{"id":64901,"date":"2018-08-21T13:42:01","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T18:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=64901"},"modified":"2018-08-21T13:42:01","modified_gmt":"2018-08-21T18:42:01","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-8-21-summerslam-fallout-tag-team-title-match-hardy-vs-orton-miz-bryan-follow-up-a-j-interview-beckys-explanation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/08\/21\/wwe-smackdown-primer-8-21-summerslam-fallout-tag-team-title-match-hardy-vs-orton-miz-bryan-follow-up-a-j-interview-beckys-explanation\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 8\/21: SummerSlam Fallout, Tag Team title Match, Hardy vs. Orton, Miz-Bryan follow-up, A.J. interview, Becky\u2019s explanation\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1954330066\" 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 21, 2018<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>BROOKLYN, N.Y. AT THE BARCLAYS CENTER<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00PM EDT<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n<h3><strong>Arena\/Opening Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As they have all weekend, WWE remains in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. tonight for Smackdown as we continue the fallout from SummerSlam.\u00a0 I look especially forward to tonight\u2019s event as I will be in attendance and will be the on-site correspondent on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show.\u00a0 It will be fun discussing the event and various crowd reactions with PWTorch founder and editor Wade Keller and his co-host.<\/p>\n<p>We have one new champion in Charlotte Flair as she secured her second Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship and seventh women\u2019s championship overall from Carmella at SummerSlam in a triple threat match that also involved Becky Lynch, a situation that is far from over given the post-match activity.\u00a0 We have two matches already scheduled for tonight including a rematch for the Tag Team Championship.\u00a0 Other rivalries are far from over and will certainly be covered this evening.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>No DQ Smackdown Tag Team Championship: Bludgeon Brothers (champions) vs. New Day<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>At SummerSlam the New Day defeated Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Bludgeon Brothers via disqualification, thus not capturing the championship.\u00a0 For those new to the wrestling party, titles may not change hands via disqualification or count-out.\u00a0 The Bludgeon Brothers were disqualified when Rowan hit Xavier Woods with his mallet.\u00a0 Tonight, these two teams will go at it again for the championship only there will be no disqualification.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 In Sunday\u2019s case it seemed the DQ was used more to continue the feud rather than fitting in with the storyline.\u00a0 There really hasn\u2019t been any grudge or issue between these teams and thus the DQ was used more in a protective sense.\u00a0 Bear in mind tonight is a no-DQ match, count-outs are still possible.\u00a0 It\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility that the count-out is used to further this to Hell in a Cell depending on where WWE sees this going.\u00a0 The Bar, Sanity, The Good Brothers, The Usos, and potential NXT callups could factor in the championship picture.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><em>\u00a0<\/em><strong>Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Jeff Hardy came up short in his attempt to capture the U.S. Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura this past Sunday at SummerSlam.\u00a0 Following the match, with Hardy laid out in the ring, Randy Orton came out to the ring in very energetic fashion (#sarcasm).\u00a0 It appeared he would attack Hardy but thought otherwise and turned around back to the dressing room.\u00a0 Tonight, these two will go at it in a one-on-one match.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 Back in the 1980s this would be something they\u2019d call a \u201cgrudge match,\u201d something you\u2019d have to watch on Coliseum Video for those who remember that great library.\u00a0 With that said, it\u2019s hard to understand Orton\u2019s motive.\u00a0 Why would he come out and do nothing to a prone Hardy?\u00a0 It\u2019s different than what we\u2019ve seen before in situations like this, thus the fact we\u2019re wondering and talking about certainly makes it interesting.\u00a0 Bear in mind, it\u2019s been reported that WWE is \u201clooking into\u201d allegations of inappropriate behavior on Orton\u2019s part.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to say where things will end up, but it\u2019s hard to imagine anything coming to fruition given Orton\u2019s push through the years through other various issues.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Becky Lynch\u2019s Explanation<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Becky Lynch, along with her best friend Charlotte Flair, challenged Carmella in a triple threat match for the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship at SummerSlam.\u00a0 Becky was close to victory as she had Carmella in the Disarm-Her, when Charlotte came from behind and hit Becky with the Natural Selection and scored the pinfall.\u00a0 Following the match Becky and Charlotte embraced but eventually Becky would snap and attacked Charlotte.\u00a0 They ended up outside of the ring where Becky threw Charlotte into the announce table.\u00a0 She would leave the ring in frustration and got a huge pop from the crowd.\u00a0 Tonight, Becky explains her actions.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 Back in the day, this is a textbook heel turn.\u00a0 Charlotte did nothing wrong, and you can tell she had mixed emotions knowing she took something from her best friend.\u00a0 Becky acted like a poor sport.\u00a0 The problem here is everybody, including myself, was cheering for Becky.\u00a0 Nobody wanted to see Charlotte win or Carmella retain.\u00a0 Thus, the post-match attack ended up being cheered.\u00a0 You could here the crowd chanting \u201cyou deserve it\u201d as Becky walked to the entrance.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see how this is followed up on especially with Paige as the G.M. (Paige, Charlotte, and Becky formerly the stable PCB).\u00a0 WWE would be wise to keep Becky a babyface but give her an edge and turn Charlotte heel as it is her more natural role.\u00a0 From a storyline standpoint they could explain that Charlotte had this plan all along to bring this side out of Becky because she was \u201ctoo soft\u201d or \u201ctoo likable.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3526384702\" 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>WWE Champion A.J. Styles Interview<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>With his wife and daughter in the arena, A.J. Styles retained the WWE Championship at SummerSlam over Samoa Joe when he was disqualified.\u00a0 While both of them were on the arena floor, Joe antagonized A.J. verbally.\u00a0 He grabbed the microphone and said \u201cI\u2019ll be your new daddy\u201d referring of course to A.J.\u2019s daughter.\u00a0 A.J. would attack Joe with a chair, thus causing the disqualification.\u00a0 A.J. would continue his attack which was eventually broken up.\u00a0 He then checked on his wife and daughter, whom appeared to be distraught at his actions.\u00a0 Tonight, A.J. gives an exclusive interview.<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 My kneejerk reaction was \u201coh great, a DQ\u201d because it was such a good match.\u00a0 Thinking it through, it fit with the storyline as this feud will definitely continue.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s goal was to get under A.J.\u2019s skin and he did just that.\u00a0 The emotions on A.J.\u2019s family looked real, especially with his daughter.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know how old she is, but children react in the simplest and most natural ways.\u00a0 She was clearly upset.\u00a0 I could almost guarantee this will lead to a Hell in a Cell match between these two come September. <\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Miz-Daniel Bryan Follow-Up<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After many years we finally got the \u201cbig match\u201d between Daniel Bryan and the Miz, whom had his wife Maryse in the front row.\u00a0 The match went nearly 30 minutes, when Maryse appeared to hand something to the Miz which he kept very well concealed.\u00a0 Moments later Miz would hit Bryan in the face with whatever he had, knocking him out and scoring the pinfall.\u00a0 WWE has made a point to say they will follow up on this tonight as they question Daniel Bryan saying, \u201cwill he be out for payback?\u201d\u00a0 As of this writing, nothing is out on any of their twitter accounts suggesting what could happen tonight.\u00a0 Miz did have this simple tweet after Sunday:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/mikethemiz\/status\/1031541197792260098<\/p>\n<p><em>Thoughts:\u00a0 The match was a bit underwhelming for how much tension has been built up between these two over an 8-year period.\u00a0 With that said, I still give the match a passing grade overall and the use of the foreign object is a nice old-school touch.\u00a0 WWE seemed to go to some of those touches at SummerSlam which goes a long way in continuing feuds especially if you want them to be effective.\u00a0 As far as Daniel Bryan\u2019s contract status, which certainly plays into this situation, according to PW Insider WWE has an \u201coption year\u201d on his contract.\u00a0 This is similar to an MLB contract where a team has the option to retain a player for another season.\u00a0 The details of the contract are unknown, but if this is true it points in the direction of Bryan staying for another year.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a tweet from Sky Sports WWE:<\/em><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/SkySportsWWE\/status\/1030894628206047232<\/p>\n<h3><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Other Items<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas and his business manager Zelina Vega defeated Rusev and his wife Lana in the SummerSlam kickoff show.\u00a0 There was no interference from Aiden English so that story is either over or remains in flux.\u00a0 English did tweet this out.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to know what it means:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I did what I was asked. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SummerSlam?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SummerSlam<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matthew Rehwoldt (@DramaKingMatt) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DramaKingMatt\/status\/1031309426794356736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 19, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>There were no NXT callups on Raw last night.\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if there were one or two tonight.\u00a0 Velveteen Dream did have \u201ccall me up Vince\u201d on his tights Saturday.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t be crazy to see him arrive tonight, although that could have been a decoy suggesting someone else is coming up.\u00a0 He did defeat EC3. \u00a0It has been customary that callups lose their last match prior to arrival on the main roster.\u00a0 Adam Cole lost his match, as well as Johnny Gargano.\u00a0 EC3 and\/or Cole would make sense.\u00a0 Gargano still has unfinished business with NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa and Aleister Black.<\/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.\u00a0 They\u2019re advertising a double main event of Styles, Bryan, and Hardy vs. Nakamura, Miz and Joe.\u00a0 The other match is Carmella vs. Asuka.\u00a0 This has been advertised before so, I don\u2019t count on this coming to fruition.<\/p>\n<p>205Live will follow Smackdown.\u00a0 Cedric Alexander retained his Cruiserweight Championship over Drew Gulak in the SummerSlam kickoff show.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-664833567\" 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<p>Tonight, Tony Nese teams with Buddy Murphy to face the Lucha House Party in an old school tornado tag match.\u00a0 All members of both teams will be legal in the ring at all times.\u00a0 In addition, Noam Dar faces TJP in a rubber 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-2586540155\"><div id=\"pwtor-4256880350\"><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 21, 2018 BROOKLYN, N.Y. AT THE BARCLAYS CENTER AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00PM EDT BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR\u00a0 Arena\/Opening Thoughts As they have all weekend, WWE remains in the Barclays <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/08\/21\/wwe-smackdown-primer-8-21-summerslam-fallout-tag-team-title-match-hardy-vs-orton-miz-bryan-follow-up-a-j-interview-beckys-explanation\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 8\/21: SummerSlam Fallout, Tag Team title Match, Hardy vs. Orton, Miz-Bryan follow-up, A.J. interview, Becky\u2019s explanation\u00a0\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44007,"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-64901","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\/06\/LynchBecky_WK3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64901","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=64901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64906,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64901\/revisions\/64906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}