they wouldn’t bend the knee. The rest of this was whatever. I can do without the New Day schtick. It’s even more annoying than normal with the King gimmick attached to it. The James/Jiminy/Jimothy jokes from Woods aren’t funny. The Head of the Table references were fine, but he should’ve stopped after that. I still think that somehow, Reigns is going to face the members of New Day in succession on PPV. Big E at Survivor Series, then Woods at New Years, then Kofi at the Royal Rumble.)

-Cole was at ringside with McAfee. Cole mentioned McAfee creating controversy around the world on social media. They cut to a video recap of the Naomi-Shayna Baszler match from last week. Back in the arena, Naomi’s music hit and she made her entrance to a solid reaction. They showed a graphic for Naomi vs. Baszler, next. [c]

-They returned with cartoon depictions of Jimmy Uso and Xavier Woods “bending the knee”. In the arena, Shayna Baszler made her entrance. Sonya Deville was watching on a monitor in the back. Kayla Braxton appeared and asked Baszler why she has a vendetta against Naomi. Deville said she was just helping by replacing the ref. Deville then said she lit a fire under Naomi and gave her confidence. Deville said she wants to see what Naomi does with the confidence boost.

(1) NAOMI vs. SHAYNA BASZLER

Naomi grabbed Baszler from behind. Baszler shot Naomi off the ropes and Naomi took Baszler down. She hit a low dropkick on Baszler. Baszler recovered and hit a german suplex. Naomi knocked Baszler to the floor. Naomi went to the apron and Baszler tried to pull her off. Naomi kicked Baszler off. Back in the ring, Naomi hit a splash from the top on a standing Baszler for a near fall. Baszler rolled to the outside, Naomi got on the apron and tried to attack Baszler. Baszler reversed and hit a gutwrench suplex on Naomi on the floor as they cut to break. [c]

Back from break, Naomi had Deville on the apron. Naomi hit a unique facebuster on Baszler on the apron. Naomi got a near fall, but Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch. Naomi reversed into a victory roll for the win.

WINNER: NAOMI in 7:00

-Deville came out and told everyone to wait a minute. Deville walked toward the ring and said that before the pin, Naomi grabbed the rope, which meant the hold should have been broken, therefore the pinfall didn’t count.

(2) NAOMI vs. SHAYNA BASZLER

Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch right away and choked out Naomi for the win.

WINNER: SHAYNA BASZLER in 30 seconds

(McDonald’s Analysis: When is Naomi going to do something about this clear abuse of power? I really hope this leads to her enlisting the help of the Bloodline and Reigns. That or, I don’t know, ask Adam Pearce? Like why would Pearce allow Deville to act this way? Regardless, I hope they build Naomi and Baszler to be credible to offer more credible opponents for the Smackdown Women’s Championship down the line.)

-Reigns was in the back. He said he took one week off and everything fell apart. He said he took one week off and Smackdown is almost as bad as Raw. The Usos laughed. Reigns snapped at them. Reigns asked Jimmy what don’t we do. Jimmy said lose. Jimmy said he has Reigns.

-They showed a recap of Shotzi’s attack on Sasha Banks next week. McAfee said we hear from Shotzi, next. [c]

-They showed a promo for Xia Li. Kayla said we’re in for a treat when Li makes her debut. Kayla welcomed Ridge Holland. Kayla asked Holland what he hopes to accomplish on Smackdown. Holland mentioned Sheamus and ran down some of Sheamus’ accomplishments. He said he learned from Sheamus, and that’s bad news for the rest of Smackdown.

-Cole and McAfee recapped the Charlotte Flair, Banks, and Shotzi story from last week with the aid of video. Shotzi was in the back with Megan Morant. Shotzi cut Morant off and said she’s had enough. She said since she came to Smackdown she’s lost title opportunities and her tag partner. She said she lost the biggest match of her career last week because of Banks. Shotzi said she’s sick of Banks’ attitude. Shotzi said Banks is now her target, and she doesn’t need a tank to take over.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Xia Li looks like an awesome Mortal Kombat character. I can’t wait to see her debut. Shotzi gave a good promo there. I like what she’s going for. After these last couple of segments, I’m very excited for the future of the Women’s Division. Let’s build that depth, WWE.)

-Angel Garza and Humberto Carillo made their entrance. They used the name Los Lutharios. They showed a graphic for Garza and Carillo against Mansoor and Cesaro, next. [c]

-Back from break, Cesaro and Mansoor made their entrance to Cesaro’s music. They showed a recap of the “Trick or Street” fight from last week.

(3) LOS LOTHARIOS (Angel Garza & Humberto Carillo) vs. CESARO & MANSOOR

Garza started with Mansoor. Garza took Mansoor down right away. They showed a pre-taped interview with Garza and Carillo in a split screen during the match. They called themselves God’s gift to women. Back in the ring, Garza tagged in Carillo and they hit a double team move on Mansoor in the corner. Carillo got a near fall. Carillo pushed Mansoor back into the corner and stomped on him. Carillo walked away and Garza pounded on Mansoor in the corner. Carillo tagged Garza back in and they hit another double team move. Garza ripped his over pants off and locked in a leglock on Mansoor. Mansoor fought back with a kick and tried to tag in Cesaro. Garza pulled Mansoor away. Mansoor went for another kick but Garza ducked. Mansoor tagged in Cesaro as Garza tagged Carillo. Cesaro hit a series of uppercuts in the corner then a discus clothesline. Cesaro went to the outside. Cesaro held up Garza’s pants, then hit Garza on the outside. Cesaro hit a pop up uppercut on Carillo, then went for the swing. Garza interrupted but Cesaro took him down and gave him the swing. Carillo broke it up. Mansoor got involved. Carillo knocked Mansoor into Cesaro. Carillo took down Cesaro and they hit another double team move for the win.

WINNER: LOS LOTHARIOS (Angel Garza & Humberto Carillo) in 8:00

-Jeff Hardy was in the back with Aliyah. Kayla went to interview Hardy. Hardy walked off and Aliyah was talking to Sami Zayn. Hardy walked up and Aliyah asked if Zayn is always like that. Hardy said yes, welcome to Smackdown.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Nice debut for Garza and Carillo. I would rather they beat the jobbers that Hit Row beat last week, but this was fine for what it was. I like Garza and think he has a solid future. Carillo is fine. I don’t know how he’ll do as a heel, though. Cesaro has really fallen from grace since the match with Reigns. What the hell is with Hardy in the back. Is he preying on Aliyah? That whole segment was a waste.)

-Back in the arena, Drew McIntyre made his entrance. Cole called him the Smackdown warrior. McAfee said the kid clapping weighs less than McIntyre’s sword. McAfee said McIntyre will issue another open challenge, next. [c]

[HOUR TWO]

-McIntyre took the mic and said it’s Friday night, so it’s time for the Smackdown warrior’s open challenge. He said let’s talk less and claymore. Ricochet’s music hit and he walked out. Ricochet had a mic. He said McIntyre’s playing with fire. Ricochet said somebody won’t care about the pec-flexing and catchphrases. Ricochet said it won’t stop him from smacking you in the mouth. Ricochet smacked McIntyre.

(4) DREW McINTYRE vs. RICOCHET

McIntyre lifted Ricochet and threw him into the corner. McIntyre then belly to belly suplex Ricochet across the ring. Ricochet knocked McIntyre to the outside. Ricochet went for a hurricanrana but McIntyre got him and slammed him on the apron. McIntyre hit another belly to belly in the ring. McIntyre went to the top rope and taunted Ricochet. They showed Mustafa Ali in the back watching. He said himself and Richochet have alot in common. McIntyre jumped off the top and Ricochet countered with a dropkick. Ricochet hit a standing shooting star press, McIntyre grabbed Ricochet and rolled through, then hit a brainbuster for a near fall. Ricochet recovered and hit a series of superkicks that rocked McIntyre. Ricochet ran at McIntyre and went for a running moonsault but McIntyre hit a Claymore out of nowhere for the win.

WINNER: DREW McINTYRE in 5:00

(McDonald’s Analysis: Some really cool spots in there. Both guys worked hard. They packed a lot into a five minute match. I’d like to see them go again with some more time. Ali in the back was strange. Is he going to start a faction? Also, what was with the ruthless aggression John Cena slap from Ricochet? I hope there’s a payoff to the McIntyre open challenge and it’s not just a time killer.)

-The New Day was in the back. Kayla walked up. She asked Woods about the match with Jimmy later. Kayla recapped the bend the knee rules. Woods said the outcome is not in doubt. He said Jimmy is warming up with wobbly knees because he’s nervous. Woods said it’s inevitable that Jimmy bends the knee. Kingston chanted “hail King Woods”.

-Happy Corbin made his entrance with Mad Cap Moss. They showed a graphic for the Viking Raiders as the guest on Happy Talk, next. [c]

-Ali was in the back with Ricochet. He said he and Ricochet are the most talented people on Smackdown. He suggested they partner up next week. Ricochet declined. He said Ali is a whiner and he treated his last partner like crap. He called Ali a jerk and walked off.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Well, that answered that question. Just like with the Hurt Business, Ricochet really doesn’t want friends. I assume we’ll get a nothing feud out of these two. The matches will be good, but the story will suck and no one will care. The mid-card on Smackdown lost some serious juice after this draft. It’s like we got Raw’s leftovers that were barely getting TV time.)

-Corbin and Moss were in the ring. Corbin said they destroyed Shinsuke Nakamura and Rick Boogs last week. Moss made a lame joke. Corbin said there isn’t any serious competition for them on Smackdown. Corbin then introduced the Viking Raiders. The Viking Raiders’ music hit and they made their entrance, complete with pyro. Moss said the Viking Raiders don’t look happy. Corbin said they didn’t understand the concept of the show. Erik said the two of them make him miserable. Ivar said this show sucks. Corbin said they’re still wearing their Halloween costumes. He asked Moss to tell a joke. He told a stupid viking pun. The Viking Raiders destroyed the set as they cut to an awkward break. [c]

(5) HAPPY CORBIN & MAD CAP MOSS vs. VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar)

Corbin was in the ring with Erik as we came back from break. Cole said the match was made by Adam Pearce. Erik hit a big forearm, then Corbin answered with a big boot. Moss and Ivar tagged in. Ivar took down Moss. Ivar got an arm wrench and Moss reversed. Moss got a headlock, and Ivar pushed him off the rope as Erik blind-tagged. Ivar slammed Erik on top off Moss. Corbin caused a distraction and Moss hit a spinebuster on Erik. Moss tagged in Corbin who locked in a headlock. Erik fought up and punched at Corbin. Corbin hit his under the rope clothesline thing and went for a cover. Ivar broke up the pin. Moss took Ivar out. Corbin hit the Deep Six on Erik for a near fall. Corbin tagged in Moss. They hit a double team move, but Erik recovered and hit a knee on Corbin. Erik tagged in Ivar. Moss went after Ivar but Ivar took him down. Ivar tagged in Erik. Erik suplexed Corbin. The Raiders hit a double team move on Moss. Erik tagged in Ivar. Erik slammed Moss. Ivar stood on the middle rope, but Corbin pulled Moss out of the ring. Moss and Corbin walked up the entryway. The Viking Raiders won by countout.

WINNER: VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar) in 4:00

(McDonald’s Analysis: Wow. So, this is where we are now, huh? Nothing match. Time filler. Interesting way to introduce the Viking Raiders to the Smackdown audience, I guess. The looked good, but considering the finish, I bet we’ll see a bunch of this moving forward. Happy Corbin has already gotten lame. I wouldn’t mind a regression and some kind of setback so he can be Broke-Ass Corbin again. Anyone else notice that the former mid-carders are now in the main event on Raw? Rollins, Big E, and Kevin Owens all populated the mid-card on Smackdown for much of the past year. Now, we are left with this.)

-Hit Row walked down the hallway. They bumped into Sami Zayn. Zayn told them their entrance was flat and it sucked. Zayn said they could be huge stars on Smackdown, but it’s going to take some work. Top Dolla asked Zayn to show them what he meant. Zayn said he can do that. He told them to follow him and take notes. [c]

-They returned with a recap of Monday Night Raw. Back in the arena, Sami Zayn made his entrance to loud boos. Cole said Zayn is going to show Hit Row how to make an entrance. Zayn danced down the ramp. McAfee said he saw a video of random homeless people doing a similar dance. Zayn took the mic and said this is how you do it. He said that’s how you act fearless and those are the qualities you need to have to be in his locker room. Zayn introduced Hit Row. Hit Row took turns on the mic. They told Zayn to turn it up while Zayn danced. Hit Row dropped some rhymes dissing Zayn. The crowd chanted “Sami sucks”. Zayn tried to leave, but the members of Hit Row took turns getting in his way. Top Dolla moved and told Zayn to leave. Hit Row slapped hands and said “if you didn’t know, now you know.” Hit Row’s music hit and they danced off.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Well, I would rather see Hit Row wrestle to see more of that they can do. B-Fab is gone. I guess WWE was right, I wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t read she got released today. I was really excited for Hit Row, but stuff like this isn’t the right way to keep their momentum. There are other ways to utilize them. Zayn was gold here. Speaking of guys who get raw deals. There’s so much they could do with Zayn to make him credible, and they just, don’t.)

-They showed Jimmy and Jey in the back getting hyped up. Reigns sat in a chair. Jimmy asked Reigns if he was coming. Reigns asked how many of Jimmy’s problems does he need to fix around here. Jimmy walked off. In the arena, Woods made his entrance to new entrance music. He was joined by Kingston who was introduced as the “hand of the king”. [c]

-Jimmy made his entrance with Jey.

(6) KING XAVIER WOODS (w/ SIR KOFI KINGSTON) vs. JIMMY USO (w/ JEY USO)

Woods went for a roll-up right away but Jimmy kicked out. Jimmy backed Woods into the corner and hit a couple of punches. Jimmy shot Woods off the rope but Woods reversed. They traded hip toss attempts, then Woods hit a russian leg sweep for a near fall. Jimmy rolled to the outside and Jey pumped him up. Jimmy went to the apron and hit a punch on Woods. Jimmy came off the top rope, but Woods caught him with a dropkick for a near fall. Woods attacked Jimmy with chops then went for a suplex, but Jimmy reversed into a headbutt and a flapjack into the top turnbuckle. Jimmy whipped Woods hard into the turnbuckle and Woods went up and over to the floor as they cut to break. [c]

Back from break, Woods and Jimmy exchanged strikes. Jimmy took Woods down. Jimmy hit a running but bump to Woods in the corner for a near fall. Jimmy put Woods in a headlock. The crowd chanted “New Day rocks”. Woods fought out and hit a superkick to the gut of Jimmy. Woods came off the ropes and slid under Jimmy then hit a discus punch and a superkick. Woods draped Jimmy over the tope rope and hit a running knee. Woods knocked Jimmy to the floor and dove through the ropes. He knocked Jimmy into the announcer table. Woods tossed Jimmy back in the ring and hit a leg drop off the top for a near fall. Woods went back to the top. Jey distracted Woods and Jimmy recovered. Jimmy crotched Woods then hit a Samoan Drop from the top for a near fall. Jimmy went to the top and dove, Woods got his feet up and knocked Jimmy down. Jimmy went for a roll-up. Jey tried to help, but the ref caught it. Woods rolled up Jimmy for the win.

WINNER: XAVIER WOODS in 10:00

-The crowd chanted “bend the knee”. The ref instructed Jimmy to bend the knee. Woods put on his crown and got the scepter. Jimmy started to bend down and Roman Reigns ran in and Superman punched Woods. The Usos then attacked Kingston. Woods got up and went after Reigns. Reigns shoved Woods off into a double superkick. The Usos threw Kingston into a spear from Reigns. Jimmy and Jey double teamed Kingston as Reigns made Woods watch. The Usos attacked Kingston’s knee with a splash from the top. Reigns stood over the fallen New Day and told them he’s the king around here. Reigns said if they show up next week, he’ll show them what a king looks like. McAfee said welcome to the reign of King Reigns, King Woods, as the show went off the air.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Well, I still think Reigns is going to run through the New Day in consecutive months and this did not sway me from that thought. This was a good segment and match. Woods and Jimmy worked hard. I still think Woods is one of the most underrated wrestlers on the roster, despite his horribly annoying character. The bend the knee thing is really stupid and feels very dated for a number of reasons. Regardless, Reigns and the Usos took them out in the end and that was the way to go here. I can’t wait to see Reigns lose it on Jimmy next week for having to clean up his mess again.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Wow, the draft really hurt the quality of Smackdown. Reigns is still awesome. I’m not talking about that. I don’t like the King Woods and Sir Kingston act, but I like the feud with the Bloodline. It’s going in the right direction. Other than that, the only other positive on the show is the Women’s Division, which oddly tonight, was lacking Charlotte. The upcoming debut of Xia Li is very exciting. I don’t know who she can run through for a couple of weeks, but I hope they think of something to make her look strong without sacrificing others. Shotzi’s promo was solid and was a good mission statement for her character moving forward. It made sense and wasn’t overly long or complicated. Deville and Naomi took another step forward, and despite some of the logic holes, it should lead somewhere that’s beneficial for all parties. With those two positives out of the way, the rest of this show is a mess. The mid-card is dead. I wish they would mix and match better during the draft instead of sending all of the viable stars to one show and leaving the other with nothing. Ali and Ricochet are who we’re counting on in the mid-card? Not to mention other names who have been defined down like Cesaro and this mid-card is super shallow. Remember when this mid-card had Kevin Owens, Big E, Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and Apollo Crews? Alongside those names, Cesaro looked less lost. We easily could have had at least two of those names stay on Smackdown to help with the Ali’s, Richochet’s, and Corbin’s of the world. Even Otis and Gable would have helped. Not to mention, established stars like Sheamus and Jeff Hardy aren’t being used. I feel bad for McIntyre as he has no real opponents to feud with until his inevitable showdown with Reigns. And after that, then what? WWE bungled this draft badly, and it’s showing. Raw has gotten better, but Smackdown has gotten worse. Why can’t they learn to balance the two?