Smackdown Live Review 08/16/2016

It’s Tuesday night and we are about to lose our mind due to the excitement for Summerslam. Summerslam is this weekend and we just can’t wait to see if it lives up to the expectations. Recently, RAW has been criticized for their poor product, can WWE fix it with the Go-Home Smackdown for Summerslam? Let’s find out!

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WWE Smackdown Live comes to you live from Austin, Texas at the Frank Erwin Center.

This week’s episode kicks off with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan backstage talking about Summerslam and how exciting it was going to be until Randy Orton showed up. Shane and Bryan had a contract ready for Orton to sign, Orton says the match was going to be shorter than expected because all it takes s one RKO. Heath Slater walks into the room with a fruit basket with a card that read “To Bob, My Condolences”. After doing his hottest free agent gig, he says he stood toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar last night to which Shane replied that he was surprised to even see Slater there. Shane goes on to say they can’t just hand him chances. Randy Orton says he has an idea and takes a bite out of the Apple Heath tossed him earlier and the Smackdown video plays.

Solid opening segment, the relationship between Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon gets better every week.

The Miz and Maryse stand in the ring where Maryse introduces The Miz for Miz TV. Dean Ambrose comes out interrupting The Miz, followed by Dolph Ziggler. They both argue and The Miz tries to get control of the show by asking Ziggler a question. The Miz just kind of gets far from these two and Ziggler starts getting really intense with a promo about the Company never getting behind him and using haters as fuel. Ambrose talks about Ziggler not wanting it so bad, never wanting this so bad. Ambrose talks about Ziggler being happy and just being the sarcastic guy in a crappy movie. He also talks about Ziggler not handling pressure and Ziggler’s chip on his shoulder. As Ziggler was talking -Again, really, really intense-, he super kicks Ambrose out of nowhere. As Ambrose lays on the ground, Ziggler says that this Sunday, he’ll prove he is that damn good.

This was a really good exchange between these two. It is a really intense and story driven feud, I would say the result for Summerslam is pretty obvious which takes a bit away from the match but I think this match could be better tan Balor v Rollins. One last thing, the “I want to kick your head right off your face” line almost lost me but Ziggler came back well.

The Miz starts talking about his Summerslam opponent Apollo Crews until Apollo himself comes out. The Miz insults him and calls him “Apollo Creed” and Crews hits Miz with his sit-out powerbomb.

1) The Usos, American Alpha and the Hype Bros vs The Vaudevillians, The Ascension and Breezango.
In a match that was simply in the show for the “chaos” factor, the face team defeated the heel team when Chad Gable pinned Aiden English after Grand Amplitude.
It just makes me mad that the heel teams in Smackdown are treated like chumps. If The Usos don’t turn heel or WWE doesn’t decide to push some of the 3 heel teams, the tag division on Smackdown will become a joke, sadly.

WWE keeps making some mistakes with Smackdown being live as Dean Ambrose’s match and Eva Marie’s debut are both announced to happen “next”.

The lights go out and Naomi is dancing on the stage with glow in the dark clothes, hair and even her teeth. Naomi smiles and hands stuff to the people, so yeah, Naomi is a face now. Eva Marie’s theme plays with her usual narration but at the end the narrator states that Eva is stuck in traffic and will not compete tonight.

Footage from Hell in a Cell 2015 is shown where Alberto del Rio defeated John Cena for the United States Title.

AJ Styles is talking to Alberto del Rio backstage trying to pep talk him for his match against John Cena tonight. Del Rio says he doesn’t need a pep talk and AJ makes fun of him for not being on the Summerslam card.
Am I the only one who wants Del Rio v AJ in a WWE ring?

A Curt Hawkins video aired with the Tyson Kidd “Fact” gimmick. At the end, it says “Hawkins is coming soon”.
Ok, now I’m officially excited, I love Curt Hawkins!

2) Randy Orton v Heath Slater.
In a one minute match, Heath Slater defeated Randy Orton by DQ when Orton didn’t stop hitting Slater in the corner. After the match, Orton continued assaulting Slater at ringside and did a couple of suplexes mocking Brock Lesnar and finally hit Slater with an RKO.

Slater is being checked backstage when Shane and Bryan come in and congratulate him on his victory. Slater says he showed no mercy towards Brock and now Orton. Bryan says that’s a good name for a Smackdown PPV. Slater talks to Bryan as if Bryan was Mick Foley and Shane McMahon was Stephanie McMahon. Finally, Shane hands Slater a contract and as Slater was about to sign it, Shane took away with Slater not realizing it while still being confused due to the beating he took.

3) Dean Ambrose v Erick Rowan w/ Bray Wyatt.
In another short match, Dean Ambrose defeated Erick Rowan by pinfall with Dirty Deeds after 5 minutes. Rowan had some offense in but Ambrose ultimately won clean.
After the match, Bray left Erick’s mask on his rocking chair and the broadcast team said it may be the end of the Wyatt Family.

4) Becky Lynch & Carmella v Natalya & Alexa Bliss.
In the fourth match that was under 6 minutes during this show, Becky Lynch & Carmella defeated Natalya & Alexa Bliss when Becky Lynch made Natalya tap out with the Disarmer…again. During the match, Eva Marie made her entrance, narrator and all, and Naomi came back out and chased Eva, Natalya got distracted tossing Naomi causing the loss.

I don’t know how I feel about this, I mean, we have women getting time and Carmella and Alexa Bliss having main roster matches but this lasted 4:20. Also, I just like Naomi better as a heel so all of his match was a bit awkward for me.

Baron Corbin is attacking Kalisto backstage again, telling him he does what he wants when he wants and every time Kalisto gets up, he’ll be there to knock him down.

The broadcast team announce that Jon Stewart will be appearing at Summerslam.

Mauro Ranallo also announces Naomi, Carmella and Becky Lynch vs Eva Marie, Natalya and Alexa Bliss. Wow. A throw away match by all means.

AJ Styles makes his entrance to do commentary for the main event.

5) John Cena vs Alberto del Rio.
In a really, really, solid match, John Cena defeated Alberto del Rio by pinfall with the Attitude Adjustment. AJ did good at commentary and Cena and Del Rio continue to have great matches whenever they need to.
After the match, AJ Styles hit Cena with a Phenomenal Forearm, grabbed a mic and said he was tired of hearing the future needs to go through John Cena and he will become the face that runs the place once he wins on Sunday.
Styles dropped the mic, left the ring and then rushed back in to try and beat up Cena but Cena powered out and hit him with the AA. He then dragged AJ to ringside and put him through the announce table with another AA.

The show goes off the air with John Cena celebrating.

That’s it, for the last show before Summerslam this Sunday. Smackdown continues to make good use of a more limited roster and less time. We had 4 matches that went 6 minutes or less and the main event that went for 16 minutes. To be honest, it makes me a bit upset that not everyone is getting time but at the end of the day, it makes for a better show. A far more entertaining and not a dragged on marathon show filled with filler. So what’s the harm? I mean, the women’s and the tag divisions are pretty much non-existent as of right now but it still makes for fun wrestling and segments.

This week, we rate Smackdown Live a 7.8 out of 10. This rating is based on the lack of wrestling apart from the main event but the Ambrose-Ziggler exchange really saved the show. Plus, who doesn’t love Alberto Del Rio in their Main Event?

Do you have a different opinion? Make sure to let us know. We’ve been @WammysWrestlingUniverse on Instagram and we’ll see you next week where hopefully Del Rio is #1 contender and AJ Styles had defeated Cena at Summerslam.