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KELLER’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
SEPTEMBER 18, 2020
ORLANDO, FLA. AT AMWAY ARENA (“THUNDERDOME”)
AIRED ON FOX NETWORK
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
[HOUR ONE]
-They cut to the ThunderDome as Cole introduced the show.
-The Dirt Sheet introduction aired. Miz and John Morrison sat mid-ring as their cheesy talk show music played. Morrison introduced himself as the most important part of your complete and balanced breakfast. Miz said like always, they’re not afraid to give them the lowdown and the dirt, “and we’re not talking about Otis’s tighty-whities.” They said they’d reveal details on why WWE management tried to erase Sami Zayn’s Intercontinental Title reign. He mentioned a couple other “controversies,” but said the main scandal is the departure of Mandy Rose from Smackdown to join Raw. They went to a clip of Talking Smack last week of Miz announcing Mandy had moved to Raw. Miz said he is not playing mind games with Otis and using his considerable power to get revenge, but rather he is trying to help Otis. He said Otis must be on high alert as the Money in the Bank holder, so he said he sent Mandy away so Otis can focus on his MITB contract. He said Otis should be thanking him because he sent away the one true obstacle that was keeping him away from propelling to the top of WWE. “Sure, Otis is heartbroken, but he’ll get over it,” he said. Miz said they’re already hearing that Mandy is acclimating to Raw. Morrison said the Raw wrestler “want to do more than smell that rose.” They brought up that former boyfriend Dolph Ziggler is over there now.
Otis marched out to his music and beat up Miz and Morrison aggressively and threw them out of the ring. He tossed their Miz TV chairs over the top rope to the floor. Tucker threw Miz and Morrison back into the ring where Otis beat them up some more. He gave Miz his Caterpillar move followed by his corner swing splash.
-Cole plugged Roman Reigns & Jey Uso vs. Sheamus & Baron Corbin, plus a Sasha Banks interview. Suddenly back in the ring Otis yanked off Miz’s shirt and pants, revealing his tighty whities. Morrison pointed it out to a dazed Miz, who covered up and ran to the back. Morrison held up his jacket to provide cover. [c]
-Backstage Miz was gasping for breath, still wearing nothing but his underwear. Morrison said he doesn’t like Otis when he’s angry. Miz said it was all part of the plan. Kayla Braxton asked Miz if he regrets aggravating Otis. Miz got a call and asked someone, “Did you see it? Is it enough?” He smiled. Morrison smiled. Miz covered up and left. Morrison told Kayla he’s not telling her what the plan is.
-Cole touted the ThunderDome as evidence that WWE cares more about their fans than anyone in Sports Entertainment. (What does that even mean?)
-Backstage Lucha House Party members bickered a bit over whose advice Metalik should listen to.
(1) CESARO (w/Shinsuke Nakamura) vs. GRAN METALIK (w/Kalisto, Lince Dorado)
Cole said Cesaro & Nakamura will defend their tag titles against LHP at the Clash of Champions. (So what exactly was the point of having them go to Raw to lose to Street Profits?) Dorado and Kalisto each shouted competing advice to Metalik. They each jumped on the ring apron to make their case, surrounding Metalik. The ref kicked them to the back. Meanwhile, Cesaro hit a distracted Metalik. Cesaro and Nakamura yelled at Kalisto and Dorado to return to the back. Metalik recovered and flip dove onto Cesaro at ringside. They cut to a sudden break a few minutes in. [c]
Back from the break, Cesaro was in control against Metalik. (It’s strange that Cole calls Nakamura “Shin.” It feels “overly familiar” and almost inappropriate for him in his role, storyline-wise.) Cesaro landed his Neutralizer for the win a minute after returning from the break. Cole wondered whose advice Metalik took. (I imagine not another person in the world wondered that.)
WINNER: Cesaro in 7:00.
-The announcers hyped Sami Zayn vs. A.J. Styles.
-Kayla Braxton interviewed Jey Uso, who was all hyped up. They cut to highlights of what happened last week with Roman Reigns & Uso vs. Sheamus & King Corbin. They showed Reigns shooting Uso a look when Uso raised his arm after their win. Back to Kayla, she asked how he feels about his chemistry after what happened last week. He said Paul Heyman told him it was and miscommunication, so he expects Reigns will have his back since they’ve had each other’s backs since they were little.
(Keller’s Analysis: Unless Uso is faking this, he’s coming across as the most oblivious, gullible wrestler in WWE history, which is not a particularly flattering portrayal for a babyface.) [c]
-A soundbite aired with Matt Riddle saying people wonder why he says “Bro” so much. He said it’s a catch-all word for every emotion. He showed happy, sad, angry, confused, afraid, confidence. “See, it’s that easy, bro,” he said, while giving a thumbs up.
-Cole plugged that Lance Bass and The Miz would be the guests of Alexa Bliss on her new podcast.
-A Moment of Bliss: Alexa welcomed everyone to the first episode of her show in the ThunderDome. She introduced Nikki Cross to join her and be in the “hot seat.” Cross came out excitedly pounding her chest. They replayed Bliss giving Cross a Sister Abigail at ringside. Cole said he did it after saying “Fiend” in her ear. Cross was all smiles. Bliss said, “You know me, I have no filter, so I have to ask the questions they all want to know.” She asked what her plan of action is for this match because for the majority of the summer, she challenged Bayley and lost. Cross got uncomfortable in her chair. Cross leaned forward and said this match is different because there is no Sasha Banks watching over Bayley. She said she felt she needed eyes on the back of her head, but now she can just focus on Bayley “and give her the beating she deserves.” She said she saw what Bayley did to Sasha, and how she was so proud of it. She looked into the camera and vowed to Bayley she will become Smackdown Women’s Champion. She turned back to Bliss and said, “Does that answer your question?” When Bliss said it did, Cross said she now has a question for her: “Lex, what’s gone wrong with you?” Bliss asked what she meant. Cross said she gave her a Sister Abigail, of all moves, and then walked off. Bliss said she doesn’t know how to explain it because she doesn’t fully understand it. She said she’s undergone a change and doesn’t know how to handle it.
Lacey Evans interrupted and asked if this was Dr. Phil with two nasties jawing at each other. She mock-cried on Bliss’s shoulder and then moved over to Cross and said she should be thanking Bliss for walking away from that match because it threw her (Lacey) off her game. She told Nikki that’s the only reason she won the Fatal Four-way last week. She said Bayley has something that Cross will never have – a mean streak. She said she’s too nice, too short, and too weak. She said she’s missing a backbone, so she’ll never beat Bayley. Nikki grabbed the tissue from Lacey and blew her nose in it and threw it at Lacey. Then she jumped her. Lacey fought back, then yanked off her shirt and revealed her wrestling gear and headed to the ring. Cole said they battled next. [c]
-A Raw commercial hyped Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee in a rematch plus Raw Underground featuring Braun Strowman. vs. Dabba-Kato.
(2) NIKKI CROSS vs. LACEY EVANS
Bliss joined the announcers at the commentary desk. When Cole pressed her on what she did to Nikki, Bliss said, “We all have our off-days, Michael. I see you on your off-days walking around and I don’t call you out on them.” Cole said that’s a good point. Bliss said best friends sometimes have issues, just like Sasha and Bayley. Bliss said Lacey is the person who sends her food back multiple times, then as she leaves fills her purse with mints. Lacey was aggressive and punched on Nikki’s wrist and hand, then grabbed a big bottle of hand sanitizer and squirted it on Nikki’s eyes. Cole asked why the ref is allowing that. Nikki battled through it in a rage. When Nikki stomped on Lacey’s hands, Bliss endorsed it. Graves asked why it was okay when Nikki does it. Bliss said because Lacey did it first. Nikki won shortly thereafter. Bliss cheered and said, “That’s my best friend!”
WINNER: Nikki in 8:00.
-Lacey crawled over to the announce desk and yelled at Bliss, “What are you looking at? Are you going to get the Fiend?” She called Cole a four-eyed nerd and asked where her purse is. Bliss got up in a trance-like state and gave Lacey a Sister Abigail. Cole said she uttered the words “The Fiend” again.
-They showed a sorrowful-looking Sasha Banks getting mic’d up backstage. She was in a neckbrace. [c]
-They went to Cole and Graves at ringside who talked about Reigns defending against Uso. He threw to a video package narrated by Heyman. They showed wrestlers of famous wrestling families. Heyman said the Anoa’s family is the largest spanning. He talked about The Rock, Yokozuna, Umaga, Rikishi, the Wild Samoans, Jey Uso, and Reigns.
[HOUR TWO]
-Cole interviewed Sasha who appeared to be on the verge of tears. They cut to a video package on what happened. Cole asked Sasha to detail the extent of her injuries. She sniffed and said, “I’m still here, aren’t I?” Cole said Bayley blamed her for the attack last week. Cole said she accused Sasha of only pretending to be her best friend, yet she was using her all along. Sasha said Bayley was using her and now she’s just useless to her. She said she heard every single word Bayley said last week and she can’t help but be filled with emotions, a place they built and trained together in, talking about their dreams and goals and what they wanted to do together. She said they used to walk the halls just to talk about everything they had achieved. She said this whole summer, they showed the world and they told the world that they were going to take over the whole damn company together. She said when she walks the halls and sees the women walking the halls now, it breaks her heart. She began to break down. She said she knows Bayley is watching this and she is a naive idiot “because you are nothing without me!” She said since she considers her useless now, she is going to take the one thing she loves – her Smackdown World Title. Bayley attacked Sasha with a chair, the put her head in it. Several people ran in before she could do more damage. [c]
(3) SAMI ZAYN vs. A.J. STYLES
Sami danced out to his music, then complained to the ring announcer about how he wanted to be introduced. Styles attacked him from behind and threw him into the ring. They cut to a break a few minutes in after Styles dove onto Sami at ringside. [c]
When Sami complained to the ref after she wouldn’t count his pin when he yanked on Styles’s tights, Styles rolled him up from behind for the leverage three count.
WINNER: Styles in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: The action in the match, as you’d expect, was really good. It was awkward with both being heels and not really having any rooting interest in what happened, though.)
-Sami attacked Styles from behind. Then he complained to the ref that Styles held his tights. Then he demanded the ring announcer announce him as the champion still. Jeff Hardy’s music played and he ran out with the actual current Intercontinental Title belt. He jumped Styles, then attacked Sami. Graves said he’s a madman. Cole said he has every right to be. Hardy pulled a table out from under the ring. Then he dropped it and grabbed a ladder. He jabbed Styles with it. Hardy set up the ladder in the ring, then asked for a mic. He said he’s sick of being called a cheat and a fraud. He proposed they end it once and for all with a Triple Threat ladder match.
-Backstage Otis told Tucker he was getting sick and tired of this. A man walked in and asked if he’s Otis. Otis said yes. “You’ve been served,” he said. Otis fantasized about it being food. Tucker opened the envelope and said he’s been served with a lawsuit. [c]
-Tucker explained to Otis that Miz and Morrison are suing him for emotional distress and for creating an unsafe working environment. He said they are saying The Dirt Sheet is a news program and they are violating their First Amendment rights. Otis said he hates the news. Tucker said they are telling him to forfeit the MITB briefcase or else they’re going to take him to court and he has one week to decide. Otis was distressed. “Tucky, we’re in trouble,” he said. Tucker said, “Sorry, but you’re in trouble.”
-Backstage Corbin and Sheamus talked about their Samoan Street Fight. A security guy walked up to them and informed Sheamus his car is being towed. Sheamus ran to the garage and asked another security guy where his car is. The guy turned around and it was Big E. He beat Sheamus up. Big E then told the security guy that word on the street is he set him up. He beat up the security guy. Big E gave him a belly-t0-belly through the car windshield. He threw him into the trunk and slammed it shut. Adam Pearce told Big E he needs him to leave the building.
-Cole plugged the main event tag match. [c]
-They aired another vignette of the mystery lady. She played with her hair and then turned around with a hand mirror in front of her face. The brief glimpse of a slice of her face looked like Carmella.
-They hyped Talking Smack with Lacey, Hardy, and Heavy Machinery.
-Roman and Heyman made their ring entrance. Heyman looked at Reigns and Reigns stared straight ahead. Cole hyped the Reigns vs. Uso match at the Clash next Sunday. Reigns said he came to the ring first because he doesn’t want any confusion this week. He said you can call it what you want, but it’s his yard, his island, his ring, his WWE. “If you want it, come and take it from me.” Heyman looked on in great admiration. Graves said it was right to the point, but volumes spoken.
Jey Uso made his entrance next. Cole said everything goes in this Samoan Street Fight. [c]
(4) ROMAN REIGNS & JEY USO vs. KING CORBIN & SHEAMUS – Samoan Street Fight
Corbin’s ring entrance took place after the break. They brawled at ringside at the start. Corbin threw a chair at Reigns. Corbin gave Jey a Deep Six on the floor. He then threw Reigns into the ring. Reigns took over and bashed Corbin with a chair a few times. As Reigns went for a table under the ring, Sheamus attacked him with a running kick to the face. Corbin and Sheamus double-teamed Reigns at ringside. Then they drove Jey through a table mid-ring for a near fall. Sheamus set up a White Noise on Reigns on the table. Reigns used a low blow to fight free and then gave him a Samoan Drop. Corbin went after Reigns, but Reigns threw Corbin into a ringpost. He speared Sheamus through the barricade at ringside next. Corbin jumped Reigns from behind. Jey recovered and dove at Corbin, but Corbin caught him and threw him into the table. Corbin went after Reigns, but Jey hit Corbin with the Universal Title belt. Reigns speared Corbin. Uso landed a top rope splash for the three count.
WINNERS: Uso & Reigns in 7:00.
-Afterward, Jey stood and was all smiles. He presented Reigns with his Universal Title belt, but stopped to admire it first. He tossed it to Reigns. Reigns caught it and shot Uso a smile. They hugged. Cole said they’re cousins and celebrating together. Graves said it’ll be a different picture a week from Sunday. Uso left and continued to clap and celebrate the win. Reigns stood in the ring with Heyman. Reigns’s smile turned into an ominous glare as Uso got further away.
(Keller’s Analysis: For a second there, it seemed Reigns turned babyface already! But that smile that turned to a glare was well done and gave off a sinister vibe right as the show ended.)
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