{"id":66207,"date":"2018-09-18T12:28:20","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T17:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=66207"},"modified":"2018-09-18T12:38:32","modified_gmt":"2018-09-18T17:38:32","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-9-18-hell-in-a-cell-fallout-styles-vs-almas-nakamura-vs-rusev-follow-up-on-charlotte-becky-and-orton-hardy-surprise-guest-on-miz-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/09\/18\/wwe-smackdown-primer-9-18-hell-in-a-cell-fallout-styles-vs-almas-nakamura-vs-rusev-follow-up-on-charlotte-becky-and-orton-hardy-surprise-guest-on-miz-tv\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 9\/18: Hell in a Cell fallout, Styles vs. Almas, Nakamura vs. Rusev, Follow-up on Charlotte-Becky and Orton-Hardy, Surprise guest on Miz TV"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1297438767\" 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 \/>\nSEPTEMBER 18, 2018<br \/>\nTULSA, OK. AT THE BOK CENTER<br \/>\nAIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00PM EDT<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<h3>Arena \/ Hell in a Cell Recap<\/h3>\n<p>WWE Smackdown returns to the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla. for the first time since July of 2015, which was also WWE\u2019s last appearance in this arena as a whole. As we did last night with Raw we continue to put Hell in a Cell behind us and begin to turn our attention towards the Super Showdown coming Saturday Oct. 6, and Evolution coming Oct. 28.<\/p>\n<p>At Hell in a Cell we had a big title change as Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair for the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship, a title she last held in 2016 after being the first women to capture said title following the recent version of WWE\u2019s roster split. The New Day retained the Smackdown Tag Team Championship over Rusev Day during the kickoff show. A.J. Styles retained the WWE Championship over Samoa Joe, but not without controversy<\/p>\n<p>WWE and G.M. Paige have announced two matches in advance for tonight, of which one is a championship match. Smackdown continues to let you know what is happening in advance in terms of matches. It is a pleasure from the standpoint of writing about it but also getting you to build up some level of anticipation for the show. I wish this practice was done on Raw.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. Championship Match: Shinsuke Nakamura (champ) vs. Rusev (challenger)<\/p>\n<p>After an unsuccessful attempt to gain the Smackdown tag team championship with Aiden English, Rusev gets an opportunity at the U.S. Championship as he challenges Shinsuke Nakamura for the title he held from late 2014-&#8217;15 as well as some time in 2016. G.M. Paige announced this match on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealPaigeWWE\/status\/1041769078627680256<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s a tweet from Shinsuke as a response:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShinsukeN\/status\/1041846186423054336<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1609790152\" 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><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I can\u2019t help but question what did Rusev do to earn a U.S. championship match? I can get into a Rusev-Nakamura feud but it\u2019s not the point. G.M. Paige, of whom I\u2019m a big supporter and still am, has made a point to say championship opportunities are earned. With that said I didn\u2019t have a problem not having a U.S. title match at Hell in a Cell. As has been discussed previously, there is a shortage of babyfaces on Smackdown. You have A.J. Styles, Daniel Bryan, Jeff Hardy (unless he\u2019s taking time off), R-Truth, and Tye Dillinger. After Styles, Bryan, and Hardy that\u2019s hardly a murderer\u2019s row. I didn\u2019t mention Rusev because we never got an official face turn, but I\u2019ll go with it. Look for Aiden English to play a factor especially after he was blamed for he and Rusev losing their tag title opportunity at HIAC.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Non-Title Match: WWE Champion A.J. Styles vs. Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas<\/p>\n<p>WWE Champion A.J. Styles faces Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas in a non-title match as Styles competes on Smackdown for the first time. Styles previously defeated Almas on Smackdown and they go at it again following Hell in a Cell, where Styles retained his championship in controversial fashion over Samoa Joe. Styles in set to defend the title again against Joe at the Super Showdown. Here\u2019s Paige and Joe this past Sunday:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After a controversial finish, @RealPaigeWWE agreed to give <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamoaJoe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SamoaJoe<\/a> his rematch against <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AJStylesOrg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AJStylesOrg<\/a> at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WWESSD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#WWESSD<\/a>&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HIAC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HIAC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PCdSJ5f5TA\">pic.twitter.com\/PCdSJ5f5TA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1041509505039650817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: WWE has to think something of Almas to give him another match with Styles. I remain skeptical of his trajectory, but I\u2019ll remain optimistic as I love the combination with he and Zelina Vega. As far as the match tonight you could almost guarantee Joe\u2019s involvement, and I wouldn\u2019t rule out Daniel Bryan. Bryan and his wife Brie Bella have worked with Almas and Vega just recently. Bryan is in a #1 contender\u2019s match at Super Showdown against the Miz. Seeds could be planted for a Joe-Bryan feud especially if Joe is getting the title and Bryan defeats the Miz.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Becky Lynch\u2019s Coronation<\/h3>\n<p>You know Roman Reigns has had four coronations already defeating Triple H, the Undertaker, and Brock Lesnar. Do we have to see another\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m just kidding as I couldn\u2019t help myself when I hear the word coronation. As I talked about earlier, Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair to win the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship for the first time since losing the title to Alexa Bliss back in December of 2016. Following the match, Becky refused Charlotte\u2019s offer to raise her hand and congratulate her as a sign of sportswomanship. Tonight, Becky gets \u201ccoronated\u201d as champion.<\/p>\n<p>Several wrestlers and personalities have gone out of their way to congratulate Becky on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1041502663882551296<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2537051380\" 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\">Congrats <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BeckyLynchWWE<\/a><br \/>You are EXTREMELY talented &amp; the fans appreciate you<br \/>Always be HARDCORE<br \/>They will love you forever<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IrishLassKicker?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IrishLassKicker<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/plTBKdKXea\">pic.twitter.com\/plTBKdKXea<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/THETOMMYDREAMER\/status\/1041527127798108162?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 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\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1041535128701464581<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This tweet has aged well.<\/p>\n<p>Congratulations <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BeckyLynchWWE<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/B697xB4Vro\">https:\/\/t.co\/B697xB4Vro<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SamiZayn\/status\/1041495530860421120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 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\/BeckyLynchWWE\/status\/1041695986530299905<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A little late, but Hell Yeah!!! <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESBCBrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ESBCBrews<\/a> RT <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndrewParada1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AndrewParada1<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HIAC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HIAC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/steveaustinBSR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@steveaustinBSR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeckyLynchWWE?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@BeckyLynchWWE<\/a> and new <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DCy3i5xjlI\">https:\/\/t.co\/DCy3i5xjlI<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/steveaustinBSR\/status\/1041558765319872512?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: The tweet from Steve Austin jumped out to me, as Becky\u2019s turn has reminded me of Austin in 1997 following his match at WrestleMania with Bret Hart. There is certainly overwhelming support for Becky, so I\u2019m curious where her character goes. I\u2019m not certain they\u2019re 100% turning her heel, as she did win the match on Sunday clean. If they wanted to go all in on a turn, I would have thought they\u2019d have her do something underhanded. The refusal of Charlotte raising Becky\u2019s hand worked, so WWE is positioned to go in either direction. Kevin Eck, former WWE creative team member, was the guest this past interview Friday on the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast. He sold me on a Becky heel turn as it is fresh and we\u2019ve already seen her as a face with Charlotte as a heel. This is something different. He was clear to say if they crowd doesn\u2019t boo Becky even by doing to most ruthless thing (i.e. spitting in Ric Flair\u2019s face), then abort the heel turn. You don\u2019t want to fight the crowd on this (although don\u2019t they do this with a certain \u201cbig dog\u201d on Raw?).<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Next Up for Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy<\/h3>\n<p>Randy Orton defeated Jeff Hardy on their Hell in a Cell match this past Sunday. This match featured another unthinkable act by Orton. Here it is if you missed it:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lS2sxYi676M\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The match ended when Jeff attempted to jump from the top of the cell onto a table with a laid-out Orton, holding on as a child would monkey bars at school. Orton moved out of the way and then Hardy fell onto the table. Orton would win the match after insisting the ref count three and Hardy was carted off on a stretcher.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: Jeff has to be taking time off following this bump. His brother Matt recently announced his retirement from active competition. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Jeff is not far behind. He needs to think about his family and children. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love Jeff Hardy spots as much as the next guy but that\u2019s not going to let sit at his children\u2019s\u2019 high school graduations years from now or see them become young adults. As far as Orton is concerned I could see him inserted into either the U.S. title or WWE championship pictures at this point.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Surprise Guest on Miz TV<\/h3>\n<p>WWE.com has announced their will be a surprise guest on Miz TV. Miz and his wife Maryse defeated Daniel Bryan and his wife Brie Bella this past Sunday at Hell in a Cell. Miz and Daniel Bryan have a #1 contender\u2019s match upcoming at the Super Showdown on Oct. 6.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I can\u2019t get a read on who the guest could be, but someone from Daniel Bryan\u2019s past could make sense. This could be a spot for Randy Orton, as he and Bryan feuded over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from late 2013-14. I don\u2019t rule out transitioning from a Miz-Bryan feud to an Orton-Bryan feud and somehow the seeds are planted here. I don\u2019t have a strong feeling on that nor anyone else, but I\u2019m certain this will go a way to stretch this out to Super Showdown.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Other Items<\/h3>\n<p>Last night on Raw, WWE announced another show set for Saudi Arabia. It will be Crown Jewel, airing on the WWE network on Friday November 2nd. We now have Super Showdown, Evolution, and Crown Jewel all taking place between now and November 2nd. Try and keep up folks!<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Asuka and Naomi had quite an odd promo backstage. Here it is and go ahead and analyze it yourself, because I certainly can\u2019t:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iI_CWwqgLak\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Start Time and 205 Live<\/h3>\n<p>The arena website shows a start time of 6:30 p.m. local time with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. They advertise these matches, which once again is certainly not in alignment with what WWE has announced:<\/p>\n<p>-A.J. Styles &amp; Daniel Bryan &amp; Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton &amp; The Miz &amp; Samoa Joe<\/p>\n<p>-Women&#8217;s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs Carmella in a triple threat. This is certainly not updated considering Becky is now champion.<\/p>\n<p>It was announced by WWE that 205 Live will air on Wednesdays on the WWE network at 7:00 p.m., right before NXT. They did not announce any changes to the show\u2019s taping, so I anticipate the show will still go on after Smackdown.<\/p>\n<p>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani and ask any questions you may have. Thank you for reading!<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>NOW CATCH UP ON LAST WEEK&#8217;S SMACKDOWN:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/09\/11\/top-3-developments-smackdown-9-11-bryan-and-brie-come-out-on-top-final-promos-from-aj-and-joe-becky-sneak-attack\/\">TOP 3 DEVELOPMENTS \u2013 SMACKDOWN 9\/11: Bryan and Brie Come Out on Top, Final Promos from AJ and Joe, Becky Sneak Attack<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-811830153\"><div id=\"pwtor-1347555595\"><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 SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 TULSA, OK. AT THE BOK CENTER AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00PM EDT BY FRANK PETEANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Arena \/ Hell in a Cell Recap WWE Smackdown returns to the <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/09\/18\/wwe-smackdown-primer-9-18-hell-in-a-cell-fallout-styles-vs-almas-nakamura-vs-rusev-follow-up-on-charlotte-becky-and-orton-hardy-surprise-guest-on-miz-tv\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 9\/18: Hell in a Cell fallout, Styles vs. Almas, Nakamura vs. Rusev, Follow-up on Charlotte-Becky and Orton-Hardy, Surprise guest on Miz TV\">[&#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-66207","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\/66207","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=66207"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66220,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66207\/revisions\/66220"}],"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=66207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}