{"id":72138,"date":"2018-12-25T15:36:01","date_gmt":"2018-12-25T21:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=72138"},"modified":"2018-12-25T15:36:01","modified_gmt":"2018-12-25T21:36:01","slug":"wwe-smackdown-primer-12-25-spoiler-free-shane-mcmahon-on-miz-tv-u-s-championship-match-jeff-hardy-vs-samoa-joe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/25\/wwe-smackdown-primer-12-25-spoiler-free-shane-mcmahon-on-miz-tv-u-s-championship-match-jeff-hardy-vs-samoa-joe\/","title":{"rendered":"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 12\/25 (Spoiler Free): Shane McMahon on Miz TV, U.S. Championship match, Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2709175991\" 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 25, 2018<br \/>\nFRESNO, CA. AT THE SAVE MART CENTER<br \/>\nAIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00PM EST<br \/>\nBY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Arena, Smackdown TLC Results, and Items Advertised by WWE<\/h3>\n<p>The Christmas Day edition of Smackdown was pre-recorded following last week\u2019s Smackdown episode in the Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA. The following are the items announced by WWE.com for tonight\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Shane McMahon to appear on MizTV<\/li>\n<li>U.S. Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (champ) vs. Rusev<\/li>\n<li>Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe<\/li>\n<li>Will Sanity continue to sow chaos?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are spoilers out for tonight. I will not offer any predictions on matches in the interest of integrity.<\/p>\n<h3>Shane McMahon on Miz TV<\/h3>\n<p>In recent weeks, the Miz has been pleading his case to Shane McMahon to be his tag team partner (in my head I still hear Todd Martin criticizing Wade Keller for not calling him \u201cBest in the World\u201d Shane McMahon). Last week, Miz went so far as to ask Shane\u2019s father Vince for his blessing to be Shane\u2019s partner, which Vince rejected. He counter-offered Miz and said he should prove himself by winning a tag team match with a mystery partner. Here\u2019s the segment in case you so desire to watch:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Miz asks for Mr. McMahon&#039;s blessing to team with Shane McMahon: SmackDown LIVE, Dec. 18, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KQFcXKXFSnE?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>Miz\u2019s mystery partner turned out to be Mandy Rose, and their opponents were Mixed Match Challenge Season Two Champions R-Truth and Carmella. Miz and Rose won the match in about two minutes.<\/p>\n<h3>Tonight, Shane appears on MizTV.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: I have no idea where this is going. It could lead to a Miz vs. Shane McMahon match at WrestleMania or an odd-couple partnership. Outside of those scenarios, both of which have zero appeal, I have no idea. This falls under the comedy that\u2019s not funny and has been problematic on WWE television. It\u2019s great to see that things are changing!<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>U.S. Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (champ) vs. Rusev<\/h3>\n<p>For weeks now Rusev and U.S. Champion Shinsuke Nakamura have had their issues. The latest was a back and forth last week where Rusev made fun of Nakamura saying he looks like Sonic the Hedgehog (who had that game for Sega Genesis anyway?). Nakamura countered with a cut and paste video showing Rusev as a \u201cTotal Diva,\u201d with clips of his appearing on the show Total Divas with his wife Lana.<\/p>\n<p>Rusev pinned Nakamura in a tag team match a few weeks where he and Jeff Hardy defeated Nakamura and Samoa Joe. Tonight, he gets a championship opportunity. Rusev previously held the title from late 2014-2015 when he defeated Sheamus and then lost to John Cena at that year\u2019s WrestleMania. He regained the title in 2016 from Kalisto and proceeded a few months later to drop it to Roman Reigns.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2360151683\" 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: It\u2019s good to see Shinsuke having an opponent for the U.S. Championship considering how quiet things have been on that front lately. The feud doesn\u2019t light the world on fire for me, but I don\u2019t hate it either. I just wish everything didn\u2019t end in a catchphrase. It\u2019s seems like Rusev can\u2019t end a promo without saying \u201cRusev Day\u201d anymore.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe<\/h3>\n<p>Samoa Joe has been calling out Jeff Hardy on his past demons, especially with alcohol. Last week, Jeff said his past was his past, and this is now. He called out Joe and wanted a face-to-face in the ring and wanted an apology. Joe obliged, but not in the way Jeff wanted as was to be expected. He apologized that this wasn\u2019t going to be an apology but rather an intervention. He cited how this time of year can bring out one\u2019s demons, but Jeff said he\u2019s never going back to that place again. As Joe was leaving the ring, he went to attack Jeff which he saw coming and gave him a twist of fate. Here\u2019s the segment in case you missed it:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Samoa Joe &quot;apologizes&quot; to Jeff Hardy: SmackDown LIVE, Dec. 18, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Wb1trIqw_Dg?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>Tonight, Jeff and Joe go at it one-on-one.<\/h3>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: Jeff there\u2019s one problem with you saying that was then and this is now. You got a DWI earlier this year. You don\u2019t have to acknowledge that on TV but stuff like that takes us out of the moment and it\u2019s insulting. This is why I\u2019m against bringing these real-life situations into storylines. If it\u2019s done right, it\u2019s fine but in this situation that\u2019s not the case. As far as this feud it\u2019s one that could work and perhaps re-establish Joe as a top heel following his putting over A.J. Styles in recent months. Jeff does not get hurt putting Joe over.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Sanity to Continue Chaos?<\/h3>\n<p>The Good Brothers, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, returned last week as the Usos were calling out Smackdown Tag Team Champions the Bar. They said being one of the best teams of the last decade, they were tired of sitting on the sidelines and that ends tonight. They proceeded to have a match with the Usos, which ended in a no contest (non-finishes on WWE television? Nawwwww!).<\/p>\n<p>The no-contest was due to the Bar coming out followed by Sanity, who attacked the Good Brothers on the outside of the ring. After Sanity was done, The Bar went after Gallows and Anderson.<\/p>\n<p><em>Frank\u2019s Analysis: There\u2019s nothing special here with the Good Brothers or Sanity returning. The Good Brothers complaining about being on the sidelines is old hat. Several wrestlers have pulled that recently (Apollo Crews, and Mojo Rawley come to mind) and it usually goes nowhere. As far as Sanity I have little to no expectation for what they may do as I feel about the Good Brothers. WWE has shown no propensity to push either team into a prominent role.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>Other Items from Last Week<\/h3>\n<p>Asuka retained her newly won Smackdown Women\u2019s Championship in an impromptu match over Naomi. Charlotte and Becky Lynch were making their cases to have rematches for the championship in light of Ronda Rousey\u2019s interference. The match was approved by Vince McMahon in furtherance of the rematch clause being antiquated and Naomi interrupting the conversation. (Hey if that\u2019s what it takes to get a title match everyone should do it).<br \/>\nAs I talked about in the Raw primer, Paige was apparently relieved of her general manager duties. We learned this at the outset of the show where Shane was rallying his Smackdown wrestlers to put on a good product (because that\u2019s their responsibility. It\u2019s not to try and best each and become champions and be the best wrestler possible. I got it. I\u2019m so glad there\u2019s change). They booed at the mention of Raw (so the Smackdown vs. Raw dynamic continues). Here\u2019s the YouTube clip so you can view the ridiculousness of this speech:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paige is relieved of her duties as SmackDown General Manager: SmackDown LIVE, Dec. 18, 2018\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Dqf1fjIyTqY?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>We learned that Mustafa Ali would now be a full-time wrestler on the Smackdown roster. We learned this during the main event in which he teamed with A.J. Styles to take on WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and Andrade \u201cCien\u201d Almas in a match not advertised by WWE. Ali and Styles picked up the win when Ali pinned Bryan. Prior to the match, Bryan continued his ripping of crowds and tore into the local people of Fresno.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1877106435\" 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>Start Time &amp; Matches Advertised<\/h3>\n<p>This section is not applicable as the episode was pre-recorded last week.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Follow Frank on Twitter @FrankPeteani or e-mail at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:fpeteani@gmail.com\">fpeteani@gmail.com<\/a>. Questions and discussion are welcome. Thank you for reading!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-105233139\"><div id=\"pwtor-3585916769\"><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 25, 2018 FRESNO, CA. AT THE SAVE MART CENTER AIRS ON USA NETWORK 8:00PM EST BY FRANK PETEANI (@FrankPeteani), PWTORCH SPECIALIST Announcers: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves Arena, Smackdown TLC <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2018\/12\/25\/wwe-smackdown-primer-12-25-spoiler-free-shane-mcmahon-on-miz-tv-u-s-championship-match-jeff-hardy-vs-samoa-joe\/\" title=\"WWE SMACKDOWN PRIMER 12\/25 (Spoiler Free): Shane McMahon on Miz TV, U.S. Championship match, Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48500,"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":[2,4403,27,5893,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-smackdown-primer","category-specialists","category-tvprimers","category-news_wwe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2017\/09\/McMahonShane_TeschJoel_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72138","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=72138"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72142,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72138\/revisions\/72142"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}