By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Episode 1,150)
Live from New York, New York at Madison Square Garden
Aired September 10, 2021 on Fox
[Hour One] Smackdown opened with a video package on Saturday’s twentieth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks… The MSG crowd chanted “USA” and then the broadcast team of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee checked in from ringside. They noted that it was the first time WWE had been at MSG in over two years and said it would be a celebration…
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his entrance along with Paul Heyman, and Smackdown Tag Team Champions Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso. Cole noted that MSG was sold out with 14,425 fans in attendance.
Reigns asked Heyman if WWE runs New York City when it comes to sports entertainment. Heyman said it owns it. Reigns asked who runs WWE. Heyman said Reigns runs WWE. Reigns said he and The Bloodline run WWE, which means he runs New York City and MSG. “So, MSG, acknowledge me,” Reigns said. There were a lot of cheers and a “Roman” chant.
Brock Lesnar’s music played and the fans popped. Lesnar walked out dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a sleeveless flannel shirt. Lesnar took his slow lap around the ring while glaring at everyone inside. Lesnar entered the ring and immediately went face to face with Reigns while the Uso’s stood at his side. The Uso’s took a step forward while Reigns stood behind them. The fans chanting “holy shit” was censored.
Heyman said he didn’t understand. Heyman questioned why Lesnar would go after the WWE Universal Championship when they could go after so many other titles together. “I’ve got a question for you, Paul,” Lesnar said. “Why didn’t you tell Roman that I was going to be at SummerSlam.” The fans chanted “you f—ed up” and were muted again.
Heyman told Reigns that he didn’t know. Reigns took his title belt away from Heyman and left the ring with the Uso’s, leaving Heyman in the ring alone with Lesnar. Heyman tried to do his big introduction of Lesnar, who laughed and then played into it. Lesnar smiled and clapped. Lesnar took the mic and said that was great and added that it was just like old times.
“Before Roman Reigns fires you, accept my challenge, please,” Lesnar said. Heyman asked what challenge. “My shot at Roman Reigns for the Universal Title,” said Lesnar, who added that Heyman had five seconds. Lesnar counted down rom five. Once Lesnar got to two, he hoisted up Heyman for an F5. Reigns returned to the ring and gave Lesnar a Superman Punch.
Reigns went for another, but Lesnar caught him. The Uso’s each superkicked Lesnar, who clotheslined them both. Lesnar hit Jimmy and Jey with German Suplexes and then removed his flannel before staring down Reigns, who was at ringside with Heyman…
Backstage, the teams who would compete in a ten-man tag match met up in the hallway and bickered… [C]
Powell’s POV: A hot opening. Lesnar didn’t say much, but he toyed with Heyman and then delivered the rest of his lines with intensity. It’s fun to see him playing a babyface after all this time. I currently have zero desire to see another heel Lesnar vs. babyface Reigns match again, but I’m all in for babyface Lesnar vs. heel Reigns.
A graphic touted WWE’s 13.5 million TikTok followers…
Roman Reigns was shown walking backstage with his crew. Kayla Braxton showed up and tried to speak to them, but Reigns and his cousins entered their dressing room. Braxton asked Heyman if Reigns would respond to Lesnar’s challenge. Heyman said Braxton was hanging out in the hallway acting like a Jersey Girl by asking them questions at the wrong time. He said Reigns would respond to Lesnar when he feels it’s the appropriate time…
With the other entrants in the ring, King Nakamura and Rick Boogs made their entrance until they were interrupted by Sami Zayn, who was wearing a New York Knicks jersey. Zayn said he loves New York. He said he had someone who could help his team because he’s familiar with winning at MSG. NBA star Trae Young was introduced. Cole noted that Young’s Atlanta Hawks eliminated the New York Knicks from the playoffs…
1. Big E, King Nakamura, Rick Boogs, Rey Mysterio, and Dominik Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn, Otis, Chad Gable, Robert Roode, and Dolph Ziggler (w/Trae Young, Commander Aziz). The heels got the better of Nakamura during the first 90 seconds of the match. [C]
The “NXT 2.0” video aired.
Powell’s POV: Wouldn’t this be NXT 3.0? The damn thing started as a weird gameshow, evolved, and produced some of WWE’s best programming over the years.
Zayn distracted the referee while Young choked Rey over the middle rope. The referee spotted Young and ejected him from ringside. Rey set up Zayn on the ropes. Rey tagged in Dom and they hit a double 619. Big E tagged in and hit the Big Ending on Zayn and pinned him…
Big E, King Nakamura, Rick Boogs, Rey Mysterio, and Dominik Mysterio beat Sami Zayn, Otis, Chad Gable, Robert Roode, and Dolph Ziggler in 7:25.
After the match, Braxton entered the ring and asked Big E what’s next for him. Big E held up the Money in the Bank briefcase and said fans may not have seen the last of him tonight. He teased the possibility of cashing in on Roman Reigns or Bobby Lashley, and also teased that it could happen when he shows up on Raw. Big E played to the fans with the briefcase…
Powell’s POV: WWE previously had Young make the announcement of the New Year’s Day pay-per-view that WWE will be holding in Atlanta. I got a kick out of him being a heel at MSG.
Cole hyped Edge vs. Seth Rollins for later in the show…
Bianca Belair made her entrance in regular attire to a good reaction. Cole hyped the Belair and Becky Lynch contract signing for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules as coming up next… [C]
Another 9/11 video package aired with quotes from former President George W Bush…
Greg Hamilton introduced members of the Feel Good Foundation, who were in the crowd…
Bianca Belair stood inside the ring with Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville and the contract signing table. Pearce handed her the contract to sign. Belair spoke about being at MSG. She said she was excited to be in the ring with Becky Lynch at SummerSlam. She said she respects Lynch and felt she would never run from a fight.
“But my have things changed,” Belair said. She said she doesn’t respect her as much as she used to. Belair said that Lynch could win back some of her respect at Extreme Rules while she wins back her championship. Belair signed the contract.
Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch made her entrance wearing a red fur coat over the rest of her attire. Lynch took a seat and said, “The original WrestleMania main eventer has arrived.” Lynch accused Belair of being starstruck by her at SummerSlam. Lynch told Belair should be a fan or be The Man. She said there’s no shame in “sitting out there with the regular people.”
Lynch asked what if she declined to sign the contract. Belair told her to “sign the damn contract.” Belair fired up the crowd, which chanted “sign it.” Lynch recalled sitting at home listening to the fans chant “We Want Becky.” Lynch said she came back on last minute notice and won the title in 26 seconds and this is how they are treating her.
Lynch said she left her baby girl at home for the people and now they are choosing a flash in the pan over her. Lynch said if you can’t join them, beat them. She said she would give Belair her match, but it would end the same way. Lynch signed the contract and tossed it at Belair, who caught it. Lynch left the ring to some boos…
Powell’s POV: Good heel and babyface work by Lynch and Belair. I’m still not convinced that Lynch turning heel was the best move for WWE business, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy her work as a heel or her feud with Belair. By the way, we still don’t know what would happen if a wrestler refused to sign a match contract.
Footage aired of some of the recent developments in the Edge vs. Seth Rollins feud along with some of their promo clips…
Edge made his entrance to a big ovation for his match against Seth Rollins… [C] Cole hyped an Erin Andrews interview with Aaron Rodgers (vomit) for the Fox pre-game show on Sunday…
Paul Heyman was shown talking on his phone while walking backstage. Shotzi and Nox asked him if he needed a ride, then drove away on their tank. Kayla Braxton popped up behind Heyman, who was irked. Heyman said Reigns was going to watch his cousins defend their tag titles, and then Reigns would answer the challenge of Lesnar later in the show. “Whether that’s a yes or a no, don’t you just love a good cliffhanger,” Heyman said. Heyman turned to walk away, but Big E was standing there. Big E held up the Money in the Bank briefcase to taunt Heyman…
Seth Rollins made his entrance…
[Hour Two] 2. Edge vs. Seth Rollins. Edge performed a drop toe hold to send Rollins face first into a turnbuckle pad. Edge followed up by running Rollins through the ropes and into the ring post casing. Rollins came back by pulling Edge to the floor and running him into the barricade. Back in the ring, Rollins hit Edge with a knee to the back that sent him back to the floor. Rollins performed a suicide dive. [C]
An ad for Raw hyped Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship.
Powell’s POV: Wait, so they had a nearly one-hour Tag Team Turmoil match on Monday to set up Lashley and MVP challenging Orton and Riddle for the tag titles and now they’re going with the WWE Championship match that had been advertised for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view?
Rollins hit Edge with a Glam Slam while Cole pointed out that it’s the finishing move of Edge’s wife Beth Phoenix. Rollins hit another Glam Slam and covered Edge for a near fall. Edge came back with a Pedigree for a near fall of his own. The broadcast team noted that Edge was paying homage, but they didn’t mention Triple H by name. “The man who made that famous is an absolute stud,” McAfee said. Rollins went to ringside. Edge went to the top rope and dove onto him on the floor. [C]
Edge performed a Full Nelson Slam for another two count coming out of the break. Edge went up top, but Rollins raced up to join him. Edge picked up Rollins in suplex position and dropped him face first on the mat. Edge went for a submission hold, but Rollins rolled out of it and sent Edge crashing into the turnbuckle pad.
Edge escaped a crossface and then applied the same hold on Rollins. Edge released the hold and slammed Rollins’ face into the mat. Rollins grabbed the bottom rope. Edge performed the Edgecution DDT. Edge went for a spear, but Rollins countered into a neckbreaker. Rollins charged Edge for a Stomp. Edge caught him and performed a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall.
Edge mounted Rollins on the ropes. Rollins powered Edge up and walked across the ring and then performed a Buckle Bomb. Rollins ran the ropes for a Stomp, but Edge speared him and covered him for a great near fall.
Edge pushed Rollins into the corner where the referee was located. As the referee slipped out, Rollins kicked Edge below the belt. Rollins kicked Edge’s knee and then superkicked Edge, who fell to his knees. Rollins leaned down and glared at Edge, who looked back at him. Rollins superkicked Edge again. Rollins waited for Edge to sit up again. “Why won’t you die?” Rollins asked before delivering another superkick. Rollins performed The Stomp on Edge and then slowly dropped to his knees and covered him for the pin.
Seth Rollins beat Edge in 24:30.
Cole played up Edge’s past neck surgery. EMTs rushed out with a stretcher. Sonya Deville also came out and joined the EMTs in the ring… [C]
Powell’s POV: A pay-per-view caliber match. This was great and is totally worth going out of your way to watch if you didn’t see Smackdown live. I assume the Rollins win means they will have their blowoff match at Extreme Rules or Crown Jewel. Either way, I like the way that Rollins played this. He didn’t go into cackling Rollins mode. He actually kept a straight face while surveying the damage he did to Edge.
The NXT 2.0 video aired again…
Edge was wheeled on a stretcher through the backstage area by EMTs, Adam Pearce, Sonya Deville, and Rey Mysterio. At the broadcast table, Cole said this is the moment everyone feared ever since Edge returned after undergoing double fusion neck surgery. They narrated highlights from the end of the match…
Backstage, Rollins told Megan Morant that he didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about what he did to Edge…
Roman Reigns told the Uso’s that they run New York, MSG, and WWE. The Uso’s assured him that they would make the family proud. After they left the room, Reigns turned his attention to Heyman. “I saved you,” Reigns said “Why didn’t you tell me Brock was at SummerSlam?” Heyman didn’t respond… [C]
A 9/11 video aired featuring quotes from former President Barrack Obama…
3. Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. “The Street Profits” Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins for the Smackdown Tag Titles. Roman Reigns was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor while Heyman stared at Reigns. Jimmy kicked Ford off the apron and then hit him with a suicide dive roughly 30 seconds into the match. [C]
The Uso’s isolated Dawkins for a stretch. Ford eventually performed a flip dive over the top rope onto both Uso’s at ringside. Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman walked to ringside. [C] Ford hit one of the Uso’s with a kick and lost his shoe. He did some back flips and performed a standing Blockbuster for a near fall.
Ford and Dawkins teamed for a Doomsday style Blockbuster that resulted in another near fall. Dawkins ate a superkick from Jey, who was at ringside. Jimmy superkicked Dawkins and then tagged in Jey, who performed a top rope splash for a good near fall. Reigns was shown at ringside while Heyman stood behind him staring and looking emotional. A short time later, Ford performed a top rope splash and had the pin, but Reigns broke it up for the DQ.
The Street Profits beat Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso by DQ in 15:25 in a Smackdown Tag Title match.
Reigns put Ford in a guillotine and choked him out. Heyman presented Reigns with the mic. Reigns said that if Lesnar wants it, he’s going to get it. Reigns said he would smash Lesnar as soon as he was done smashing Finn Balor. “The Demon” version of Balor made his entrance. McAfee said Reigns would not be facing Balor, he would face The Demon at Extreme Rules. The Demon entered the ring for a staredown with Reigns, who had his cousins and Heyman behind him….
Powell’s POV: A good main event with a disappointing finish that was washed away by The Demon entrance. With Reigns vs. Lesnar confirmed as coming up after Reigns vs. Balor, they needed to do something to make Reigns vs. Balor feel bigger, and I think the accomplished that by going with The Demon persona.
Overall, this was a really good show from start to finish. WWE always strives to deliver something special at MSG and this was no exception. I will be by shortly with my same night audio review of Smackdown. Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
Check out Colin McGuire’s AEW Rampage review via the main page.
You know what. THAT is the definition of “pop”
This was a perfect episode of professional wrestling, great wrestling with stories told in all the big matches, we couldn’t of asked for anymore
I can tell you that the censoring you guys got on Fox was local. There was no such censoring on Fox8 in Australia.
” I’m still not convinced that Lynch turning heel was the best move for WWE business,”
maybe or maybe not but from reports and Rumors I have heared Becky Lynch requested she return as a heel and if true then it was her choice and it should be respected.
No, it should be analyzed regardless of who made the call. You can respect it. Part of my job is to analyze it from a business perspective.
Also, the whole “this was actually the talent’s idea” narrative stinks of passing the blame on shitty creative decisions.
Very good show.
Why does all the top guys Roman, Bryan , Brock, Rollins have to have their hair up in a bun or little ponytail ? Too many do
Becky as a heel its working to point , looks like shes been picking up big coat look from Seth.
Roman on a another level looks like a champ unlike Omega who looks like a used car salesman.
Only 3 matches tonight on tv which was fine.
I am disappointed that Bianca didn’t challenge Becky’s cowardice. Would’ve really added to the storyline