Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 9.04.18

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 9.04.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Daniel Bryan defeated Andrade Almas @ 11:50 via pin [***½]
– Naomi defeated Peyton Royce @ 1:25 via pin [NR]
– Rusev & English defeated The Usos & Sanity @ 12:30 via pin [***]
– R-Truth defeated The Miz @ 7:22 via pin [**½]

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– Renee Young brings out Brie Bella & Daniel Bryan.

Brie & Bryan Kick Off The Show: Renee shows footage of Miz & Maryse laying Brie & Bryan outlast week. We then see video of Miz & Maryse calling out Brie & Bryan, before Smackdown, in an empty arena. Miz and Maryse walk off and claim Brie & Bryan are afraid. Bryan that’s a perfect example of who Miz & Maryse are as people. They attack from behind and call them out when no one is around. Bryan calls then cowards and Brie agrees. They aren’t here to talk, and they want a fight and they call out Miz & Maryse. Renee says that Miz & Maryse left earlier today. Zelina Vega & Andrade Almas arrive. Vega runs them down right away and then they mistakenly have Almas talk. He has a manager for a reason. Anyway, they want a match. This was fine, as it played off of last week’s angle and continues the build to the HIAC match, but please stop having Almas talk when that’s the exact reason Vega is with him.

Daniel Bryan vs. Andrade Almas: They lock up and Almas grounds things. Bryan quickly counters and starts working to his feet. Almas hits a shoulder tackle, but Bryan fights back and cuts him off, attacking the arm. Bryan takes control now, looks for the yes lock but Almas a makes the ropes. Almas then cuts off Bryan with a back elbow and locks on the hanging arm bar in the ropes and then knocks Bryan to the floor. Back in and Almas covers for 2. Almas misses a running knee strike and spills to the floor. Bryan looks for the apron knee strike but Alms hits the dropkick to stop that. Back in and Almas covers for 2. Bryan quickly dumps Almas to the floor and follows with a suicide dive. We go screen in screen, as they roll back in and start trading strikes. Almas takes control, working over Bryan in the corner. Bryan fires up, picks up the pace and hits a clothesline and corner dropkick. He lays in kicks and takes Almas up top and hits the RANA, but Almas rolls through and locks on an arm bar. Bryan fights and makes the ropes for the break. Back to full screen, and Almas heads up top, but Bryan crotches him and traps him in the tree of WHOA and follows with kicks and dropkicks. They work back up top, Almas knocks Bryan to the mat and the moonsault follows for 2. They now light each other up with kicks, Bryan starts to take control until Almas cradles Bryan into the buckles. The double knee charge follows, but Bryan counters the hammerlock DDT and hits a head kick. The busaiku knee finishes Almas. Daniel Bryan defeated Andrade Almas @ 11:50 via pin [***½] This was very good stuff, they work extremely well together. It sucks that Almas is such an afterthought on the main roster, but he continues to work hard and deliver.

– Brie fights off Vega post match as Miz & Maryse appear on the big screen. They have taken the night off for date. Miz tells them where they are eating before mocking Brie & Bryan.

– Brie & Bryan are leaving because they “want to grab some dinner” and hear of someplace that has an opening.

Becky Lynch & Charlotte Sound Off On Their Rivalry: This has been so heated that they have been separated into different locations for the interview. Charlotte says when she won the title she lost her best friend. She just took the opportunity given to her. Charlotte says she looks at Lynch as an equal, and she’s actually the one who knows about living in a shadow and all Lynch had to do is ask for a shot. Lynch doesn’t see it that way saying that she always had to prop up the queen but at HIAC, the title will come home with her no matter how many times she has to drop Charlotte where she stands. Charlotte says Lynch was never second-best in life but in the ring she is. This was a pretty good overall interview segment to hype the match, coming off way better than most WWE women’s promos, but at the same time it felt a bit rushed in its cadence.

– The IIconics arrive and make fun of Naomi.

Naomi vs. Peyton Royce: Naomi has already loss to both IIconics, so we’re running this one back again. Kay is out with Royce. Naomi attacks at the bell and beats on Royce until Royce fires back. Royce chokes her out in the ropes as Kay gets in a cheap shot. They both miss kicks but Naomi slides and takes out Kay and back in gets the sunset flip for the win. Naomi defeated Peyton Royce @ 1:25 via pin [NR] Well, Naomi finally got some revenge and found a friend; it was solid.

– Post break, the IIconics beat down Naomi until Asuka arrives and makes the save. Asuka runs wild and kicks their asses by herself and clears the ring before checking on Naomi.

– We get a video package on Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton, complete with Jeff narrating it.

– Paige is backstage and meets with Miz & Maryse. Miz says they cut their dinner short because the restaurant sucks. Paige tells them Brie & Bryan left, and books Miz against a mystery opponent. He threatens to leave and Paige says if he does to never come back.

– If you missed the announcement.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1037141462347997184

– R-Truth searches for Carmella and finds Maryse instead. Maryse calls Carmella trash and Miz interrupts. Miz runs him down as Truth still thinks Maryse is Carmella.

– Samoa Joe arrives and he has something to say. He immediately starts talking to Wendy Styles and says that Styles isn’t here. Last week he teased visiting the Styles family BBQ, and Wendy is now cradling Styles’ young daughter. But AJ is there, locked up and prepared for Joe’s arrival. But Joe says he’s not a monster. He is only keeping his promise, he’s keeping AJ home with his family. He made AJ actually care about his family and to look after them. Enjoy tonight, because after tonight, there will be more nights like this, at HIAC a bad man will do bad things to AJ and make him go “night-night.” AJ appears on the screen and says when you threaten another man’s family, that’s when the talking stops. Styles arrives in the arena. And charges the ring for the big brawl. Styles beats down Joe until they brawl to the floor and Joe slams him into the steps. Styles fights back and hits flying forearm. He gets a chair and swings and misses as Joe rolls away and refs arrive to separate them. Styles says fuck it and flies off the ropes onto Joe and the refs as Paige and more refs arrive to separate them. This was a good and simple segment to give AJ some revenge and to continue the build to the match.

– Truth still searches for Carmella and finds her. He asks Carmella if she’s seen Carmella, seriously. He wants a truce and asks her to accompany him to the ring since Miz will be bringing the other Carmella with him. Truth reveals Maryse called Carmella trash and Carmella is pissed. Poor Tye Dillinger has no idea what’s happening here.

– We get another Hardy vs. Orton video package, this time with Orton narrating.

Smackdown Tag Tournament Match: The Usos vs. Sanity (Dain & Young) vs. Rusev & Aiden English: The winners face The Bar next week for a shot at The New Day at HIAC. Lana & Wolfe are at ringside. They start off during the commercial break with Young and an Uso working until Rusev briefly tags in and then English tags in and he and Rusev take control. Back to full screen as the Uso cuts off English and tags the other Uso for some double teams and they get a cover for 2. Dain blind tags in and takes an Uso to the floor and lays him out. Sanity work some double teams and isolate Jey. They work quick tags, keeping the action in their corner. Dain follows with a fisherman’s buster, covering for 2. He then grounds things, just torturing Jey. Dain cuts off the tag and continues to keep things grounded. Jey fires up with strikes but runs into a Dain dropkick. Young hits an elbow drop to the floor onto Jey. Post break, and Jimmy & Young tag in and Jimmy runs wild. He hits the Samoan clambake and then Rusev tags in and he runs wild on Young. The machka kick takes out Wolfe but Young hits a neck breaker and Jey flies in with the splash on Rusev for 2. It breaks down and Jey hits a tope as Rusev tags himself in. Jey cuts off the Rusev suicide dive but English takes him out. Young rolls up Rusev for 2 as English makes the save. Machka kick to Young and it’s Rusev day in America again! Rusev & English defeated The Usos & Sanity @ 12:30 via pin [***] This was a good and fun tag match that never slowed and on top of that, gave us a happy Rusev day.

– The Bar comes out and stares down Rusev & English

– Mi & Maryse arrive and Miz shows footage of them kicking the shit out of Brie & Bryan last week. Miz wants to call them out but Maryse says they aren’t here so Miz calls Bryan a coward, especially for dragging Brie into this. Carmella and Truth arrive.

The Miz vs. R-Truth: Maryse & Carmella are at ringside. JIP and Truth is in control, hitting a leg drop and covering for 2. Truth follows with corner strikes and then follows with ground and pound. Miz finally cuts him off and hits the running kick for 2. Truth tries to fire back but Miz cuts him off with the neck breaker combo for 2. Miz now ground the action and then follows with kicks and a corner dropkick. The corner clothesline follows, Miz up top and hits the double sledge. Miz follows with the “IT” kicks, but Truth cradles him for 2. Truth follows with clotheslines and then the spinning forearm. The corner splash connects but Miz cuts him off with a DDT for 2. Miz backs off and runs into a spin kick from Truth and he covers for 2. Miz quickly fights back and chop blocks out the knee, but Truth counters the figure four into a small package for 2. Bryan & brie now arrive and distracts Miz, allowing Truth to roll him up for the win. R-Truth defeated The Miz @ 7:22 via pin [**½] This was a perfectly solid match, which was here to set up Truth & Carmella for MMC and to set up the post match angle and further build to the mixed tag at HIAC.

– Brie and Bryan run wild until Vega & Almas arrive and attack, allowing Miz & Maryse to escape. Brie and Bryan fight back and get YES locks as Miz & Maryse look on. Mia teases rushing the ring but thinks better of it.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

7.0

The final score: review Good

The 411

This week’s episode of WWE Smackdown was an overall good show, as they did a lot to build to Miz & Maryse vs. Bryan & Brie, had some good wrestling, and continued the Becky Lynch & Charlotte build and kept them apart. Naomi found a friend and that sets up a WWE SSD tag match, Joe and AJ had another good angle together to build to heir title match, Rusev & English moved on in the mini-tag title contender’s tournament and overall the show flew by.