Smackdown Review 06/12/2020
Smackdown Review 06/12/2020
Hello! Welcome back to this weeks Smackdown review. Tonight’s show coming to us from the WWE performance center is looking to be an incredible Go-Home show ahead of this Sunday’s Backlash Pay-per-view. For starters, we will see the finals of the intercontinental championship tournament as Daniel Bryan clashes with AJ Styles to determine a new champion. Plus, Jeff Hardy and Sheamus will have a contract signing ahead of their Backlash battle and the Universal Champion will team up with Heavy Machinery to take on Miz, John Morrison & Dolph Ziggler in six man tag team action. All then and more, so, let’s get into it!
Live from the WWE Performance Center
We kick off with a look back at the Sheamus and Jeff Hardy feud.
Sheamus & Jeff Hardy Contract Signing
We then head right into the contract signing. Sheamus comes out with doctors and a curtain. Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring & Sheamus tells Hardy that before he signs the contract, he wants Jeff to take a drug test. Specifically, a urine test. In the ring. Sheamus says if he doesn’t, he won’t sign the contract. Jeff says he deals with people doubting him constantly and he is sick of letting everyone down. So he will take it and prove that he is clean. Jeff gets behind the curtain and takes the test. Sheamus runs down Jeff Hardy the whole time he’s doing it, then asks Jeff if he has any last words before he fails. Jeff says it’s better to be pissed off than pissed on, and throws the cup of urine in his face, signs the contract and leaves. Leaving Sheamus embarrassed in the ring. We come back from a commercial to see Sheamus in the bathroom washing his face. The doctor walks in on him and tells him that Jeff’s results are in, and he is clean.
My Thoughts
The only way I could describe this is cringe-worthy. Second hand embarrassment from watching this.
New Day vs. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura
Kofi and Nakamura started the match off hot, with both men going for big moves early, which ended in Kofi hitting a standing double stomp to Nakamura’s chest. Suddenly, Big E and Cesaro got involved and things broke down fast heading into a commercial break. We come back to see Nakamura and Big E in, before Cesaro gets tagged in quickly. Cesaro beats down Big E, but he powers up and takes Cesaro down. Both men make tags to their partners. Kofi springboards in taking down Nakamura, but after a distraction from Cesaro, Nakamura sneak attacks him. Fast action here. Big E clothesline’s Cesaro our of the ring as they both spill on the floor. Battle back and forth between Shinsuke and Kofi ends when Kofi goes for a splash, but Nakamura gets his knees up, then rolls Kofi up for the win.
My Thoughts
Pretty fast pace chaotic action, but very enjoyable. Shinsuke and Cesaro beating the tag team champions is interesting.
– Otis and Tucker are backstage. Tucker is testing Otis’s senses, making him cover his eyes and hear and taste things, so then he is ready to cash in. Mandy walks up and hands him his briefcase, saying it’s his night. Suddenly, down the hall, Hardy and Sheamus are brawling. People rush to break them up and push them away.
We take a look at the history of the intercontinental championship.
Intercontinental Championship
AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan
Both men start off by exchanging holds and trying to get the better of each other. As you would expect, a technical display. That was until Styles took a cheap shot to the mid section and took control of the match for mir-minutes, until Bryan side stepped him, launching him out of the ring, followed by a suicide dive. We come back from a break to see Daniel Bryan controlling the arm of AJ Styles, tying him up in a few different holds. Styles battled back and hit a nasty drop kick to take Bryan off of his feet. Styles then then tried to take control but Bryan wouldn’t stay down, and both men fought back and forth once again jockeying for position. Daniel Bryan was then the one to take full control, once again working over the limbs of Styles in multiple holds and submissions. Styles eventually broke out and started gaining control, that was until both men crashed into each other with a double crossbody. Both men down. We go to break, then come back to both men spilling to the outside. Bryan sends AJ shoulder first into the ring post, then worked over AJ arm hard as the went back into the ring. Bryan stayed in control for a bit, before he went for a running corner drop kick, but fell flat on the mat when AJ Styles moved. And with the quickness of a snap, AJ was in control and all over Bryan, working on his knee, specifically. Styles did everything he could to keep Bryan down, hanging him up in the ropes, stomping on his knee, and much more, but Bryan caught AJ with a lucky enziguri. Once again, both men down. With no man able to gain control, this is anyone’s match. Rough strikes thrown back and forth as each man tries their best to get in the drivers seat. What a match this has been. You can see that both men are physically exhausted. Bryan caught AJ in an armbar, but Styles reverses it into a calf crusher. Bryan breaks out, and kicks AJ right in the head for a near fall. Bryan visibly wondering what he has to do to keep Styles down. Daniel eventually tried for a Suplex off the top rope, but AJ really made him fight for it. But, he did, and he hit the back Suplex off the top rope. Both men down as we go into yet another break. As we come back, both men are fighting back and forth, but quickly AJ hits a pele kick, followed by a brain buster but that couldn’t keep Bryan down. This is incredible. Styles tried for another pele but got caught, Bryan locks him into a ankle lock, turned into a German Suplex, tried for another but Styles hits a German of his own, this is non-stop action. Bryan stomps AJ down and sets up for the running knee, but AJ reserves it into the Styles clash, but out of exhaustion, Styles can’t make it for the pin. Styles follows it up with a phenomenal forearm, and gets the win. Amazing match. New intercontinental champion.
My Thoughts
I think I explain it well enough, that was amazing. AJ Styles is our new Intercontinental Champion. Wow.
We take a look back at Miz and Morrison messing with Braun last week.
Sasha and Bayley Celebration
Bayley and Sasha have a championship celebration. Balloons and decorations in the ring. Sasha hyped up their win, and Bayley tells Sasha she has a poem for her. Suddenly, Alexa and Nikki interrupt. Nikki says she loves parties, but Bayley says they’re not invited. Suddenly, iiconics come up on the screen and say that they’ve beat both teams and it’ll be the same this Sunday. Peyton then tells Sasha and Bayley to watch their backs. Then, Alexa and Nikki attack the tag team champions from behind and send them running.
Miz and Morrison are backstage, they say they have a new music video to debut. As the video starts, Braun interrupts, making his way to the ring.
Before the match, we see a Matt Riddle promo. He will be here next week!
Braun Strowman & Heavy Machinery vs. The Miz, John Morrison & Dolph Ziggler
Otis and Dolph kick off the match, but before they could even touch, Ziggler ran away and tagged in Miz. Otis took Miz down right away and tagged in Tucker for a double team move. Quick tags in and out between each team, but Heavy machinery and Braun have the control the entire time. Double team moves and very good work between this team. Suddenly, Baron Corbin was shown on the screen backstage. He walked up to Mandy and asked if it was her idea for Otis to take his crown last week. He says that she knows she fantasizes about being with a king, so she should be with him. Suddenly, Otis runs backstage and attacks Corbin. He beats him down as we go to commercial break. We come back to see Otis still not back in the ring, and Miz, Morrison & Dolph just all over Tucker. He tries to make a tag, but they knock Braun off the apron. Tucker and Dolph knock each other down, suddenly Otis makes his way back out. Tucker crawls over and makes the tag. Otis comes in on fire and starts beating the hell out of Ziggler. Braun gets up and runs over Miz and Morrison on the outside with running shoulder tackles, while Otis hits the caterpillar in the ring on Dolph for the win. Shoe ends with the winning team celebrating.
My Thoughts
The structure of this match was really weird and i didn’t like Otis running backstage then running back out mid match, I found that a little weird and it ruined the pace of the match. The match itself was decent, but nothing to go crazy over.
My Overall Thoughts
I thought Smackdown was not good tonight aside from one match. Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles absolutely knocked it out of the park. Such a good match. But, starting with that cringe urine segment with Hardy and Sheamus, then everything else was just not good. Thank god for the intercontinental championship match to give us a bright side. No Mandy and Sonya feud mention this week as well as no mystery hacker segment this week. Not a good go-home show. But, at least next week we get to see the fallout from backlash and the debut of Matt Riddle! So, thanks for reading and I’ll see you next week!
