The October 25th, 2019 episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
Team Flair & Team Hogan Brawled
SmackDown opened up with an episode of Miz TV featuring Team Hogan and Team Flair. Shorty G was dressed like a basketball player with a giant “G” on his chest.
Hulk Hogan asked Flair what he is going to do when Team Hogan destroys you at Crown Jewel and Flair went on a rant before telling Roman Reigns that he is tired of looking at him all the time.
Hogan boasted about his team before Sami Zayn interrupted. Sami said that Shorty G could stand on Ali’s shoulders and would still only be half the man that Shinsuke Nakamura is. Ali poked fun at Sami for being Nakamura’s mouthpiece and then lamely joked that Zayn’s breath smells bad.
Corbin insulted Reigns and Roman responded by calling Corbin a fake king. Hogan suggested a 6-man tag match right now but Sami Zayn declined. Hulk then suggested that the match be the main event and Sami accepted. Zayn said that he tweaked his neck and announced Cesaro as his replacement. The superstars then brawled to conclude the segment.
Shorty G looked completely ridiculous in his new attire. I’ve seen some people claiming that this “Shorty G” gimmick will help get him over with the crowd. It seems more like WWE trying to embarrass Chad Gable at this point.
Firefly Fun House Returned
Firefly Fun House returned tonight on SmackDown. Wyatt held a funeral for Ramblin Rabbit and blamed Rollins for his death.
Wyatt stated that Ramblin’s mommy always said that he wanted an open casket. Bray took the Ramblin out of the casket and smooched him on top of his head. Ramblin Rabbit came back down to life and said that he was having a nightmare about a muscle man in a suit that kept firing him.
Mercy then ate Ramblin Rabbit again. Wyatt laughed and said that he will see everyone at Crown Jewel. Seth Rollins will defend his Universal Championship against Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Crown Jewel.
Nakamura & Zayn Want Daniel Bryan To Join Them
Michael Cole interviewed Daniel Bryan tonight on SmackDown. Cole pointed out that the arena erupted in “yes!” chants after Daniel pinned the Intercontinental Champion last week.
Cole asked Bryan if the Yes Movement was back but Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted before Bryan could answer. Sami Zayn rolled footage from a promo that Bryan cut in the promo. Bryan said in the promo that the old Daniel Bryan and the Yes Movement were dead.
Zayn claimed that the new Daniel Bryan is actually the real Daniel Bryan. Sami added that Bryan is a good man and he is too good for the people in the crowd. Zayn stated that all three of them are artists and told Bryan that he might be one of the best to ever do this.
Sami told Bryan that his career is at a crossroads and that he can go back to the Yes Movement or move forward and join them. Bryan declined to shake Sami’s hand and exited the ring. Bryan looked back at them before heading backstage.
Nikki Cross Defeated Mandy Rose
Nikki Cross faced Mandy Rose tonight on the show. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks joined commentary for the match. Nikki Cross won a Six-Pack Challenge last week to become the #1 contender for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Mandy controlled the match early and leveled Nikki with a right hand to the face for a near fall. Rose connected with a Fallaway Slam and went for the cover but Nikki kicked out at two.
Rose threw Nikki out of the ring and Sonya Deville hit Cross with a cheap shot while Mandy distracted the referee. Back in the ring, Nikki hit a Splash in the corner and followed it up with a Bulldog. Cross climbed to the top rope and hit a Crossbody for a near fall. Nikki hit Deville with a Dropkick and then planted Rose with the Swinging Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.
Brock Lesnar Attacked Rey, Dominick & Cain Velasquez
Cain Velasquez had a face-to-face with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar tonight on SmackDown. Lesnar will defend the title against Cain at WWE Crown Jewel next Thursday.
RAW superstar Rey Mysterio came down to the ring (thought the Wild Card rule was over) and stated that it was time for Lesnar to pay for what he did to his son. Mysterio added that Velasquez is going to drop Brock once again and put another scar on his face at Crown Jewel.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman appeared on the jumbotron. Heyman claimed that Lesnar has other things to do tonight than to go face-to-face with Velasquez. Brock then revealed that he had attacked Dominick and Rey Mysterio ran backstage as SmackDown went to a break.
Velasquez and Mysterio stood beside Dominick as a doctor checked on him. Lesnar attacked them from behind and hit Cain with a trash can. Brock then hit an F5 that sent Mysterio flying into a wall. Lesnar then hit Cain with an F5 that sent him crashing on top of Dominick. The backstage beatdown was the best part of the show so far.
Reigns, Ali & Shorty G Picked Up The Win
Corbin, Nakamura, and Cesaro faced Roman Reigns, Shorty G, and Ali in the main event of this week’s SmackDown. Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were ringside for the match. Reigns started off the match in control and planted King Corbin with a Samoan Drop for a near fall.
Reigns hit a Drive-By on Corbin as Nakamura tagged in. Shorty G tagged in and applied an Armbar to Shinsuke. Ali tagged in and walked into a kick to the face from Nakamura.
Cesaro tagged in and Ali hit him with a Hurricanrana. Cesaro battled back with a Gutwrench Suplex for a near fall. Ali connected with a Facebuster and went for the cover but Cesaro kicked out at two. Sami Zayn distracted Ali as Cesaro tagged in Corbin. King Corbin leveled Ali with a Clothesline and Sami shouted “that was awesome!” as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Ali planted Cesaro with a DDT. Shorty G and Corbin tagged in and Gable dominated. Shorty G connected with a Moonsault off the top rope and then applied the Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Nakamura broke it up with a running knee to the back of Gable’s head.
Corbin and Nakamura tried to Superplex Shorty G but Gable headbutted them both to off the turnbuckle. Reigns got a great reaction as he tagged in and planted Cesaro with a Powerbomb for a two count. Roman went for the Superman Punch but Cesaro countered into the Swing. Cesaro transitioned into the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring but Ali broke it up with a Superkick. Corbin hit Ali with Deep Six but was then Dropkicked out of the ring by Shorty G.
Nakamura knocked Shorty G to the outside but turned around into a Superman Punch from Roman. Reigns went for the Spear but Cesaro dodged it and hit an uppercut for a near fall. Roman caught Cesaro with the Superman Punch and followed it up with a Spear. Ali tagged in and hit a 450 Splash for the pinfall victory.
I enjoyed this match and thought it was well done. Unfortunately, the majority of this show felt lifeless. I’m not sure why Drew Gulak is being booked like an idiot on the main roster now and why Lacey Evans is facing enhancement talent. There is a lot of talent on these rosters, so it is a little ridiculous to see the opening promo last 15-minutes and have it lead to a 15-minute main event. Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura were in the opening promo, the promo with Daniel Bryan and in the main event of a two-hour show.
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