By: Keila Cash
Hello everyone and welcome to another installment of The SmackDown Files. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live emanated from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. It’s the go-home show for Clash of Champions which takes place this Sunday from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Every championship will be defended along with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s careers being on the line as they face Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton in a tag team match with Shane McMahon serving as the special guest referee.
Daniel Bryan wasn’t thrilled with McMahon inserting himself in the match which might cause Bryan to make some power moves of his own in order to seize control from his boss. Is Bryan on the verge of joining the dark side of the force or will he find his moral compass in the nick of time? The answer to that question can be found throughout this blog. Without further ado, let’s dissect tonight’s show in no particular order.
· Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn wearing “Yep! Yep! Yep!” t-shirts in the style and vein of Daniel Bryan’s vintage “Yes! Yes! Yes!” shirt is awesome.
· The Singh Brothers offered their professional services to AJ Styles after Jinder Mahal beat them up two weeks ago when they failed to beat Styles in a 2-on-1 handicap match.
· The Singh Brothers talked about how Mahal mistreated them when it came to subpar flight/hotel accommodations, confusing them for being identical twins by forcing them to wear the same clothes and kissing his smelly feet.
· Styles did a great job egging them on as he revealed a photo of Singh One and Singh Two still pledging their allegiance to Mahal during a live event in India this past week. He saw through their ruse and proceeded to kick their ass as Mahal looked on from ringside. Styles invited Mahal to get in the ring, but the modern-day Maharajah backed down to check on his minions as the opening segment came to an end with the Phenomenal One standing tall.
· This was a fun way to start the show. The Singh Brothers were entertaining on the mic while Styles did a great job no-selling their sob story. The creative team taking the comedic route five days before Styles’ WWE Championship title defense against Mahal was an interesting choice, but it was harmless for the most part. Here’s hoping their feud culminates with a Styles win on Sunday because the Mahal Experiment was more miss than hit despite him getting more comfortable as a main eventer in recent months.
· Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott ended via disqualification after Natalya clotheslined Charlotte at ringside. The Riot Squad continued their attack on Charlotte and was about to slam her face first underneath the steel steps when Naomi made the save. Naomi delivered an insane double dropkick to Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan before going after Riott with a series of sick forearms before laying her out with The Rearview.
· The Riot Squad tried to escape, but they were greeted with a sneak attack from Carmella, Tamina, and Lana which tips the scales heading into the SmackDown Women’s Championship Lumberjack Match between Charlotte and Natalya at Clash of Champions.
· Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler ended via disqualification when Bobby Roode dropped Ziggler with a Glorious DDT. Corbin suffered the same fate as this was a nice callback to Ziggler doing the same thing to Roode and Corbin last week. This was an okay way to the hype their Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship at Clash of Champions.
· The Bludgeon Brothers destroyed the team of Colin Delaney and Joe Monroe when Harper pinned Delaney with the Double Chokeslam. The highlight of the match was Monroe’s outstanding facial expressions and high pitched scream when Harper dropped him with a Powerbomb. I think WWE has found the next James Ellsworth. They need to sign that man to a contract. Stat!
· Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn’s Yep Movement paid dividends when Daniel Bryan announced that he would be the second special guest referee in Owen and Zayn’s match against Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton. With Shane McMahon vowing to fire KO and Zayn if they lose, will Bryan tip the scales of power by willing his former buddies to victory? We shall find out soon enough.
· Aiden English and Rusev defeated The Usos when English pinned Jey Uso with a DDT in a solid match. English and Rusev are riding a wave of momentum heading into Clash of Champions as they face The New Day, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin, and The Usos in a Fatal 4-Way Match for SmackDown Tag Team Titles. This could be a show stealer if everything goes according to plan.
· Jinder Mahal attacked AJ Styles backstage and warned Styles that he wouldn’t overcome the odds on Sunday. Based on Styles staring at the lights five days before a PPV, booking suggests that he retain the WWE Championship on Sunday. I think…
· Kevin Owens defeated Shinsuke Nakamura with a Popup Powerbomb in a very good main event match. However, the night ended on a controversial note when Daniel Bryan inserted himself in the match to count the pinfall. Owens inadvertently knocked out the first ref which caused Bryan to intervene down the stretch. Nakamura had Owens pinned for the win, but Bryan took a pregnant pause before getting in the ring to make the count.
· Randy Orton and Sami Zayn brawled inside the ring as Bryan gave them leeway to fight it out. Zayn poked Orton in the eyes at ringside and tried to distract Nakamura when he had Owens in position for the Kinshasa. Nakamura pushed Zayn off the ring apron, but the diversion gave Owens enough time to hit his finisher for the 1-2-3.
· SD Live went off the air with Owens and Zayn celebrating on the main stage while Byron Saxton proclaimed that the fix was in heading into the PPV on Sunday with Bryan in KO and Zayn’s back pocket.
· Saxton was pushing the narrative that Bryan was stepping on Shane McMahon’s toes by naming himself with second special guest referee without talking to his superior first. Bryan downplayed the issue by noting that WWE is in the business of doing the unexpected and vowed to work with McMahon during the week to determine how they’re going to officiate the tag team match on Sunday.
· Saxton was relentless towards Bryan on commentary which means only one thing…Swerve Alert! When WWE tries to hammer an angle to the point that the outcome is damn near academic, expect the opposite to happen. Bryan has been hinting at joining the dark side of the force in recent weeks. With Saxton accusing Bryan of being corrupt based on his actions during the main event, one can assume that Bryan is poised to turn heel at Clash of Champions.
· However, WWE history suggests that it’s usually the other around when it comes to heel turns. Shane McMahon has been power hungry as of late. His thirst for revenge might ring true, but he’s a McMahon which makes inherently evil by default. Is there a greater scheme at play? Will Saxton’s conspiracy theory about Bryan come to fruition? The answers to these questions can be found on the WWE Network this Sunday. It should be an interesting night, to say the least. Get your popcorn ready!
· Overall, I thought tonight’s episode was middling at best. The go-home show for Clash of Champions featured good hype for the key matches, but it didn’t make me more excited for the PPV on Sunday. The in-ring quality was so-so with two matches ending via disqualification in consecutive segments. It made sense from a storyline standpoint, but it lacked creativity in the grand scheme of things.
· The main event salvaged saved the show which makes me excited for the tag team match featuring Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan serving as special guest referees. I highly doubt that Owens and Zayn are going to be fired from WWE which means one of the special refs is going rogue. Based on what happened tonight, my money’s on Shane-O-Mac to do the honors. We shall see how it all plays out, but expect a jaw-dropping conclusion that will leave the wrestling world buzzing.
On that note, this wraps up another edition of The SmackDown Files. I hope you enjoyed it and I will be back next week with a brand new installment of The Raw Exposé. See you later, boys and girls!
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