SmackDown on Fox Episode #12
SmackDown Episode # 1,061
Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
12/20/19
The show opens with a video recap of The Miz vs Bray Wyatt match at TLC as wells as the return of Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan comes out to start the show and he talks about how when he looked in the mirror for the first time after what happened with The Fiend he didn’t notice that his hair and beard were gone but instead noticed that the Daniel Bryan brand that he created was gone. Bryan says that his daughter Bridie cried when she first saw him because she didn’t recognize who he was as all she has ever known was Daniel Bryan the brand. Bryan vows to change Bray Wyatt just like Bray Wyatt changed him.
Bryan calls out Bray but The Miz comes out instead and talks about Bray terrorizing his family and that at TLC it wasn’t about winning or losing as much as it was about protecting his family. The Miz then says he is going to take the Universal Championship from Bray Wyatt and this brings out King Corbin. Corbin claims to be the next in line for Bray’s Universal title since he beat Roman Reigns at TLC, Corbin goes on to insult Bryan and The Miz and say they had failed as fathers, just as Bryan and Miz are going to attack Corbin Dolph Ziggler slides in and attacks both Bryan and Miz and this sets up the main event match for tonight.
I liked the promo by Bryan about how the brand he had created and the way that most people (including his daughter) had come to know him might be dead but with that brand dying he found his real self once again. That was really good stuff as was the continuation of the love/hate relationship that Bryan and Miz have with each other. Everything was going good in this opening segment but that would change because of course, we can’t have an opening show promo without involving King Corbin, although I will say he wasn’t that bad this week, the line about Bryan and Miz failing as fathers was a great heel line. Corbin actually brought up a credible point that he should be number one contender since he beat Roman Reigns at TLC. It was obvious once Ziggler attacked what our main event was going to be for the evening.
As the show comes back from the first commercial break we get an interview with Heavy Machinery where they talk about what happened last week with Cesaro slamming the ham on the ground and how that really hurt Otis’s feelings. Mandy Rose then walks up and says she has a present for Otis and she presents him with an all-new ham and then kisses him on the cheek which leaves Otis happily surprised while at the same time my own hopeless romantic heart has me going Aww!
Match #1: Heavy Machinery vs The Revival (Miracle on 34th Street Fight)
The Revival mock Heavy Machinery who is dressed as Santa Claus. All four men start brawling until Heavy Machinery hit stereo backdrops on The Revival and then squish Dawson’s head between their two massive guts. Wilder grabs Otis from outside the ring and snaps his neck across the top rope while Dawson sends Tucker into the steps on the other side of the ring. The Revival send Tucker face-first into the announce table and then try to shove some of the Christmas cookies that were at ringside down the throat of Otis. The Revival throws around all the presents that were set up around ringside so that they can set up a table next to the ring. The Revival attempt to double suplex Tucker through the table but Otis stops that from happening, Otis lays Wilder across the table and just when he is fixing to jump off the apron and put Wilder through the table he is sprayed by a fire extinguisher that Dawson grabbed from under the ring. The Revival powerbomb Otis through the table as we go to commercial.
We come back to see The Revival in control as they are working over Tucker on the ramp, but he fights them both off and hits Dawson with a suplex on the ramp. Wilder hits Tucker with a present that turns out to be a bowling ball, Wilder rolls the ball down the ramp and right into the family jewels of Tucker. Dawson rolls Tucker into the ring while Wilder puts on one of the Santa jackets and grabs one of the trees from ringside so he can put it in the ring. We get a shot of the Otis’s ham at the announce table and Cole tells Graves to keep his hands off it and Graves replies that he is more of a roast beef kinda guy and knowing how Graves is there is a good chance that he wasn’t talking about the actual food roast beef if ya get what I mean.
Back in the ring, Wilder has went crotch first into the Christmas tree when Tucker moved out of the way. Tucker hits Dawson with a hip toss that sends Dawson out of the ring to catch a breather. Dawson hits Tucker in the gut with the fire extinguisher and then The Revival sends Tucker flying across the announce table which causes Otis’s precious ham to hit the floor. Dawson picks up the ham and slams it on the floor and this fires Otis up as he grabs Wilder and sends him flying into the presents and Christmas tree at ringside with an exploder. Otis and Dawson are in the ring and Otis hits an exploder on Dawson. Otis looks around confused until he finally gets out of the ring and looks underneath it where he pulls out a bag that ends up being revealed to be full of Legos. Otis picks up Dawson and slams him into the pile of Legos and we see that some of them have stuck to Dawson’s back. Otis then hits an electric chair and fall away slam combo on The Revival. Otis splashes Dawson in the same corner that had the Christmas tree in it and then hits the Caterpillar elbow drop. Otis picks up Dawson and Tucker runs in which allows them to hit the Compactor for the win.
Winners: Heavy Machinery via Pinfall Match Rating: ***1/4
As we go to break we see Dana Brooke hanging out and talking to Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross as Lacey Evans walks up with her daughter.
As we come back from commercial we see Mandy talking to Sonya backstage when Otis walks up and apologizes for what happened to the ham during the match and this leads to Mandy hugging Otis but his sweat rubs off onto her dress and she walks off a bit aggravated but isn’t hateful toward Otis like you would expect, this leaves Otis standing there with a sad look on his face.
I can’t believe I am saying this but I loved everything that involved Otis tonight, first off the match was a lot of fun and had spots that made me genuinely laugh which isn’t something that always happens with these holiday-themed matches. I like how they use Legos as the most dangerous weapon in these comedy matches because those things actually hurt like crazy but at the same time, it’s funny to see these grown men sell being thrown into a pile of blocks. I also liked the Mandy and Otis stuff as their story has been a slow build throughout the year where they would give you just a bit of interaction just to remind you that there is a story between those two, it will be interesting to see where this story goes from here. I will take this story with Otis any day over Mandy calling other women ugly. I wonder if they are starting to split Mandy and Sonya as it seemed like they were each doing their own thing on the show which isn’t something we have seen from the two of them before. Whether I will like this Mandy and Otis stuff in a few weeks is debatable as it could just be that I like it this week because I’m in a good mood because it’s the holiday season.
We cut back to the ring where The Revival is frustrated that they have to compete in matches like they just competed in as they are a serious tag team. They do not want the fact that they compete in silly matches like a Miracle on 34th Street Fight to be apart of the legacy they leave behind. Elias comes out and sings a song and for the second straight week, he says something questionable as he talks about Revival needing to make a major change just like Caitlyn Jenner did.
It’s as if Elias’s gimmick is saying stuff on purpose that he knows is going to get Twitter in an uproar, but that’s not too surprising given that Vince and Bruce Prichard are the ones running things on SmackDown and they are not the most PC people you will run across.
We go back to the locker room where Sami Zayn walks up to Braun Strowman and talks to him about being his secret Santa, this leads to Cesaro and Nakamura coming in to back up Zayn and Strowman tells Zayn that he wants a shot at the Intercontinental Championship for Christmas.
As Carmella makes her way to the ring we see that she now has pyro. We go to commercial before the match starts.
Match #2: Carmella vs Sonya Deville
They lock up and Sonya hits a couple of knees to the gut before taking Carmella down to the mat with a snapmare and a sliding knee strike which gets a 2 count. Sonya chokes Carmella across the middle rope until Carmella tries to make a comeback with some slaps but Sonya gets her in the corner and delivers a series of kicks. Carmella catches a charging Sonya with a boot and then hits her with a clothesline as Carmella is getting back into the match. Sonya tries for a takedown but doesn’t get the full effect of it as Carmella slides between her legs and then dodges a couple of kicks from Deville. Carmella takes Sonya down with a superkick and then locks her in the Code of Silence which Sonya eventually taps out to.
Winner: Carmella via Submission Match Rating: **¼
This was a decent match but just as I said last week it would’ve been better if they had more time. I really can’t wait until it’s Sonya’s turn to really shine on her own in a feud for the title as she has so much potential and I don’t think we’ve even seen half of what she is capable of.
As Carmella is walking up the ramp and celebrating her win we get the entrance of New Day which leads to a fun little interaction where Carmella dances and then mimes jumping rope as we go to commercial.
Carmella seems like she would be really fun to be around as she seems to have a very infectious personality that you can’t help but love.
We see another Sheamus return promo,
I just saw this on Twitter a moment ago and I can’t believe I didn’t think about it before, but now that Sheamus is back being a singles star what are the chances they try to do Bryan vs Sheamus once again at WrestleMania. It probably wouldn’t be as bad as we would imagine it would be because once we finally got a proper match between Bryan and Sheamus at Extreme Rules 2012 it turned out to be a really good match that a lot of people think very highly of.
Match #3: The New Day vs Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn
Kingston and Nakamura start things out and right away Nakamura runs over and knocks Big E off the apron. Kingston and Nakamura trade strikes until Nakamura sends Kingston into the corner but he springs off the ropes and hits a dropkick. Kingston sends Nakamura into the ropes which allows Cesaro to make a blind tag, Nakamura shoves Kingston into a European uppercut from Cesaro and then Nakamura hits him with a backstabber for a 2 count. Cesaro hits Kingston with a gut-wrench suplex and then locks in a rest hold which Kingston quickly escapes from. Cesaro tags Nakamura back in and he tries to get a hold on Kingston but Kingston fights out of it and then lands on his feet on a back suplex attempt and this allows him to make the tag to Big E.
Big E knocks Cesaro off the apron and then hits a series of belly to belly suplexes on Nakamura followed by the big splash. Big E looks to set up the Big Ending but Nakamura hits him with a spinning heel kick instead. Big E catches a charging Nakamura with a uranage out of the corner which gets a 2 count as Cesaro breaks up the pin. Kingston uses his legs to launch Cesaro out of the ring where he then hits him with the trust fall dive. Nakamura lands some kicks on Big E thanks to a distraction from Sami Zayn. Big E rolls to the outside where he is mowed down by a clothesline from Cesaro. Nakamura rolls Big E halfway into the ring and hits him with a running knee strike and then he sends him into the steps as we go to commercial.
We come back from commercial to see Big E backdrop Cesaro over the top rope and to the floor. Big E tries to make the tag but is cut off by Nakamura who knocks Kingston off the apron. Nakamura comes off the middle rope with a diving knee to Big E. Nakamura sets up for the Kinshasa but is turned inside out with a clothesline from Big E. We get a tag on both ends and Kingston springboards into the ring with a clothesline and then delivers some chops and a dropkick before being sent into the corner, but just like earlier he springs off the ropes and this time he hits Cesaro with a hurricanrana. Kingston hits the mushroom stomp that gets a 2 count. Kingston hits a jumping clothesline and follows that up with a Boom Drop that only gets a 2 count. Kingston goes for the Trouble in Paradise but Cesaro avoids it and hits Kingston with a pop-up European uppercut for a 2 count.
Big E clotheslines Cesaro out of the ring and then launches Kingston into the air and onto Cesaro and Nakamura at ringside. Kingston throws Cesaro back into the ring and then comes off the top with a crossbody that only gets him a near fall. Nakamura pulls Big E off the apron and the distraction allows Cesaro to roll-up Kingston but he is only able to get a 2 count. Cesaro gets Kingston in the big swing and then follows up with a double stomp into the gut and yet again Kingston kicks out at 2. Cesaro looks to hit the Neutralizer but Kingston backdrops him and then catches Cesaro with a small package out of nowhere to get the win for his team.
Winners: The New Day via Pinfall Match Rating: ***1/4
After the match, Cesaro, Nakamura, and Zayn beat up New Day until Braun Strowman makes the save. Cesaro and Nakamura are able to get some shots in on Strowman including a kick to the head from Nakamura but he eventually fights back and hits Nakamura with a running avalanche and hits Cesaro with the shoulder block on the outside. Strowman attempts to hit the Powerslam on Nakamura but Zayn pulls him out of the ring in time.
The match was the typical above-average TV match that you see every week from the New Day. I like that they are putting Strowman into the Intercontinental title picture as it is past time for him to win a singles title and if they aren’t going to go all the way and put one of the top titles on him then the Intercontinental title will have to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put the title on him next week as a way to make their last show of the year (and of the decade) have a big moment that lets the fans go home satisfied.
In the back we see Bryan and Miz getting ready for their match against Corbin and Ziggler. Miz thanks Bryan for saving him at TLC as Bray was fixing to smash his face in, but Bryan says he didn’t do it to help Miz and this leads to them arguing about who hates the other more.
Bayley and Sasha Banks make their way to the ring for the next match as we go to commercial.
Match #4: Bayley w/ Sasha Banks vs Dana Brooke
They lock up and Bayley pushes Dana into the corner where she delivers a forearm and then smashes Dana’s head into the turnbuckle. We get a spot that was too similar to what Sonya did earlier in the night as Bayley hits Dana with a snapmare and then follows up with a sliding clothesline for a 2 count. Dana makes a comeback with some forearm shots followed by a hip toss and a kick to the head that only gets her a 1 count. Bayley slams Dana to the mat by her hair and then hits a running knee that knocks Dana back into the corner where Bayley stomps a mudhole in her. Bayley hits a suplex on Dana that gets a 2 count and then she locks Dana in a chin lock.
Dana elbows her way out of the hold and then lands on her feet on a back suplex attempt. Dana hits Bayley with an enziguri and then goes up top where she connects with the Swanton which would’ve got the win but Bayley is able to reach the ropes. Dana is on fire at this point as she hits her handspring back elbow and then follows up with a shoulder block and a cartwheel splash for another 2 count. Dana sets Bayley up for the Brooketista Bomb but Bayley is able to escape and flapjack Dana across the top turnbuckle which leads to Bayley hitting her awful new finisher to get the win.
Winner: Bayley via Pinfall Match Rating: **1/2
After the match, both Bayley and Sasha get in Dana’s face and berate her until Lacey comes out to make the save. Lacey then calls Sasha a Legit Bully and challenges her to a match that will happen after the commercial break.
Match #5: Lacey Evans w/ Dana Brooke vs Sasha Banks w/Bayley
Lacey and Sasha start the match talking trash to each other before Lacey picks up Sasha and drives her into the corner where she bashes the back of Sasha’s head into the turnbuckle. Lacey charges at Sasha but Sasha grabs her and gives her a receipt as she starts bashing Lacey’s head into the turnbuckle. Sasha hits a running Meteora to the back of Lacey’s neck as she was still leaning against the corner. Sasha stomps and chokes Lacey in the corner before hitting her with a suplex for 2. Lacey fights her way out of an armbar only to be taken down with a dropkick from The Boss. We then see our third snapmare setting up for a running grounded move as this time Sasha hits Lacey with a running Meteora that gets a 2 count.
Sasha starts to toy around with Lacey while also taunting the crowd. Sasha sends Lacey back into the corner where she lets her know that she is the leader and Bayley is the role model. Lacey makes her comeback with some knee shots to the mid-section and then the two women fight on the apron where Lacey comes out the winner as she catches the leg of Sasha and slams her down to the apron, Lacey then slingshots from the apron into the ring and kicks Sasha to the floor in the process. Lacey goes out to attack Sasha and slams Sasha’s head into the ringside floor a couple of times. Lacey feints a Woman’s Right to Bayley which causes her to fall back onto her butt just like Sasha did a couple of weeks ago. Sasha uses that distraction to send Lacey into the ring post and then into the barricade right in front of where Lacey’s young daughter is sitting and while doing this both women are counted out.
Winner: Double Countout Match Rating: **1/4
After the match Sasha mocks Lacey’s daughter who is at ringside and Lacey’s daughter is not taking kindly to this as she has this mean look on her face and actually almost punches Sasha when Sasha gets too close to her, this finally leads to Lacey attacking Sasha to the point where she has to be pulled off of Sasha by the referees and Dana Brooke.
I really enjoyed both of these segments involving Dana, Bayley, Sasha, & Lacey as it was the most storyline development we have gotten in the SmackDown’s women’s division in over a month which was nice to see. I think Lacey is doing a fantastic job as a babyface as I have enjoyed her babyface promos a lot more than I ever did her heel ones. I’ve said it in the last few SmackDown reports I’ve done but it’s good to see Dana get more time on TV. Lacey’s daughter’s reactions to Sasha mocking her and beating up her mom were really great and if I remember nothing else about this episode of SmackDown I will definitely remember that, pissing off and making kids cry seems to be a hobby of Sasha’s as I will never forget when she ripped off Izzy’s Bayley headband back when Bayley and Sasha were feuding in 2015 and it made Izzy cry. This whole women’s segment was the highlight of this week’s show for me.
We get a recap video of the King Corbin vs Roman Reigns match at TLC before we get ready for our main event.
Match #6: Dolph Ziggler & King Corbin vs The Miz & Daniel Bryan
Bryan and Miz argue about who is going to start the match but it ends up not mattering as all four men start brawling. Miz sends Corbin out of the ring while Bryan hits the Yes Kicks on Ziggler, Miz tags himself in and starts hitting the It Kicks. Bryan intersects Corbin with a dropkick to the knee and then both Miz and Bryan hit the kicks to their opponents in stereo which sends the heels rolling to the outside as we go to commercial.
As we come back from commercial Corbin is working over Miz but he quickly makes the tag to Bryan. Corbin sends Bryan into the corner but Bryan backflips out of it and then hits the running clothesline. Bryan is fired up as he starts a Yes chant and then hits a couple of dropkicks in the corner but when he goes for the third he gets caught with the Deep Six by Corbin which gets a 2 count. Corbin tags in Ziggler who rubs Bryan’s face across the laces of his boot and then rubs it across the top rope. Ziggler keeps talking trash to Bryan which allows Bryan to try to make a comeback so he can tag in Miz, but Ziggler grabs Bryan’s leg and pulls him back to the center of the ring. Ziggler knocks Miz off the apron and brings Bryan back into the heel corner where Corbin tags himself back in.
Corbin continues to beat down Bryan and then mocks the Yes chant. The heels are in full control as Ziggler gets tagged back into the match and he continues to taunt Bryan. Ziggler beats Bryan down in the corner and then tells Corbin to finish him off as he tags him back in. Corbin delivers a running clothesline in the corner and then repeatedly elbows Bryan in the collar bone region. Corbin sets Bryan up on the top rope but Bryan fights him off and is finally able to hit a big move as he comes off the top with a missile dropkick.
Bryan makes the hot tag to Miz who hits repeated kicks on Ziggler in the corner and then hits him with the corner clothesline. Miz boots Corbin in the face and then slides under the legs of Ziggler where he tries to get a pin but Ziggler kicks out. Miz hits the snap DDT on Ziggler and then hits the Skull Crushing Finale on Corbin. Ziggler hits Miz with his big DDT which gets a 2 count. Miz catches Ziggler’s leg off an attempted superkick and locks Ziggler in the figure-four. Bryan hits Corbin with the running knee before he can break up the figure-four and moments later Ziggler taps out.
Winners: The Miz & Daniel Bryan via Submission Match Rating: ***
It was announced that next week there will be a triple threat match between Corbin, Miz, and Bryan where the winner will face Wyatt at the Royal Rumble for the Universal Championship.
The show ends with the three men who will be in the triple threat match next week in the ring as the lights dim and Bray Wyatt’s laugh echoes throughout the arena.
This was a good match and lasted just the right amount of time as some main event matches can get a bit long which tends to make me lose focus and attention on them but I was focussed on this match the entire time. If they keep this whole Miz and Bryan being frenemies story going after Rumble I wouldn’t be surprised to see WWE make them a long term team and have them go for the titles at WrestleMania, because it isn’t likely that either of them will be in the Universal title picture at WrestleMania as that is most likely going to be Reigns vs Wyatt. I wouldn’t complain too much about a New Day vs Revival vs Bryan/Miz match at WrestleMania as they could put on one hell of a match. I was surprised that there was no Roman Reigns or Bray Wyatt on this show, but I’m pretty sure they will be back next week as they want the final SmackDown and Raw shows of the year to be big.
While this episode wasn’t out of this world amazing I thought it was a lot of fun and was easy to both watch and review which isn’t always the case. I liked the storyline progression in the women’s title feud but still, I wish the women’s matches that don’t involve the champion got more love and more time. I enjoyed everything with Otis tonight as it was harmless fun and the stuff with Mandy was sweet and well done. The best thing about SmackDown tonight was the fact that Corbin was tolerable and the material he was given in his promo didn’t suck so good job to whoever wrote it, actually I felt Ziggler was way less tolerable on this show.
After watching tonight’s show I actually look forward to next week and hope I can at least get a 2-week streak of good SmackDown episodes that are fun to watch. I’ll see you guys next week when I review the final SmackDown of 2019 and of the 2010s.
