Playing catch-up from five hours in the future, SmackDown makes a full court press for Survivor Series. There’s a lot more “under pressure” than “under siege” going on this year but the blue brand is able to give us a show that keeps us interested in them and anticipatory to see them lock up with RAW.
In-Ring
England’s own, GM Paige, comes down to the ring and asks us to introduce the commissioner (and the best wrestler in the world?) The events of Crown Jewel has the crowd less enthusiastic but, nonetheless, here comes the money! We get a recap of Shane winning the WWE World Cup and Paige is all over it with the praise. Shane gets it, though, and proclaims that he does not think of himself as the best wrestler in the world. He says that the cup belongs to all of SmackDown.
Shane and Paige announce the champion vs champion matches for “the only night when RAW and SmackDown compete.” Shane introduces the SmackDown 5-on-5 team captain and the crowd livens up when “Ride of the Valkyries” hits the house speakers. Daniel Bryan is proud of Shane’s modesty and elated to be captain. Miz interrupts and offers Shane some backhanded compliments before claiming two-thirds of the trophy. When Shane points out that Miz’s near-forfeit would have cost him his job, he points out that he’s never been too injured to compete… unlike Daniel Bryan. Shane and Paige concede and name Miz and D-Bry as co-captains.
Backstage
Miz and Daniel Bryan are arguing but Shane breaks them up and explains that he needs them both and that they need to pick the next three team members by the end of the night. Miz picks Shane who balks but Daniel backs him up. Shane accepts. Miz defers next pick to Daniel. The co-captains awkwardly part ways.
The Usos vs. The New Day for status as captains for Survivor Series tag team battle
Big E takes the apron and Kofi takes on Jey to start. A sneaky tag gets Big E in and some trombone-assisted hanging shenanigans by Kofi distract long enough for the powerhouse to level Jey on the outside. Kofi back in but it’s The Usos making best use of tag-ins and Kofi is getting the worst of it. Hot tag sees Big E going on his suplex rampage on Jimmy. Usos tag up again, hitting a double kick off the apron and Jey flies but Big E gets the knees up. Big Ending but Jimmy breaks it up just in time. New Day tags as Big E goes for the suicide spear. He misses but recovers to lift up Jimmy Uso and plow him into the barricade. Jimmy is able to slip out the next attempt and tosses Big E over the barricade and into the timekeeper’s area.
While The Usos are preoccupied, they don’t notice Kofi going to the top and leaping onto both of them on the floor! Back inside the ring, it’s Kofi hitting Jimmy with the SOS for a two count. They trade shots and Kofi gets another two count off of a high cross body.
After the break, Kofi is venting his frustrations with kicks and uppercuts but swings Jey right into a blind tag. The Usos go for a double suplex but Kofi stops it and Big E hits the spear on Jey, sending them both into the announce table! Kofi hits trouble in Paradise on legal man, Jimmy. Once he gets Jimmy into the ring, Kofi is looking for a tope rope superplex but Jimmy head butts him down. Kofi gets back up for a Frankensteiner but Jimmy stalls it and hits a second rope power bomb! Big splash for the win and the glory!
Winners by pinfall: The Usos
The Usos tell the New Day that real recognize real and they choose New Day for first pick of the SmackDown tag team side.
Backstage
Miz is talking Hollywood and finds out that the studio is asking for Becky Lynch. Daniel bryan comes up to tell him that his pick for team SmackDown is Rey Mysterio. Miz is reluctant, saying that Rey has to impress him vs Andrade “Cien” Almas. Daniel concedes but says that the final spot should go to the winner of a match between their respective picks. Miz agrees and they’re both still bothered by their successful partnership.
We see a close up of a black Ronda Rousey T-shirt but Becky lynch tears it off of herself to reveal her new slogan, “I Am The Man,” underneath.
In-Ring
The Irish Lass-Kicker, The SmackDown Women’s Champion, The Man comes to the ring. The crowd continues the vocals to Becky’s theme after the music cuts off and then they chant her name. Becky tells Ronda that she can’t tell The Champ anything because she isn’t a real champion. She hasn’t been tested. She hasn’t had to climb back from losses. Becky pushes back against Ronda’s digs at her past jobs by saying that she worked her way up from the bottom; that she wasn’t supposed to have the success she has achieved but, “Here I am.” She tells Ronda that she may be “the baddest bitch in the world” but Becky’s going to make Ronda her bitch. Becky says she’s fired up for a fight right now. Sanity’s music hits and they bring out Nikki Cross! Nikki insists that Becky play with her. Becky tells her that The Champ doesn’t play; she fights.
Becky Lynch vs Nikki Cross
Becky with a waist lock takedown and a lax cover gives Nikki a chance to fight out and hit a hurricanrana. Shades of Fit Finlay as Nikki catches Becky in the ring apron. Becky takes Nikki off her feet on the apron to regain control. Nikki slips out of a bodyslam attempt roll up Becky and gets a kick in the mouth for it. After a knee to the face and a Bexploder, The Champ hits a Tito Santana-worthy flying forearm for a two count. Becky is trying to treat Nikki lightly but the wild Scot won’t let her. She goes for a sleeper hold and, after getting squashed in the corner, brawls and clotheslines herself out. Splash in the corner and a bulldog out of it gives Nikki Cross momentum and she hits a cross body from the top for two! Arm wrench into a reverse DDT gets Nikki another two count. The Champ is being stalked but she bounces Nikki shoulder first off of the bottom rope and right into a Dis-Arm-Her for the win.
Winner by submission: The Man
Backstage
Miz has his selfie interrupted by his co-captain. Daniel Bryan reveals his final pick as Jeff Hardy. Miz applauds his choice as Jeff is an accomplished superstar but asks if he can beat his pick, someone Daniel has a long history with: Samoa Joe.
On video
Shinsuke Nakamura taunts Seth Rollins over his current, friendless status. He tells Seth that, at Survivor Series, he’ll make him forget all his other troubles with a knee to the face… direct from Nakamerica.
Rey Mysterio vs Andrade “Cien” Almas
Andrade out with Zelina Vega (sad face emoji) due to managerial duties (and Evolution, one might guess.) They lock up an Rey immediately gets in hand walk headscissors. Almas answers with chops but Rey catches him with hurricanrana. Rey bounces them both off the rope but avoids the feint kick to get nailed with Almas’ back elbow. A series of stomps has the ref back Almas off but he follows up with running knees in opposite corners. A third attempt sends Almas to the outside. Rey tries to follow up by going airborne but Almas catches him and swings him into the barricade like a dusty rug. Back in the ring, Almas gets a two count and starts working the left arm into a hammerlock on the mat. Rey gets up to his feet and tries to elbow his way out but it’s a self- slingshot bounce off the ropes that lets him turn it into an arm drag. His follow up is stopped as Almas wheelbarrows him into a pancake. Alams going for the double knees in the corner but ends up with a mouth full of turnbuckle as Rey slips out.
A pendulum kick from the apron, a slingshot seated senton, and an around-the-world headscissors that sends Almas into the corner show that the Mystery King is still lucha royalty. Blocking Rey’s charge with a knee allows Almas to hit a sunset flip for two but a quick recovery and a kick to the head gets Rey a two count of his own. Rey up top but he gets crotched by Almas. He goes for the superplex but Rey turns it into a sunset flip. El Idolo lands on his feet and hits the running double knees twice! Rey kicks out at two to Almas’ amazement. Rey tries to rally but runs right into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Almas goes up top for the moonsault. Rey rolls out of the way but Almas chases him by landing on his feet and hitting a standing moonsault but Rey gets his knees up.
The crowd stops chanting “This is awe-some” and switch to “6-1-9.” Rey kciks Almas across the middle rope and dials it up but El Idolo disconnects the call with a back elbow. He lifts Rey in the electric chair drop position. Rey takes him over the top rope with a headscissors but Almas stays on his feet. Rey is still on his shoulders and 180s himself to frankensteiner Almas chest first into the ring apron. Almas can’t even recover as Rey gets back into the ring and hits the running belly slide, turning it into a tornado DDT once he connects with Almas! lmas is thrown back into the ring and Rey hits the trifecta: springboard hurricanrana, 619, Drop the Dime and it’s 1-2-3.
Winner by pinfall: Rey Mysterio
RKO outta nowhere! Randy was eliminated by Rey in the World Cup at Crown Jewel and, apparently, none too happy about it still.
Backstage
Daniel Bryan and Miz are confused by Randy Orton’s actions and Daniel questions whether Miz had a hand in it. Miz denies it and makes a good case. He manages a height joke at Daniel’s expense and goes off to get ready to watch Jeff vs Joe.
AJ Styles says that he’s defended his title on multiple continents but he won it in Manchester. His reward for being champion? Going toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar. Last year he gave Brock everything he had but couldn’t beat him. This time, he will. And that’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler.
In ring
GM Paige is in ring to announce the Smackdown Women’s 5-on-5 team. Carmella is named first and comes out with R-Truth’s moral support. Naomi is next followed up by Sonya Deville. Naomi’s bestie and Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka is out next. Last, but certainly not least, is Charlotte! But Charlotte doesn’t come out. Instead, Mandy Rose’s music hits and she comes down to the ring. Paige says that Mandy isn’t taking Charlotte’s spot. Mandy says that she understands but grieves each choice other than her, starting with Sonya and ending with Naomi who knocks her down. As order is restored, Sonya and Mandy have a tense moment before the blonde bombshell walks to the back.
Jeff Hardy vs Samoa Joe
Team SmackDown’s co-captains are at ringside for guest commentary and bickering. At the bell, Joe rushes Jeff, bashes him repeatedly into the corner, and mocks Daniel Bryan for picking Jeff. Jeff rallies by avoiding a Joe charge and hitting Whisper in the Wind. Joe powders out and Jeff hits a pendulum dropkick and an ax handle off of the apron to floor The Destroyer. Back in the ring Jeff is teeing off on Joe in the corner but gets run over by a Samoan semi when he attempts to come off the ropes. Joe is rolling now, hitting Jeff with body attacks and his signature enziguri in the corner. Jeff elbows out of a chin lock but Joe tosses him out of the ring.
On commentary, Daniel says that he can be a leader but Miz is just out for himself. Miz rebuts him by bringing up The Miztourage and, curiously, Damien Sandow and Alex Riley. Back to the action, Samoa pinballs Jeff off of the barricades but Jeff hops up on top of one and runs along the top to hit a flying clothesline. Back in the ring, Jeff hits the atomic drop, leg drop, dropkick combo. Jeff’s Twist of Fate is turned into a Coquina Clutch attempt but that get turned into a stunner. Jeff hits the Twist of Fate and goes up top. Samoa Joe gets his knees up on the Swanton Bomb and Jeff gets put to sleep with the Coquina Clutch.
Winner by submission: Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe walks right up to Daniel Bryan and gloats. Despite Miz’s pleas to control his temper, D-Bry stands up and delivers shots to Joe’s face. He takes Joe into the ring and puts on the Yes Lock. Miz pulls him off but Daniel turns on him, too. SmackDown commissioner and Team SmackDown member, Shane McMahon, tries to break it up from behind but Daniel judo throws him out of instinct. Daniel walks to the back, frustrated and confused.
Maybe I’m grading on a curve here, but this was as good an episode as we could ask for. After Crown Jewel, the show was starting from the basement before the arena opened. Tonight, SmackDown knew what they had to do and they delivered on all fronts. We got the classic Daniel Bryan/Miz feud with a call back to Daniel Bryan/Samoa Joe from the indy days. The chemistry of The Usos and (your boys) The New Day was in full effect.
Becky Lynch, the number one talk of the industry, gave us more of what we’ve been waiting years to see from her. Nikki Cross made her long-awaited main roster debut. Rey Mysterio was on a level I haven’t seen from him in some time in the ring with Andrade “Cien” Almas, who is becoming the go-to guy on SmackDown due to a Ric Flair level of consistent execution.
Mandy Rose stepped up big, proving to be more than just a pretty face. The aftermath of the match between fan favorites Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe played into the Survivor Series drama, as did Charlotte’s curious absence, and the ever-present threat of Randy Orton. As I’ve complained about before, overflow of PPVs these days leaves little time to build angles for the next one on deck. After tonight, SmackDown, with only two hours a week and two weeks to get it done, is already ahead of the game.
-Matthew Widdis
