{"id":64543,"date":"2018-08-14T12:46:49","date_gmt":"2018-08-14T17:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=64543"},"modified":"2018-08-14T12:48:40","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T17:48:40","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-8-14-a-j-more-to-say-new-day-vs-sanity-english-vs-almas-becky-charlotte-carmella-face-to-face-deville-roses-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/08\/14\/wwe-smackdown-primer-8-14-a-j-more-to-say-new-day-vs-sanity-english-vs-almas-becky-charlotte-carmella-face-to-face-deville-roses-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 8\/14: A.J. more to say, New Day vs. Sanity, English vs. Almas, Becky-Charlotte-Carmella face-to-face, Deville &#038; Rose\u2019s opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3540345710\" 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><strong>WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AUGUST 14, 2018<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>GREENVILLE, S.C. AT <\/strong><strong>THE BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. EDT<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><strong>In Memory: Jim \u201cThe Anvil\u201d Neidhart<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the day yesterday our hearts were broken as learned of the passing of Jim \u201cThe Anvil\u201d Neidhart.<\/p>\n<p>Neidhart most notably worked in the WWF (known today of course as WWE) as the tag team partner of Hall of Famer Bret \u201cHit Man\u201d Hart, his brother-in-law.\u00a0 They held the tag team championship on multiple occasions and feuded with legendary teams such as the British Bulldogs, Demolition, the Killer Bees, the Rougeau Brothers, Strike Force, etc.\u00a0 One of their more memorable matches was against Demolition at SummerSlam 1990 when they re-gained the WWF Tag Team Championship.<\/p>\n<p>Neidhart got his start in Stampede Wrestling in the late 1970s after being discovered by who would turn out to be his future father-in-law, WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart.\u00a0 He would later work for various promotions including Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling, Continental Wrestling Association, and more.\u00a0 In addition to his time in the WWF, he spent time in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) during the Monday Night Wars.<\/p>\n<p>He was known for his infamous goatee, boisterous laugh, and magnanimous personality.\u00a0 When I think of the first wrestlers I watched as a kid in the mid-1980s, Jim Neidhart is certainly one of them.\u00a0 The Hart Foundation is without question one of the greatest tag teams to ever grace the squared circle.<\/p>\n<p>He is of course the father of WWE women\u2019s wrestler Natalya.\u00a0 Natalya was to take on Raw Women\u2019s Champion Alexa Bliss last night but was not at Raw for obvious reasons.\u00a0 Our sincerest condolences go out to Natalya, her mother, and the rest of Neidhart\u2019s family and friends.\u00a0 May one of the greatest rest in peace.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Arena\/Opening Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>WWE heads towards Greenville, S.C. tonight for Smackdown as the Bon Secours Wellness Arena will host the go-home show for SummerSlam from the Smackdown side.<\/p>\n<p>Two matches are on tap for tonight as announced by <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a>.\u00a0 G.M. Paige has hinted at another on Twitter, and we can obviously expect more.\u00a0 WWE Champion A.J. Styles is expected to have more to say to his SummerSlam challenger Samoa Joe.\u00a0 We can expect more build for the match between Daniel Bryan and The Miz although nothing is specific according to WWE.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-161062019\" 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<h3><strong>A.J. Styles with More to Say to Samoa Joe<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last week WWE Champion A.J. Styles responded to his SummerSlam challenger Samoa Joe as Joe in the previous week cut a very personal promo attacking A.J. Styles as a husband and father to his family.\u00a0 He discussed the fact that he\u2019s not home much, but with his family gives their children everything they need.\u00a0 He referenced their longtime friendship, which certainly comes from their time in TNA which won\u2019t be mentioned for obvious reasons.\u00a0 In the end he promised Joe would not only not walk out of SummerSlam as WWE Champion, but would not walk out period.\u00a0 Joe watched on a monitor from the back, with a black eye.\u00a0 Tonight, A.J. has more to say.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 You certainly saw a more intense side of A.J. last week, which we saw a little bit of during his feud with Shinsuke Nakamura earlier this year.\u00a0 Combine that with Joe\u2019s intensity and I believe we can expect an explosive final build tonight if they come face to face.\u00a0 It\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility that their match at SummerSlam is the show-stealer.\u00a0 As far as who walks out WWE Champion it\u2019s 50\/50.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Six-Man Tag: The New Day vs. Sanity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the main event of last week\u2019s show, The New Day defeated The Bar to earn the right to face Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Bludgeon Brothers at SummerSlam for the titles.\u00a0 If New Day wins, if would be their fifth tag team championship in their history.\u00a0 Three years ago, at SummerSlam, they began their second reign which would turn out to be their record-breaking 484-day reign by defeated the then-champion Prime Time Players.\u00a0 Tonight, New Day takes on Sanity in a six-man tag match, a group they\u2019ve exchanged wins with recently on TV and at Extreme Rules.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 Sanity hasn\u2019t had the dominant run we likely expected when they were promoted from NXT earlier in the year.\u00a0 WWE hasn\u2019t had them on TV that frequently, so I don\u2019t think much damage has been done.\u00a0 There\u2019s no shame in putting over four-time tag team champions if that what happens tonight, depending on how the match is framed.\u00a0 Sanity is not scheduled for anything on the SummerSlam card at the moment.\u00a0 They are clearly \u201con the bench\u201d at the moment, similar to when a baseball player is called up from AAA after the trade deadline or in September.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t read too much into their run thus far as I would think better things are planned.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Aiden English vs. Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>In the past two Smackdowns Rusev\u2019s Lana has lost to Zelina Vega, the business manager of Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas.\u00a0 In each case Aiden English inadvertently cost Lana while trying to help her.\u00a0 On the SummerSlam pre-show, Rusev and Lana face Almas and Vega in a mixed tag match.\u00a0 Tonight, English takes on Almas in an effort to \u201cmake it up\u201d to Rusev and Lana.\u00a0 Here\u2019s English on Twitter this week:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I know it\u2019s been a hard few weeks for <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/RusevDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#RusevDay<\/a> but I swore to make it up to @RusevBUL &amp; @LanaWWE &#8211; so ahead of their <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SummerSlam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SummerSlam<\/a> match, I\u2019m demanding here and now to face @AndradeCienWWE 1 on 1 this Tuesday on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SDLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SDLive<\/a> &#8211; I\u2019ll do whatever it takes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/P881KA0koN\">https:\/\/t.co\/P881KA0koN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matthew Rehwoldt (@DramaKingMatt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DramaKingMatt\/status\/1028343590886486016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 11, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to make too much of this, but wasn\u2019t Rusev in a WWE Championship match only one PPV ago at Extreme Rules in July?\u00a0 I don\u2019t take issue with what they\u2019re doing here, but it is quite a drop-off in just one month.\u00a0 Nonethless, it appears Rusev and Lana have gone the babyface route in this feud with Almas and Vega.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t clearly turn though, as their treatment of English could be viewed as heelish.\u00a0 Even though he\u2019s cost Rusev and Lana matches he\u2019s had good intentions.\u00a0 He certainly could be an x-factor in the tag match at SummerSlam.\u00a0 This is only speculation on my part, but he could intentionally cost Rusev and Lana the match turning heel claiming he was \u201cmistreated all along\u201d or something to that nature.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Carmella Face to Face<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Last week Charlotte and Becky Lynch picked up a victory over The IIconics, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay with Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Carmella as a guest commentator.\u00a0 Before the match they discussed their competitiveness, talking about how they wanted the same thing and because of it that\u2019s why they get along so well.\u00a0 Becky did cite though that the hill she must climb has gotten higher, but what else is new.\u00a0 Carmella would taunt Charlotte and Becky after the match, holding up the title they both desire.\u00a0 Tonight, there will be a face to face with all three women, who will square off in a triple threat match at SummerSlam for the championship.<em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 Charlotte and Becky took a little shot at Bayley and Sasha Banks in the pre-match conversation when discussing their ability to get along.\u00a0 With the rumored Women\u2019s Tag Team Championship possibly coming to fruition, it\u2019s not crazy to imagine these teams of women vying for the titles possibly at Evolution.\u00a0 That would seem to be a waste of Charlotte and Becky, as their story has developed quite well in recent weeks.\u00a0 I think their time is better served working over a single\u2019s title, with no disrespect to the possible tag team titles which could be unveiled rather soon.\u00a0 There has been a genuine feel of conflict between Charlotte and Becky, having to juggle their friendship and desire to be Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-664350130\" 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<h3><strong>Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose\u2019s \u201cOpportunity\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Mandy Rose tweeted out her frustration with G.M. Paige, claiming she gives her former PCB stablemates (Charlotte and Becky Lynch) preferential treatment.\u00a0 Here\u2019s the tweet and Paige\u2019s response:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE_MandyRose\/status\/1028074825485561856<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealPaigeWWE\/status\/1028322617760079872<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville\u2019s opportunity is revealed.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 We would have to think there will be a tag match featuring Charlotte and Becky vs. Mandy and Sonya tonight based on the tweets, wouldn\u2019t we?\u00a0 The cryptic nature of Paige\u2019s tweet could be suggesting something else, but it\u2019s hard to know what that may be.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Other Items<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Daniel Bryan attacked The Miz while \u201con set\u201d of \u201cMiz and Mrs.\u201d\u00a0 (Are they filming season two already?\u00a0 Otherwise why is he \u201con set\u201d)\u00a0 The Miz was cutting a promo about their SummerSlam match when Bryan came out of nowhere and hit Miz with a vase.\u00a0 More should come tonight on the go-home show.\u00a0 Note that it\u2019s been reported Bryan has still not signed a new contract.\u00a0 His current deal expires September 1st.<\/li>\n<li>U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated R-Truth in a non-title match.\u00a0 Nakamura faces Jeff Hardy for the championship at SummerSlam. \u00a0At the open of Smackdown last week, Randy Orton doubled down on reasons for his \u201cchange of heart\u201d lately.\u00a0 He still hasn\u2019t factored into the U.S. Title match at SummerSlam, but the feud between the two still remains unsolved.\u00a0 Hardy should be on the show tonight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Start Time and 205 Live<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The arena website shows a start time of 7:45 p.m. with doors opening at 6:15 p.m.\u00a0 They\u2019re not advertising any matches.\u00a0 They show AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy, The Miz, Carmella, and \u201cmore\u201d appearing.<\/p>\n<p>205 Live will follow Smackdown.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Akira Tozawa vs. Lio Rush\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After weeks of ducking Tozawa, a former cruiserweight champion, G.M. Drake Maverick made this match for this week.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a <a href=\"http:\/\/wwe.com\/\">WWE.com<\/a> exclusive video of Maverick talking to Rush: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/videos\/lio-rush-is-not-happy-about-his-rematch-with-akira-tozawa-wwecom-exclusive-aug-7-2018\">VIDEO LINK<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Non-Title Match: Cedric Alexander (Cruiserweight Champion) vs. Jack Gallagher<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On the SummerSlam pre-show, Cedric Alexander puts the cruiserweight championship on the line against Drew Gulak.\u00a0 Tonight, Alexander faces one Gulak\u2019s \u201cfriends\u201d in Jack Gallagher in a non-title match.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani.\u00a0 Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2252435914\"><div id=\"pwtor-2940330049\"><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 AUGUST 14, 2018 GREENVILLE, S.C. AT THE BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. EDT BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR \u00a0In Memory: Jim \u201cThe Anvil\u201d Neidhart Earlier in the <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/08\/14\/wwe-smackdown-primer-8-14-a-j-more-to-say-new-day-vs-sanity-english-vs-almas-becky-charlotte-carmella-face-to-face-deville-roses-opportunity\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 8\/14: A.J. more to say, New Day vs. Sanity, English vs. Almas, Becky-Charlotte-Carmella face-to-face, Deville &#038; Rose\u2019s opportunity\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52291,"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":[52,4403,27,5893],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/12\/Charlotte_TeschJoel_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64543","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=64543"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64547,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64543\/revisions\/64547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}