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WWE SMACKDOWN TV REPORT
AUGUST 26, 2022
DETROIT, MI AT LITTLE CAESAR’S ARENA
AIRED ON FOX
REPORT BY ALEX McDONALD, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
(Note: Catch Wade Keller and I on tonight’s post show. I’m excited to hear from all the callers on what should be a solid show.)
[HOUR ONE]
-The show opened with a crowd shot and Michael Cole welcomed the audience to the show.
-Ricochet’s music played and he made his entrance. They showed a graphic for Drew McIntyre against Sami Zayn for later in the show. Cole and Pat McAfee hyped the match. A graphic was then shown for the return of the New Day. Cole asked how they would respond to the Viking Funeral segment from last week.
-Happy Corbin’s music played and he made his entrance. They cut to a pre-taped promo of Corbin. He said for Ricochet it’s always one step forward and two steps back. He said there’s no way Ricochet will defeat him.
(1) RICOCHET vs. HAPPY CORBIN
Corbin tried to attack Ricochet but Ricochet ducked and knocked Corbin to the floor. Ricochet did a standing backflip in the ring. Corbin entered and Ricochet came off the apron, then hit a dropkick followed by a low dropkick. He covered Corbin for a near fall. Ricochet tried to springboard off the apron but Corbin caught him with a big right hand that took him down. Corbin chopped Ricochet in the corner. The crowd chanted “bum ass Corbin”. Ricochet came back with a springboard back elbow that sent Corbin to the floor. Ricochet went for a baseball slide but Corbin moved. Corbin sent Ricochet to the corner but Ricochet jumped and landed on the middle turnbuckle, then launched himself at Corbin. Ricochet posed on the outside. [c]
Ricochet punched at Corbin. Corbin went for his under the ropes move but Ricochet cut him off. McAfee and Cole said that Corbin may be getting predictable. Corbin recovered and slammed Ricochet on the announce table. He then tossed Ricochet into the barricade. Corbin punched at Ricochet then tossed him back into the ring. Corbin took Ricochet to the corner and punched away at him. He sent Ricochet into the opposite turnbuckle then lifted Ricochet and sent him face first into the turnbuckle. Corbin made the cover and got a two count. Ricochet fought back with punches, but Corbin sent him into the ropes. Ricochet went for another springboard elbow but Corbin hit a big clothesline to the back that took Ricochet down. Ricochet countered Corbin’s End of Days with a big tornado DDT. Ricochet then kicked at Corbin then hit a kick to Corbin’s head that sent him to the corner. Ricochet went for a springboard but Corbin moved. Ricochet landed on his feet. Corbin went for a chokeslam but Ricochet countered. Ricochet came off the ropes but Corbin caught him with a Deep Six. Corbin set up Ricochet on the top rope. Ricochet kicked Corbin away. Ricochet came off the top and Corbin moved but Ricochet rolled through. Corbin slammed Ricochet down and covered him for a near fall. Corbin came off the ropes with a running punch. Ricochet caught Corbin coming in with a superkick. He then went to the top and hit a Shooting Star Press for the win.
WINNER: Ricochet in 13:00
-Corbin sat in the corner. Cole said that Corbin’s losing streak continued. McAfee did the telestrator gimmick with circles on Corbin’s face.
(McDonald’s Analysis: Solid match but nothing to write home about. Both guys could really use a stand-out performance in a setting like this, but, this wasn’t it. Cole and McAfee are going hard on the bad luck of Corbin lately. I wonder if that’s leading somewhere. Despite the win, this match felt like it was more about Corbin than Ricochet. Hard to imagine a world where Ricochet isn’t as defined down as he is.)
-The Street Profits were shown in the back. They bumped into Hit Row. Hit Row said they had the smoke. They all made a money motion together, then walked off as a group.
-Cole hyped a segment with Drew McIntyre. [c]
-Cole threw to a video package on McIntyre’s journey to the WWE from Scotland. The video showed McIntyre’s early WWE career as the Chosen One. The video then moved to his departure from the WWE and his return as a “man”.
-Cole and McAfee were shown at ringside. They hyped the main event for Clash at the Castle between McIntyre and Roman Reigns. A graphic was shown for their match. McAfee said that this could be the happy ending to the fairy tale.
-Karrion Kross and Scarlett’s music played. They appeared in black and white. Kross said it was a nice, uplifting video. He said that he can put his arm through the back of McIntyre’s head and McIntyre’s achievements won’t mean anything. He then said tick tock.
-Shotzi’s music played and she made her entrance. The Women’s Tag Team Championships were shown at ringside. Cole hyped the fatal four way as a last chance to enter the Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament. Cole detailed the injury to Gigi Dolin. Xia Li then made her entrance. They then showed the graphic for the fatal four way for after the break. [c]
-Natalya and Sonya Deville made their entrance.
(2) XIA LI & SHOTZI vs. NATALYA & SONYA DEVILLE vs. NIKKI A.S.H. & DOUDROP vs. TAMINA & DANA BROOKE – Last Chance Match in the Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament
Deville and Tamina started the match. Tamina hit a superkick on Natalya and knocked her off the apron. Tamina hit a Samoan drop on Deville and went for a cover but Doudrop broke it up. Nikki and Li tagged in. Li dropped Nikki on the tope rope and taunted her. Li brought Nikki to the corner and tagged in Shotzi. Shotzi ran and went back to back with Nikki against the ropes. Tamina hit Shotzi from the apron and Brooke tagged herself in. Brooke took the offensive on Nikki. A melee occurred. Shotzi and Li double teamed Doudrop and took her out. Shotzi and Li were then taken out. Nikki and Brooke were back in the ring. They battled on the top rope but Deville blind tagged Brooke. Brooke superplexed Nikki off of top rope and took out all the women at ringside. Deville rolled Nikki in the ring and covered her for the win.
WINNER: NATALYA & SONYA DEVILLE in 4:00 to advance the the next round of the Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament
(McDonald’s Analysis: Too short to really mean anything. I assumed a heel team would win and they make just as much sense as anyone. I would have preferred Shotzi and Li to give them some credibility, but it doesn’t matter much. After all the time spent on this tournament and how important they’ve made it, this match was a step in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, despite how good much of the tournament has been, there’s not a lot of drama left and the ending is basically a foregone conclusion at this point.)
-Cole threw to a video recap on last week’s awesome five way match for a shot at the Intercontinental title.
-Sheamus’ music played and he made his entrance.
*Note – There is an awful storm in my area and my antenna feed is getting worse as we go. If I miss something, that’s the reason for it. Hopefully, the storm will pass soon.*
-They showed postcard shots of Detroit’s sports teams. (Lot of disappointment there.)
-Cole threw to a video recap of the Shayna Baszler and Liv Morgan feud. It focused on Baszler’s attack on Morgan last week. They then showed a graphic for their match at Clash at the Castle.
-Sheamus was in the ring with Butch and Ridge Holland. They showed a graphic for his match with Gunther at Clash at the Castle. Cole hyped the match. Sheamus said that they’re going to celebrate in Cardiff after Sheamus wins the IC title. He said he’ll be the ultimate grand slam champion.
-Gunther’s music played and he made his entrance with Ludwig Kaiser. Gunther and Kaiser entered the ring. The Brutes did not back down. Holland held Butch back. Sheamus interrupted Kaiser’s introduction of Gunther. He told Kaiser to shut up. Sheamus said his beef is with Gunther. Sheamus said that he’s the real ring general. Sheamus said he’s beaten the best. He listed McIntyre, Randy Orton, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Triple H. He said that no one has had banger after banger like he has. Sheamus said he sees a lot of himself in Gunther. Sheamus said that they both love to go to war in the ring. He said that Gunther has something he wants, the IC title. Sheamus said that he’s going to drag the title off of Gunther and into the belly of “the red dragon”. Gunther said that Sheamus is to be respected, but he’s nothing like Gunther. He said he’s going to protect the title and teach Sheamus what violence really means. Gunther said he’s going to break Sheamus’ body and spirit. Gunther said the Ring General will break Sheamus. Butch attacked Kaiser and they brawled. Sheamus and Gunther stared each other down and ignored the brawl. Kaiser sent Holland over the top rope and beat on him at ringside. Kaiser and Butch then brawled in the ring. They took each other down and were then held back by Sheamus and Gunther. Gunther and Kaiser left the ring.
(McDonald’s Analysis: That was good stuff. I didn’t expect a promo of this type between these two guys. I was interested in this match for the meta reason of seeing these two work each other, but now I’m excited in a storyline sense as well. The emphasis on the title continued here as well. I love that Sheamus has been re-established as a guy who matters. I hope that continues after this feud. Gunther will probably win, but Sheamus doesn’t have to fall down the card or come out the “loser” because of it. Regardless, this match is going to be a “banger”.)
-Megan Morant was in the back with Natalya and Deville. Deville said they took the opportunity and they won. Deville put over Natalya, then Natalya put over Deville. Natalya and Deville said that Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez should be concerned tonight. Deville said that one small rookie mistake can cost Aliyah and Rodriguez the match.
-Bayley’s music played and she made her entrance with Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai in tow. They showed a graphic for Deville and Natalya against Aliyah and Rodriguez for after the break. [c]
-Cole threw to a video recap of the final segment on last week’s Smackdown that featured Reigns and McIntyre with the cameo by Sami Zayn.
-Sami Zayn was in the back. He knocked on the Reigns’ locker room door. The Usos emerged. Jimmy was happy to see Zayn. Jey was not. Zayn said he was so close last week. Jey reminded him that he lost. Zayn said that he wanted to meet with Reigns. He said they had a thing going last week. Jey said that McIntyre is still walking around, so Zayn should go away. Reigns called from in the room. He asked who it was. Zayn called to Reigns. Reigns invited Zayn in and asked him to sit down. He asked Zayn how it was going. Zayn said his jaw was hurt. Reigns brought up Zayn’s loss. He said that sometimes bad things happen so we can redeem ourselves. He said he appreciated what Zayn did last week. He said that’s something family would do. Zayn said family should do that. Zayn said that he will do anything for Reigns. Reigns said that he needs Zayn to distract McIntyre and take his eye off the ball. Zayn said that he gets into people’s heads. He said this will be a piece of cake. Zayn asked if they could all do it together. Reigns said that it needs to be about Zayn. Zayn said that he needs the opportunity to prove himself. Reigns said that Zayn has the opportunity to be the main event tonight. Zayn got up and shook hands with Jimmy. He tried to shake hands with Jey, but Jey told Zayn to leave. Reigns looked slightly concerned.
(McDonald’s Analysis: Reigns was a very pleasant surprise in this segment. I thought for sure they were using his pre-recorded voice to beckon Zayn into the room for a “private” conversation. This was much better. Zayn is just gold and he did a great job playing off of Reigns. These two guys need more screen time together after the last couple of weeks. Zayn’s willingness to please Reigns is endearing, slightly pathetic, but overall, really entertaining. Jey’s issue with Zayn is also a fun wrinkle that could be interesting. It’s even more interesting given how Jimmy treats Zayn.)
[HOUR TWO]
-Bayley joined Cole and McAfee on commentary.
-Aliyah and Rodriguez made their entrance. Cole mentioned that the winner of this match will take on Sky and Kai on Monday. Bayley cut Cole off and McAfee chimed in as well.
-Natalya and Devile made their entrance. Bayley said she brought her team to the big show and the other women are damaged goods. Bayley said she doesn’t care which team her team faces.
(3) NATALYA & SONYA DEVILLE vs. ALIYAH & RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ – Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament Match
Aliyah started with Natalya and took her down. Aliyah rolled Natalya up a couple of times for near falls. Aliyah shoved Natalya down and tagged in Rodriguez. Rodriguez sent Deville to the floor and Aliyah came off the apron with a Thesz press. Natalya came around the corner and slammed Aliyah with a Michinoku Driver on the outside. Rodriguez came around the corner to console Aliyah. [c]
Deville was in control of Rodriguez. She tagged in Natalya. They attempted a double team on Rodriguez but Rodriguez recovered quickly and hit a double suplex on the team. Rodriguez hit a fallaway slam on Deville then went to the rope but Natalya attempted to pull Rodriguez off. Rodriguez kicked Natalya away but Deville recovered and took over on Rodriguez. Deville beat on Rodriguez in the corner. Rodriguez fought back, but Deville took her down with a kick. Deville covered Rodriguez for a near fall. She then put Rodriguez in a head lock. Rodriguez fought to her feet and Natalya ran into the ring. Rodriguez picked up Natalya and dropped her then slung Deville off. Rodriguez went to tag, but Aliyah was nowhere to be found. Rodriguez took out Deville and Natalya then hit her corkscrew elbow on Deville for a near fall. Natalya re-entered and attacked Rodriguez. She went for a Sharpshooter but Rodriguez shot her to the outside. Deville hit a running knee and covered Rodriguez for a close near fall. Rodriguez recovered and got the Tahana Bomb on Deville for the win.
WINNER: Aliyah & Rodriguez in 8:00 to advance in the Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament
-Aliyah recovered and celebrated with Rodriguez. Bayley, Sky, and Kai entered the ring and the two teams stared each other down.
(McDonald’s Analysis: No surprises here. As I said a few weeks ago, Rodriguez is a one woman team and they just went ahead and went with that this week. No chance they beat Sky and Kai on Monday, but this is the face team that was chosen. It is what it is. Maybe Rodriguez will lose it on Aliyah and destroy her after she causes them the match? I highly doubt it, but you never know.)
-Maximum Male Models were in the back with Max and Maxxine Dupri. They were doing a photo shoot. Hit Row’s music played and stopped the photo shoot. Maxxine said that she had an idea and then walked off.
-They showed a graphic for the New Day and Cole hyped their return for after the break. [c]
-Maximum Male Models tried to continue their photo shoot with the music playing. Maxxine showed up with Angel Garza and Humberto Carrillo. They said they had a solution, which was something in a can.
-New Day was in the ring. Xavier Woods was in a wheelchair. Woods took the mic and thanked the crowd for the cheer. He said that normally they come out and are happy, but this is difficult for them. Woods said that they made fun of the Viking Raiders, but they actually underestimated them. Kofi Kingston took the mic and said they got their asses kicked. He said a man went “air Viking” and cracked his ribs. Woods said they have to face reality. He said he saw the Raiders burning their possessions last week during the funeral. He said the Viking Raiders burned their legacy. Woods said it was done, and then he said, maybe the New Day is done. Kingston started to speak, but the Viking Raiders’ music interrupted them.
-The Viking Raiders said they gave the New Day a proper sendoff. Woods said they need a few minutes to say what they had to say. Erik said that they despise weakness. He said it makes them sick to hear Woods grovel like a wounded animal. Ivar said the best thing to do for a wounded animal is to put them down. The Raiders entered the ring. Kingston took their attention. Woods raised from the wheelchair. The New Day battered the Raiders with kendo sticks and the Raiders retreated up the ramp.
(McDonald’s Analysis: That was much better from the New Day. I won’t lie, I was kind of hoping that was the start of something new for them. Alas, we get the expected interruption, then the reveal of Woods not needing the wheelchair. This segment had promise, and it wasn’t bad, but they could have done something different. Instead, they did a stereotypical angle that furthers a feud between these teams that already feels a little stale.)
-They showed a graphic for McIntyre and Zayn. Cole hyped the match. [c]
-The cans were spray paint. Maximum Male Models, Garza, and Carrillo spray painted Hit Row sucks on the bus. Hit Row appeared and challenged them to a match for next week. Hit Row then said it wasn’t their bus. The Street Profits appeared and looked upset. Maximum Male Models, Garza, and Carrillo ran off.
-The Usos approached Zayn in the back. Jimmy said that this is a big opportunity. Jey said that Zayn needs to level up when he wears the Bloodline shirt. He told Zayn to get the job done. Zayn asked why Jey was coming at him with negativity. Zayn said that’s what he told Reigns last week. Jey freaked out and said that Zayn was talking behind his back last week. He said that Zayn needs to handle his business. Jimmy pulled Jey away. Zayn looked concerned and confused.
-Another video package aired on McIntyre. This time it showed his WWE title win and redemption upon returning to the WWE. He said that he wants to be the face of the industry and his journey has brought him to Reigns. McIntyre said that his destiny will be fulfilled. He said that Reigns is coming to his island and he’s going to lay him out.
(McDonald’s Analysis: Both of the packages on McIntyre were really good at establishing his journey. That’s the positive. If he loses, he’s going to look really, really, really bad. That’s the negative. WWE needs to weigh their options and make a decision about what’s more important.)
-McIntyre made his entrance. The sword is back this week. [c]
-Cole and McAfee were at ringside. Cole hyped a celebration for Reigns’ two years as champion next week. They also hyped a segment with Rousey and the Smackdown in-ring debuts of Karrion Kross and Maximum Male Models. They then hyped Kaiser against Butch and the New Day against the Viking Raiders. McAfee hyped it as a stacked show.
-Sami Zayn’s music played and he made his entrance.
(4) DREW McINTYRE vs. SAMI ZAYN
Zayn ran out of the ring. McIntyre followed, then Zayn ran back into the ring. McIntyre rolled into the ring and Zayn attacked. McIntyre recovered with a big right and took down Zayn. McIntyre tossed Zayn into the turnbuckles and Zayn crumpled. McIntyre chopped Zayn against the ropes then shot him off. Zayn grabbed the top rope, turned around and rolled out of the ring. McIntyre chased Zayn. He grabbed Zayn’s foot as he slid into the ring. Zayn kicked at McIntyre then rolled to the floor. McIntyre recovered and slammed Zayn on the announce table. Zayn tried to fight back but McIntyre took control again. He took Zayn down with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. McIntyre put Zayn up on the top rope. McIntyre went for a superplex but Zayn fought him off. Zayn hit a sunset flip powerbomb off the top on McIntyre. [c]
McIntyre charged Zayn but Zayn got his foot up. Zayn hit a tornado DDT off the middle rope and covered McIntyre for a near fall. Zayn went for a Blue Thunder Bomb but McIntyre fought him off. Zayn tried again but McInyre fought back and caught Zayn with a Glasgow’s Kiss. McIntyre hit a belly to belly throw, followed by a neckbreaker, then the kip up. McIntyre posed in the corner and set up a Claymore. The Usos ran down the ramp and distracted McIntyre. Zayn hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. The Usos surrounded the ring. Zayn punched at McIntyre. The crowd chanted for Zayn. McIntyre recovered with a big chop. He knocked both Usos off the apron. Zayn went for a rollup but McIntyre kicked out. McIntyre hit a Claymore for the win.
WINNER: Drew McIntyre in 10:00
-Reigns ran down the ramp and attacked McIntyre from behind. Reigns tried to toss McIntyre into the ringpost but McIntyre reversed and set Reigns into it. The Usos attacked McIntyre, but McIntyre fought them off. Reigns appeared and hit a big spear on McIntyre. The Usos got back into the ring with chars and laid waste to McIntyre. They tossed him to the outside, then tossed him over the announce table. Reigns looked on from the ring. Jey threw McIntyre into the barricade. Zayn recovered and hit a Helluva Kick on McIntyre against the barricade. The Usos attacked McIntyre with the steps. Reigns stood on the middle rope and watched. He asked for the Usos to bring him McIntyre. The Usos dragged McIntyre toward the ring and threw him in. Reigns stood over McIntyre. He kneeled beside him and told McIntyre that he won’t be on top until Reigns is done. Reigns used the guillotine and choked out McIntyre. Reigns placed a chair over McIntyre and sat down on the chair above McIntyre. The Usos draped both titles over the shoulders of Reigns. Reigns said that the whole industry runs off of him. He asked for someone to take it from him.
(McDonald’s Analysis: Match was fine. I imagine that’s what they’ve been doing on the house shows. It was just there. That visual after the match, though. THAT was powerful. That’s back to back weeks with each guy standing tall, but something felt much more definitive this week than last. I love the Bloodline beatdowns and how real they seem. This was no exception to that general rule. Really strong ending segment. Let’s see what the final build looks like next week. Regardless, this match feels much bigger than it did a few months ago. The minor rebuild of McIntyre has certainly helped in that sense.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: Overall, this was a solid episode of Smackdown. We didn’t have any debuts, which was actually kind of refreshing. They did a good job setting some things up for Clash at the Castle and they set up some solid matches for next week’s show. Next week’s episode looks really solid on paper and Butch against Kaiser has a chance to be really interesting if they give it some time. The Women’s Tag Team Tournament has been good in the ring so far and has been given prestige, but the ending is a foregone conclusion at this point. It’s not a bad thing, but all the mystery was erased with the two matches that occurred tonight. Sheamus and Gunther just got really interesting, really fast. That was good stuff and I can’t wait to see that match at Clash. The final segment was excellent and another logical step forward in the feud. The question that comes out of this revolves around Zayn, though. Is he in trouble for losing? Or did he make up for it by helping with the beatdown? Where do he and Jey stand?
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