8/5 WWE SMACKDOWN TV RESULTS: McDonald’s “alt perspective” report on Reigns addresses McIntyre, Women’s Gauntlet match, Nakamura vs. Kaiser

WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
AUGUST 5, 2022
GREENVILLE, SC AT BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA
AIRED ON FOX
REPORT BY ALEX McDONALD, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee

[HOUR ONE]

-The show opened with a Summerslam recap video. After the video, an SUV pulled into the parking lot. The Usos emerged. They walked up on a second SUV, and Roman Reigns emerged. The Bloodline shook hands. Reigns said “let’s go” and they walked towards the arena.

-Michael Cole welcomed the audience to the show as they showed a crowd shot. They then cut to a graphic for Reigns “addressing” Drew McIntyre later tonight. Pat McAfee hyped the segment. They then cut to Cole and McAfee. Cole mentioned McAfee’s match at Summerslam. McAfee bragged then threw to a video replay of the lowblow in his match against Happy Corbin. McAfee drew John Madden like circles and arrows on the screen as they showed the replay over and over. They cut to Corbin the back watching on the monitor. The Smackdown “C” team laughed behind him. Ricochet stepped up to Corbin and made a joke. Corbin said he wanted to smack the smile off of Ricochet. Ricochet challenged him to a match and said he’d see Corbin in the ring.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Did Corbin accept? Also, good thing everyone is randomly walking around in their wrestling gear.)

-Ricochet’s music played and he made his entrance. Happy Corbin’s entrance followed.

(1) RICOCHET vs. HAPPY CORBIN

Corbin and Ricochet locked up. Corbin sent Ricochet to the corner and followed him in but Ricochet moved and dropped to the apron. He hit Corbin with a kick. Ricochet came off the ropes and Corbin went for End of Days but Ricochet escaped. He knocked Corbin to the floor then flew over the top rope and took Corbin down. Back in the ring, Corbin caught Ricochet charging with a huge clothesline. Corbin and Ricochet traded punches then Corbin took Ricochet down with an elbow. Corbin whipped Ricochet hard into the turnbuckles. Ricochet took the turnbuckles chest first. Ricochet went for a springboard but Corbin caught him with a big right. The crowd chanted for McAfee. Corbin went for his under the ropes move but Ricochet caught him with a stomp. Ricochet hit a series of kicks to Corbin on the floor. Ricochet went for a moonsault off the ropes but Corbin moved. Ricochet landed on his feet. Corbin came up behind Ricochet and tossed him into the ring post. [c]

Corbin had a modified headlock on Ricochet coming out of the break. Ricochet fought to his feet and punched at Corbin. He came off the ropes and Corbin hit him with a huge back body drop. Ricochet came off the ropes with a knee followed by a corkscrew elbow. He took Corbin out of the corner and hit a springboard clothesline followed by a standing shooting star press for a near fall. Corbin charged Ricochet who hit him with a boot. Corbin then used a modified neckbreaker and covered Ricochet for a near fall. The crowd chanted “bum ass Corbin”. Ricochet countered a chokeslam into a rollup for a near fall. He then got a sunset flip for another near fall. Ricochet came off the ropes and Corbin caught him with Deep Six. Corbin covered Ricochet and stared down McAfee. Ricochet kicked out at two. Corbin took Ricochet to the top rope, but Ricochet countered. He went for a sunset flip but Corbin held on. Ricochet recovered and got back to the top. Corbin tossed Ricochet to the apron. He taunted McAfee and McAfee taunted Corbin back and distracted him. Ricochet crotched Corbin on the top rope. Ricochet then hit the Recoil and climbed to the top rope. Ricochet hit the shooting star press for the win.

WINNER: Ricochet in 12:00

(McDonald’s Analysis: I can’t believe they got twelve minutes here. The match was solid. I really wish they hadn’t gone with the distraction finish though. I thought for sure that the Corbin and McAfee feud was over, but it appears that might not be the case. Ricochet got the win, but this felt like more of a way to fill time then it was to give Ricochet anything of significance.)

-McAfee stood on the announce table and signed a football. He punted it into the crowd as he cheered on Ricochet, who celebrated in the ring.

-They showed a video of Liv Morgan’s win at Summerslam. Cole mentioned that Ronda Rousey has been suspended following her actions on the referee at Summerslam. They then showed a graphic for the gauntlet match later tonight. The winner will face Liv Morgan for the Smackdown Women’s title at Clash at the Castle.

-Sami Zayn walked up to Roman Reigns’ locker room backstage. He stopped at the door and rubbed the name plate, polishing it? Cole and McAfee speculated about what he wanted to say to Reigns. [c]

-They showed still shots of Summerslam.

-Zayn knocked on the door backstage. The Usos emerged and shook hands with Zayn. Zayn gave them respect for their win at Summerslam. He then asked about Paul Heyman. The Usos said that Heyman is fine, but he’s at home. Zayn said that must be why Heyman hasn’t answered his texts. Zayn said he wanted to talk to Reigns. Jimmy said that wasn’t a good idea. He told Zayn he would text him. Zayn confirmed. The two parties parted.

-Cole threw to a video recap of the match between Rousey and Morgan at Summerslam. Cole said that Rousey is fined and suspended, so they need to find a new challenger for Morgan.

-Shinsuke Nakamura’s music played and he made his entrance. McAfee danced on the announce table. They showed a graphic for Nakamura against Ludwig Kaiser. Cole said that if Nakamura can beat Kaiser he will get an Intercontinental title match against Gunther. [c]

(McDonald’s Analysis: Wasn’t that the stipulation the last couple of times they wrestled each other? Regardless, the depth on this show is nonexistent. Even with a new booker we have the same matches because they’re so limited on options. We need another draft right away.)

-They showed a Smackdown Classic Moment. They chose April 27, 2000 when Stone Cold Steve Austin blew up the DX Express.

-Ludwig Kaiser made his entrance with Gunther at his side.

(2) SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. LUDWIG KAISER (w/ Gunther)

They locked up. Kaiser got Nakamura’s arm and took him down into an armlock, then into a headlock. The crowd chanted for Nakamura. Nakamura fought to his feet but Kaiser knocked him down. He then took Nakamura to the corner and stomped at him. Gunther looked on from ringside. Kaiser stomped away at Nakamura in the corner. Kaiser took Nakamura to the opposite turnbuckle. He went for a kick but Nakamura caught it. Nakamura spun Kaiser into the corner and hit a couple of kicks of his own. He then choked Kaiser with his boot. Nakamura backed off and taunted Kaiser. Kaiser charged but Nakamura caught him with a knee to the gut followed by a kick and a cover for a near fall. Nakamura set up Kaiser on the top rope and hit a running knee to Kaiser’s gut. Nakamura came off the ropes and Kaiser caught him with a tilt-a-whirl slam. [c]

Nakamura hit a series of knees to Kaiser’s head then took him to the apron and flipped him back into the ring. Nakamura hit a sliding elbow. Kaiser backed off to the corner. Nakamura hit his sliding German suplex then went face to face with Gunther at ringside. Kaiser took Nakamura down from behind off the distraction. Nakamura quickly recovered and knocked Kaiser down. Nakamura set up for his finish and charged but Kaiser hit a big uppercut that took Nakamura down. Kaiser hit a suplex slam and covered him for a near fall. Kaiser set up for what looked like a Sister Abigail but Nakamura went for an armbar. Kaiser fought out. Nakamura hit the Kinshasa for the win.

WINNER: Shinsuke Nakamura in 9:00 to earn an Intercontinental title match

-Cole said that Nakamura gets his shot next week. Gunther entered the ring and stared down Nakamura. Nakamura taunted Gunther and told him to “come on”. The two stared each other down face to face.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Good stuff. Nakamura won pretty handily and was in control for much of the match but Kaiser did get a few spots in. It’s a shame that this is what Kaiser is now. I hope they rehabilitate him in some way. He could be a really good member of the mid-card. I loved the stare down with Nakamura and Gunther after the match. It made the match next week feel a little bit bigger. Small touches like that really help.)

-Cole threw to a video recap of the Viking Raiders win and subsequent attack on the New Day last week on Smackdown.

-Kofi Kingston was in the back with Megan Morant. She asked how Xavier Woods was. Kingston said that he’s resting but will be back on Smackdown soon. He said that it’s not just a gimmick when they say that every day is a new day. He said it’s weird without Woods and Big E, but he’s back on Smackdown by himself for the first time in a while. He said he’s going to get revenge because the New Day rocks.

-They showed a graphic for Liv Morgan. Cole said we will hear from the Smackdown Women’s Champion after the break. [c]

-They showed press clippings from Summerslam with graphics. Cole and McAfee put the event over.

-Zayn knocked on the door again. The Usos emerged. Zayn said he had terrible reception in the building and he didn’t know if they had texted him yet. Jimmy said he was just about to. Jimmy said they need a favor because Heyman isn’t there. He asked Zayn to go to the production truck and make sure everything is perfect for Reigns’ entrance later as Heyman would normally handle that. Zayn said it wasn’t really his job. Jimmy said it would mean a lot to Reigns. Zayn agreed and ran off. Cole said they should lock the production truck.

-Kayla Braxton stood in the ring and introduced Liv Morgan. Morgan’s music played and she made her entrance. She had her arm in a sling. Kayla said that Rousey snapped and attacked Morgan because she thought she won at Summerslam, then the ref announced Morgan as the winner. The crowd booed Morgan. She said it’s ok and she wanted to address the elephant in the room. The crowd chanted “you tapped out”. Morgan then said she appreciated the crowd calling her out. She said the title means everything to her. She said that she fought threw three of Rousey’s arm bars. Morgan said she only tapped when she thought the ref had counted to three.

(McDonald’s Analysis: I’m really glad the crowd didn’t look the other way on this one. I didn’t expect this type of reaction, but I wonder if WWE is thinking about that decision now. It came off bad in the moment and it still does. I don’t think Morgan handled herself well in this spot either. WWE has some work to do if they hope to keep her a popular babyface.)

[HOUR TWO]

-Sonya Deville’s music played and she made her entrance. She said some in the crowd will buy her story because they’re dumb. She said that Morgan shouldn’t be champion right now. She said it made her happy to see Rousey beat Morgan up after Morgan screwed Rousey over. Deville said this proves how bad Adam Pearce is at his job. Deville said she loves seeing Morgan hurt. Deville said she’s going to win the gauntlet, then beat Morgan at Clash at the Castle.

-Aliyah’s music played and she made her entrance. Morgan left the ring and sat at ringside to watch the match.

Gauntlet Match to earn a Smackdown Women’s Championship match at Clash at the Castle

(3A) SONYA DEVILLE vs. ALIYAH

Deville and Aliyah locked up. Aliyah took Deville down but Deville took her down with an elbow right away. Deville choked Aliyah with the middle rope. Aliyah went for a rollup but Deville kicked out. Deville got a spinebuster on Aliyah for a near fall. Deville then put Aliyah in a head lock. Aliyah fought up then hit a jawbreaker. Aliyah took Deville down then hit her with a Thesz press. Aliyah got a near fall on Deville. The crowd chanted for Rousey. Deville hit the Deville’s Advocate on Aliyah for the win.

WINNER: Deville in 2:00

-Raquel Rodriguez made her entrance.

(3B) SONYA DEVILLE vs. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ

Rodriguez took down Deville right away and got a near fall. Deville fought back and hit a chop block on Rodriguez and covered her for a near fall. Deville put Rodriguez in a head lock and Rodriguez tried to fight up but Deville took her down. They showed Morgan pouting at ringside. Rodriguez fought up again and hit Deville with a side slam. Rodriguez then hit a big boot followed by a springboard spinning elbow and the Tahana Bomb for the win.

WINNER: Rodriguez in 3:00

-Shotzi made her entrance. [c]

(3C) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. SHOTZI

Shotzi had Rodriguez in an abdominal stretch. Rodriguez powered Shotzi into a slam position then hit her with a fallaway slam. Rodriguez hit another twisting elbow followed by another Tahana Bomb for the win.

WINNER: Rodriguez in 5:00

-Xia Li made her entrance.

(3D) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. XIA LI

Li hit a series of kicks that took Rodriguez to a knee. Li then hit a running kick that took Rodriguez down. Rodriguez retreated to the corner. Li kicked and stomped at the knee and leg of Rodriguez. Li took Rodriguez down then covered her for a near fall. Li locked on a half Boston Crab. Rodriguez powered Li off, but Li reapplied the hold. Li slammed Rodriguez’s knee down. Rodriguez got to her knees and Li slapped her a couple of times. Rodriguez got to her feet and towered over Li. Rodriguez hit a big headbutt on Li. Rodriguez then used the fallaway slam, corkscrew elbow, and Tahana Bomb for the win.

WINNER: Rodriguez in 3:00

-Natalya made her entrance.

(3E) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. NATALYA

Natalya attacked Rodriguez immediately. She attacked the knee of Rodriguez. Natalya locked in a modified leg lock on Rodriguez and slapped her. The ref counted Rodriguez when her shoulders were down. Rodriguez hit a big punch then rolled Natalya through and picked her up and delivered a vertical suplex for a near fall. Natalya went back to the knee. She then put Rodriguez in the Sharpshooter. Rodriguez crawled to the ropes and broke the hold. Rodriguez went to the corner and Natalya punched away at her. Rodriguez recovered with a Tahana Bomb for the win.

WINNER: Rodriguez in 4:00

-Shayna Baszler made her entrance. [c]

(3F) RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ vs. SHAYNA BASZLER

Baszler had Rodriguez in a leglock. Baszler let go and kicked at the leg of Rodriguez when she reached the ropes. Baszler tossed Rodriguez into the corner. Baszler went to the arm of Rodriguez and went for an armbar but Rodriguez fought her off. Rodriguez charged Baszler in the corner but Baszler moved. Baszler hit a kick followed by a big knee and covered Rodriguez for a near fall. Rodriguez fought to her feet and shot Baszler off the ropes. Baszler went for a choke but Rodriguez tossed her off. Rodriguez went for the elbow again but Baszler caught her with the Kirifuda Clutch. Rodriguez fought to her feet and got to the corner. Baszler dragged Rodriguez to the middle of the ring. Rodriguez went for a rollup but Baszler countered it into a rollup of her own for the win.

WINNER: Shayna Baszler in 6:00 to earn a Smackdown Women’s title match at Clash at the Castle

-Morgan held up the title at ringside.

(McDonald’s Analysis: I really liked the story of that match. They did a good job of making Rodriguez look like a force while still showing some weakness and that having multiple matches wears on you, even if the matches are short. Baszler is an intriguing winner and I’m interested in seeing these two matched up. Part of me hopes the new regime rolls with Baszler and gives her a shot. Besides that, the chant for Rousey was telling. As was the shot of Morgan at ringside pouting and looking very concerned for her future. I wonder if the Liv Morgan chant was piped in or if some of the fans felt bad for her sulking at ringside. All of the matches were solid. I wish that sometime WWE would give one of the women’s gauntlet matches forty minutes like they have with the men. I know these particular women weren’t the best candidates for that, but it would be cool.)

-Zayn knocked on the door. He said everything is set at the production truck. He asked to speak to Reigns again. Jimmy said it’s not going to happen. Zayn asked what the deal was. He asked if he was an honorary Uce or not. Jey exploded. He told Zayn he needed to carry his weight if he wanted to wear his Bloodline shirt. Zayn looked upset. Jey stormed off and Jimmy followed. Zayn thought and looked concerned after they left. [c]

(McDonald’s Analysis: Sami is so good in these situations. I liked how these skits built throughout the night and Jey remained silent until exploding when he had enough. He wants Zayn to get the hint so badly, whereas Jimmy is fine with stringing Zayn along. I liked the juxtaposition of their personalities here. That was really good stuff. I wonder if Zayn is going to get involved in the Reigns segment later on.)

-They showed more still shots of Summerslam.

-The Viking Raiders made their entrance. Jobbers awaited them in the ring.

(4) VIKING RAIDERS (Erik & Ivar) vs. BOBBY GIBSON & TIM MULKEY

Viking Raiders took down Gibson. They hit a double team move on him. Erik tagged in and slammed Mulkey. Ivar tagged in and slammed Gibson from the top rope. Erik tagged back in. They slammed Mulkey on top of Gibson and pinned both of them.

WINNER: Viking Raiders in 2:00

-McAfee said the jobbers may want to do something else for a living. Kingston entered the ring with a kendo stick and attacked both Viking Raiders. They dropped out of the ring. Kingston stood tall and posed on the middle rope. The crowd chanted “Kofi”. The Raiders said that Kingston is a “dead man”.

(5) ERIK (w/ Ivar) vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Kingston attacked Erik. Cole said the match was made during the break. Erik tossed Kingston down then hit him with a huge kick. Erik stalked Kingston. They showed a replay of Kingston’s attack on the Raiders before the break. Kingston fought back against Erik, but Erik recovered and took Kingston down. Erik got a near fall. The crowd chanted for Kingston. Erik charged Kingston in the corner and Kingston moved and hit Erik with a kick. Kingston went to the top and took Erik down with a crossbody. Kingston went for the S.O.S. but Erik moved and slammed Kingston and covered him for a near fall. Erik used a full nelson into a knee for a near fall. Erik sent Kingston to the corner but Kingston launched off the second rope and kicked Erik. Erik went to the floor and Kingston took him out with the Trust Fall. Ivar tried to hit Kingston with a kendo stick but Kingston moved. Erik went after Kingston in the ring but Kingston ducked and rolled Erik up for the win.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston in 4:00

-Cole said we have breaking news. He announced a tournament to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions. The tournament will start Monday night on Raw.

-Roman Reigns’ music played and he made his entrance. Cole and McAfee agreed that Reigns is the G.O.A.T. Cole said that Reigns has been champion for 705 days. He called the Bloodline the most dominant force in the history of WWE. The Bloodline posed with the titles as pyro went off behind them. Cole threw to a video recap of Reigns’ win over Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. Cole said that no one has held a title longer than Reigns in thirty-five years. They showed a graphic for Reigns’ address after the break. [c]

-They showed a video package for Gunther then showed a graphic for Gunther against Nakamura for the IC title next week. Cole hyped the match.

-Reigns and the Usos posed with the titles as more pyro exploded on the stage. Cole said that Reigns will defend against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle. He said it’s four weeks from tomorrow.

-Reigns caught a microphone and looked around at the crowd. The crowd cheered wildly. Reigns asked Greenville, South Carolina to acknowledge him. The crowd chanted “Tribal Chief”. Reigns said that we know the deal. They keep their titles, then come back to Smackdown to brag about what they accomplished. Reigns said there’s things that need to be addressed first. He said they need to talk about Brock Lesnar first. Reigns said he hates Lesnar, but he respects him, but he still hates him. Reigns said that they hate Lesnar because he tried to kill the wise man. Reigns said that they’re not sure when Heyman will be back. Reigns said he wants to send prayers up to Heyman.

-McIntyre’s music played and he made his entrance. He called Reigns the Tribal “queef”. McIntyre said he wants to get his hands on Reigns and he doesn’t want to wait. He asked the crowd if they wanted to see him tear apart the Bloodline right now. The crowd cheered. The arena turned dark and the screen turned grayscale. There appeared to be a woman standing at the top of the stage. Someone appeared and attacked McIntyre from behind. They wouldn’t show his face. Finally, it was revealed to be Karrion Kross. Kross laid out McIntyre as the Bloodline looked on. Scarlett put an hour glass into the ring. Cole said it means that the clock is ticking. Kross stared at Reigns and pointed at him. Kross motioned to his wrist and said “tick tock”.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Well, I didn’t see that coming. Admittedly, I don’t know a ton about Kross as I missed his NXT run. I saw what he did on Raw and I wasn’t impressed. With that said, in Triple H I trust, so I will give this a shot if he thinks this guy is worthwhile. It might not work out, but Smackdown needs more top level guys and after this segment, that is definitely how Kross is being portrayed. On top of that, why did they shave his head before? He looks much better with hair. Anyway, this came out of nowhere and was an interesting way to end the show. I’m interested to see where we go from here and I look forward to seeing how this plays out. Is Kross going to be added to make this a triple threat?)

FINAL THOUGHTS: This show wasn’t a drastic change from what we’ve been seeing, but they did enough little things right for it to be a successful program. The changes here aren’t as noticeable, but I think that’s more due to the lack of depth on this roster than anything else. The addition of Kross is certainly a step toward getting away from that problem. I still think we need a draft, but that’s a topic for another day. The worst part of the show was Liv Morgan and her complete collapse in the face of pressure. I like the idea of having her face Baszler and that is a new and interesting match-up in the grand scheme of things. Overall, that’s a good thing. I’ll take all of the fresh matches we can get. The story of this show will be the re-debut of Karrion Kross. I don’t know if it will work, but I give WWE credit for thinking outside of the box and trying something with a guy who was obtainable. I’m interested to see what they have up their sleeve next on the Smackdown side. Whether you enjoy the product or not, this is an exciting time to be a fan of WWE with all of the changes occurring.