Yet another work week ends, and with it comes Friday Night SmackDown. It’s the last one before Hell In A Cell 2020! Jordan Huie aka the One Zeel One here at 1Z1 Pro Wrestling and as always I’ll be giving you the live recap and results of the show as they come! Watch this space for the play-by-play of WWE SmackDown!
Kevin Owens is out for the KO Show, he put on the tie this week. He welcomes us to the first edition of the show on SD!, aside from the one he did like two weeks ago I guess. His guest tonight is Daniel Bryan. Owens thanks him for accepting the invitation, and for mentioning him last week on the list of superstars he was looking forward to facing. Owens is looking forward to that as well. Says they’ve always beaten the hell out of each other. Bryan says they push each other to be better and that’s what he wants from everyone.
Owens says Bryan has been pretty vocal on what he thinks the future of SmackDown should look like. Bryan says his vision is for SmackDown to highlight the absolute best superstars in the world and with the roster right now, they’ve nailed it. They have the best fresh young talent in the world, guys like Jey Uso, Big E, stepping up week in and week out. He wants to know who will step up next. Says one thing that would make SmackDown better for everyone watching is to have a championship defended every week on this show and in his view, that title should be the Intercontinental title, he’d like to see it defended every single week.
Owens says he’s flattered that he’d suggest him for such a role because it’s something special. Bryan looks a bit confused. Owens asks him about a particular title, the tag team championships. He’s done a lot but he’s never been a tag team champion! Bryan mentions that he’s betrayed a lot of friends. Owens wants to gloss over that, asks him to imagine what they would be like as a tag team. Suggests Team Hell KO. Bryan says that would be Owens teaming with Kane. Owens keeps trying to talk him into it but Dolph Ziggler interrupts and Owens repeatedly asks “Why?”. Dolph says Daniel was talking about hot young talent and you couldn’t possibly be talking about anyone other than Ziggler and Roode! Combined age of atleast like 70…
Street Profits come out next. They switched to blue gear, cute. Angelo tells him they look like they just stepped out of the 90s. Ford talks about how excited they are to be here. Nakamura and Cesaro are here next. Cesaro says they’re the ones who have been carrying this division, chides the Profits for being handed the titles. They’re offended even though that is literally true. Bryan suggests him and Owens test his theory about what a good team they’d be. Huge brawl starts.
Update: Roode and Ziggler’s combined age is actually 83, my apologies.
Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan & Street Profits vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
Faces are in control after a commercial break, but when Dawkins tags in, Cesaro and Nakamura get him with a double team big boot. Quick isolation bit, but Dawkins avoids a Roode elbow drop. Tag to Ford, Assisted Moonsault for a 2 count! Roode shoots him off of a side headlock, Ziggler tags in for a big dropkick. Chokes him in the ropes, Nakamura with a cheap shot kick to the face. Ford is being clobbered around and isolated now. Nakamura with a snapmare, taunts the faces, big knee drop to the face for a 1 count.
Ford escapes and makes the hot tag to Bryan, he is all over everybody, suicide dive to Cesaro right into a Yes Kick, then throws him back in! Goes up top, Crossbody but Cesaro catches him! Bryan slips behind him though, takes him to the corner, charging dropkick! Cesaro reverses a whip, Bryan kicks off the buckle and flips over Cesaro – but he tweaks his knee on the landing. Cesaro with a big uppercut and he falls from the ring. Owens is checking on him outside as we go to commercial.
Bryan is being worked over as we come back, tries to fight back but Ziggler clips his leg to stop that. Dolph taunts him, but Bryan trips him up and catapults him into the corner! He tries to crawl over but Roode tags in and catches him with a knee breaker! Takes him up top. Bryan fights back, knocks him to the mat, Missile Dropkick! Dawkins tags in and he’s running through everybody, pancakes and dropkicks, Spinning Clothesline in the corner, bulldog for a 2 count! Cesaro distracts Dawkins, Nak with a Backstabber for a 2 count.
Tag to Cesaro, Flying Knee/Gutwrench Powerbomb combo for a nearfall, Owens breaks it up! Stunner to Roode sending him to the floor. Ziggler with a Leaping DDT, spikes him! Dawkins deposits Dolph, Cesaro rolls him up and has feet on the ropes but the ref spots it. Dawkins with a Sit-Out Spinebuster, KO with a big senton onto Roode and Ziggler on the floor, tag to Ford, From The Heavens lands for the win!
Winners: The Street Profits, Kevin Owens & Daniel Bryan
Put together about the same way as most big tag matches in WWE, but the work was good.
We now begin Law and Otis. For some reason Ron Simmons is the bailiff and Bradshaw is the judge oh okay it’s a backstage court joke. Bradshaw lists off the accusations. Miz’s counselor tries to start but he admittedly cuts her off. Says he’s here for the truth. Case law is on his side. He makes up a ton of former cases and says the truth is on his side. He claims Otis has not upheld the responsibility of a Money In The Bank winner. He wants to lawfully remove the contract from his possession and place it in the hands of an honorable WWE Superstar: himself. Big fake Law and Order noises. Otis says he deserves the contract because he won it. Law and Order noises.
Backstage the faces are celebrating their win from the Atomicos. Bryan asks the Profits to fist him, which they give pause to. But they do indeed fist bump him. Sami Zayn comes up to Bryan talking about how he’s been bad-mouthing him, says he doesn’t share his vision for the IC title. Says it’s special, valuable and most importantly, his. He dictates the terms of a defense and has in fact defended it against many of the best around, including Bryan at WrestleMania! Tells him to keep his vision to himself because nobody wants to hear it.
Bianca Belair vs. Zelina Vega
Bianca takes Zelina up top, just to toss her to the mat. Zelina kicks her away when she taunts her. Bianca tries to grab her and Vega gets her with a kick to the arm. But Belair pulls her up for a big body slam. Whip, Zelina ducks a line, headscissor takedown but Belair just front flips onto her feet! Shoulder block, Standing Moonsault and a kip up! Pulls her across the mat, even though she’s holding onto the apron, she manages to kick her away. Rolling kicks from the mat, pump kick in the corner. Goes up top, Flying Rana! Goes for a Codebreaker but Belair lifts her up into the air for a big punch! Belair hoists her way up for a Military Press, drops her onto the top turnbuckle! Pulls her to the center of the ring, KOD and that’s that.
Winner: Bianca Belair
Nice little match. Feel like I would’ve have Bianca come in with some dominant squashes but just letting her have good matches and win is fine.
Kayla Braxton is in the ring with Shorty G, asks why he accepted a match with Las Sullivan. He says he’s fed up. He can’t get drafted on Raw or SmackDown, what are we doing here? It’s blatant disrespect. So it’s up to him to right the ship. Tonight he proves that he belongs here. I’ve never heard a promo that sounds more like “Yeah I’m done here and gonna get creamed one more time” than that.
Lars Sullivan vs. Shorty G
Shorty flies off the top, crossbody caught into a Fallaway Slam. Slams him again. Hoists him onto his shoulders, Shorty rakes the eyes. Throat thrust! Drives him into the corner, Rolling Liger Kick! Wants another but Sullivan sidesteps it and sends him into the buckle. Lars with a gigantic Biel. Pulls him up, big lariato! Pulls him to his feet, Freak Accident for the win.
Winner: Lars Sullivan
Effective.
Afterwards Shorty G is interviewed again and says he quits.
Seth Rollins calls Murphy the guy he plucked from obscurity and guided emotionally, him disrespecting him and assaulting him is just so much fun. His idea of fun is what he’ll do to Murphy tonight. He has asked for this match for a very specific reason. Murphy, like a lot of people are confused. What he needs to understand is the greater good is in all of us. Says he’s a savior, Murphy is a “walk behinder”. No shame in that. He will define Murphy’s role for him tonight. That sounds like a lot of fun to him.
Shorty G is backstage on the medic’s table. Adam Pearce asks him if he just said he quits. He says yeah, he quits being Shorty G. He’s done being a character that just talks about accepting who he is. He doesn’t accept this Shorty G crap. He’s done being the smiling little punching bag on top of their public service announcement. Says no, you can’t achieve everything you want by accepting who you are. There’s only one man who can achieve everything he wants, an Olympic! With a track record that exceeds everything you’ve ever seen, and it’s long. Makes a gesture with his hands about how long it is. His name… is Gable. Chad Gable.
Bayley is in the ring. Says everyone is asking the same damn questions about Sasha Banks. Says she didn’t sign because Sasha doesn’t deserve this and the last thing she’s gonna do is give her what she wants. Now it seems she’s an even bigger pain in her ass than she was before. Last week, she said that her name is bigger than Bayley’s title. Bayley makes a raspberry at this. Says she got so conceited and her head got so big that her head won’t even fit in Hell In A Cell. Might as well burn the contract because she won’t sign it. Says Sasha isn’t the boss of her.
Banks does indeed make her way out, Bayley says she won’t sign it. Sasha argues, Bayley picks up her chair and swings it, Sasha ducks it and grabs the title from the mat! Bayley tells her to give it to her and they’ll talk about this. Sasha offers her the contract instead. Bayley makes like she’ll sign it but then grabs for the title, Sasha knees her in the face! Grabs the chair and wraps it around her neck. Sasha is choking her with the chair as she puts the contract in her face but Bayley gets her with an upkick. Sasha instead gets her into a sorta chair-assisted Camel Clutch. Bayley has no choice but to sign it and Sasha lets go, knocks her down.
Back to the court. Morrison claims Otis has assaulted him many times, crocodile tears. Rey is a witness, says he was in the MITB ladder match and only one walked out with the contract, it was Otis. He says he should be able to cash it in. Asuka yells in Japanese. The way they’re using this Law and Order noise, I’m not sure they’ve ever seen an episode. Teddy Long caught it all of it though. Tucker says Otis is sensitive. Miz crossed the line and had his girlfriend traded to Raw. As far as he’s concerned, Miz deserves everything that comes his way. Miz asks for permission to treat the witness as hostile and Bradshaw says it’s about time things got hostile. Miz suggests Otis neglected the MITB contract. Tucker says since he started screwing with Otis’ life, all he can focus on is beating the crap out of him. And he wants to do it right now. Stands up and Miz backs off. Lotsa rabble rabble in the court, Bradshaw asks for a recess.
After a commercial break we’re right back. Bradshaw says something is missing and that something is the truth. He’s supposed to believe that Otis is responsible for emotional distress and an unsafe work environment? He’s a WWE Superstar, that’s his job description. If these were crimes, him and Ron Simmons would be serving life sentence. It’s clearly stated that the MITB winner has a full year to cash in. They finally start noticing the noise but move on.
Bradshaw wants to bang the gavel but Miz says he forgot one key piece of evidence. He thinks he’ll want to admit it. He picks up a briefcase, Simmons grabs it and takes it over. Bradshaw opens it and a cash register sound effect plays. Bradshaw laughs, closes the case and puts it down. Says in light of the new evidence he decides in favor of the Plantiff The Miz. He says Otis will face the Miz at Hell In A Cell and the winner will get the Money In The Bank Contract! Finally this earns Simmons’ DAMN. The scales of justice tip unnaturally in a bit of symbolism.
After a vignette, we’ve got this grudge match now.
Buddy Murphy vs. Seth Rollins
Lock-up, Rollins takes him into the corner. Says “Messiah – Disciple!” and Murphy goes after him, drives him into the corner this time. Rollins gets upset, Murphy with an arm wringer and a takedown. Rollins with a big right hand on his way up, side headlock takedown. Murphy gets to his feet, tries to shoot him off but Seth hangs on. Whips him, big shoulder block. Murphy with a leapfrog, raises a hand but Seth hangs on to the ropes. He taunts him but eats a big punch anyway.
Murphy with a Kenta-style Tornado Hot Shot off the commercial break. Rollins knocks him to the floor. Takes him into the ring. Hoists him onto his shoulders, Gutbuster! 2 count. Seth with a waistlock. Buddy fights his way up, drives him into the corner repeatedly. Seth reverses and slams him into the corner. But Murphy gets a boot up off a charge, Missile Dropkick! Murphy with a series of shoulderblocks, big dropkick. Takes Seth to the floor, baseball slide! Hits the ropes, Terminator Dive!! Throws him into the ring, Murphy up top, Flying Meteora! Nearfall!
Murphy seems to have banged up his arm off of that move though, rolls out to try and pop it back in place with the barrier. Rollins catches him with a Suicide Dive! Takes him into the ring, Springboard High Knee for a nearfall! Seth takes him to the apron, grabs the injured arm, armbreaker onto the apron! Commercial break. We come back to see them fighting up top, Murphy wants a Sunset Flip Powerbomb but his arm gives out, so instead he gets him with the Will Ospreay Superkick, looks for the Liger Bomb but Rollins escapes, Buckle Bomb!
Rollins hits the ropes but Murphy surprises him with a Pump Knee! Nearfall! Rollins yells at Murphy’s face, exchange of forearms, Buddy wins out for a moment… combination of strikes, footstomp, Rollins avoids the knee, step-up enziguri! Looks for a Cradle but Murphy gets it instead, Discus Elbow into a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall! Rollins waits for Murphy to get to his knees, tries for the Stomp, Murphy rolls him up but Rollins escapes, another Stomp is dodged, Murphy hoists him onto his shoulders but Rollins escapes for the armbreaker and finally hits the Stomp for the win!
Winner: Seth Rollins
That kicked ass, had to know it would. Hope they get a PPV rematch some day.
Rollins gets a kendo stick. Aalyah can’t get her family to come with her so she rushes out alone. Rollins taunts her and starts swinging the kendo stick but she rolls into the ring and he stops. Dominik runs Seth off for a moment, but when he goes to his sister, Seth attacks from behind. Then Rey comes and actually runs him off. Rey and Dominik start talking about how she shouldn’t be here, meanwhile Aalyah helps Murphy to his feet.
Up next, we’ve only got time left for one last segment, it’s time for Roman Reigns to reveal the special consequences for his I Quit Hell In A Cell match with Jey Uso.
Roman indeed makes his way out with Paul Heyman. Roman grabs a mic but Jey appears on the tron, he’s literally eating at Roman’s table. He says he bets it’s great to be Tribal Chief, must be great to be cousins with the Tribal Chief, atleast it was. He’s changed. Got his head so far up his ass that he’s lost himself and his family. But who is he to ask? Don’t ask him… he takes off his bandana and hat and says you should ask his brother Jey. Jimmy was the one at the table, Jey is right behind Roman! He attacks him and grabs a chair but Oman stops him with a big boot. Takes up the chair but Jey drops him with a Superkick! Goes up top! Uso Splash!
Usos celebrate on the stage. Roman is breathing hard as he takes the mic. Says if he loses, if Jey makes him quit, he’s not the Tribal Chief any more, he never will be. But if Jey quits, he will fall in line, take orders, acknowledge him and respect him for who he is and all that he does for his family. If he can’t do that, the Usos, their wives and children are all out and they will turn their backs on them. Those are the consequences. The cell lowers around Roman, Jey decides to climb up it! He lords above Roman and looks down on him as the show goes off.