WWE SmackDown aired live tonight from the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut as the road to Survivor Series WarGames continued. Sami Zayn battled Butch and Ricochet faced Mustafa Ali in the first round of the SmackDown World Cup tonight.
WWE SmackDown Results
- Ricochet def. Mustafa Ali to advance in the SmackDown World Cup
- Karrion Kross def. Madcap Moss
- Shotzi def. Shayna Baszler
- New Day & Braun Strowman def. Imperium
- Butch def. Sami Zayn to advance in the SmackDown World Cup.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Men’s WarGames Match Announced, Sami Zayn Guarantees Victory for The Bloodline
Sheamus, Butch, and Ridge Holland asked Drew McIntyre to join them for a WarGames match against The Bloodline. McIntyre said he wants to go war with his brother Sheamus. Butch played the role of former NXT GM William Regal and shouted WarGames!
Honorary Uce Sami Zayn interrupted to “Ucey” chants. Sami claimed The Bloodline doesn’t care about the 5th superstar and they are feeling quite Ucey about the whole thing. Sami guaranteed that The Bloodline will win WarGames. Zayn added that he’s going to run through Butch on the SmackDown World Cup.
Sheamus claimed that Sami is going to “crap his pants” when the 5th member of their team is revealed and it is the last person he’d expect.
The Usos and Solo Sikoa later confronted Sami Zayn backstage and argued with him about guaranteeing a victory for The Bloodline. Sami said he did nothing wrong and wondered if Jey thought they were going to lose the WarGames match at Survivor Series.
Ricochet Advanced in the SmackDown World Cup
Ricochet battled Mustafa Ali tonight in the SmackDown World Cup. Mustafa was wrestling at less than 100% for the match and had his ribs taped. Ali got in some offense early but Ricochet battled back as SmackDown went to the break.
When SmackDown returned, Ricochet connected with a Superplex. Ali responded with a Hurricanrana and a Dropkick to send Ricochet out of the ring. Mustafa went for a Crossbody but Ricochet caught him and hit a Body Slam onto the floor outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Ricochet went for a 450 Splash but Mustafa dodged it. Mustafa applied a Crossface but Ricochet made it to the bottom rope to break the hold and the match continued.
Ricochet connected with a Clothesline and springboard Moonsault but Ali kicked out at the last moment. Ali hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a two count. Ricochet hit a strike to Ali’s ribs but Mustafa bounced back with a Tornado DDT.
Mustafa climbed to the top rope and went for a 450 Splash but Ricochet dodged it. Ricochet took control and hit a Shooting Star Press for the pinfall victory to advance in the World Cup tournament.
Karrion Kross def. Madcap Moss
Madcap Moss faced Karrion Kross tonight on WWE SmackDown. Before the match, Emma gave Madcap Moss some advice. The two are dating in real life. Emma and Xia Li seemingly argued backstage two weeks ago to set up a match but absolutely nothing has come of that.
Karrion dominated the match early and beat down Moss in the corner as Scarlett watched on. Karrion eventually put Moss away with the Kross Jacket. Emma made her way to the ring to check on Moss after the match.
Kross later approached The Usos backstage and they asked if he was joining Brawling Brutes for Survivor Series. Karrion said he wasn’t and claimed that he will be going after Roman Reigns’ title soon. Bray Wyatt was seen in the background during the backstage promo.
LA Knight Slapped Bray Wyatt & Instantly Paid For It
Bray Wyatt came to the ring and apologized to LA Knight for headbutting him last week.
Our live coverage begins alongside WWE SmackDown. Refresh this page for live updates during the show and leave a comment below. LA Knight got into the ring with Wyatt and smacked him in the face. LA Knight said “now we are even” and made his way to the ring apron. Wyatt told LA Knight that the decision he’s about to make right now will change the rest of his life. Bray extended his hand and LA Knight smacked him in the face again. Knight backed away as graphics for Wyatt appeared on the screen.
LA Knight was briefly interviewed before leaving and a masked person was behind him. The cameras later cut back and LA Knight was buried under a bunch of equipment.
Shotzi def. Shayna Baszler
Shotzi battled Shayna Baszler tonight on SmackDown. Ronda Rousey was ringside for the match. Ronda distracted Shotzi several times and Shayna kept capitalizing. Raquel Rodriguez marched down the entrance ramp and Shotzi capitalized with a roll-up for the pinfall victory.
New Day & Braun Strowman def. Imperium
New Day and Braun Strowman battled Imperium tonight on WWE SmackDown. Strowman knocked Gunther down and the Intercontinental Champion retreated out of the ring as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Braun hit a couple of shoulder tackles on Ludwig and Vinci. Back in the ring, Strowman hit a slam for a near fall. New Day isolated Kaiser in the ring and hit Midnight Hour. Gunther was about to break up the cover but retreated after Braun Strowman got into the ring.
After the match, former Intercontinental Champion Ricochet confronted Strowman and warned him not to look past the “flippy” wrestlers. Ricochet will battle Strowman in the next round of the SmackDown World Cup.
Butch def. Sami Zayn to Advance, Kevin Owens will Join Brawling Brutes & McIntyre at Survivor Series WarGames
Sami Zayn battled Butch of the Brawling Brutes in a first-round match-up of the SmackDown World Cup in tonight’s main event. The Brawling Brutes, Drew McIntyre, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa were ringside for the match.
Zayn connected with a Blue Thunder Bomb and went for the cover but Butch kicked out at two. The Honorary Uce taunted Ridge Holland before launching Butch out of the ring. The two squads traded words as Sami rolled Butch back into the ring.
Butch hopped to the middle turnbuckle and planted Sami with a Tornado DDT for a near fall. Butch climbed back to the top rope but Sami tripped him up. Sami then shoved Butch off the top rope and to the floor as SmackDown went to the final commercial break of the night.
When SmackDown returned, Sami and Butch battled on the apron as The Bloodline beat down the Brawling Brutes. Butch flipped onto The Usos and got back into the ring. Butch geared up in the corner but Sami caught him with an Exploder Suplex. Zayn set up for the Helluva Kick but got distracted by Sheamus and Jey Uso fighting outside the ring. Butch capitalized with the Bitter End for the pinfall victory.
Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns made his way to the ring and hit a Superman Punch on Ridge and Butch. Drew McIntyre waited for Roman in the ring but got distracted by Sikoa. Reigns leveled McIntyre with a Spear and walked towards Sami Zayn.
Sheamus got into the ring and circled Roman Reigns. Kevin Owens then showed up to a big reaction from the crowd. Kevin Owens knocked the Tribal Chief down and had a stare down with Sami Zayn in the ring. Roman capitalized with a Superman Punch as Sami sent Ridge into the barricade. Owens caught Roman with a Stunner and the crowd popped. KO will join The Brawling Brutes, and Drew McIntyre against The Bloodline at Survivor Series WarGames.