The November 1st, 2019 episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. In addition to the takeaways below, NXT superstars Keith Lee and Matt Riddle made an appearance and took turns beating up Sami Zayn.
Here are 5 takeaways from the show:
Brock Lesnar Quit SmackDown & Is Heading To RAW
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman kicked off this week’s episode SmackDown. Brock was greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd in Buffalo as he made his way to the ring.
Heyman called the crowd ignorant and stated that Brock Lesnar is really pissed off tonight. Paul made the ridiculous claim that Lesnar defeating Velasquez at Crown Jewel was the most historic moment in combat sports history before WWE pretty much showed the entire match again.
Paul brought up Rey Mysterio attacking Lesnar after the match and showed that footage as well. Heyman announced that Lesnar is going to RAW on Monday to look for Mysterio and that he quits Friday Night SmackDown. Triple H and Shawn Michaels were shown backstage as Lesnar left the building.
I didn’t plan on ever having to sit through Velasquez vs. Lesnar again but we got to see that joke of a match again tonight on SmackDown. Brock also appeared to be wearing a replica title for whatever reason. The belt was missing the side plates and looked smaller than usual. The positive in Lesnar going to RAW is that it hopefully means that Wyatt will get an actual title reign now.
Shayna Baszler Beat Down Bayley
Bayley defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross tonight. Bayley and Cross locked up to start off the match. Bayley drove Nikki to the corner but Cross battled back and rolled up Bayley for a near fall.
Cross connected with an Arm Drag and then rolled Bayley up again for another near fall. Nikki sent Bayley out of the ring and hit her with a Tornado DDT off the apron. Cross rolled Bayley back into the ring and went for the cover but the champ kicked out at two as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Bayley was back in control and sent Nikki into the steel steps. Back in the ring, Bayley went for the cover but Nikki kicked out at two. Cross connected with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with a Crossbody.
Cross climbed to the top rope and hit another Crossbody for a near fall. Nikki went for the Spinning Neckbreaker but Banks hopped on the apron. Bayley capitalized on the distraction and then hit Nikki with an Elbow Drop off the top rope. Bayley went for the cover but Nikki Cross somehow was able to kick out at the last moment.
Nikki went for another Tornado DDT but Bayley blocked it and knocked her out of the ring. Cross trapped Bayley int he apron and beat her down. Cross climbed to the top rope but Sasha shoved her to the canvas. Bayley then slammed Cross the canvas for the pinfall victory.
After the match, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler hopped over the barricade and attacked Banks. Shayna leveled Bayley with a knee to the face before leaving through the crowd. NXT, SmackDown, and RAW will battle at this year’s Survivor Series.
Tommaso Ciampa Defeated The Miz
The Miz was scheduled to interview Universal Champion Bray Wyatt but several superstars are still stuck in Saudi Arabia due to travel issues. The Miz rolled footage of Bray Wyatt’s victory over Seth Rollins last night at WWE Crown Jewel.
Miz noted that Bray Wyatt could not be here today and then turned his attention to NXT. Tommaso Ciampa interrupted and made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd.
Ciampa said that he is the greatest sports entertainer of all-time and that The Miz acts as if the entire world revolves around him. Tommaso told The Miz that he is everything that is wrong with RAW and SmackDown.
Tommaso mocked Miz for hosting a talk show and while Miz is playing the part, Ciampa is the part. The Miz claimed that he has heard the same thing for years and was hoping that Ciampa would have come up with something a little more original. The Miz then challenged Ciampa to a match and Tommaso accepted.
The Miz started off the match in control and applied a Headlock. Ciampa escaped and leveled Miz with a shoulder tackle. Miz went for a roll-up but Ciampa kicked out at two. The Miz threw Ciampa out of the ring and went after him but Tommaso was ready.
Ciampa launched Miz into the barricade and then into the steel steps. Tommaso hopped on the apron and gave himself a round of applause. Back in the ring, Miz locked in the Figure Four but Ciampa was able to reach the bottom rope. Ciampa applied a Half Crab but Miz countered into a roll-up for a two count.
Tommaso and Miz traded chops in the middle of the ring. Miz sent Ciampa to the corner and hit him with a Clothesline. The Miz leaped off the top rope but Ciampa caught him with a knee to the face. Ciampa followed it up with the Fairy Tale Ending for the pinfall victory.
Rhea Ripley & Tegan Nox Dominated
Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville made their way to the ring tonight on SmackDown. Carmella’s music hit but she did not emerge from backstage. NXT superstar Bianca Belair attacked Carmella and Dana Brooke backstage and beat them down.
NXT superstars Rhea Ripley and Tegan Nox came down to the ring as Fire & Desire’s new opponents. Nox and Ripley rushed the ring and beat the hell out Rose and Deville. Nox launched Deville over the announce table and onto Renee Young. Ripley quickly locked in an Inverted Shamrock submission and Rose tapped out.
Adam Cole Retained The NXT Championship
Daniel Bryan confronted Triple H and Shawn Michaels backstage. Bryan challenged Triple H to a match but he claimed that he didn’t have his wrestling gear. Michaels took off his jacket but quickly put it back on because it was too cold. Triple H stated that he knew someone that was looking for a fight and NXT Champion Adam Cole came into frame. Bryan challenged Cole to a match for the NXT Championship and Adam accepted.
Triple H and Shawn Michaels were ringside for the title match. Bryan started off the match in control and hit Cole with a series of chops in the corner of the ring. Cole battled back and hit Daniel with a shoulder tackle. Cole went for a Suplex but Bryan countered into a suplex of his own that sent both superstars tumbling out of the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
Back from the break, Cole connected with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Bryan kicked out at two. Adam applied a Figure Four Headlock in the middle of the ring but Daniel was able to reach the ropes. Bryan leveled Cole with a Clothesline and the crowd broke out in a “yes!” chant. Daniel launched Cole out of the ring and hit him with a knee to the face off the apron.
Bryan rolled Cole into the ring and made his way to the top turnbuckle. Daniel connected with a Dropkick and then perched Cole up on the top turnbuckle. Bryan went for a Hurricanrana but Cole countered into a roll-up for a two count. Adam Cole then hit a kick to the face for a near fall. Bryan threw Cole to the outside and went for a Suicide Dive but Cole countered with another kick to the face and both superstars fell to the floor as SmackDown went to a break.
Cole and Bryan were once again battling on the top rope when SmackDown returned from the break. Bryan hit Cole with a German Suplex off the top rope and then went for a headbutt but Cole out of the way. Cole went for the Last Shot but Bryan countered into a Half Crab in the middle of the ring.
Adam fought through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Bryan then applied the LeBell Lock but Cole was able to escape. Bryan stomped on Cole’s face several times and applied the LeBell Lock once again. Cole reached for the bottom rope but Bryan pulled his arm back. Adam was able to get his foot on the bottom rope to finally break the hold.
Bryan hit a couple Yes Kicks and then Cole countered into a roll-up for a two count. Daniel booted Cole in the face and geared up in the corner. Bryan went for the Running Knee but Cole caught him with a Superkick. Cole then hit Panama Sunrise and followed it up with the Last Shot for the pinfall victory. Adam Cole is still the NXT Champion.
After the match, several NXT superstars came down to the ring and celebrated with Adam Cole. Triple H grabbed the microphone and stated that he has built an army for a fight. Triple H added that they have fired the first shot for Survivor Series and shouted “we are NXT!” to close the show.
WWE’s travel issues led to them putting one of the best episodes of SmackDown I’ve seen in a long time. The main event was fantastic and the entire show absolutely flew by because it was so entertaining. NXT has been my favorite brand in WWE for some time now and adding them to Survivor Series was an awesome decision.
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