Smackdown Review 12/20/2019

Its the Wrestling Classic aka Justin Dhillon back here for this weeks review of Smackdown. It’s the follow-up show to TLC. What will we hear about Daniel Bryan and his new look? How will Baron Corbin celebrate after his surprising victory over Roman Reigns? Whats next in store for The Revival and the New Day? It’s also the week of Christmas so how will the blue brand celebrate the holidays? On many occasions the holiday episodes of WWE programming can be a write off but sometimes they deliver.  Lets find out.

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOQOYraeFlX-xd8f3adQtTw iTunes – https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/twc-show/id1474551466 Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5DXU6kqwuKJPYwhnQPvQQE

Live from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, NY.

– Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary.

Daniel Bryan Promo
Bryan says that after losing his hair he rediscovered himself. When he looks in the mirror now he doesn’t see the brand that was Daniel Bryan. Bryan now sees the man who was never the main event of  WrestleMania and had to fight for everything he’s ever had. Bryan says he has been changed by The Fiend. Then he got home and he saw his daughter, who was seeing him without facial hair for the first time. She cried and was scared, like she didn’t know who he was. All she knew was Daniel Bryan, the brand, she didn’t recognize him but he recognized himself. Bryan goes on about the real man he saw in the mirror, the same man who came to TLC and kicked Wyatt’s ass. Bryan calls Wyatt to the ring but the music hits and out comes The Miz instead. The Miz comes down to the ring and says he is going to take out Bray Wyatt and he wants the one thing in the world that Wyatt cares about: the Universal Championship. King Corbin interrupts. Corbin makes fun of Miz and Bryan. Corbin says he is the next in line since he defeated Roman Reigns. Corbin calls Miz and Bryan failures as fathers. Miz and Bryan walk towards Corbin. Ziggler attacks Miz and Bryan from behind. Corbin drops Bryan with the End of Days.Bryan wants The Fiend in the ring right now. The Miz comes down to the ring and says he is going to take out Bray Wyatt and he wants the one thing in the world that Wyatt cares about: the Universal Championship. King Corbin interrupts. Corbin makes fun of Miz and Bryan. Corbin says he is the next in line since he defeated Roman Reigns. Corbin calls Miz and Bryan failures as fathers. Miz and Bryan walk towards Corbin. Ziggler attacks Miz and Bryan from behind. Corbin drops Bryan with the End of Days.
Thoughts
This segment was possible because Smackdown has one thing Raw doesn’t have at the moment. A champion everyone wants to face for different reasons whether its for personal reasons or just wanting to be top dog unlike Raw where the United States Champions is more chased after than the WWE Championship. I will always appreciate the logic Bryan puts in his promos when he changes. Whether its returning to the ring, turning heel, turning face or changing his look, he always gives us explanations that make sense and keep his storylines making sense. I love how they didn’t just fully write off The Miz and kept him involved. I also liked that they included Corbin who should be on his high horse after defeating Roman Reigns at TLC. I forgot about Ziggler and I actually was surprised when he came out of nowhere. Solid opening segment that set the pace for the rest of the show.

– Backstage, Cathy Kelly is interviewing Heavy Machinery when Many Rose shows up. Rose picks Otis’ name in the WWE secret Santa. Mandy Rose gives Otis a ham because she saw what happened to him last week and then gives him a kiss of the cheek.

Miracle on 34th Street Fight Heavy Machinery def. The Revival
In a fun chaotic match that included bowling balls, lego, tables and a ham, Heavy Machinery defeated The Revival after Otis and Tucker hit the compactor on Dawson.
Thoughts
This was a holiday themed street fight which I usually don’t enjoy but I think with the characters involved it made this more enjoyable. I know considering what just happened between Mandy and Otis, that something was going to happen to that ham to set Otis off. Its unfortunate that The Revival took the L here but considering this was a gimimicky holiday match, it shouldn’t matter. – We see Lacey Evans and her daughter backstage with Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross and Dana Brooke. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Otis is walking with his ham. He stops and sees Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Sonya walks off to get to her match. Otis apologizes to Rose for what happened to the ham. She says it’s alright and then hugs him. Otis is thrilled but Rose is now covered in his meat sweats. She looks disgusted as she walks off. LOL I hope they keep this going for a bit as its pretty funny. Otis almost had a Christmas miracle.

Revival and Elias
Back in the ring, The Revival have something to say. Scott Dawson points out the garbage around the ring, not just the fans, but the trash. Dash Wilder goes on about how they’re facing a different gimmick each week, at their expense. Miracle on 34th Street Fights, Ladder Matches, and more – is this their legacy? He asks Dawson what happened to good old fashioned wrestling. Dawson says that’s the keyword – wrestling, because it’s gone. Now we’re in the world of sports entertainment. The guitar interrupts and out comes Elias. Elias plays a Christmas tune on his guitar as he walks out to the stage and asks who wants to walk with him. Elias performs a new song that just takes shots at The Revival. He says if they want to be top guys, they need to make a major change… like Caitlyn Jenner. Elias wishes them a Merry Christmas and walks back to the back.
Thoughts
I was liking where the Revival’s promo was going and really could have been a solid worked shoot. However, this was great use of Elias who really isn’t involved in anything at the moment. He was doing something with Maverick but that appears to have been dropped. Do we see any follow up to this or was it just Elias insulting The Revival for the sake of doing something? Who knows?

– Braun Strowman is backstage when Sami Zayn walks in. Sami picked Braun in the backstage Secret Santa game and isn’t sure what to get Strowman. Strowman is surprised because Sami has spent the past few months knocking the meaning of the holidays. Braun stands up and in comes Cesaro with WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. They have some words and Braun says if Sami wants to get him a gift, he can give him a shot at Nakamura’s title. Sami says they can’t do it because there’s a big tag team match tonight, but he will check his list twice and keep it in mind. Sami leaves with Cesaro and Nakamura.

Carmella def. Sonya Deville
In a quick match, Carmella beats Sonya Deville after making her tap out to the code of silence.
Thoughts
Mella got the big win and she’s got PYRO for her entrance. Well deserved and hopefully this begins a string of victories for her leading to her challenging for the Women’s Title again sometime down the road. I feel like there is still some unfinished business between Mella and Bayley. Anyways, I was happy to see my girl pick up the W. I do think Deville deserves better and Mella could have beaten someone else other than her friend from Total Divas haha. Regardless, I was happy to see Carmella on Smackdown because Mella is money.

– As Mella celebrates and is heading to the back, The New Day come out. They have some fun together by dancing on the stage.

The New Day def. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura w/ Sami Zayn
In a competitive back and fourth match featuring four amazing talented stars, The New Day pick up the win when Kofi and Cesaro go through a series of counters which led to Kingston rolling up Cesaro for a surprising three count.
Thoughts
The surprise roll-up could be annoying sometimes but in a situation like this where you want to protect all four guys it works. Cesaro and Shinsuke may have lost but they made it seem like The New Day barley escaped with the victory but got a quick one over them. Considering this match could have gone either way, that finish works here.

– After the match, Nakamura comes in and nails Kofi from behind. Sami comes in as Cesaro and Nakamura attack the champs. Sami joins in to make it a triple team beatdown. Braun’s music interrupts and out comes the “Monster Among Men” to a pop. Nakamura swings first but Strowman drops him from the apron. Cesaro swings next and Nakamura joins in to get the best of Strowman. The double team back-fires as Strowman knocks Cesaro out of the ring and then drops Nakamura into the corner. Strowman goes to the floor and runs over Cesaro. He runs back in and nails Nakamura in the corner. Strowman scoops Nakamura but Sami makes the save, bringing Nakamura to the floor as fans boo. Strowman stands tall as his music hits while Sami, Nakamura and Cesaro re-group on the ramp. Strowman wants the IC Title and I’m with it.

– The Miz approaches Daniel Bryan backstage and thanks him for making the save from Bray Wyatt at TLC. Bryan says he did it for himself but he’s sorry for what Wyatt has done to Miz and his family. They go back and forth about who dislikes the other the most. Miz says tonight they have to work together for the main event but after that it’s all about Wyatt.

Bayley w/ Sasha Banks def. Dana Brooke
In a solid match, Bayley defeated Dana Brooke after hitting her with her new faceplanting finisher which I dont know has a name yet.
Thoughts
I was just really happy to see Salsa Banks but the match wasn’t bad. They made Dana look strong and almost made it seem like she could have gotten a victory over Bayley in this non-title match. I feel like ever since that entire flirting with Batista over Twitter fiasco, they have pushed to use Brooke more. I dig it though because she’s not bad at all. I still can’t get behind Bayley and feel like her friendship with Sasha still hurts her. When Sasha came out I was looking forward to her wrestling but when Bayley followed to wrestle I was a little disappointed. Its a personal bias though since I’m a bigger Sasha fan and we would get her in a match following this one.

– After the match, Banks joins Bayley in the ring and they both taunt Brooke while she’s down. The music interrupts and out comes Lacey Evans to make the save. Evans rushes the ring but Banks and Bayley retreat to the floor. Evans wants to fight but they’re not interested. Evans takes the mic and asks Banks where she’s going. Evans calls Banks a legit bully, not a legit boss, and with no backbone, all mouth. Evans challenges Banks to a match for right now and the crowd pops. Evans tells Banks to come in the ring so she can make her a legit loser.

Sasha Banks w/ Bayley vs. Lacey Evans w/ Dana Brooke
In a back and fourth aggressive battle, the match between Sasha and Lacey ended in a double count-out as Banks is outside of the ring beating up Evans in front of her husband and daughter. After the bell, Banks continues to taunt Evans’ daughter. Evans has had enough. She snaps on Banks, launching her into the barrier. Brooke tries to pull Evans back. Bayley checks on Banks as the referee gets in between the two sides. Evans and Brooke stand tall in the ring as Evans’ music hits. Banks and Bayley retreat up the ramp.
Thoughts
This was refreshing to see Sasha back in action as its felt like its been a few weeks since we last have. Once again, this all feels like Sasha Banks versus Lacey Evans feud more than Lacey Evans versus Bayley feud. The champion literally is feeding nobody while her best friend is feuding someone which kind of further validates my case that Sasha seems more appealing than Bayley. I love heel Sasha and her taunting Laceys little girl was so fitting for her character. It lets the fans feel for Lacey who rightfully snapped at Sasha Banks. Lacey’s daughter played the role perfectly too growling, making fighting faces and throwing a few fists in Sasha’s direction. I’m looking forward to see what happens next with Sasha and Lacey. As for Bayley she’s still the uninteresting champion.

– We see Daniel Bryan backstage walking to the ring. We also see The Miz walking backstage. Back to commercial.

Daniel Bryan & The Miz def. King Corbin & Dolph Ziggler
In a solid main event, Bryan and The Miz defeat Corbin and Ziggler when Miz had Ziggler locked in a figure four and Bryan stopped Corbin from breaking the submission off with a running knee forcing Ziggler to tap out. After the match, Cole announces The Miz vs. Bryan vs. Corbin for next week with the winner challenging The Fiend for the title at the Royal Rumble. The lights go down in the arena as we hear Bray Wyatt laugh over the arena. He never appears but SmackDown goes off the air with Miz, Corbin and Bryan trading looks.
Thoughts
This was a fun tag team match to close the show and the right guys went over. I’m sure Roman Reigns isn’t finished with Corbin yet but until he’s back this is a good way to use Corbin. I’m sure the Big Dog will show up next week to make sure Corbin isn’t victorious in the triple threat match. The Miz and Bryan are notoriously known for not liking each other but seeing them work together effectively was nice. I’m sure the Fiend showed up after the show went off the air for the live crowd but the teasing of him coming out as the show went off the air was a nice touch to let us know that he was watching.

Final Thoughts
This was a WAY better show than last week. Things seem to be moving forward. It was also a lot better than I expected for a Holiday show. I’m looking forward to the triple threat next week. It was great to see both of my girls Sasha Banks and Carmella kick some ass this week and being in action on Smackdown. The stuff between Otis and Mandy was fun and I hope in continues. I’m also sure Braun might need some help eventually when the odds are against him and I think bringing Ali and Gable back in to help him wouldn’t be bad. It looks as if Smackdown is slowly finding its groove and I’m looking forward to next week.