wrestling / TV Reports

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 7.10.18

July 10, 2018 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Team Hell No WWE Smackdown 62618 Image Credit: WWE
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Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 7.10.18  

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 7.10.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
Non-Title Match: Champion AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura @ 15:55 via DQ [***¼]
– Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev defeated Jeff Hardy & AJ Styles @ 5:30 via pin [**½]
Lumberjack Match: Asuka defeated James Ellsworth @ 3:27 via submission [DUD]
– Andrade Almas defeated Sin Cara @ 5:58 via pin [**¾]
– Kane, Bryan, Kofi, Big E, & Woods defeated Young, Fain, Wolfe, Harper, & Rowan @ 16:40 via pin [***]


– Follow all of my reviews at this link.

– You can check out my Mae Young Classic II wish list at this link.

– You can checkout my top 40 matches of June column at this link.

Miz TV With Team Hell No: Miz welcomes us to the show and of course hypes Miz & Mrs, debuting on the 24th. He then brings out Kane & Bryan, Team Hell No. Miz brings up beating Bryan in the gauntlet a few weeks back, but asks Bryan to be professional here tonight. After some urging from Kane, Bryan promises to be professional. Miz then discusses Team Hell No’s history and praises their run and says he never thought he’d see them back together, like NSYNC; Kane says they will never reunite, because “JT is a too big a star.” Miz questions if they are ready for the Bludgeon Brothers, and Kane says that no one can beat them when they are unified, leading to Miz running a video package, which of course features the team’s negative history, because Miz is a proper dick. He apologizes for the wrong video running, but since it did air, he asks about their past issues. Bryan stops him and says he knows what Miz is doing, but it’s not working. Bryan says Miz is terrible at everything. Bryan says the only thing Miz is worse at than stirring the pot is wrestling. Miz says he knows Kane will betray Bryan and Bryan will fall for it again. Miz wants to end Bryan’s career, but Bryan is hiding behind a nostalgia act, because Bryan can’t hang with him. Kane calms Bryan, and Miz calls Kane a broken down demon. Kane goozles him but the Bludgeons arrive. Sanity now arrives and hit the ring, beating down hell No. The Bludgeons join in and it’s a big old brawl. New Day makes the save and get revenge for last week on Sanity. Sanity & The Bludgeons take control and stand tall. Miz of course escaped. Are we about to Teddy Long this bitch? This was a good and fun opening segment, keeping Bryan vs. Miz brewing, and also adding to the build for two PPV tag matches.

– Tonight’s main event is Kane, Bryan, Kofi, Big E, & Woods vs. Young, Fain, Wolfe, Harper, & Rowan.

WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: Rusev & English arrive to take in the festivities; Rusev promises to win the title on Sunday and to celebrate on Rusev Day. Nakamura attacks at the bell, but Styles cuts him off with a dropkick. We go screen in screen as Nakamura powders to the floor. Styles brings him back in and Nakamura powders again and they brawl on the floor. Back in and Nakamura lays in knee strikes. Styles fights off a suplex, but Nakamura lays in more knee strikes. Styles battles back and hits a suplex, and follows with a back breaker. He whips Nakamura to the buckles and hits a knee drop. Styles grounds things, working a neck crank. Nakamura counters out and lays in rights and knee strikes. Back to full screen and Nakamura cuts off the springboard and takes Styles to the floor, and slams Styles to the barricade. Back in and Nakamura covers for 1. Nakamura grounds things, Styles fights to his feet and lays in rights but Nakamura cuts him off with kicks and backs of, the Kinshasa is countered into a cradle for 2. Enziguri by Styles, but Nakamura cuts him off with corner knee strikes and takes control back. Nakamura hits a powerslam and covers for 2. Nakamura follows with more kicks, and again covers for 2. Post break, and Styles is firing up with strikes and chops. The clothesline follows and then the corner forearm. Styles then hits an ushigoroshi and that gets 2. Styles looks for the clash, Nakamura fights, kicks his way out and locks on a triangle. Styles powers up and stacks Nakamura into a pinning combo for 2. Styles counters the reverse XPLODER, dumps Nakamura and hits the slingshot forearm to the floor. English yells at Styles, Styles lays him out and Nakamura then lays out Styles. Nakamura ends up taking out English, Styles posts him and rolls him back in. Rusev attacks Styles and that’s a DQ. Champion AJ Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura @ 15:55 via DQ [***¼] This was a good match and a fine way to use a DQ finish as neither man should have been losing in a singles match ahead of the PPV.

– Post match, Hardy arrives and saves Styles and takes out Rusev & Nakamura. Paige arrives and makes a double Teddy Long and another tag match for right now.

Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev vs. Jeff Hardy & AJ Styles: JIP as Styles and Rusev trade strikes and Rusev takes Styles down, covering for 2. Rusev works a bear hug, Styles escapes, but Rusev hits a slam and follows with a suplex. Rusev goes back to the bear hug, but Styles escapes. Rusev then posts himself, and Styles tags in Jeff. Jeff runs wild and works through his signature offense, and picks up a cover for 2. Whisper in the wind connects and that gets 2 until Nakamura makes the save. Styles takes out Nakamura, but Rusev hits the matchka kick. Jeff hits him with a twist of fate and heads up top. Nakamura crotches him, and Rusev hits the matchka kick for the win on Jeff. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev defeated Jeff Hardy & AJ Styles @ 5:30 via pin [**½] This was a solid tag match, with Rusev winning to get more momentum and also adding to the build for two PPV matches.

Lumberjack Match: James Ellsworth vs. Askua: The Smackdown women’s roster, minus Charlotte, surround the ring. Ellsworth takes off his shirt and tells the ladies to try and show some restraint. He says none of them are ready for Asuka, but he is. Ellsworth tries to run, but gets tossed back in. Asuka now lays in kick and ass attacks him to the floor. Ellsworth is tossed back in and Asuka lights him up with strikes, and hits a sliding kick. Ellsworth to the floor again, he begs off and the lumberjacks end up predictably fighting. Becky attacks Ellsworth, Naomi joins in and they carry him back to the ring. The ladies brawl on the floor until Asuka wipes them out with a high cross. Back in and Carmella gives Ellsworth hair spray, but Asuka fights him off. Ellsworth accidentally knocks Carmella to the floor and Asuka taps out Ellsworth with the Asuka lock. Asuka defeated James Ellsworth @ 3:27 via submission [DUD] This was horrible, it wasn’t entertaining or even amusing. This poor program just continues on and I have no idea why. I’m already done with Ellsworth, and Carmella as champion.

– Post match, Carmella blinds Asuka and lays her out again.

– Team Hell No & New Day meet backstage. Kane suggests they set their opponents on fire and send them to hell. He and Bryan then debate the logistics of this happening, leading to a yes/no argument. Big E breaks it u and tells Xavier to come up with a plan, Kofi to run around like the flash, tells Bryan to become a goat faced killer, and then asks Kane if he’s with them. Kane gives his word that they will win this battle, quoting NSYNC.

– Paige meets with Carmella & Ellsworth. Paige now says that Ellsworth will be in a shark cage at Extreme Rules.

Andrade Almas vs. Sin Cara: Zelina Vega is out with Almas. Almas is finally back on TV in a match they have been teasing for weeks. They trade strikes and Almas follow with chops. Cara fights back with head scissors and a suicide dive. Back in and Almas cuts him off with a draping reverse DDT. We go screen in screen as Almas and Vega practice their tranquilo. Back in and Almas works the hanging arm bar in the ropes, and then locks on an arm hold back in the ring. Cara fights out, and they trade strikes. Back to full screen, and Cara hits a springboard high cross and then a moonsault press. Cara then hits a head scissors into a destroyer variation for a good near fall. Almas quickly cuts him off with the spinning back elbow but Cara gets a roll up for 2. Cara dumps Almas to the floor, and follows with a slingshot RANA to the floor. Back in and Cara up top but eats knee son the splash. Almas up top and gets crotched, Cara follows him up and Almas knocks him into the tree of WHOA and hits the double stomp. The double knees connect for the win. Andrade Almas defeated Sin Cara @ 5:58 via pin [**¾] This was a pretty good little sprint, Cara gave Almas more than expected, but Almas came out on top and hopefully we can get him on TV regularly and into a notable program moving forward.

– Sanity cuts a promo before the main event, the Bludgeons arrive and look scary, before promising bludgeoning. Looks like the advertised Samoa Joe vs. Tye Dillinger match was dropped this week.

Kane, Bryan, Kofi, Big E, & Woods vs. Young, Fain, Wolfe, Harper, & Rowan: The bell rings and EVERYONE FIGHT EVERYONE! Post break, and New Day is working double teams and quick tags as they work over Wolfe and Big E covers for 2. Woods maintains control, and hits a big boot, and covers for 2. He takes out EY, but that allows Wolfe to hit a German. Rowan tags in and hits a back breaker and slam on Woods. Harper in and he maintains control, hitting the gator roll. He grounds things, isolating Woods and then follows with a slam. Dain tags himself in and he continues to work over Woods. Woods fights to his feet, tries to fight off the heels but Dain cuts him off and hits the big lad senton. Post break, and the heels are still working over Woods. Woods hits a desperation jawbreaker, but is immediately cut off. The Bludgeons work double teams and new Day makes the save, it breaks down and Woods hits a tornado DDT. EY tags in as does Bryan. Bryan runs wild and hits corner dropkicks. He takes EY up top and hits the RANA. Bryan lays in kicks on EY, and then gets the YES lock until Wolfe makes the save. Kane chokeslams him and it continues to break down into the big move buffet. Kofi hits an assisted dive and Big E now brawls with Dain and hits the suicide spear to the floor. Bryan hits the busaiku knee on EY and that’s that. Kane, Bryan, Kofi, Big E, & Woods defeated Young, Fain, Wolfe, Harper, & Rowan @ 16:40 via pin [***] This was an overall good and energetic main event, adding to the build for two tag matches on the PPV.

– Bryan summons all of his powers and sets off Kane’s pyro to close the show.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

 photo fe36ffd0-0da4-4e3b-a2d3-b026b341dd87_zps41ef5d61.jpg
“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.0
The final score: review Good
The 411
I thought that tonight’s episode of WWE Smackdown was an overall good and focused show. The Ellsworth stuff I found completely horrible and impossible to care about, but the rest of the show was almost completely focused on building to and adding to the build for Sunday’s PPV. We had some good wrestling, people picking up momentum and hell, Almas even got on TV working a fun little sprint with Sin Cara.
legend