A Room with a Review: 08/14/20

You want storyline development, increased stakes, and a great use of an old school match gimmick? Well, SmackDown is the place to be. Yes, that SmackDown.

• The show opens with a video covering all the acts of vandalism caused by Retribution over the past couple of shows. Michael Cole says that WWE has hired extra security, which seems like something they probably should have done after the group’s first appearance.

• The first match of the show is Big E vs. John Morrison. The lights flicker, then members of Retribution appear. There are more this time and they gang up on Big E and Morrison while Michael Cole and Corey Graves hightail it to the back. Retribution disappears as quickly as they appeared, and Miz runs to ringside to check on his tag team partner.

• After a commercial, a group of SmackDown superstars are commiserating backstage. King Corbin says they need leadership and Big E gives a rousing speech. Sheamus mocks him and says Retribution wouldn’t dare interrupt his match.

• Back in the ring, Bayley Dos Straps and 2 Beltz Banks are here to talk about the Triple Brand Battle Royal to determine Bayley’s opponent at SummerSlam. Cole and Graves are back on commentary and the security is now surrounding the audience area. Banks and Bayley are also adding ring announcing to their resume. The participants are Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Tegan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart, Lacey Evans, Asuka! (who will face Sasha at SummerSlam), Naomi, Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, Tamina, Bianca Belair, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, and Shayna Baszler. Riott is the first to go, followed by both IIconics, then Liv Morgan. The two teams fight to the back. Cross gets eliminated by Tamina, who then gets eliminated by Belair. Lacey eliminates Naomi, then gets eliminated by Shotzi. Evans gets revenge by helping Shayna eliminate Blackheart. Belair gets thrown out by Nox, who gets eliminated by Brooke, who gets eliminated by Asuka. The final two are Shayna and the Empress of Tomorrow. Bayley tries to help Shayna eliminate Asuka, but ultimately it’s the Empress who wins, earning a second championship match at SummerSlam.

• Mandy Rose cuts a promo, reminding Sonya Deville that she has worked hard and is not just a pretty face. She challenges Sonya to a Hair vs. Hair match at SummerSlam.

• Nikki sees Alexa backstage and tries to convince her to leave, since Braun Strowman and the Fiend are both here tonight. Alexa says she needs answers from Braun.

• Next up is Sheamus vs. Shorty G. Sheamus gets the win with a Brogue kick. 

• AJ Styles is here to explain the Phenomenal Intercontinental Statistics System to help decide his next opponent. Flanking him is a large, nerdy-looking fellow who wrestling fans may recognize as Joseph Park from TNA, who has worked backstage for WWE since last year. There’s a covered whiteboard in the ring that Styles says contains the PISS rankings. He removes the covering and the only name on it is AJ Styles. Jeff Hardy comes to the ring and says he never got the chance to fight in the IC title tournament a while back because of Sheamus. AJ says Jeff hasn’t earned the opportunity. Hardy lays him out and writes his name on the whiteboard. 

• Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are talking backstage. Lucha House Party sneaks up behind them and steals their tag team titles.

• Kayla Braxton catches up with AJ backstage. He says that Jeff Hardy can have his match so Styles can erase him. 

• Up next is Gran Metalik w/ Lince Dorado against Nakamura w/ Cesaro. During the match, Lucha House Party’s music hits and Kalisto has returned! During the confusion, Metalik hits an elbow drop and pins Shinsuke.

• Kayla talks to Matt Riddle about King Corbin. Shorty G interrupts to apologize to Riddle for jumping him to get the King’s Ransom. Matt accepts, but Corbin jumps him from behind, thanking Chad for his help.

• Alexa Bliss explains her relationship with Braun Strowman, including footage from the Mixed-Match Challenge (which they need to bring back). She talks about how scary, yet compelling it was to be around the Fiend. Bliss appears to be heartbroken that Braun said he didn’t care about Alexa last week.

• Sonya Deville accepts Mandy Rose’s challenge.

• The main event is the Big E vs. John Morrison match that we didn’t get in the show’s opening. Miz is joining commentary for this match and he blames Big E for Retribution’s attack, since E was tweeting at them during the week. Miz gets involved in the match, which allows Morrison to get the upper hand. Otis comes down to yell at Miz, but the lights flicker again. 

• During the commercial break, the SmackDown locker room surrounded the ring. Quickly, though, Retribution has taken over the backstage area, even putting poor referee Drake Wuertz through a table, though Drake has been through worse. Ref Jess runs out to get everybody to help, but Retribution has cleared out. During all this, Big E and John Morrison are still going at it, including Miz hanging out at the commentary table. E gets the win with the Stretch Muffler submission. Sheamus runs out and hits Big E with a Brogue Kick. Before he can do anything else, though, Braun Strowman comes out and they sneak in one more commercial. 

• Braun (and his freshly shaved head) says he will tear the Fiend limb from limb and consume his entrails. Alexa Bliss comes down and says they need to talk. Braun reiterates that he doesn’t give a damn about her. He says that everyone who encounters the Fiend changes, including her. She slaps him multiple times to snap him out of it, but he responds by pressing Alexa over his head, threatening to throw her out of the ring. The lights slowly go out (Fiend-style, not Retribution-style) until Braun launches Bliss into the air just as the lights go out completely. When they come back on, Braun is no longer in the ring, but the Fiend is, with Alexa laying at his feet. Braun appears on the TitanTron, laughing maniacally. 

This was a great episode of SmackDown, which has been hard to say for a long time. Some NXT talent got exposure, Joseph Park made an appearance, and the Retribution angle is building. Most importantly, though, is the re-emergence of Braun Strowman as the Monster Among Men, including a possible shift for Alexa Bliss as the Harley Quinn to Bray Wyatt’s Joker.

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