WWE SMACKDOWN TV RESULTS (8/18): McDonald’s “alt perspective” report on Edge vs. Sheamus, Mysterio & Escobar on Grayson Waller Effect, Belair & Charlotte vs. Bayley & Sky

WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
AUGUST 18, 2023
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA AT SCOTIABANK ARENA
AIRED ON FOX
REPORT BY ALEX McDONALD, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Kevin Patrick

[HOUR ONE]

-The camera panned the crowd and Kevin Patrick introduced the show. They showed a graphic for Edge’s twenty-five year celebration and his match against Sheamus. Michael Cole hyped the match. They then showed a graphic of Jey Uso. Corey Graves said that Jey shocked the world when he quit WWE last week. He said we’ll hear from Paul Heyman regarding the situation. They transitioned to a graphic for the tag team match with Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair against Bayley and Iyo Sky. Patrick hyped the match for later in the show.

-They showed the intro for the Grayson Waller Effect. The ring announcer then did Waller’s ridiculous announcement. Waller was in the ring. He said that tonight is Edge’s anniversary and he’s looking forward to Edge thanking him for making Edge relevant again. Waller then introduced Santos Escobar and Rey Mysterio.

-The L.W.O. music played and Escobar and Mysterio made their entrance. Escobar wore a knee brace. Cole mentioned the knee brace and said that Escobar was supposed to have the title match last week but Austin Theory attacked him beforehand and Mysterio took Escobar’s place. Patrick then threw to a video package that showed Theory’s attacks on Escobar last week. The video then transitioned to Mysterio taking Escobar’s place and defeating Theory for the United States Championship. The video ended with L.W.O.’s celebration on the ramp after the match.

-Mysterio and Escobar were in the ring with Waller. Waller congratulated Mysterio for winning the title. Mysterio thanked Waller as the crowd cheered. Mysterio said it felt great to be United States Champion again. Waller asked if Escobar could imagine what it felt like. Mysterio said that Theory tried to cook up a plan and he and Escobar ruined the plan. Waller asked if they ruined the plan together and if that made them co-champions. Mysterio said that the title is in the L.W.O. and that’s all that matters. Waller interjected and mentioned that Escobar has battled many wrestlers and even defeated Mysterio. Waller said that Mysterio stole the title. Mysterio said he didn’t steal anything. Waller said that’s what legends do on Smackdown. He said they hog the spotlight and keep the younger wrestlers down because they can’t let go. Escobar told Waller to shut up. He said he gave Mysterio his blessing because he respects Mysterio. Escobar said that Waller doesn’t respect Mysterio. Escobar called Mysterio his friend and mentor. The crowd cheered. Escobar said he sees what Waller is doing and it isn’t going to work. He then said that Theory got what he deserved.

-Austin Theory made his entrance. Theory walked down the ramp. He congratulated Mysterio for winning the title. He said it was a great achievement, but where’s his father of the year award. Theory said what happened last week was a tragedy and he was duped. Theory said that Escobar wasn’t man enough to step up to him. Theory said that Mysterio shouldn’t have been in the match and Adam Pearce needs to come out and give the title back to Theory. Theory yelled for Pearce to come out.

-Adam Pearce appeared on the stage. He said he knew Theory would call him out, but no one wants to hear Theory complain.

-L.A. Knight’s music played and he appeared on the stage to a huge pop. His music faded out and the crowd chanted “L.A. Knight”. Knight asked if he could talk to the crowd. They popped again. Knight said he knows he didn’t hear Theory call himself the greatest U.S. champion. Knight said Theory defended the title once in three months and fumbled the ball. Knight then said he doesn’t care who the champion is because sooner or later it’s coming to him. Knight said he went through twenty-four other men at Summerslam, so it won’t be a problem to go through Theory. Knight said Theory looks ready to wrestle. He said they should do it for a shot at the U.S. title. Pearce chimed in and made the match official for right now. The crowd cheered. Knight said Theory has a first class ticket to a B.F.T. Knight dropped the mic and got into the ring with Theory. Patrick hyped the match for after the break. [c]

(McDonald’s Analysis: Waller was really good here sowing the seeds of discontent between Mysterio and Escobar and bringing up things that make a lot of sense, but are clearly being brought up to rile up the wrestlers in the ring. I really liked that. You can’t say Waller didn’t have a point. Escobar and Mysterio stayed the course, which was fine, but you wonder if the break up is going to happen sooner rather than later. Theory and Knight is a logical place to go and I even suggested it on the Smackdown post show last week. This is a good way to get them involved with each other without having to put the title on Knight. It seems like that was part of the idea. Solid segment overall that highlighted how strong the mid-card could be on Smackdown. They have a lot of pieces to work with and just need to match them up well. Good start to the show.)

-Cole touted Wrestlemania ticket sales as being the highest gate of all time, after one day. Cole mentioned that they already sold 91,000 tickets.

-The Miz made his entrance.

(1) AUSTIN THEORY vs. L.A. KNIGHT

Knight was distracted by Miz and Theory took Knight down. Miz joined commentary. Theory pounded on Knight in the corner. Miz ran down his accomplishments and asked why he would be jealous of Knight. Knight fought back against Theory and took him down with a clothesline. Knight then hit a suplex followed by an elbow drop. Knight made the cover for a two count. Theory tried to fight back but Knight countered with a powerslam and made another cover for another two count. Theory knocked Knight to the outside and followed him out. Theory landed a big punch as Miz cheered him on. Theory slammed Knight into the barricade. Theory tossed Knight back into the ring and followed him back in. Theory kicked Knight back out. Theory followed Knight out and Knight went after Theory. Knight slammed Theory into the announce table as the crowd cheered him on. Knight got in Miz’s face and turned around where he was met by Theory. Knight recovered and slammed Theory into the announce table again. Knight tossed Theory into Miz which knocked him over. Knight posed on the steps as they cut to break. [c]

Knight battled out of a headlock and landed punches before taking Theory down with a shoulder block. Knight then got a sunset flip for a two count. Theory recovered and took Knight down with a dropkick. Theory stalked Knight and stomped away at him. Theory landed a clothesline. Theory climbed to the apron and measured Knight. Theory rolled through the ropes and Knight caught him to deliver a back suplex. Both men were down in the ring. Theory got to his feet first and went after Knight. Knight blocked a punch then threw him from corner to corner before he delivered a neckbreaker. Knight hit a Russian Leg Sweep followed by a big kick and covered Theory for another two count. Knight stomped on Theory in the corner as the crowd cheered him on. Knight went to the opposite corner and charged to hit Theory with a running knee. Theory recovered and took Knight down then delivered a big right hand. Theory lifted Knight to his shoulders but Knight got free and delivered a big powerslam. Knight set up for an elbow drop but Miz got on the apron. Knight went after Miz but Miz dropped to the floor. Theory tried to attack Knight off the distraction but Knight caught him with a DDT. Knight dropped to the outside and chased Miz around the ring. Miz got into the ring and Knight followed. Knight dumped Miz to the outside. Theory rolled up Knight and grabbed the tights for the win.

WINNER: Austin Theory in 10:00

-Miz taunted Knight from the ramp.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Knight looked good here and seems to understand that people are questioning his ring work. It’s either that, or Theory is better than we give him credit for and these guys have great chemistry. I didn’t expect much from this match and I think they delivered on what was asked. I’m tired of the Theory fluke wins, but here it actually made sense as Knight has so much momentum and they will probably want to go back to this later, possibly on a bigger stage. Miz’s involvement is stupid because of the brand split, but at least he mentioned it and gave a half-ass reason for why he’s on Smackdown. That’s better than ignoring it. Knight and Miz could be interesting when they finally meet, but Knight should probably just squash him. Speaking of squashes, Knight got a ton of offense in this match and they went out of their way to make him look like a legitimate threat way more than they have in the past. That’s probably a good sign for L.A. Knight fans moving forward.)

-They showed the announce team at ringside. Cole said Miz is upset there’s a new star in WWE. Patrick threw to a video package on the twenty-five years of Edge. They showed a message from John Cena who congratulated Edge. The video then showed Sheamus, who called Edge a legend. Natalya was next and said Edge was family. Miz said Edge is awesome. Charlotte said she watched Edge from the stands and now she’s in the ring. Sami Zayn was last and thanked Edge for being him. The video ended with a thank you from John Cena. After the video, they showed a graphic for Edge against Sheamus. Patrick hyped the match for later in the show. [c]

-They showed the announce team at ringside. Cole shared a story about meeting Edge. Patrick then threw to a video package on Edge’s career. The video showed clips of Edge’s career and included interviews with various wrestlers. The video transitioned to Edge’s retirement, family life, and eventual return. After the video, the crowd chanted “thank you, Edge”. They showed the graphic for Edge’s match against Sheamus once again. Graves hyped the match.

(McDonald’s Analysis: As usual, WWE delivered with the video package. Unfortunately, there weren’t really any highlights to show from Edge’s return besides the return itself. In a way, that hurts this moment because the guy hasn’t done anything of note to match everything in the beginning of the video. On top of that, this video was really long when compared to Edge’s contributions to WWE. I’m glad they didn’t shy away from the moments with Christian and they gave ample time to the tag team they were together. That was refreshing. Is this possibly the end? This is a lot of time and effort given to a guy who’s basically on the roster now. Is this a way to get Edge involved in something important? Or is this a way to say good-bye?)

-Bayley and Dakota Kai made their entrance. Bayley said to turn the music off. Bayley introduced Iyo Sky who made her entrance to join Kai and Bayley. They showed a graphic for Bayley and Sky against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair. Patrick hyped the match for after the break. [c]

-They showed video from last week when Jey Uso superkicked Roman Reigns. Cole hyped an interview with Kayla Braxton and Paul Heyman that will air later tonight.

-Damage Ctrl was in the ring.

-Bianca Belair made her entrance. Belair entered the ring and posed opposite of Damage Ctrl.

-Charlotte Flair made her entrance. Patrick threw to a video recap of the match between Charlotte and Asuka last week on Smackdown. The video then showed Damage Ctrl’s attack on Charlotte and Asuka to stop the match.

(2) DAMAGE CTRL (Bayley & Iyo Sky w/ Dakota Kai) vs. BIANCA BELAIR & CHARLOTTE FLAIR

Belair started against Bayley. Belair got a waistlock and Bayley got free. Bayley took Belair down and made the cover for a count of one. Belair kipped up and took Bayley down with a waistlock before she transitioned to a headlock. Bayley got free and Belair hit her with a shoulder to the gut in the corner. Belair delivered a suplex and tagged in Charlotte. Charlotte got in and stomped on Bayley in the corner. Charlotte slammed Bayley into the top turnbuckle then took her down with a chop. Charlotte taunted Sky and Bayley went for a roll-up. Charlotte got free and landed a big kick. Charlotte went for a slam but Bayley got away and pulled Charlotte down before she tagged in Sky. Sky hit the ring and landed a chop on Charlotte. Charlotte took down Bayley and Sky then splashed Sky in the corner. Sky went to the apron but Charlotte knocked her to the floor with a big boot. Charlotte went to the apron and came off with a senton that took out Bayley and Sky at ringside. [c]

Bayley had Charlotte in a headlock. Charlotte fought out and Bayley tossed Charlotte into the corner. Charlotte reversed and knocked Bayley down. Charlotte climbed to the top rope and Bayley cut her off. Bayley threw Charlotte off and made the cover for a two count. Bayley tagged in Sky. Sky landed a big kick and put Charlotte in a headlock. The crowd cheered Charlotte on as she got to her feet. Charlotte went for a back suplex but Sky landed on her feet. Charlotte came off the ropes but Sky spun around into a crossface. Charlotte got free. Charlotte reached for Belair but Sky cut her off. Sky knocked Charlotte down and set up for a powerbomb. Charlotte landed a back drop and reached for Belair. Sky cut the tag off again and knocked Belair off the apron. Sky landed a dropkick on Charlotte. Sky made the cover at the direction of Bayley. Charlotte kicked out and Sky glared at Bayley. Charlotte got free and tagged in Belair. Belair hit the ring and took down Sky a pair of times. Belair delivered a stalling suplex and charged Sky in the corner with a clothesline. Belair mounted Sky and landed a series of punches. Bayley tried to attack Belair but Belair flipped over Bayley and took her down. Belair stayed on the attack but Sky landed a dropkick to Belair’s knee that took her down.

[HOUR TWO]

Sky tagged in Bayley and Bayley attacked Belair’s knee. Bayley made a cover for a two count. Bayley pulled on Belair’s hair. Belair pulled back and went for a neckbreaker. Sky entered and Belair grabbed her. Belair hit a stereo neckbreaker and DDT on Damage Ctrl. Charlotte tagged in and hit a crossbody off the top rope. Charlotte then chopped Sky and took her down. Charlotte delivered a fallaway slam to Bayley then kipped up and flipped into a clothesline on Bayley. Charlotte made the cover for a two count. Charlotte climbed to the top rope but Bayley got up and shoved Bayley off to the floor. Charlotte and Belair were down on the outside and sold injuries. Sky attacked Charlotte. Bayley went to the outside and rolled Charlotte in. Bayley made the cover for a two count. Bayley tagged in Sky. Sky went for a moonsault but Charlotte moved. Sky landed on her feet and landed a kick to Charlotte. Charlotte took down Sky but Sky tagged in Bayley. Bayley went after Charlotte’s knee but Charlotte kicked Bayley off and tagged in Belair. Belair delivered the K.O.D. and made the cover for the win.

WINNER: Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair in 14:00

-Belair and Charlotte celebrated as Patrick threw to another video package on Edge. It was another series of wrestlers congratulating Edge. This time Cody Rhodes was the feature star.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Solid match. All four women worked hard and there weren’t any super awkward spots. Lately, Charlotte matches are riddled with them, so the absence should be considered a win. The finish was fine, but kind of undercut what they did with Damage Ctrl last week. They really should be winning right now to re-establish them as a threat. If they’re going to break up, that’s fine, but they’ve teased it and gone away from it too many times now. Either do it, or don’t. The will they or won’t they is played out and permeates too much of the product right now.)

-The Street Profits made their entrance in new ring gear. They showed a graphic for the Street Profits against the O.C. Patrick hyped the match for after the break. [c]

-Belair was being interviewed in the back. Damage Ctrl appeared and attacked her from behind. Sky choked Belair with a chair and Bayley wrapped a chair around Belair’s leg. Sky slammed her chair into Belair’s leg. Belair cried out in pain and trainers appeared to check on her.

-The O.C. made their entrance.

(3) STREET PROFITS (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) vs. THE O.C. (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows w/ Michin)

Ford started against Gallows. Ford went right after gallows but Gallows took Ford down with a kick. Gallows took Ford to the corner and tagged in Anderson. They double teamed Ford and Anderson landed a big kick. Anderson shot Ford off the ropes and Ford landed a big clothesline. Dawkins tagged in. Ford and Dawkins stomped away at Anderson. Anderson fought out of the corner but Dawkins recovered and landed a big suplex. Dawkins took Gallows off the apron and hit a modified neckbreaker on Anderson. Ford tagged in and hit a splash off the top rope. Gallows broke up the cover. Ford tossed Gallows to the outside and tagged in Dawkins. Dawkins came off the top but Anderson tossed Ford into the ring post and moved. Gallows tagged in. They hit a double team move on Dawkins and Gallows made the cover for a two count. Anderson tagged back in. They went for a Magic Killer but Dawkins got free. Ford took out Gallows at ringside with a dive. Ford made a blind tag. The Profits hit a combination Sky High and neckbreaker. Ford made the cover on Anderson for the win.

WINNER: Street Profits in 3:00

(McDonald’s Analysis: I like the new “serious” ring gear for the Profits. That’s a step in the right direction. I liked that they got the win and debuted a new finisher, but I don’t like that the O.C. held in as long as they did. Anderson and Gallows shouldn’t be kicking out or breaking up pins on the Profits big moves. This should have been more of a squash than it was. There’s zero reason to give the O.C. anything here because they don’t matter. The new Profits have a lot of potential, but this felt a little more flat than it should have.)

-The Street Profits celebrated on the stage. Bobby Lashley appeared and congratulated them.

-Paul Heyman was in the back. Patrick hyped his interview for after the break. [c]

-They showed post card shots of Toronto. Afterward, the announce team was shown ringside. Graves said we were moments away from Edge’s celebration. Patrick then threw to a video recap of the Bloodline segment on last week’s Smackdown. The video ended with Jey quitting WWE and leaving through the crowd.

-Kayla Braxton approached Paul Heyman. Heyman had a couple of days worth of stubble on his chin. Kayla asked for an update on the current state of the Bloodline. Heyman said he didn’t have one. Kayla asked about the headspace of Roman Reigns. Heyman didn’t answer. Kayla asked about rumors. Heyman mentioned the rumors about Jey who quit WWE and asked if Kayla was going to ask him about those rumors. Heyman said he wanted to ask about the rumors in Kayla’s family. Heyman brought up Kayla’s parents. Heyman asked if Kayla was going to ask about Austin Theory. He said Kayla can’t ask about that. Heyman fumbled a saying, then answered his phone. Heyman paused and said really. He tried to say thank you, but the other person hung up. Kayla asked if Heyman could share. Heyman said that it’s not a rumor, it’s a spoiler, and Jimmy Uso will be on Smackdown next week. Heyman said he can’t reveal his source and walked off.

-Sheamus made his entrance. Cole said that it’s “fight night”. Ridge Holland and Butch stayed behind as Sheamus made his way to the ring. They showed the graphic for Edge against Sheamus. Patrick said the match could be a match of the year candidate and he hyped it for after the break. [c]

-Cole hyped Jimmy Uso’s return next week on Smackdown. Patrick then announced Rey Mysterio against Grayson Waller for next week.

-Sheamus was in the ring. The crowd cheered in anticipation.

-Edge made his entrance to a loud reaction. Edge wore Toronto Maple Leafs inspired white and blue gear. Edge hugged his family at ringside.

(4) SHEAMUS vs. EDGE

Edge and Sheamus shook hands. Cole said we’ve all heard the rumors online. He said if this is it “tear it down, Edge”. Edge took Sheamus down. They locked up and Sheamus got a headlock on Edge. Edge shot Sheamus off the ropes and Sheamus took Edge down with a shoulder block. They locked up again and Edge whipped Sheamus into the ropes. Edge followed Sheamus and delivered a knee to the gut. Sheamus recovered and hit an Irish Curse. Edge was down as they cut to break. [c]

Edge fought back against Sheamus and came off the ropes with a springboard back elbow. Edge took Sheamus down with a clothesline followed by the Edge-o-matic. Edge made the cover for a two count. Sheamus avoided Edge and went to the apron. Edge rolled between Sheamus’ legs and powerbombed him off the apron to the floor. Edge threw Sheamus back into the ring and climbed to the top rope. Edge came off with a crossbody and made a cover for a two count. Edge stepped through Sheamus’ legs but Sheamus kicked Edge off. Sheamus caught Edge charging in with a slam and made the cover for a two count. Edge was down as the camera panned the crowd. Sheamus lifted Edge up on the apron and set up for Ten Beats. Edge blocked and landed a series of punches as the crowd counted. Edge came back into the ring and landed knees to Sheamus’ gut. Sheamus went to the apron and Edge ran the ropes. Edge hit a spear on Sheamus that took him to the floor on the outside. Both men were down as they cut to another break. [c]

Sheamus had Edge in the Cloverleaf as Edge reached for the ropes. Sheamus pulled Edge back to the center of the ring and sat down on Edge’s back. Edge pulled at Sheamus’ leg and fought his way out. Edge transitioned into a crossface. Sheamus crawled toward the ropes and grabbed the bottom rope to force a break. Edge collapsed and sold exhaustion. Both men got to their knees and eventually their feet. Edge charged Sheamus in the corner and Sheamus took him down with a boot. Sheamus pulled himself to the top rope from the mat. Edge got up and met Sheamus at the top rope with a kick. Edge climbed up to join Sheamus. Edge delivered a superplex and held on to bring Sheamus back to his feet. Edge hit the Edgecution and made the cover for a two count. Edge climbed to the top rope with Sheamus down in the ring. Sheamus got up and kicked Edge’s leg. Sheamus tried to follow Edge up but Edge fought Sheamus off. Sheamus answered with punches of his own. Sheamus hit White Noise on Edge from the second rope. Sheamus picked Edge up and delivered the Celtic Cross. Sheamus made the cover but Edge kicked out at the count of two. Edge went to the apron and Sheamus followed Edge over. Sheamus pulled Edge up and hit Ten Beats. The crowd booed. Edge turned and flipped off Sheamus. Sheamus was angered and hit another series of blows with Ten Beats. Edge crumpled to the mat. Sheamus lifted Edge to his feet and yelled at him. Edge slapped Sheamus. Edge took Sheamus down with a clothesline. The crowd cheered as Edge got to his feet. Edge measured Sheamus from the corner. Edge charged but Sheamus caught Edge with a big knee followed by a Brogue Kick. Sheamus made the cover and Edge kicked out at two. Sheamus posed for the crowd as they booed. Sheamus measured Edge and charged but Edge rolled Sheamus up for a two count. They got back to their feet and Edge hit a spear. Edge made the cover for a two count. Edge charged again and hit another spear. He made the cover and got the win.

WINNER: Edge in 18:00

-Pyro shot from the stage as the ref raised Edge’s hand in the ring. Edge looked around at the crowd and his family cheered him on from ringside. Sheamus got to his feet and hugged Edge as they went off the air.

(McDonald’s Analysis: Good TV match but nowhere near the match of the year candidate that Patrick promised. Sheamus has matches like this all the time. Anyway, this was fine, but everything with Edge tonight was slightly overkill. He had a good career, but he’s nowhere near the level of other people who have received similar treatment in the past. I thought I fell asleep and Edge became Steve Austin. He didn’t. Again, a nice possible send-off for a guy who was loyal to the company and had a solid career. I don’t know if this is it for Edge, but if so, I guess this was a fine way to go out. If this isn’t the end and he shows up at another big show, say All In, for example, then this will seem very odd in hindsight. I think that is incredibly unlikely, but I guess anything’s possible. If Edge comes back and has other matches, this will also feel a little strange, especially if he has another match in Toronto. I know most of the people Edge was associated with aren’t available, but if this was the end, Sheamus was an odd guy to do that with as they don’t have any history besides the contrived stuff they tried to add last week. Nothing really noteworthy on this episode and other than the U.S. title situation and Belair’s deal with Damage Ctrl, nothing was furthered on this show, so it felt like nothing really happened. There’s going to be episodes like that throughout the year, and that’s fine. At least this one had some solid wrestling on it to make up for the lack of development.)