By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Episode 1,154)
Live from San Jose, California at SAP Center
Aired October 8, 2021 on Fox
[Hour One] Smackdown opened with the contract signing segment between Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, and Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women’s Championship match at Crown Jewel. The broadcast team was Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.
Authority figures Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville stood in the ring next to the contract signing table. Belair was in the ring, while Banks stood on the broadcast table, and Lynch was seated in the entranceway.
Footage aired of Lynch’s interference costing Belair her match with Banks last week. Lynch taunted Belair about being on a losing streak. Lynch also boasted about beating Belair in 26 seconds. Belair said she was the one waiting in the ring while the other two were at ringside.
Belair picked up one of the office chairs used for the contract signing and struggled, but she tossed it over the ropes to the floor. Lynch tipped a table over that she was sitting behind. Banks entered the ring and attacked Belair from behind. Lynch entered the ring and stomped Belair until Banks pulled her off and they fought.
Belair picked up Lynch and Banks on her shoulders. Banks slipped off. Belair swung Lynch’s legs so that they hit Banks, who fell onto the contract signing table. Belair gave Lynch a KOD onto Banks and through the table. Belair twirled her braid and played to the crowd to close the segment without a contract being signed…
Powell’s POV: It’s was definitely time for Belair to stand tall after Lynch cost her matches on last week’s Smackdown and Monday’s Raw. Am I the only one who wishes they wouldn’t sign the contract until after Crown Jewel passes so that the match would take place on a different show? I can dream.
Backstage, Rey Mysterio was talking with son Dominik Mysterio when Kayla Braxton showed up and asked Rey about his King of the Ring match. Rey said it would make him sick if Sami Zayn won and became the king. Rey and Dom shook hands.
It was hard to make out, but it looked like Dom said he wasn’t going to accompany his father to ringside, so Rey made his entrance on his own. Cole hyped Rey vs. Zayn as the first King of the Ring tournament match for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: An ad for the December 13 Raw in St. Paul at Xcel Energy Center listed Big E, Randy Orton, and Riddle vs. Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, and Omos in a six-man tag match as the dark main event.
Backstage, Sami Zayn told Dom that he made the right call and it’s time for him to be his own man. Zayn told Dom that he thinks Dom is better than his father. Zayn made his entrance…
The brackets listed Mysterio vs. Zayn with the winner facing the winner of Cesaro vs. Finn Balor. The other side of the bracket has Kofi Kingston vs. Jinder Mahal with the winner facing the winner of Xavier Woods vs. Ricochet. Cole noted that Shinsuke Nakamura relinquished his crown to Adam Pearce out of respect for the tournament…
1. Sami Zayn vs. Rey Mysterio in a King of the Ring tournament first round match. Cole noted that the finals of the tournament will be held at Crown Jewel. Zayn sent Rey into the corner and he went under the bottom rope and hit the ring post. Rey rolled to the floor. Dom walked out and stood over his father. [C]
Rey performed a huracanrana from the ropes for a near fall. Zayn avoided a 619 attempt and put Rey down with a 619 for a near fall of his own. Zayn removed a top turnbuckle pad while the referee checked on Rey. Dom picked up the pad and started tying it up again. Rey told Dom to get off the apron. Zayn shoved Rey into Dom and then rolled up Rey and pinned him.
Sami Zayn defeated Rey Mysterio in roughly 8:00 to advance to the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament.
Powell’s POV: The issues between Rey and Dom continue to build. As much as I’d love to see King Sami, he has stated that he wasn’t invited to past WWE shows in Saudi Arabia and didn’t have interest in going. So unless something has changed, I assume he’s losing to Cesaro or Balor next week.
The updated brackets showed that Zayn will face the winner of Cesaro vs. Finn Balor in next week’s semifinal match…
Seth Rollins was shown on the backstage ring interview set with Kayla Braxton… [C] A Hit Row vignette aired and listed them as coming soon… The broadcast team spoke about the new Smackdown roster and noted that the brand split would go into effect in two weeks… A video package aired on Seth Rollins and Edge…
Backstage, Braxton asked Rollins if he crossed a line by breaking into Edge’s house. Rollins recalled beating Edge at MSG. He said he’s challenged him to find out who the better man is and went to his home to get an answer. He said he didn’t cross any lines and still hasn’t received an answer. Rollins said he didn’t know why he was talking with Braxton when she doesn’t have any power. He said he was going to find someone who does…
Zelina Vega made her entrance for the first Queen’s Crown tournament match. A pre-taped Vega promo aired. She said she would make everyone kiss her ring when she wins. Cole hyped Vega vs. Toni Storm for after the break… [C] Storm made her entrance. She spoke about winning the tournament and made references to Joan Jett, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna…
The brackets listed the winner of Storm vs. Vega facing the winner of Liv Morgan vs. Carmella, and the Doudrop vs. Natalya winner facing the winner of Dana Brooke vs. Shayna Baszler…
2. Toni Storm vs. Zelina Vega in a Queen’s Crown tournament first round match. Vega caught Storm on the ropes and pulled her back into the ring. Vega performed a sunset bomb and scored the pin…
Zelina Vega defeated Toni Storm in 2:10 to advance to the semifinals of the Queen’s Crown tournament.
Powell’s POV: Wow, I didn’t see that one coming, particularly with a clean finish. As much as I would like to see the company get behind Storm, I’m not going to complain about Vega getting some rare love from creative.
A sponsored ad recapped Smackdown drafting Roman Reigns with the first overall pick in the draft…
The Bloodline of Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Paul Heyman made their entrance. Cole hyped that Reigns had a message for Brock Lesnar coming up after the break… [C]
An ad for Raw listed Big E and Drew McIntyre meeting face to face, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, and the King of the Ring and Queen’s Crown tournament matches…
The broadcast team hyped Big E appearing on the Fox “Big Noon Kickoff” college football pre-game show ahead of his alma mater Iowa hosting Penn State…
Reigns, Heyman, and the Usos stood in the ring coming out of the break. Reigns told the fans to acknowledge him. Reigns recalled Heyman having one job to do in making sure he got his cousins drafted to Smackdown. Reigns said that’s what Heyman did and then told the fans to acknowledge Heyman.
Reigns put his arm around Heyman and told him that he loves him. He said his cousins also love Heyman. Reigns said Heyman is the wiseman to The Bloodline. Reigns said he wanted Heyman to be wise and tell the truth.
Reigns heard a “Suplex City” chant. “Silly San Jose, Suplex City doesn’t exist, this is the Island of Relevancy,” Reigns said. Reigns told Heyman to admit that he was responsible for Brock Lesnar’s free agency. Heyman squirmed.
[Hour Two] Heyman said he was in a terrible situation because it would sound like he was spinning things. Heyman said he’s been with Roman’s family for forty years. Heyman said Reigns saved him by making him his special counsel. Heyman said he’s been accused of many things and he’s guilty of even more, but he’s never been accused of being stupid.
Heyman said pulling the trigger on a scheme against Reigns would be stupid. He said it would be foolish to do it now when he could work out a strategy with Reigns for Crown Jewel and then leak it to Lesnar. Heyman started to say that The Conquerer would be conquered, but he stopped what he was saying when Reigns put his hand out.
Heyman handed Reigns the mic. Reigns told Heyman he wanted him to look into the camera and tell Lesnar. Reigns assured Heyman that he would protect him. Heyman looked into the camera and gave a speech about how Reigns would be victorious at Crown Jewel.
Heyman told Lesnar that it wasn’t just a prediction, it was a spoiler. “And you can believe that,” Heyman said before tossing the mic. Heyman dropped down on his knees and folded his hands while facing Reigns, who hoisted his title belt above his head…
Powell’s POV: The story of Heyman being made to squirm by both Reigns and Lesnar has been fun. I don’t think there’s any real mystery regarding where Heyman stands, but it’s still an entertaining story.
Backstage, Seth Rollins told Pearce and Deville that he was going to the ring and hoped Edge would show up and answer his challenge. He said that if Edge didn’t show up, then things wouldn’t go very well. He gave them a framed photo of Edge and Beth Phoenix and asked them to return to Edge if they saw him first. McAfee wondered on commentary if Rollins was threatening to hold the show hostage and called him a scumbag…
Carmella made her entrance for her Queen’s Crown match while highlights aired of her putting on the glittery mask last week… [C]
3. Liv Morgan vs. Carmella in a Queens Crown tournament first round match. The end of Morgan’s entrance was televised. Carmella rolled to ringside and had some attendants put her glittery face mask on. Carmella applied her Code of Silence finisher just seconds into the match. Morgan pulled on the face mask and then Carmella released the hold. A short time later, Carmella avoided Morgan’s finisher and then superkicked her and pinned her clean…
Carmella beat Liv Morgan in 1:40 to advance to the semifinals of the Queen’s Crown tournament.
The updated brackets showed Zelina Vega vs. Carmella in the semifinals of the tournament…
Powell’s POV: I’m all for the clean finishes, but the two women’s matches were so brief that they made both babyfaces look bad for losing so quickly. I’m surprised to see a heel vs. heel match set for the semifinals.
Braxton interviewed Mace on the backstage ring set and asked him about competing as a singles wrestler for the first time. He said he wouldn’t use the word compete because that implies there would be competition. He said he wasn’t coming to compete, he was coming to annihilate…
Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss made their entrance. A pre-tape aired with the two of them laughing it up after Moss told a bad joke. The broadcast team hyped the Happy Talk talkshow with The Street Profits as the guests for after the break… [C]
Corbin sat in the ring on a lounge chair while Moss stood between him and a table that had a bottle of booze and some glasses. Moss asked what kind of instrument you find in a bathroom. The punchline was a tube of toothpaste.
Kevin Owens came out and attacked both men. He was about to hit Moss with a Stunner, but Corbin cut him off. The heels worked over Owens and then stood over him and laughed…
Powell’s POV: I guess the Profits were too pissed about Owens ruining their scheduled talkshow appearance to come out and save him? I enjoyed the Corbin transformation, but the end result of Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss strikes me as an act that will generate go away heat rather than good heat.
Naomi entered the authority figure office and asked why she wasn’t chosen to be in the Queen’s Crown tournament. Deville said she’s not worthy of being a queen or being on Smackdown. Naomi asked Pearce to trade her back to Raw. Deville said she wasn’t done with her and then informed her that they would have a match against one another next week…
Finn Balor made his entrance for his KOTR match… [C] The broadcast team touted the new Smackdown roster that goes into effect in two weeks… Cesaro made his entrance…
4. Finn Balor vs. Cesaro in a King of the Ring tournament first round match. Balor backdropped Cesaro over the top rope to the floor. Balor ran the ropes for a suicide dive, but Cesaro returned to the ring and hit him with a popup uppercut that resulted in a two count. Balor rolled to ringside. [C]
Balor and Cesaro had a back and forth battle with both men picking up near falls. Balor sent Cesaro to ringside and then performed a flip dive onto him. Balor sent Cesaro back inside the ring and then dropkicked him in the corner. Balor hit the Coup De Grace and scored the clean pin…
Finn Balor defeated Cesaro in 11:25 to advance to the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament.
Powell’s POV: The best match of the night, not that it’s saying much when the two women’s matches were so brief. Still, it was a good match and I continue to appreciate the clean finishes.
Backstage, Becky Lynch barked at Pearce and Deville that Smackdown is her show. She said she has delivered on every request they have made of her and wants respect put on her name. Deville said they know how good Lynch is and encouraged her to prove it by signing the contract, which she did. She shoved the contract folder into Pearce’s mid-section, but he acted like it hit him in the balls…
Seth Rollins made his entrance… [C] WWE touted a “Super-Sized Smackdown” on FS1 with Brock Lesnar returning, Finn Balor vs. Sami Zayn in the semifinals of the KOTR tournament, Carmella vs. Zelina Vega in a Queen’s Crown semifinal match, and Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in a non-title match…
Powell’s POV: Smackdown is being bumped from Fox due to the network’s MLB coverage next week. The “super-sized” name is due to the show being two-and-a-half hours in length, meaning the last thirty minutes will run opposite the first thirty minutes of next week’s AEW Rampage. It will be fun to see what both companies go with during those thirty minutes.
Seth Rollins stood in the ring and called for Edge to accept his match challenge. He said Edge could name the time, the place, and the stipulation. He said they could even have the match in his living room so that his wife and daughters could cheer him on.
Rollins said that if Edge wasn’t going to show up, then he would take it as an admission that he’s not Edge Lite and that he’s better than Edge in every possible way. Rollins continued to rant until Edge was shown arriving in the backstage area.
Edge came to the ring and speared Rollins and then worked him over inside and outside the ring. Edge grabbed a piece of the chair for his crossface, but Rollins escaped. Edge grabbed a mic. “You, me, Hell in a Cell,” Edge said. Rollins acted shocked. Edge stood in the ring with a chair in hand while a concerned Rollins stood at ringside…
Powell’s POV: I assume the HIAC match will be held at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, but they didn’t officially announce the location. The closing angle was solid with Edge showing the type of fire that the situation called for. Overall, the show was entertaining thanks in part to the matches having more meaning due to the tournaments. I will be back shortly with my weekly same night Smackdown audio review for Dot Net Members. Let me know what you thought of this episode by grading it below.
Join Colin McGuire for his live review of AEW Rampage via the main page.
Sami would pretty much need to denounce his heritage to get put on one of those shows which he’s definitely not gonna do
Heyman and Reigns on the mic are gold. Paul is doing the perfect slimeball manager bit and Roman is reaching a level I didn’t think he ever would.
The rest of the first hour has been okay, with nothing completely insulting.
And just like that we get Carmella looking like the Phantom of the High School Musical as she just won’t get off TV and stay there.
Now we’ve got Happy & Madcap doing Best Friends/Elite level bad comedy. Hopefully that’s the end of the garbage for the night.
Not a fan of how they got there, but Rollins vs Edge in HIAC should be really good.
I didn’t see smackdown, Vega got a clean win? Was that her first clean win since returning?? Good to see, hope she gets a bit of a push
Man the Rollins stalking thing and giving the pic to DeVille was a little edgy considering what she went through. Ouch
I didn’t even think of that part. How the hell does that get the okay?
And there goes Liv Morgans “semi-push” again.
You could’ve had both the womens matched six times over in the promo time Roman got.
One wrestler pushed above all others, women getting 1 minute matches, it’s 2008 all over again.
It’s also 1985 and 1997 again, and those are the beginnings of the two most successful times pro wrestling has seen in the last 40 years.