Csonka’s Smackdown Review 12.13.16

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 12.13.16

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Carmella defeated Natalya @ 9:01 via pin [*½]
– #1 Contender’s Tag Team Battle Royal: The Hype Bros won @ 13:36 [**½]
– Smackdown Women’s Title Match: Becky Lynch defeated Champion Alexa Bliss @ 4:40 via countout [**]
– Elimination Rules #1 Contender’s Match: Dolph Ziggler defeated The Miz, Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose @ 19:35 via pin [***½]

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– We get highlights from last week’s show, featuring Ambrose losing to Miz, after Maryse & Ellsworth got involved. James Ellsworth, Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon talk backstage. Ellsworth has a cold and is sneezing; he’s very ill but still wants to compete tonight. Bryan sends him home and postpones his title shot. The old bait and switch, last week was understandable due to AJ’s injury, but they promoted the title match again for tonight and then did that bullshit.

Miz TV: AJ Styles is the guest. Miz asks about the match with Ellsworth and then compliment each other. Styles then reminded us he beat Cena and Ambrose and says there is no one else to face, noting that he’s the most prestigious champion on Smackdown. Miz takes some issue with this, noting that he took the IC Title to legendary status and that he was above Styles’ level and teased making the WWE Title legendary. Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler interrupt, the Miz lays out Ziggler with the Skull Crushing Finale. Ambrose Then hits Dirty Deeds on Ziggler. Styles bailed. Luke Harper then arrives, because he’s had enough of this bullshit, taking out Ambrose. Looks like Miz vs. Ambrose vs. Ziggler vs. Harper tonight. Fun opening segment, tying feuds together and likely setting up a four-way for later. I’d be all in on Styles vs. Harper.

– Bryan and Shane book the four-way for tonight, and the winner gets a title shot on December 27th,

Carmella vs. Natalya: Nikki Bella is on commentary. Before the match, Natalya says she did not attack Nikki at Survivor Series. Natalya takes Carmella down right away and beats on Carmella. She bails to the floor and slaps Natalya. Back in and we go to a commercial break. Post break, Natalya works over Carmella with rights and suplexes as she insists Carmella is a liar. Carmella fights back and hits a RANA, and then yells at Natalya. Broncobuster by Carmella, and the cover gets 2. Carmella then works a body scissors; Natalya escapes and works a bear hug. Natalya then hits the Michinoku driver, but Carmella fights off the sharp shooter. They go to the floor, Nikki and Natalya argue. Back in now, Natalya yells at Nikki and gets rolled up and Carmella wins. Carmella defeated Natalya @ 9:01 via pin [*½ ] I appreciate them playing into the story, but there was too much down time and not enough actual match.

– We get a video package of Cena on SNL. Cena returns to Smackdown in two weeks.

– Gabriel Iglesias arrives; Maryse shuts him up and makes fun of his shirt.

#1 Contender’s Tag Team Battle Royal: Heath Slater & Rhyno, American Alpha, The Hype Bros, FaBreeze, The Vaudevillains, and The Ascension will compete. The Usos aren’t here, because one of them has a bad wheel. A team is eliminated when both members are sent to the floor. After a commercial, everyone is in the ring and here we go. Gotch was eliminated right away and all involved had a good time. It broke down into the big brawl right away and got very slow, with not much happening. Slater & Rhyno seemingly put their issues aside, Viktor and Gable get tossed, and then Slater accidentally eliminated Rhyno, better get out the cheese and crackers Heath, you got some S’plainin to do. Post break, the mass brawl continued. English, Mojo and Fandango got eliminated, Slater kept fighting, looking o make it up to Rhyno by winning. Jordan got a great fire up spot; just tossing fools around, but breeze eliminated him. Slater kept surviving and fighting back, but then got tossed by Konnor. Ryder outlasted Breeze and Konnor, Breeze and Konnor worked together, it didn’t last long and Konnor eliminated Breeze, Ryder then eliminated Konnor for the win. The Hype Bros won @ 13:36 [**½] The Hype Bros will play the role of sacrificial baby faces of the week, which is fine. They get a good reaction, and will have a fine match with Orton and Wyatt. They also continued the break up of Slater and Rhyno. They also followed up on last week’s Breeze vs. Gable match with Breeze tossing Jordan, which should lead to a fun short-term feud. I liked the booking, but the match was largely clunky and didn’t flow all that well.

– Alexa Bliss refuses to face off with a local competitor (Deonna Purrazzo) and attacks her. Becky Lynch wants her rematch, since they are both in their ring gear; Bliss refused because it wasn’t on her terms, so Shane books it for tonight. Bliss is a spectacular bitch (I mean that as a compliment).

Becky Lynch defeated Champion Alexa Bliss: Bliss basically ran for her life, Lynch looked for the arm bar but Bliss stayed away. Lynch outwrestled her, Bliss played defense and then Lynch hit corner kicks. Bliss cut her off with a kick to the gut, and then missed the double knees and Lynch covered for 2; Lynch fired up with dropkicks, hit the corner forearm and teased the arm bar. Bliss took a walk, because she didn’t have time for this shit. It’s better to run away today so you can run away another day. Bliss faked an ankle injury and accepted the count out loss, but of course retained. Becky Lynch defeated Champion Alexa Bliss @ 4:40 via countout [**] I liked what they did there before doing the heel walk out finish.

– Lynch attacked post match, laying the boots to Bliss in the ring. I would assume they do the proper rematch in two-weeks along with the WWE Title Match and Cena’s return.

Elimination Rules Match: The Miz vs. Luke Harper vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler: AJ Styles is on commentary. Harper attacked at the bell and was kicking all the asses. They worked a good pace; Miz worked over Ziggler with Daniel Bryan spots while Harper destroyed Ambrose with a big boot on the floor. Harper then took the heat on Ziggler, and then returned to the floor to abuse Ambrose more. Harper used a torture rack on Ziggler, Ambrose broke it up and ran wild; Miz slid in and tried to steal a pin, but Ambrose rolled him up and eliminated him (which should allow them to continue their feud). Ziggler and Ambrose worked back and forth; Ambrose hit a catatonic into a back breaker and then applied the Regal stretch. Ambrose then went up top, Ziggler ran up top but Harper grabbed him, it broke down and they traded pinning attempts, with Ambrose and Ziggler colliding for a double down. Harper then ran wild, hitting the sitout powerbomb and scores the near fall. Ambrose then hit dirty deeds on Harper and eliminated him. Ziggler and Ambrose went back and forth, brawling to the apron and posting Ziggler. Back in the ring and Ambrose up top, Ziggler cuts him off and hits the x-factor off the top for the near fall. They did another double down, Miz returned to distract Ziggler, suicide dive by Ambrose and he then rolls Ziggler back in. Miz grabs Ambrose’s foot, Ziggler hits the superkick and pins Ambrose. Dolph Ziggler defeated The Miz, Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose @ 19:35 via pin [***½] This was an overall good match, but lacked down the stretch. They set up Styles vs. Ziggler and added to Ambrose vs. Miz. I just was waiting for thdm to really hit the next gear down the stretch, and they never did.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.8

The final score: review Average

The 411

Pretty good show tonight, they set some things in motion for the show in two weeks, crowned new tag title contenders and did a solid job of following up on last week’s show. It was far from a must see show, but was easy to watch.