Posted on 6/27/126 by Bob Magee
– The show opened tonight with a recap of the saga involving
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Sami Zayn.
After the recap, we got arrivals for the three men involved
in the Night of Champions Triple Threat match tomorrow
afternoon.
Trick Williams kicks off SmackDown
The men’s United States Champion got the show going proper,
accompanied by his sidekick/best friend L’il Yachty.
Williams, of course, got a good reaction from the London
crowd, “Whoop that Trick” chants and all.
Once Williams got into the ring, he and Yachty got into
their routine, stating that that the people of London missed
them, especially since they missed last week. Williams said
that last week, he went to Jamaica, revealing that he and
Lash Legend got married officially.
Yachty described the crazy party last week because love was
in the air there. Williams said that it was the best day of
his life with his family and friends there, and especially
since Lash said “I do”. As they got back to business,
Williams was informed that Ricky Saints would face him at
Night of Champions tomorrow, stating that he’d absolutely
whoop his ass. Before Williams could continue, Ricky Saints
himself interrupted the proceedings.
Saints said that Williams wasn’t that good at making life
decisions, and that more importantly, he wouldn’t give it
that time to last longer. Williams threatened to smack
Saints down to London Bridge if he kept going. Saints
responded by talking about how Williams must be on the sauce
from the wedding, so to speak. Saints told Williams should
not be overlooking him because at Night of Champions, we’d
be looking at the next U.S. Champion. Saints declared that
the Trick Williams hype train would end tomorrow. Saints
gave a cheap shot to Li’l Yachty as he ran out of the ring.
Saints returned to give Williams a shot with the microphone
as he scurried out to the ramp.
First off, mazel tov to Trick Williams and Lash Legend on
their wedding last week. Secondly, this Saints/Williams
match tomorrow should be at least interesting, even if
Saints’ work on the mic as of late has been somewhat just
kind of there. it was clear that Williams was just getting
the best of him here.
***********
Tiffany Stratton & Alexa Bliss vs. B-Fab & Michin
Stratton and Michin started off here. Side headlock takeover
with a little rope assist by Stratton. The somersault was
followed by a running hip attack to Michin and a basement
dropkick. Firewoman’s carry position, but Michin escaped as
Bliss tagged in and went right after her foe with slaps and
a dropkick. She went for the Sister Abigail DDT, bu Michin
got out of it. Bliss, however got a dropkick on Michin while
B-Fab tagged in. Outside the ring, B-Fab struck Bliss with a
side kick as we took a break in the action.
We returned from commercial as Michin missed an elbow drop
on Bliss. A kick from Bliss gave her time to tag in
Stratton, who went after B-Fab with an elbow and the
floatover Alabama Slam. One, two… NO! B-Fab with a
jawbreaker, but that didn’t save her from the somersault
Stunner from Stratton. The Women’s U.S. Champion headed up
to the top rope and connected with the swanton bomb. One,
two…. Michin broke it up at the last second. Bliss pulled
Michin out of the ring and began to fight with her. That
ended with Bliss getting sent into the timekeeper’s area.
Michin slid into the ring and created a perfect distraction
as Jade Cargill tripped up Stratton while she was looking
for her Prettiest Moonsault Ever. B-Fab made no mistake with
the spinning X-Factor variation for the pin and win for the
Baddies 2.0.
After the match, Chelsea Green ran in with a kendo stick to
ward off Cargill and her crew.
B-Fab & Michin def. Tiffany Stratton & Alexa Bliss via
pinfall
It’s clear WWE sees a lot in Jade Cargill and are determined
to keep her in a prominent role, which has obviously
extended to Michin & B-Fab, who are getting booked rather
strongly as a result. It is what it is for better or worse.
***********
– Backstage, Solo Sikoa was met with Talla and Tama Tonga.
As Sikoa admired his handiwork on Monday’s Raw, Tama said
that he and Talla were tired of being dragged into Sikoa’s
obsession with Roman Reigns. Talla told Sikoa that he and
Tama got word from the Elders, and that they were officially
out, apparently spelling the end for the M.F.T.s.
– Elsewhere, Jade Cargill demanded that Nick Aldis make a
match between her and Chelsea Green, with her request
granted.
AAA Cruiserweight Championship: Rey Fenix (c) vs. Nathan
Frazer
Very high-flying start as Frazer and Fenix showed their
moves with acrobatic dives and dodges as neither man got the
upper hand. Frazer sent Fenix face first into the middle
turnbuckle, but that only got him a hit with the crossbody
from the Cruiserweight Champion. Fenix leapt from the top
rope for another crossbody to the outside while Frazer was
taking a breather.
As Fenix got on the apron, Frazer kicked him down before he
took off over the top ropes for a massive tope con hilo as
we took a commercial break.
Our match returned from the break with both men back in the
ring as Fenix blasted Frazer with machine gun chops before
he connected with the handspring Stunner. Fenix then hit the
modified Death Valley Driver-into-Neckbreaker for a near-
fall. As Fenix headed up to the top, a step-up enzuigiri
from Frazer left him open for the superplex. After the roll-
through, Frazer’s attempt at a Final Cut was countered into
a cradle pin for a near-fall. As both men got to their feet,
Frazer and Fenix knocked each other down with a simultaneous
kick.
Now back to their feet, both men exchanged strikes until
Fenix hit the feint into the spinning kick. Frazer responded
with a Spanish Fly from the second rope and the Final Cut.
That, however, wasn’t enough to put an end to this one.
Frazer’s Phoenix Splash couldn’t find its mark as Fenix
attempted a Mexican Muscle Buster. Frazer kicked Fenix out
to the ringside area. Frazer went for a suicide dive, but
Fenix dodged at the last second as he crashed right into the
commentary table.
Back inside the ring, Fenix headed to the top rope and
soared with a Frog Splash. One, two…. 2.999999999!!!!!!!!!!
Frazer tried to get himself to the top rope, but Fenix
caught him in position for the Mexican Muscle Buster for the
three in this fantastic match.
Rey Fenix def. Nathan Frazer via pinfall to retain the AAA
Cruiserweight Championship
One hell of a match here between Fenix and Frazer. I’m glad
that these two got a chance to put on a fantastic contest
here. I really, really enjoyed it.
**********
– R-Truth and Damian Priest were confronted by the War
Raiders and challnged to a winner take all match for both
the WWE Tag Titles and the AAA Tag Titles. As Truth was
being silly, Priest said that they were up for the
challenge, and that he’d let Erik and Ivar know when and
where that match would be.
– LA Knight arrived and said he was going to go to the ring
and look for some answers on certain events.
LA Knight addresses the Bloodline situation
“Let me talk to you,” started Knight. He talked about how he
and Jimmy Uso had a hard-fought battle, but unfortunately
for him, he had to be left looking up for to the lights.
Knight wanted Solo Sikoa to walk down to the ring right now
to address why he helped him on Raw.
Sikoa made his way down to the ring, a man without his
family and looking to confront Knight in the wake of it all.
Knight pointed out that 10 of 10 times that Sikoa came out
of the ring was to attack and distract him. Which is why it
confused him why Sikoa helped him out.
Sikoa answered by stating that he wasn’t here for a fight
and that Knight was wasting his time for that. Sikoa said
that his family left him earlier tonight, which didn’t get
him any sympathy from Knight. LA pointed out that all of
this just left Sikoa wide open to return to the Bloodline.
Sikoa said that he helped Knight on Monday because he hated
the Bloodline, hated that he was part of the group. Sikoa
shouted that he hated Jacob Fatu, the Usos, and most
importantly, Roman Reigns.
Sikoa said that he and Knight had one thing in common, and
that they both didn’t like the Bloodline. Knight replied
that Sikoa should hate Roman Reigns for what he did to him.
But, Jimmy, Jey, and Jacob also said that they hated Reigns,
but they ended up being a part of the Bloodline fold. Sikoa
said that this was different because he was alone now and
that the enemy of his enemy can be friends. Sikoa offered to
be Knight’s ally.
Knight remained skeptical, as he said that he hates the
Bloodline and he was outnumbered. Did he probably need help?
Yeah. Did he need Solo Sikoa watching his back? Nah, nah.
Knight said that he did things his way and he’ll continue to
do that in this war with the Bloodline.
This entire Bloodline stuff is all kinds of terrible, but LA
Knight being portrayed as the one guy who doesn’t buy the
change of heart is a nice touch. That being said, it doesn’t
save the angle from being a complete hot mess and it’s kind
of endemic of why WWE as a whole feels really boring and
stale at the moment. It’s not WCW 2000 bad, but it’s up
there.
*************
– Sami Zayn said that nobody got what he was going on with
him, other than Johnny Gargano. Zayn said that good things
happen to good people, and that involves him winning the
Undisputed WWE Championship. Zayn admitted that he hadn’t
been quite himself as of late, and it all started when he
lost his last world title match at the Royal Rumble. Now,
Zayn said that the universe gave him a chance to redeem
himself and that could mean becoming the Undisputed WWE
Champion.
Paige vs. Jacy Jayne
Paige, of course, had the hometown advantage here for this
one.
Jayne took advantage of a distraction by Lainey Reid with a
superkick on Paige for a an early near-fall. Paige fought
back and threw her across the ring. She then sent Jayne into
the top rope and hit her with a headbutt. Paige bopped
Jayne’s head onto the turnbuckles repeatedly as she then
stomped a mudhole in the corner. Paige then applied a
modified STF on Jayne, but couldn’t keep the hold on for
long.
Jayne retreated to the ringside as Paige flew right into
Lainey Reid and Fallon Henley with a cannonball. Jayne took
advantage with a hard kick from the apron as we took a
break.
We returned from commercial with Jayne in control of the
match. Paige and Jayne traded punches and kicks before Paige
connected with two suplexes. The Paige-Turner only got a
near-fall. A frustrated Jayne recovered and looked to put
Paige away with the Rolling Encore, but couldn’t connect.
Backslide pin, as Jayne attempted to use the ropes for
leverage. Brie Bella broke up the count and got beaten up by
Fatal Influence. In the ring, Paige took advantage of the
chaos and made the pin for the win.
Paige def. Jacy Jayne via pinfall
I do get why they had Paige go over here for the hometown
pop, but I do find it a bit concerning that after coming out
hot off the gate, Fatal Influence has basically just had
their push diminished slightly. it’s not damaging yet, but
it’s of concern.
************
– Backstage, Danhausen was hanging out with The Miz and Kit
Wilson, who he was experimenting on. Matt Cardona wanted to
talk with Danhausen, but Wilson and Miz ran off.
– Elsewhere, Finn Balor ran into Tama and Talla Tonga. Tama
pointed out how he and Balor used to be together in the
past, but so was Shinsuke Nakamura, and he said that
everyone knew how that turned out.
Danhausen TV
The very nice and very evil Danhausen introduced us to the
first edition of “Danhausen TV” as he was joined by his
Legion of Danhausen, Kit Wilson and The Miz. Before this
show could get far, Los Garza interrupted the proceedings.
They didn’t waste time and attacked Miz and Kit Wilson,
depositing the two out of the ring. With Danhausen left
alone against Angel and Berto, Matt Cardona ran in and
looked to even the odds. This was enough for SmackDown’s GM,
Nick Aldis to book the tag match between Cardona and
Danhausen vs. Los Garza, which starts after the break.
Matt Cardona & Danhausen vs. Los Garza (Angel & Berto)
This match continued from commercial as Cardona went to work
on Berto in the with a Broski Boot. Outside the ring, Miz
and Wilson were ambling about as Cardona soon found himself
isolated in the Los Garza corner. Angel and Berto stomped
away on Cardona in the corner, as they were successful in
keeping him alone. Outside the ring, Wilson was clotheslined
by Angel and Berto. However, that gave Cardona an opening to
hit Angel with a flapjack and the tag to Danhausen.
Danhausen showed off some good offensive range as he held
his own against Los Garza, even busting out a German suplex.
Angel went to grab a steel chair from the ring, but Miz and
Kit Wilson stopped him from doing any damage. Rough Ryder by
Cardona to the outside. Back in the ring, Berto was cursed
by Danhausen with the exploding turnbuckle. DDT by Danhausen
and this one’s in the books.
Danhausen & Matt Cardona def. Los Garza via pinfall
This was fine. The Danhausen stuff won’t be for everyone,
but I think it’s harmless fun and I find it entertaining.
**************
Chelsea Green vs. Jade Cargill
Green struck Cargill in the back and paid for it with a hard
clothesline from the former WWE Women’s Champion. Green
attempted a dive from the outside, but got caught in the
fallaway slam as we took a hydration break of sorts.
Back to this match as Cargill dropped Green with a chokeslam
for the near-fall. Cargill kept pummelling at the head of
Green before she went for a running shoulder attack. Swing
and a miss as Cargill flew right into the corner, but it was
a momentary break. Snapmare by Green as she launched herself
out to the apron and headed to the top with a missile
dropkick. One, two… not quite. Big boot by Cargill, then
came Jaded for the rather easy win.
After the match, Cargill continued her attack on Green, but
Tiffany Stratton and Alexa Bliss made the save. B-Fab and
Michin ran in and it was another Baddie beatdown as they got
the upper hand on Stratton.
Jade Cargill def. Chelsea Green via pinfall
As I noted above, your mileage may vary on how strong the
Baddies 2.0 are being booked, but if were speaking from a
personal perspective, I’m not really feeling it at all.
****************
Giulia vs. Kiana James
James struck Giulia with a kick to start off as she was
aggressive right from the get-go with the shoulder thrusts.
Giulia answered with a dropkick that sent James to the
outside of the ring. The two brawled for a bit at ringside
before the action spilled back into the ring. Giulia hit
James with a kick to the spine.
Headbutt by Giulia drove James out of the ring as she leapt
from the apron. Missed as James got her with the slam onto
the steel steps as we took a break in the action.
Back from commercial as Giulia and James exchanged strikes
before the former too over with unanswered elbows to the jaw
of James. Giulia’s momentum got stalled with a superkick
from James, but she avoided the spinning moonsault
afterwards. Shoulder tackles from Giulia led to a nice
headscissors takedown on James. Running big boot to a prone
James along the bottom rope. The cover, but James was able
to kick out at two. Giulia headed to the top rope, but James
met her there and lifted her up for a powerful slam. Falcon
Arrow by James, but Giulia kicked out at two. Arrivederci
Knee countered by James into a powerbomb for another near-
fall.
James whipped Giulia into the corner and propped her on her
shoulders and ascended to the top rope. Giulia escaped her
predicament and turned it into a sunset flip bomb. Soon
after, the Arrivederci Knee from Giulia paved the way for
the Northern Lights Bomb and the victory.
After the match, Blake Monroe finally made her debut as she
assaulted Giulia from behind. She then hit her Gotch-style
Piledriver on Giulia.
Giulia def. Kiana James via pinfall
This was a decent blowoff match between Giulia and Kiana
james, but the bigger story is Blake Monroe’s debut finally
arriving. It’ll be interesting to see how she fits into the
SmackDown women’s division moving forward.
************
Cody Rhodes, Gunther, and Sami Zayn’s final face-off before
Night of Champions
“London, what do you wanna talk about?” asked Rhodes. Sami
Zayn cut him off before Rhodes could address this crowd
further.
Zayn started off by thanking his Ride or Die fans for
supporting him since day one. However, that wasn’t why he
was out here. He was here to tell Cody something man-to-man,
face-to-face, as a friend. He said he regretted how things
went down as a special referee last week, but he was still a
good guy in his own eyes. The “last real good guy”, in fact.
Zayn claimed that he regretted all those actions that he
viewed as a mistake, but Rhodes didn’t buy it. Zayn claimed
that he never wanted how he wanted to be in the World
Championship.
Rhodes said enough of that as he told Zayn was playing the
victim card towards him, that “thing” lying around backstage
(Johnny Gargano). Rhodes told Zayn that he was exhausting,
acting like a mosquito hanging around him. He said that he
couldn’t wrap around how Zayn was best friends with Kevin
Owens. For one thing, KO would’ve stabbed Rhodes in the
front, and not the back. And at least, KO was a World
Champion between him and Zayn.
Zayn responded by stating that the only reason why Rhodes
was WWE Champion in the first place was because of him. And
at Night of Champions, he’ll be the only reason why Rhodes
won’t be the Undisputed WWE Champion. At that point, Gunther
walked down to the ring with a mic in hand.
Gunther said that he didn’t care about the drama between
Rhodes and Zayn, and that the only thing he cared about was
winning the Undisputed WWE Championship. Gunther pointed out
that Zayn was right about how he would’ve been the champ
right now if not for Zayn. Gunther said that Zayn did a lot
of damage as a referee, but as a wrestler, Gunther viewed
him as a nonfactor. Gunther told Rhodes that he was going to
take away everything from him and that he’d be facing the
King of the Ring at SummerSlam.
Jey Uso joined in on the “fun” as he marched down to the
ring, all business with the crowd yeeting as per the usual.
Gunther interrupted and said that this wasn’t going to go
down on his time. Jey answered that he was going to keep
this short and sweet by stating that he’d win King of the
Ring tomorrow. he called out Rhodes, Gunther and Zayn
specifically. He called Gunther a “little bitch” as a brawl
broke out. In the chaos, Rhodes and Jey superkicked Gunther
out of the ring before they stared one another down. It was
time for one more guest as Jey’s King of the Ring finals
foe, Oba Femi made his way down to the ring.
Jey superkicked Rhodes, but got hit from behind by Gunther.
Zayn then hit Gunther from behind with the Undisputed WWE
Title. This led to Rhodes getting Zayn with Cross Rhodes.
Our night ended with Rhodes and Oba staring down one
another.
*************
A very interesting go-home segment for Night of Champions,
but the way I see it, this kind of feels like dangling a
carrot and WWE’s track record as of late with paying off
satisfying audience moments has been lacking as of late, and
it’s hard for anyone to care as a result.
As far as this episode was concerned, the in-ring action was
great for the most part, with Frazer vs. Fenix being the
match of the night, but you could be forgiven if everything
else wasn’t grabbing your attention. That’s just how WWE
feels at the moment, there are flashes of greatness, but the
overall mediocrity of the product right now in the TKO Era
doesn’t make it really a must watch every week like it used
to be.