Posted on 9/20/125 by Bob Magee
– We opened tonight’s SmackDown with the arrivals of Drew
McIntyre, Cody Rhodes, Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice,
Carmelo Hayes, and Sami Zayn to the Huntington Center in
Toledo, OH.
– Inside the arena, Michael Cole and Corey Graves welcomed
us to the show as they talked about tomorrow night’s
Wrestlepalooza. Cole said that Brock Lesnar wanted to do the
sitdown interview right now as he left commentary. However,
Lesnar made his entrance and it appeared that the interview
would happen in the ring instead.
Brock Lesnar interview ahead of Wrestlepalooza
Lesnar grabbed Cole and held him over his shoulder as he
made his way into the ring. Inside the ring, Lesnar
continued to threaten Cole before Corey Graves entered the
ring and pleaded with him to not attack Cole. He got an F5
for his troubles as the crowd chanted for John Cena. Lesnar
then directly addressed the camera, yelling that he was
coming for John Cena’s blood tomorrow and that it was D-Day.
Lesnar paced around ringside and destroyed the Prime
Hydtration station before he once again entered the ring to
hit Graves with another F5. Various referees and security
surrounded the ring while Lesnar yelled for Cena to come get
himself some. He then left the ringside area, as the crowd
jeered.
Pretty much a last gasp attempt to add fuel into this
Cena/Lesnar Wrestlepalooza match that’s barely had a build.
I can’t say if they succeeded on that front, though. That
said, I guess we’ll have to find out tomorrow whether or not
this match that has been haphazardily built will be any good
at all.
**********
– We returned from the break with Cole and a few WWE road
agents checking up on the fallen Graves, who was still out
cold from being on the receiving end of two F5s.
– Backstage, Brock Lesnar was walking as he was confronted
by Paul Heyman and The Vision’s Bron Breakker and Bronson
Reed. Lesnar simply said that he and Heyman should talk
before he left. SmackDown GM Nick Aldis warned The Vision to
not cause anymore problems tonight, especially with the Cody
Rhodes/Drew McIntyre contract signing to come. Heyman said
that he and the Brons were simply here to enjoy the show.
– Back in the arena, Cole returned to the commentary table
and was at a loss of words for what happened to his
commentary partner. He said that in the years he’s been on
commentary, he never felt as helpless as he did tonight.
Cole said that if that’s what awaited John Cena tomorrow, he
doesn’t know if even Cena had the answers.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Charlotte Flair & Alexa
Bliss (c) vs. Alba Fyre & Chelsea Green
Flair and Green started off the match here with a lockup.
Green took a shot at Bliss in the corner, but ate an elbow
from Flair as a result. Bliss tagged herself in and went to
work on Green and Fyre for a moment. The challengers took
advantage after Bliss was dragged into their corner. Green
connected with a dropkick, as Bliss was then slammed into
the ringpost by Fyre. This took us into the break.
During the break, the Miz took over for Graves as he joined
Cole on commentary.
We returned from the break with Bliss desperately trying to
get the tag. She almost got the tag, but Flair was pulled
from the apron by Fyre, which gave Green a chance to
continue her attack on Bliss. Green taunted Flair and ended
up missing on the shoulder charge to Bliss. This allowed
Bliss to finally get the hot tag for Flair.
Flair teed off with chops on both Green and Fyre, before she
blasted the latter with a somersault clothesline. Flair
tried to set up for the FIgure-Eight, but Green provided a
distraction as she ate a big boot. Fyre went for the roll
up, but couldn’t get the pin. As Flair headed up top, Green
grabbed at Flair’s leg, which allowed for Fyre to connect
with the Swanton Bomb. Bliss broke up the pin at the last
second.
A double suplex from the challengers was turned back as
Bliss and Flair delivered stereo Natural Selections to Green
and Fyre instead. Flair ended up getting the pin on Green to
get the victory and the successful Women’s Tag Title
defense.
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss def. Chelsea Green & Alba Fyre
via pinfall to retain the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships
A decent defense for the tag champs, who continue to be a
popular act with fans. I’m curious now as to who steps up to
Flair and Bliss.
*********
– Backstage, B-Fab tried to get The Street Profits on the
same page, but was interrupted by Michin, who told B-Fab
that Nick Aldis wanted to talk to them about getting a
chance at Giulia and Kiana James. Montez Ford told Angelo
Dawkins that he was going to talk to Nick Aldis about
getting back into the tag picture, as Bo Dallas tried to get
into Dawkins’ head. Ford got into Dallas’ face, but Erick
Rowan attacked the Profits to leave them laying.
– We got a backstage skit with R-Truth and Los Garza telling
us how to download the ESPN app in order to watch
Wrestlepalooza tomorrow.
– Fraxiom were set for a match, but got attacked by Bron
Breakker and Bronson Reed. Paul Heyman soon walked down the
ring and did his usual introduction. He said that Fraxiom
reminded him of the Usos, because both were down, out,
victimized, and lying on their backs. As Heyman continued to
talk, Nathan Frazer and Axiom got up on the top rope and
took out the Brons with dual dropkicks. The two then
unleashed a barrage of dives on Breakker and Reed to leave
them staggered.
Nick Aldis appeared on stage and decided to book a tag match
between Fraxiom and the Vision’s duo, which was to take
place right now.
The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed) vs. Fraxiom
(Nathan Frazer & Axiom)
The match returned from break joined in progress, with
Breakker working over Axiom in the corner. Axiom fended off
Breakker momentarily, but got thrown overhead instead with a
back drop. Breakker got a full head of speed and absolutely
flattened Axiom with a lariat. Reed entered the match with a
tag and continued to pummel Axiom with a senton. Breakker
got the tag once more as he suplexed Axiom before pulling
down the straps. He attempted a spear, but was met with a
calf kick from Axiom. This allowed Frazer to get the hot
tag.
Frazer had Reed staggered with a dropkick, as he soared from
the top with a frog splash. Reed kicked out at two and
avoided a moonsault before he dropped Frazer with the Jagged
Edge. The Aussie headed up top for a Tsunami but was stopped
temporarily by Axiom. Reed shoved Axiom below right into a
spear from Breakker. Reed then finished Frazer off with the
Tsunami.
After the match, Heyman tried to announce his men as the
winners, but were interrupted by The Usos on the titantron.
Jimmy and Jey were already in Indiana and said that they
were going to lock things down as they welcomed The Vision
to the Uso Penitentary.
The Vision def. Fraxiom via pinfall
Just a short and sweet match to give the Brons some momentum
heading into their tag match with the Usos tomorrow. Bron
Breakker’s spears continue to be a thing of beauty.
*********
– We got a sizzle reel for WWE’s full court press on ESPN in
anticipation of tomorrow night’s Wrestlepalooza event.
Nia Jax in-ring promo
Jax asked what she was sick of, before she took a shot at
the Toledo crowd. She then went on to say that she was sick
of the SmackDown women’s division claiming that they were
the alpha females, when she was the “true” alpha female of
the division. Jax took credit for taking Tiffany Stratton
out, which prevented her from showing up on the NXT
Homecoming this past Tuesday. Jax then took a shot at Jade
Cargill, saying that she should trade places with her, as
Cargill was apparently not talented. Jax said that she was
the alpha and that she’d annihilate any storm or any Tiffy
time, any damn time.
This brought out the WWE Women’s Champion out for a
rebuttal. Tiffany Stratton said that the people have had
enough of Nia Jax being in the women’s division. She said
that Cargill was not a superhero here to save the division.
And since Jax and Cargill were committed to acting so
delusional, Stratton said that she was here to prove that
she was the one, true WWE Champion. Stratton attempted to
walk down the ring to confront Jax, but was stopepd by a
gaggle of referees. Jade Cargill made her way and decked a
few security personnel.
Before Cargill could enter, Nick Aldis stopped things as he
announced that next week on SmackDown, we’d see Stratton vs.
Cargill vs. Jax in a triple threat match for the WWE Women’s
Championship.
This match was reportedly set for tomorrow’s Wrestlepalooza,
but postponed due to an apparent injury to Stratton, so it
seems like they’re moving to have this match happen next
week instead. That said, hopefully it’s the last we see
these particular set of players in the women’s title picture
together.
*********
– We got another R-Truth skit about the ESPN App, as he told
the Motor City Machine Guns and Rey Fenix how to use it,
again neglecting to mention the $30 monthly price tag of the
new app.
U.S. Championship Open Challenge: Sami Zayn (c) vs. Carmelo
Hayes
The action kicked off with Zayn and Hayes trading
hammerlocks in a show of chain wrestling prowess. After
that, Hayes used his athleticism to hit Zayn with a dropkick
after a leapfrog dodge. Hayes continued to hit Zayn with
blows to the back, but found himself on the receiving head
of a forearm strike by the U.S. Champion. On the apron, Zayn
looked like he was going for something big, but Hayes
stunned him with a a guillotine leg drop as we took a break
in the action.
SmackDown returned as Hayes had the upper hand on Zayn. The
challenger had his foe floored with a leg drop for the near-
fall. Zayn fought back with a clothesline on Hayes, as he
then followed that up with an axe handle from the middle
turnbuckle. Zayn dragged Hayes to the corner and teed off on
him with repeated punches to the face, much to the chagrin
of the Miz on commentary. Zayn then spun Hayes’ world right
round with a tornado DDT, but couldn’t pick up the win
there.
Zayn headed up to the top rope, but Hayes recovered and
avoided the high-risk attempt. Hayes, however, couldn’t
avoid Zayn’s Michinoku Driver, which got yet another near-
fall. Hayes caught Zayn on the button with a big knee to the
face as he headed up top for a frog splash. Zayn got his
knees up at the last second, which sent Hayes scurrying to
the corner and right into the crosshairs for a Helluva Kick.
Hayes intercepted Zayn with a superkick as both men went
down and we went to a second commercial break during this
match.
We returned from break as Zayn attempted the Exploder Suplex
into the corner, but Hayes managed to block it. On the
apron, Zayn got dropped with a flip over the rope by Hayes,
which had his wrist caught up in the middle rope. Hayes then
headed up top and got the Frog Splash, but could not secure
the victory. Hayes followed that up with the First 48 after
successfully countering a Blue Thunder Bomb attempt by Zayn.
One, two… no!
Hayes lifted Zayn up for a cutter, followed by springboard
neckbreaker on the U.S. Champion. Zayn managed to avoid the
Nothin’ But Net from Hayes and turned that into a Blue
Thunder Bomb for the rare victory with that signature
maneuver.
Sami Zayn def. Carmelo Hayes to retain the United States
Championship
Another solid match for Zayn in this U.S. Open Challenge
he’s run as of late. I’ve been enjoying these matches, which
have become the highlight of SmackDown every week.
*********
– Kit Wilson was talking with Nick Aldis about
hypermasculinity, as Damian Priest stormed in and demanded a
shot at Aleister Black. Wilson got upset at Priest’s
demands, calling it a case of toxic masculinity, as he ended
up being thrown through the wall by an irate Priest.
– The second part in the retrospective of John Cena and
Brock Lesnar’s rivalry was shown.
Wrestlepalooza on ESPN Card
Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena
AJ Lee & CM Punk vs. Becky Lynch & Seth Rollins
Jimmy & Jey Uso vs. The Vision (Bron Breakker & Bronson
Reed)
Women’s World Championship: IYO SKY vs. Stephanie Vaquer
Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) vs. Drew
McIntyre
– We got a vignette from Solo Sikoa as he showed
appreciation for Tonga Loa for showing loyalty to him since
day one. He said that he owed it to Tonga to be a champion,
and that his loyalty would be rewarded as long as Tonga was
part of his Family Tree. Tonga then said that he loved Solo
to end the vignette.
Cody Rhodes/Drew McIntyre contract signing
In the ring, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis said that the main
event of Wrestlepalooza would be the Undisputed WWE
Championship match, of which the contract would be signed
for in mere moments. Aldis then introduced the challenger,
one Drew McIntyre, to the ring.
The surly Scotsman made his way to the ring and immediately
took a mic. Before he could utter a word, the theme of
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes interrupted, which
brought out the American Nightmare to the usual reaction of
cheers from the crowd.
Once both Rhodes and McIntyre in the ring, the champion took
to the mic. He said that fifteen years ago today, he and
McIntyre won the Tag Team Championships, and that no one
wasn’t talking about it, mainly because it wasn’t his or
McIntyre’s story. It was the story of the people, and they
didn’t care about the lore and wanted to see two people
fight.
Rhodes listed off McIntyre’s past accolades, as he said that
he was a “keyboard warrior” as of late. He urged on McIntyre
to do his talking on social media because it’d be the last
time he’d get one up on him. McIntyre showed his phone to
Rhodes, with a post that said “Thank you, Cody.”
McIntyre responded that this match without intereference or
shortcuts was what he wanted all along, before he called
Rhodes a cardboard champion that was unwilling to compromise
the main event of Wrestlepalooza. McIntyre said that the
crowd would eventually turn on Rhodes and all he’d be left
with is to say that “Drew was right”.
Rhodes fired back asking McIntyre what would happen if his
legacy now was to be the man who lost the first main event
of the ESPN Era. As both men signed the contract, McIntyre
delivered a blindside headbut on Rhodes and attacked the
champion at ringside.
As McIntyre had Rhodes at his mercy against the announce
table, the Scotsman refused to hit the Claymore kick,
stating that he wanted him to be at his best tomorrow at
Wrestlepalooza. As McIntyre tried to walk away, Rhodes dove
through the middle rope to tackle McIntyre. The two
continued to fight as referees tried to separate the two. As
the producers credits for Paul Levesque and Lee Fitting
popped up, McIntyre popped Rhodes with a boot to the head.
We ended the final SmackDown before tomorrow’s
Wrestlepalooza with McIntyre taunting Rhodes, stating that
it was going to be the last time he’d be sleeping with the
title for a long time.
*********
A decent final segment to build up, again, another
haphazardly-built feud for this first ESPN PLE where it just
happened within a span of a week. That seems to be a pattern
with this Wrestlepalooza card, with the exception of CM
Punk/AJ Lee vs. Seth Rollins/Becky Lynch, which seems to be
the best-built match out of the five matches set to take
place tomorrow.
As a go-home show for Wrestlepalooza, this SmackDown was
okay on that front. The Sami Zayn U.S. Open Challenge
continues to be the stand out of these weekly shows, as the
matches there have been excellent. Other than that,
everything else just ranges from okay to mediocre, sorry to
say.