SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
NOVEMBER 15, 2024
MILWAUKEE, WISC. FISERV FORUM
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
Commentators: Corey Graves, Wade Barrett
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier today 10,436 tickets had been distributed. The arena has a capacity of 18,000 spectators when configured for concerts.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller will be joined by PWTorch’s Chris Adamsto review Smackdown LIVE. We’ll be incorporating live viewer comments into the show so join us LIVE!
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Smackdown. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
Click that link during the post-show to enter the waiting room as “live video caller” (or just audio if you turn off your cam, which is fine). This is a private link, so don’t share. It’s just for VIP members at this time.
LIVE ON YOUTUBE RIGHT AFTER WWE SMACKDOWN TONIGHT: CLICK HERE
[HOUR ONE]
-Michael Cole introduced the show as they showed an aerial view of Milwaukee and then the scene outside of Fiserv Forum. They showed a split screen of Nia Jax and Naomi arriving separately. Then they showed the Motor City Machine Guns and The Street Profits arriving.
-They went to a wide shot of the arena and Cody Rhodes made his ring entrance. As Cody made his way to the ring, Cole plugged that Cody would be a celebrity guest picker on ESPN’s College Gameday with Pat McAfee. They showed a clip of the angle last week where Kevin Owens gave Randy Orton a piledriver and Orton was taken away on a stretcher.
Cody addressed KO by saying he crossed the line. He said he knows he’s out there and he asked him sternly to “please come out here right now.” Cody raised his voice and repeated himself. Instead, after a pause, Nick Aldis walked out. Fans booed. Aldis said he knows Cody was angry. He said there’s a lot on his mind after what Orton is going through. He noted he was out of action with severe cervical trauma after missing a year of action after back fusion surgery. He entered the ring and told Cody there’s a reason that piledriver has been outlawed in WWE. “Because we don’t want this generation to end up in wheelchairs in 30 years,” he said. Aldis said no one knows more than he does what it takes to get to WWE. He said they do whatever it takes to get a payday and win championships, but they don’t cross that line. He said until they figure it out, he cannot have Owens there. Fans booed. Cody looked disappointed.
Cody told Aldis: “You are making a martyr of Kevin Owens. You’re giving him exactly what he wants. You’re hitting him in the wallet. This is a man who drives a Lamborghini. I don’t know if the message is going to land like you think. Let me handle this, Nick. Let me handle this.” He said Owens is self-righteous and indignant. Aldis interrupted him and said he was going to stop him before he said something he’d regret.
Aldis said if you give this roster an inch, they take a mile. “And the next thing you know, the inmates are running the assylum.” He said Owens can’t be at Smackdown until the situation is addressed internally. Cody told him to be real for him for a second. He said he knows he has to be dispassionate and objective, but he knows he’s “a former wrestler, you’re still a wrestler.” He asked him to imagine if he was in the back of the ambulance and to inform his family. “Imagine when they ask the question why that you have to tell them that Kevin Owens is telling everyone under the sun that it’s me,” he said. Cody said WrestleMania 40 was the highlight of his life professionally and personally. He said he was on Orton’s shoulders and he dropped down and Orton turned to him and told him, “Cody-man, I’m proud of you.” His voice quivered as he said, “As much as I loathe the nickname ‘Code-man,’ it’s a moment I will cherish forever because that is what Randy Orton means to me.”
Cody said Orton is on the shelf “and that’s because of me?” He said if he can’t handle his business in a WWE ring, what does he expect him to do. He asked if he expects him to go to his house and beat his ass in his front yard. “Is that what you expect me to do?” he said. “I know that is not what you want from this company’s champion.” He told Aldis the ball is in his court and he won’t be waiting very long. He dropped the mic and left.
Cole said this situation has gone way behind human resources. “Something’s gotta be done about KO!” Cole exclaimed. Graves said it is deeply personal.
(Keller’s Analysis: Cody and Aldis were really good there with their delivery and facial expressions. Aldis and Adam Pearce are two of the best authority figures in pro wrestling that I’ve ever seen, just playing the role with the right earnest tones and clear desire to just keep order. That is a key foundation for the inevitable disorder and disarray to have maximum impact because then it feels like it’s not supposed to happen. Cody can verge on being a bit over-the-top in certain situations, but this walked right up to that line without crossing it.)
-Jey Uso and Sami Zayn approached Jimmy Uso who was on the phone. Jey asked who he was talking to. Jimmy said it was “The OTC” Roman Reigns. He said he’d be there shortly and they were going to meet in the same room together and discuss the playbook for War Games. Jey said they still need a fifth man. Sami said he has someone else in mind he could ask. “It’s worth a shot,” Sami said. “I’ll catch you later.”
-Bayley made her ring entrance. [c]
Follow us on Blue Sky, a great Twitter alternative, as we shift away from Twitter/X…
https://bsky.app/profile/pwtorch.bsky.social (search “pwtorch”)
https://bsky.app/profile/thewadekeller.bsky.social (search “thewadekeller”)
(1) BAYLEY vs. CANDICE LERAE vs. B-FAB – United States Women’s Title Tournament match
As B-Fab entered the ring, Graves said she has been chomping at the bit for an opportunity to show what she can do in the ring. Cole said the new champion will be crowned on Dec. 14 on Saturday Night’s Main Event live on NBC. Cole said B-Fab has been training with Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. Graves said being a manager is helpful to being a successful wrestler, so it could benefit B-Fab she’s had that role with the Profits for a while. The bell rang 19 minutes into the hour. After B-Fab clotheslined both Bayley and LeRae, they cut to a double-box break at 2:00. [c/db]
Back from the break, Bayley was in control of B-Fab. After a flying elbow to the back of B-Fab, Bayley scored a two count, broken up by LeRae. All three collided and were slow to get up. Cole said never before on Raw or Smackdown has there been a non-world title in play. Graves said it’s a reflection of how deep the women’s division is in WWE.
Bayley knocked LeRae off balance on the top rope and then set up a superplex. B-Fab intervened and sent then off the top rope with a powerbomb, but LeRae ended on landing on Bayley. B-Fab broke up the cover at 8:00. A minute later, B-Fab one-arm slammed Bayley. LeRae yanked B-Fab off of Bayley. B-Fab knocked LeRae to the floor. Bayley ducked a B-Fab kick and rolled her up for a three count. They showed the belt at ringside. Graves said Bayley is happy to have a new mountain to climb.
WINNER: Bayley in 10:00 to advance in the U.S. Title Tournament.
(Keller’s Analysis: The commentators did a nice job framing this as a big chance for B-Fab. Bayley tends to send a message that legacy stars in the division want this title, not just mid-card women.)
-They showed the brackets. Bayley will face the winner of Bianca Belair vs. Chelsea Green vs. Blair Davenport on the left bracket. The right bracket features Jade Cargill vs. Michin vs. Piper Niven and Naomi vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Elektra Lopez.
(Keller’s Analysis: It’s a little odd to have someone in a tournament for a secondary title also getting a World Title shot on this show.)
-They showed Sami chatting with L.A. Knight backstage. Cole said Knight has a U.S. Title Open Challenge next. [c]
-After showing an aerial shot of Fiserv Forum, they went to a clip of The Rock on “The Tonight Show” getting into a pillow fight with host Jimmy Falon. They showed the cover of GQ with The Rock named “Entertainer of the Year.” They also plugged his new Christmas movie.
-They showed Ford and Dawkins consoling B-Fab, who looked like she took the loss hard. She told them it’s their time and do their thing. Niven and Green walked up to her and said it was so cute and sweet she thought she’d win the tournament. Green said when one of them won the title, they’d let her hold the belt. “Just kidding,” Green said. B-Fab caller Green “Trash Can Chelsea.” She asked what happened if they went to the finals. She said they have other things they ought to be worried about. Michin walked in with a kendo stick and said she doesn’t need a tournament as a reason to fight. Green said the problem is her.
(Keller’s Analysis: Green and Piper are so fun together as entertainingly obnoxious heels. It’s always a good idea to sprinkle in evidence of wrestlers taking losses hard to show that wins and losses matter.)
-As Knight made his entrance, they showed Knight at a Milwaukee Bucks game shooting t-shirts to the crowd. Fans chanted, “L.A. Knight!” Knight said, “Let me talk to ya’!” He said he has been around the world and everybody is looking for his title. He said he walked out of Crown Jewel as “still United States Champion.” He said that must’ve caught some eyes because now Sami wants him to join the Bloodline civil war. He said it’s not his fight and he wants not part of it. He said he’d be just fine if the entire Bloodline just destroyed each other. He said he has his own investment to worry about. He said this isn’t the Logan Paul Show where you defend the title a couple times a year. He encouraged the crowd to boo Logan Paul. He said it is the L.A. Knight U.S. Championship Open Challenge.
Out walked Legado del Fantasma (Angel Garza, Humberto Carilllo, Santos Escobar, Elektra Lopez). Graves said there could be two U.S. champions in Legado del Fantasma since Lopez is in the women’s tournament. Escobar asked Knight why he can’t saying something interesting that has a ring to it. He told the fans to be quiet. He made fun of them being called “Milwaukeeans” and said it sounds like they’re from another planet. He said it’s time for someone to shut up Knight. Humberto looked especially intensely at Knight as Escobar talked. Knight interrupted him and said he appreciates his ambition and appreciates everything he was saying. He said he could feel Humberto staring a hole in him like he’s covered in BBQ sauce. “Maybe you’re hungry, I’m not sure,” he said. He told Escobar that they’ve “been there, done that, beat you.” He said he’ll beat him like his daddy. He said he shouldn’t get excited because the only person who can call him daddy is Elektra. Humberto jumped Knight as Escobar was jawing at him. They cut to a break as the ref stored order. [c]
(2) L.A. KNIGHT vs. HUMBERTO CARILLO – U.S. Title match
They joined the match in progress with Humberto in control. Cole said this is Humberto’s first opportunity at a singles championship on either Raw or Smackdown. Knight made a comeback at ringside and rammed Humberto’s head into the announce desk. Back in the ring, he landed a quick DDT for a near fall. Humberto rolled up Knight for a two count and then connected with a springboard roundkick to Knight’s face. Cole said he asked Escobar during the break if Humberto would be the leader of the group if he won the U.S. Title and Escobar just stared him down. Knight rallied, but Humberto missed an elbow drop. Knight leaped off the second rope onto the top rope and then landed a springboard elbow. He followed with the BFT for the win.
WINNER: Knight in around 5 minutes to retain the U.S. Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: What aired was really solid. It’s always a nail-biter when Knight tries to springboard on the ropes, but he landed it this time. The build to the match before the match was well done.)
-Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Knight as he was celebrating. Graves said they hadn’t seen him in months. Nakamura stared down at Knight, then walked to the back. His hair was covering most of his face.
-Sami walked up to Jey and Jimmy and said it’s not looking good as far as the fifth member goes. He asked where Roman was. Jimmy said to meet him in his locker room. They entered a room with a “Roman Reigns” sign on it. [c]
-After a commercial for Royal Rumble tickets, they went to an aerial view of Downtown Milwaukee. Then Graves and Cole hyped the two title matches scheduled for the second hour.
-Inside Roman’s locker room, Sami said it’s not looking good. Reigns then walked into the scene and sat down and struck his pensive expression. Sami said, “So who’s going to tell him.” Sami told him they’ve asked around and there’s nobody who wants to work with them. “We don’t have a fifth guy,” he said. Jey told Roman, “Did you make the call? We’ve got to make the call, Uce.” The TV screen in the room showed The New Bloodline heading to the ring.
[HOUR TWO]
-Solo Sikoa led Jacob Fatu, Tama Tanga, and Tonga Loa to the ring. Cole said he still can’t believe that Solo pinned Roman in a tag team match just a couple of weeks ago. Graves said Reigns isn’t over it.
Advertised Matches & Appearances
- Nia Jax vs. Naomi – WWE Women’s Championship match
- Motor City Machine Guns vs. The Street Profits – WWE Tag Team Championship match
- Roman Reigns to appear
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.