By Jason Powell, Prowrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Dot Net reader Brian Oglesby attended Tuesday’s WWE Smackdown taping in Greenville, South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Center and sent the following report.
The Usos defeated The Bar in the opening dark match.
The biggest pops were for Charlotte Flair, New Day, Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles.
The most heat was for Carmella and Drew Gulak.
In the dark match after 205 Live, AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson defeated Samoa Joe, Randy Orton, and Shinsuke Nakamura. The match was basically a huge free for all and ended with everyone hitting their finishers on each other and Styles turning the Kinshasa into the Styles Clash for the victory.
If there was a disappointment from the show it would be that Daniel Bryan did not appear in front of the live crowd despite being advertised on the WWE website, the arena website and even on the marquee outside of the arena. Miz didn’t appear either. I thought those two may have been apart of the post 205 Live dark match but it didn’t happen.
No return date was announced.
Powell’s POV: Meanwhile, Dot Net reader J Kelly sounded off on the the show quality and the top names who did not wrestle. I assume he left before the dark main event. “So I attended the Smackdown in Greenville. I was sitting on the floor all the way in the back. I don’t recommend that seat. It looked mostly full and the crowd was really into it until the end. This was by far the worst wrestling show I have ever been to and I was present at December to Dismember. I left after Smackdown in complete disgust for a waste of time and money. Here is who never wrestled: Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and The Miz. None of the top male competitors wrestled. Before the show, The Bar and The Usos wrestled in probably the best match all night. Just not a good show at all. Terrible build to SummerSlam except for the Miz and Bryan videos. I can’t see paying to see WWE again if this is the hot garbage they are going to produce for a live audience.”
If you’re going to leave before the show’s over, don’t you deserve what you get?
Do you not know that, typically, top names go on last?
Like that’s why Ric Flair, even in tag matches, was always LAST?
I get being frustrated and I am no defender of WWE, LOL. But come on, man.