Time for another edition of WWE SmackDown. As always I’ll be with you throughout the night giving you the live written play-by-play of the show as it airs!
Kevin Owens opens the show demanding Roman Reigns come out. He doesn’t show up so Owens takes an old HBK line and says he did speak to his family like Roman said, told them not to watch TLC because he’s afraid of what they’ll think of Owens after what he does to Roman. He chastises Roman for how he treats Jey, using his own family as pawns. Kev says Roman knows that he’s not the head of the table, he’s a coward.
Paul Heyman appears on the titantron to tell Owens that once again, Roman does not appear on anyone’s schedule but his own. Apologizes to Owens for previously calling him a masochist because now he sees that he’s a martyr. That makes him very dangerous, he’ll have to be eradicated, mutilated. Owens cuts him off and says if Roman won’t find him, he’ll find him. He storms up the ramp.
After a commercial Owens is looking around backstage but he gets duped as Roman Reigns chooses then to make his way out to the ring. Roman says Kevin is running around telling the world that he’s a bad guy. Says he’s not a bad guy, he’s just doing what you have to do to be The Guy. Something Kevin doesn’t understand, it’s above his paygrade, above the level that he’s at. Says he gives him a chance tonight to acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief, the head of YOUR family’s table.
Says if he can’t do that he will end him, he won’t make it out of TLC on Sunday or even make it out tonight. Tells him to apologize and tell him the words he wants to hear. Owens storms down the ramp but it’s an ambush as Jey Uso attacks from behind. They brawl on the ramp but Roman goes out there to make it 2-on-1. They’re pounding on him, he has no defense and clearly no friends.
Backstage Jey says Owens got the message now. Roman says he doesn’t. He knows his kind, he’s not going to listen, he’s not going to stop. Tells Jey to end him, take him out, he doesn’t want to see him any more.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
We begin with an immediate distraction from Dolph, Roode takes over on Dawkins but he fights back quickly. Tag to Ford, stereo dropkick. Cover for 2. Punt kick to Dolph’s ribs. Ziggler rolls him up for 2. Ford with a back suplex, kip up and a Standing Moonsault! Ford with an enziguri from the apron, goes up top but Roode dumps him onto the barricade right before the commercial break!
Roode with a clothesline into a Russian Legsweep for a 2 count as we come back. Heels isolating Ford with quick tags. Roode with a Front Suplex gets a 2 count. Ziggler tags in for a waistlock. Roll for a 2 count. Ford fights his way up but a thrust kick to the gut drops him. Tag to Roode, they try a double team but a back body drop sends Dolph to the outside, Ford sidesteps Roode into the buckles and now he needs the tag. Crawls over, Roode grabs the ankle but gets kicked away, tag to Dawkins!
Series of clotheslines, Flying Back Elbow, Flapjack. T-Bone Suplex. Spinning clotheslines in the corners, Roode tries to clip Dawkins but eats the Elevated Neckbreaker for a nearfall! Looks for the Anointment, Roode counters with an attempted Glorious DDT but Dawkins shoves him away. Tag to Dolph, Roode pops Dolph up into a big Fameasser for a nearfall! Dawkins blocks a Superkick, Anointment nailed. Ford up top, From The Heavens nailed but his ribs are hurt, delayed cover and Roode breaks it up. Roode tags in, Ford rolls him up and has the tights for the win.
Winners: Street Profits
Okay, kind of an odd finish but do what you gotta do for those infinite rematches I suppose.
Dolph and Roode complain to the ref afterwards, Charles Robinson threatens to suspend them if they keep up. Just seems patently unfair, doesn’t it?
Backstage Jey Uso attacks Owens from behind, hitting him in the back with a chair and demanding that he stay down. Then he just leaves, clearly not having done enough to keep him down yet because show-long storylines.
Bianca Belair has a promo in the backstage ring. Says you can’t put role models and Bayley in the same sentence. A role model is someone you aspire to be, Bayley is someone she aspires to beat. She’s always got something to say.
Riott Squad have a match against Billie Kay and a partner of her choosing. She comes out and pulls out her resume to note that she’s a seasoned ring announcer so she’ll handle it herself and introduces Tamina.
The Riott Squad vs. Billie Kay & Tamina
Tamina starts with Liv. Lock-up, Tamina tosses her across the ring. Stomps Liv into the corner. Liv with a roll avoids a charge, tag to Riott, double enziguri. Ruby rolls Tamina up for two. Tamina with a whip, clothesline. Tamina facewashing Ruby, shoving her to the mat. Tamina with a slam, Billie tags herself in. Mandatory few seconds of bickering, Billie covers for a nearfall. Tag to Liv, double dropkick takes Tamina to the floor. Missile Dropkick/Reverse STO combo for the win!
Winners: The Riott Squad
Seems Billie’s on a hunt for a new partner, I guess this is gonna be a reoccurring thing.
Carmella and her sommelier come out to the ring, red mat special. Table with champagne set up. Carmella says she’s already doing her celebration of her victory this Sunday. Some would say it’s too early to celebrate. Carmella says that’s why you’re at home on a discount futon while she has champagne with a pricetag with more digits than a phone number.
Says she knows better. Says Sasha has all the talent but mentally, she’s weak. This is already the longest she’s ever been champion, she’s so far over head that she’s drowning. Not drowning in the champagne she broke over her head mind. Hilariously they pipe in boos and Carmella reacts like they’re real. Carmella says she can celebrate tonight because Sasha Banks’ entire existence is based on being the best which is why she can’t get disqualified again.
Says Sasha HAS to prove that she’s better than her but she’ll be so angry that she’ll lose control and want to rip her apart. She’ll have to fight her true instinct just as she’s fighting her and that’s a fight that not even Sasha Banks can win. When she beats her this Sunday she’ll fall into a turmoil so dark, so deep, she might break. Because who is Sasha Banks if she’s not the Boss? Who is Sasha Banks if she’s not the best?
Says it’s sad because that’s a question not even Sasha knows the answer to and that’s why she comes so unglued around her. That’s why she’s so desperate. Carmella says it’s so sad she needs a pick-me-up so she snaps her fingers for the champagne. But she’s disgusted, says it tastes cheap and frantic, kinda like Sasha.
Finally Sasha’s music hits. She has the sommelier go out to the ramp to stand guard but Sasha appears from the other side instead. She throws the bubbly in ‘Mella’s face, attacks her and goes for the Bank Statement. The sommelier comes in and pulls her off. Sasha slaps him and wants to hit him with a Back Stabber but this lets Carmella attack her from behind and shatter a bottle over her head again.
Jey attacks Owens backstage once more and they brawl. Jey spinebusters Owens through a table.
Otis vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Otis with a spinning body slam, Kokeshi headbutt. Nakamura rolls out of the ring, lures Otis into a Hot Shot. Driving knees to the ribs and head in the ring follow. Roundhouse kicks to the torso and back. Instead of jiggling up Otis just stops selling and runs through him. Pancake, Discus Clothesline drops him! Otis wants the Caterpillar, Gable advises him to suplex him instead. This almost costs him as Nak attacks from behind but Otis manages an Overhead Belly To Belly anyway, Vader Bomb from the corner gets him the win.
Winner: Otis
I just don’t see why you put people together and not atleast give it a chance to succeed, why make these things doomed from the start?
There’s a wacky commercial where Drew McIntyre gets in an argument with 2020 and Claymores it. He fights it until 2021 comes out to help him out. Right…
Otis and Gable are backstage. Gable asks why he didn’t go for the Calfkiller, it was right there! Otis says he thought it was another test. Gable says it was, says his mantra is don’t do what he says but do what he means.
Now we have the 1st annual Sami Awards. Sami says the Slammys have taken a slide since they were hosted by his fellow Canadian Jack Tunney. Says they exist only to promote corporate favorites. He cuts to a vignette showing off the year he’s had. Sami says the first award is for Comeback Of The Year and mentions Roman Reigns but announces the winner is Sami Zayn! Claims he didn’t expect to win but it feels good to get a little bit of recognition once in a while.
Moves on, the next Sami Award is going to be presented for the coveted Match of the Year. It’s the one everybody wants to win, no shortage of contenders. But there can only be one winner. The 2020 Match of the Year according to Sami Zayn goes to Sami defeating AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match for the IC Title. Says he’s not gonna lie, he wanted this one, he’s making history tonight. Now he moves on to Superstar of the Year. For some reason he actually reads it off and is confused to find Big E is the winner.
E comes out and celebrates as Sami contests this, Big E just keeps shoving him away. As he gives his thanks, Sami knocks him out of the way and starts to correct this but E nails him with a body shot and just HURLS him down the ramp.
Bayley backstage, says she heard everything Bianca said. It’s refreshing to hear somebody say some nice words about her but she won’t take it easy on her. Says she was a track star and captain in highschool but you don’t see her bragging about it. Tonight Bayley puts Bianca Belair on the map.
Bayley vs. Bianca Belair
Bayley escapes an immediate Military Press Slam, roll-up for 2. Belair takes her down, cover for 2. Bayley reverses a whip, Belair with a floatover. Goes to the second rope to mock Bayley. Flips over her when she charges, dropkick, kip-up! Goes for a Handspring Splash but Bayley rolls out of the way and trips her up to the mat. Pulls her outside and drives her into the barricade, commercial break. We come back to see Bayley deposit Belair to the floor again.
Bayley dragging Bianca to her feet off the floor, Belair throws her into the steps and re-enters the ring. Bayley struggles to make it into the ring on time. They collide with forearms in the center of the ring and both fall. Bianca with a combination of shots, shoulder thrusts in the corner. Pulls her out, Delayed Vertical Suplex! Kips up again.
Wrenches at Bayley’s arm over and over, arm drag. Handspring Moonsault for a nearfall! Bayley tries to slide between her legs, Bianca with a backbreaker, holds onto her for a second one, nearfall! Bianca goes up top, Bayley crotches her. Hooks her head and starts pumping up and down in suplex position to mock Bianca, she counters and spins into a suplex! But Bayley side-steps a charge to send her into the buckle. Bayley charges but Bianca Flapjacks her into the buckle! Spinebuster for a nearfall!
Bayley with a double leg, covers with her feet on the ropes, but the ref catches her. Belair reverses for a cover for 2. Bayley-To-Belly blocked, Bayley ducks a punch and rolls her up but Bianca rolls through for 2. Powers her up for a powerbombs but Bayley rakes the eyes to escape, Roseplant for the victory.
Winner: Bayley
Damn good match, easily the best Bianca’s had on the main roster.
Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman are in the ring as we come back from commercial. Roman says he’s been wracking his brain trying to understand why. If you have the opportunity to be in the ring with him, in a championship match with Roman Reigns, why blow it? It’s an opportunity that your kids’ kids’ kids’ kids will talk about. Kevin Owens’ music hits and he limps on out here.
Owens has a chair too and takes it to Jey as he tries to intercept. He takes the fight to Roman in the ring but Jey is back up quick, Superkick leads to a Reigns spear. They slide a table into the ring, tons of chairs. Roman is driving the chair into him repeatedly. Jey sets up the table as Roman nails Owens with a chair over and over. Roman whips Owens into a Spinebuster through the table from Jey.
Set up another table and Roman drags him to his feet. Tells him it was the opportunity of a lifetime but he chose to piss him off. Reigns with a Samoan Drop through the table. They take the pieces of the table and pile them onto Owens. Chairs and ladders piled on top of him. They bash the pile with chairs. This is an elaborate beatdown. Roman and Jey leave the ring a disaster area. Can’t even see Owens from one of these camera shots. Piped in “You Suck” chants as they go backstage.
Kayla wants a word, Roman’s being drowned out by the music. They watch on the tv screen as Owens picks himself up out of the pile and sits on a chair. Takes the mic and yells Roman’s name. Says that nothing him and his family do to him can keep him down. At TLC he’ll take the Universal title or he’ll die trying. And that’s the show.