{"id":70956,"date":"2018-12-04T13:05:44","date_gmt":"2018-12-04T19:05:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=70956"},"modified":"2018-12-04T15:57:21","modified_gmt":"2018-12-04T21:57:21","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-12-4-contract-signing-bryan-on-miztv-hardy-vs-orton-triple-threat-match","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/04\/wwe-smackdown-primer-12-4-contract-signing-bryan-on-miztv-hardy-vs-orton-triple-threat-match\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 12\/4: Contract signing, Bryan on MizTV, Hardy vs. Orton, Triple Threat match"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2059107269\" 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 \/>\nDECEMBER 4, 2018<br \/>\nAUSTIN, TX. AT THE FRANK ERWIN CENTER<br \/>\nAIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. EST<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Arena &amp; Items Advertised by WWE<\/h3>\n<p>WWE Smackdown returns to the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, TX. for the first time since August of 2016. The arena has been open since 1977 and has hosted WWE events including Superstars of Wrestling as far back as 1990. Previous shows such as Velocity, Jakked, Saturday Morning Slam, Heat, and Shotgun Saturday Night just to name a few have originated from here.<\/p>\n<p>WWE.com is advertising the following items for tonight.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Contract signing for Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship match at TLC<\/li>\n<li>WWE Champion Daniel Bryan to appear on a \u201cmust-see\u201d MizTV<\/li>\n<li>Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton<\/li>\n<li>Woods, Uso, and Cesaro in a triple threat match<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Tribute to the Troops<\/h3>\n<p>Tribute to the Troops is being recorded today in Fort Hood, Tex. and will air on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2018 according to WWE.com. Here\u2019s the announcement on Twitter:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The 16th annual WWE <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TributeToTroops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TributeToTroops<\/a> celebration will air Thursday, December 20 at 9\/8c on USA Network, featuring a special appearance by Jon Stewart! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ca7HBgP6nK\">https:\/\/t.co\/Ca7HBgP6nK<\/a>  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Troops?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Troops<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XNAZ1PgwS4\">pic.twitter.com\/XNAZ1PgwS4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; WWE (@WWE) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WWE\/status\/1069989351591948288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 4, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Tribute to the Troops has been a WWE tradition since 2003. WWE supporter Jon Stewart will be in attendance and rising country music star Morgan Wallen will perform. Wallen was in attendance at Raw last night.<\/p>\n<p>TLC Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship Contract Signing: Charlotte Flair, Asuka, and Champion Becky Lynch<\/p>\n<p>Becky Lynch will defend the Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship at TLC in a triple threat TLC match against Charlotte Flair and Asuka.<\/p>\n<p>In the opening segment last week Becky returned to television following her being knocked out by Nia Jax just before Survivor Series. She talked about being the hottest act in the industry (accurately so) when Charlotte came out. They went back and forth highlighted by Becky saying if it was her against Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series, she wouldn\u2019t be standing the next day. Becky also claimed Charlotte was channeling her to take it to Ronda when Charlotte retorted claiming she was just being herself and was genetically superior. The insults continued when Becky said Charlotte went from copying her \u201cold man\u201d to copying The Man (Becky). Ultimately G.M. Paige got between the two women and announced they would have a TLC match at the aforementioned upcoming PPV for the title.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3975990716\" 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>Words don\u2019t truly do the promo justice, and thus here\u2019s the YouTube clip:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair to clash in TLC Match: SmackDown LIVE, Nov. 27, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fh2xjY1V_Dg?list=PL6C6A4475B56EC5B1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The heels and babyfaces of Smackdown came out separately all laying claim to want to be champion. Mandy Rose claimed Paige only gave opportunities to her old PCB friends (referring to Charlotte and Becky). Ultimately Paige decided all remaining women would compete in a battle royal to determine a third participant for the TLC match. Asuka won the match eliminating Sonya Deville.<\/p>\n<p>As usual, Becky has not been at a loss for words on Twitter:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/beckylynchwwe\/status\/1069015966116397057?s=21<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/beckylynchwwe\/status\/1069032117743570944?s=21<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/beckylynchwwe\/status\/1069739822359764995?s=21<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/beckylynchwwe\/status\/1069781628501852160?s=21<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: This is why I wish Hell in a Cell and TLC were removed as PPVs. The calendar dictates when to have these matches and not the feuds themselves. Nonetheless Asuka was added to bide time until they\u2019re ready to do a proper blow-off to the Charlotte-Becky feud, if in fact that\u2019s on their radar. There truly wasn\u2019t a need for a third person in this match. Charlotte vs. Becky one-on-one could be potentially taking place at the Royal Rumble. Asuka is likely to take the loss to protect the other women. It will be interesting to see how things are handled in the build as you have essentially babyfaces in all women. Granted Charlotte acted heelish last week, but she hasn\u2019t actually turned. In my view the way to get her fully entrenched as a heel would be to attack Becky. I\u2019m not sure how Asuka figures into the dialogue. You would hope they don\u2019t try to manufacture tension between her and Becky. There is history with Charlotte as she ended Asuka\u2019s undefeated streak at WrestleMania this year. One thing to note is you can tell Asuka is still popular amongst the fans given last week and the night Becky was choosing her replacement opponent for Survivor Series.<\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3465743448\" 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>WWE Champion Daniel Bryan to Appear On a \u201cMust-See\u201d MizTV<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cWelcome everyone to the most must-see talk show in television. Welcome to\u2026.\u201d You know the rest. I couldn\u2019t resist. At any rate, WWE Champion will appear on MizTV tonight in advance of his title defense at TLC against former champion A.J. Styles.<\/p>\n<p>A.J. discussed the upcoming match last week and expressed his disappointment at how he lost the championship and the beating he took after the match. While he held the title for over a year, his time not being champion felt longer. He wanted to fight Bryan right then and there, but said Bryan wasn\u2019t in the building nor at house shows over the weekend. He said he must be taking lessons from Raw about how they do things, taking a shot at Brock Lesnar. Here\u2019s the promo from last week:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AJ Styles promises to give Daniel Bryan a painful reminder at WWE TLC: SmackDown LIVE, Nov. 27, 20..\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gxw7gmv3B8c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Bryan has displayed a new attitude as of late (heel turn). He will appear on MizTV tonight opposite the Miz, a man with whom he had an intense feud after a long history.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: If you told me back in August that Bryan would be the top heel and WWE Champion, I would have told you to pass me what you\u2019re drinking. I would have expected Miz or Samoa Joe for that matter to be in this position. Nonetheless it\u2019s always interesting when previous rivals get together in this setting where one of the participants has turned heel. I\u2019m sure Miz will try to get Bryan to further explain his recent actions and elicit their history and recent feud. Miz string of losing lately and his odd-couple pairing with \u201cBest in the World\u201d Shane McMahon (eye roll) could be an indication of a change in direction for his character, meaning a babyface turn. Considering the lack of babyfaces you could foresee in the WWE Championship picture, it\u2019s not out of the realm of possibility. After A.J., you have Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, and Rusev. I don\u2019t see big things for Rusev. Hardy and Mysterio are not totally out of the picture, but it\u2019s hard to envision them being in the main event scene for any extended period of time. That\u2019s why Miz turning face isn\u2019t crazy, but this is just me speculating. Here\u2019s Miz talking to Shane after his loss to old rival Kofi Kingston:<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton<\/h3>\n<p>Speaking of Jeff Hardy, tonight he revisits his feud with Randy Orton. These two had a very intense rivalry through the summer that culminated in Orton defeated Hardy at Hell in a Cell this past September.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Hardy celebrated his \u201c20th anniversary\u201d in WWE only to have the \u201cparty\u201d crashed by Samoa Joe. He said he didn\u2019t believe in second chances (so why did you get more than one WWE Championship match\u2026sorry) and cited how many chances Hardy got through the years. It made him sick to see Hardy put himself on a pedestal. Hardy wanted to go right then and there. Joe appeared to be ready to oblige, but then walked backstage. Here\u2019s the clip if you missed it:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Samoa Joe ruins Jeff Hardy&#039;s 20th anniversary celebration: SmackDown LIVE, Nov. 27, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tRKv5SWM76M?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Frank\u2019s Analysis: It felt like a retirement speech out of the gate, considering everyone was on stage and there were pictures of Hardy in the ring through the years. Nonetheless, I didn\u2019t think it was appropriate for Joe to cite Hardy\u2019s issues with alcohol. I understand it\u2019s a wrestling storyline, but it doesn\u2019t make it OK anymore than it was for Dean Ambrose to talk about Roman Reigns\u2019 leukemia. As far as the match tonight, remember that Orton is in a program with Rey Mysterio and Hardy apparently is getting into one with Joe. It\u2019ll be like WWE to turn this into a tag match if Joe and Mysterio get involved.<\/p>\n<h3>Triple Threat Match: Xavier Woods vs. Cesaro vs. Jey Uso<\/h3>\n<p>As I talked about in yesterday\u2019s Raw primer and as was announced by WWE, the Bar will defend the Smackdown Tag Team Championship in a triple threat match at TLC against the Usos and New Day.<\/p>\n<p>Last week, the Usos defeated the Bar in a non-title match. Kofi Kingston defeated the Miz after New Day made fun of the Miz in the back, watching him and \u201cBest in the World\u201d Shane McMahon lose the previous week.<\/p>\n<p>Tonight, Xavier Woods of New Day, Cesaro of the Bar, and Jey of the Usos go at it in a triple threat.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: It will be interesting to see the reaction New Day gets and in particular, Xavier Woods. As many of you may know, Xavier recently commented that anybody complaining about wrestling are \u201centitled infants.\u201d He went on to say there\u2019s a lot of wrestling, and it\u2019s all good and awesome. They put their bodies on the line every night. He brought up several other talking points.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>He can voice his opinion about people complaining about wrestling but calling them entitled infants is unfair. At the end of the day, wrestling is a performance. As a consumer of the product, you have the right to complain about it. We all want to the product to be as good as it can be. I\u2019m a Mets and Knicks fan. I\u2019ve been complaining about both franchises for years because of poor performances. Go look up their records and see that the numbers don\u2019t lie. My N.Y. Giants have stunk for the most part since they won the Super Bowl in 2012. It doesn\u2019t mean I\u2019m not a fan nor do I lack appreciation for what they do. If Xavier is going to be that thin-skinned about things, perhaps he shouldn\u2019t be in the business of performing publicly.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Other Items:<\/h3>\n<p>U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was to have a non-title match against Rusev. He attacked Rusev before the match could start, and this it was ruled a no-contest. Look for this feud to continue.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shinsuke Nakamura attacks Rusev: SmackDown LIVE, Nov. 27, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ElhrhLMWK44?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Randy Orton discusses his recent attack on Rey Mysterio as well as taking his mask. He said he didn\u2019t care about the history of the mask and wanted to take Rey off the pedestal on which fans have put him. Rey came out with a different mask and the two of them went at it. It ended with Orton kicking Rey in the head while it was lodged in a chair.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Randy Orton attacks an injured Rey Mysterio: SmackDown LIVE, Nov. 27, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/noIn3zfqCxI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Start Time &amp; Matches Advertised<\/h3>\n<p>The arena website shows a start time of 6:30 p.m but doesn\u2019t specify when doors are opening. They advertise a triple threat match featuring A.J. Styles, The Miz, and WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. They don\u2019t say whether or not the championship is on the line.<\/p>\n<p>They also show New Day, Charlotte Flair, Smackdown Women\u2019s Champion Becky Lynch, and Randy Orton appearing.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow me on Twitter @FrankPeteani. My e-mail is fpeteani@gmail.com. Questions and discussion are welcome. Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/11\/27\/11-27-wwe-smackdown-results-kellers-report-on-becky-lynchs-return-to-tv-a-j-styles-replies-to-new-daniel-bryan-more-tlc-developments\/\">11\/27 WWE Smackdown Results: Keller\u2019s report on Becky Lynch\u2019s return to TV, A.J. Styles replies to New Daniel Bryan, more TLC developments<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-893759982\"><div id=\"pwtor-1200546889\"><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 DECEMBER 4, 2018 AUSTIN, TX. AT THE FRANK ERWIN CENTER AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00 P.M. EST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves Arena &amp; <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/04\/wwe-smackdown-primer-12-4-contract-signing-bryan-on-miztv-hardy-vs-orton-triple-threat-match\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 12\/4: Contract signing, Bryan on MizTV, Hardy vs. Orton, Triple Threat match\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27171,"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":[2,52,4403,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-opnionandanalysis","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2016\/07\/Logo_SmackdownLive2016_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70956","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=70956"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70975,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70956\/revisions\/70975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}