By Mark Rodriguez
This is the big one! Smackdown reaches it's 1000th episode! With all of these rumored guest stars including Triple H, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Bautista and several others, I wonder if we'll see some actual matches tonight. Well besides the World Qualifier Match that brings back Rey Mysterio to face Nakamura!
Epic Intro- We have a cool extended intro featuring a lot of stars, new and old, including John Cena, The Rock, Eddie Guererro, and even Hulk Hogan as well as showing scenes like Booker T and Stone Cold fighting in a supermarket and the time Brock Lesnar slammed The Big Show and it literally destroyed the ring. Other bizzare events include Christian marrying Vickie Guerrero, Big Boss Man running off the Big Show's father's casket and Carmella winning the Money in the Bank. All weird events but they are all part of Smackdown's history.
Truth TV (R Truth and Carmella)
R Truth and Carmella start the show with a few dance breaks. They invite Stephanie as their guest and soon Shane also appears. The McMahons argue, with Shane on the side of the audience and Steph bad-mouthing them until Vince McMahon himself shows up. He says they should entertain the crowd and surprises everyone by going into a dance break. Everybody dances.
First Match- AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan VS The Usos
The match starts with Daniel and Jay Uso who soon tags Jimmy in so they could double team him. AJ is tagged in but he ends up stuck in the Usos' corner and attacked by the brothers, including being thrown into the ringpost. AJ caught Jay in the Calf Crusher and Daniel grabs Jimmy in the Yes Lock to keep him from breaking up the submission. Jay manages to grab the ropes.
Even the 1000th episode is not safe from commercial breaks as the match continues in small screen as the ads play. The Usos continue to double-team on AJ Styles as I see ads for Antman and the Wasp and Abreva. Jay managed to jumpkick AJ in the face, which AJ followed by a Pele Kick and both men were down. AJ gets up in time to tag in Daniel, which soon lands a missile drop kick off the ropes on Jay. Daniel Bryan uses the Yes Kicks on Jay but Jimmy breaks the pin.
Daniel accidentally runs into AJ Styles, and when AJ gets in his face, Jay does a Superkick to his face. Daniel Bryan turned in time to get hit by a Double Superkick by the Usos and they score the win. The Usos walk off in victory and Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles end up glaring at each other as they will be facing off at Crown Jewel for the WWE World Title.
There is a short segment of Paige dancing with Vickie Guerrero, Ted Long and Joh Laurinaitis. All the Smackdown General Manages get to hang.
Evolution Reunion
Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Bautista reunite and celebrate 1000 episodes of Smackdown. However, Randy Orton disses all of them and says he's the only one that is actually evolving now. Bautista says he's there for four reasons, to celebrate the 1000 episodes, the fact that they're in his home town, the fanbase whether they were cheering or booing, and to see the other Evolution members again. Bautista gives props to everyone sand says Triple H has done everything except beat him. Even though there was an awkward pause and a bit of a staredown, Triple H and Bautista hug it out.
Second Match- The Mizz VS Rusev- World Cup Qualifier
We come back to see Kurt Angle join commentary as Mizz and Rusev fight. However, Aiden comes in to pull Rusev off of pinning the Mizz. The Mizz sees his chance to score the win in one of the shortest matches ever. Aiden steps up to Lana, and Lana kicks him in the junk. Rusev attacks Aiden and throws him against the announcement table.
We see Curt Hawkins hanging out with Christian backstage. The Rated R Superstar has a segment of his own coming up.
Christian Cutting Edge- with Becky Lynch and Charlotte
Christian talks to Becky and discusses how she risks ruining her friendship with Charlotte forever. Becky says she loves herself and tells Christian to leave and not hurt his neck as he gets past the ropes. Charlotte comes in and Spears Becky down as both women go nuts. Christian stands back and referees come in to try to break it up. In the end Ric Flair comes in to pull his daughter back. Becky Lynch and Charlotte are set to settle this at Crown Jewel.
Third Match- The New Day VS The Bar- Smackdown Tag Team Title Match
Jerry Lawler and Booker T do commentary on this title match. Sheamus starts off with Xavier Woods. Cesaro lands a cheap shot from outside the ropes, and Sheamus drags Xavier to their corner for a beatdown. Doritos ads play as Xavier finally gets away from Sheamus so he can tag Big E in.
Big E grabs Cesaro with a series of Belly-to-belly Suplexes. He does a power slam on Cesaro but the Swiss Cyborg manages to kick out of the pin. Cesao is tagged in but he misses a Brouge Kick and gets stuck on the ropes. Big E spears Sheamus out of the ring. Xavier hits Sheamus with a Shining Wizard but he still kicks out of the pin. Cesaro manages to get Big E in the Neutralizer but Xavier comes in to break the pin.
After the break, Big E is in control of Cesaro, but Sheamus tags himself in and he manages to lift Big E. Cesaro jumps off the ringpost with an Uppercut. Kofi breaks up the pin, even tough he's not in the match and The Bar take care of him. Xavier jumps off the ropes but The Bar catches him and throw him into the barricade. Suddenly Big Show shows up.
Big Show glares at The Bar and they back off. Big Show acts like he's helping Kofi back up, but he then hits him with a Choke Slam through the announcer table. Sheamus takes advantage of the confusion and hits Big E with the Brougue Kick and scores the pin. The Bar are the Smackdown Tag Team Champs!
John Cena segment
Cena recalls how The Rock named Smackdown and how the show brought along Randy Orton and Bautista and Cena came up to slap Kurt Angle and say he was full of Ruthless Aggression. He thanks everyone for the 1000 episodes of Smackdown.
Fourth Match- Rey Mysterio VS Shinuske Nakamura- World Cup Qualifier
The guys trades some blows until Nakamura got Rey in a headlock. Rey managed to get out of that and also slide under Nakamura's running attack. Nakamura dodged Rey's attempt at the 619 but he did kick him to the mat. Rey ran and slid across the mat and splashed onto Nakamura. However, when returning to the ring, Rey got caught on the ropes and fell victim to Nakamura's kicks.
Rey jumps off the ropes and Nakamura hits him in the air. Nakamura hangs Rey on the ropes and hits him with a running knee. Rey manages to kick Nakamura up against the ropes. This time he is able to connect with the 619, and then lands a Splash on Nakamura and scores the win.
This means that John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Kurt Angle, The Mizz, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio will be at the World Cup Tournament.
Just then The Undertaker shows up. Undertaker says he has three words for D-Generation X at Crown Jewel- Rest in Peace.
The Highs of Tonight's Smackdown Live-
- Evolution returns- Not much to say, it was fun seeing the gang together again, but most of all, they even got Bautista back in the ring, even if it was just for a short moment.
All the Old School Cameos- The cameos were short and sweet, but it was nice seeing Bautista, Christian, Laurinaitis, Ted, and Vickie again, even though it some were for a very short time. Imagine booking a flight just to dance with Paige for a few seconds on screen, but a paycheck's a paycheck.
The Bar beat the New Day and become Smackdown Champs! Finally The Bar won the titles and beat the New Day! Not that I have anything against the New Day but they are so over with the crowd that they can afford to lose the titles and I just love the dynamic teamwork between Cesaro and Sheamus. Plus making them fight for the 1000th time on the 1000th episode just to have New Day win yet again would have been a waste of time. Then the Big Show's sudden appearance there made the win that much more of a surprise. It was also clever to have Big Show take out Kofi. Since he's not the legal man, his interference doesn't end the match in a disqualification.
Rey Mysterio VS Nakamura- It was a good match and Rey shows the crowd that he still has it. Nakamura is also a decent enough wrestler to also give Rey a good challenge with his strong strikes and speed. It's awesome seeing the 619 again.
The Lows of Tonight's Smackdown Live-
My Overall Opinions
As you can see, this episode was full of so much nostalgia that there really weren't any lows except for that joke a match between Mizz and Rusev. Even the opening skit that people might find cheesy was just the right kind of cheesy as we saw Vince, Shane and Steph again. The show also showed all sorts of pictures throughout Smackdown's history before and after commercial breaks, including King Booker, Hulk Hogan dressed as Mr. America and Bautista and Eddie Guererro coming in with the hydraulics. They even showed Chyna in one of the pics, which was almost as surprising as them showing Hogan again. Wow.
This was fun an a great episode. Most of the World Cup Qualifiers have been sucky or stupid skits if they didn't involve the SHIELD, but the match between Nakamura and Rey Mysterio was a good one. Looking forward to see how far Rey goes in the tournament.
It was just awesome. Where will the WWE be in the 2000th episode?
This is the big one! Smackdown reaches it's 1000th episode! With all of these rumored guest stars including Triple H, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Bautista and several others, I wonder if we'll see some actual matches tonight. Well besides the World Qualifier Match that brings back Rey Mysterio to face Nakamura!
Truth TV (R Truth and Carmella)
R Truth and Carmella start the show with a few dance breaks. They invite Stephanie as their guest and soon Shane also appears. The McMahons argue, with Shane on the side of the audience and Steph bad-mouthing them until Vince McMahon himself shows up. He says they should entertain the crowd and surprises everyone by going into a dance break. Everybody dances.
First Match- AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan VS The Usos
The match starts with Daniel and Jay Uso who soon tags Jimmy in so they could double team him. AJ is tagged in but he ends up stuck in the Usos' corner and attacked by the brothers, including being thrown into the ringpost. AJ caught Jay in the Calf Crusher and Daniel grabs Jimmy in the Yes Lock to keep him from breaking up the submission. Jay manages to grab the ropes.
Even the 1000th episode is not safe from commercial breaks as the match continues in small screen as the ads play. The Usos continue to double-team on AJ Styles as I see ads for Antman and the Wasp and Abreva. Jay managed to jumpkick AJ in the face, which AJ followed by a Pele Kick and both men were down. AJ gets up in time to tag in Daniel, which soon lands a missile drop kick off the ropes on Jay. Daniel Bryan uses the Yes Kicks on Jay but Jimmy breaks the pin.
Daniel accidentally runs into AJ Styles, and when AJ gets in his face, Jay does a Superkick to his face. Daniel Bryan turned in time to get hit by a Double Superkick by the Usos and they score the win. The Usos walk off in victory and Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles end up glaring at each other as they will be facing off at Crown Jewel for the WWE World Title.
There is a short segment of Paige dancing with Vickie Guerrero, Ted Long and Joh Laurinaitis. All the Smackdown General Manages get to hang.
Evolution Reunion
Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Bautista reunite and celebrate 1000 episodes of Smackdown. However, Randy Orton disses all of them and says he's the only one that is actually evolving now. Bautista says he's there for four reasons, to celebrate the 1000 episodes, the fact that they're in his home town, the fanbase whether they were cheering or booing, and to see the other Evolution members again. Bautista gives props to everyone sand says Triple H has done everything except beat him. Even though there was an awkward pause and a bit of a staredown, Triple H and Bautista hug it out.
Second Match- The Mizz VS Rusev- World Cup Qualifier
We come back to see Kurt Angle join commentary as Mizz and Rusev fight. However, Aiden comes in to pull Rusev off of pinning the Mizz. The Mizz sees his chance to score the win in one of the shortest matches ever. Aiden steps up to Lana, and Lana kicks him in the junk. Rusev attacks Aiden and throws him against the announcement table.
We see Curt Hawkins hanging out with Christian backstage. The Rated R Superstar has a segment of his own coming up.
Christian Cutting Edge- with Becky Lynch and Charlotte
Christian talks to Becky and discusses how she risks ruining her friendship with Charlotte forever. Becky says she loves herself and tells Christian to leave and not hurt his neck as he gets past the ropes. Charlotte comes in and Spears Becky down as both women go nuts. Christian stands back and referees come in to try to break it up. In the end Ric Flair comes in to pull his daughter back. Becky Lynch and Charlotte are set to settle this at Crown Jewel.
Third Match- The New Day VS The Bar- Smackdown Tag Team Title Match
Jerry Lawler and Booker T do commentary on this title match. Sheamus starts off with Xavier Woods. Cesaro lands a cheap shot from outside the ropes, and Sheamus drags Xavier to their corner for a beatdown. Doritos ads play as Xavier finally gets away from Sheamus so he can tag Big E in.
Big E grabs Cesaro with a series of Belly-to-belly Suplexes. He does a power slam on Cesaro but the Swiss Cyborg manages to kick out of the pin. Cesao is tagged in but he misses a Brouge Kick and gets stuck on the ropes. Big E spears Sheamus out of the ring. Xavier hits Sheamus with a Shining Wizard but he still kicks out of the pin. Cesaro manages to get Big E in the Neutralizer but Xavier comes in to break the pin.
After the break, Big E is in control of Cesaro, but Sheamus tags himself in and he manages to lift Big E. Cesaro jumps off the ringpost with an Uppercut. Kofi breaks up the pin, even tough he's not in the match and The Bar take care of him. Xavier jumps off the ropes but The Bar catches him and throw him into the barricade. Suddenly Big Show shows up.
Big Show glares at The Bar and they back off. Big Show acts like he's helping Kofi back up, but he then hits him with a Choke Slam through the announcer table. Sheamus takes advantage of the confusion and hits Big E with the Brougue Kick and scores the pin. The Bar are the Smackdown Tag Team Champs!
John Cena segment
Cena recalls how The Rock named Smackdown and how the show brought along Randy Orton and Bautista and Cena came up to slap Kurt Angle and say he was full of Ruthless Aggression. He thanks everyone for the 1000 episodes of Smackdown.
Fourth Match- Rey Mysterio VS Shinuske Nakamura- World Cup Qualifier
The guys trades some blows until Nakamura got Rey in a headlock. Rey managed to get out of that and also slide under Nakamura's running attack. Nakamura dodged Rey's attempt at the 619 but he did kick him to the mat. Rey ran and slid across the mat and splashed onto Nakamura. However, when returning to the ring, Rey got caught on the ropes and fell victim to Nakamura's kicks.
Rey jumps off the ropes and Nakamura hits him in the air. Nakamura hangs Rey on the ropes and hits him with a running knee. Rey manages to kick Nakamura up against the ropes. This time he is able to connect with the 619, and then lands a Splash on Nakamura and scores the win.
This means that John Cena, Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Kurt Angle, The Mizz, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio will be at the World Cup Tournament.
Just then The Undertaker shows up. Undertaker says he has three words for D-Generation X at Crown Jewel- Rest in Peace.
The Highs of Tonight's Smackdown Live-
- Evolution returns- Not much to say, it was fun seeing the gang together again, but most of all, they even got Bautista back in the ring, even if it was just for a short moment.
All the Old School Cameos- The cameos were short and sweet, but it was nice seeing Bautista, Christian, Laurinaitis, Ted, and Vickie again, even though it some were for a very short time. Imagine booking a flight just to dance with Paige for a few seconds on screen, but a paycheck's a paycheck.
The Bar beat the New Day and become Smackdown Champs! Finally The Bar won the titles and beat the New Day! Not that I have anything against the New Day but they are so over with the crowd that they can afford to lose the titles and I just love the dynamic teamwork between Cesaro and Sheamus. Plus making them fight for the 1000th time on the 1000th episode just to have New Day win yet again would have been a waste of time. Then the Big Show's sudden appearance there made the win that much more of a surprise. It was also clever to have Big Show take out Kofi. Since he's not the legal man, his interference doesn't end the match in a disqualification.
Rey Mysterio VS Nakamura- It was a good match and Rey shows the crowd that he still has it. Nakamura is also a decent enough wrestler to also give Rey a good challenge with his strong strikes and speed. It's awesome seeing the 619 again.
The Lows of Tonight's Smackdown Live-
Mizz VS Rusev- What was the point of this? The commercial break just cuts to the random middle of the match and it's literally over in a minute. The focus is more on Aiden's feud with Rusev and creepiness towards Lana that we missed what could have been a good match up. I guess there wasn't enough time with all the segments and special guests but wow, I'd like to see Mizz and Rusev go all out at another time in a decent match.
My Overall Opinions
As you can see, this episode was full of so much nostalgia that there really weren't any lows except for that joke a match between Mizz and Rusev. Even the opening skit that people might find cheesy was just the right kind of cheesy as we saw Vince, Shane and Steph again. The show also showed all sorts of pictures throughout Smackdown's history before and after commercial breaks, including King Booker, Hulk Hogan dressed as Mr. America and Bautista and Eddie Guererro coming in with the hydraulics. They even showed Chyna in one of the pics, which was almost as surprising as them showing Hogan again. Wow.
This was fun an a great episode. Most of the World Cup Qualifiers have been sucky or stupid skits if they didn't involve the SHIELD, but the match between Nakamura and Rey Mysterio was a good one. Looking forward to see how far Rey goes in the tournament.
It was just awesome. Where will the WWE be in the 2000th episode?
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