wrestling / TV Reports
Winfree’s WWE Smackdown Review 10.25.24
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...It’s time for another episode of WWE Smackdown. Smackdown has been in a little bit of a rut lately, I imagine the injury to AJ Styles prompted a few plans being shifted but still the last couple of weeks have felt like a bit of a down turn. Tonight there are two major matches that could help carry things, a number one contenders match for the tag team titles where DIY of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa take on the recently debuted Motor City Machine Guns of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin as well as the seventh bout between Carmelo Hayes and Andrade but with the added wrinkle of US champion LA Knight as the guest referee. DIY and the Guns has a lot of potential, and Hayes and Andrade have been delivering good to great TV matches for a while now. We’re also getting a face to face between Cody Rhodes and Gunther before their clash for Saudi Blood Money Belt, and let’s face it that silly belt is probably winding up on Goldberg somehow anyway. Jacob Fatu picked a fight with Jey Uso on RAW, which might incentivize Jey to be here and start mending fences with Roman Reigns and Jimmy. Roman offered a bit of an olive branch to Jey last week but Roman still is kind of the same guy he was as champion and his character growth is what will ultimately facilitate that reconciliation. Randy Orton wants to get his hands on Kevin Owens but will need to pull strings with his old buddy Triple H to pull that off, Candice LeRae looked to buddy up with Nia Jax last week since Tiffany Stratton was absent, still no sign of Shinsuke Nakamura and if Grayson Waller and Austin Theory are going to actually split they need to get on that. Anyway that’s the preamble so let’s get to the action.
We see various people arrive for the show.
Next we see Randy Orton walking in the back then he heads to the ring but stops at gorilla to talk with Triple H. We can’t hear what is said but they do exchange words before Randy heads to the ring. Randy gets a mic and says he’s trying to get his hands on Kevin Owens at Crown Jewel, but for some reason Owens is off limits. Nick Aldis couldn’t make a match last week, so Randy needs to talk with Triple H and asks him down here to explain why it looks like he’s protecting Owens from Randy. Trips does head to the entrance stage with a mic and talks on his way to the ring, he’d have preferred to do this in private but since Randy never shows up on time they can do this now. Trips isn’t protecting anyone, he’s trying to do his job. Randy knows Trips has a soft spot for Owens, and Trips just says the match isn’t going to happen. Randy wants confirmation that Trips is protecting Owens, Trips says he’s protecting Randy. That seems to bother Randy. Trips says he’s known both of them since they got here, Owens has only ever cared about business and money, he’s never had a friend he’s only had people who weren’t in his way. But now, for whatever reason, Owens let his guard down and trusted Randy and Cody Rhodes. He doesn’t know why, but in his mind now for the first time someone turned on Owens instead of the other way around. Trips says there’s something disconnected in Owens now, and frankly he doesn’t want to put them in the ring together. Trips brings up Randy being on the self for 18 months to fix his back, and he doesn’t want to risk that and see Randy back on the shelf. Randy says that wont happen and says he didn’t ask for Paul Levesque, or the CCO of the billion dollar company, he wanted the Cerebral Assassin, the man who knocked down his front door with a sledgehammer and beat him down on his own front lawn. That’s who he wants to hear him out, to understand his position. This isn’t Randy being impulsive, he knows what’s on the line here, and knows Trips knows what it’s like to lose all of this in the blink of an eye. But Randy wants to handle business in this ring, he wants Owens at Crown Jewel. Trips is a little flustered as a “let them fight” chant breaks out, and after some consideration he hopes we all know what we’re asking for with this and then makes the match. But Randy, protect yourself at all times. Decent opening segment, and hinting at a new wrinkle in the character of Owens which is probably overdue.
We get a recap of the Andrade and Carmelo Hayes series of matches which hypes of their seventh match. After that LA Knight heads to the ring in his ref shirt. That match will be up after this break.
Post break here comes Andrade followed by Carmelo Hayes.
Match #1 – Special guest referee LA Knight: Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes
Immediate spinning elbow from Andrade gets a 2 count. Knight is still wearing his sunglasses and leather vest as well as the US title belt. Andrade with corner work to Hayes, then Hayes turns it around and both men wind up running a foul of Knight for their loose following of the rules. Andrade shoves Hayes over the top rope but when he sets to dive Knight gets in the way and demands Hayes get in the ring while counting him, then Andrade just dives over Knight and onto Hayes to send us to picture in picture.
We get some brawling on the floor, with Hayes able to take momentum by throwing Andrade into the barricade. Back in the ring Hayes starts working a chin lock. Eventually Andrade fights free and they trade strikes then Andrade hits a Dragon Screw and flying forearm to put both men down. Andrade sets for the corner knees but Hayes avoids them then they hit the weird Spanish Fly spot and both men are down. The crowd is chanting “yeah” along with Knight’s count when they’re down. They trade strikes then Hayes with La Mistica slam for a 2 count. Andrade blocks a suplex then tries the Message but Hayes avoids it only to eat a Canadian Destroyer. Corner knees from Andrade but only a near fall. Hayes with a roll up but Knight wasn’t aware as Hayes had tossed Andrade into him. A miscommunication makes Hayes superkick Knight. Andrade with the 3 Amigos but only gets 2 before Hayes hits the Black Crush and Knight pulls Hayes out of the ring then tosses him into the announce table. Andrade takes exception to that and attacks Knight but only eats a Blunt Force Trauma. A Blunt Force Trauma for Hayes as well and Knight then rings the bell.
OFFICIAL RESULT: No Contest at 9:47
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: What a shame, these two are very good together but this felt like a bit of a cop out booking wise to prevent either man from taking the loss. Logically this leads to a triple threat for the US title but I still have to imagine that Hayes was supposed to be working a longer program with AJ.
Knight gets a mic and says he’s the real winner and still US champion.
In the back Tiffany Stratton is here and offers to take out Bayley tonight for Nia Jax but Jax already has Candice LeRae on it. Again I’m baffled by the decision to make Tiffany this kind of character. After this break we’ll get Bayley and Candice LeRae one on one.
LA Knight walks in the back and finds Nick Aldis. They argue and Aldis says if Knight wants to be the center of attention Knight can defend the US title against both Hayes and Andrade at Crown Jewel. That tracks.
To the ring and here comes Naomi.
Match #2: Naomi vs. Candice LeRae w/ Indi Hartwell
Candice works to out wrestle Naomi early then lands a few strikes before trying to work the arm of Naomi. Naomi counters an arm wringer and kicks Candice in the face. Some covers from Candice then Naomi lands a mule kick and a scissors kick for a 2 count. Bulldog into the corner from Naomi then she heads up top but Candice heads to the apron. They wind up on the apron and Candice with a modified Flatliner on the apron as we head to break.
Candice is in control as we come back and hits a leg drop to the back of the neck for a 2 count. Naomi pushes things into a corner then sort of lands a scorpion kick but Candice pulls her down by the hair. The crowd is pretty dead for this. Some neck work from Candice but Naomi fights up and slings her through the ropes to the apron. Naomi with a kick then a Heatseeker to put both women down. Dropkick from Naomi as she starts her comeback sequence including a bulldog and springboard kick to the head. Candice avoids a corner bulldog then hits a neckbreaker through the ropes to send Naomi out of the ring. Naomi blocks a suicide dive with a head kick then Indi with a cheap shot but here’s Bayley to even the odds. Bayley attacks Indi on the entrance ramp allowing Naomi to hit the Bubba Bomb into the Gannosuke Clutch and get the pin.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Naomi won in 8:51
Rating: 2 stars
Thoughts: Fine enough match but the crowd never really bought into Candice and Naomi’s offense is a little inconsistent in how crisp it looks. Nothing truly detrimental mind you, but on someone of Candice’s physical stature it was more obvious than usual.
Naomi and Bayley celebrate.
After this break we’ll get Cody and Gunther face to face.
The big Saudi belt is in the ring and out comes WWE champion Cody Rhodes. Gunther’s music cuts off the second “Woah” from the crowd and they boo the world heavyweight champion. Both men have mics and Gunther opens by asking what Cody wants to talk about with this wonderful shit eating grin. Cody thinks it’s obvious what he wants to talk about. Cody asks Gunther why he’ll leave Crown Jewel as champion. Gunther instead wants to talk about Cody first, and says it was unnecessary to bring up his own daughter last week. Family isn’t part of this, this is about champion vs. champion nothing more and nothing less. Gunther doesn’t understand why Cody keeps dragging the people close to him into this stuff, fulfilling his destiny at Mania to honor Dusty Rhodes, asking for the John Cena schedule to live up to someone else’s standard. He thinks Cody does this to make things more dramatic than they really are. Gunther’s reason is just himself, he’s the greatest professional wrestler in this company and he’s trying to live up to himself. Well, I think Gunther isn’t wrong there. Gunther asks for the real reason from Cody, if there even is one. Cody says that’s the dumbest question anyone has asked him in a wrestling ring. Gunther wanted to take the people out of the equation but Cody knows you can’t do that. Cody gives the crowd their “Whoa” and then says your very right his family is dramatic, have you seen his brother? But that’s just part of the appeal. Cody asks Gunther where he’s been the last few days, Cody has been making the media rounds while Gunther couldn’t be bothered to appear. Cody says Gunther has almost all of what it takes, but he’s missing the responsibility. Gunther says he’s the workhorse champion, he knows everything about responsibility. He gets the same requests that Cody does, he just tells them no because he has the guts to say no to the boss, the media, any charity, or to the people. The reason Cody doesn’t say no, and never puts himself first, because the moment he stops being the servant of everyone else his story is over. That makes him a gutless champion, and a gutless champion will always be secondary to Gunther. Cody admits Gunther is a ring general, a man who terrorized the planet before they called him Gunther, but he’s a general without an army. Cody has been nothing but guts all over the world, and guts is ending a civil discussion and taking the first shot. The brawl is on and Ludwig Kaiser shows up to give Gunther the advantage in numbers. Lariat from Gunther but here comes Randy Orton to scare off Kaiser and Gunther. Randy picks up the WWE title and hands it to Cody while Gunther poses with his belt on the entrance stage. That was actually a solid promo segment, both men making their cases and we get a great contrast in their personalities and outlooks.
After this break we’ll recap the Bloodline stuff from last week.
Post break we do get a recap of the last few weeks of Bloodline related content.
In the back a bunch of female tag teams bicker, then Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair walk in. The relevant GMs are here and announce that at Crown Jewel the women’s tag team titles will be on the line in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match. Everyone seems fine with this. OK then.
To the ring and here comes DIY, they’ll take on the MCMG after this break.
Post break we get news that next week Nia Jax and Liv Morgan will go face to face. Also Cody and Randy vs. Gunther and Kaiser, and a preview of the women’s tag team title match when half of each team meet in a Fatal 4-Way match.
The Guns now head to the ring, pretty muted reaction at first but hopefully these two teams can put on a good match. Heaven knows this episode could use it.
Match #3 – Tag Team Match: DIY (Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
37 minutes between matches by the way. Shelley and Johnny start, they trade some arm wringers and escapes for a bit then Shelley counters a Gargano Escape into a roll up for a 1 count and they stand off. They share a hand slap then Ciampa tags in. Shelley with some arm work but Ciampa then lands an elbow and some chops. Sabin with a blind tag to set up some double team sequence from the Guns for a 2 count. Sabin lays in some strikes then Johnny with a blind tag to set up Sabin taking some tandem offense. Snapmare from Gargano then a dropkick. Some corner work from Johnny then Ciampa tags in but Sabin fights out of a corner and tags in Shelly to double clothesline Johnny. Ciampa to the floor and eats a sandwich kick from the apron, Johnny hits Sabin with a slingshot Spear and Ciampa then tosses Shelley into the ring post. Ciampa stomps away on Shelley and DIY is on top as we head to break.
Ciampa is working over Shelley as we come back, he knocks Sabin off the apron then tags in Johnny. Shelley fights off Johnny then tags in Sabin who hits a double crossbody. Sabin unloads on both men then hits a kick and a tornado DDT on Ciampa. Shelley tags back in and Johnny takes some corner work then a series of kicks to Ciampa. Sabin up top and hits a dropkick to Johnny which aids Shelley in hitting a Flatliner for a near fall. Sabin tags back in and gets Johnny on his shoulders but Ciampa takes out Shelley as Johnny counters Sabin then lands a kick. Ciampa tags in and they hit the superkick and Fair Tale Ending. Knee to Sabin while Johnny dives onto Shelley but Sabin kicks out at 2. Ciampa is firing up and tags in Johnny, they set for Meet in the Middle but Shelley pulls Ciampa out of the ring while Sabin and Johnny trade roll ups. Jawbreaker to Johnny, then Johnny accidentally superkicks Ciampa to set up a school boy for 2. Johnny takes a double kick, Shelley tags in and the Skull and Bones connect to Johnny to end things.
OFFICIAL RESULT: Motor City Machine Guns won in 11:18
Rating: 3 stars
Thoughts: The commercial break hurt this but with these two teams you knew it would at least be good if not better. I imagine they’ll meet again in the future and this could get even better. The Guns are starting to gain traction with the fans as their wrestling is helping get them over.
The Bloodline come out as the Guns are celebrating, Solo and the real star Jacob Fatu head down with the other two in tow as we head to break.
We come back to Nick Aldis being in the ring to keep things from getting violent. “OTC” chant breaks out because that’s the only heat Solo can get. The Guns have mics as well. Solo says they’re here to introduce themselves and Solo tries to rile the crowd again. He tells Brooklyn to acknowledge him, this might be the most boos that has garnered in a while but still felt a little weak. Solo welcomes the Guns to Smackdown and says he’s their Tribal Chief. Another “OTC” chant. Sabin says it’s an honor to meet him and then introduces himself and Alex Shelley. They’re always ready, so any place or time they’ll take those belts. Solo suggests how about right here and now. Aldis intervenes and says he’ll be damned if he’ll stand as 20 year veterans get screwed like that. Alex Shelley now gets involved, he says those belts are the most important titles in the world to them, and if they want it here and now then they’re game. Aldis makes the match.
Match #4 – Tag Team Title Match: (c) Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa w/ Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
We get a four man brawl to start and Tama and Loa get in control as we go picture in picture. Shelley and Tama are the legal men and we’ve got slow control. Loa tags in and lands a headbutt then some of his terrible looking strikes. Fatu with a cheap shot to Shelley. Tama tags back in and hits a hilo on Shelley then apparently makes his weird car starting noises. Loa tags back in and Shelley keeps taking double team moves.
We come back to Loa holding Shelley in the ropes, and here’s a “We want Roman” chant. Loa with a powerslam, Tama tags in and they set for a double splash but Shelley avoids it and they both eat the mat. Solo yells at them but here’s a hooded Jimmy Uso to attack Solo. Superkick to Fatu but Solo then attacks Jimmy. Jimmy gets beaten down on the floor but here’s Roman Reigns to level the playing field. Fatu charges Roman but eats a superman punch, then Solo and Fatu brawl with Roman and Jimmy to the entrance area. Roman and Fatu fight to the back leaving the match two on two. Sabin tags in and unloads on Tama, he heads up top and hits a missile dropkick. Ref bump by Tama, then Loa hits a spinebuster. The crowd want Jey Uso while Loa gets some chairs. There’s another masked man, and it’s Jey to superkick Loa then launch him over the announce table. Jey superkicks Tama then crushes him with a chair shot and a Spear. Skull and Bones to Tama as the ref comes back to life and the Guns get the belts.
OFFICIAL RESULT: The Motor City Machine Guns won the titles in 7:26
Rating: 2.5 stars
Thoughts: More about the angle than the match, the Guns bordered on an afterthought but getting the tag belts away from the Bloodline stuff is ultimately for the best right now. And I’m not going to be anything but happy for the Guns getting a moment like this.
The Guns celebrate with the belts on the stage and get pyro. Jey is still stalking in the ring though and out comes Jimmy on the ramp. Jimmy heads to the ring slowly and gets in the ring, the crowd has a loud “Uso” chant going as they embrace to cheers. We can see Roman looking from the entrance stage at the reunited brothers as the episode ends.
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