SmackDown on Fox Episode #54
SmackDown Episode # 1,103
Orlando, FL – The Thunderdome (Amway Center)
10/9/20
The show opens without an intro video or pyro and then we go straight to Cole and Graves who welcome us to the show and remind us that it is night 1 of the 2020 WWE Draft.
Stephanie McMahon makes her way out for round 1 of the WWE Draft and here are the 1st round picks.
- WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will stay on Raw.
- WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will stay on SmackDown.
- Raw Women’s Champion Asuka will stay on Raw.
- “The Monday Night Messiah” Seth Rollins will now be “The Friday Night Messiah” as he has been drafted to SmackDown.
- The Business of Hurt will still be open on Monday Night’s as The Hurt Business (MVP, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, & United States Champion Bobby Lashley) will be staying on Raw.
There isn’t much to talk about coming out of the first round as most of the names picked are staying on the brand that they were previously on, except for Seth Rollins who I’m glad is getting away from the never-ending feud against the Mysterios.
We cut to the back where Seth Rollins is interviewed about being drafted to SmackDown and he says that while he is happy to be going to SmackDown he is a little bummed out that he won’t get to see the Mysterio family implode, but on the bright side at least he will never have to see their ugly faces ever again.
I agree with Rollins, I am happy that we will never have to see his ugly face go against their ugly faces ever again.
It’s now time for the first match of the night.
Match #1: Big E vs Sheamus (Falls Count Anywhere Match)
Sheamus and Big E start the match out hot as they go at each other clubbing blows and then Sheamus takes Big E down with a shoulder block when he is sent into the ropes and then Sheamus hits Big E with the rolling Samoan drop for a 1 count. Sheamus charges at Big E in the corner but is caught with a uranage, Sheamus rolls out to the apron and Big E takes him to the floor with a suicide spear which gets a 2 count. Big E looks under the ring and pulls out a couple of oversized Booty O’s but he throws them to the side and pulls out a kendo stick, but before he has a chance to use it Sheamus takes him down with a running knee strike for a 2 count. Sheamus staggers Big E with a couple of uppercuts and then he drives him into the apron, Sheamus sets Big E up on the apron and traps his arms in the ropes.
Sheamus grabs the kendo stick and repeatedly hits Big E in the midsection with it until Big E is able to free his arms and then he collapses to the floor where Sheamus goes for a cover, but Big E is still able to kick out at 2. Sheamus crawls under the ring looking for something but as he does that Big E takes a page out of the Toru Yano playbook as he tapes the feet of Sheamus together and then he lights Sheamus up with the kendo stick until he knocks Sheamus over the barricade and into where the crowd is and that takes us to a commercial break.
We come back to Big E stalking Sheamus as he has the kendo stick in his hands and they are headed toward the backstage area, Big E hits Sheamus one last time with the kendo stick before he drops it. Big E looks to suplex Sheamus onto some kind of table, but Sheamus blocks it and suplexes Big E onto the table instead. Sheamus finds a chair nearby and sits in it a moment as he tries to catch his breath as he is now bruised and bloody from all the kendo stick shots, Sheamus grabs the kendo stick and starts going to town on Big E. Sheamus drags Big E over to a table that has some flour and eggs on it (ingredients to make pancakes) and after trying to get Big E to eat the eggs he smashes the whole tray of eggs on Big E’s head.
Sheamus throws Big E into a couple of equipment cases and then he throws him through a doorway which leads to a hallway, Sheamus goes to hit Big E with a computer monitor but Big E is able to stop that from happening as he repeatedly hits Sheamus really hard with a broom until it breaks. Big E grabs a trash can and hits Sheamus in the back with it a couple of times and then as Sheamus gets to his feet he rushes Sheamus with it and sends him through a door which leads to the loading dock. Sheamus backs away from Big E and as he does this Big E grabs a bottle of hand sanitizer and cleans his hands before continuing to follow Sheamus. Big E hits Sheamus with a knee and then takes a moment to gather his thoughts and as he does this Sheamus crawls between two cars and when Big E goes over to get him he is hit in the midsection with a tire iron that Sheamus found laying around.
Sheamus hits Big E one more time with the tire iron and then Sheamus throws Big E up on the hood where he hits a White Noise through the windshield, Sheamus goes for the pin but Big E is able to get his shoulder up at the last second. Sheamus opens the driver’s side door of the car and lays Big E across the seat and repeatedly slams the door into Big E. Sheamus pops the trunk of the car and throws Big E into it, Sheamus pulls Big E’s arm out as he is looking to slam the trunk door on it but at the last second Big E uses his foot to block the trunk door from coming down and then he is able to kick Sheamus a couple of times from within the trunk and this creates some separation which allows Big E to escape from the trunk.
Sheamus looks to hit a Brogue Kick on Big E, but Big E side steps and Sheamus kicks the trunk door which rips it completely off. Sheamus charges at Big E again, but this time Big E catches him and powerbomb Sheamus on the hood of the car, and then Sheamus slides right down the hood and onto the concrete floor. Big E throws Sheamus onto the hood of another car and it breaks the windshield, Big E picks up Sheamus and hits him with the Big Ending through a couple of tables and that is finally enough to keep the Celtic Warrior down for the pinfall.
Winner: Big E via Pinfall Match Rating: ****½
HOT DAMN!!! When I said last week that I was looking forward to this match because it was going to be a hoss fight I never expected it to be this brutal and bloody, these two men beat the living shit out of each other and I loved every minute of it. If anyone had any questions as to whether Big E could be a top-level performer without Kingston and Woods then this is your answer and that answer is Hell Yeah he can because his performance in this match was fantastic. This has to be one of the best matches in WWE this year, it definitely is one of the top 3 for SmackDown.
Jey Uso makes his way to the ring as we go to commercial.
We come back and Big E is interviewed about the brutal match he just had against Sheamus, but before he can answer we get the returns of both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Kingston and Woods are excited to be back, but they feel like something is missing which is why they asked and have been granted a tag title shot later on tonight against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
We go back to the ring where Jey Uso has been patiently waiting, he calls out Roman Reigns as he wants to know what this high stakes stipulation is that Reigns mentioned last week. Reigns doesn’t respond so Uso tells him that is OK because at Hell in a Cell it’s lockdown time and then he starts getting hyped up before Paul Heyman shows up on the screen to cut Uso off.
Heyman tells Uso to stop embarrassing himself by trying to dictate when the Tribal Chief makes an appearance because that is at the champion’s leisure and discretion. Heyman says that Reigns respects Uso’s tenacity and ambition but when you get too ambitious to the point where you challenge Reigns well then you get a beating like Uso did at Clash of Champions. Heyman then turns things over to Reigns who says that when he was a kid his father used to tell him that in the wrestling business you believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see, however, that beating that we just saw you can believe that. Reigns said that he just wanted to help Uso and make his life better and all he asked for in return was for Uso to just acknowledge him as Tribal Chief, but since he wouldn’t do that then Reigns had no choice but to make their match a Hell in a Cell match which will be fought under I Quit rules. Reigns says he loves Uso but after Uso says I Quit there will be consequences.
Another solid promo from Reigns and Heyman, but this time I had a bit of an issue with Uso as he kept smiling during the promo and it took away a bit of the seriousness that Reigns was trying to convey in his promo.
If you didn’t watch SmackDown and are wondering what Uso was smiling about I’m guessing that it had to do with the fact that while Reigns was cutting this really great serious promo there were two naked cherub statues behind him (as I’m guessing he was doing this promo from either his or Heyman’s house) which were very also very distracting to us as viewers (almost as distracting as the fly on Mike Pence’s head during the Vice Presidential debate earlier this week) but it’s ok for us as viewers to smile and laugh at the statues but for Uso who is supposed to be a professional to do that it just took away from the seriousness of the segment. I know that WWE doesn’t like to do intentional blood these days but I feel like if there was ever a time for it then an I Quit Hell in a Cell match would be a perfect time, I am looking forward to this match as I expect it to be brutal and if it were me I wouldn’t have Uso show up for quite a while after it, in fact, I wouldn’t bring him back until Jimmy is ready to go and have them return together.
We cut to the back where Stephanie shows Adam Pearce the next set of draft picks and he gets a surprised look on a face as we go to commercial.
We come back and Stephanie is ready to announce the Round 2 Draft picks.
- Monday nights will once again be Phenomenal as AJ Styles is going back to Raw.
- Get ready to feel the GLOW on Monday Night as Naomi is being drafted to Raw.
- Friday night will continue to be “Boss Time” as Sasha Banks will stay on SmackDown.
- The Blue brand will instantly become stronger, faster, smarter, and all-around better as the EST of the WWE Bianca Belair will be going to SmackDown.
- The 2nd Round comes to an end with the Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler staying on Raw.
AJ Styles going to Raw isn’t that big of a deal because he is a guy who has done everything on both brands, so no matter which brand he ends up on there is nothing really new we can expect from him as he will be a top guy who is credible enough to be put in any title picture at any time, with that said I am looking forward to his feud with McIntyre over the WWE Title.
Naomi could be a really good challenger for Asuka and if they want to turn her heel I think she would be a great addition to the Hurt Business and it seemed like MVP had the same thought judging by a tweet he sent out on Friday Night.
Bianca going to SmackDown is hopefully a fresh start for her as we have seen very few appearances from her on Raw, I look forward to her feuding with both Bayley and Sasha as those matches would be really good.
We go to the back where Styles is fine with going to Raw and is glad that he no longer has to be around cheaters like Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn.
We then go to our second match of the night which is happening because of an exchange on Twitter.
Match #2: Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle vs The Miz & John Morrison
Riddle goes for a kick on Morrison to start the match, but Morrison rolls under it and then tries for one of his own but Riddle catches him and hits him with a release fisherman suplex. Riddle tags in Hardy and Hardy uses Riddle as a springboard to hit Morrison with Poetry in Motion and then they send Miz out of the ring to join Morrison. Hardy then gets down for Riddle to use him as a springboard to dive out onto Miz and Morrison which was called Broetry in Motion and this sends us to a commercial break.
We come back to Miz and Morrison in control as they hit Hardy with a combination of moves including a standing shooting star press by Morrison which gets a 2 count. Hardy is able to escape a hangman style chin lock and goes for a Twist of Fate, but Morrison spins out of it only to be taken down with a clothesline by Hardy. We get a tag on both ends and Riddle comes in on fire with a head kick for The Miz and a Pele kick for Morrison. Riddle hits both of his opponents with running forearm shots in the corner and exploders. Riddle hits Miz with a broton and then follows up with a bridging deadlift German suplex for a 2 count when Morrison breaks up the pin. Hardy hits Morrison with a Twist of Fate and then Miz throws Hardy out of the ring, but he turns around into a running knee strike from Riddle and then Riddle hits him with the Bro Derek for the win.
Winners: Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle via Pinfall Match Rating: **¼
After the match, we get the surprise but not so anticipated return of Lars Sullivan (now with a beard) who comes out and destroys everyone who was in the previous match (except for John Morrison) and this sends us to break.
This was a fun little match to add to an already stacked show and it was nice to see Jeff and Matt Riddle team up. I will say that they do find the most unexpected times to bring Lars Sullivan back and hopefully for his sake this run lasts longer than his previous two runs. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is drafted to Raw as he could be a one month challenger for Drew McIntyre and they could also start the build to a Strowman vs Sullivan match at WrestleMania as that was what they wanted to do before Sullivan got injured last year.
We come back from break and it’s time for Round 3 of the draft, but before that Stephanie tells us that Lars Sullivan will be placed in the draft pool for Monday Night Raw. Here are the round 3 results.
- Ricochet will continue his never-ending feud with The Hurt Business as he will be staying on Raw.
- The battle of the bloodlines doesn’t have to end at Hell in a Cell as Jey Uso will stay on SmackDown.
- God will be paying extra attention to WWE on Monday nights because his greatest creation Mandy Rose is on Raw.
- Seth Rollins’ and our never-ending living hell will continue as both Dominik & Rey Mysterio (as well as Aaliyah and Angie) will be going back to the brand where the elder Mysterio made his name known in WWE as they will now be on SmackDown.
- The 3rd round concludes with the addition of The Miz and John Morrison to Raw.
Ricochet will most likely continue to be the supportive friend of Apollo Crews in his never ending feud with The Hurt Business.
Glad to see Jey Uso staying on SmackDown so he can continue his feud with Reigns which has been fantastic.
Not sure why they couldn’t have just waited to have Mandy drafted to Raw this way instead of having to put us through this dumb ass lawsuit storyline with Otis and The Miz. I’m still bitter that they split Mandy and Otis so soon after the really good story they told in the first quarter of the year that led to them getting together.
Hahaha you really got us WWE, we actually thought you were going to finally end this story between Seth Rollins and the Mysterios but no we have to continue this story until the end of time because Dominik is forbidden to have a match on his record that doesn’t involve either Seth Rollins or Buddy Murphy. What makes this even worse is now I have to review this damn feud every week lol.
Good to see that The Miz and John Morrison are going to Raw as The Street Profits need some new competition as I don’t need to see them face Andrade and Angel Garza again.
It’s now time for our first of two title matches of the night.
Match #3: Bayley © vs Sasha Banks (SmackDown Women’s Championship)
Sasha gets in Bayley’s face during the in-ring introductions to the point where the referee has to back her up.
Sasha kicks the chair (which Bayley brought with her to the ring) out of Bayley’s hand and then she slaps Bayley all before the bell rings.
The bell rings and Sasha goes right after Bayley as she backs her into the corner and is clubbing away as Bayley tries to get away. Bayley tries to get in a kick, but Sasha catches the foot and hits Bayley with a knee to the face. Sasha tries to stomp and choke Bayley in the corner, but Bayley quickly escapes as she continues to get as far removed from Sasha as she can. Sasha goes out and gets Bayley and throws her back in the ring when Bayley tries to walk up the ramp. Sasha goes for a schoolgirl which she transitions into a Bank Statement when Bayley kicks out, Bayley slides out and tries for a crucifix pin but Sasha kicks out and tries for a crucifix of her own but Bayley kicks out.
Sasha ducks a clothesline and catches Bayley with a tilt-a-whirl into a schoolgirl for another 2 count and then Bayley stops Sasha’s momentum with a clothesline. Bayley talks some trash as she picks up Sasha and goes to send her into the corner, but Sasha springs up and catches Bayley with her legs, Bayley tries to throw her off but Sasha ends up on Bayley’s shoulders and then she maneuvers herself to where she is able to hit Bayley with an arm drag. Sasha uses another crucifix to transition into a Bank Statement which is broken when Bayley gets her foot on the ropes.
Bayley rolls out of the ring and when Sasha reaches out to grab her Bayley lands a punch to Sasha’s injured neck, Sasha quickly recovers and rolls out to get Bayley, but Bayley has gotten her hands on the chair and she drives it into the gut of Sasha which ends the match.
Winner: Sasha Banks via DQ Match Rating: **
After the match, Sasha finally unleashes all hell on Bayley as she grabs a chair and beats the living crap out of Bayley with it and then she looks to Pillmanize Bayley just like Bayley had done to her, but before Sasha can jump on her Bayley is able to roll out of the way and escape the ring.
I am really surprised this match actually happened let alone went as long as it did, I was expecting one to attack the other either during the entrances or before the bell rang to the point where the match couldn’t happen as I think it would’ve been best if they were never in an official match until they step inside Hell in a Cell. I did like what we saw in the match with Sasha doing everything she could to lock in the Bank Statement in order to try and break Bayley’s neck while Bayley was doing everything she could to get away from Sasha. If WWE were going to make them have a match before Hell in a Cell then I think this was the best way they could do it, so good job by both women.
We go to the back where Kevin Owens is getting ready for his match against The Fiend later in the night, Alexa Bliss walks up and tells Owens to “Let Him In” and this sends us to commercial.
We come back from commercial and go right into our second title match of the night.
Match #4: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura © vs The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
Cesaro and Woods start out the match and Cesaro pushes Woods into the corner and then roughs him up a bit which fires up Woods as he comes out of the corner with right hands until Cesaro cuts him off with a knee to the gut. Woods ducks a clothesline attempt from Cesaro and then takes him down with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors only for Cesaro to come right back with a clothesline taking down Woods. Cesaro toys around with Woods some more and then Woods fires back once again with some right hands, Woods ducks under two clotheslines and slides between the legs of Cesaro before decking him with a discus forearm. Woods knocks Nakamura off the apron and then hits Cesaro with a jumping clothesline in the corner and then he tags in Kingston. New Day hits Cesaro with the Up Up Down Down which gets a 2 count when Nakamura breaks up the pin with a sliding knee to the face of Kingston and then Nakamura kicks Woods out of the ring and that sends us to a commercial break.
We come back from commercial and the heels are in control as Cesaro hits Kingston with a flurry of strikes in the corner and then he sends Kingston into the opposite corner, but Kingston is able to move out of the way when Cesaro charges in and now both men are down. We get hot tags on both sides as Woods comes in and knocks Cesaro off the apron and then he takes Nakamura down with a leg lariat, Cesaro eats a boot to the face before Woods takes him down with an Honor Roll. Woods throws Nakamura out of the ring and then he takes Cesaro down on the outside with a wrecking ball dropkick. Woods catches Nakamura with a step-up kick and then he hits him with a rope-assisted tornado DDT for a 2 count.
Woods goes to grab the legs of Nakamura, but Nakamura kicks him off and crawls to the corner where Woods looks to hit him with a splash in the corner, but Nakamura is able to move out of the way which leaves Woods hanging on the top turnbuckle horizontally which allows Nakamura to hit him with a running knee strike. Nakamura tags in Cesaro and holds Woods in a gutwrench position so Nakamura can land a knee to the head of Woods and this gets a 2 count. Cesaro goes to pick up Woods but is hit with a jawbreaker and then Woods tags in Kingston, Kingston takes Cesaro over the top and to the floor with a hip toss and then he hits Cesaro with an awesome looking tornado DDT off the ropes.
Kingston throws Cesaro back into the ring and goes up top where he dives right into an uppercut from Cesaro which gets a 2 count. Cesaro tags in Nakamura and then gets Kingston in the big swing and is waiting for Nakamura to hit the Kinshasa, but Woods grabs his leg to prevent that from happening. Cesaro stops the big swing and goes over to deal with Woods and when he goes back over to Kingston he is hit with the Trouble in Paradise. Nakamura catches Kingston with a spinning wheel kick for a 2 count. Nakamura goes for the inverted exploder but Kingston lands on his feet and backs into a tag from Woods, Kingston hits Nakamura with a Trouble in Paradise and then Woods finishes things off with the Limit Break elbow drop and with that The New Day are 9x Tag Team Champions.
Winners: The New Day via Pinfall Match Rating: ***
After the match, Big E comes out to celebrate The New Day winning the tag titles for the 9th time.
This was a good match and it doesn’t look like Kingston and Woods have missed a day teaming up as they were as in sync as they have always been and it’s great to see both of them back in the ring. That tornado DDT that Kingston hit on Cesaro was awesome and it’s crazy that he was able to turn that into a DDT given how the move started, that shows why Kingston is one of the best.
Stephanie comes out and it’s time for Round 4 of the draft and this will be the final round on tonight’s show.
- The new SmackDown Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods will be going to Raw.
- In a shocker The New Day has officially been separated as Big E will be staying on SmackDown.
- Dana Brooke will be joining her new tag partner Mandy Rose on Raw.
- Otis will not be reuniting with his Peach as he will be staying on SmackDown.
- The final pick for tonight’s show sees Angel Garza staying on Raw.
I know a lot of people are upset with them splitting New Day up in this way but I felt like this was a no brainer and honestly people should be happy that we got them as a trio for as long as we did as they had one of the longest consistent runs as a team that we have seen in years. I felt like it was time to separate them for a while as they had done everything they could as a trio and clearly exceeded everyone’s expectations of what they expected from them when they debuted as a team. Kofi Kingston even got a run as WWE Champion while in The New Day and I highly double he would’ve ever got that run had New Day not become as popular as they did. I did like that they separated them without having them turn on each other (that could easily change next week) as that leaves the door open for them to team up once again in the future and for all we know they could unify the tag titles and make it where the tag team champions can be on either brand as it’s clear that WWE doesn’t care enough nor do they have enough teams to warrant having two separate tag divisions. I look forward to the long-term Big E singles run as it has been great so far and I feel that at this point when it comes to a world title run for Big E it’s a matter of when and not if.
The rest of the draft picks in this round were pretty meh, but I guess they did that so we could have time to soak in New Day being separated as they kept cutting back to the ring where Big E had tears in his eyes because for him he isn’t being separated from his teammates he is being separated from his brothers. I will say that it would’ve made much more sense had Big E been drafted in an earlier round by SmackDown (they would pick Big E solo because they wouldn’t know Woods and Kingston were going to be back tonight) and then have Raw draft Woods and Kingston after they won the titles, the way they did it made Raw look dumb because they chose to draft a duo when they could’ve had a trio.
We come back from a commercial and go to Heavy Machinery in the back who are talking about how they hope Miz drops the lawsuit now that they are on different brands, Otis says he is going to keep practicing just in case they don’t and then they start looking through a textbook and Otis starts saying complicated legal words. Someone comes up and serves Otis more papers and it looks like Miz’s lawyer has continuance which means the hearing has been delayed.
Oh, goodie the fact that Miz and Morrison being on a separate brand doesn’t stop this awful storyline from happening in fact it’s going to get worse as because it will be taking up time on two brands and I wouldn’t doubt that Mandy is brought into it now that she is back on the same brand as The Miz and John Morrison.
We cut to a promo backstage from Sasha Banks where she calls Bayley a coward and knows that she should’ve seen an intentional DQ coming in tonight’s match. Sasha says that if Bayley wants hell then she is going to get it as they will be locked inside Hell in a Cell. Sasha says she is going to break Bayley and she says that Bayley used to be her best friend and she used to love her very much, but at Hell in a Cell she is going to take the one thing Bayley loves most and that is the SmackDown Women’s Championship;
This was another solid promo from Sasha and we officially have these two fighting it out inside the Hell in a Cell.
Somewhere around this time the announcers hype up Talking Smack and inform us that there will be more draft picks happening on that show. Here are the draft picks that happened on Talking Smack.
- Dominik Mysterio has sadly lost his on and off tag partner as Humberto Carrillo will be staying on Raw.
- You can’t continue a never-ending feud without all of the participants in the feud present and that is why Buddy Murphy will be going to SmackDown.
- Heavy Machinery will join New Day in the team separation party as Tucker is going to Raw, knowing WWE they will have him trying to hook up with his best friend’s girl (Mandy Rose) seeing as Miz and Morrison inferred she was being passed around the locker room a couple of weeks ago.
- Kalisto will be staying on SmackDown where he will most likely continue to feud with his fellow Lucha House Party members.
- The newest member of the 24/7 division Drew Gulak will be moving over to Raw because of course everyone would rather see him in comedy segments rather than putting on really great matches where he twists people into knots and on occasion teams up with Daniel Bryan as a team of badass shooters.
Not much to say about these picks other than is sucks that another team is split up, which I think could be the worst move for Tucker as I see him quickly getting lost in the shuffle (especially once the stuff with Miz and Morrison suing Otis is over) without Otis and he is most likely bound for the 24/7 division.
We also get some hype for next week’s season premiere episode of SmackDown where Roman Reigns will defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman and New Day will have their last match as a trio when they take on the trio of Sheamus, Cesaro, & Shinsuke Nakamura.
Roman Reigns defending the title against Braun Strowman seems very random as Strowman hasn’t been seen on SmackDown in over a month as he has been taking part in Raw Underground, so not sure why he is deserving of a title match but whatever. Also, if the draft is over after Monday then why are Kingston and Woods being allowed to be on SmackDown?
It’s now finally main event time.
Match #5: The Fiend vs Kevin Owens
KO rushes The Fiend right as the bell rings and hits him with a clothesline in the corner and then follows that up with two cannonballs, but The Fiend stands right back up as if he hadn’t even been touched. The Fiend goes on the attack with some right hands and a headbutt. The Fiend sends KO into the ropes and looks for a clothesline but KO ducks and then The Fiend hits him with a crossbody headbutt attack which sends KO out to the floor. The Fiend hits KO with a clothesline on the outside before throwing KO back into the ring, The Fiend sends KO into the corner and charges in but KO is able to move out of the way only for The Fiend to lean back which scares KO momentarily.
KO tries for a superkick but The Fiend catches his leg and hits KO with a swinging facebuster and then he rocks KO with a couple of strikes until KO comes off the ropes with a big lariat that takes The Fiend down for a second until he pops right back up. The Fiend tries to lock in a head and arm choke but KO elbows his way out and then he sends The Fiend out to the floor. KO goes out after The Fiend but is caught and hit with a uranage on the announce table and that is followed by a Sister Abigail onto the announce table and this sends us to a commercial break.
We come back to The Fiend still in control and despite KO trying his best to fight back, he is having little luck as The Fiend hits him with a uranage in the middle of the ring and then he twists the neck of KO who writhes around the mat in pain while The Fiend is laughing hysterically. The Fiend goes for Sister Abigail on KO but he is able to fight out if it and then he hits The Fiend with three superkicks in a row which are barely enough to get The Fiend to go down in the corner where KO hits him with two more cannonballs which make four cannonballs hit in the match.
The Fiend rolls out of the ring and KO follows him and hits him with a DDT on the floor, KO rolls back into the ring to break the count but when The Fiend gets up on the apron to re-enter the ring he is hit with another superkick which sends him back down to the floor and this leads to KO hitting The Fiend with a frog splash off the apron. KO wants to get a win by count out but The Fiend is able to get back to his feet, KO looks to grab The Fiend but he is the one that is grabbed and dragged back to the outside. The Fiend charges at KO but KO looks to hit him with a pop-up powerbomb through the announce table but he doesn’t get all of it so he tries again and this time The Fiend goes through the table.
KO is exhausted as he rolls back into the ring looking to get a count-out win, but once again The Fiend rises to his feet and when he slides back into the ring he locks KO in the Mandible Claw and even after KO hits a Stunner out of desperation the Mandible Claw stays locked in until The Fiend hits KO with a uranage while the hold is still on and that is enough to put KO down for the 1-2-3.
Winner: The Fiend via Pinfall Match Rating: ***¼
After the match, the lights go down and when they come back up The Fiend is at the top of the ramp with Alexa Bliss and they stare at each other under the red light and then they stare at Owens (who is in the ring trying to catch his breath after being in the Mandible Claw and then they turn back to each other and that is how this show comes to an end.
While this match won’t be getting any kind of awards for its work rate I thought it told a good story of KO giving everything he had and pulling out everything, but nothing he had in his arsenal would stop The Fiend or would even hardly phase him for that matter. I enjoyed this match a lot more than I expected to and kind of hope they end up on the same brand so they can continue to feud and I wouldn’t even be mad if they had Aleister Black join up with The Fiend and Alexa as The Fiend’s hired assassin, that would save The Fiend from having to wrestle on weekly TV because there should never come a time when The Fiend is wrestling every week, he is too special of a character to be just another guy who wrestles every week and we get tired of him in 3-4 months. After what we go last week I felt there was nowhere near enough Alexa character progression on tonight’s show as it was pretty much the exact same thing we got last week between her and The Fiend, hopefully, we will get more development next week.
This was a jam-packed episode of SmackDown, but I have to say that other than the Falls Count Anywhere match between Big E and Sheamus I think I preferred last week’s show a bit better as I thought both the Jey Uso and Roman Reigns segment, as well as the Alexa Bliss and Fiend story, were much better done last week whereas it felt like this week was just a holdover for those stories (with the exception of Reigns announcing the I Quit stipulation for the Hell in a Cell Match) as the main focus of the show was centered around the draft, but I’m sure the focus will go back to those stories next week on the big season premiere of SmackDown.
That’s it for this week but I’ll be back next week for the season premiere of SmackDown where we will get the fallout of Monday’s part of the draft as well as a Univeral Championship match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman.
