A Room with a Review: SmackDown 07/17/20
It’s the final SmackDown before the longest named pay-per-view in WWE history. Let’s rip this Band-Aid off together, shall we?
- The show starts with the different wrestlers involved in tonight’s show cutting promos on what will happen tonight. I liked it, to be honest. It was different and showed that they actually have a show booked and aren’t just relying on some altercation at the beginning of the show to set up a main event.
- The first match is Big E w/ Kofi Kingston vs. Cesaro w/ Shinsuke Nakamura. Whoever wins gets to choose the stipulation for their Tag Team Championship at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules. The referee nearly gets hit by Cesaro’s legs, which is enough of a distraction to allow Nakamura to kick Big E in the head. Cesaro follows with the Neutralizer for the win. He pulls a table out from under the ring (just like last week) so I guess we know what the stipulation will be.
- Backstage, Kayla Braxton is with King Corbin. Kayla asks him about Riddle’s chances tonight. Corbin says that Riddle is playing with fire and he will get burned by Styles tonight.
- After a commercial break, Cesaro and Nakamura tell us they want a tables match. Insert shocked Pikachu meme.
- Next up is A Moment of Bliss w/ Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. They are celebrating the five-year anniversary of the Women’s Evolution, even though they haven’t even bothered to do another Evolution PPV in nearly two years. Alexa has a special mystery guest tonight: it’s Bayley Dos Straps, who is facing off with Nikki Cross this Sunday at THS: ER. Sasha is there, too, and she joins Bayley in running Nikki down. They are also taking credit for the entire Women’s Evolution movement. Alexa then reveals that they aren’t actually her mystery guest. The real guest is Asuka! All five women brawl until Alexa says we need a ref. Looks like we are getting a match, after this commercial break, of course.
- Backstage, Matt Riddle is getting warmed up with his old Catch Point partner, Drew Gulak. Daniel Bryan adds his support from his backyard.
- Next up is Asuka and Nikki Cross w/ Alexa Bliss vs. The Golden Role Models. Cross and Asuka have so much kinetic energy as a team that they could power the entire Performance Center. In the end, Bayley has to cheat to win, using the ropes as leverage while pinning Nikki Cross.
- Miz is trying to build up John Morrison’s confidence in preparation for his match against Braun Strowman.
- It’s a special Firefly Fun House coming to you from the Wyatt Swamp.
- Time for John Morrison w/ The Miz vs. Braun Strowman. I’m sure that FFH segment won’t have any effect on Strowman’s attitude. Braun cuts an impassioned promo about destroying Bray Wyatt, causing Miz and Morrison to flee the ring. Johnny Drip Drip finally gets back in and gets decimated by the Monster Among Men. Braun pulls out his old Wyatt Family chokehold before winning the match with a powerslam. After the match, the paramedics come down to put Morrison on a backboard, but he refuses medical attention. Miz helps him to the back as Lacey Evans comes out for her match against Naomi.
- Hey, look. It’s Lacey Evans vs. Naomi. I had no idea! You know, losing a karaoke contest may be the dumbest reason to turn heel in wrestling history. Evans wraps Naomi’s braids in the ropes, which allows her to hit the Woman’s Right for the victory.
- Jeff Hardy is with Kayla, explaining why he accepted the challenge for a bar fight with Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior kicks Hardy in the face. God, I hope this angle goes away after the fight.
- After a commercial, Bayley uses physics to explain why she has all the momentum heading into her championship match. Nikki and Alexa are watching on a monitor, and Nikki has doubts about her chances on Sunday. She hears Bayley and Sasha laughing in the background and tracks them down, jumping Bayley from behind.
- It’s time for the main event as Matt Riddle faces AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship. No surprise, but they had a great match. Styles wins by countering the Bromission into a roll-up. After the match, AJ offers his hand in a sign of respect. It’s all a ruse, though, as King Corbin jumps Riddle from behind while Matt is shaking AJ’s hand.
This was a much better show than last week, but I will be thankful when we get some new storylines. Let me know what you thought of the show in the comment section below.
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