WWE Smackdown Live: “Smackdown 1000” – Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s review of Smackdown Live, which is a very special episode – the 1000th edition of WWE’s “not-flagship but better than Raw these days” show… Let’s bring the Smack down! Oh, and did I mention I’m not exactly expecting much wrestling on this weeks show..? This 1000th episode is bound to be promo-heavy.
Match #1: The Usos def. Daniel Bryan & AJ Styles
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
With their WWE Championship Match at WWE Crown Jewel less than three weeks away, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan teamed up tonight on the blue brand for a thrilling tag team match against The Usos. The four Superstars competed at breakneck speeds, and the frenetic bout featured Styles and Bryan locking in their signature submission holds on each Uso simultaneously. Jimmy and Jey’s experience advantage as a team soon came into play when they cornered The Phenomenal One, but when The “Yes!” Man found his way into the contest, he was an absolute one-man wrecking crew, wiping out both Usos by his lonesome while Styles recovered. However, when Styles once again got involved, Bryan accidentally clocked him with a forearm, which led to The Beard eating a double superkick from Jimmy & Jey that led to The Usos picking up the massive tag team victory.
My take: A tag team versus two guys that will be fighting each other? A classic pairing for the WWE – only this time it actually worked! Resulting in a fantastic match and adding fire to the AJ/Daniel Bryan feud. Everyone involved got a chance to shine and shine they did – with some great high-flying spots and a fab finish.
Match #2: The Miz def. Rusev to qualify for the WWE World Cup
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
With a slot in the coveted WWE World Cup tournament to determine the best in the world on the line, The Miz and Rusev squared off on this landmark episode of SmackDown LIVE. The two barely had time to engage, as Aiden English rushed to ringside and tripped up Rusev, clearly in retaliation for them exposing his “One Night in Milwaukee” scam last week. The distraction allowed The Miz to roll up The Bulgarian Brute for a sudden three-count. The Mozart of Mayhem couldn’t get out of dodge, however, as an enraged Lana caught him with a low blow, and The Super Athlete let out some aggression on his former Rusev Day companion. One night in D.C. was not kind to English.
My take: Oh my god… another non-match. Another wasted slot to allow The Miz to move to the World Cup and to add more to the Rusev/Aiden English rivalry that is undoubtedly building to a match. At Survivor Series maybe? Over before it began this was easily the worst “match” of the night.
Match #3: The Bar def. The New Day to win the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
With a bunch of royalty on commentary (shout-outs to WWE Hall of Famers Jerry Lawler and King Booker), The Bar got another crack at The New Day and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship here on SmackDown 1000. This WWE Super Show-Down rematch was a barnburner from the start with both teams looking to capitalize on their vast knowledge of the other. The New Day looked to be closing in on a successful title defense when Big E and Woods downed Sheamus with a series of high-impact maneuvers, but The Celtic Warrior survived the onslaught. New Day responded by surviving a close call of their own when Big E somehow kicked out after an absolutely unbelievable Neutralizer from Cesaro.
The epic title fight was soon interrupted by Big Show, who arrived right in the heat of the action and stalked to ringside with a purpose. The World’s Largest Athlete helped Kofi Kingston back to his feet after he had been laid out by The Bar, but he viciously Chokeslammed The Dreadlocked Dynamo through a table, much to the shock of the WWE Universe and Big E. The distressed Big E was easy pickings as soon as he turned around, as Sheamus cracked him with a flush Brogue Kick to secure the three-count and the SmackDown Tag Team Titles. Big Show then celebrated with The Bar, holding the titles high above his head. No one exactly knew why Big Show had done what he’d done, but one thing was clear: Everyone else was in big trouble.
My take: Despite the interference from Big Show, this was still a superb tag team match. The Bar looked particularly vicious, taking the fight to The New Day in their own inimitable style. Very and I do mean VERY interested to see how/why Big Show sided with The Bar – though I’d love Show to be the equaliser for the 3-man moves of The New Day going forward.
Match #4: Rey Mysterio def. Shinsuke Nakamura to qualify for the WWE World Cup
The following is courtesy of WWE.com:
SmackDown 1000? More like 619! Yes, Rey Mysterio made his long-awaited return to the blue brand in grand (strong) style as he took on Shinsuke Nakamura in a dream match to determine the final entrant in the WWE World Cup! The two international icons threw down in a mat classic that had the WWE Universe beaming with excitement and anticipation. It was as if no time had passed, as Mysterio stayed true to form by flying through the air and taking chance after chance between the blue ropes. WWE’s Rockstar attempted to wear down The Biggest Little Man with his pounding ground attack, but Mysterio was feeling the vibes, and Nakamura was soon reeling due to Rey’s explosive attack. However, Nakamura refused to go down quietly and leveled Rey with several punishing strikes. Mysterio kept getting back up, however, and he found an opening to connect with a picture-perfect 619 and followed up with a Frog Splash to claim victory in his return match to advance to the WWE World Cup.
My take: The term “put on a clinic” is much overused in wrestling reviews. But when the phrase sums up a match perfectly what else are you going to say? In this case: high-flying vs. ground and pound = wrestling perfection. Rey’s still got it. Let’s not waste it eh WWE?
News of the Night
- John Cena couldn’t be arsed to make the trip to Smackdown this week, instead cutting a video promo. Lame.
- Batista a WWE regular? The tease of a match between Batista and Triple H may NOT be a tease… Batista’s appearance at MCM Comic Con later this month has been cancelled due to an “unexpected” commitment. WWE return perhaps?
Final Verdict: 4/5
Well that wasn’t much of a celebration of 1000 episodes of Smackdown was it? Though – thanks to the three ACTUAL matches – this was a decent episode of Smackdown Live. There was more time spent celebrating Smackdown’s 1000th episode in the video packages than the rest of the show TBH. Though I definitely dug the Cutting Edge segment – which allowed for some reminsicing AND moved the Charlotte/Becky story forward; and props to the writing staff: the barbs here were as vicious as Rousey’s on Raw. More of these bone-cutting promos please WWE! I gave Raw a 4/5 purely on Ronda Rousey’s Bella-bashing promo (the highlight of the WWE week so far for me), I’m giving Smackdown a 4/5 for actually featuring good wrestling AND a good promo in The Cutting Edge segment.
