Posted on 8/17/124 by Bob Magee
– Footage of Solo Sikoa walking backstage aired. Tiffany
Stratton was in the ring and she was flanked by Pretty
Deadly.
The Nia Jax Championship Celebration
This was fun. Campy. But fun. Kind of. I’m intrigued by the
Stratton/Pretty Deadly pairing. The more you see it, the
more it makes sense and the longer this segment went on, the
more I wanted more of it in the future. We’ll see, I
suppose. I’m a little surprised that the tension between Jax
and Stratton is already palpable – I was convinced we’d get
weeks of them getting along swimmingly before things started
to fall apart, but I’m not complaining if WWE is going to
expedite the inevitable match between Jax and Stratton. In
the meantime, Michin gets some shine and that’s a good
thing.
Stratton introduced Jax and Jax made her entrance. Jax was
brought out by men carrying a throne on which Jax was
sitting. The ring had pink balloons and a carpet in it. Jax
was given a microphone and the crowd booed her. Jax told
Stratton she “shouldn’t have.” Tiff said she just wanted to
give back and Jax said it was … “an awful lot of pink.” Jax
said it wasn’t her style because her style is destruction
and she proved that at SummerSlam when she destroyed Bayley.
Jax said she was a woman of her word when she said she’d
take the title from Bayley. Jax said not only is she the
Queen Of The Ring, but she’s also the new WWE Women’s
Champion.
Jax said everyone should bow down to her and Pretty Deadly
actually did bow down. Jax said what better way to start
than with Tiff. Jax told Stratton she wanted her to bow down
and Stratton said Pretty Deadly will sing a song and then
they will all bow down to Jax. Pretty Deadly introduced
“Pretty Deadly: The Musical,” and performed “Ode To The
Queen.” Out of nowhere, Michin ran in with a kendo stick and
beat the hell out of everybody, including Jax. Michin was
left alone with Pretty Deadly in the ring and Michin wore
those guys out with the stick. Michin grabbed the bottle of
champagne in the ring to end the segment.
**********
– Backstage, Jade Cargill, Naomi and Bianca Belair were
shown talking backstage. Carmelo Hayes walked into the frame
and asked them if they were going to pull up to his after-
party after he beats Andrade. The women reminded Hayes that
Andrade was two up on him. From there, Andrade made his
entrance for the first match.
Carmelo Hayes defeated Andrade [9:38]
I liked this a lot. The post-match brawl was great, too.
These are two guys who took a random pairing for a random
match on a random SmackDown and boy, have they turned it
into something. This was up there with their first encounter
(their second match thus far is probably my least favorite),
and at first glance, I’d probably even say this was the best
of the three. Some of the near-falls had me and both Andrade
and Melo seem to have no problem laying it in on each other,
which makes these matches that much better – especially
under a WWE guise. I’m looking forward to match No. 4.
Hayes retreated to the outside to begin the match. Things
picked up when Andrade went to the top and Hayes crotched
Andrade, who landed inside the ring. Hayes then beat Andrade
down. Andrade came back with a hard chop, but Hayes
responded with a springboard turnaround clothesline for a
one-count. Hayes ran the ropes and then into a dropkick from
Andrade. Hayes rolled to the outside and Andrade landed a
moonsault from the middle rope onto Hayes on the outside.
Hayes tried to climb the ropes, but Andrade cut Hayes off
and Andrade went to the top, but Hayes pushed Andrade from
the top to the outside floor. Hayes posed and the show went
to a commercial break.
Back from the break, the two were battling on the top rope
and Andrade hit a Spanish Fly from the top for a good near-
fall. Andrade got the audience hyped … and ran into a super-
kick from Hayes. Still, Andrade came back with two suplexes
only to have Hayes counter a third attempt and turn it into
a cutter for a two-count. Hayes went to the top, but Andrade
moved. The two traded pin attempts and Hayes hit a knee to
Andrade’s head, but Andrade came right back with a very
good-looking back elbow and another very good near-fall. The
crowd chanted “This is awesome!”
Andrade went to the top and missed a moonsault. Andrade went
for The Message, but Hayes countered with a roll-up and
actually got the win. After the match, Hayes gloated and
Andrade tried to leave the ring, but Hayes pulled him back
and the two brawled on the mat. Officials ran out to
separate them, but Andrade eventually broke away and hit a
splash on Hayes as the crowd chanted “Let them fight!”
Loudly.
**********
– Solo Sikoa was shown sitting backstage and Tama Tonga
presented Sikoa the Ula Fala. Tonga said he would rip Roman
Reigns apart later, but Sikoa said he’s the Tribal Chief now
and if Roman takes the Ula Fala back, that will mean Reigns
is the Tribal Chief and therefore, Sikoa and Tonga would be
forced to acknowledge Roman. Sikoa held the Ula Fala to his
face to end the short segment. Naomi then made her entrance.
– A video profiling Giovanni Vinci aired. Boy, what growing
a half-goatee and wearing a suit can do for someone’s pro
wrestling career.
Blair Davenport defeated Naomi [6:49]
I … I … I don’t know about that. The finish was flat and
came out of nowhere. The women also didn’t feel in sync for
a lot of the match. I … I don’t know. I’m all for giving
Davenport some wins to establish her on SmackDown, but I
don’t know if this did much to help her, if only because the
match felt so cold. There has to be a better way to set up
and then execute that knee, if that knee is going to be her
finisher on the main roster because the final three seconds
of this match went over like a fart in church (as Jim Ross
would say). It’s a shame, too, because this was a homecoming
for Naomi and it would have been nice to see things go
better than this for her.
Roxanne Perez was shown in the crowd because being in
Orlando is pretty much a home game for WWE anymore.
Davenport pushed Naomi to start the match and the two
brawled from there. Davenport went for a clothesline, but
Naomi slid through it and hit a Rearview. Davenport rolled
to the outside. Naomi followed and landed her split splash
onto Davenport. Naomi threw Davenport back into the ring and
climbed to the top to hit a cross-body for a two-count. The
show then went to a commercial break.
The show returned and Davenport had the edge, hitting a
back-breaker. There was a clunky moment, but ultimately,
Naomi took Davenport down with a head-scissors takedown. The
two then hit dueling cross-bodies to reset the match. Naomi
fired up and worked Davenport over with some kicks and
another split splash for a two-count. Naomi landed a
dropkick in the corner and went for a split-legged
moonsault, but Davenport cut her off and countered with a
stomp. Davenport then knee’d Naomi and got the win kind
of/sort of out of nowhere.
**********
– Grayson Waller was shown warming up backstage with Austin
Theory. Waller complained about Kevin Owens and wouldn’t you
know it, Owens showed up and tapped Waller on the shoulder.
Owens said everything Waller said was right (including the
fact that Cody gave Owens a title match). Owens noted how
Waller said it will be an easy win for Waller. Owens laughed
and said things like, “Yeah! Sure! An easy win for you!
Let’s go do it!” And then Owens walked away.
– A graphic honoring Afa Anoa’i appeared on the big screen
in the arena. “Thank you, Afa!” chants broke out. A video
chronicling Afa’s career then aired.
– NXT Champion Ethan Page was shown in the crowd before the
Owens/Waller match.
Kevin Owens defeated Grayson Waller [4:38]
The weird part about this match was that it dawned on me
about two minutes into it that we don’t really ever get to
see Waller wrestle singles matches seriously anymore. I
haven’t seen that between-the-legs splash thing in ages and
yet he pulled it out here. Waller and Theory continue to be
fodder for the biggest babyfaces on the roster, but as I’ve
said for months, I continue to wonder when this thing is
going to blow up. At this point, I’m starting to think
never. Still, this match was fun for what it was/while it
lasted. For being a sub-five-minute match, this had a lot of
good energy and Owens seemed inspired, which helped. In all,
a nice turnover segment.
Owens jumpstarted the match with a running kick, but Waller
tried to come back to no avail. Owens set up for a
Cannonball in a corner, but Waller rolled to the outside.
Owens went to the outside and clotheslined Waller before
throwing Waller into the barrier wall. Owens chopped Waller
and rolled Waller back into the ring before jawing at
Theory. With Theory yelling at Owens, Waller attacked Owens
and set up a chair in the crowd to sit in it. Owens came
right back and dragged Waller from the crowd back to
ringside, but Waller got up, punched Owens, threw Owens into
a ring post and hit a DDT on the outside for a two-count
back inside the ring.
Waller went to the second rope and hit an elbow on Owens for
a two-count. Waller set Owens up for a super-plex, but Owens
fought out of it and landed a Swanton for a two-count.
Before long, Waller went for a rolling move on Owens, but
Waller rolled into a Stunner. Owens fired the crowd up and
landed a pop-up powerbomb to get the win.
After the match, Owens threw Waller outside and ran Waller
into the Prime cart. Owens lifted Waller, but Theory made
the save. From there, Waller and Theory tried to get their
revenge on Owens with chairs. Cody’s music then hit and Cody
ran out. Owens and Cody beat Waller and Theory down with
their chairs. With the heels gone, Owens picked up Cody’s
belt and looked at it. Owens then gave the belt back to Cody
and left.
**********
– Sikoa was shown backstage and he spoke with Tonga. Sikoa
said tonight, Roman needs to acknowledge Sikoa. The crowd
chanted “OTC!”
– Titus O’Neil was shown in the crowd.
– A Legado Del Fantasma vignette aired. Santos Escobar said
Berto and Angel were demeaned week after week. Escobar told
them not to forget who they are. Escobar said LDF is not
just a name; it’s a legacy. Escobar said next week, he will
take the U.S. title from LA Knight. Escobar then toasted to
sending that “piece of trash” back to the trailer park he
came from. Santos said “Everybody sayin’ Es. Co. Bar.” On
cue, LA Knight’s music hit in the arena. Knight came out to
a huge pop. Knight talked about how all Escobar is doing is
trying to be like Knight. Knight said he won’t forget where
they are next week – the nation’s capital. Knight said he
doesn’t have time to be worried about Escobar and next week,
he will put Escobar on his ass. Knight closed with his “LA
Knight, Yeah!” phrase.
– Michin was shown walking out of Nick Aldis’s office and
ran into Piper Niven and Chelsea Green. Green said they were
going to do what Michin did, but it was too fun to watch the
car crash that was the show’s opening segment. Michin said
because of what Michin did, she got a Women’s Championship
match against Nia Jax. Out of nowhere, Jax appeared and
attacked Michin until Aldis reprimanded Jax, who then walked
away.
– Trick Williams was shown in the crowd.
The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) defeated
#DIY (Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) to become the No. 1
contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship [15:14]
For my money, this was the best WWE television match this
week, and that includes the Intercontinental Championship
match on Monday night. These four brought all they could to
the table and it was one of those instances where you really
do curse WWE for shoehorning in two commercial breaks into a
15 minute match. Whatever that tag title match might end up
being will not be as good as this match was. Gargano and
Ciampa looked better than normal and the Profits were ready
to hang with that spot-heavy style – and then some. Good-to-
great stuff from everybody here and the crowd was up for it,
too, which made things that much better. It has to be asked:
What happens to #DIY now? They had a cup of coffee with the
tag titles and we all know they were put together to be
broken up … will that break up come soon? For as good as
their tag work has been lately, perhaps both Gargano and
Ciampa could use a shake up like that.
Ford and Gargano started the match. Lots of reversals,
missed moves, counters and attempted gains occurred. The two
shook hands after all of it and Ciampa and Dawkins tagged
in. Dawkins gained the upper hand and tagged in Ford.
Dawkins flipped Ford onto Ciampa and a double Flapjack took
down Gargano, who ran in. Outside the ring, Dawkins ran over
Ciampa and the Profits celebrated outside the ring. Ford
said, “We’ll be back after these messages for another beat
down,” and the show went to a commercial break.
The show came back and Gargano had control, taking down both
Profits. Gargano hit a spear on Ford for a two-count. Ciampa
tagged in, but ultimately things broke down and both Profits
slammed Ciampa for a near-fall. Dawkins tagged in and went
to the top, but missed a Swanton. Ciampa hit a running knee
for a two-count. Gargano tagged in and went for a One Final
Beat, but Dawkins caught Gargano and slammed him. Ford
tagged in and things broke down again, Ford and Gargano hit
stereo suicide dives on their respective opponents on the
outside. From there, Ford and Gargano went at it inside the
ring, trading super-kicks. At one point, Gargano fell onto
Ford for a pin, but Ford kicked out. The show then went to
yet another commercial break.
Rejoining things, Ciampa knee’d Dawkins on the apron and
Ford hit a Zig Zag on Ciampa. Ford went to the top rope and
went for a 450 splash, but Ciampa got the knees up. #DIY
then landed a Shatter Machine on Ford, but Dawkins made the
save. Things broke down again and #DIY went for super-kicks,
but Dawkins pulled Gargano out of the ring and the Profits
hit a double-team move to get a good near-fall that was
broken up by Gargano. “This is awesome!” chants broke out.
Ciampa and Dawkins traded blows until Gargano tagged in and
kicked Dawkins. Gargano back-dropped Ford to the outside.
Gargano and Ciampa hit a super-kick/Fairytale Ending
combination on Dawkins, but Dawkins kicked out at the last
millisecond. From there, Dawkins caught a spear attempt from
Gargano and planted Gargano. After that, the Profits hit the
Super Blockbuster for the win.
**********
– Next week, Naomi, Cargill and Belair will face Fyre, Dawn
and Davenport. Also on tap, LA Knight will defend his U.S.
title against Santos Escobar.
The Bloodline segment
Thank God Fatu can still work. Boy, I love that guy. His
attack was an honest surprise and I loved it. Walking boot
and all. This was a good twist in that you can’t just have
Roman come back and dominate things week after week without
any pushback. Where they go from here should be a lot of
fun, especially considering how it looks like Jacob Fatu
isn’t going to miss time, by hook or by crook. Are we closer
to Roman calling up some of his old friends for some help?
Maybe. Either way, this was a good, hot angle to close this
show.
Sikoa stood in the ring with Tonga and said, surprisingly,
“Orlando, acknowledge me.” He got booed. “OTC!” chants broke
out. Sikoa said, “You don’t want to acknowledge me? Fine. I
know one man who needs to acknowledge me. Roman Reigns, you
call yourself the Tribal Chief, or OTC, or whatever the hell
it is. If you want this Ula Fala back, then bring your ass
out here and take it from me.” Roman Reigns’s music hit, the
crowd went nuts and Roman walked out.
Reigns stepped onto the apron and got into the ring. Reigns
and Sikoa stepped closer to one another. Sikao took the Ula
Fala off and handed it to Tonga. Sikoa told Tonga to leave
the ring and Tonga obliged. Roman and Sikoa traded blows and
Reigns hit a clothesline. Tonga then attacked Reigns, but
Reigns came right back with a slam. The action spilled to
the outside, where Roman disassembled the commentary table.
Sikoa hit Reigns and rolled Reigns back into the ring. Sikoa
set up for the Samoan Spike, but Roman moved and hit a
Superman Punch. Roman then speared Sikoa. “OTC!” chants
echoed and Reigns walked over to the Ula Fala. Reigns picked
it up and put it around his neck.
The crowd went crazy and Roman’s music hit, but out of
nowhere, Jacob Fatu showed up and super-kicked Roman,
complete with walking boot. Fatu hit a hip attack on Reigns
and threw Reigns to the outside. From there, Sikoa, Tonga
and Fatu landed a triple power-bomb, ala The Shield, on
Reigns through the commentary table. Fatu threw Reigns back
into the ring and Tonga put the Ula Fala back around Sikoa’s
neck. Sikoa, Tonga and Fatu stood tall, raising their
fingers over Roman Reigns, to close the show.