The August 20th episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD. In addition to the takeaways below, SmackDown went off the air with Daniel Bryan claiming that a Rowan lookalike was the person that attacked Roman Reigns.
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Kofi Kingston Attacked Randy Orton
Randy Orton kicked off this week’s episode of SmackDown by claiming that Kofi Kingston ran from a fight against him at SummerSlam in front of his wife and children. Orton called Kingston stupid and boasted about the attack last night on RAW.
Orton stated that Kingston fails every time he gets a chance to prove himself. New Day’s music hit and Kofi snuck up behind Orton. Kingston hit Randy with Trouble in Paradise and then grabbed a steel chair from outside the ring.
Kingston set up Orton’s leg in the chair and hopped up to the second rope. The Revival sprinted down to the ring to break it up and Orton was able to retreat out of the ring. Kingston beat Wilder and Dawson down with the steel chair as Randy stumbled up the entrance ramp.
Andrade Advanced In The King Of The Ring Tournament
Andrade squared off with Apollo in the first round of the King of the Ring Tournament. Zelina Vega accompanied Andrade to the ring for the match. Andrade started off the match in control and hit Double Knees in the corner for a two count.
Andrade went for the Hammerlock DDT but Crews countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Crews battled back and hit Andrade with a Dropkick that sent him out of the ring. Andrade connected with a Hurricanrana that sent Crews into the steel steps as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Apollo hit an Olympic Slam and went for the cover but Andrade was able to kick out at two. Andrade went for Double Knees again but Crews got out of the way and then hit an Enziguri.
Apollo followed it up with a Standing Shooting Star Press for a two count. Zelina Vega distracted Apollo and Andrade capitalized with a back elbow and then the Hammerlock DDT for the pinfall victory.
Bayley Will Face Charlotte At Clash Of Champions
Charlotte Flair was a guest on A Moment of Bliss tonight and joined SmackDown Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. Bliss stated that now that they are champions, nothing is going to change and A Moment of Bliss will still welcome the less fortunate. Bliss added that Charlotte requested to be on the show and welcomed her to the set.
Flair pointed at the throne on the entrance ramp and said that chair is more her style. Charlotte boasted about defeating Trish Stratus at SummerSlam and proving that she is the Queen of All Eras. Charlotte turned her attention to SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and claimed that she wasn’t marketable and that the division is an afterthought because she is champion.
Bayley interrupted and claimed that Charlotte was just coming up with a bunch of excuses. She added that because she is the champion, it means that she is better than her. Flair said that Bayley has devalued the title and she is going to restore it’s prestige when she beats her at Clash of Champions. Bayley accepted the challenge and vowed to finally shut Flair’s mouth at the PPV. Bayley then shoved Charlotte off the chair to conclude the segment.
I still don’t understand that purpose of A Moment of Bliss. Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss once again added absolutely nothing to this segment.
Buddy Murphy Defeated Daniel Bryan
Roman Reigns confronted Buddy Murphy backstage and Buddy said that he “thought” he saw Rowan attack Reigns. Daniel Bryan battled Buddy Murphy later on the show and cut a brief promo before the match. Bryan vowed to prove that Murphy was lying and had something to do with the attack by the end of the night.
Murphy connected with a knee to the face for a two count to start the match off. Bryan went to work on Murphy’s arm and then applied the LeBell Lock in the middle of the ring. Murphy was able to get his leg on the bottom rope to break the hold.
Bryan hit Murphy with a series of Yes Kicks and shouted at Buddy to stay down. Daniel hung up Murphy in the Tree of Woe and hit a Dropkick to his face. Bryan followed it up with a Belly to Back Superplex and went for the cover but Buddy kicked out at two.
Buddy battled back with a Powerbomb for a two count. Murphy planted Bryan with a Brainbuster and went for the cover but Daniel was able to get his foot on the bottom rope. Rowan hopped on the ring apron and distracted Murphy. Bryan went for a roll-up but Murphy kicked out. Buddy then Superkicked Rowan off the apron and hit Bryan with Murphy’s Law for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Rowan and Daniel Bryan attacked Buddy Murphy backstage. Rowan hit him with the Iron Claw before WWE officials broke it up.
Sami Zayn & Shinsuke Nakamura Are Now Friends
Sami Zayn was a guest on Miz TV tonight on SmackDown. Zayn said that he doesn’t care about The Miz or Miz TV, he just needed some TV time to get some things off his chest.
Zayn stated that any success he has had in his life is because he fought something bigger. Sami added that the path for him to get back on track was to help others. Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura came down to the ring and Miz asked him why he needed to associate himself with Sami.
Sami went on a rant on Nakamura being Japanese and being a poet that cannot articulate a response. Nakamura and Zayn then beat The Miz down to conclude the segment.
So, is Sami Zayn Shinsuke Nakamura’s translator/ manager now? I’ll give this time to see where it goes. Sami and Shinsuke are two of the best wrestlers on the planet and WWE somehow cannot figure out how to use them on television.
Shane McMahon Helped Elias Advance In The King Of The Ring Tournament
Kevin Owens had a couple of conversations with Shane McMahon throughout the show. Owens tried to get Shane to lift the $100,000 fine against him for striking an official. Shane stated that he would consider it but warned that he’d have to fire Owens if he ever struck an official again.
Owens battled Elias in the first round of the King of the Ring Tournament. Owens connected with a German Suplex and followed it up with a Cannonball against the turnbuckle. Shane McMahon’s music hit and the SmackDown Commissioner made his way down to the ring as the show went to commercial.
When SmackDown returned, Elias was in control as Shane was ringside. Owens connected with a DDT and followed it up with a Dropkick off the second rope. Elias hit Owens with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Kevin kicked out at two. Owens went for a Senton off the top rope but Elias got his knees up.
Owens sent Elias out of the ring and hit a Cannonball off the apron. Shane McMahon took off his jacket and revealed a referee shirt. Shane got into the ring and Elias rolled up Owens. Shane counted to three ridiculously fast and Elias advanced in the tournament.
Everyone knew that this was going to happen. Shane McMahon being on television every week got stale a long time ago. This feud was boring immediately after Owens cut the promo and called Shane out for taking TV away from the wrestlers in the back. Shane has taken up even more time on the show since that promo. Overall, this week’s SmackDown was not a good show. Apollo Crews vs. Andrade was decent and Bryan vs. Buddy Murphy was a good match. The rest of the show was uninteresting and WWE simply punted the Reigns attacker storyline until next week.
Comments
2 responses to “6 Takeaways From WWE SmackDown (8/20)”