– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown opens with a look back at the heel turn by SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley on last night’s RAW. Bayley and Sasha Banks reunited to beat down RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch to close the show.
– We’re live from the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia as Tom Phillips welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.
– We go to the ring and out comes SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley to a mixed reaction. Tom plugs her match against Charlotte Flair at WWE Clash of Champions. Bayley takes the mic in the middle of the ring and the boos get louder. Some fans still chant for Bayley.
Bayley says everyone has something to say about last night. People are saying they didn’t see it coming. Bayley asks if they didn’t see her friendship with Sasha Banks coming? She goes on about how Banks has had her back from day one and always been there for her no matter what. Bayley goes on and says she’s trying to show everyone the champion she’s trying to be for the division, she’s trying to give opportunities to others. She goes on but some fans boo. Bayley says she’s always tried to make everyone feel like she did when she was a kid, when she was a fan. Bayley goes on about with fans deserving a champion with the recognition like Lynch, and says she will be that champion. Fans aren’t buying it. Bayley says that begins at Clash of Champions, when she beats the most selfish Charlotte. She goes on but fans boo and the music interrupts. Flair makes her way out to a mixed reaction.
Flair says she’s the Queen of selfishness. She goes on and says what you see is what you get with her, but there’s no blind-siding and there’s also no hugging. Flair tells Bayley to hug that title real right because at Clash of Champions… the music interrupts and out comes Banks to the ramp. Banks watches as her music continues playing. Flair suddenly decks Bayley out of nowhere and drops her. This leads to Banks rushing the ring. They brawl and Flair gets the upperhand. Flair mounts Banks and beats on her until Bayley comes back in with a steel chair. Bayley hits Flair with more chair shots as she yells out in pain. Fans boo. Bayley hands Banks the chair and she delivers a few to Flair while she’s down. Bayley with more chair shots now. Fans chant “Becky!” as Banks and Bayley stand over Flair.
– Still to come, Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan will come face to face. Also, the King of the Ring quarterfinals will wrap.
King of the Ring Quarterfinals Match: Ali vs. Elias
We go to the ring and out comes Ali for the first blue brand quarterfinals match. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Elias with his guitar, which he leaves on the KOTR throne. We get sidebar comments from Elias before the match. The bell rings and Elias takes control, working Ali over by the arm.
Fans chant for Ali as he turn it around. Elias catches a crossbody but Ali slides out and delivers a chop but hurts his own hand. Elias launches Ali into the corner and they tangle some more. Ali shows Elias up and rolls him up for a 2 count. More back and forth before Ali nails a kick to send Elias to the floor. Ali runs the ropes for a suicide dive but Elias catches him on the floor. Elias launches Ali back into the apron and then launches him to the bottom of the ramp with a suplex.
Elias breaks the count and goes back out to send Ali face-first into the corner of the barrier. Elias launches Ali at ringside with another throw. Elias presses Ali above his head and tosses him over into the timekeeper’s area. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and they’re going at it in the ring. They trade shots in the middle. Elias runs into a kick in the corner. Ali flies in from the ropes and slams Elias face-first into the mat for a close 2 count. Elias gets sent back to the floor. Ali runs the ropes and leaps out, nailing a suicide dive to send Elias into the barrier. Ali brings it back into the ring and goes to the top.
Elias decks Ali and climbs up. More back and forth now. This leads to Ali applying the Crossface submission as fans pop. Elias goes for the bottom rope and makes it to break the hold. Elias sends Ali face-first into the turnbuckle. Elias gets Ali sitting up on his shoulders, and brings him down with a sitdown powerbomb. Elias with a Stretch Muffler submission now. Elias stomps on Ali’s head as Ali tries to break the hold. He finally gets the bottom rope and breaks it. Elias stays focused on the leg, dragging Ali over and slamming his leg around the ring post.
Ali ends up climbing to the top now. Elias climbs up with him. Elias shoves Ali off to the floor but he lands on his leg. Ali lands hard and limps but is still standing. Elias leaps off the top but Ali nails a big superkick in mid-move. The referee counts as both are down now. Ali brings it back into the ring and goes to the top. Ali goes for the 450 but Elias moves out of the way. Elias approaches but Ali kicks him from the mat. Elias keeps fighting and drops a knee to the back of the knee. Elias nails a Drift Away and covers for the pin to advance to the semi-finals.
Winner: Elias
– After the match, Elias stands tall as his music hits. We go to replays. Tom shows us the updated KOTR brackets. Elias advances to next week’s semi-finals and will face the winner of tonight’s Chad Gable vs. Andrade match. We see Elias sitting on the KOTR throne with his guitar.
– Kayla Braxton is backstage with Samoa Joe. She asks about next week’s RAW KOTR Triple Threat with Ricochet and Baron Corbin, and what brings him to SmackDown tonight. Joe says last night was just a minor inconvenience and the throne is still his. Joe says the SmackDown Superstar he faces in the finals should know that he will put them to sleep, then he will be crowned King.
– We see Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross walking backstage. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Aleister Black is sitting backstage in his usual spot. Black says if the mountain isn’t coming to him, then he’s coming to the mountain. Black says he’s headed down to the ring to see if there’s anyone man enough to pick a fight with him. Black gets up and walks off to end the segment.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville
We go to the ring and out comes WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for a non-title match. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are out next.
Rose meets Cross in the middle of the ring and shows off some. Cross attacks her and unloads with strikes. Cross takes Rose down and clotheslines her in the corner. Cross slams Rose and covers for a 2 count. Rose nails Cross hard and drops her. Rose takes it to the corner and in comes Deville for the double team. Cross ends up leaping out to the floor and taking down Rose and Deville at the same time as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Rose is stopping Cross from making the tag. Cross with a big knee. Bliss finally tags in as does Deville. Bliss unloads on Deville and drops her in the middle of the ring for a 2 count. Rose breaks it up. Cross comes in but Rose tries to slam her. It’s blocked. Cross and Rose end up on the floor. Bliss goes for Deville but Deville lands kicks. Bliss slides out of a move and hits a big DDT.
Bliss goes to the top for Twisted Bliss while Cross jumps on Rose’s back on the floor. Rose slams Cross into the ring post. Bliss goes for Twisted Bliss after the distraction, but Deville gets her knees up and Bliss lands hard. Rose tags back in as Deville levels Bliss with a knee. Rose covers Bliss for the non-title win.
Winners: Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose
– After the match, Rose and Deville stand tall as the champions regroup on the outside. We go to replays. Tom hypes up a possible title shot for Rose and Deville at Clash of Champions.
– We see Randy Orton walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Samoa Joe stops Chad Gable backstage. Joe mocks Gable and taunts him for thinking he has a chance at King of the Ring. Joe laughs at Gable and walks off.
– We go to the ring and out comes Randy Orton to a pop. Greg Hamilton does the introduction as Tom hype Orton vs. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston at Clash of Champions.
Fans chant Orton’s name as he takes the mic. Orton says we will have a new WWE Champion in two weeks. Some fans boo. Orton says he will prove that Kofi is a fraud and has never been on his level. Orton goes on about setting a trap last week but fans interrupt by chanting for Kofi. Orton says the best part about last week was the sweet sound of Kofi’s skull bouncing off the floor. Orton says he’s decimated The New Day for weeks and taken out this power of positivity stuff. Orton shows us highlights of his recent moves against The New Day, including the assists from The Revival.
Orton says he doesn’t want to wait for Clash of Champions. He calls Kofi to the ring for a fight. The New Day’s music hits and Orton waits but Kofi never comes out. We see The Revival appear on the stage, beating on Kofi. They brawl to the ringside area as Kofi starts to get the upperhand on Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. Orton comes out to the floor and makes the save. Orton brings Kofi into the ring. The Revival follows.
Orton takes the mic and repeatedly calls Kofi stupid while stomping all over him. The Revival holds Kofi while Orton talks trash and issues another threat ahead of Clash of Champions. Kofi fights back and fights them off but they come back and The Revival assists Orton with a super RKO. Kofi is laid out once again in the middle of the ring. Orton and The Revival stand tall over Kofi as an official checks on him. Orton, Dash and Dawson hit the same corner to pose as Orton’s music starts back up.
– Tom leads us to an updated video package on the storyline with Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan. Still to come, Reigns and Bryan will come face to face. We go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Tom plugs Connor’s Cure and WWE’s fight against pediatric cancer.
King of the Ring Quarterfinal Match: Andrade vs. Chad Gable
We go to the ring for the last King of the Ring quarterfinals match as Andrade makes his way out with Zelina Vega. They stop on the stage to check out the KOTR throne. Chad Gable is out next.
Vega takes the mic before the match and brings up Gable being short. She says she could see him actually being the next King of the Ring, if Andrade wasn’t in the tournament, but he is, and he will beat you. She calls him little guy to end her speech. The bell rings and Gable manhandles Andrade to start. Andrade turns it around with an elbow to the face. Gable rolls Andrade up out of the corner for a 2 count. More back and forth now. Gable launches Andrade across the ring as Vega looks on.
Andrade catches Gable in the corner and launches him over the top rope. Gable lands hard on the floor as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Gable unloads on Andrade to turn it around. Gable drops Andrade with a big kick to the back of the neck and Vega looks worried at ringside. Gable with a rolling neckbreaker to Andrade for a pop. Gable keeps control and hits a Chickenwing suplex for another close 2 count. Vega tries to rally for Andrade.
Andrade blocks Gable in the corner and delivers a big boot to the face. Gable decks Andrade and cuts him off in the corner. We see Elias backstage watching. Gable climbs up with Andrade in the corner but then gets hung upside down. Andrade hits the big stomp for the close 2 count. More back and forth now. Gable with another roll-up for 2. Andrade hits the Three Amigos suplexes. Gable blocks the third and then delivers a pair of German suplexes but the third is blocked. More back and forth now. Fans chant for Gable after he goes up top for a huge moonsault. Andrade with more offense now. Gable moves as Andrade charges in with the double knees. Gable comes back with a German and holds it for the pin but Vega is distracting the referee. Gable turns his attention to Vega and turns back around to a big elbow from Andrade. They tangle again and Gable rolls Andrade up for the upset pin to advance.
Winner: Chad Gable
– After the match, fans pop big for Gable as he celebrates. We go to replays as the music hits. Vega and Andrade aren’t happy. Gable will face Elias in the semi-finals from MSG next Tuesday.
– The announcers plug WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin’s RAW return next week for the contract signing between RAW Tag Team Champions Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins for their WWE Universal Title match at Clash of Champions.
– We go back to the ring and Aleister Black rises up from under the stage. He makes his way down the ramp as we go back to commercial.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Aleister Black
Back from the break and Aleister Black goes at it with Shelton Benjamin.
Black shows Benjamin up early on and Benjamin is shocked. Black with more offense and a big roundhouse kick. Black fights from the apron at one point but Benjamin knocks him off to the floor with a big knee strike.
Benjamin follows to the floor with more offense before bringing Black into the ring. Black fights Benjamin off with kicks. Benjamin fights back with strikes. Black catches a punch and unloads with strikes of his own. Black catches a kick and dodges another kick. Black comes right back with a huge Black Mass kick for the pin to win.
Winner: Aleister Black
– After the bell, Black sits up in the middle of the ring as his music hits. We go to replays.
– Still to come, Daniel Bryan wants his apology from Roman Reigns.
– We see Sami Zayn backstage with Shinsuke Nakamura. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and WWE 24/7 Champion Drake Maverick is backstage with wife Renee Michelle. The Singh Brothers and The B Team attack but he fights them off and avoids a pin. Bo Dallas ends up getting the pin on Drake for the title. Bo runs off with the WWE 24/7 Title and Curtis Axel is with him. Drake is left looking disappointed on the ground. Renee looks on.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Andrew Morton
We go to the ring and out comes WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn. Sami has the music cut so fans can’t sing along with it. Sami says tonight is all about Nakamura, not the fans. Sami addresses the enhancement talent waiting in the ring and gets his name wrong. Sami says the guy might as well be The Miz tonight because this is what will happen to The Miz at Clash of Champions. Sami calls for the referee to do his damn job and ring the bell.
Nakamura goes right to work on the enhancement talent and beats him down. Sami is doing his own commentary on the mic, praising Nakamura non-stop. Nakamura makes quick work of the enhancement talent and gets the non-title win with the Kinshasa.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
– After the match, Zayn and Nakamura leave as the music hits.
– The B Team, The Singh Brothers, Gran Metalik and Drake Maverick hit the ring as Nakamura and Zayn are leaving. This leads to Drake pinning Bo Dallas to regain the WWE 24/7 Title. Drake and his wife go to leave to the back but R-Truth comes from behind and pins Drake to begin his 14th 24/7 Title reign.
– We see Daniel Bryan walking backstage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and the announcers hype Clash of Champions, including Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan.
– We go to the ring and out comes Daniel Bryan to a mixed reaction.
Bryan takes the mic and fans chant his name. Bryan says it finally looks like we have a group of people who believe him. Some fans cheer and some boo. Bryan goes on about how people think he’s guilty by association with Erick Rowan. Bryan has said the entire time that he had nothing to do with what happened to Roman Reigns. Bryan says people might not like him or what he does or says, but no one can say he is a liar. Bryan says he hates liars. Bryan demands an apology from Reigns. Not just for accusing him of something he didn’t do, not just for hitting the Spear last week, but he wants an apology because Reigns is calling him a liar. The music hits and out comes Reigns to a pop.
Reigns looks out over the crowd from the stage but Erick Rowan attacks him from behind. Rowan beats Reigns down at ringside and sends him into the steel steps. Rowan slams Reigns face-first into the apron as Bryan looks on. Bryan comes out to stop Rowan but Rowan shoves him into the barrier and Bryan goes down. Rowan picks Reigns up again and launches him head-first into the ring post. Reigns lands hard and Rowan brings him into the ring. Fans try to rally for Reigns as Rowan stands over him.
Rowan grabs Reigns in the Iron Claw and drives him into the mat. Fans boo as Rowan stands over Reigns in the middle of the ring. Rowan takes the mic and yells out Reigns’ name twice. Rowan says the joke is on The Big Dog if he thinks Bryan did this. Fans quickly give Rowan the “What!?” treatment. Rowan says Bryan is worse than everyone else as he thinks he can control Rowan. Rowan says he’s no one’s puppet. Rowan says Bryan slapped him around last week, so why don’t Bryan step into the ring right now and show him how big of a man he is, slap him around again. Rowan gets hyped up as Bryan looks on. Rowan turns back to Reigns and says he’s proud of what he’s done to Reigns, including the mystery attacks backstage and the car crash. Rowan says he’s most proud of the pain that Reigns will feel at Clash of Champions.
Rowan drops the mic and tosses Reigns back out of the ring. Rowan follows and grabs half of the steel steps. Rowan rams them into Reigns’ face and he goes back down. Bryan comes over and yells at Rowan, then slaps him in the face. Rowan grabs Bryan with the Iron Claw and drives him through the announce table. Rowan screams out “never again!” a few times as fans boo him. Rowan says no one touches him from now on. Officials come over and try to get Rowan to back off. We go to replays with Rowan standing over Reigns and Bryan. Rowan looks down at Reigns and yells about this being just a taste of what’s to come. SmackDown goes off the air.
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