WWE Smackdown Live – August 14th 2018: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Smackdown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and I hope this is better than Monday’s Raw.
Match #1: Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch def. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
As SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella insulted her two challengers from her position at the announce desk, Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch teamed up to take on the hungry pair of Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville. With Flair and Lynch wanting to score an emphatic victory prior to their title clash on Sunday, both were competing with a little extra in their tank. In the match’s pivotal moments, Becky Balboa fended off Rose and Deville, dropping Deville on the outside with a baseball slide and escaping Mandy’s rollup to trap her in the Dis-arm-her for the tapout victory.
My Take: Well, at least they wrestled. This was decent, but had no real life to it.
Match #2: The Bludgeon Brothers demolished The Triple Threat
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Despite being at a one-man disadvantage, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers got themselves primed for their title clash against The New Day at SummerSlam this Sunday by squaring off against three local Greenville competitors known as The Triple Threat… and absolutely demolishing them. The match never began, though, as neither Harper nor Rowan would exit the ring to stand on the apron, and the two just proceeded to bludgeon The Triple Threat in rare form.
My Take: It’s getting to the point where I like the jobbers better than the champions. Harper deserves so much better than this.
Match #3: The New Day def. SAnitY
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
With The Bludgeon Brothers having looked absolutely unstoppable in the previous contest, their SummerSlam opponents The New Day looked to keep pace as they took on their rivals, SAnitY, in Six-Man Tag Team action. With plenty of bad blood between the factions, the contest was hard-hitting and rife with intensity. Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods used their unique blend of speed and power to put away their chaos-craving opponents with the UpUpDownDown double team special to The Beast of Belfast, claiming a huge victory prior to Sunday’s title bout.
My Take: This was a quick match that took the wind out of SAnitY’s sails. NXT feels like a life-time ago for SAnitY, doesn’t it?
Match #4: Andrade “Cien” Almas def. Aiden English
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Desperate to get back in the good graces of Rusev & Lana and bring harmony back to the Rusev Day clan, Aiden English attempted to exorcise his demons by taking on Andrade “Cien” Almas. Clearly pressing, English brought the aggression to Almas, but he perhaps cared a bit too much, as his overzealousness allowed Almas to drill him with the Running Double Knees and the Hammerlock DDT for the win. After the victory, Almas and Zelina Vega declared that they would bring an end to Rusev Day and Lana Day this Sunday in their Mixed Tag Team Match during the SummerSlam Kickoff. However, Rusev & Lana would have none of it, hitting the scene to fire back at El Idolo and his business manager, letting them know that SummerSlam is indeed falling on Rusev Day.
My Take: At least La Sombra won. Wait, Almas won. I gotta be careful with saying the wrestler’s real names.
Match #5: Jeff Hardy def. Shelton Benjamin
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
Jeff Hardy returned to action on SmackDown LIVE after weeks of being tormented by Randy Orton and his opponent at SummerSlam this Sunday, United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura. However, Hardy had an equally difficult test on SmackDown LIVE, as he faced cagy veteran Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin tried to prey on any ring rust and lingering injuries Hardy may’ve been harboring after his rough several months. However, The Charismatic Enigma battled through the pain and claimed the victory after drilling Shelton with the Twist of Fate.
Hardy’s celebration was cut short when Nakamura’s music began to blare. Nakamura attempted to put Hardy down with a Kinshasa, all while Orton watched behind the side of the stage. However, The Charismatic Enigma caught Nakamura with a Twist of Fate and then added extra emphasis with a Swanton Bomb, making it clear that he would not go quietly into the night this Sunday.
My Take: Finally, an actual match worth mentioning. I don’t think these two can have a bad match. Why isn’t Shelton doing more? Are we still on the “he can’t talk” thing? Hardy continues to prove he’s among the very best in the sport today… fake sport! This was a pretty good match and one of the best WWE matches of the week.
News Of The Night:
- Samoa Joe read a letter that claimed that AJ Styles never wanted kids. I’m not kidding, that’s how they’re pushing the title match for Sunday. Why is it that the title is never booked to mean any-thing?
Final Verdict: Smackdown wasn’t much to write home about, but it did have Hardy and Benjamin wrestle, at least.
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I’ll be back for 205 Live and a Summerslam prediction later in the week.
