It’s Friday again, you know the drill – WWE SmackDown recap and results coming up! Watch this space!
Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are in the ring to start the show, SmackDown roster on the stage. Triple H says the main event will be Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman for the Universal title. Also the New Day will be having their farewell match as a trio and Daniel Bryan will wrestle in the Thunderdome for the first time. They go over some draft picks, when they get to the Street Profits, Cesaro and Shinsuke jump them and it kicks up a massive random brawl that spills in and out of the ring.
The ring gets down to just Kalisto, Sami Zayn, Apollo Crews and Shorty G when Lars Sullivan comes out. He clotheslines each of the Profits on the way in, catches a diving Kalisto and slams him into the barricade. Sami bails to let Crews and Shorty go at him, Sullivan clotheslines them both at once, Freak Accident to Shorty. Jeff Hardy attacks Lars from behind and manages to send him out of the ring.
Jeff Hardy vs. Lars Sullivan
Lars with an immediate shoulder block, crossface blows. Clubbering shot, sliding clothesline for a 2 count! Sullivan goes up top… Jeff rolls to evade a frog splash! Hardy with a buncha punches, Sit-Out Jawbreaker. Charging forearm, Inverted Atomic Drop but Sullivan with a shot to the back drops him. Sullivan whips him to the corner, Jeff with a back elbow on a charge, Whisper In The Wind, Sullivan hurls him off the cover at 1! Takes Hardy to the floor, goes out there with him. Jeff runs along the steps for a diving leg lariat, Sullivan catches him and slams him into the apron! Throws him inside, Jeff surprises him with a Twist of Fate! Hardy goes up top but Sullivan is already on his feet! Grabs him off the top rope for a Freak Accident and that is that.
Winner: Lars Sullivan
Damn. That was dominant.
The New Day make their way out. Cut a promo saying they found one thing stronger than the Power Of Positivity, the damn WWE Draft. Xavier says for the first time, New Day will be split. Kofi says they’ve had a week to think about this and after going through a plethora of emotions, he couldn’t help but have a smile on his face because when he went on social media everyone reminded him of the special moments they’d provided everyone. Xavier talks about seeing winning two triple threat matches to become the longest reigning tag champs in history. Kofi says the sound of a kendo sticks when the Usos were laying it in on Xavier, he felt it… E talks of the tears streaming when Kofi won the WWE Championship.
Xavier starts to tear up as he talks about seeing two guys who took a chance on someone who hadn’t done a thing here. Big E recalls the Saturday mornings talking to them about their families, and about himself… being on TV. Kofi says he’ll have a family one day. Kofi says he remembers when the two of them approached him with the idea of just making something special and he’s glad they did. They had a lot of incredible moments but more importantly he met two of the best friends that he’s ever had in his life. He fully considers them to be his brothers. Xavier fights the tears as he says they’re done with the sappy stuff, they need to get it done one last time and whoop that tail the only way they know why. Because New Day rocks.
Their opponents are interviewed backstage, Shinsuke says it’s goodbye to the New Day foreveeeeeer!
The New Day vs. Sheamus, Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
Shinsuke and Xavier lock-up. Nak with a waistlock. Xavier reverses into an arm wringer. Nak reverses into a knee to the gut, batters him into the the corner. Whip to the opposite corner, Xavier with a floatover, arm drag and wristlock! Xavier whipped, ducks a line, slides between his legs, tag to Kofi who gets a Leaping Double Stomp to the chest in! Nakamura reverses a whip for a knee to the gut, Dragon Whip!
Tag to Cesaro. Double whip, double arm drag. Xavier tags in and takes over briefly, Cesaro with a european uppercut. Tag to Sheamus, double whip and double clothesline and they make The Bar pose! Sheamus with a knee drop to the face. But they make their comeback, Big E tosses Xavier at Sheamus, Kofi off the top with a Frog Splash for a nearfall! Shinsuke low bridges Kofi to the floor! They get Kofi with a triple team on the outside, Cesaro and Sheamus using themselves as a bridge to hold Kofi up for a running kick from Nakamura. Shinsuke takes him into the ring, there’s some Bad Vibrations. Quick tags from The Bar.
Cesaro with a body slam, atomic legdrop for a 2 count. Quick tags continue, Sheamus with a boot to the gut, clubbering blow. Nak with a driving knee to the chest. Kofi fights his way from the corner, tries to leap at his buddies but Cesaro powers him to the corner, Sheamus tags in and they drop Kofi to the floor! Commercial break. Sheamus pulls Kofi up for White Noise when we come back, Kofi counters with a crucifix for 2. Gets a Russian Legsweep, tag to Big E and Cesaro! E with Overhead Belly To Bellies aplenty! Some gyrations, hits the ropes twice for a big splash! Clapping to get Cesaro up, wants a Big Ending but Cesaro escapes for a Gutwrench Suplex! Charging European Uppercut!
Whip to the opposite corner, another one but E catches him, Uranage onto the knees of Xavier Woods who tags in for a nearfall! Cesaro with an uppercut on a charge, Shinsuke tags in for the Ishimori German Suplex! Nearfall. Kofi tags in, takes Cesaro and Shinsuke to the floor, big tope! Catches Sheamus with a kick inside, rolls Shinsuke into the ring and goes up top, Nakamura with an enziguri out of the air! Tag to Cesaro, Giant Swing/Flying Knee combo! Tag to Sheamus, catapault sends him onto his shoulders – Cesaro comes off the top with the Assisted White Noise! Big E breaks up the pin, Big Ending nailed, ring gets cleared, Kofi sends Sheamus shoulder first into the post! Tags to Xavier and E, Midnight Hour to Sheamus for the win!
Winner: The New Day
Wow. They got to cut a really nice promo uninterrupted, and then have a real good farewell match uninterrupted, and then win. And then have an emotional celebration. Is nobody going to ruin any part of this…?
Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring, big piped Yes Chant. Bryan says he watched it from home but being here and seeing the faces in person, he loves being inside the ThunderDome. Especially for the season premiere of Friday Night SmackDown. He loved his time at home, so much that he got a seat for his wife and daughter on the ThunderDome screen. But with that said, he couldn’t wait to come back and experience this. We’ve got the Street Profits and Roman Reigns defending their titles, and on top of that, he got to meet in person, the new mix that’s gonna be here on SmackDown. There’s fresh faces that he’s excited to have on the roster, people like Bianca Belair, the Riott Squad, people he’s excited to get into the ring with and fight like Kevin Owens, Aleister Black, Apollo Crews… he can’t wait.
Seth Rollins’ theme hits to cut him off! Seth makes his way out with a big smile. He says he’s thrilled his wife let him off daddy duty so he could come to work. But he thinks baby brain might’ve gotten to him because he forgot the most important acquisition in the Draft. That’s him, the Savior of SmackDown, Rollins the Redeemer – you pick one. Asks Daniel which side of history he wants to be on. When it comes to the greater good, either he’s with him or against him. And a man of his intellect, he assumes, is smart enough to want to stand beside him and help mold the future of this industry in his vision.
Bryan says he’s all for changing the future for the better, he really is. He wants to save the planet, and make SmackDown as good as it can possibly be but Rollins’ vision seems a little short-sighted, self-indulgent, self-centered and frankly, kind of dumb. Seth says he doesn’t meant that. Bryan insists that it’s a little dumb. Seth with a punch drops him, stomps him into the mat. Pulls him up, whips him – Bryan ducks a line and hits a flying clothesline! Yes Kicks! Rollins bails before the head kick though and backs up the ramp.
But Rey Mysterio’s theme hits, out comes Rey and Dominik! They chase him back into the ring, somehow Seth thinks Bryan will team up with him? Why? Bryan tells the Mysterios to go ahead, he powders. Then, out comes Murphy to the ring! He slides between the two sides… makes it look like he’ll side with Seth but instead he double legs him! Pump knee drives him out of the ring! Murphy offers a handshake to the Mysterios, but they don’t trust him quite yet.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits (c) vs. Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
Roode and Dawkins start out. Roode gets a Vertical Suplex. Tag to Ziggler, Assisted Fameasser for a nearfall, Ford breaks it up! Roode and Ziggler double team Ford for a second longer than they should and it’s a DQ.
Winners: The Street Profits (by DQ)
‘Kay. Roode and Ziggler with a Double Spinebuster on Dawkins, but Ford gets a crossbody on both of them off the top to drive them away.
What a waste of a segment.
Adam Pearce moderates a contract signing between Sasha Banks and Bayley. Sasha signs first, then says she has been waiting for a very long time. Bayley says so has she, talk about baggage. She wants to get rid of her and continue her historic reign as the longest reigning WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion! And she did it all by herself. Banks asks her to look her in the eye and say it again. Bayley says the look in her eyes is how she’s been looking at her all these years and looking at her title. She’s been waiting to turn on her all this time and she just beat her to the punch.
Sasha says if she wanted to turn on her, she would’ve done it years ago. Friends don’t turn their backs on each other. When she got left behind in NXT, she was one who called her and brought her in as her partner. When she won her first-ever Raw Women’s Championship, she was by her side. First ever Women’s Tag Champs, and she was the one who helped her to that SmackDown title record. But Bayley turned her back on her and tried to end her. But she’s Sasha Banks and her name is bigger than her title. When she takes that title at HIAC, it will be icing on the cake. Bayley takes up a chair but Sasha stands her ground. Bayley powders without signing the contract! Sasha tells her she will sign, one way or another.
Main event time.
WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns (c) vs. Braun Strowman
Lock-up, Reigns takes him to floor. Strowman goes up to the apron but a Superman Punch drops him! Roman goes to the outside, Drive By! Throws him into the ring. Cover for a 2 count, Braun powers him off. Jey Uso watches backstage, his lone appearance. Roman fights out of a hold, big boot, kickout sends him to the outside. Roman back on the apron, low bridge takes Strowman to the floor! Slams him face-first onto the steps. Rams his head onto the announce table. Strowman shoves him away. Reigns leaps off the steps for a Superman Punch but Strowman catches him, tosses him across the announce table!
Braun back into the ring, resets the count as he goes back out for the big train spot and barrels him over the barricade. Commercial break. When we come back, Strowman gets a big biel throw. Roman sidesteps a charge, Strowman slams his shoulder into the post. Reigns tries another Superman Punch but Strowman catches him out of the air, Chokeslam! He yells that he’s not finished with him, pulls him for a second Chokeslam for a nearfall! And it seems Roman low blowed him on the kickout, a new signature of his. Reigns with a Spear! Nearfall. Roman charges, Strowman hoists him up for a Running Powerslam but Reigns escapes, leaps onto him for a Guillotine Choke! Body scissor applied, this is new! Strowman tries to slam him into the corner but Reigns holds on, Strowman fades, falls to the mat! Ref calls for the bell!
Winner: Roman Reigns
Very neat finish, unexpected. Now Jey Uso makes his way out.
Slooowly walks to the ring, Roman turns and Spears the rising Strowman. Roman gets a chair. Gestures to Braun and says this is how we eat, this is how we’ve protected generations of our family. We have to stay on top. Says if he can do this to him, imagine what he can do to Jey and he bashes Strowman across the back with the chair until officials flock into the ring. He shoves them away. He keeps bashing Braun until Jey leaps up to the apron, enters the ring. Roman drops the chair. He tells Jey he’s embarrassing them. He loves him but the simple fact that he’s trying to take his place makes no sense. But he still loves him.
He slides the chair over to Jey. Jey takes up the chair, Roman turns his back! But Jey throws the chair down. Roman turns around and Jey punches him in the face instead! Knocks him to the ground, takes up the chair and smacks it across his back! Officials back into the ring to pull him off, this lets Reigns hit him with a Superman Punch! Roman seems bewildered, remorseful as he makes his leave. And that’s the show.