By Mark Rodriguez
Becky Lynch led the Smackdown Women's Division on all out attack on RAW the previous night, and The Man beat down Rhonda Rousey. Will Rhonda lead a similar attack tonight on Smackdown? Also will the Smackdown Survivors Team be able to get along?
Becky Lynch won't be at Survivor Series-
The show opened explaining that Becky Lynch won't be at Survivor Series after all due to a busted nose and concussion she got from Nia Jax during the crazy commotion the previous night. Now the question is, who will face Rhonda at the PPV?
AJ Styles segment-
AJ comments on his title reign and how he faced Brock Lesnar at the last Survivor Series, and intends to defeat him this time. Paul Heyman is in the area and grabs the mic.
Paul Heyman talks AJ Styles up and hypes up how much Brock Lesnar is looking forward to facing him. He also insinuates that AJ is still second best to Daniel Bryan. AJ says that while Brock won last year, AJ was still able to walk out while Brock was limping out.
Just then Daniel Bryan also comes out and grabs the mic and asks why AJ and Heyman are talking about him. Daniel tells AJ if he mentions his name again, he will punch him in the face. AJ named him and Daniel punched him in the face and the the two came to blows. Shane McMahon and several referees dash in to pull them apart.
Shane tries to break it up between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles backstage and he announces that AJ will put his title on the line tonight.
First Match- Cien Almas Andrade VS Jeff Hardy
The match starts with Andrade getting Jeff into a corner and kicking him down. Jeff would land some chops and throw him against the ropes, but Cien Almas would be chillin' on the ropes. Jeff would have enough and kick him out of the ring.
Ads for Creed II would play as Jeff and Andrade would battle for control of the match. Both men would trade blows until Jeff would knock him down. Cien Almas would avoud the Twist of Fate and got Jeff tangled upside down on the ropes. He'd hit Jeff with a double stomp to the face. Jeff would finally land the Twist of Fate slam on Andrades and finish him off with the Swanton Bomb.
With Daniel Bryan now out of the Smackdown Team, Mizz will be the sole captain and he wants to add Jeff Hardy onto the team and get rid of Daniel's picks. Paige says if the Mizz wants Rey Mysterio off the team, he'll have to beat him in a match, coming up next.
Shinsuke Nakamura is interviewed on his thoughts of Seth Rollins for his match at Survivor Series. Nakamura says he is 'heart broken' because Seth was too busy thinking about Ambrose to worry about him... so Nakamura is going to break his face.
Second Match- The Mizz VS Rey Mysterio
Mizz would try to avoid some of Rey's kicks but be outdone by his speed. Mizz grabbed him a headlock and Rey would his way out and sent him flying out of the ring with a Hurricarana. Rey would go for a Suicide Dive but Mizz would have his knees up, injuring the luchador upon landing.
After the break, Rey hit Mizz with a Phoenix Senton off the ropes. He's fly off the ropes a second time, but Mizz would avoid it and hit him with a DDT. However, Rey would kick out. Mizz would lift Rey and bounce him off the ropes for a Power Bomb, but couldn't get the 1-2-3. Rey would avoid the Mizz's attempt at the Skull Crushing Finale and throw him up against the ropes for 619. As Rey would go for the Splash, Mizz would raise his knees to injure him again. Regardless, Rey surprises Mizz with a roll up pin.
Randy Orton would run in to attack Rey again but got a kick to the face. Randy would bump into the Mizz who was still woozy and give him the RKO. Rey would take this chance to escape without another attack from The Viper.
Paige segment-
Paige calls out the female roster, starting with Charlotte. Lana, Carmella, The IIconics, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Asuka and Naomi. With Becky being injured, she will come out and handpick the opponent for Rhonda Rousey.
Becky comes out and apologizes for not being cleared to be at Survivor Series. After she looks over the candidates, she chooses Charlotte to make 'Rhonda tap out the way she would have'. Becky and Charlotte hug it out and everyone gives their support.
Third Match- The Bar & The Big Show VS The New Day
We start with Sheamus and Kofi, who would kick down the Celtic Warrior and tag in his buddies to take turns attacking him. Cesaro would grab Xavier and tag in Big Show to bring on the pain, literally chopping him down to the mat.
After the break, Sheamus would be attacking Xavier, with Cesaro keeping him from tagging out. Outside of the ring, Big Show would toss Big E into the barricade. Xavier would hit Sheamus with a Missle Dropkick off the ropes and tag Kofi in. Kofi would face Cesaro, and even though he'd hit him with the Trouble in Paradise and the SOS, he'd kick out of both pin attempts. Kofi would try for another Trouble in Paradise but Cesaro would catch his leg and get ready to swing him around, but Big Show tags himself in. Kofi gets on the ropes and jumps but Big Show gives him a Knock Out Punch, smacking him right out of mid-air. Big Show pins him for the win.
Daniel Bryan VS AJ Styles- WWE Championship Match
AJ picks up Daniel and gets him against the ropes, landing some punches. Daniel would fight back but AJ would throw him out of the ring. AJ would jump out of the ring and hit Daniel with the Phenomenal Forearm.
AJ would grab Daniel's leg and slam his elbow into the knee. He'd then grab Daniel in a leglock. However, Daniel would get him out of the ring and slam him shoulder first into the ring post. Daniel would now get all focus on AJ's left arm with arm locks and kicks. Both men would exchange blows and despite favoring the knee, Daniel would still be able to run and launch himself at AJ, knocking him down.
After the break, Styles is up against the ropes and Daniel would get him in a Hurricarana off the top ropes. Daniel would go for the ropes, but AJ stops him and climbs up with him, hitting the side of his face with a Pele' Kick. Daniel hands AJ upside down on the ropes and kicks the heck out of him. Daniel grabs AJ and Super-Plexes him off the ropes. The Champ would still kick out of the pin attempt.
Daniel would go for the Yes Kicks but AJ would dodge one and try to get him in the Styles Clash. Daniel would kick him in the face to get out of it. AJ would jump off the ropes for a Springboard 450 but Daniel would have the knees up. With AJ hurt, Daniel Bryan would go for the Yes Lock, but AJ was able to grab the ropes to break the hold.
Daniel Bryan would try to go for the Running Knee but AJ would kick him in the knee to trip him up. AJ would go for the Calf Crusher submission move, but Daniel would reverse this into the Armbar and then the Yes Lock. AJ would escape this again and jump off the ropes to try the Phenomenal Forearm, but Daniel would get out of the way and push AJ into the referee.
With the Referee temporarily out, Daniel Bryan would surprisingly hit AJ with a low blow. Since the ref didn't see this the match continues, and with a crazed look in his eye, Daniel would run into AJ and hit him with the Running Knee. He'd score the win and become the new WWE Champion.
Daniel would continue to stomp the hell out AJ's face even after the match the over.
The Highs of Smackdown-
Sudden surprise Daniel Bryan Heel Turn- Holy crap! This literally came out of nowhere! Sure he was angry last week, but I would think it was over being forced to work with the Mizz or whatever. But going for the low blow and the crazed look he gave as he beat the hell out of AJ, even after the match was over. This came out of nowhere and I'm curious as to where this is going to go.
AJ Styles VS Daniel Bryan- Adding on to this, the match itself was pretty awesome. I wasn't sure if they were going to be brave enough to change the title on the episode before Survivor Series, but wow, this match really felt like it was gonna go either way. It didn't feel like a surefire win for AJ. It was amazing and well worth the rematch.
Nakamura trying to cut a promo- Looks like they're forcing more mic time on him. His little interview regarding his thoughts on Rollins was short but the point and I liked hearing him say "I will BREAK YOUR FACE". I know a lot of people don't put much stock on Nakamura and Asuka, despite their awesome ring skills, just because they don't get on the mic enough. Now that he's trying to cut some promos, let's see if the fans can warm up to him.
Becky chooses Charlotte to face Rhonda- It looks like Becky finally makes amends with Charlotte, which really, the whole problem between them was that Charlotte can't be or shouldn't be the champ all the damn time. Personally, I don't care if Rhonda beats Charlotte, so it's a win-win for me either way. I assume WWE views Rhonda as too grandiose to actually have her lose to Becky, so if she must win just because she's Rhonda Rousey, better Charlotte than Becky. I would have liked to have seen Asuka instead, but the way she's been built down lately, I would not like to see her job to Rousey in a possible squash.
The Bar VS The New Day- Pretty good match. I liked the match and there were a lot of cool spots. Big Show helps keep things even between these two teams. I just love seeing The Bar rack up the wins and The New Day are so over with the fans, a few losses don't really hurt them.
The Lows of Smackdown-
Becky Lynch too injured to compete at Survivor Series- I know her well-being as a person rather than a wrestler is important, but it still sucks to miss out on this match. If WWE was going to have Rousey beat Becky, it might have killed her momentum. At least now Becky can keep up her 'The Man' attitude a while longer.
My Overall Opinions-
Overall great episode. We see the build up to a championship match between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles with that surprise ending. We see more of Cien Almas, and The Mizz is always fun to watch. All of tonight's matches were pretty good, and the promos and whatnot were good too.
Smackdown leaves some questions open though, like who will lead the Female Smackdown Team since Charlotte will face Rousey (even though they never clearly stated Charlotte was going to lead it anyway). We don't know exactly what tag teams will be on the Smackdown Tag Team, and I'm not 100% sure if Daniel Bryan will now face Brock Lesnar, or if Brock will still have a Champion VS Champion match against AJ... even if AJ Styles is no longer champion. I guess Smackdown will give us some surprises.
Becky Lynch led the Smackdown Women's Division on all out attack on RAW the previous night, and The Man beat down Rhonda Rousey. Will Rhonda lead a similar attack tonight on Smackdown? Also will the Smackdown Survivors Team be able to get along?
The show opened explaining that Becky Lynch won't be at Survivor Series after all due to a busted nose and concussion she got from Nia Jax during the crazy commotion the previous night. Now the question is, who will face Rhonda at the PPV?
AJ Styles segment-
AJ comments on his title reign and how he faced Brock Lesnar at the last Survivor Series, and intends to defeat him this time. Paul Heyman is in the area and grabs the mic.
Paul Heyman talks AJ Styles up and hypes up how much Brock Lesnar is looking forward to facing him. He also insinuates that AJ is still second best to Daniel Bryan. AJ says that while Brock won last year, AJ was still able to walk out while Brock was limping out.
Just then Daniel Bryan also comes out and grabs the mic and asks why AJ and Heyman are talking about him. Daniel tells AJ if he mentions his name again, he will punch him in the face. AJ named him and Daniel punched him in the face and the the two came to blows. Shane McMahon and several referees dash in to pull them apart.
Shane tries to break it up between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles backstage and he announces that AJ will put his title on the line tonight.
First Match- Cien Almas Andrade VS Jeff Hardy
The match starts with Andrade getting Jeff into a corner and kicking him down. Jeff would land some chops and throw him against the ropes, but Cien Almas would be chillin' on the ropes. Jeff would have enough and kick him out of the ring.
Ads for Creed II would play as Jeff and Andrade would battle for control of the match. Both men would trade blows until Jeff would knock him down. Cien Almas would avoud the Twist of Fate and got Jeff tangled upside down on the ropes. He'd hit Jeff with a double stomp to the face. Jeff would finally land the Twist of Fate slam on Andrades and finish him off with the Swanton Bomb.
With Daniel Bryan now out of the Smackdown Team, Mizz will be the sole captain and he wants to add Jeff Hardy onto the team and get rid of Daniel's picks. Paige says if the Mizz wants Rey Mysterio off the team, he'll have to beat him in a match, coming up next.
Shinsuke Nakamura is interviewed on his thoughts of Seth Rollins for his match at Survivor Series. Nakamura says he is 'heart broken' because Seth was too busy thinking about Ambrose to worry about him... so Nakamura is going to break his face.
 |
| Seth broke my heart, so at Survivor Series, I will BREAK HIS FACE |
Mizz would try to avoid some of Rey's kicks but be outdone by his speed. Mizz grabbed him a headlock and Rey would his way out and sent him flying out of the ring with a Hurricarana. Rey would go for a Suicide Dive but Mizz would have his knees up, injuring the luchador upon landing.
After the break, Rey hit Mizz with a Phoenix Senton off the ropes. He's fly off the ropes a second time, but Mizz would avoid it and hit him with a DDT. However, Rey would kick out. Mizz would lift Rey and bounce him off the ropes for a Power Bomb, but couldn't get the 1-2-3. Rey would avoid the Mizz's attempt at the Skull Crushing Finale and throw him up against the ropes for 619. As Rey would go for the Splash, Mizz would raise his knees to injure him again. Regardless, Rey surprises Mizz with a roll up pin.
Randy Orton would run in to attack Rey again but got a kick to the face. Randy would bump into the Mizz who was still woozy and give him the RKO. Rey would take this chance to escape without another attack from The Viper.
Paige segment-
Paige calls out the female roster, starting with Charlotte. Lana, Carmella, The IIconics, Sonya Deville, Mandy Rose, Asuka and Naomi. With Becky being injured, she will come out and handpick the opponent for Rhonda Rousey.
Becky comes out and apologizes for not being cleared to be at Survivor Series. After she looks over the candidates, she chooses Charlotte to make 'Rhonda tap out the way she would have'. Becky and Charlotte hug it out and everyone gives their support.
Third Match- The Bar & The Big Show VS The New Day
We start with Sheamus and Kofi, who would kick down the Celtic Warrior and tag in his buddies to take turns attacking him. Cesaro would grab Xavier and tag in Big Show to bring on the pain, literally chopping him down to the mat.
After the break, Sheamus would be attacking Xavier, with Cesaro keeping him from tagging out. Outside of the ring, Big Show would toss Big E into the barricade. Xavier would hit Sheamus with a Missle Dropkick off the ropes and tag Kofi in. Kofi would face Cesaro, and even though he'd hit him with the Trouble in Paradise and the SOS, he'd kick out of both pin attempts. Kofi would try for another Trouble in Paradise but Cesaro would catch his leg and get ready to swing him around, but Big Show tags himself in. Kofi gets on the ropes and jumps but Big Show gives him a Knock Out Punch, smacking him right out of mid-air. Big Show pins him for the win.
Daniel Bryan VS AJ Styles- WWE Championship Match
AJ picks up Daniel and gets him against the ropes, landing some punches. Daniel would fight back but AJ would throw him out of the ring. AJ would jump out of the ring and hit Daniel with the Phenomenal Forearm.
AJ would grab Daniel's leg and slam his elbow into the knee. He'd then grab Daniel in a leglock. However, Daniel would get him out of the ring and slam him shoulder first into the ring post. Daniel would now get all focus on AJ's left arm with arm locks and kicks. Both men would exchange blows and despite favoring the knee, Daniel would still be able to run and launch himself at AJ, knocking him down.
After the break, Styles is up against the ropes and Daniel would get him in a Hurricarana off the top ropes. Daniel would go for the ropes, but AJ stops him and climbs up with him, hitting the side of his face with a Pele' Kick. Daniel hands AJ upside down on the ropes and kicks the heck out of him. Daniel grabs AJ and Super-Plexes him off the ropes. The Champ would still kick out of the pin attempt.
Daniel would go for the Yes Kicks but AJ would dodge one and try to get him in the Styles Clash. Daniel would kick him in the face to get out of it. AJ would jump off the ropes for a Springboard 450 but Daniel would have the knees up. With AJ hurt, Daniel Bryan would go for the Yes Lock, but AJ was able to grab the ropes to break the hold.
Daniel Bryan would try to go for the Running Knee but AJ would kick him in the knee to trip him up. AJ would go for the Calf Crusher submission move, but Daniel would reverse this into the Armbar and then the Yes Lock. AJ would escape this again and jump off the ropes to try the Phenomenal Forearm, but Daniel would get out of the way and push AJ into the referee.
With the Referee temporarily out, Daniel Bryan would surprisingly hit AJ with a low blow. Since the ref didn't see this the match continues, and with a crazed look in his eye, Daniel would run into AJ and hit him with the Running Knee. He'd score the win and become the new WWE Champion.
Daniel would continue to stomp the hell out AJ's face even after the match the over.
The Highs of Smackdown-
Sudden surprise Daniel Bryan Heel Turn- Holy crap! This literally came out of nowhere! Sure he was angry last week, but I would think it was over being forced to work with the Mizz or whatever. But going for the low blow and the crazed look he gave as he beat the hell out of AJ, even after the match was over. This came out of nowhere and I'm curious as to where this is going to go.
AJ Styles VS Daniel Bryan- Adding on to this, the match itself was pretty awesome. I wasn't sure if they were going to be brave enough to change the title on the episode before Survivor Series, but wow, this match really felt like it was gonna go either way. It didn't feel like a surefire win for AJ. It was amazing and well worth the rematch.
Nakamura trying to cut a promo- Looks like they're forcing more mic time on him. His little interview regarding his thoughts on Rollins was short but the point and I liked hearing him say "I will BREAK YOUR FACE". I know a lot of people don't put much stock on Nakamura and Asuka, despite their awesome ring skills, just because they don't get on the mic enough. Now that he's trying to cut some promos, let's see if the fans can warm up to him.
Becky chooses Charlotte to face Rhonda- It looks like Becky finally makes amends with Charlotte, which really, the whole problem between them was that Charlotte can't be or shouldn't be the champ all the damn time. Personally, I don't care if Rhonda beats Charlotte, so it's a win-win for me either way. I assume WWE views Rhonda as too grandiose to actually have her lose to Becky, so if she must win just because she's Rhonda Rousey, better Charlotte than Becky. I would have liked to have seen Asuka instead, but the way she's been built down lately, I would not like to see her job to Rousey in a possible squash.
The Bar VS The New Day- Pretty good match. I liked the match and there were a lot of cool spots. Big Show helps keep things even between these two teams. I just love seeing The Bar rack up the wins and The New Day are so over with the fans, a few losses don't really hurt them.
The Lows of Smackdown-
Becky Lynch too injured to compete at Survivor Series- I know her well-being as a person rather than a wrestler is important, but it still sucks to miss out on this match. If WWE was going to have Rousey beat Becky, it might have killed her momentum. At least now Becky can keep up her 'The Man' attitude a while longer.
My Overall Opinions-
Overall great episode. We see the build up to a championship match between Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles with that surprise ending. We see more of Cien Almas, and The Mizz is always fun to watch. All of tonight's matches were pretty good, and the promos and whatnot were good too.
Smackdown leaves some questions open though, like who will lead the Female Smackdown Team since Charlotte will face Rousey (even though they never clearly stated Charlotte was going to lead it anyway). We don't know exactly what tag teams will be on the Smackdown Tag Team, and I'm not 100% sure if Daniel Bryan will now face Brock Lesnar, or if Brock will still have a Champion VS Champion match against AJ... even if AJ Styles is no longer champion. I guess Smackdown will give us some surprises.
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