WWE Smackdown Review
(October 4th)
A new look, a new set, a new theme, a new network, overall a new day in the history of Smackdown! Smackdown moved to FOX Network last night and this was a big night for the WWE! Not only did we celebrate the new move, but this was always the 20th anniversary of Smackdown as well! So much hype with big matches announced and tons of legendary appearances made this show a must see event. Did they live up to the hype? Let's find out!
Show kicked off with an appearance by Vince and Stephanie McMahon! They simply welcomed the crowd to Smackdown and got everyone excited by showing off the new intro along with pyro as well!
RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch arrives as she hypes up the crowd with a tease of kicking someone's ass. She's then interrupted by King Baron Corbin as he questions Becky for still referring to herself as "The Man". Becky threatens Corbin that she'll show him why she still calls herself The Man and this prompted the return of The Rock! Crowd went nuts as The Great One made his entrance and it sure as hell was electrifying. Rock cracked some jokes with Becky as they both mocked Corbin then Corbin retaliated with some jokes of his own. Rock then teases that Becky and himself will beat down Corbin then they both began double teaming on him. Becky hits a Leg Drop then Rock nails the People's Elbow! Corbin gets up and Becky kicks him in the face then Rock finishes him off with the Rock Bottom! Rock and Becky celebrate afterwards with the fans and this was a great moment to kick off the show.
Show kicked off with an appearance by Vince and Stephanie McMahon! They simply welcomed the crowd to Smackdown and got everyone excited by showing off the new intro along with pyro as well!
RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch arrives as she hypes up the crowd with a tease of kicking someone's ass. She's then interrupted by King Baron Corbin as he questions Becky for still referring to herself as "The Man". Becky threatens Corbin that she'll show him why she still calls herself The Man and this prompted the return of The Rock! Crowd went nuts as The Great One made his entrance and it sure as hell was electrifying. Rock cracked some jokes with Becky as they both mocked Corbin then Corbin retaliated with some jokes of his own. Rock then teases that Becky and himself will beat down Corbin then they both began double teaming on him. Becky hits a Leg Drop then Rock nails the People's Elbow! Corbin gets up and Becky kicks him in the face then Rock finishes him off with the Rock Bottom! Rock and Becky celebrate afterwards with the fans and this was a great moment to kick off the show.
Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair Vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley
Good Tag match here. We got to see a preview of HIAC as Becky and Sasha went at it for quite a bit and the fans were behind it every second of it. Bayley and Charlotte had some unfinished business from Clash of Champions and it showed as Charlotte targeted her the most. Charlotte even made Bayley tap out to the Figure 8 and picks up the win for her team! Good tag match like I said and this made me believe that Charlotte will get another shot at the Smackdown Women's Championship, possibly at HIAC.
Seth Rollins Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Before the match began, Seth was interrupted by the Firefly Funhouse as Bray Wyatt tried to get inside his head before HIAC. He decided to play a game where Rambling Rabbit portrayed as Seth Rollins while Mercy The Buzzard portrayed The Fiend for their Hell in a Cell Match this Sunday. Mercy literally tears Rambling Rabbit apart then Bray picks up his remains and tells Seth that'll be his fate this Sunday. As for the match, it barely got going. Rollins and Nakamura square up for a little then Rollins tries to go for the Curb Stomp early on. All of a sudden, the lights started shutting off and we immediately knew what that means! Next we see Rollins on stage then The Fiend applies the Mandible Claw to him, leaving him laying. The Fiend continues to look menacing as he prepares to take the Universal Championship from Rollins this Sunday! Rollins' days as champion are indeed numbered from the looks of it.
Kevin Owens Vs. Shane McMahon (Ladder Match)
This was good match as these two men used any ladder they got their hands on to their advantage. Highs spots were included as Shane performed his vintage Diving Elbow Drop on KO through the announce table. KO retaliated by hitting the Frog Splash on Shane through a ladder that was prompt up on the edge of the barricade and the apron of the ring. Action continues inside of the ring and Shane performs the Coast to Coast onto KO as a ladder was set up in front of him. Shane tries to go for the briefcase but KO grabs him then Powerbombs him onto another prompted ladder! KO finally grabs the briefcase and wins the match, finally ending Shane's television appearance! Afterwards, Owens grabs a mic and simply tells Shane that he's fired then tops it off by giving him the Stunner!
Braun Strowman, The Miz & Heavy Machinery Vs. AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler
This match started off with Miz and Ziggler then chaos broke loose once Braun came in. Braun covers Ziggler as Roode breaks it up then Miz gives Roode the Skull Crushing Finale. Orton follows that up with an RKO on Miz then Otis takes him out with the Shoulder Tackle, followed up by the Phenomenal Forearm to Otis from Styles! Tucker takes out Styles with a Clothesline then Braun does his Sprinting Shoulder Tackles at ringside to his opponents. Next thing we know, Braun teases a face off against professional boxer Tyson Fury. Braun finally finishes the match by putting Ziggler away with the Running Powerslam and picks up the win for his team. Afterwards, Tyson suddenly hops the barricade as he wanted to go after Strowman. The crowd was amped up for this and chanted, "Let them fight!"
Roman Reigns Vs. Erick Rowan (Lunberjack Match)
This was a decent match as Rowan was made to look like a monster. Whenever he was outside of the ring, Rowan would decimate the lumberjacks which was funny to see because of who the lumberjacks were including The Viking Raiders, Ali, etc. Daniel Bryan was on commentary but was the first to notice Luke Harper coming out as he came to aid Rowan. Rowan and Harper brawl with the lumberjacks and this causes Roman to hit his Big Dive over the top rope onto everyone! Action continues in the ring and Rowan almost had Reigns beat for a second. Harper comes back into the mix but Bryan takes him out with the Running Knee! Rowan then grabs Bryan but eats a Spear from Roman and he picks up the win! Afterwards, Bryan and Roman shake hands as they plan to take down Rowan and Harper this Sunday at the PPV.
Kofi Kingston (C) Vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship)
Well if you've blinked, you missed it. Bell rings and Kofi gets caught onto Lesnar's shoulders and gets dropped with an F5 and just like that, Brock Lesnar wins the WWE Championship! Afterwards, Rey Mysterio's music hits and Rey makes an appearance, but he was not alone. Rey comes out with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez! For those who don't know, Cain defeated Brock for the UFC Heavyweight Championship back in 2010. Cain steps up to Lesnar and the two have a stare down til Lesnar made a move and Cain takes him down! Cain lays some blows on Lesnar then Lesnar escapes and backs away! What a way to end the show!
Night 1 of Smackdown on FOX was a success! Besides the last match, this show overall was good and made Smackdown feel legitimate again after a long while of the show not being so special. One thing to note is that many of the advertised legends did not appear on the show, which was really strange. With the draft coming up, WWE looks to be shaking things up again but the real question is, will they actually go through with a real change this time?
Show Rating: 8.9/10
Night 1 of Smackdown on FOX was a success! Besides the last match, this show overall was good and made Smackdown feel legitimate again after a long while of the show not being so special. One thing to note is that many of the advertised legends did not appear on the show, which was really strange. With the draft coming up, WWE looks to be shaking things up again but the real question is, will they actually go through with a real change this time?
Show Rating: 8.9/10
