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LECLAIR’S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT
DECEMBER 11, 2020
ORLANDO, FL AT WWE THUNDERDOME IN TROPICANA FIELD
AIRED LIVE ON FOX NETWORK
Announcers: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
-The show opened cold on a roof shot of the new (but identical) Thunderdome inside Tropicana Field in Tampa. Michael Cole welcomed the audience to the new home of the “state of the art” Thunderdome.
-Sasha Banks music hit and she headed to the ring. Cole and Graves teased her match with Carmella at TLC.
Adam Pearce was in the ring to facilitate the contract signing. Sasha looked at the folder, finding no contract inside. She interrupted Pearce, asking if it was his doing.
Carmella appeared on screen, laughing. She held up the contract, saying she’d already signed it. She handed it off to her new “assistant” to hand-deliver to Sasha in the ring. Carmella said she’s proud of who she is, and glad she doesn’t pander to the “mouth breathers on the Internet” like Sasha. Carmella said this is a chess game, and she’s always four moves ahead.
Banks said she plans to play the game of how far she can bend Carmella’s spine before making her cry. Carmella admonished Adam Pearce for letting Banks talk to her like that. Carmella’s assistant delivered the contract, which Sasha promptly signed. Banks challenged Carmella to come to the ring and take the title tonight. Carmella shrugged and agreed. Adam Pearce made the match official for tonight.
“Oh, Carmella, let me give you a preview of how wild tonight is going to get.” She slapped Carmella’s (male) assistant across the face and gave him a backstabber. Cole said it’s TLC come early.
(LeClair’s Analysis: An improvement over last week’s horrible segment, but still not particularly good. Carmella seems to bring out the worst in Banks, and isn’t exactly a convincing performer herself. I’m not sure what their goal is doing the match tonight rather than at TLC, given that it’s not exactly a loaded card, but I’m not upset about getting this out of the way. I certainly won’t be surprised if it ends in a non-finish, though.)
-In gorilla, Kayla Braxton welcomed The Street Profits. She reiterated Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode’s comments about them – “too funny to make money.” Montez Ford asked if it’d be funny if he was doing “his thing” in the ring and he made solo cups rain from the sky? Angelo Dawkins asked if i’d be funny if Robert Roode tried to get involved, and he hit him so hard that 1,000 Robert Roode doppelgängers appeared? “That’s too much bad facial hair,” he reckoned.
-The Street Profits headed to the ring for Montez Ford’s match with Dolph Ziggler.
Dolph Ziggler’s music played when the show returned from commercial. He headed to the ring, accompanied by Robert Roode. Ziggler carried a microphone. He said he saw the Profits’ interview, and heard them call him a “poor man’s HBK” last week. Ziggler called them a poor man’s Zeus & Romero, and said they’re even less funny than his stand-up comedy. Robert Roode said he and Ziggler are “aces” and promised that the Street Profits’ title reign will go up in smoke when they get an opportunity.
(1) MONTEZ FORD (w/ Angelo Dawkins) vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/ Robert Roode)
Dolph Ziggler shot the half on Ford and tried to take him down by the leg, but Ford fought him off. Dolph stepped on Ford’s foot and then raked his eyes over the ropes. Ziggler hit a big standing dropkick and covered for a quick two count. Ziggler pulled Ford’s arm and tried to grab a headlock, but Ford fought to his feet. Ziggler kicked Ford in the shin, then hit a neckbreaker, covering for another two count.
Ziggler gyrated and went for another dropkick, but Ford blocked it and shot Ziggler into the ropes, then hit a dropkick of his own. He followed with a running blockbuster. Robert Roode rushed into the ring, but Angelo Dawkins stepped in and chased him off. The Profits started dancing, and blue solo cups fell from the sky. Their music hit, and Ziggler rolled out of the ring. Cole clarified that the match continues as the show went to commercial.
Dolph had Ford trapped on the mat in a wrapping chinlock when the show returned from break. Ford fought to his feet, but Ziggler slammed him back into the mat. Dolph dropped a series of rapid elbows into Ford’s heart. Roode cheered him on from ringside. Ziggler hit a final big elbow and covered for a two count. He grabbed a chinlock again.
Montez Ford battled to his feet with a series of punches, but Ziggler shut him down with another neckbreaker. He grabbed the chin lock a third time. Ziggler turned Ford over into a headlock and applied his weight onto Ford’s back. Ford slowly fought to his feet, pushed Ziggler away, and dropped him twice with a pair of clotheslines. Ford kicked Ziggler in the stomach and went for an enziguri, but Ziggler ducked it. Ford hit a quick backdrop, then a standing moonsault.
Ford shook the ropes and beckoned Ziggler to his feet. Ziggler bounced back and went for the Famouser, but Ford ducked it and rolled Ziggler up for a two count. Ziggler popped up and went for the ZigZag, but Ford blocked it. Robert Roode attacked Angelo Dawkins from behind on the outside, tossing him into the steps.
In the ring, Ford set up for the frog splash, but was distracted by Roode on the outside. Ziggler knocked him down and hit a super kick for a three count.
WINNER: Dolph Ziggler in 10:00
(LeClair’s Analysis: I’m a little more forgiving of one member of a team defeating a member of the tag team champions to gain momentum in an eventual title program than I am just having the challenging team straight up beat the champions cleanly. Like I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I have no issue with Ziggler and Roode challenging for the titles, but I strongly dislike the complete aversion to building legitimate contenders by having them compete against other teams in the division to earn a title shot. It weakens everyone involved, but most importantly, it greatly damages the tag team champions when they’re losing every non-title match they had for the sake of establishing their next challenger.)
-Backstage, Sami Zayn spoke to an eclectic crowd backstage around the merchandise area. Big E approached. He joked with Zayn about getting merchandise. Apollo Crews revealed a white t-shirt with a stick figure, saying “I Am Sami Zayn.” Zayn grew frustrated, tossed the shirt to the floor and stormed off. Cole and Graves said Zayn and Big E would face off next.
-Sami Zayn was already in the ring, talking about the purported injustices against him when the show returned from break. He ran down a list of Intercontinental champions he’s beat, but was quickly cut off by Big E’s music. He headed to the ring.
(2) SAMI ZAYN vs. BIG E
Sami Zayn slid from the ring as soon as the bell rang. He reminded Michael Cole and Corey Graves that this is a non-title match. Zayn finally returned to the ring at the referee’s count of seven. He locked up with Big E. Big E shoved him to the mat with ease. Zayn left the ring again.
Sami returned to the ring and Big E immediately grabbed a headlock before shooting Sami off the ropes. E grabbed a quick abdominal stretch. Sami broke out of it and fired off a pair of right hands. Big E dropped him quickly with a back elbow. Big E dragged Sami to the apron and leapt to the outside. He hit Sami in the chest repeatedly. E climbed onto the apron and gave Sami a big splash on the apron. The camera closed in on Sami’s face, writhing in pain, as the show went to commercial.
Zayn draped Big E over the middle rope and drove his knees into E’s neck when the show returned from break. He drove an elbow into the crown of Big E’s head, tossed him into the corner and mounted him for a series of punches. Zayn kneed Big E in the face, then grabbed a seated headlock. Big E powered to his feet and tossed Zayn away. Zayn climbed to the middle rope and hit a quick double axe handle. He mocked Big E’s gyration. Big E stood quickly and gave Zayn a pair of belly to belly suplexes before hitting a big splash. Zayn rolled to the outside in desperation.
Sami returned to the tope rope and went for a cross body, but Big E caught him. Sami raked the eyes, sending Big E retreating to the corner. Zayn charged, but Big E caught him with a Uranagi. Zayn grabbed his injured wrist, feigning injury. Big E walked into a big slap to the face. Sami ran to the outside, but Big E gave chase.
Zayn slid under the ring. Big E followed. The referee counted. Zayn appeared from the opposite corner at the count of seven. Zayn kicked at Big E, preventing him from returning to the ring. Sami slid inside at the count of nine.
WINNER: Sami Zayn in 11:00 by countout
(LeClair’s Analysis: Fun match, though I still really wish Big E would tone down the antics by a good 50%. It’s going to be hard to take him seriously as a main event player, or really anything close, if he’s continuing to act like he’s in a largely jovial tag team. There’s a serious side to Big E, and every time he pulls it out, he excels. I keep hoping for the flip to switch, and it just never does. That aside, I’m enjoying the general gist of this program and I think Zayn has been a formidable, annoying foe for the various babyfaces he’s faced for his Intercontinental title.)
-Backstage, Bayley talked directly to the camera about Carmella and Sasha Banks later in the night. Bianca Belair approached her from behind. She said Bayley isn’t very cute, and her hair is “dusted.” Belair pulled out some paper, offering to check the receipts. She ran down her recent wins. Bayley walked off in frustration. Bianca offered to email or text her the remainder of the list.)
-Paul Heyman handed Roman Reigns the Universal title. The two began to walk down a hallway. Cole said we’d relive the “shocking Smackdown moment” from last week after the break.
-Kayla Braxton stood in the backstage interview area with Carmella when the show returned from break. She promised to “beat the disrespect” out of Sasha Banks and take the Smackdown Women’s title tonight. Her assistant, now named Tommy, appeared by her side. She asked him to get her champagne ready at ringside. “I want to toast my victory with Sasha’s tears as they fall to the ground.”
-At the announcers desk, Cole and Graves reset the show, turning their attention to the Universal title picture. Cole tossed to Progressive’s Match Flo, covering Reigns’ brutal attack on Jey Uso and Kevin Owens at the end of last week’s show.
-Jey Uso approached Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman backstage as Reigns was watching the Match Flo on a monitor. Jey asked if they’re good. Reigns nodded, “you should be good, you’re with me.” Jey looked on, concern on his face.
-Kevin Owens marched to the ring. The camera cut back to Jeu and Roman backstage. Jey asked for permission to “go get him.” Roman looked down at Jey, “you know where he is, go get him.”
Back at ringside, Owens tossed chairs, a table, and a ladder in the ring. He unfolded the chairs, set up the table, and unfolded the ladder. Reigns continued to watch from backstage, contempt plastered on his face.
Owens addressed Roman directly. He said Roman wants him to fear him. “I’ve got some bad news for you,” KO said. Owens said he doesn’t fear Reigns. He said as good as Reigns is, and regardless of what he says, Reigns is using his family to fight his battles for him. “TLC is the most important match of my career,” Owens conceded. He said that Roman can beat anyone in WWE right now, but he’s going to do everything he can to beat him.
Owens said his family supports him from home and can’t help him win the way Roman’s family helps him. “I’ve got a few friends that will help me, though.” Owens introduced the first – chairs. He said they’re cold, and they’ll help him bruise Roman up and maybe even break a bone or two. “Chairs, ironically, will make sure you have a very hard time sitting at the head of the table.”
KO turned to tables. He said “table” is looking forward to receiving Roman at TLC. He introduced his final friend, “ladder.” He claimed its the most difficult to handle, unpredictable and rough around the edges. “Ladder is going to help me hurt you and get back where I belong.” He climbed the ladder.
Jey Uso appeared from behind and cracked Kevin in the back with a steel chair. Uso mounted Owens and pounded away at him. He tossed Owens on the table and tried to climb to the top rope, but Owens leapt to his feet and tossed a chair at Jey. Jey crashed to the mat. Owens tossed him into the ladder, then hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb through the table.
Roman Reigns’ music played. Owens slammed the chair in defiance, screaming at Reigns. Reigns stood stoically atop the ramp. Paul Heyman told Roman that he calls the shots. “This is your island, we do things on your time.” Reigns draped the Universal title over his shoulder, but remained still. He backed away slowly as Owens looked on. KO grabbed a chair and left the ring, limping from Jey’s attack. He stumbled up the ramp, giving chase to Reigns.
(LeClair’s Analysis: Great segment. Kevin Owens is hugely effective, and Roman Reigns is perfectly hatable. KO clearly won’t be the person to take the Universal title, nor should he be, but he is an effective B-Pay-Per-View challenger and the perfect kind of foil to disrupt the relationship between Reigns and Jey Uso.)
-Out of the break, Owens stormed through the hallway backstage, still limping, cut just below his eye. Kayla Braxton approached. Owens asked if she’d heard what Reigns said about his family last week. Roman Reigns attacked him from behind, slamming him into a steel storage bin and then elbowing him in the head repeatedly. Reigns stood up and looked directly into the camera, appealing directly to Owens’ wife and kids.
“I’m Roman Reigns. I’m the Tribal Chief. I’m the head of the table. I’m the guy who puts food on your table, and if you don’t talk some sense into daddy, I’m going to be the one who takes food off your table. He kicked Owens one last time. “Have a good night,” he said nonchalantly.
(LeClair’s Analysis: There isn’t much to say here, other than to reaffirm how good Roman Reigns has been.)
-The Riott Squad headed to the ring. Cole and Graves tossed to a clip from last week’s Talking Smack involving Riott Squad and Billie Kay. Cole said it led to this match.
(3) RIOTT SQUAD (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan) vs. BILLIE KAY & NATALYA
Corey Graves said Billie Kay hit the jackpot with her partner. Billie Kay began the match with Ruby Riott. Billie grabbed a headlock, but Ruby shot her off the ropes, gave her a shoulder tackle and tagged in Liv Morgan. Morgan gave Kay a bump into the corner and tagged Riott back in.
Riott covered Kay for a quick two count, then tagged in Morgan. Kay recovered and worked Morgan into the corner, tagging in Natalya. Nattie grabbed a headlock. Morgan worked her way to her feet, but Nattie tossed her into the corner. She hit a backdrop, then tagged in Billie Kay.
Kay barked orders at Natalya. Morgan kicked her into the ropes. Nattie tagged herself back in. Morgan tagged in Ruby Riott, who hit the Riott Kick for a quick three count.
WINNERS: The Riott Squad in 3:00
(LeClair’s Analysis: This wasn’t good. Billie Kay is a bit of a rough worker, and Riott Squad looked out of sorts and out of practice here. The women’s division on Smackdown is in shambles, and this is evidence of that.)
-A video from Chad Gable’s Instagram aired. Gable put a blindfold on Otis and trained him with various tactics, eventually coaching Otis into catching a ball blindfolded. “Oh yeah, he’s an alpha,” Gable said.
Kayla Braxton approached Otis and Chad Gable backstage. Gable told her that Otis has grit and tenacity. Otis told Kayla to imagine what Chad, an Olympian, can do with him, some “prime beef.” Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro walked onto screen, trying to provoke Otis. Cole said the two teams would face off after the break.
-Mario Lopez commented on the Sasha Banks vs. Carmella match via Twitter, predicting Banks would retain.
-Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro were already in the ring when the show returned to the Thunderdome. Otis and Chad Gable followed.
(4) CESARO & SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. OTIS & CHAD GABLE
Chad Gable locked up with Cesaro to begin the match. Gable retreated to the corner and gave Otis instructions before tagging him in. Otis tossed Cesaro the the mat with ease and then tagged out. Gable wrestled Cesaro to the mat and hit a quick gut wrench. Cesaro recovered with an uppercut and tagged in Nakamura.
Nakamura went for an exploder suplex, but Gable flipped over his back and crawled toward Otis, tagging him in. Nakamura tagged Cesaro. Otis dropped Nakamura with a spinning back elbow, then pancaked Cesaro. He followed up with a big clothesline. Cesaro crawled to the corner Otis splashed him. Cesaro collapsed. Otis set up for the Caterpillar, but Gable demanded to be tagged.
Otis tagged out. Gable climbed to the tope rope and leapt, but Cesaro caught him by the legs and opened up the Cesaro Swing. Cesaro dropped Gable and tagged in Nakamura. Shinsuke hit the Kinshasa and covered Gable for a three count.
WINNER: Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura in 4:00
(LeClair’s Analysis: I’ll never complain about Nakamura and Cesaro getting a clean win, but I wish this wasn’t the direction they were headed in with Otis and Gable. I really like this pairing on the surface, and was hoping to see Gable presented as a more serious act that could help Otis take it to the next level. Instead, it appears as though Gable will be presented as the coach who can teach, but can’t do. Otis will have to carry the team’s weight, while Gable flounders whenever thrust into action. It’s sort of exactly what you’d expect from WWE creative, so, I suppose it’s on me for expecting more.)
-Corey Graves teased tomorrow’s Talking Smack, featuring the Street Profits and Big E.
-Chad Gable and Otis were shown cooling down backstage. Gable told Otis their loss was a lesson learned. He said though he asked to be tagged in, he didn’t really want to be tagged in. “You had the match won,” Gable said. He claimed to be teaching Otis what to do by showing him what not to do. He gave Otis some water and told him he’d explain more later.
-King Corbin was shown backstage with his “new associates.” He called them the “Knights of the Lone Wolf.” Corbin said there’s no family, no love story, just ruthless, cold-blooded royalty. Corbin said if Rey Mysterio wants to face him, can bring his son and red-headed stepchild Murphy, but the consequences will be more severe than losing an eye.
-Carmella headed to the ring for the main event. Sasha Banks followed. Graves said Carmella has been playing Banks like a fiddle. Cole said the title match is next.
-After the break, Michael Cole announced that The Street Profits will defend the tag team titles against Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode on next week’s Smackdown. Corey Graves announced that Bayley will face Bianca Belair. The show will air on FS1.
-Greg Hamilton provided standard championship introductions.
(5) CARMELLA vs. SASHA BANKS – Smackdown Women’s title match
Sasha Banks locked up with Carmella in the center of the ring and backed her into the corner. She broke the hold quickly and Carmella shoved her. ‘Mella slammed Banks’ head into the turnbuckle and hung her up in the ropes, slapping her across the face and taunting the fans on screen.
Banks returned to her feet. Carmella kicked her in the stomach and backed her into the corner, screaming “you’re not on my level!” Carmella drove her elbow wildly into the side of Banks’ head repeatedly. Banks hoisted Carmella onto the apron. Carmella caught Sasha with a kick and pulled her out onto the apron. Carmella hit a face buster on the edge of the aprons sending Banks crashing to the floor below. Cole wondered if Carmella could win the title as the show went to commercial.
Sasha Banks had Carmella on the turnbuckle when the show returned from break. They teetered on opposite ends of the ring post, each trying to hook the other for a superplex. Carmella slammed Banks’ head on the ring post and dragged her back in the ring, mounting her and firing a flurry of punches before covering her for a two count. The camera briefly cut to Carmella’s assistant with champagne at ringside.
Carmella applied a seated headlock in the center of the ring. Banks worked back to her feet slowly and backed Carmella into the corner. Banks hit double knees into the corner. Carmella rolled to an opposing corner. Banks approached, but Carmella grabbed her by the legs, took her down, climbed to the top and hit a cross body.
‘Mella applied the Code of Silence. Banks struggled but eventually rolled over into the Bank Statement. Carmella’s assistant tossed the champagne bottle in the ring, distracting the referee long enough for him to pull Sasha Banks to the outside. Banks lit into the assistant. He backed away slowly, then ran into the ring Banks gave chase.
Carmella tried to grab Sasha, but Banks turned it around on her, tossed her into the corner and began punching away. She failed to break at the referee’s count, and he called for the bell.
WINNER: Carmella in 10:00 by disqualification
Sasha applied the Bank Statement to Carmella’s assistant. He tapped wildly, but Carmella pounced on Banks. She tossed her from the ring and drove her face into the champagne ice bucket. Carmella screamed at Banks. Carmella grabbed a bottle of champagne and cracked it over Sasha’s back. Banks collapsed to the floor in a heap, convulsing. Carmella toasted herself, downing some champagne from the bottle and tossing it toward Banks.
“You’re out of my league, Sasha!” Carmella screamed. Greg Hamilton announced Carmella as the winner by disqualification. Carmella flipped her hair and celebrated as the show went off the air
(LeClair’s Analysis: Non-finish, as expected. Carmella tried her best, but she’s several notches below Sasha Banks and Banks couldn’t really bring her up to her level. This feud has been rough, especially considering it’s Banks’ first as a babyface outside of the Bayley program. The introduction of an assistant for Carmella at least gives the angle some life, and it gave them an out that was at least slightly more satisfying than a basic Carmella disqualification. I do appreciate Banks’ aggression leading to the DQ, as it furthers the narrative that Carmella isn’t on Banks’ level, but managed to get under her skin enough to gain a temporary advantage and potential rematch.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: As usual, it’s really a tale of two shows. The segments involving Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, and Kevin Owens were entertaining, well-written, and effective. They sold the story of Reigns’ ruthlessness, and KO and Jey Uso’s dedication to their respective families in very different ways. The contrast is striking, an nuanced, especially for WWE. The rest of the show was a bit of a mixed bag – a sold match between Ziggler and Ford with underwhelming booking, a poor women’s match. and a lack of conclusion for a heavily-hyped women’s title match. Like every week, there’s stuff worth going out of your way to check out, but plenty that is better left skipped altogether.
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