Written by Matthew Widdis
We open to Elias making excuses to Shane McMahon for his loss to Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank. He pledges to be in Shane’s corner at Super Show Down in [redacted.]Shane says that he doesn’t need Elias in his corner but he will be in Elias’ corner tonight for his rematch with Roman… because he does need help.
Awwww, Provideeence! After 6 long weeks it’s the return of Big E! Out from the back comes a figure in a drape and after a drum roll it’s revealed to be… some dude with ashy knees. New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods send him to the back and Big E comes out for real. They celebrate in ring with “Welcome Back” banners and a recap of Kofi’s shoeless defense of his WWE Title at Money in the Bank. Big E is not cleared to wrestle but he is cleared to sniff armpits and to proclaim his thirst for Becky Lynch’s mom. Kevin Owens is cleared to poop on the party, as he is wont to do.
And the ska music hits and RAW wild card Sami Zayn comes out to accompany him. Sami mocks Big E getting a party for returning after a mere six weeks when he got nothing after being out for roughly a year. The New Day mocks KO’s loss and Sami’s chances in his match against Kofi tonight.
Carmella is walking through the back looking for R-Truth. Everyone she asks, including Drake Maverick and Apollo Crewes, is looking for him, too. She finds him hiding under a bad blonde wig, still completely confused as to the rules of the 24/7 title.
Ali vs Andrade (w/ Zelina Vega)
We get a recap of what these two, especially Ali, went through at MitB and both men sport kinesio-tape on their bodies. Andrade actually gets to play the heavy in this one and Ali sells like a leaf on the wind. No “paint by numbers” in this match. The action flows well and both men display the sick level of skill we’ve come to know from them. Throughout brawling and targeting of his taped lower back, Ali persists and manages to pretzel Andrade into a pin while avoiding the hammerlock DDT.
Your winner by pinfall… Ali!
Carmella is seen giving R-Truth a makeover to help with his disguise, now having included a hat and sunglasses. Carmella adds what appears to be some of Dana Brooke’s undergarments to which Truth admits lifelong trouble in working the clasps.
We get a graphic telling us that Roman Reigns is nominated for the 2019 MTV Movie & TV Award in the “Best Real Life Hero” category. Best of luck to him in that regard and in general. Is that “& TV” part new? My memories of MTV stop around when NXT was a competition reality show.
Mandy Rose (w/ Sonya Deville) vs Carmella (w/ R-Truth)
R-Truth does his best to pass himself off as Carmella’s shadow during her entrance (much to Mandy’s confusion.) Carmella is still angry from being hurt by Mandy at MitB and immediately goes after her with ground and pound. Sonya Deville does her best to save Mandy but gets pulled into the ring and assaulted herself! The match is cut short by The B-Team, Brian Kendrick, Matt Hardy, Apollo Crewes and others rushing the ring with a referee to try and stake a claim on the 24/7 Title! R-Truth grabs Carmella and gives her a piggyback ride to escape them.
Countout? No contest? It’s wrassling!
Kayla Braxton welcomes the new Smackdown women’s champion, Bayley. She shows off the new sideplates and tells everyone to bring their best because she’s past the hugs.
R-Truth and Carmella continue to run and hide as a considerable chunk of the locker room attempts to track them down.
Sami Zayn vs Kofi Kingston
Between Sami and Kofi’s entrances, Big E is seen clutching his injured knee as Xavier and Kofi attend to him. Big E says it was Kevin Owens and Xavier sends Kofi off to the ring.
Sami takes advantage of Kofi’s distracted state of mind. Like Cobra Kai, he strikes first, strikes hard, and shows no mercy. Little by little Kofi starts to get his offense in and manages to backflip out of a Blue Thunder Bomb attempt and hit the Trouble in Paradise to win it.
Your winner by pinfall… Kofi Kingston!
Kofi celebrates his win in the ring but it is very short lived. The advocate for the Beast Incarnate is here. Paul Heyman appears on the entrance ramp, clutching the briefcase and taunting Kofi with the possibility of a cash in. Kofi stands ready but is blindsided by… Dolph Ziggler!
The Show Off is back on Smackdown! He is absolutely brutal, battering the champ with mounted punches and using a two-handed eye gouge to wrench his head backwards. Ziggler stays on the savage path when drags Kofi to the corner and snakes him around the turnbuckles for more eye gouging before kneeing his head into the ring post. Kofi is thrown over the announce table but the crescendo is when Ziggler traps his head in a steel chair and rams it into the side of the table. Referees and other officials come from the back to tend to Kofi and send Dolph to the back. D-Ziggle has one last parting gift though when he hits a stomp on the chair with Kofi’s head still in it!
Kofi is backboarded onto a stretcher as the crowd chants “New! Day! Rocks!” His earlier vow to “walk out on his own two feet” drives him to push away the referees and medics at the top of the ramp and stagger back through the entranceway.
Roman Reigns is walking through the parking lot to the arena when he hears a guitar strumming. Elias is atop one of WWE’s semi trucks. He taunts The Big Dog and Providence but Roman blows it off and continues on.
Lacey Evans & Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch & Bayley
After the Homicide Blondes make their entrance, Kayla Braxton talks with Becky and Bayley. Both admire each other’s accomplishments but both would love to beat the other to become “champ-champ.”
The start of the match sees the reigning champs timing each other just right to drop Lacey, then Charlotte, then Lacey, then Charlotte as they feed in. One miscue and Bayley is getting passed back and forth between The Queen and The Sassy Southern Belle for some of that classic white meat babyface heat. Becky gets the hot tag and battles with Charlotte but it’s a quick tag to Bayley that gives the champs the win with a surprise in a small package.
Your winners by pinfall… Becky Lynch & Bayley!
In the back, Ru-Truth is fending off one challenger after another and escaping through the parking lot in the confusion as they fight among themselves.
Dolph Ziggler walks morosely through the hallways when he’s approached by Sarah Schreiber who wants to know why, Dolph? Why? Ziggler says that it’s a fair question and he’s going to answer it for everyone. He makes his way out to the entranceway. He explains that, when Kofi got his opportunity after Ali was injured, it should have been him. When Kofi ran the gauntlet and went through the Elimination Chamber, it should have been him. When he became WWE Champion at Wrestlemania, it should have been him. When Kofi silences the critics and earns the respect and admiration and love of the WWE Universe, it should be him. So he’s going to beat Kofi Kingston at Super Showdown and get their respect and admiration and love as their champion.
The announce team hypes Super Showdown as equaling or exceeding Wrestlemania and run a video package detailing the history between Triple H and Randy Orton, framing Randy as the babyface.
Roman Reigns vs Elias (w/ Shane McMahon)
Shane interferes throughout; distracting the ref, distracting Roman, grabbing Roman’s leg to prevent a Superman punch, and grabbing Elias’ leg to lay across the rope and prevent a pinfall. Elias actually does best by himself, though, as he fends off a second rope Samoan Drop to hit a sublime spin-around power bomb. When Shane tries too much at once, though, Elias gets speared before he can use the guitar.
Your winner by pinfall… Roman Reigns!
Immediately after the pinfall, Shane is on Roman with punches. Big Dog gets the better of him too, though. He grabs the guitar and threatens to give Shane the El Kabong treatment but Drew McIntyre makes the save with a Claymore kick and looms triumphant over him as we fade out.
Final Thoughts:
Paul Heyman is like Guile’s theme, barbecue sauce, and the color black: he fits everything and always makes it better. The rematch of Seth and Brock might make more sense but the threat that Brock presents to Kofi is more compelling. Money in the Bank was done well and the proof is in the pudding.
Dolph Ziggler’s return was masterfully executed. It was well-written, well-thought out, and a program with Kofi has the potential to “steal the show” no matter where they are.
The 24/7 belt is ugly as hell and seems like a crap concept… but it’s not. It’s working and giving the undercard a chance to shine in a way we haven’t seen since The Fashion Police.
No ominous Aleister Black therapy session. No Firefly Fun House.
Roman is more over than he’s been since Royal Rumble 2015 but his current program seems stagnant somehow. Everyone is doing a good job. It’s just… missing something.
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