The September 10th, 2019 episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
The Undertaker Returned To Bury Sami Zayn
The Undertaker kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown and spoke about the legends that were created in Madison Square Garden. Undertaker said that it was rewarding to know that he took a piece of all of their souls.
Sami Zayn interrupted and said that it is ridiculous for The Undertaker to begin an episode of SmackDown in 2019. Zayn wondered when is it enough for The Undertaker.
Zayn asked The Undertaker to leave the ring and pass the torch to him because the future was in good hands. The Undertaker made it seem like he was going to leave but returned and hit Zayn with a Chokeslam.
I would have preferred to see The Fiend attack The Undertaker than whatever this was. The ratings sucked for last night’s episode of RAW and WWE did their best to advertise Stone Cold Steve Austin for the show. It didn’t work and the more they keep bringing these legends back, the less special it is. I’ve already been sick of it for a while now.
Mandy Rose Cut An Embarassing Promo
Mandy Rose faced Nikki Cross tonight on SmackDown. Mandy Rose cut a promo before the match that was either written by a teenager or a 74-year-old out of touch man. Rose essentially said that she is hot and Nikki Cross is not.
Cross ran down to the ring and the match began as Alexa Bliss and Sonya Deville were ringside. The commentary team argued about the looks of the female wrestlers instead of calling the action.
Alexa Bliss knocked Sonya Deville down and then distracted Rose on the apron. Nikki Cross capitalized on the distraction and rolled Rose up for the victory. Cross and Bliss will defend their Women’s Tag team Championships against Rose and Deville this Sunday night at Clash of Champions.
What an embarrassing promo by Mandy Rose tonight. She didn’t write the idiotic script, so it is not her fault but it was painful to watch. The Women’s Tag Team Championships have become completely irrelevant and “storylines” like this aren’t going to change that.
Rowan & Reigns Brawled
Rowan came down to the ring and claimed that everyone was afraid to look him in the eyes to see what he is capable of. Rowan boasted about brutalizing Roman Reigns last week and the Big Dog’s music hit.
Reigns marched down the entrance ramp and got into the ring. Roman hit Rowan with a Superman Punch and went for a Spear but Rowan countered with a knee to the face.
The two superstars battled into the crowd. Reigns hit two more Superman Punches before WWE security showed up. Rowan Powerbombed a “fan” onto everyone and followed it up with a Splash on Reigns. Roman battled back with another Superman Punch but Rowan shook it off and slammed a camera into his midsection. It was later announced that Rowan versus Reigns will be a No Disqualifications match at the PPV.
I thought this was an entertaining segment. Rowan had a solid promo tonight and I would have no issue with WWE building him up as a dominant heel. Unfortunately, I feel like he is just going to lose to Roman Reigns this Sunday and fade into obscurity. I hope that is not the case and something different happens at Clash of Champions.
Charlotte Once Again Vowed To Win The Title For The 10th Time
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley faced Ember Moon tonight on the show. Moon confronted Bayley backstage and called her out for her recent actions. Ember asked for the match and Bayley accepted. Charlotte Flair was on commentary for the match and will face Bayley for the title at Clash of Champions.
Ember Moon started off the match in control as Charlotte vowed to make the SmackDown Women’s Championship relevant again this Sunday night. Moon went for the Eclipse but Bayley got out of the way and hit the Bayley to Belly for the victory. After the match, Charlotte got into the ring and told Bayley she was going to become the 10-time champion this Sunday.
This match and what happened following it accomplished absolutely nothing. We’ve already seen Charlotte hold up ten fingers and mouth the word “ten” in reference to her title reigns. I’m not sure why anyone needed to see it again. Bayley versus Ember Moon only lasted a few minutes tonight and had a commercial break at the beginning of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ember Moon is off of TV for months now or is thrown into a random tag team that will be forgotten about in a few weeks.
Kofi Kingston Put Orton Through A Table
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston came down to the ring in the segment before the main event. Kingston boasted about beating up Randy Orton in Madison Square Garden in the past and the crowd started a “Kofi!” chant.
Orton interrupted by shouting “stupid!” over and over again from the crowd. Randy bragged about winning the Royal Rumble twice and the championship 7-times. Orton joked about Kingston pretending to be Jamaican and his phony power of positivity sh*t. WWE bleeped out Orton swearing and Kingston started making his way through the crowd.
Randy hit Kingston with a chair and called him stupid several more times. Kingston battled back and hit Orton with the chair a few times. Kofi set up a table but Orton hit him with a chair once again. Kingston kicked Orton and somehow that caused the table to collapse under him. Kofi grabbed another table and set Orton up on top of it. Kingston climbed onto the railing and hit him with the Boom Drop through the table.
Chad Gable Advanced To The Finals & Shane McMahon Fired Kevin Owens
Shane McMahon informed Chad Gable that Elias broke his ankle and will not be able to compete in the semifinals match in the King of the Ring Tournament. Shane named himself as the replacement and then approached Kevin Owens later on the show. Shane said he will wave Owens’ $100,000 fine if Owens acts as the special referee tonight for the match.
Shane interrupted Gable’s entrance while he was on the ramp before the match. McMahon was introduced as the best in the world and then mocked Gable’s height by getting on his knees.
Gable planted Shane with a German Suplex and Owens quickly counted to three to end the match. Shane got on the microphone and announced that the match was now 2 out of 3 Falls. McMahon attacked Gable from behind and slammed his head off the announce table a few times as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Gable had Shane pinned but Owens took his sweet time making the count until McMahon was able to kick out. Shane brought in a steel chair and Owens stopped him. Gable applied the Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring and Shane had no choice but to tap out. After the match, Shane attacked Owens from behind as the crowd booed. Shane then said that Owens fired to close the show.
Chants of “AEW!” reigned down as SmackDown went off the air and WWE deserved that. This week’s episode of SmackDown was absolutely terrible besides two segments. Reigns and Rowan had an entertaining brawl and Kofi and Orton did as well. I haven’t heard too many people say that want the feud between Owens and McMahon to continue.
It was also obvious that Gable was going to win this match, as it would be ridiculous for Shane to face Corbin in the finals of the King of the Ring Tournament. If Gable wins the tournament, WWE will probably abandon his push in a couple of weeks. If Corbin wins, the majority of the audience won’t care.