Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 9.25.18

Csonka’s WWE Smackdown Review 9.25.18

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Miz defeated R-Truth @ 11:45 via pin [**¾]
– Sheamus defeated Big E @ 6:45 via pin [**½]
– Asuka & Naomi defeated Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose @ 3:55 via pin [*½]
– Non-Title Match: Tye Dillinger defeated Champion Shinsuke Nakamura @ 2:10 via DQ [NR]
– Non-Title Match: Champion Becky Lynch defeated Lana @ 2:50 via submission [NR]

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– I did a column, “Where Are They Now, The Cruiserweight Classic Finals Performers” which you can check out at this link.

– You can check out my top 51 matches of AUGUST list at this link.

TRUTH TV: R-Truth & Carmella have taken over Miz TV ahead of tonight’s Mixed Match Challenge match with Miz & Asuka. They bring out Daniel Bryan as their guest. Truth busts out his reading glasses as he goes Inside The Actor’s Studio with his stack of question cards, and still confuses Carmella with Maryse. He’s glad she colored her hair so he’ll no longer be confused. Truth & Carmella take a mandatory 7-second dance break, and Bryan is corpsing, someone send for the man.

Hold that thought, @WWEDanielBryan.

Here on #TruthTV, we have mandatory DANCE BREAKS! @RonKillings @CarmellaWWE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/r48dRWnXx6

— WWE (@WWE) September 26, 2018

Bryan wants to be WWE champion once again, he has unfinished business with the championship as well as with the Miz. Bryan wants to prove that he’s the best, while Miz only wants to say he’s the best. Miz arrives and wants to know what Truth is doing. Truth reminds Miz that he beat him two weeks ago, and since he won, he took his talk show. Sound logic; I love Truth. Miz then tells Bryan that he fights fair and the people love him, but it’s also why he’ll never beat Miz. Miz will do anything it takes, and that’s why he’ll win again at upper Show-Down. Miz says he’ll do anything to get a WWE title shot, while Bryan keeps letting people down. If Bryan cheats, he’ll tarnish his name in doing so. Truth has had enough and bans Miz from Truth TV for life. Truth says if Miz wants his show back, he’ll fight him for it right now. DANCE BREAK! Miz meets with Paige and Paige is greatly amused. Paige makes the match. This was a tremendously fun opening segment that also played into the build for Miz vs. Bryan.

Miz vs. R-Truth: Carmella is at ringside while Bryan is out on commentary. Truth takes control with a shoulder tackle, and the cradles Miz for 2. Miz powders and then stuns Truth off the ropes. Back in and Truth cuts him off and covers for 2. Truth chases Miz to the floor and attacks, slamming him to the barricade. Back in and Truth lays in corner strikes until Miz cuts him off with a boot. Miz mocks Bryan, and lays in kicks on Truth as Bryan buries Miz’s technique. Miz hits the DDT for 2. Miz grounds the action, Truth fights to his feet but Miz counters and takes him back down. Truth works out and into a backslide for 2. Miz cuts him off with a knee strike. We go screen in screen as Miz covers for 2. He maintains control, but Truth manages another cradle until Miz cuts him off with the neck breaker combo. Miz maintains control, slowing the pace. Truth fires back with strikes, but Miz hits the corner clothesline and hits the double sledge off the ropes for 2. Miz now dumps Truth to the floor. Back to full screen, and look for a countout. Truth makes it back in and hits clotheslines and a leg lariat. The corner splash and stunner follows for 2. The spinning forearm connects and Truth covers for 2. Eye poke by Miz and the skull-crushing finale connects. Miz talks shit to Bryan, mocks Bryan and hits a busaiku knee for the win. Miz defeated R-Truth @ 11:45 via pin [**¾] This was pretty good and Miz winning made sense, but I will miss Truth TV.

– Becky attacked and kicked Charlotte’s ass during a photo shoot earlier today. She then demanded they take her picture standing over the fallen carcass of Charlotte.

– New Day comments about joking around too much, but they respect the Bar. They plan to say something nice while first making fun of Cesaro’s nipples and fact he looks like a Swiss Jason Statham. Sheamus cuts off the comedy routine and says all he wants to do is fight, and they will win the titles at Super Show-Down.

Big E vs. Sheamus: Cesaro, Kofi, & Woods are at ringside; Cesaro defeated Kofi last week. Shamus takes control right away but Big E takes him to the floor. They work to the apron and Big E hits the apron splash. Post break, and Big E starts hitting suplexes. Sheamus hits a head butt but runs into an STO for 2. Big E’s running splash eats knees, and Sheamus hits the powerslam for 2. Sheamus fires up and Big E counters the brogue kick into a powerbomb for 2. Big E drops the straps, but Shamus powders to the apron and cuts off the suicide spear. Sheamus counters the big ending into a brogue kick and Big E is done. Sheamus defeated Big E @ 6:45 via pin [**½] This was another solid back and forth match, with the Bar winning back to back singles matches to get momentum ahead of Super Show-Down.

– Paige lectures AJ not to destroy shit during the contract signing.

– Rusev & Lana meet backstage, and Rusev wants to get answers from Aiden tonight.

Rusev Wants Answers: Rusev and Lana arrive in the ring and Rusev discusses English’s betrayal, and it happened on Rusev Day. That makes him a traitor. But Rusev wants to know why he did it. English arrives and says he knows Rusev is angry, but it’s not his fault. English says no one cared about how great Rusev was until he came along. English saw potential in him, gave him purpose, and made him loved. English plays a video package, putting himself over as the real driving force behind Rusev. English says they were amazing together; they were destined to be legends, and what happened? “She” happened. This is all Lana’s fault. English shows another video to prove his point. Rusev isn’t buying it as English says they were better off without Lana round. Lana says she took Rusev to great heights way before he came along. English may be a glorified cheerleader, but he is the one using Rusev. English then says Lana may think she’s honest, but will she tell Rusev about that one night in Milwaukee. Well that was going along really well until they teased the one night stand angle. Hopefully, it’s just English being a dick and they don’t go too cliché with this.

– Maybe Rock knows something about this…

The Wisconsin Wheelbarrow pic.twitter.com/sJ6xoerLiY

— JJ Williams (@JJWilliamsWON) September 26, 2018

– Asuka & Naomi prepare for their tag match tonight.

– Lana is confused backstage, and Rusev says he believes her. Becky arrives and chimes in. She talks shit on Lana, and laughs about Milwaukee as Rusev wonders when the last time they were in Milwaukee.

– The Iiconics arrive, but Naomi & Asuka interrupt them.

Asuka & Naomi vs. Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose: The IIconics join commentary. Asuka and Rose to begin during the commercial screen in screen. Deville rushes in and spears Asuka, and that allows the heels to work double teams. Back to full screen, and Deville grounds Asuka. Asuka fights back, hits a German, and we get wholesale changes to Rose and Naomi. Naomi runs wild, hits a RANA and knee strike, and the leg drop follows but Deville breaks that up and then tags in. Deville hits a running knee strike as Asuka makes the save. She dumps Rose and hits as ass attack. Naomi hits the disaster kick, Asuka tags in and they deliver kicks, and Asuka pins Deville. Asuka & Naomi defeated Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose @ 3:55 via pin [*½] There wasn’t much to this, but the right team won ahead of Super Show-Down.

Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tye Dillinger: Tye attacks with chops and a big clothesline to begin. Nakamura fires back with kicks, and follows with knee strikes. Tye avoids Kinshasa, hits a superkick, and the frog splash for 2. Tye lays in corner strikes, but Randy Orton arrives for the DQ. Tye Dillinger defeated Champion Shinsuke Nakamura @ 2:10 via DQ [NR] Well… Randy Orton is still a dick.

– Orton kicks the shit out of Tye and hits the draping DDT to the floor. Nakamura then hits Kinshasa on Tye into the LED board.

– Lana prepares for her match and Rusev wishes her good luck and says he believes her. Lana is awful defensive here.

– Orton walks and is interviewed. He says he attacked Tye because that perfect 10 crap pisses him off.

Champion Becky Lynch vs. Lana: No entrance for Lana. Lynch grounds the action, and covers for 2. Lana fires back and lays in kicks. The bulldog follows for 2. Lynch powders to the floor. Lana follows and tosses Lana to the barricade. Back in and Lana rolls her up for 2. The head kick follows for 2. Lana to the ropes, Lynch cuts her off, and hits the XPLODER and the arm bar finishes it. Champion Becky Lynch defeated Lana @ 2:50 via submission [NR] Lana got a bit too much in for my liking, but the result was correct.

– Aiden English promises to produce proof of the Milwaukee incident next week.

Styles & Joe Sign a Contract: Paige is out to host out contract signing. She jokes that we all know how these contract signings go. Styles arrives and then Paige announces Joe. Joe doesn’t arrive and Styles runs down Joe for not showing up, noting that Joe will likely try to attack him from behind. Styles says Joe will be in Australia for their match, and Joe appears on the screen. Joe happens to be at Styles’ house. Joe says Styles is thousands of miles away, and says Styles must feel helpless, since there is nothing he can do about this. Joe tells Styles to call Wendy… but Joe says he won’t ruin the surprise and has a baby doll for little Annie. Joe says Styles knows his family is home right now, and he’s afraid. Joe says this is how Styles will feel when he loses the title in Australia. Styles stole the title from him and that demands consequences. Styles begs him not to go into the house, Joe rings the doorbell, and says Daddy’s home. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the segment. On one hand, Joe was excellent here, continuing his tremendous work as a sadistic asshole heel. But I honestly feel that the angle has become too much about the family portion of things and has drifted away from what it should be about, the WWE Title. But Joe continues to be so good on all of his promo stuff.

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This week’s episode of WWE Smackdown was a rock-solid show, with some Super Show-Down build, some fun from Truth & Miz to open the show, and a big angle underway with Lana, Rusev, & English.