It does happen to be Friday night once again, which can only mean another edition of WWE SmackDown is soon at hand. I’m Jordan Huie, you’re here at 1Z1 Pro Wrestling where as always I’ll be giving you the live play-by-play from the show as it comes. Watch this space~!
Recap vignette of Roman Reigns’ destruction of Jey Uso at Clash of Champions plays.
Roman and Heyman enter to open the show. Reigns has a remarkably slow entrance now. Heyman says you’ll have to forgive him, he’s a little bit nervous. He has known this man and his entire family since the day that he was born. And he always looked forward to this actual moment because we all knew this was destined to happen. Tonight, they are all here to officially declare Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief. And not just of his own family, not just of Friday Night SmackDown, not just of WWE but the Tribal Chief of the entire WWE Universe. Which is why it’s so necessary that Roman Reigns is your undisputed Universal Heavyweight Champion.
Heyman says to set the stage appropriate with respect. From High Chief Peter Maivia, to Afa to Sika…. Roman takes the microphone. Says he doesn’t want him to acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief because HE didn’t acknowledge him. His brother would but Jey would not. He wants Jey to come out here right now. He does indeed come into the ring and stand face to face with him, he’s got a big bandage on his forehead. He says he doesn’t know him. Supposed to be his cousin, his blood and his family. At Clash of Champions Roman showed his true colors and so did he. He beat his ass but he didn’t break his spirit. If Jimmy never threw that towel in, that title would be his.
Roman asks if he thinks he’s proud of what he did. At Clash of Champions, that was the worst night of his career professionally and personally, the worst night of his life. That was not his intentions going into that match, he was trying to do him a favor. He was trying to help him, put him in the main event in the marquee. He just wanted to give him that huge payday, let him do something nice for his kids. He loves him, he loves him more than his brother loves him. Since Day 1, like he always says, he’s been there his whole life. All he wanted to do was raise him up.
And all Jey had to do was acknowledge him. All he had to do was say the words and acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief. This has been his birthright since the day he was born and he has worked his ass off. All he wanted was to give him the main event and what did he do? He disrespected him, he embarrassed him and his whole family. And he broke his heart. Even now Jey can’t look him in his eyes, he’s looking at the title! Is it that important? Is it all he wants? Says he’s got another shot if he wants it. It’s his, at Hell In A Cell. But this match… will have the highest stakes that any match has ever had in WWE history. He gives him a hug. Says something in his ear and drops the mic to leave. Jey makes sure to get the last word as he goes up the ramp, tells him whatever the stakes are, he’s on.
AJ Styles makes his way out after Roman leaves and asks if the liau is over. Says it doesn’t really matter who eats the most chicken bones, but Jey matters to AJ Styles believe it or not. He doesn’t wanna see him take another beating like he did this past Sunday, maybe get someone more qualified to go for the Universal Championship. Let Roman Reigns be the Tribal Chief, sacrifice a goat if he has to. Says Jey will go on living and we all know his older brother is the better athlete, Jey goes on living as the runt he’s always been. Jey tackles him, takes him to the outside, leaps off the announce table to plow through Styles!
Jey Uso vs. AJ Styles
Bell rings after we come back from commercial. AJ taunts him for not liking the truth. Dodges a corner charge, stomps him. Tells him he’s nothing. Kick to the gut, batters him to the mat. Chops him, whip to the corner but Jey slides out, right hand to the face. Body slam. Hits the ropes, headbutt lands! AJ pulls himself up in the corner, sidesteps another charge. Snapmare, kick to the back. Standing Splash for a 1 count, chokes him in the ropes. Catapult into the bottom rope. Jey with a Jawbreaker on his way up, but AJ with his combination takes him down.
Wants the Styles Clash, Jey tosses him to counter, clotheslines him to the floor! Jey hits the ropes for a Suicide Dive, Styles stops him with a kick! AJ drags him directly off the apron into suplex position, drops him HARD on the announce table! Commercial break. When we come back, Styles nails a brutal backbreaker for a 2 count. Snapmare, chinlock. Jey fights his way up but AJ retakes the advantage, Ushigoroshi for a nearfall. AJ looking for a Styles Clash but Jey blocks, takes him to the apron. AJ catches a kick but an enziguri takes him to the floor! Jey looking for the dive again, wipes him out this time!
Back into the ring, AJ takes control, looks for the Phenomenal Forearm but Jey stops him with a superkick to he legs which drapes him ribs-first onto the top rope, another Superkick to the back of the head follows to send him to the mat! This sets up the Uso Splash and that is that!
Winner: Jey Uso
Good match, and a win Jey really needed if he was gonna be a serious challenger.
Sami Zayn backstage with two IC titles, says you’re probably expecting him to gloat about winning one of the greatest ladder matches in WWE history and about the whole world seeing his genius on display. But tonight is a whirlwind of emotions and one of them is resentment. When he thinks about what he had to put his body through to keep what was rightfully his, it makes him angry. At first he was angry at WWE management but now, he blames the fans as they never complained about the sham championship tournament or the ladder match being made. He makes a show of putting the title they’ve been carting around in the trash.
John Morrison makes his way out. The Miz has been barred from ringside, as has Tucker, for this match with Otis. Otis comes out with both a MITB briefcase and his lunchbox, just to make it ambiguous which one has the contract. In an inset promo, Otis says he will be representing in court.
Otis vs. John Morrison
Morrison with the boots up off a charge, but Otis keeps coming at him and Morrison escapes to the apron, headkick, but Otis basically no sells and clobbers him into the ring. Stands on his ribs for a bit. Morrison tries to run at him, Otis with some back elbows, Pancake! Overhead Belly To Belly! Charging clothesline in the corner, Morrison falls to the mat. Caterpillar time, big elbow. And now looking for the Vader Bomb, and just nails it, and that was a squash.
Winner: Otis
You had to start booking Otis like this eventually but man it’s sad to see Morrison just outright ran through like that.
And now we’re doing this again… in an inset promo, Big E challenges Sheamus to a Falls Count Anywhere match, to happen on the night of the draft sounds like.
Sheamus vs. Shorty G
Shorty ducks a Brogue for a roll up for 2! Sidestep sends Sheamus into the post, German Suplex for a nearfall! Shorty goes up top, looks for a Moonsault, Sheamus rolls out of the way, Shorty lands on his feet – Brogue Kick lands. He doesn’t pin him though, beats his chest, Brogue Kick nailed for the win.
Winner: Sheamus
That Falls Count Anywhere match should be good.
Kevin Owens is our Brand-To-Brand Invitational guest tonight, he’s hosting the KO Show with Alexa Bliss and thus he’s hanging out backstage. Firefly Funhouse imagery appears on a screen behind him.
Kevin Owens indeed makes his way out to the ring, welcomes us to the Kevin Owens Show. Says he’s pumped to be here, after the Draft, this may be his new home so he jumped at the chance to come here when WWE management asked him to host a special edition of the KO Show. There’s someone he has a lot of questions for, he’s been paying a lot of attention to SD. Welcomes Alexa Bliss.
Owens thanks her for accepting the invite. He has so many questions as far as what’s happening to her. He’s seen this change in her, this shift in attitude, this anger. It reminds him of what he sees in his nemesis Aleister Black. Alexa says she doesn’t know what he means. Kev says c’mon, she’s not the same woman he met in the Performance Center. Says she was cheery and trying to make people laugh, that’s not her anymore. Bliss says people can change, you should try it sometime. Don’t you want to be better? Kevin says yes, he’s been trying. He’s done a lot of terrible things in his career, he’s been trying to change and do things better. But it’s not about him, it’s about her.
He needs to understand the darkness that’s taken over her. Maybe if he can, he’ll understand what’s happened to Aleister. Alexa asks if he’s ever been around “him”? Terrifying but captivating at the same time. Her spine goes cold in his presence, when he touches you, your body goes numb like pins and needles. When he looks at you, he’s looking right through you and you can’t look away. But he doesn’t know what that’s like, does he? Kev says we’re not talking about Aleister anymore are we? Says she’s been brainwashed. She agrees that her brain has been washed, she’s been cleansed by him.
Owens asks if he’s here. She laughs and says he’s everywhere and she can hear him now… let him in. Owens jumps up as the lights go off gradually. Fiend appears, has Owens in the Mandible Claw! Alexa just watches as he chokes him. Owens eventually passes out. Fiend stands and stare into the camera, then turns towards Alexa. She just gazes back. He beckons to her and she stands to take his hand. She smiles. Screen cuts out with a growl of “LET ME IN”.
King Corbin is on his way out for a six-man tag match that was not alluded to all earlier. He’s teaming with Shinsuke and Cesaro. Riddle, Metalik and Dorado are their opponents preparing backstage. Matt says he was like “Bro…” after losing to Corbin last week. But Metalik and Lince told him WWE is more like a marathon than a sprint he was like “Bro!” and he wanted this match because it might be his last chance to team with his new bros. When asked about Kalisto, Lince says he’s in the locker room and he might be struggling put on his mask with how big his head has gotten.
Matt Riddle, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado vs. King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
Lince with a rana on Shinsuke, dropkick lands. Kalisto comes out down the ramp complaining that they forgot him, and we already have a commercial break. When we come back, Corbin is dominating Metalik, heels stomp him together in the corner. Cesaro tags in, Gutwrench Suplex. Quick tags and isolation, Shinsuke with a knee to the gut into a Front Facelock.
He looks for a Reverse Exploder but Metalik lands on his feet, Around-The-World DDT! Simultaneous tags to Corbin and Riddle, Matt with a Pele Kick, charging forearm in the corner, and another! Exploder Suplex! Misses a PK, Standing Moonsault evaded but he lands on his feet, Broton and there’s the PK, Shinsuke breaks it up!
Lince with the Handspring Cutter to Nak sending him outside, the match starts to break down. Metalik with a Tope Con Hilo to Corbin! Lince wants the Handspring Cutter to Cesaro but he shoves him away – Kalisto accidentally kicks Metalik in the head. But Riddle plants Cesaro with the Bro Derek and that’s that.
Winner: Matt Riddle, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado
Kalisto wants to celebrate with the rest of them but Lince and Metalik don’t want anything to do with him.
Vignette of what’s gone down with Sasha and Bayley. Sasha Banks then makes her way out, neckbrace still on. Commercial break before she gets to the ring.
Mystery lady vignettes begin again. She admits to forgetting who she is. We straight up see pictures of Carmella in the ring with her face cut off. She also blames the fans for her losing her way, apparently forcing her to dance around and have fun when that got her absolutely nowhere. Then she remembered that she’s Carmella and she’s better than each and every one of them. She’s not our princess anymore and it doesn’t matter where she gets drafted because this time she’s untouchable. Unless she doesn’t want to be. I’m already over this, I kinda lose interest when heels blame fans for everything.
Back to Sasha in the ring, poor girl had to wait through that with her broken neck and everything. Asks if Bayley really thought things were over. Says after all the years of her using her, she should have learned a thing or two from her about having a backbone. Says she used her every step of the way to become the longest reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion in history. She knows that she’s not here tonight because she’s scared of her but come next week, it is going to be her versus Bayley for the one she loves the most, her SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Main event time.
WWE Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Jeff Hardy
Lock-up, Sami backs Hardy into a corner and pummels him with forearms. Grinds his face into the buckle. Jeff fights his way out of the corner, shoulder block. Hits the ropes, Sami ducks under, wants a leapfrog but Jeff dropkicks him out of the air! Drives him into the corner, shoulder thrusts to the injured ribs. Sami powders, Jeff pursues him and throws him back into the ring. Sami with a knee to the gut on the way in. Wants to throw him into a buckle – and it’s been exposed! I did not see him remove it. Jeff blocks this though, irish whip, back body drop!
Jeff alerts the referee to the exposed buckle. Sami slides from the ring, eats a baseball slide that drives him into the announce table. Jeff goes out looking for the turnbuckle pad, can’t find it. Charges Sami and just throws himself at him, Zayn evades him and he hits the barrier hard. Commercial break. When we come back, Jeff hits a Jawbreaker, hits the ropes and Sami intercepts him with a clothesline for a 2 count. We see in a replay Sami removing the turnbuckle pad before the match started. Sami continues to have the advantage. Zayn with an elbow to the back of the head from the second rope for a 2 count.
Sami with a body slam, goes up top again. Jeff crotches him. He hooks him for a superplex, and nails it! They both rise slow, exchange of shots, Hardy wins out, double leg into the Legal Low Blow, Basement Dropkick, Splash for a nearfall! Jeff with a few cradles for close nearfalls, Sami sends him into the corner with an Exploder Suplex! Sami glances up at the exposed turnbuckle. Apparently he made the pad completely disappear somehow so the ref couldn’t fix it. He grabs Jeff’s leg, Inverted Enziguri gets some space, but off a charge Sami catches him with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall!
Zayn takes him up top, wants a superplex, Jeff knocks him to the mat. Looks for a Swanton but Sami gets the knees up! He stalks for a Helluva Kick. Jeff pulls himself up, sidesteps, Sami almost hits the exposed buckle. Hardy wants a Twist of Fate but Sami throws him towards the buckle, he blocks, looks for Whisper in the Wind but Sami trips him and he lands facefirst onto the exposed steel! Sami covers him and that’s that.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Very well built and unique finish there.
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