Smackdown Live Review 09/10/2019

SMACKDOWN LIVE REVIEW 09/10/2019

Tonight is the Go-Home Edition of SmackDown Live before this Sunday’s Clash Of Champions PPV! As SmackDown descends from MSG what will happen when The Undertaker returns? Plus, as the King Of The Ring Tournament rolls on will it be Elias or Chad Gable to advance to the finals and face Baron Corbin? Also, how will Roman Reigns combat Rowan ahead of their huge match on Sunday? Finally, MSG holds a special place in the rivalry between Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton but can this be the place tonight where Kofi gets one up on The Viper and builds momentum heading into their huge WWE Championship Match?

SmackDown Live comes to us from Madison Square Garden in New York City!

SmackDown Live kicks off with The Undertaker and us being welcomed byTom Phillips, Byron Saxton, and Corey Graves

In-Ring Segment: The Undertaker
Taker tells how he wanted to absorb this all in and says for the past 30 years he has considered these hallow grounds home. He tells how he wants everyone to remember the titans that were born here and the legends and heroes who were made here. He tells it is rewarding to know he took a piece of their souls and the echos of their memories will go through the hallways fo all of eternity. He then brings up the new crop of superstars but is then interrupted by Sami Zayn.
Zayn says he knows NYC respects legends and The Undertaker is a legend. He goes over taker’s storied history at the Garden but says that even The Undertaker knows he shouldn’t have opened the show and instead says it should have been him who opened it. Zayn then tells him that 30 years is a long time and asks when enough is enough. He tells how he knows that Taker is paving the way for the future but the future is here and now. Zayn claims to be out here out of respect and ask Undertaker to turn around and leave the ring and pass the torch to him. He tells him to do the right thing and leave this to him and pass the torch. Zayn says MSG and WWE are in good hands with him. He then gives Taker his word on that. Taker walks by him and looks to leave the ring. Taker then stops on the apron and gets back in the ring. Taker then hits Zayn with a thunderous ChokeSlam!
My Opinion:
This was a great way to open the show much like they did last night. Taker didn’t get to say much but it’s just that presence and the ora of him that gets everyone. I don’t know if Zayn was the right guy for this spot as there definitely could have been something bigger here but it didn’t seem like Taker was here for business and instead nostalgia. Either way, we got to see his legendary ChokeSlam and it was awesome. As for Zayn, this will give him a nice talking piece next time he has a mic.

Backstage Segment: Shane McMahon & Chad Gable
Gable comes into Shane’s office and Shane jokes with Gable about his height. Shane informs him that Elias is hurt and can not compete tonight. Instead of getting a bye to the finals though Shane informs him that he will still compete tonight and he will let him know when he decides. He then thanks, Gable.

Match 1: Andrade w/ Zelina Vega vs The Miz: (Shinsuke Nakamura is on commentary)
The match starts pretty back and forth but eventually it is Miz that gets the early upper hand. Miz gets Andrade to his knees and lands the IT Kicks. He misses on the last one and Andrade grabs him. Miz hangs on to the ropes and Andrade is pushed off. Miz then lands a huge kick. He gets him in the corner and again lands a big kick. Andrade lands a chop but Miz gets fired up after this and lands a series of chops of his own. He then lands the IT Kicks in the corner. Miz then runs across the ring and lands a big flying knee and another to follow. Andrade tries to run him down but Miz ducks and Andrade sends himself over the ropes to the floor. Miz comes off the ropes and lands a big dropkick through the ropes to Andrade on the floor. He then meets him out there and bounces him off the announcer’s table. Miz then stares down Nakamura. The two finally make it back into the ring and this is where Andrade takes over with help from Vega who grabbed the leg of Miz to provide a distraction. This allows Andrade to drop him with an elbow and get a two count on the pin attempt. Then with Miz down on the mat, Andrade goes up top looking for a moonsault. He flies but has to land awkwardly on his feet as Miz moves out of the way. Miz is able to grab him and turns it into the Skull Crushing Finale. He goes for the cover and gets the 1 2 3.
As soon as the match Shinsuke Nakamura hits the ring and hits Miz with a kick from behind. Nakamura then hits him with the Kinshasa.
Winner: The Miz
My Opinion:
This is a huge win for Miz as he looks ahead to Sunday but unfortunately for him, it was Shinsuke who got the last laugh. With that begin said this was another attack from behind so we can’t say Nakamura is doing things fairly but he is definitely in the head of Miz and Miz has to realize that Shinsuke will do whatever it takes to get the win on Sunday. For Miz, though he beat the very gamed Andrade and really had control in a lot of this match. Miz does seem ready for his opportunity if the match plays out fairly but if Zayn gets involved or there are dirty tactics used this won’t be in Miz’s favor.

Backstage Segment: Shane McMahon
Shane tells that he has found an opponent for Gable and it has been approved by Elias. He then announces that it will be him who will face Gable. Shane tells Gable he will see him out there.

Match 2: Nikki Cross w/ Alexa Bliss vs Mandy Rose w/ Sonya Deville
*** Before the match Rose pokes fun of Cross and calls her ugly. She continues to put down Cross until she interrupted by Alexa Bliss. Cross then comes out and runs down to the ring.
Cros goes right after Rose and immediately is in control. She continues to beat down Rose and it takes Rose awhile to get back into it. Rose eventually creates separation with a big suplex. Rose is able to get her into the corner but Cross counters and bounces Rose repeatedly off the turnbuckle. Cross then hits her with a forearm and continues to pound on her getting her into the corner. Cross lands a big splash and follows with a bulldog. Cross goes up top and looks to fly but she is distracted by Deville for a moment until Bliss takes care of her. Cross flies but Rose ducks the crossbody. Rose looks for a knee strike but this time Cross ducks and rolls up Rose. Cross gets the 1 2 3 on the cover.
Winner: Nikki Cross
My Opinion:
Cross got the big win tonight and there is no doubt Rose made a mistake making fun of Cross the way she did. Cross was very aggressive in this one and I’m sure this will continue on Sunday. For Rose, it seemed like she really needed this one because she and Deville haven’t done much of anything and getting a title opportunity with not a lot of success to back it up isn’t usually a good sign. Cross and Bliss seem to be firing on all cylinders and if Cross comes out like this it seems her and Bliss will run away with the match and retain.

Backstage Segment: Heavy Machinery
Heavy Machinery is at catering and load up on some food prior to their match.

Backstage Segment: Ember Moon & Bayley
Moon knocks Bayley for her recent behavior. Bayley insists that she is the same person she has always been. Bayley claims she did what she did for the division and this isn’t all about Banks but in fact the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Moon doesn’t take to this and tells Bayley she is better than this. Moon tells her this is about her trying to stay revelant especially since Banks came back. Moon then brings up how Bayley lost last night. There are a few more words ahead of these two settling things in the ring tonight.

Match 3: Heavy Machinery vs Alex Keaton & Johnny Silver
Tucker starts the match and immediately takes control. He gets around on Keaton and lands a big slam. Tucker comes off the ropes and rolls as Keaton moves out of the way. Tucker stays with it and lands a big hip toss. Silver tags in but he too is hit with a hip toss. He then hits Keaton with a big boot. Tucker then sends Silver into Keaton and then hits Silver with a huge clothesline. Otis tags in and hits a splash on both men in the corner. He then hits Silver with a caterpillar. Tucker tags in and the two hit the Compactor. Tucker gets the cover and gets the 1 2 3.
Winners: Heavy Machinery
My Opinion:
No surprise here we got a dominating performance from Heavy Machinery and they continue to be a solid team. These guys haven’t gotten a big opportunity in awhile beside the tag turmoil but hopefully, they will get back on track and back on top. The fans love them and they have all the tools to dominate week in and week.

Backstage Segment:
Owens comes in to see Shane who called to see him. Shane brings up the 100,000 dollar fine and says he is willing to reconsider and get rid of it. Owens asks for a catch but Shane says there is none, just a job. Shane then hands him a referee shirt and reminds how important tonight’s match is. Shane tells Owens if he helps out the fine can disappear. Owens isn’t thrilled but Shane tells him to think about it. Owens walks off.

In-Ring Segment: Erik Rowan
Rowan tells how no one has ever got him or understood him. Rowan says everyone thought he was controlled by somebody who tells him what to do until last week. He says everyone needs to look him in the eyes and see what it is that makes him tick. To look deep deep deep into his eyes and see what he is capable of. He then says all people need to see is a big brute who terrorizes and brutalizes just like he did to Roman Reigns last week. Out comes Reigns.
Reigns gets in the ring and hits him with a Superman Punch. Reigns goes to the outside and runs towards Rowan but instead, he is hit with a big boot. He then sends Reigns into the barricade. Rowan then runs at him but is hit with a right. Reigns then sends Rowan into the crowd. Reigns meets him and the two trade blows. Rowan stays on him and brings him back to ringside. Rowan though is hit with a Superman Punch as he tries to come over the barricade. Security tries to sperate them but Reigns doesn’t comply and hits another Superman Punch. Rowan picks up a fan and launches him over the barricade into Reigns and the security. Rowan then runs around the ring and he takes out everyone as he throws himself at them. He then drags Reigns but Reigns comes back with a big right. Rowan comes back and lays out Reigns. Reigns gets to his feet and lands another Superman Punch. Rowan then grabs the jib cam and runs it into Reigns and a few members of the security. Rowan is finally backed off.
My Opinion:
Wow, that was chaotic and although Reigns got a lot of shots in on Rowan he couldn’t keep him down. Rowan walks away from this looking like a monster and an unstoppable one at that. Reigns has fought some big battles but this one is his toughest yet. Rowan looks like he is out to destroy and finally make a name for himself as a singles competitor. If he can go into Sunday and beat Reigns that will certainly do that. For Reigns, he needs to regroup and really analyze just who he is going to be standing across the ring from.

Match 4: Bayley vs Ember Moon: (Charlotte Flair is on commentary)
The two go at it to begin and Bayley has to go take a breather. Moon goes after her and Bayley takes control. The two finally make it back in the ring and the two continue to go back and forth. Moon lands a huge forearm and blocks an attempted one from Bayley. Moon lands a series of strikes and then hits an enziguri. Moon comes out of the corner and connects with a running forearm. She then lands a big crossbody and goes for the cover but Bayley kicks out. Bayley is able to work back into the match but as Moon is on the outside she hits Bayley with a huge kick as Bayley tries to come at her. Moon goes up top and flies but Bayley ducks the Eclipse attempt. This allows Bayley to get back in control and hit the Bayley to Belly. Bayley goes for the cover and gets the 1 2 3.
*** After the match Charlotte claps for Bayley. She gets into the ring and continues to clap for her. Charlotte motions that the title will be around her waist. Bayley backs off and leaves the ring.
Winner: Bayley
My Opinion:
A very hard-hitting match between these two and honestly I was very impressed with Moon tonight. She really gave Bayley a good fight and it seems she is close to finally putting it all together and gaining the championship. For Bayley though she stuck with it and she was able to win this won and showed that champion mentality. There wasn’t any need for confrontation with her and Charlotte as that much couldn’t get much bigger. It’s weird but within a matter of a week, it now seems that Charlotte has everyone on her side and has the momentum. Bayley definitely may have started something she can’t finish.

Backstage Segment:
Kofi is shown walking around in the hallways.

Backstage Segment:
Kevin Owens is shown wearing a referee shirt and he doesn’t look too happy.

In-Ring Segment: Kofi Kingston
Kofi tells how it feels good to be back at MSG and how this will always be a special place to him because this is where he stepped up to a top guy and proved he belonged. Kofi says that is exactly what he did when he whooped Randy Orton’s ass all over the damn building. He says he whooped him in the ring, outside the ring, into the walls, over the barricade, into the crowd, and all over the damn place. He says the icing of the cake was when he laid Randy Orton out and he put his ass throuhg a table. He says the entire city of NewYork was chanting his name and he knew that one day he would be back here standing here as the WWE Champion, that day has come. Orton is in the crowd and calls Kofi stupid over and over. He says he can’t go on listening to Kofi talk about the two things he has done in the last ten years. He then says in the last ten years he has won the world title 7 times, the Royal Rumble twice, a Money In The Bank contract but none of that matters. He says what matters is now and what matter is this Sunday and he is going to take that title. He tells Kofi he has pretended to be something he is not with the Jamaican accent and dreadlocks or whether it was that power of positivity bs. Kofi then gets out of the ring and comes over the barricade towards Orton. Orton hits him with a steel chair in the gut and then hits him on the back twice. Orton lifts him and throws him into the stage. Orton grabs him and puts him on a table looking for a DDT. Kofi fights off and unloads on Orton. Kofi then grabs the chair and hits Orton in the back this time over and over. Finally, he hits Orton with one final chair shot and Orton falls on the table. Kofi then gets on the railing and flies to hit the Boom Drop sending Orton throuhg the table! Kofi then celebrates.
My Opinion:
First off what an awesome moemnt reliving history and seeing Kofi put Orton throuhg a table in the Garden once again! Yeah, Kofi got lured in as he has been lately but this time Kofi came to fight. Orton didn’t just lay him out and instead saw a new side to the WWE Champion. This is exactly what Kofi needed heading into Sunday! I said for a while that Kofi needed to get one up on Orton and finally, he does it. He has the momentum now and he should feel great after tonight. The only wild card now is how mad did this make Orton and what will he try to do to Kofi now?

*** Roman Reigns vs Erick Rowan will be a No DQ Match!

Match 5: Chad Gable vs Shane McMahon: King Of The Ring semi-finals Match w/ Kevin Owens as the Special Guest Referee
Gable grabs Sahne but Shane fights off. Gable grabs him again and pushes him itno the corner. He then hits him with a German Suplex and goes for the cover. Gable gets the 1 2 3 on a quick count from Owens. Shane gets on the mic and says this match is now 2 Out Of 3 falls. Before the second fall begins Shane attacks Gable from behind. He then bounces him off the announcer’s table. Gable is then sent into the time keeper’s area as SmackDown goes to break.
As SmackDown returns, the second fall is underway and Shane is in control as Gable is on the outside. Gable is able to beat the 10 count and Shane continues to showboat. Shane lands a series of kicks and toys with Gable. He then lands a big scoop slam. Shane hits him with a big right but Gable starts to battle back. He gets around on Shane but Shane kicks him away. Gable gets on the back of Shane and works a cover but Owens doesn’t count. Shane lands a roll-up and does a fast count but nonetheless, Gable is able to kick out. Shane continues to hit Gable with strikes. Gable fights back with a big knee and a forearm. He lands a kick and then comes out of the corner with a shot to the back of the neck. He hits a spinning neck breaker and then goes up top. Gable flies and hits the moonsault. Owens goes to count and does so slowly allowing Shane to kick out. Shane lands a big shot to the back of Gable and lifts him to land a big slam. He goes for the cover and again Gable kicks out of the fast count. Shane then grabs a chair and Owens pleads with him not to use it. He gives it to Owens. Gable catches Shane as he tried a cheap shot and gets him in an ankle lock. He wraps around the leg of Shane and wrenches. Shane taps and the bell is called for.
After the match, Owens asks Shane what he was supposed to do. He then reminds Shane that he tapped out. Shane comes from behind and knocks Owens to the mat. He then stomps on him before getting on top of him to unload with a series of right hands. Shane then grabs the mic and tells Owens he is fired. He repeats it and again and again as SmackDown goes off the air.
Winner: Chad Gable: Advances to the Finals of KOTR
My Opinion:
Wow! This is awesome Chad Gable who finally is getting a shot at greatness! He hasn’t really had shots like this so it was amazing seeing him finally get to compete for something big and the KOTR definitely is something big. I loved the storytelling tonight really making you think that Owens wouldn’t do the right thing and the ending of the second fall was a very good call. For Gable now it’s on to Monday Night and he has a shot to shine. Win or lose I hope he goes out there and puts himself on the map! For Owens, who knows what will happen now. Owens is a fan favorite and I can’t see Shane being able to keep Owens away. This should be interesting to see what this all will mean in the end.

Final Thoughts:
Another good night at the Garden and these two nights definitely had an awesome buzz surrounding them. Just like last night, I thought it was awesome starting off with the big guest of the night. Undertaker came out and didn’t say a lot but like I said it’s just about him and the presence he brings. He hit a brutal chokeslam and it was a great way to kick off the night. I thought we saw a good performance out of The Miz tonight, he picks up the win over Andrade which isn’t an easy task and I think he proved he is ready for his opportunity. Also, although she didn’t get the win Ember Moon showed a lot of fight tonight. She was very hard-hitting and had Bayley rocked. Of course, this whole thing was about Bayley getting the win but nonetheless, Moon impressed. Erick Rowan was always very impressive tonight with how dominating he was. Reigns came out looking for a fight but for once Reigns met someone he couldn’t keep down. The way Rowan came out looking so strong it really makes you think he can get the job done on Sunday and we could be looking at the start of a big single’s run for him. Another thing I loved tonight was Kofi Kingston finally getting one up on Orton. It was a nostalgic feel with him putting Orton throuhg a table in the Garden and it was an amazing moment. Kofi showed he has a ton of fight in him and although many might have been counting him out he showed that he is nowhere close to surrounding and the WWE Champion is ready to defend once again. Finally, a big congrats to Chad Gable moving on to the finals of KOTR. This is a huge opportunity for him and I hope he makes the most of it! For Kevin Owens, we will have to see how things played out but if history has shown us anyhting it’s that Shane can’t get rid of Owens. Overall it was a good night and I’m very excited for Clash of Champions, I hope everyone enjoys!
Overall Rating: 6/10