wrestling / TV Reports

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 8.01.17

August 1, 2017 | Posted by Larry Csonka
WWE Smackdown John Cena Shinsuke Nakamura
7.5
The 411 Rating
Community Grade
12345678910
Your Grade
Loading...
Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 8.01.17  

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 8.01.17

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– US Title Match: US Title Match: Champion AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens @ 16:47 via pin [***½]
– Aiden English defeated Sami Zayn @ 1:57 via pin [NR]
– Naomi and Becky Lynch defeated Carmella and Natalya @ 5:00 via submission [**]
– Rusev defeated Chad Gable @ 9:25 via submission [***¼]
– For a Shot at The WWE Title at Summerslam: Shinsuke Nakamura defeated John Cena @ 13:23 via pin [***¾]

– We get highlights from last week’s show.

– And we’re kicking off with the US Title match.

US Title Match: Champion AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens: Owens looks to overpower and ground Styles to begin. Styles picks up the pace, but misses the dropkick and is sent to the floor. Owens follows and hits a clothesline to take Styles down. We take a commercial break. Post break, Owens remains in control until Styles finally cuts him off with the dropkick. Styles follows with strikes and then lays in kicks. Styles then hits the knee drop and covers for 2. A suplex follows for another 2. They trade chops and strikes, Styles then lays the boots to Owens in the corner. Owens runs into the boot, but rolls out of the way of the springboard attack. Owens to the floor but Styles hits s slingshot forearm smash. But as Styles looked to continue his attack, he gets sent to the barricade and Owens follows with a cannonball. We go to screen in screen commercial break, with Owens taking Styles into the ring. Owens grounds Styles, working the heat. Styles tries to battle back, but runs into a big backdrop. Styles to the apron, Owens tries to suplex him back in and does after Styles fights for a bit. Owens grounds Styles with the side headlock, and we’re back to full screen as Styles counters and hits a lariat. The corner clothesline and ushigoroshi follows for 2. Owens fights off the clash, sends Styles to the apron and Owens again avoids the springboard and hits a superkick fo2 a good near fall. Styles then rolls into the calf crusher, but Owens escapes with a head butt. Styles misses a charge, but counters the package side slam, and hits the PELE. Owens fights off the clash, but Styles rolls into the calf crusher again. Owens teases tapping, and makes the ropes. Owens then hits a pair of superkicks, looks for the big right but we get a ref bump. Superkick by Owens, but Styles counters the pop up powerbomb into a cradle for the win. Owens argues with the ref that he had a shoulder up, with commentary playing up that the ref couldn’t see after getting hit. US Title Match: Champion AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens @ 16:47 via pin [***½] This was a very good match overall, but I was not a huge fan of the disputed finish to likely get us to another rematch. It feels like they got a bit too cute there, but I really enjoyed the match.

– The ref gets checked on, and Shane and Bryan meet with him and say he made a big mistake. Owens arrives and rants at them, claiming that he was robbed. Shane says the decision stands and Owens shouldn’t have put his hands on the referee. Shane gives Owens a rematch at Summerslam. Owens demands a good ref for the match, so Bryan makes Shane the ref for the match. And that’s how we’ll get to the Shane vs. Owens match.

– We get highlights of The Usos kicking the shit out of New Day last week.

– The Usos arrive, doing the New Day style intro. They make fun of the New Day for riding a bicycle and talking about each other’s pop cycles. They took New Day to the Uso penitentiary last week. They can keep the ice cream, unicorns and socks, but they are stealing their catch phrase… “U..sos rock. U…sos rock.”

– We now get a “Fashion Peaks” segment, playing off of Twin Peaks now. With Fandango missing, Breeze is on his own. The bulletin board again kicks ass. He fears extraterrestrials may have taken Fandango. The lights flicker and Fandango is back along with the Ascension. Things get freaky and Breeze wakes up, it was all a dream. Now says he knows who kidnapped Fandango… to be continued…

Sami Zayn vs. Aiden English: English does his singing intro. Zayn & Dillinger beat Kanellis & English last week. Not a good sign for Mike Kanellis that he lost last week and on the PPV before hand and English gets the singles match here. They work a solid back and forth to begin, and then Sami picks up the pace and grounds English, but English cradles him for… the win. Aiden English defeated Sami Zayn @ 1:57 via pin [NR] The action was clean for the time given, and it appears that they may be actually giving English a bit of a push. No a big fan of the sub two-minute loss here, I would have actually had them work a short competitive match. I have no idea why they haven’t tried to run with Sami as a big underdog babyface, he’s so good in the role. If feels as if they have no idea how to use him.

– Post match, Mike & Maria arrive to make fun of Sami losing.

photo Sami20Zayn20WWE20Smackdown208.01.17_zpsxjiynuiw.jpg

Naomi and Becky Lynch vs. Carmella and Natalya: Becky and Natalya to begin. Becky takes control and works Natalya to the ropes. Becky fires back with kicks, float over in the corner and grounds Natalya and tags Naomi in, who hits a sunset flip and they work some double teams, with Naomi getting a near fall. Carmella tags in and talks trash, so Naomi works leg kicks, but Carmella cuts her off with a slap. Naomi hits a dropkick, and then fights off Natalya, but the distraction allows Carmella to take control. Natalya tags in and they work some double teams, with Natalya covering for 2. Naomi tries to fight for the tag, but Natalya cuts her off and locks in the sharp shooter. Naomi fights for the ropes, but Natalya pulls her back. Naomi makes the ropes and Carmella tags in and locks in her code of silence, but Naomi counters into her neck crank submission as Becky takes out Natalya. Carmella taps. Naomi and Becky Lynch defeated Carmella and Natalya @ 5:00 via submission [**] This was ok.

– Renee interviews Jinder Mahal. He doesn’t care who wins tonight, because he will leave Summerslam as champion. When he walks down the streets he feels the xenophobia, but all he does is defeat their heroes and he is WWE champion, and no one can end his reign.

Chad Gable vs. Rusev: Looks like Gable kept the American Alpha music in the split. Rusev looks to use his power early, easily avoiding takedowns and tossing Gable aside. Gable works for a takedown, but Rusev makes the ropes. Rusev then tosses Gable to the floor, but Gable is right back in and drags Rusev to the mat. Gable then starts to pick apart the leg, but Rusev cuts him off with a knee strike and suplex. We go to the screen in screen commercial, as Rusev works over Gable in the corner. Rusev works the heat, keeping Gable grounded and then working a bear hug. Rusev then slams Gable down, and misses the head butt as Gable rolled out of the way. Back to full screen and Gable hits an overhead belly to belly and rolls into another. Rusev fights off the third with head butts, but Gable hits the German for 2. Gable up top now, but Rusev is up and tries to cut him off, Gable backflips into the ring, avoids the charge and hits the moonsault for a great near fall. Gable sets, and looks for the chaos theory but Rusev escapes and hits the superkick for 2. Rusev fires up and looks for the accolade, but Gable counters out and applies the ankle lock! Rusev fights, and kicks Gable to the floor. Gable back in and eats a superkick, and Rusev applies the accolade and Gable has to tap. Rusev defeated Chad Gable @ 9:25 via submission [***¼] This was a good and fun effort, Gable looked great, even in loss, and the match felt really fresh and different than the usual WWE match. Rusev needed the win after the shit match and loss to Cena at Battleground.

– Post match, Rusev says he was promised competition. Cena may have waved his flag at Battleground, but he didn’t beat him. Everyone is afraid of Rusev and he has no opponent for Summerslam. Randy Orton’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. Orton circles the ring and then says Rusev shouldn’t want him to get in the ring. Rusev backs off and allows Orton to get into the ring. Orton says Rusev has never beaten him and he’s not afraid of Rusev either, and he’ll be his opponent at Summerslam. Rusev rants in Bulgarian, so Orton lays him out with the RKO.

– Mahal and the Singh brothers (selling their injuries with neck braces & shoulder braces) watch on from a skybox.

For a Shot at The WWE Title at Summerslam: John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura: I’m not going to lie, I am really excited for this, it’s one of those matches I thought for the longest time I’d never see. I really hope they deliver here. They work to the corner and Nakamura messes around, playing some mind games with Cena. They work a slow and methodical beginning, but Nakamura with some flashy counters and challenges Cena to bring it. Nakamura lays in leg kicks and takes Cena to the corner, hitting good vibrations. Cena fires back with clubbing strikes and slams Nakamura down, and works a chinlock as we take a break. Post break, Nakamura starts o block Cena’s strikes and hits the head kick, taking Cena down. Nakamura kips up and lays in more kicks to the body of Cena. Nakamura takes him to the corner and hits the running knee strike and covers for 2. Cena makes the comeback, playing the hits but Nakamura counters the five-knuckle shuffle into a triangle. Cena powers out, but Nakamura fights off the AA and hits a gourd buster. Nakamura charges, but the Kinshasa is countered into an STF by Cena. Nakamura quickly transitions to the arm bar. Cena escapes and turns Nakamura inside out with a lariat. Nakamura fires up, hits a knee and then Cena counters the Kinshasa and hits the AA but Nakamura kicks out at 2. That was a good near fall and great crowd reaction for it. Nakamura counters another AA into a guillotine, but Cena hercs him up into the AA, rolls through into another, but Nakamura counters out and hits the reverse XPLODER ON CENA’S DOME. The KINSHASA connects, and Nakamura wins! Shinsuke Nakamura defeated John Cena @ 13:23 via pin [***¾] This was a very good main event, which I felt was just a little bit better than the opener, which was also very good. They worked really hard, had a great crowd and it felt as if Cena did his best to make this a big moment for Nakamura and I felt that it came off that way.

– Post match they shake hands and Cena raises Nakamura’s hand before bowing to him.

– Next week, Naomi faces Carmella.

– End scene.

– Thanks for reading.

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

7.5
The final score: review Good
The 411
Back to back strong weeks for the blue brand, which feels as if it’s starting to get it’s groove back. They did a good job of also continuing to set up Summerslam, with Nakamura vs. Mahal, Orton vs. Rusev, Styles vs. Owens all being set as well as continuing the tease for Shane vs. Owens. It was another enjoyable show.
legend

More Trending Stories

article topics :

Smackdown, Tremendous Tirades, WWE, Larry Csonka

More Stories

loading