It’s Friday night once again! I’m Jordan Huie aka the One Zeel One and you’re here at 1Z1 Pro Wrestling where I swear to God I will be making an article other than these recaps eventually! I’m just so busy and it’s the simplest way to make sure there’s a steady stream of content here… but anyway, we’ve got another episode of WWE SmackDown soon at hand. Watch this space for the live recap and results, as always!
We’ve got ourselves the first night of the Draft here! And Stephanie McMahon takes the podium up first. Says the first pick of the first round, Monday Night Raw selects the indomitable WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. And SmackDown picks Universal Champion Roman Reigns, why are they still doing this? Raw also selects Asuka, man they actively don’t want people to be hype for this. And in the first actual move, SmackDown selects Seth Rollins! Raw then chooses the entire Hurt Business.
Seth’s interviewed backstage. Says it was never about the name, it was always the message that mattered the most. After spending his entire career as a Raw Superstar, he’s thrilled to make the jump to Friday Night SmackDown. Has new trails to blaze, it’s exciting. But he will be a little upset that he won’t be there personally to watch the Mysterio family implode but luckily for him he’ll never have to see their stupid faces again.
Now in the ring we have a Falls Count Anywhere match!
Falls Count Anywhere Match: Sheamus vs. Big E
They kick up a brawl, Sheamus with a quick Regal Roller. Corner charge, E with his Uranage counter! Gets him to the apron and already hits his big spear to the floor, he usually saves that for PPVs! Cover on the floor for a 2 count! E reaches under the ring, tosses aside some Booty-O’s, finally pulls out a Kendo Stick! Shemaus with a sudden Brogue Kick, nearfall! Sheamus drives E into the apron! He ties his arms up in the ropes. E is trying to kick at him but Sheamus stays out of his range. Picks up the Kendo Stick and cracks him right across the chest! And again! Now pelting his gut with it, finally E collapses to the floor, Sheamus covers for a 2 count.
Sheamus starts looking for weapons, somehow he feels the need to climb under the ring, Big E stops him, wraps Duct Tape around his ankles, shades of Yano! Sheamus is now staggering around and E cracks the kendo stick over his back and torso repeatedly until he falls over the barricade! Wicked welt on his back, commercial break! When we come back, E is knocking Sheamus around with the kendo stick on the stage, Sheamus escapes backstage! He’s red all over as E wants a suplex onto a metal table of sorts. Sheamus reverses and slams him onto it instead!
Now he takes up the stick and bashes him with it before pulling him off the steel table. He covers him in flour and smashes some eggs into his face. He pulls Big E up and slams him into a display case! Kicks him into a hallway. He picks up an HP monitor, wants to swing it but Big E stops him, cracks a broom across him until it breaks and then he snaps a SECOND one over him! Takes up a trash can and smashes it across his back! Twice, three times! E charges at him, slams the trash can into him and sends him spilling into the Parking Lot. Sheamus is fleeing and begging off, E with a charging kick to the chin!
Sheamus tries to hide behind a car, E pursues – Sheamus surprises him with a tire iron! Sheamus pulls Big E up onto the hood of the car – White Noise onto the windshield! Cover… NEARFALL! Sheamus pulls him to the pavement, opens the car door, wedges him inside and slams the door on him repeatedly! Yanks him over to the back of the car, opens the trunk and lays him inside. He positions his arm, he’s gonna try and snap it with the trunk! But E blocks it, kicks him away! Sheamus tries for a Brogue Kick but E avoids it, and he kicks the trunk right off! Tries another but E counters it with a powerbomb onto the hood of an adjacent car! Then he pulls him up and throws him into the windshield! Climbs up, pulls him up – Big Ending off the hood through a table! And that is that!
Winner: Big E
Man that was the bloodiest match WWE has held in a loooong time. They have definitely finally started taking some nods from Dynamite.
Jey Uso is making his way out. Big E is interviewed backstage but before he can say anything, Kofi Kingston surprises him! And so does Xavier Woods!! They are both hype and Kofi happily announces that the New Day are finally back together agaaaaaaaiiin they’re totally breaking them up tonight aren’t they? Xavier says the one thing missing are their WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships!
Anyway Jey makes this quite blunt, just asks what the stip is for him and Roman’s Cell match. No response. He says like Roman said, there are consequences, it’s lockdown with the Uce that got the juice… Heyman stops him from saying the catchphrase, appearing on the video. Tells him not to embarrass his family with a foolish attempt to dictate the pace. Says that for those who get too ambitious in coming up against the champ, this is what happens when you step up to the reigning, defending, Universal Champion Roman Reigns. And we see a video package of Roman absolutely decimating Jey at Clash of Champions.
Roman Reigns is there now. Says that in this business, they used to say believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see. But what you just saw… you can believe that. Says he tried to help him. He tried to make his life better. All he had to do was say the words and acknowledge him as your Tribal Chief. So now for the first time, inside Hell In A Cell, there will be an I Quit match. Works for me. Roman says it didn’t have to be like this. He just wants to help him. He says he loves him. But after Jey says “I Quit”… there will be consequences.
Stephanie is back on the podium for the next round of the Draft. She says the night just got bigger because we will have a second title match, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods taking on Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro. And she announces Raw drafting AJ Styles! They finally did the long talked about Rollins/Styles trade. SmackDown is keeping Sasha Banks. Raw is meanwhile drafting Naomi. SmackDown drafts Bianca Belair! And Shayna and Nia stay on Raw.
AJ Styles is happy to go to Raw, says as respected as he is, he does not deserve to be around cheaters like Jeff Hardy and neckbeards like Sami Zayn.
Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison & The Miz
Riddle starts with Morrison. Morrison rolls under a kick but Riddle gets him with a Fisherman’s Buster! Tag to Jeff, Poetry In Motion nailed! Miz rushes in, sent to the floor. Now Jeff gets on all fours, Riddle uses HIM as a platform for a very fast corkscrew plancha onto both of them! Commercial break! We come back to see the heels have taken over, Morrison with a driving knee to the face for a 2 count. Inverted Chinlock, Jeff fights up to his feet, escapes for a clothesline! Tags to Miz and Riddle, Riddle with a roundhouse kick on the way in, enziguri to Morrison!
Kip up, charging forearms and overhead belly to bellies to both Miz and Morrison, German Suplex on Miz, Morrison has to break it up! Jeff in the ring, nails Morrison with a Twist of Fate! Miz throws Jeff outside, Riddle with a Pump Knee, hoists him up for the Bro Derek and that’s that!
Winners: Jeff Hardy & Matt Riddle
Faces celebrate… Lars Sullivan comes out, finally making his return. He plows through them, Short-Arm Clothesline to Jeff! Picks him up by the head into the corner, body blocks to both men. Freak Accident to Riddle! Morrison is trying to pull Miz out of the ring but Lars grabs him and pulls him to the center, clubbing blows to the back of the head. Hoists him up, drives him face-first into the middle buckle! Nails him with the Freak Accident as well.
Stephanie McMahon on the podium for round 3. Says Lars Sullivan will be added to Monday’s Draft Pool. Speaking of, Raw selects Ricochet. SmackDown keeps Jey Uso, that’s probably the first time either of them have been drafted individually. Raw keeps Mandy Rose. SmackDown selects Rey & Dominik Mysterio! I bet Buddy Murphy is coming too. Raw selects the Miz & John Morrison! That’ll feel different.
Dominik and Rey celebrate, glad that they can still get their revenge on Seth Rollins. Meanwhile out comes Sasha Banks for a match that will definitely have a clean finish!
WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks
Bayley brings a chair into the ring. Sasha attacks from behind before the ring introductions are done! Bell rings, Banks batters her! Bayley wants a boot up in the corner but Sasha catches it, knee to the face! Kicks her to the floor! Back into the ring, exchange of cradles and roll-ups, Bayley takes her down with a clothesline! Sasha wants a floatover in the corner off a whip, Bayley catches her but she ends up on her shoulders, Sasha escapes behind her for a roll-up for 2 – immediately transitions into Bank Statement! Bayley gets a foot on the ropes for the break! Bayley slips outside, gets her with a forearm from the outside… and then gets the chair again, cracks her across the gut from the floor and that’s that.
Winner: Sasha Banks (by DQ)
I mean that couldn’t possibly surprise anyone, right? Afterwards, Sasha manages to hit her headscissor driver into the seated chair! Bashes her over the back with it, then wraps the chair around her neck! She goes to the second rope, Bayley manages to escape in time and officials are keeping Sasha from following up.
Kevin Owens is wrapping up his wrist, he’s facing the Fiend tonight in what is the latter’s first-ever televised match. Alexa Bliss shows up and asks Kevin to let him in.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships: Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro (c) vs. The New Day
Xavier and Cesaro lock-up. Xavier with some forearms, Cesaro with a European Uppercut. Ducks a few lines but Xavier with a Tilt-A-Whirl Headscissor! Cesaro with a hard lariato though! Kicks him around the ring, Woods with some chops into the ropes, whip but Cesaro reverses, Xavier ducks some shots, slips between his legs, big punch takes him down! Charging flying forearm to Cesaro, tag to Kofi, Double Stomp/Backbreaker combo! Shinsuke has to break up the pin! He kicks Woods furiously in the corner and to the floor as well, commercial break.
Cesaro takes Kofi to the corner as we come back, brutalizing him with uppercuts and stomps! Power whip to the corner, Kofi escapes to the apron for the Shuriken! Shinsuke and Woods tag in at the same time, Woods with a Spinning Heel Kick! Honor Roll to Cesaro takes him to the floor, Woods takes Nakamura to the floor, Baseball Slide to Cesaro, Nak rolls back inside but eats a Springboard DDT for a nearfall! Woods charges at Nak but he sidesteps and Woods lands on top of the rope. Cesaro hoists him off, knee from Nakamura right before the Gutwrench Suplex lands, nearfall!
Cesaro pulls him to his feet but Woods with a Jawbreaker! Tag to Kofi though, he low bridges Cesaro to the floor, rebounds himself off the rope for a wild Tornado DDT on the floor! Throws Cesaro into the ring, comes off the top but Cesaro with a European Uppercut out of the air! Shinsuke wants the Kinsasha/Giant Swing combo but Xavier clips Nak, Kofi escapes Cesaro’s grasp with a Trouble In Paradise! Nak with a Dragon Whip to Kofi, nearfall! Looks for the his Reverse Exploder but Kofi escapes behind him, Xavier tags in! Kofi with the Toruble In Paradise, Woods up top for his gigantic Top Rope Elbow Drop for the win!
Winners: The New Day
That sure didn’t take long.
Stephanie congratulates them, then says that Raw drafted the New Day. That’s right the SmackDown Tag Team Championships are on Raw! Aaaaand SmackDown picks Big E. Had to see that coming. New Day are heartbroken. Stephanie just plows on through, Dana Brooke is still on Raw and SmackDown is keeping Otis. Finally Raw drafts Angel Garza.
Heavy Machinery are backstage. Otis says he got drafted to SmackDown but Tuckey didn’t… Tucker says not to worry about that right now. Miz and Morrison got drafted to Raw, so hopefully they’ll drop the lawsuit. All the same they go over some fancy legal words. They’re told that they’re getting an extension. Tucker says it’s a sleazy lawyer tactic, they know they have no legal ground so they’re just gonna drag it out to try and drain Otis dry. That’s genuinely how WWE handles all of it’s lawsuits.
Sasha Banks has a promo. Says she’s sick of playing Bayley’s games, challenges her to Hell In A Cell. Says she used to be her best friend and she loved her so very much but she’s going to take the one thing she loves the most, finally. She will take her SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Out comes the Fiend now for our main event.
Kevin Owens vs. The Fiend
Owens with an immediate corner clothesline, sets up a HARD Cannonball! But the Fiend stands right up! Shot to the face, headbutt! Uppercut to the chin! Knocks him into the corner. Pulls him out, whip to the ropes, Owens ducks a line, Fiend plows right through him with a Crossbody! Owens rolls to the floor, Fiend goes out there, clothesline flips him! Throws him into the ring. Pulls him to his feet, uppercut. Owens with a boot to the gut, Fiend clobbers him into the corner. Power whip to the opposite corner, Owens gets spooked as Fiend bends over backwards at him.
Fiend catches a Superkick attempt, Inverted Bossman Slam! Pulls him up, throat thrust sends him to the corner! Owens with a boot up off a charge, clothesline drops him! Fiend slinks right back to his feet again though! Gets him into his Choke but no Owens elbows himself free, takes him to the floor but Fiend hits a hard uranage right onto the announce table! And immediately follows up with a Sister Abigail onto the table as well! Commercial break.
We come back to see an exchange of blows, Fiend wins out, plants him with another Uranage! Pulls him to a seated position, there’s the neck rip. Pulls him to his feet for a Sister Abigail but Owens escapes, there’s the Superkick but he doesn’t drop! A second one and a third one! Fiend staggers to the corner, falls, there’s another hard Cannonball! And he backs up and hits it yet again! Fiend rolls to the floor, Owens goes out there and hits a DDT! Owens slips into the ring, Fiend stands straight up and starts to enter the ring but Owens kicks him to the floor! Off the apron with a Bullfrog Splash to the floor! Owens rolls back inside, looks like he just wants the count out. Fiend stands again though, pulls Owens to the floor!
Charges but Owens hoists him up and slams him on the announce table! Pulls him right off, Pop-Up Powerbomb right through the table! Yet again, the Fiend manages to break the count and re-enters the ring! Owens comes in but Fiend grabs for the Mandible Claw! Owens with a boot to the gut, Stunner – but Fiend keeps the claw on! Uranage to get him down and the claw is still cinched in, and Owens passes out.
Winner: The Fiend
Good match!
Afterwards, when the lights go down and then back up, Alexa Bliss is standing in front of the Fiend and they just stare at each other until they cut to the hype for next week, the Season Premiere. Roman Reigns defends the Universal title against Braun Strowman, we have the farewell to the New Day as well. That’s the show.