Smackdown Live Review 07/23/2019

After weeks of Kevin Owens defying authority both verbally and physically, what will Shane McMahon have to say when he addresses Owens? Plus, who will step up when WWE Champion Kofi Kingston issues a SummerSlam challenge? Also, Ember Moon got much-needed retribution against Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville last week but how will she fare when she goes one on one with Charlotte Flair this week? Finally, last week we expected a huge announcement from Daniel Bryan but Bryan didn’t speak, this week can we expect to hear the announcement or will Bryan stay silent again?

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SmackDown Live comes to us from the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL.

 SmackDown Live kicks off with a video package showing the story between Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens over the past few weeks.

In-Ring Segment: Shane McMahon  *** Xavier Woods and Big E have joined Tom Phillips and David Otunga on commentary. Shane tells how last night was an amazing show paying homage to the SuperStars of the past and present. He says one face he was happy not to see was Kevin Owens. He tells that Owens was on social media doing his yapping and tells how Owens challenged him to a match at SummerSlam. He says SummerSlam is the biggest party of the summer and it wouldn’t be complete without The Best In The World competing in it. He tells that he accepts but then tells how Owens said he would quit if he loses. The crowd chants you can’t wrestle and Shane says ask Roman Reigns about that. He then says Owens has said this stuff before and ironically it came about a year ago from the same building SummerSlam will come from. He then shows a video of Owens quitting last year. Shane says do you believe that. He tells that after he beats him he will quit and he wants it in writing. Shane is then cut off by the music of KO, here comes Owens! Owens says he has said a lot of things but he would never say Shane isn’t smart because he is and he proved it by pulling out that video. He says that was the lowest part of his career and it was a guy who didn’t want to ruffle any feathers or piss anyone off but that is not the man he id today. He tells he knew that Shane would accept because he loves the spotlight and it doesn’t get brighter than this years SummerSlam in Toronto. He says he won’t quit though because he is going to beat the hell out of him. Shane says yeah quitter. Owens says we don’t have to wait till SummerSlam he can beat the hell out of him right now, he then charges the ring. Shane tells him to stop if he wants his match but then says if you want to fight then you will tonight. He says we are going to see Owens in action and his opponent will be “The Big Dog” Roman Reigns. My Opinion: We knew Shane would accept this match but this is going to be a huge opportunity for Owens. If and when he goes on to beat Shane he is going to be so over with the WWE Universe. If he is the guy that puts Shane away as most people want then after that he can do no wrong and they have to capitalize on him. I love the new side of Owens and if done right he could become a Stone Clod lite for sure, if not better. I did really like that Shane put Owens against Reigns, this wasn’t your usual guys you would expect so this should be a very interesting bout for sure. Backstage Segment: Shinsuke Nakamura prepares for action! Backstage Segment: Drew Mcintyre and Elias come up to Shane and make sure he is okay. Elias tells Shane he outdid himself putting Reigns against Owens, it was genius. Shane says we need to make this match more special, and says tonight we will have Drew Mcintyre as the special guest referee. He then says Elias will be the special guest timekeeper. He then says he will be the special guest ring announcer. Match 1: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Apollo Crews  Crew and Nakamura feel each other out before Nakamura is able to get a side headlock. Crews brings it to the ropes and is able to break the hold and knock Nakamura to the mat. Crews stays on him and tries a cover but can’t get the three. Crews lifts Nakamura and holds him there before finally hitting on the stalling suplex. Crews tries a cover but again can’t get the three. Nakamura gets tied up on the ropes and is sent to the floor. Crews then hits him with a moonsault from the apron. Back in the ring Crews tries to dive in from the apron but Nakamura moves out of the way. Nakamura then knocks him down on the apron and hits him with strikes before driving him to the floor. Nakamura brings it back in the ring and tries a cover but Crews kicks out. Nakamura then goes back to a modified headlock and works Crews down to the mat. Another cover and another kick out by Crews. Nakamura bounces him off the turnbuckle and then stomps into Crews as he lays against the turnbuckles. Nakamura continues with the strikes and Crews is down. Crews is brought back to his feet and hit with a kick. Nakamura locks a front face lock and brings Crews back to the mat. Crews is able to fight out and knock Nakamura down. Cres land s a kick to the gut and follows with a kick to the head. Crews drops Nakamura and goes for the cover but can’t get the three. Crews lifts Nakamura but he fights off and is able to catch him with a left leg kick. Nakamura lands a kick tot he neck in the corner and then lands a sliding snap german. Crews comes back with a kick and then hits an Olympic Slam. Another cover but Crews still can’t put him away. Crews goes to the top but is knocked down but Nakamura. Nakamura then lands a knee to the gut. Crews comes back slamming Nakamura to the mat. He tries to build offense but Nakamura stays the course and hits the Kinshasa. Nakamura goes for the cover and gets the 1 2 3. After the match, Nakamura attacks Crews sending him to the outside. On the outside, he continues the attack and hits him with another Kinshasa. Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura  My Opinion:  A very competitive match between these two, I think Crews definitely made a case for himself to get a rematch in the future. Nakamura is a champion so once again he picked his spot and capitalized but he was tested for sure. The attack at the end wasn’t needed but I think it came out of frustration. Anyone who takes him to the limit can now expect that aggression. Giving him an aggressive streak will help a ton and it’s going to lead to very smash mouth matches for him in the future, which I can’t wait for. Backstage Segment: Mandy Rose tells Sonya Deville that she has secured them a match for next week and if they win they will be in line for a tag team title match. Backstage Segment: Miz heads to the ring for Miz TV.

Ali Vignette: There is a new Ali vignette tonight in which Ali says he has to rewrite the story and take the pen and put it back in his hand and rewrite his story. He tells the back story fo how he had to fight to get here for it all to turn on him. He says his injury cost him everything but he refuses to let that be his story. He says with the pen in his hand will end with him being WWE Champion. He says he will use his own blood if he has to in order to write his story. He tells that Ali will go down in history, end of story.

In-Ring Segment: Miz TV w/ Shawn Michaels  Miz hypes Miz and Mrs and then tells how last night we celebrated the past. He then shows highlights from last nights Raw. Miz says not only was his guest tonight at Raw reunion but he had the honor of sharing the silver screen with him and now the honor of interviewing him. He then introduces “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. Miz tells how last night some SuperStars loved interacting with the legends and others looked at it as people taking opportunities away. He then asks HBK how his experience was. He says he has been on both sides but when they get the chance to come together again they can’t turn it down. Miz tells how everyone had a blast and are having a blast right now. HBK says speaking of the Raw Reunion they inducted an honorary member into DX and The Clique last night. He tells that it has been a cool thing to watch Rollins over the years and now he is going to SummerSlam to face Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship and he has every intention of burning it down. Out comes Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler says enough with these so-called legends limping to the ring, happy to be there. He says if he ends up like that put him out of his. Miz says he would be happy to punch him in the face. HBK tells Miz to give him a moment. Ziggler says he used to idolize him, he tells HBK he had the chance to ride off into the sunset but he came out every chance he got and it is embarrassing. He says last November when HBK came back to the ring it broke his heart. He tells HBK he was embarrassing. HBK says he will admit, he won’t disagree he was embarrassed. He says what is more embarrassing is working your whole career and being known as a second rate Shawn Michaels wannabe. Ziggler says there is only one second rate Shawn Michaels out here right now and he is looking at him. He says it is fitting he and Miz are out here because they are two of the best of all time but they went around kissing babies and they will be known for kissing ass. Miz tells him to do something already and says in this company it’s not it should be you, you make it you. He tells him again to do something about it. Ziggler goes after Michaels but hits Miz instead. HBK then knocks Ziggler down. Ziggler then hits HBK with a Superkick. Miz tries to go after Ziggler but he runs. My Opinion: Wow, that was an explosive segment that really cut deep. Ziggler spoke some harsh words and you could tell they really sat with HBK because what he felt was finally said. Ziggler is a guy who no matter his wins or loses when he comes out there he can get a reaction and people buy into him. He’s someone that is the perfect heel and matches it with his in-ring work. I’m not sure where this goes now with HBK in the mix but you have to belive Ziggler and Miz will face off at some point. If this happens especially at SummerSlam I really feel like these two could be one of the best matches on the card. I’m excited to continue seeing the development of this as it’s really getting good! Match 2: Ember Moon vs Charlotte Flair Charlotte knocks down Moon and stays in control. Charlotte continues to keep Moon on the mat. Bayley’s music then hits and here she comes. Charlotte gets distracted and it allows Moon to roll her up and get the 1 2 3. Moon then joins Bayley on the outside. Moon throws Bayley into the ring and Charlotte takes Bayley out. Moon then comes in and hits Charlotte with the Eclipse. She then hits Bayley with one as well. Winner: Ember Moon My Opinion: Well obviously this was a quick match but Ember definitely made her point there. Yeah, it’s great being friends but her friend Bayley has what she wants and she let her know tonight she is coming for it. Laying both Baley and Charlotte out with the Eclipse shows that Ember’s mind is in the right place and she knows what she is fighting for. Bayley seems clouded by friendship and has to realize that being a champion means you have to put the friendships aside and protect what is yours at all costs. Very rarely will you see a respectful build-up especially with so much on the line.

Backstage Segment: Kofi Kingston heads to the ring to propose his challenge, next! Backstage Segment: Roman Reigns prepares for his match against Kevin Owens later tonight. In-Ring Segment: WWE Champion Kofi Kingston  Kofi acknowledges his title defense coming up this Saturday on Smackville and says he wants to issue a challenge to the man he hopes will be his opponent and the man he hopes will accept. He says before he comes and attacks me when I’m not looking I want to call this man out and that man is Randy Orton. Here comes Orton. Kofi says he called Orton out here because they have a lot of history. He says a lot of people might not remember but he does. He then tells how back on November 16, 2009, MSG he whooped Orton’s ass all over the arena. He then shows the video from that night. Kofi says that moment still gives him goosebumps because that was supposed to be the moment that he took it to the next level and he made it to the main event scene. He tells how that didn’t happen because Orton used his influence to hold him down to make sure he never made it there again. He says it didn’t work and kept grinding and found the power of positivity and became what Orton never wanted him to be and that was the WWE Champion. Orton questions this and says your damn right I did and says he wasn’t ready then and tells Kofi he still isn’t ready now. Orton tells of his 18 years on top and how he didn’t have to work hard because all he had to do was be Randy Orton. He says with him what you see is what you get and it’s pretty damn good. He wins matches, titles, Royal Rumbles, and main events WrestleMania’s. He tells Kofi how he was the reason Kofi got to Mania this year because he was the one who injured Ali. He tells Kofi he doesn’t deserve the championship and he can take it from him whenever he wants. Kofi then proposes the challenge of himself versus Randy Orton for the WWE Championship. Orton says if you want it you got it but this 11-year fairytale comes to a screeching halt courtesy of the three most destructive words in Sports Entertainment, RKO. Samoa Joe then comes out for his match against Kofi Kingston, next! My Opinion: This one is going to be a huge match! For Kofi, this is his biggest opportunity to cement himself because if he beats someone with the legacy of Randy Orton it will show Kofi is meant to be. You can’t argue that Orton is one of the best to ever do it so if Kofi beats him it solidifies this whole run. It’s a dangerous game though because Orton knows exactly what it takes to get it done and will stop at nothing to get that title. I can’t wait to see how Kofi handles Orton’s mind games leading up to SummerSlam! Match 3: Kofi Kingston vs Samoa Joe  The two lock up and Joe is able to get control of Kofi’s arm. Kofi reverses for a moment but Joe gets back into control. Kofi flips out of the hold and goes back to the arm of Joe. the hold is broken and they go back to a standoff. Kofi gets around on Joe but Joe breaks the hold and brings Kofi back down to the mat. Joe goes back to the arm of Kofi. Kofi lands a slap and breaks the hold. Kofi goes to the arm of Joe again but once again Joe s able to break the hold and slam Kofi to the mat. Joe lands a chop and gains control. Kofi fights out of the corner with strikes and chops of his own. Joe once again knocks him down but Kofi gets up to take down Joe. He then sends Joe to the floor with a dropkick. Kofi then flies over the ropes to take Joe out on the outside. Back in the ring, Kofi hammers on Joe with right hands in the corner but Joe counters and slams Kofi on the turnbuckle. Kofi is able to avoid Joe in the corner but then gets caught and is planted. Joe goes for the cover but Kofi kicks out at two. Joe then hits Kofi with big rights and lefts to the face and body. Backed onto the ropes Kofi is dropped down to the mat. Kofi fights back but once again Joe drives him down to the mat. Joe brings Kofi to his feet and lands a huge headbutt sending Kofi back down. Joe then lands a snap mare and wrenches on the neck of Kofi. Joe continues to toy with Kofi but wastes time and it allows Kofi to fight back. After a clothesline and a dropkick Kofi finally takes him down. Kofi hits the bomb drop and goes to the corner. Joe avoids  Trouble in Paradise but Kofi stays in. Orton comes in the ring and tries an RKO but Kofi is able to counter it. Orton then hits Joe with an RKO. Kofi then hits Orton with Trouble in Paradise. Winner: Kofi Kingston: Via DQ My Opinion: This was a definitely a grueling match for Kofi as he kept getting knocked down and had to get back up. On the road to SummerSlam, it’s stuff like that that will really tire you out and with Orton waiting for him, Kofi is really going to have to try to save himself as much as he can. Tonight though Kofi avoided that RKO and was able to get one up on Orton. Kofi wins the mind games tonight but you have to believe Orton will be ready to strike when the moment presents itself. Backstage Segment: Kevin Owens prepares for his match with Roman Reigns. In-Ring Segment: Finn Balor  Kayla talks about Balor’s tough stretch the past couple of weeks and says it was the shocking events 8 days ago on Raw that really captured the WWE Universe. She then shows the footage of Bray Wyatt’s attack on Balor. She then asks Balor how he thinks he ended up in Bray Wyatt’s crosshairs. He says he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know if he is trying to settle an old score or start something new. He tells how Wyatt attacked Foley and has a new persona and he can’t explain it. He says he has stared fear in its eyes before and he didn’t back down then and won’t know. He then challenges Wyatt to match at SummerSlam. On the Titontron comes Wyatt in the FireFly Fun House. He tells Balor he is so brave and it’s inspiring. He says as for the fiend he’s not such a big fan no matter how many times they tell him how super-duper he is. He says the fiend officially accepts his challenge. He then warns Balor that he may be an extraordinary man but the fiend is no man, it’s an abomination, it is a power, and it remembers, let me in. we then see a video package of the fiend. My Opinion: Yes! I can’t wait to see this new persona of Wyatt in action and especially since it will be against Balor. This is going to epic and I can’t wait to see how Wyatt works in the ring now. Obviously, this can be the start of something huge for Wyatt as he seems to be one of the crowd favorites right now. Balor is the perfect guy to help bring the fiend into the mix and really show how evil this character is. I love that they had the nice Wyatt appear tonight, it shows the difference between the two and finally sets forth the evil within him they have been trying to display for years. Wyatt has become the highlight of shows and it’s gonna be a fun build-up waiting for him to appear from time to time! Backstage Segment: Charlotte says she shouldn’t have to request an interview. She says what happened tonight was a slap in the face, being off of SummerSlam was a slap in the face, and Bayley choosing Ember as her opponent was a slap in the face. She asks how you leave the one who led the Women’s Revolution off of SummerSlam, the woman who is the Queen of every era. She says she will be at SummerSlam and her opponent will be better than Ember Moon and she will show everyone why she is the best of all time. Match 4: Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens:  Special Guest Referee: Drew Mcintyre & Special Guest TimeKeeper: Elias & Special Guest Ring Announcer: Shane McMahon ***Before the match begins Shane does his ring introductions and Owens then grabs a mic and says he has no problem running through Roman Reigns, Drew Mcintyre, and Elias to get to him. He tells Shane he is getting dropped. Reigns then questions this and says it looks like he is running through everybody tonight. The match starts and Reigns backs Owens into the corner. Mcintyre then backs them out. Owens then gets a side headlock but is backed into the corner. Once again Mcintyre backs them out. Mcintyre yells at Reigns and Reigns hits him with a right before sending him to the outside. Elias is then taken down as well. Shane is cornered but Mcintyre comes and helps out. Elias then assists with a flying knee. Mcintyre, Elias, and Shane then attack Reigns. Owens is able to get his hands on Shane and throw him into the barricade. He then hits a Superkick on Mcintyre and then one on Elias. Reigns then hits a spear on Mcintyre. Owens then delivers a Stunner to Elias. Reigns brings Shane into the ring and Reigns hits him with a Superman Punch. Owens follows giving Shane the Stunner. Owens then hits him with a second Stunner at the request of the fans. Owens then says tonight was nothing compared to SummerSlam. He says everyone is going to love the ass whooping he gives him that night. Winner: No Contest  My Opinion:  We didn’t get a big match between these two but what we did get was the changing of the tides. There was the time when Shane and his guys were in control but it seems the control has been lost and Owens is taking over. He made his point and showed he will not back down no matter what. He and Reigns cleaned house and it looks like Shane is going to have to find a new plan. Owens is pumped up and I hope they continue to keep him this hot so at SummerSlam if he gets that big win the place goes wild for him! Final Thoughts: Tonight was a very solid SmackDown, we had some major announcement, great segments, and great matches given their time restraints. First, I’m so excited for Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton match at SummerSlam, sure we have to get through Smackville first but if Kofi retains then we get this huge match that will give Kofi the chance to cement himself as one of the great champions. Orton is going to come at him hard but man the build-up for this and pay off should be awesome! Also, I loved the Finn Balor and Bray Wyatt segment tonight. Finally, Wyatt is showing his two sides and it’s working so well. The mind games he can play leading up to SummerSlam will be epic and this match will send that character to the top if he gets a huge victory over Balor on August 11th. I liked the antics of Ember Moon tonight, no she didn’t have a long match but she did show Bayley she is here to win that title and the friendship is on hold and that’s exactly what Ember needed to do. I liked the fire in charlotte backstage, it’ll be interesting to see her not competing for gold but instead to prove she is the best. I think it will bring out the best in here. I was super impressed with Apollo crews tonight, he took it Shinsuke and definitely made the case to have another match with him in the future. The story building between Dolph Ziggler and Miz got even bigger tonight bringing HBK into the mix. Who knows if HBK will stick around for this but this definitely helped get Ziggler over more and made this rivalry even more heated with him and Miz. Finally, the main event wasn’t the match expected but like I said the tides have shifted. Owens and Reigns cleaned house and Owens is in the driver’s seat heading into SummerSlam. Let’s see how Shane tries to come back form this because it seems Owens always has an answer for him. Overall it was a great show and we are most certainly on the road to SummerSlam!!! Overall Rating: 6.5/10