11/14 Barnett’s WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Natalya vs. Charlotte for the Smackdown Women’s Championship, Baron Corbin vs. Sin Cara for the U.S. Title, New Day vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, final hype for Survivor Series

By Jake Barnett

WWE Smackdown on USA Network
Live from Charlotte, North Carolina at Spectrum Center

The show started backstage with a Shane McMahon backstage giving a speech in front of the Smackdown Roster. He told them to be on the same page, because tonight may be the night that Raw retaliates. He said after Sunday they would be the dominant brand, and would no longer be known as the B Show, they would be known as THE show. He turned his attention to Becky Lynch and said that Asuka had said that she would break the entire Smackdown Roster, Becky said that the only thing broken come Sunday would be Asuka’s arm. He asked Baron Corbin if he would shut The Miz up, and he said Sunday would be his end of days.

Shane then said that Raw had added his Brother in Law Triple H to their team, but Smackdown had added future Hall of Famer in John Cena to Team Smackdown. He said nobody would stop Team Blue, and that includes Kurt Angle and his sister Stephanie McMahon. He then turned to New Day and asked them about the Shield. They said they had answered their challenge, and they would shut them down on Sunday, because “Smack-Down Rocks”. They repeated that catchphrase and the crowd joined in and danced until the show cut to the arena.

The announce team of Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, and Byron Saxton welcomed everyone to the arena, and Daniel Bryan made his entrance in arena. He said he was lucky to be there tonight after Kane attacked him, but that’s what made him a lot like Smackdown. If they get knocked down, they get up and hit you back twice as hard. He claimed Raw was afraid and embarrassed, and that’s why they added Triple H to the team. He said the 25th anniversary of Raw is coming up, and they ransacked the place.

Bryan said he didn’t agree with that, because he knew how vindictive Stephanie McMahon is, and they are ready for Raw to even the score tonight. He said they will be ready for any attack. He then said he was proud of Smackdown and proud to bleed blue. Bryan transitioned by saying that a lot of things can change in a week. He announced the fifth member of Team Smackdown as John Cena, and then introduced the new WWE Champion AJ Styles. AJ made his entrance to a big ovation.

Once in the ring, a big AJ Styles chant broke out. For whatever reason, the crowd couldn’t get on the same page so it sounded a bit weird. Bryan said they pride themselves on treating their champions as good if not better than they do on Raw, and their Champion of the Universe has a personal advocate, so he’d like to know of AJ Styles has a personal advocate. The crowd chanted yes, and so Bryan launched into a introduction shtick very similar to Paul Heyman to introduce AJ Styles. He said last night Paul Heyman gave a speech, and he agreed with most of it except point F5, where Paul Heyman said that Brock Lesnar would brutalize and victimize AJ Styles.

Bryan then called Brock Lesnar a quitter. He said he quit on WWE years ago, and he quit to a half assed kneebar on a UFC PPV. He said that every time someone pushes Brock Lesnar into deep water, he quits, and nobody is more qualified to push Brock Lesnar into deep water than the Phenomenal One AJ Styles. He said that Brock is big, and Brock is strong, but when you’re that big and strong you can go forever. AJ Styles would push Brock Lesnar out of his comfort zone, and into deep water, and he would mentally quit. Bryan then said that Paul Heyman gave 5 reasons to order the WWE Network, but he only had 1. If you want to see a watch a 6’3” 285 pound man mentally quit to the greatest wrestler of this Generation AJ Styles, then you have to watch this Sunday.

Styles grabbed a mic and said he could talk. He wasn’t a puppet like Brock Lesnar. Styles said that on Sunday he agreed with Paul Heyman that he would be the underdog, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He said that he would prove that Smackdown is the A Show, and that it was the house that AJ Styles built…[c]

My Take: A bit of a clumsy open with Shane playing the hype man backstage, but once things got in the ring I thought Bryan and Styles did very well. Bryan played the advocate shtick like a bit of a joke at first, but then he got very serious and he made some compelling points about dispelling the size advantage and making Styles seem like a credible threat. He always wanted a match with Lesnar, so it’s clear he had thought about all of this before. Styles had less to say, but that’s fine. Bryan had already gotten some good material out on his behalf.

Backstage, AJ Styles walked backstage and ran into Jinder Mahal. He said that after Brock Lesnar rips him in half, he would pick up the pieces and pin him to reclaim his WWE Championship. Styles didn’t sell the interaction and just walked off. In the arena, Sin Cara made his entrance, followed by Sin Cara.

1. Sin Cara vs. Baron Corbin: Sin Cara hit a flying head scissors, and followed up with some strikes and a flying arm drag. Corbin retreated to the floor to get a breather…[c]

We got some picture in picture during the commercial break, with Corbin dominating Sin Cara in and out of the ring. That continued after the break for a moment until Sin Cara started a comeback with some punches, and clotheslined Corbin out to the floor. He followed with a suicide dive, and then a cross body back into the ring for a near fall. Corbin did the Ray Traylor slide out and back in for a clothesline, but Sin Cara ducked. Corbin fired back with a deep six for a near fall.

Sin Cara hit a kick and low bridged Corbin back out to the floor. He then hit a moonsault from the top rope out to the floor. Sin Cara set up for a Swanton inside the ring, but Corbin avoided it and pulled in Sin Cara for End of Days and got the win.

Baron Corbin defeated Sin Cara at 7:14

Corbin celebrated after the match as graphics confirmed Miz vs. Corbin on Sunday. New Day vs. Owens and Zayn was hyped for later in the show…[c]

My Take: With all the Social Media attention Miz and Corbin got with their sniping, it was hard to imagine any other result there. Sin Cara needs some mic time to establish himself before being thrust back into a position for the title.

Footage was shown that recapped the conflict between Raw and Smackdown, and it focused heavily on the feud between Stephanie McMahon and Kurt Angle, and the addition of Triple H to the match. Backstage, Daniel Bryan spoke to Shane McMahon about Survivor Series. Shane said the most important thing for Smackdown right now is cohesion, and Bryan agreed. Shane started to speak, but Bryan stopped him and said that after Sunday they needed to have a conversation. Shane asked about what, and Bryan said cohesion. He continued and said that Shane had never consulted him about the raid, and as a result he got assaulted trying to make peace. Shane started to apologize, but Bryan just threw up his hand and said he’d see him on Sunday. Charlotte made her entrance in the arena…[c]

My Take: I like the authority figure dynamic a lot better on Smackdown than I do Raw, but I still hope it doesn’t end up consuming the brand like it has in so many other scenarios. Bryan and Shane having their differences could be good TV, but they’ve been mostly portrayed as equals since the start, and I hope that doesn’t change now because the show has a deficit of star power that they aren’t willing to fix by establishing new stars.

Natalya made her entrance while footage played of the Charlotte and Natalya match from Hell in a Cell. Ring introductions were made.

2. Natalya vs. Charlotte: The match started with a rollup, and Charlotte got a one count. Nattie slapped Charlotte, who went off and tossed her out to the floor. She then sent her into the barricade and back into the ring. Charlotte followed up with a big boot. Natalya scrambled out to the floor as Charlotte hyped up the crowd that “it was her house”. Hmm…..[c]

Nattie had Charlotte in a surfboard, but she managed to escape. Both women got to her feet and Charlotte hit some chops, but Nattie returned fire with a discus clothesline. Nattie held onto a hold for a moment, but Charlotte escaped and hit a spear. Nattie hit a lariat and went for a Sharpshooter, but Charlotte fired back with a hard forearm, and hit a snap suplex into the corner. Nattie rolled to the floor to escape.

Charlotte met her on the apron and kicked her down to the floor. Charlotte climbed the barricade for a moonsault, but Natalya caught her and slammed her into the post in a nice spot. Nattie didn’t allow the count out, and dragged Charlotte into the ring. She applied the Sharpshooter and Charlotte crawled to the ropes, but Nattie dragged her back into the center of the ring. Charlotte fought back and grabbed the ropes. Nattie released and went to grab Charlotte, but got dumped to the floor.

Nattie got hit with a big boot as she got back in the ring. Charlotte then applied the Figure Eight and got the tap out victory.

Charlotte defeated Natalya to win the Smackdown Women’s Championship at 12:33.

Charlotte was interviewed after the match, and asked for a moment to catch her breath as Nattie just beat the crap out of her. She got a bit emotional about how much she had wanted the Smackdown Women’s Championship every since the Superstar Shake Up, and it took longer than she thought but it feels good to win in her home town. She said as far as Alexa Bliss is concerned, there was a Queen of Raw before there was a Goddess and she would win for Team Blue. She then spoke about her Dad having a rough time the past few months, and even though he couldn’t be there, she wanted to dedicate the victory to him. As she walked to the back, Ric surprised her at the top of the ramp in an emotional moment for both of them.

My Take: A rare hometown victory and feel good moment considering Vince’s normal predilections around losing in your home town. It was nice to see Ric back on his feet, and it was even nicer to see Charlotte and Nattie have the best match of their main roster series when it came time to move the Championship onto Charlotte. They really seem to be setting the Smackdown Brand back on the right track heading towards the end of the year. Charlotte was clearly a babyface here, but I don’t expect that to last forever.

We got another Bludgeon Brothers promo where they walked in the woods and talked about destroying everyone. They are debuting next week. Chad Gabe was in the ring for a match with Jimmy Uso. The Usos made their entrance and talked trash about The Bar. They said they would kick the Swiss Superman with their Kryptonite Legs, and they would knock off Sheamus’s stupid mohawk. They rattled off all the teams they defeated in the tag division and said they were wall locked down, and on Sunday they would welcome The Bar to the Uso Penitentiary.

3. Chad Gable vs. Jimmy Uso: Chad Gable went after the knee of Jimmy straight away with a dragon leg screw, and a used the ropes for leverage to try and dislocate his knee…[c]

If you guess that Chad Gable focused on the knee of Jimmy Uso during the break, reward yourself with a drink of your favorite beverage. Gable climbed to the top rope and went for a moonsault, but had to bail out and land on his feet. Jimmy capitalized with a superkick to his knee. Jimmy followed up with a Samoan drop and a Rikishi Splash in the corner. Gable left to to the outside, but quickly rolled in to interrupt a Jimmy Uso suicide dive. He then rolled back outside to talk trash to Jey Uso and shove him.

Jey gave Chase, and offered enough of a distraction that Jimmy was able to hit a superkick and get the win.

Jimmy Uso defeated Chad Gable at 6:55.

After the match, the announce team put over the Survivor Series match. They said the fifth member of the Women’s Team Smackdown would be revealed on Sunday. It’s either Natalya or a returning Paige. My guess is Paige returning to feud with Charlotte. New Day vs. Owens and Zayn was hyped for the main event…[c]

My Take: I don’t know if this match was really necessary. I would have rather seen some more promo time for the Women’s Survivor Series match. It’s been woefully underbuilt and it feels like the stakes are pretty low.

Backstage, Sami Zayn complained to Kevin Owens about not being on Survivor Series. They also complained about Shane McMahon having a vendetta against them, and that they should be facing the Shield instead of New Day. They called them a circus act, dancing and feeding cereal to people. Owens said A Show or B Show didn’t matter, it was all about the Sami and Kevin Show. Zayn told him it was the Kevin and Sami Show, and they walked off.

In the arena, New Day made their entrance. They spoke about Survivor Series being the only time of the year where Smackdown and Raw compete, and that they would compete against The Shield. They said it was the Hounds of Justice vs. The Unicorns of WWE. Kofi questions why anyone would want to be called a dog, and said they eat their own poop. He then said that they would win on Sunday because they were the only team that hadn’t turned on each other before, that their unity made them stronger. Woods said the only reason the Shield were back together was because of cuffing season, a reference to black twitter where people apparently get back together with their ex to feel better about themselves. After a “who?” bit, it was onto New Day Rocks and the segment was over…[c]

My Take: Kevin and Sami seem set on being a brand unto themselves, which is an interesting gimmick if they do something other than whine about it. New Day is very good at what they do, but it hasn’t changed in a long time.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens made their entrance as New Day clowned on them.

4. New Day vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens: Woods started the match against Zayn. Woods hit a flying head scissors and then tagged in Big E and they traded off making stomps in the corner. Woods and Big E taunted Owens during the assault. Woods continued the assault on Zayn, but he was able to reverse an irish whip and make a tag to Zayn in the corner. Owens entered in fired up and taunted Big E and he stomped on Woods in the corner. Woods recovered and hit a drop toe hold that put Owens on the second rope. Woods then ran and hit a dropkick to Owens back.

New Day made some quick tags, and took it to Owens for a bit with strikes, but he made a tag to Zayn after ducking a clothesline and tagged in Zayn. After a brief moment, Owens pulled Woods out to the floor and hit a running senton when he hit the ropes to attack Zayn…[c]

Owens tagged in as the heels continued to isolate Woods. He held a hold for quite a while before hitting a DDT and covering for a near fall. Owens then pulled him into the corner and Zayn tagged in. Woods exploded out of an irish whip and knocked Owens off the apron. He then rolled past Zayn and made a hot tag to Big E. He hit a suplex on Zayn and then tossed Owens out to the floor. The Shield then interrupted the match, and made their entrance through the crowd.

This match ended up a no contest.

The Shield brawled with New Day. The Usos entered shortly after, followed by The Bar. Backstage, the Raw Women’s team invaded the Smackdown Women’s locker room and cleaned house. Alexa Bliss showed up last to level Charlotte. In the arena, things devolved in the ring and Team Raw dominated. The rest of Team Raw showed up, and some of the Smackdown Roster intervened but it didn’t do any good. Braun Strowman wrecked shop on pretty much everybody.

Eventually, Shane McMahon was held down by The Shield and paraded him for other Raw talent to slap around. Eventually, Kurt Angle got in Shane’s face and told him if he thought this was bad, wait until Sunday. He gave the signal for The Shield to Triple Powerbomb him, which they did. He then hit an Angle Slam. We then got another Triple Powerbomb from The Shield. Honestly, it wasn’t much of a defensive effort from Smackdown.

My Take: For a show that said it would be ready for anything at the outset, they seemed asleep at the wheel when it came time for the Raw assault. The Star Power disparity between the shows in really obvious in these situations, given how little fight the Smackdown Roster put up at the end of the show, and how many marquis starts were along with the Raw invasion. The lack of Cena, Orton, and Styles to assist with the defense of Smackdown made it all the worse. I can’t say I’m surprised the show ended the way it did, but it didn’t really add much for me in terms of interest in the PPV. I just don’t care about Shane McMahon’s feud with Kurt Angle and his sister.

Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens made their entrance as New Day clowned on them.

4. New Day vs. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens: Woods started the match against Zayn. Woods hit a flying head scissors and then tagged in Big E and they traded off making stomps in the corner. Woods and Big E taunted Owens during the assault. Woods continued the assault on Zayn, but he was able to reverse an irish whip and make a tag to Zayn in the corner. Owens entered in fired up and taunted Big E and he stomped on Woods in the corner. Woods recovered and hit a drop toe hold that put Owens on the second rope. Woods then ran and hit a dropkick to Owens back.

New Day made some quick tags, and took it to Owens for a bit with strikes, but he made a tag to Zayn after ducking a clothesline and tagged in Zayn. After a brief moment, Owens pulled Woods out to the floor and hit a running senton when he hit the ropes to attack Zayn…[c]

Owens tagged in as the heels continued to isolate Woods. He held a hold for quite a while before hitting a DDT and covering for a near fall. Owens then pulled him into the corner and Zayn tagged in. Woods exploded out of an irish whip and knocked Owens off the apron. He then rolled past Zayn and made a hot tag to Big E. He hit a suplex on Zayn and then tossed Owens out to the floor. The Shield then interrupted the match, and made their entrance through the crowd.

This match ended up a no contest.

The Shield brawled with New Day. The Usos entered shortly after, followed by The Bar. Backstage, the Raw Women’s team invaded the Smackdown Women’s locker room and cleaned house. Alexa Bliss showed up last to level Charlotte. In the arena, things devolved in the ring and Team Raw dominated. The rest of Team Raw showed up, and some of the Smackdown Roster intervened but it didn’t do any good. Braun Strowman wrecked shop on pretty much everybody.

Eventually, Shane McMahon was held down by The Shield and paraded him for other Raw talent to slap around. Eventually, Kurt Angle got in Shane’s face and told him if he thought this was bad, wait until Sunday. He gave the signal for The Shield to Triple Powerbomb him, which they did. He then hit an Angle Slam. We then got another Triple Powerbomb from The Shield. Honestly, it wasn’t much of a defensive effort from Smackdown.

My Take: For a show that said it would be ready for anything at the outset, they seemed asleep at the wheel when it came time for the Raw assault. The Star Power disparity between the shows in really obvious in these situations, given how little fight the Smackdown Roster put up at the end of the show, and how many marquis starts were along with the Raw invasion. The lack of Cena, Orton, and Styles to assist with the defense of Smackdown made it all the worse. I can’t say I’m surprised the show ended the way it did, but it didn’t really add much for me in terms of interest in the PPV. I just don’t care about Shane McMahon’s feud with Kurt Angle and his sister.