SmackDown on Fox Episode #51
SmackDown Episode # 1,100
Orlando, FL – The Thunderdome (Amway Center)
9/18/20
We open the show by going straight into the Thunderdome where The Miz and John Morrison are already in the ring for an edition of The Dirt Sheet.
Miz and Morrison say tonight they will expose many of SmackDown’s secrets such as the real reason as to why Bayley attacked Sasha, why WWE management is trying to erase Sami Zayn from history, and the family secrets of the Samoan family that Jey Uso has tried to keep buried, but before they get to all of that they have to talk about the biggest story which is Mandy Rose’s sudden departure from SmackDown and soon to come arrival on Raw.
Miz wants to shut down all the rumors and gossip that he had Mandy moved to Raw in order to play mind games with Otis or just to get revenge on him, Miz says he is a former Money in the Bank winner so he knows the pressure that comes with holding that briefcase so he decided to get Mandy on Raw so that Otis can focus on cashing in that contract instead of being occupied with Mandy Rose. Miz says Otis should thank him and although he understands that Otis is heartbroken right now he will get over it, it seems like Mandy already has gotten over it given what he has heard from some of his buddies over on Raw. Miz and Morrison then joke about the guys on Raw wanting to do more than just smell that rose and also mentions Dolph Ziggler being on Raw, this is enough to bring out Otis.
Otis runs in and takes Miz down with a double leg and then starts firing away with right hands before he has to throw Morrison off of him and then he takes both men down and throws Morrison out of the ring. Miz tries to escape but runs into Tucker who throws him back into the ring where Otis hits him with an exploder. Tucker throws Morrison back in and Otis hits him with an exploder over the top rope. Otis hits Miz with an avalanche in the corner and then follows up with the Caterpillar elbow drop and then he hits the Vader Bomb. Otis looks like he is going to leave but he turns around and runs back in the ring where he strips Miz down to his briefs and the segment ends with Miz running off trying to cover himself while Morrison runs behind him.
We come back from a commercial break to Miz and Morirson in the back flustered over what just happens, Kayla Braxton comes up and asks if they regret agravating Otis but Miz says this is all apart of his plan and then he grabs his phone and makes a call and asks the person on the other end if it was enough and then gives a thumbs up as Miz and Morrison walk off.
As much as I and everyone else love Otis I have to question why this feud with Miz and Morrison needs to be featured in the 20-minute show opening segment as there are several other storylines going on that I would much rather see featured in the opening segment of the show. I’m not sure how I feel about Miz insinuating that Mandy is going to be passed around the Raw locker room like a hot potato that was a bit much and not really needed. I also didn’t see the need for Otis to strip Miz down to his underwear other than to get a laugh out of a couple of people in the back like Vince and Bruce Prichard. Overall I didn’t really care for this segment and thought the time could’ve been better spent on something else.
Lucha House Party make their way to the ring and on their way we get an inset promo where Kalisto and Dorado argue over who should give Metalik advice for his match. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura come to the ring and we get ain inset promo from them as well where they talk about being on fire.
I don’t know why but seeing Kalisto wearing street clothes was a bit strange especially the hat as it was weird to see the hat sitting up on top of his mask.
Match #1: Cesaro w/ Shinsuke Nakamura vs Gran Metalik w/ Lucha House Party
Metalik side steps a charging Cesaro and tries to pick up a quick win with a schoolboy but Cesaro is able to kick out. Metalik takes Cesaro down with a flying headscissors and then walks the rope only to be distracted by his partners arguing on the outside and giving him different words of advice and this gives Cesaro enough time to get to his feet and he catches Metalik with a big slam when Metalik jumps off the ropes. Cesaro takes control as he hits Metalik with an uppercut in the corner and then he whips Metalik into the corner but Metalik is able to get his boot up and then he catches Cesaro with a diving hurricanrana, but Cesaro is able to regain control moments later when he reverses a whip into the ropes and takes Metalik down with a clothesline.
Cesaro grounds Metalik as he applies a kneeling armbar with a neck crank, but Metalik quickly gets back to his feet and fights out of the hold only to be sent into the corner where he avoids another charge from Cesaro and then he charges in himself and gets backdropped out to the apron where he hits Cesaro with an overhead kick. Kalisto and Dorado jump up on the apron like a couple of idiots as they are still arguing about who has the best advice but by this point the referee is tired of them arguing and ejects them both from ringside and they continue to argue on their way to the back. Cesaro knocks Metalik off the apron and then goes out and throws him back in the ring and then he gets distracts himself by taunting Dorado and Kalisto who still haven’t walked behind the curtain and this gives Metalik enough time to climb up to the top and take Cesaro out with a dive to the outside and this sends us to a commercial break.
We come back to Metalik working his way out of a chinlock and then landing on his feet when Cesaro goes for a back suplex and then Metalik lands a side kick only to run into a big boot which gets a 2 count for Cesaro. Cesaro tries to ground Metalik once again with a chinlock but Metalik fights out so Cesaro nails him with an uppercut and then sits him up on the top rope and Cesaro joins Metalik up top and they jockey for position until Metalik steps back and is standing on the top of the ringpost and then he takes Cesaro down with a super hurricanrana for a very close 2 count. Metalik goes up top looking for his moonsault but Cesaro gets his feet up which causes Metalik to stumble back into the corner where Cesaro hits him with a big running uppercut and then Cesaro hits Metalik with a jumping Neutralizer to pick up the win.
Winner: Cesaro via Pinfall Match Rating: **½
Kalisto and Lince Dorado looked like complete idiots in this match with the constant arguing to the point where they jump on the apron when their team member was in control of the match, I have no interest in this Lucha House Party inner turmoil story that is playing out as I would much rather just keep the three of them together as a team seeing as the SmackDown tag team division is scarce so why break up one of the few teams that is on the show, it makes no sense.
After the match we go to a backstage interview with Jey Uso who says that Paul Heyman told him that last week was just a big miscommunication but tonight will be different. Jey says Reigns has been throwing his weight around ever since they were little but they are not little anymore but that is at Clash of Champions and then he welcomes Sheamus and Corbin to the Uso Penetintiary and this sends us to a commercial.
We come back to a promo from Riddle where he explains why he says “Bro” all the time, he says that it can convey any emotion or thought. Riddle goes through various emotions while saying Bro to explain what he was talking about.
How did Riddle go from being a featured part of the show a few weeks ago to now being relegated to cutting this ridiculous promo that did nothing to make anyone interested in seeing him. If your going to have a talent like Riddle up on one of the two main shows then use him in a way that can showcase his what he is best at (which is everything between the ropes) if not then keep him down in NXT because he is too special to be wasted doing corny shit like this.
It’s now time for the first edition of A Moment of Bliss inside the WWE Thunderdome.
Alexa introduces her guest who is usually sitting beside her as her co-host but after her big win last week she had to have her on as her guest. Alexa then introduces Nikki and Nikki comes out hyped up as usual.
Alexa congratulates Nikki on her big win but then asks Nikki what her plan of action is for facing Bayley at Night of Champions considering she has had numerous opportunities against Bayley over the past few months and she has always come out on the losing end, so why is this time going to be any different? Nikki says that this time she won’t have to worry about Sasha Banks interfering and thus she will able to have her full focus on Bayley and then Nikki vows to walk out of Clash of Champions as SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Nikki then says she has a question for Alexa which is what is going on with her, but Alexa doesn’t know what she is talking about. Nikki says that last week during the fatal four way out of all the moves she could have hit her with she hit her with a Sister Abigail and then just walked off in a trance. Alexa is stumbling over her words as she tries to explain that she herself doesn’t fully understand what is going on and before Alexa can go into further detail she is interrupted by Lacey Evans.
Lacey calls Alexa and Nikki a couple of nasties and then mocks Alexa for having feelings and then she tells Nikki that she should be thanking Alexa for throwing her off her game last week because that’s the only reason she won the match. Lacey then talks about how Nikki is too nice and that’s why she will never beat Bayley and then she pulls out her handkerchief to use it but before she can Nikki grabs it and blows her nose in it and then throws it back at Lacey, but it falls to the ground so Lacey goes to pick it up but as she does Nikki attacks her and this sends us to break.
I liked the fire and passion that Nikki showed when talking about why her match against Bayley at Clash of Champions is going to be different than all the other times she has challenged for the SmackDown Women’s Championship, unfortunately for Nikki I do believe this one will end the same way except this time it will be Alexa that costs her the match instead of Sasha. I like how they are dragging out Alexa explaining in more detail as to why she has been acting differently. I thought the Lacey promo was fine but there was a moment where it felt like she was being a little over the top at times like when she was laughing at Alexa having feelings.
We come back from break and go right into the next match.
Match #2: Nikki Cross w/ Alexa Bliss vs Lacey Evans
Alexa Bliss is on commentary during this match.
Nikki charges at Lacey, but Lacey runs out of the ring and uses some hand sanitizer that she has with her and cleans her hands real good but an impatient NIkki hits her with a baseball slide. Nikki goes out to get Lacey and throw her back in the ring, but Lacey sends Nikki into the ring instead and then sweeps her leg and looks to hit the slingshot elbow drop but Nikki rolls out of the way. Nikki jumps on Lacey’s back but Lacey is able to break it by backing Nikki into the corner, Lacey charges at Nikki but receives a back elbow and then Nikki comes off the middle rope with a crossbody for a 2 count. Nikki hits a short arm clothesline and then rolls Lacey up with an Oklahoma roll but Lacey is able to kick out.
Nikki looks for another short-arm clothesline, but Lacey catches the arm and takes Nikki down with an arm wringer, and then she drives her knee into the back of Nikki’s arm. Lacey roughs Nikki up in the corner and then wraps her arm over the top rope and pulls on it. Nikki tries to fight back but Lacey hits with a shot to the ribs and then stomps on the arm in the corner. Lacey gives Nikki a big kick into the corner and then hits her with the elevated bronco buster for a 2 count. Lacey locks in a seated cobra clutch but Nikki is able to get to her feet and elbow out of it only to be taken right back down when Lacey puts her knee on Nikki’s arm and drives it into the mat and then she pulls on the arm, even more, looking to hyperextend it, Nikki eventually is able to roll toward Lacey which puts her shoulders to the mat but Lacey kicks out which also releases the hold. Lacey takes Nikki down with a clothesline and then talks some trash which allows Nikki to get in a desperation headbutt to Lacey’s gut only for Lacey to come right back and slam Nikki to the mat and go back to work on her arm as she drives her knees into the arm and then just punches away at the arm. Lacey hits Nikki with another arm wringer when she tries to get to her feet and then Lacey hits her with a standing moonsault for a 2 count.
Lacey goes out and grabs her hand sanitizer and looks to squirt it into Nikki’s mouth at first but ends up squirting it on Nikki’s face and makes sure to rub it in and for some reason this is not considered a disqualification as the match continues. Nikki hits Lacey with a couple of elbow shots to the gut and then slams her to the mat by her hair. Nikki hits Lacey with an avalanche in the corner and then hits a flurry of forearms to the chest of Lacey in the corner until the referee makes her back up, Nikki then hits Lacey with a monkey flip. Nikki stomps over to Lacey who tries to drop toe hold Nikki into the middle turnbuckle but Nikki blocks it and then she hits Lacey with a tornado DDT which she rolls through into a rope draped version of The Purge and that is enough to finish off the Sassy Southern Belle.
Winner: Nikki Cross via Pinfall Match Rating: **
After the match Lacey crawls over to the commentary table and is screaming at Alexa and while screaming she mentions The Fiend and this puts Alexa back into her trance as she gets up from the table and walks over to Lacey and then gives her a Sister Abigail before walking off in a trance just like last week.
Outside of the spot with the hand sanitizer I found the match to be underwhelming and all of the time spent working over the arm of Nikki was for nothing as it didn’t play into the finish of the match at all. Alexa hitting the Sister Abigail on Lacey after the match was nice but didn’t do anything to further the story as it was basically a rehash of what she did last week to Nikki, except for the fact that this time she didn’t enter the trance until Lacey mentioned The Fiend, so I guess that’s furthering the story a little bit but I was expecting more after what happened last week.
We see Sasha Banks who is in a neck brace getting mic’d up for her interview which is coming up next after the break.
We come back and go to a video package narrated by Paul Heyman which highlights the legacy of the Anoa’i family in WWE, the video was used as a way to further hype up the match between Reigns and Uso at Clash of Champions.
This was a really well done video package to show off the legacy in which both Jey and Reigns come from and why we should care about their match at Clash of Champions.
We then go live via satellite to Sasha Banks who is at the Performance Center for an interview.
Sasha is asked the extent of her injuries and after a brief pause she says she is still here isn’t she? Sasha is then asked her thoughts on what Bayley said last week when she was giving her reasoning for attacking Sasha, Sasha repeats what Bayley said about her being useless and then says she heard everything Bayley said last week and she is overcome with emotion about it, especially since she is at the PC where they trained everyday and talked about all the things they wanted to accomplish in WWE and this summer being at the PC they showed they world that they could take over the whole damn company and then says all of their accomplishments they did together. Sasha tries to continue but the more she talks the more she is overcome with emotion to the point where she has to gather herself before continuing.
Sasha says that last week Bayley mentioned how Bayley thought that Sasha saw her as an idiot and naive and she was damn right because Bayley is an idiot and naive becaue she is nothing without Sasha. Sasha says that since she is useless to Bayley one day she will take the one thing that Bayley loves which is the SmackDown Women’s Championship. All of a sudden out of nowhere Bayley attacks Sasha with a chair and then rips her neckbrace off before placing Sasha’s head in the chair like she did two weeks ago, but thankfully before she could do any more damage people inside the PC run in to stop her and this sends us to a commercial.
We come back to Sasha still being checked on at the PC before we go back inside the Thunderdome for the next match of the night.
I loved everything about this segment as Sasha was fantastic and conveyed the exact emotion that she needed to without it coming off as corny or forced and I especially liked when she had to stop for a moment in order to regain her composure as that put over the emotion she was feeling even more. I liked how Sasha used her being at the PC as a way of bringing more emotion into the interview as she was probably reminded that entire day while getting ready for the interview of all the good days they had when they were starting their careers in WWE. I was not expecting Bayley to attack Sasha again but I’m glad she did because I want this match between the two of them to be held off as long as possible because they could definitely stretch it out until WrestleMania if they want, but as I said last week that probably won’t happen and we’ll just see them face off in a Hell in a Cell match next month, however, with that being said at least they would have a match that would be worthy of being inside the Cell which is not the case for most of the Hell in a Cell matches on that PPV. This segment by far was my favorite thing that happened on SmackDown this week and I have to give a big kudos to both Sasha and Bayley for delivering fantastic performances.
Before the match Zayn argues with Greg Hamilton about not announcing him as Intercontinental Champion but Styles gets fed up of waiting for Zayn so he attacks him at ringside and then throws him into the ring to officially start the match.
Match #3: AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn
Styles hits Zayn with a leaping forearm in the corner and follows that up with the ushigoroshi which gets a 2 count. Styles sets up for the Styles Clash but Zayn is able to escape and roll out of the ring for a breather but Styles goes out after him and throws him right back in and then catches him with a backbreaker for another 2 count. Zayn rolls out of the ring once again and just like before Styles goes out and rolls him back in, but this time Zayn catches Styles when he tries to get back in the ring and starts putting the boots to him before he hits Styles with a DDT for a 2 count.
Zayn locks Styles in a chinlock but Styles gets to his feet and backs Zayn into the corner where he hits him with a couple of back elbows and then Styles charges in but gets backdropped onto the apron and is then sent face first into the opposite turnbuckle, Zayn looks to hit Styles with the Helluva Kick on the apron but Styles avoids it and gets back into the ring where he hits Zayn with a clothesline that sends him falling off the apron and onto the floor. Styles dives out of the ring onto Zayn with a plancha forearm and this sends us to a commercial break.
We come back to Zayn in control as he sits Styles up on the top rope and looks to hit a superplex but Styles slips between Zayn’s legs and trips him up sending Zayn face-first into the top turnbuckle. Zayn recovers quickly as he charges at Styles in the opposite corner but Styles gets his feet up and goes to the outside where he looks to hit the Phenomenal Forearm but Zayn ducks and Styles is able to roll through only to run into a stun gun from Zayn. Zayn looks to hit a vertical suplex but Styles reverses it and hits Zayn with a neckbreaker for a 2 count.
Styles goes to pick Zayn up but Zayn hits him with a jawbreaker and then we get a forearm exchange in the middle of the ring which Zayn gets the best of momentarily until Styles comes back with the Styles rush but Zayn catches him with a big boot only for Styles to come back with a Pele kick and now both men are down. Both men slowly get up and Styles looks to hit a suplex but Zayn floats over into a rear waistlock but Styles escapes with a back elbow and tries to run to the ropes, but Zayn hangs onto his tights and pulls him back so that he can hit Styles with a blue thunder powerbomb for a 2 count.
Zayn picks up Styles and Styles looks to lock in a Calf Crusher but Zayn rolls through and then gets kicked in the head. Styles looks to clothesline Zayn in the corner but Zayn catches him with an exploder into the corner. Zayn waits for Styles to get to his feet as he looks to hit him with the Helluva Kick but when he runs in Styles tries to counter but Zayn blocks that and rolls Styles up in a schoolboy but referee Jessika Carr stops her count because she sees that Zayn is holding Styles’ tights so Zayn argues with her about it and then Styles catches Zayn with a schoolboy and he pulls Zayn’s tights but the referee doesn’t see it and counts Zayn’s shoulders to the mat 1-2-3.
Winner: AJ Styles via Pinfall Match Rating: ***¼
After the match, Zayn argues with the referee over her counting while Styles had his tights and then goes back to yelling at Greg Hamilton as he wants to be announced as still Intercontinental Champion. Jeff Hardy runs down to the ring and attacks Zayn sending him into the barricade and then goes under the ring and at first, pulls out a table but thinks better of it and then grabs a ladder. Hardy takes both Zayn and Styles out with the ladder on the outside and then he throws Zayn back into the ring and hits him with the Twist of Fate and then sets up the ladder and climbs it, but before he can do anything Zayn rolls out of the ring.
Hardy gets on the mic and says he is tired of this crap and wants to end this once and for all as he wants to determine the undisputed Intercontinental Champion in a triple threat Ladder Match.
This was a really good match and it’s good to see Zayn back in the ring as it’s been a while since we have seen him have a match this good. It was pretty predictable that this was going to end with the three men facing off in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship but just because it’s predictable doesn’t mean that I’m not looking forward to it as all three of these men excel in ladder matches and I’m sure they will do everything they can to make it the best match on the card at Clash of Champions.
We then go to the back where Heavy Machinery is hanging out when a man walks up and serves Otis some papers, Tucker pulls out the papers and reveals to Otis that he is being sued and this sends us to commercial.
We come back to Heavy Machinery and Tucker informs Otis on exactly what he is being sued for and there is a whole list of things including Money in the Bank negligence and violating the first amendment rights of The Dirt Sheet. Tucker tells Otis that it says he has a week to either give up his Money in the Bank briefcase or the case goes to court and this has Otis very distressed as he tells Tucker he is in trouble.
As if the opening segment of the show wasn’t enough for this storyline we now have Otis getting sued for ridiculous things such as Money in the Bank negligence. The only way they could get me to care about any of this is if they bring back Joseph Park as a lawyer. If it were me I would have Otis counter-sue for contract tampering and have that be the reason as to why Mandy gets to come back to SmackDown.
We go to the back where Sheamus and Corbin are talking about their match when they security guard from last week shows up (Sheamus is happy to see him as he helped Sheamus lure Big E into the ambush) and tells Sheamus his car is getting towed, Sheamus runs out and screams at the attendant who has his back turned at first but when he turns around it is Big E and he goes after Sheamus but he is able to get away. Big E then turns his attention to the security guard who helped Sheamus and beats the crap out of him before setting him up on a car and despite the referees trying to get him to stop Big E hits the security guard with a belly to belly suplex onto the windshield, but that isn’t enough as he grabs the guy and throws him into the trunk as Adam Pearce tells Big E that he needs to leave and this sends us to break.
I really liked how this was done with Big E getting his revenge on the security guard once Sheamus ran off as he wasn’t going to let the security guard get away when he was the one that lured Big E into the ambush last week. I liked how Big E was serious during most of this but was also able to throw in a little bit of comedy as well. I look forward to when Big E gets his hands on Sheamus.
We come back from commercial to another vignette of the mystery woman and this week we get a slight glimpse of her face before the vignette ends.
Now that it seems like the mystery woman is Carmella I have to be honest that I’m not looking forward to it because I like her F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S Mella is Money character so much that her being portrayed as anything but that just doesn’t seem right, perhaps she will make me change my mind once she actually returns but as for now, I’m not impressed.
The Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman make their way to the ring and then Reigns gets on the mic and says he came out first because he doesn’t want there to be any confusion that this is his yard, his island, his ring, and his WWE and if anyone wants it they have to come and take it from him.
Jey Uso makes his way to the ring as we go to commercial.
Match #4: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso w/ Paul Heyman vs Sheamus & King Corbin (Samoan Street Fight)
Reigns and Uso dominate early as Reigns takes down Sheamus with a clothesline and then he clotheslines Corbin over the top rope to the floor. Uso runs off the barricade and takes out Corbin at ringside or at least I think that’s what happened because the camera totally missed it (thanks a lot Kevin Dunn). Sheamus pulls Reigns out of the ring and they trade punches until Reigns backdrops Sheamus over the barricade and when Sheamus gets back to his feet Uso puts him right back down with a superkick. Corbin throws a chair at Reigns’ head and then he hits Uso with a Deep Six on the floor.
Corbin throws Reigns in the ring and slides a chair in as well but when Corbin bends over to pick up the chair he is kicked by Reigns and then Reigns grabs the chair and hits Corbin with it several times in the back. Reigns goes out and grabs a table from under the ring but ends up getting hit with a running knee by Sheamus. Corbin and Sheamus double team Reigns at ringside and then throw him over the announce table. Corbin and Sheamus slide the table into the ring and then turn their attention to Uso, but Uso tries to fight back as he hits Sheamus with an enziguri and then goes up top but the heels trip him up and then they double powerbomb him through the table. Sheamus goes for the cover but somehow Uso is able to kick out.
Corbin goes out to make sure Reigns is still laid out but he walks right into an office chair being thrown by Reigns. Sheamus goes out and hits Reigns with a blow to the head taking him back down, Sheamus clears off the announce table and looks to hit Reigns with a White Noise through the table, but Reigns slips out the back and then hits Sheamus with a low blow and then looks to put Sheamus through the table with a Samoan drop but when he hits it the table doesn’t break. Reigns sends Corbin into the ring post and then he hits Sheamus with a Spear through the barricade.
Corbin runs over and slams Reigns face-first into the steps and then rolls him back into the ring, Uso tries for a tope suicida but Corbin catches him and sends him into the timekeeper area. Corbin reaches out to grab his scepter but Uso clocks him with the Universal Championship which causes Corbin to stumble backward into a Spear from Reigns and then Uso finishes things off with an Uso Splash for the win.
Winners: Roman Reigns & Jey Uso via Pinfall Match Rating: ***
After the match, Uso grabs the Universal Championship and acts like he is going to lift it into the air, but he tosses it over to Reigns instead. Uso and Reigns hug and both are all smiles and then Uso leaves the ring and as he is going up the ramp we cut back to the ring where Reigns is giving Uso a death glare and that is how SmackDown comes to a close.
I was not expecting the Samoan Street Fight to be as much fun as it was but it was a blast to watch and that spot where Reigns chucked the office chair at Corbin was really great. I loved the post-match where Reigns kept being all nice to Uso to his face even though Uso had the gall to put his hands on Reigns’ Universal Championship but when Uso turned his back he gave him a go to hell lock.
This match and post-match made me look forward to seeing Reigns vs Uso even more. This was a mixed bag of an episode as the stuff that was good was really good like the Sasha Banks and Bayley segment, everything involving Roman Reigns and Jey Uso, and the AJ Styles vs Sami Zayn match, however, the rest of the show was not that great especially everything involving The Miz, John Morrison, & Heavy Machinery as a terrible storyline such as that one shouldn’t be taking up so much time.
That’s it for me this week I’ll be back next week with the go-home show for Clash of Champions.
