{"id":62789,"date":"2018-07-10T12:08:08","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T17:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=62789"},"modified":"2018-07-10T12:44:04","modified_gmt":"2018-07-10T17:44:04","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-7-10-team-hell-no-on-miz-tv-styles-vs-nakamura-asuka-vs-ellsworth-dillinger-vs-joe-almas-vs-sin-cara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/07\/10\/wwe-smackdown-primer-7-10-team-hell-no-on-miz-tv-styles-vs-nakamura-asuka-vs-ellsworth-dillinger-vs-joe-almas-vs-sin-cara\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 7\/10: Team Hell No on Miz TV, Styles vs. Nakamura, Asuka vs. Ellsworth, Dillinger vs. Joe, Almas vs. Sin Cara"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1918659718\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\nJULY 10, 2018<br \/>\nMANCHESTER, N.H. AT SNHU ARENA<br \/>\nAIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. ET<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<h3>Arena\/Opening Thoughts<\/h3>\n<p>On the final pit stop before Extreme Rules this coming Sunday, WWE will deliver its product to the SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H.\u00a0 Smackdown, WWE\u2019s \u201cblue brand,\u201d last appeared in this arena in May of 2017.\u00a0 Tonight, we\u2019ll wrap up the build towards Extreme Rules from the blue brand\u2019s side and get ready for this month\u2019s version of WWE\u2019s co-branded PPVs.<\/p>\n<p>Four matches have been announced for tonight.\u00a0 One includes a recent rivalry being renewed in WWE Champion A.J. Styles taking on Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match.\u00a0 This brings me to a topic I regret not making the head topic in my Raw primer yesterday, and that\u2019s WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar\u2019s UFC appearance.\u00a0 I realize this is a Smackdown primer but, indulge me for a moment.\u00a0 As you may or may not know on Saturday night at UFC 226, Lesnar was in attendance to witness Daniel Cormier win the UFC Heavyweight Championship.\u00a0 Cormier called him into the octagon, and ultimately Lesnar shoved him down.\u00a0 A match will take place at some point between the two gentlemen for the championship.<\/p>\n<p>It is bad enough we have not seen the WWE Universal Champion Lesnar since the Greatest Royal Rumble which took place at end of April.\u00a0 We\u2019re approaching three months since that appearance.\u00a0 The first time we see him or hear about him being seen is on UFC programming pursuing the UFC Championship?\u00a0 What about WWE programming, the Universal Championship, and the pursuit of the title at the top of the Raw card?\u00a0 It\u2019s not that I expect, nor do I want Lesnar on TV every week or even defending the title every PPV.\u00a0 It is however unacceptable that it is now mid-July, and from April we haven\u2019t seen the reigning WWE Universal Champion and have no idea when this championship will be defended.\u00a0 Does the 30-day rule not apply as a matter of fiscal convenience for WWE?\u00a0 There needs to be consistency with both champions (Universal and WWE), as was pointed out by Bruce Mitchell on his VIP audio show.\u00a0 For me any champion needs to be visible and available on a reasonable basis.\u00a0 The championships should be defended at a pace that makes the title and the pursuit of it relevant.\u00a0 By the way WWE made no mention of Lesnar\u2019s UFC appearance on Raw last night.\u00a0 Is it fair to ask why?\u00a0 Are they hiding from the situation as long as feasible?<\/p>\n<p>WWE Champion A.J. Styles has defended his title on PPV six times in 2018 (I may be forgetting an additional time or two on Smackdown) and made a fair amount of appearances in some way, shape, or form on TV.\u00a0 He may have even been shown too much and I don\u2019t want that either, but the point is he\u2019s there.\u00a0 Why can\u2019t WWE select a man on a deep Raw roster that can carry the responsibility of being WWE Universal Champion?<\/p>\n<p>Please understand my issue is with WWE.\u00a0 I have no issue with Brock Lesnar.\u00a0 He knows his worth and is going out and getting it.\u00a0 I recommend any of the PWTorch VIP podcasts that dropped in over the weekend from Wade Keller, Bruce Mitchell, or Todd Martin to get different perspectives on this matter.\u00a0 With all of this said, let\u2019s turn back to Smackdown and take a look at what\u2019s on the menu for this evening.<\/p>\n<h3>Miz TV: Team Hell No<\/h3>\n<p>The show is expected to open with MizTV.\u00a0 The Miz\u2019s guests will be Team Hell No, Daniel Bryan and Kane.\u00a0 Team Hell No opened the show last week in an in-ring interview with Renee Young.\u00a0 They discussed their history, both good and bad, and gave us some of the schtick that made us fall in love with the duo back in 2012.\u00a0 Later in the evening they would wrestle the Usos, who interrupted the interview questioning how they earned a championship opportunity against the Bludgeon Brothers (rightfully so).\u00a0 If the Usos won, they would be added to the match at Extreme Rules making it a triple threat tag team match.\u00a0 Team Hell No came out victorious and preserved their match against the Bludgeon Brothers as is for the Smackdown Tag Team Championship.\u00a0 Tonight, The Miz will have Team Hell No as his guests to no doubt discuss their upcoming opportunity and perhaps touch on their history.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts: It will be interesting to see if anything is brought up in specific to Miz and Daniel Bryan.\u00a0 Since their confrontation on Talking Smack a few years ago and given their history, we\u2019ve all wondered if a match would take place if and when Daniel Bryan was cleared to wrestle.\u00a0 We could see some issues brought up tonight, or possibly not if WWE wants to ignore their history and start a new rivalry from scratch.\u00a0 That would be an injustice.\u00a0 Miz was Daniel Bryan\u2019s pro in NXT back in 2010.\u00a0 Miz\u2019s \u201cit kicks\u201d are a copy of Bryan\u2019s \u201cyes kicks.\u201d\u00a0 They have always been linked in some way, shape, or form.\u00a0 When Bryan was cleared to wrestle, I\u2019m certain many people including myself wanted to see a match with Miz on a big stage.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Inter-gender Lumberjack Match: Asuka vs. James Ellsworth<\/h3>\n<p>Last week James Ellsworth was to have a straight-up inter-gender match with Asuka as per G.M. Paige.\u00a0 After displaying Herculean strength doing three pushups, a brief match took place.\u00a0 Ultimately Asuka chased Ellsworth into the stands and both participants were counted out.\u00a0 Upon returning to the ring, Carmella attacked Asuka and left her lying on the outside of the ring.\u00a0 She dragged Ellsworth to the back.\u00a0 Later on, Paige would advise Ellsworth he would be in a lumberjack match against Asuka next week (tonight) with all of the women of the Smackdown roster at ringside.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3479962814\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>James Ellsworth tweeted several times this week how he wants to outdo women in different endeavors.\u00a0 Take a look:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/realellsworth\/status\/1016403678440325123<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Or&#8230; maybe after defeating <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWEAsuka?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WWEAsuka<\/a> tomorrow on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SDLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SDLive<\/a><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll outrace <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanicaPatrick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DanicaPatrick<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NASCAR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NASCAR<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>We all know Men are clearly better Drivers&#8230; <\/p>\n<p>These shades would look cooler on me as well !! .. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6074bY7YPd\">pic.twitter.com\/6074bY7YPd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; James Ellsworth (@realellsworth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realellsworth\/status\/1016434553047699456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/realellsworth\/status\/1016499841562791936<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/realellsworth\/status\/1016659346468605952<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 Hey we want gender equality these days, right?\u00a0 I\u2019m all for it, so can I be mad at Ellsworth?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so.\u00a0 Anyway, wouldn\u2019t this be considered a lumberjill match?\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter as once again you can\u2019t have too many expectations for this match.\u00a0 Last week accomplished its purpose as it got heat on Carmella for attacking Asuka and made Ellsworth look like a complete goof.\u00a0 This week I expect just another building block towards Asuka\u2019s challenge of Carmella at Extreme Rules for the WWE Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Non-Title Match: WWE Champion A.J. Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura<\/h3>\n<p>At Extreme Rules, WWE Champion A.J. Styles will defend his title against Rusev.\u00a0 Tonight, Styles renews his rivalry with Shinsuke Nakamura, who challenges Jeff Hardy for the U.S. Championship this coming Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>Nakamura did not compete last week, but rather gave us a selfie video questioning why Hardy paints his face.\u00a0 A.J. Styles defeated Aiden English in a non-title match but was attacked by Rusev immediately thereafter.\u00a0 Tonight, Styles and Nakamura renew a rivalry that only recently ended at Money in the Bank on Father\u2019s Day last month.<\/p>\n<p>They haven\u2019t trashed talked each other, but both men have done so to their respective Extreme Rules opponents.\u00a0 Nakamura had this to say to Hardy:<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3782251242\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Who is <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JEFFHARDYBRAND?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JeffHardyBrand<\/a>? <br \/>He has many eyes, many faces..but so do I. You have seen some before, but trust that I will show you the rest very soon. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ExtremeRules?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ExtremeRules<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LqxM0G6HaD\">pic.twitter.com\/LqxM0G6HaD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Shinsuke Nakamura (@ShinsukeN) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShinsukeN\/status\/1015030421225115648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Styles had these words for Rusev:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Gonna take more than that to tear down what I\u2019ve built. You\u2019ve got less than two weeks until <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ExtremeRules?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ExtremeRules<\/a>. Enjoy the song and dance until then. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AndStill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AndStill<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lCVJHptPgR\">https:\/\/t.co\/lCVJHptPgR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; AJ Styles (@AJStylesOrg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJStylesOrg\/status\/1014965416261664769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 5, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts: It\u2019s odd to see this rivalry renewed so quickly.\u00a0 It\u2019s one that preserved properly, could still work well at future PPVs especially if the roles are reversed and Nakamura is champion.\u00a0 With that said, I\u2019m only speculating but I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if there\u2019s a screwy ending leading to an impromptu tag match with Styles\/Hardy vs. Nakamura\/Rusev.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Tye Dillinger vs. Samoa Joe<\/h3>\n<p>In a WWE.com exclusive video, R-Truth was chatting with Tye Dillinger requesting to be his tag team partner (isn\u2019t Truth sour from his experience with Goldust).\u00a0 Dillinger declined, saying he wants to focus on being a singles wrestler.\u00a0 Truth \u201cinadvertently\u201d suggested he take on Samoa Joe.\u00a0 Dillinger was initially reluctant but changed his mind after Joe got in his face.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/videos\/tye-dillinger-challenges-samoa-joe-to-a-match-wwecom-exclusive-july-3-2018\">VIDEO LINK<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 I like to see lower card guys get an opportunity to wrestle guys on the mid-upper card.\u00a0 I expect Joe to go over, but I hope Dillinger wrestles a decent enough match to make you want to see him work more on Smackdown.\u00a0 I\u2019m not confident Dillinger will avoid cutting a promo not involving him being a \u201c10.\u201d\u00a0 If that happens I highly recommend you read Wade Keller\u2019s Smackdown report.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas vs. Sin Cara<\/h3>\n<p>Several weeks ago, Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas laid out Sin Cara in a backstage interview rendering him \u201cunable to compete\u201d for weeks.\u00a0 Tonight, we finally get a match between these two gentlemen according to WWE.com as Cara has been \u201ccleared to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts: They did work a house show in the last week, but this will be the first time they compete on TV.\u00a0 In a way I like that Almas hasn\u2019t competed on TV, making his next appearance feel special.\u00a0 I\u2019m not super excited for a match with Sin Cara, but there is a small history and a payoff match is fine in my opinion.\u00a0 Given his history in NXT I hope WWE has plans for Almas.\u00a0 Between him and his \u201cbusiness manager\u201d Zelina Vega, the talent is there to have meaningful rivalries on the mid-upper card.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Other Items<\/h3>\n<p>\u2022Sanity thankfully interrupted a pancake eating contest between the three members of New Day.\u00a0 I would expect follow up in some form, perhaps a six-man tag tonight or announced for Extreme Rules.\u00a0 The pre-show isn\u2019t a far-fetched thought.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Jeff Hardy defeated the Miz in a U.S. Championship open challenge.\u00a0 Nothing is on tap for Hardy tonight at the moment.\u00a0 As I said earlier, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me if he tags with A.J. Styles against Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev in a modification of the scheduled match between Styles and Nakamura.\u00a0 (Forgive the airline reference there.\u00a0 When my schedule changes it\u2019s considered a \u201cmodification.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Becky Lynch went two-for-two against the IIconics defeating Peyton Royce.\u00a0 She had defeated Billie Kay two weeks prior.\u00a0 Nothing is on tap for any of these women at the moment tonight.<\/p>\n<h3>Wrestlers Advertised, Dark Matches, and 205 Live<\/h3>\n<p>The SNHU Arena\u2019s website advertises a double main event.\u00a0 They show a six-man tag featuring WWE Champion A.J. Styles, U.S. Champion Jeff Hardy, and Daniel Bryan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, and Samoa Joe.\u00a0 They also show Asuka vs. WWE Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Carmella.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t indicate if this is a title match.<\/p>\n<p>These matches aren\u2019t far-fetched as dark matches but as always, the \u201cCard Is Subject to Change.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>205 Live will follow Smackdown.\u00a0 Buddy Murphy faced Mustafa Ali in a no-disqualification match for the ages last week.\u00a0 If you didn\u2019t see it, I highly recommend you watch it on the WWE Network.\u00a0 Tonight, Cedric Alexander will defend the WWE Cruiserweight Championship against Hideo Itami.\u00a0 Take a look at the confrontation between these two gentlemen from last week\u2019s 205Live: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/videos\/tye-dillinger-challenges-samoa-joe-to-a-match-wwecom-exclusive-july-3-2018\">VIDEO LINK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Start time is shown at 7:45 ET.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani or email me at fpeteani@gmail.com.\u00a0 Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CATCH UP ON LAST WEEK&#8217;S SHOW:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/07\/03\/7-3-wwe-smackdown-results-kellers-report-on-team-hell-no-styles-vs-english-asuka-vs-ellsworth-lynch-vs-royce\/\">7\/3 WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS: Keller\u2019s report on Team Hell No, Styles vs. English, Asuka vs. Ellsworth, Lynch vs. Royce<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2857106933\"><div id=\"pwtor-184270798\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER JULY 10, 2018 MANCHESTER, N.H. AT SNHU ARENA AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. ET BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Arena\/Opening Thoughts On the final pit stop before Extreme Rules this coming <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/07\/10\/wwe-smackdown-primer-7-10-team-hell-no-on-miz-tv-styles-vs-nakamura-asuka-vs-ellsworth-dillinger-vs-joe-almas-vs-sin-cara\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 7\/10: Team Hell No on Miz TV, Styles vs. Nakamura, Asuka vs. Ellsworth, Dillinger vs. Joe, Almas vs. Sin Cara\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49640,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/10\/CaraSin_GG3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62789"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62805,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62789\/revisions\/62805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}