WWE Smackdown Live – July 2nd 2019: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Smackdown Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have more from Vince McMahon and…Eric Bischoff? That’s a lame way to bring this up. Eric Bischoff has been (legitimately) hired to run Smackdown within a few weeks. This is certainly a new development worth keeping an eye on. Also, Paul Heyman is now (eventually) running Raw. Okay, let’s see how the build toward Extreme Rules goes on this episode of Smackdown.
Match #1: Daniel Bryan def. Big E
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With The New Day eyeing Daniel Bryan & Rowan’s SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WWE Extreme Rules, Big E and Daniel Bryan squared off in one-on-one action on the blue brand. With Xavier Woods and Rowan at ringside, Big E suplexed The Beard around the squared circle at ease, though Bryan fired back with his signature punishing kicks. In the clutch, Rowan found a way to take out Big E at ringside behind the official’s back and drop Woods right after he tossed Big E back into the ring, leaving him prime for Bryan’s Running Knee, which clinched the victory ahead of the soon-to-be Triple Threat title defense at WWE Extreme Rules.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was a nice little match that…I was going to say it needed to be longer, but Vince hates matches that go during commercial breaks. Yeah, that’s his latest quirk. In any case, Bryan and E worked hard to make a short match feel like a real winner and were, largely, successful.
Match #2: Bayley def. Nikki Cross
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Fresh off their exchange on “A Moment of Bliss,” Bayley and Nikki Cross went at it with Cross looking to wear down the SmackDown Women’s Champion ahead of her title defense against Alexa Bliss at the fast-approaching WWE Extreme Rules. Cross brought her furious brand of offense right to Bayley, but The Hugger caught Cross with the Bayley-to-Belly for the win.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was too short to capitalize on who was wrestling this match, but it didn’t suck for that brief period of time either.
Match #3: Andrade def. Apollo Crews
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After weeks of conflict, Apollo Crews and Andrade looked to settle their differences in one-on-one action on SmackDown LIVE. Apollo put the pressure on Andrade from the jump, looking to pick up one of the biggest victories of his blue brand tenure. However, Zelina Vega tipped the scales in Andrade’s favor when she sent Crews faceplanting into the announcer’s table with a wicked hurricanrana while the official was checking on the former NXT Champion. Andrade took advantage by nearly driving Crews through the canvas with a thunderous Hammerlock DDT to claim a critical victory.
My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This match had the goods, but they were stolen from the delivery people on their way to grandma’s house. Did that Red Riding Hood reference make any sense? The match went too short. How many times do I have to write that in one review?
Match #4: Ember Moon def. Mandy Rose
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After weeks of being bullied and embarrassed by Fire & Desire (including last week when she was defeated by Sonya Deville), Ember Moon looked to retaliate against Mandy Rose. After an early distraction from Sonya, Mandy jumped all over Ember, grounding The War Goddess early in the bout. Ember battled back, however, catching God’s Greatest Creation with a dazzling double knee attack and a ring-rattling Eclipse for the one of the sweetest three-counts of her career thus far.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – I didn’t even know Mandy Rose was still alive. Does Vince know, or does he think she’s just Trish Stratus? Moon did well here, but desperately needs some real competition (I like Rose, but she needs some work). This was good for what it was, but it just needed…more time. Damn it. I said it again.
Match #5: (Main Event) Heavy Machinery def. Kevin Owens & Dolph Ziggler to advance to WWE Extreme Rules Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Match
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
With SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan and The New Day commentating from ringside at separate tables, Heavy Machinery and Kevin Owens & Dolph Ziggler squared off with the winning team getting the opportunity to join the SmackDown Tag Team Titles Match at WWE Extreme Rules. However, early in the match, tensions overflowed on the outside, with Big E & Woods brawling with Bryan & Rowan, but The Planet’s Tag Team Champions got the best of the exchange when Rowan viciously dropped Woods through a table, and all four were ejected from ringside. Heavy Machinery’s experience as a team put them over a top when they capitalized on a miscue between Ziggler and Owens that saw KO get accidently superkicked in the face by The Showoff. The inadvertent strike opened the door for Otis & Tucker to obliterate Owens with the Compactor to seal their entry into the SmackDown Tag Team Title bout at Extreme Rules. A frustrated Ziggler confronted KO after the defeat, but Owens turned the tables by dropping Dolph with a Stunner and boldly redeclaring that the blue brand was his show. That being “The Kevin Owens Show,” of course.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This went less than…I’m pissed. Why would…short main events don’t work! Get it?! If you pay for a wrestling show and the main event goes for about five minutes and that’s it, would you feel cheated? Vince is a moron. I don’t care if it hurts his feelings. The man has done enough illegal $#!@ for me not to care have as much as I normally would. Okay, that’s enough. This match was quite good while it lasted…I said it again…almost. I’ll just do it and get it over with. This match should have gone longer. Damn it. How many times do…I’ve killed the ellipses as a writing tool. Some-body tell Dan Brown I broke his safety net. In any case, this was a good match while it lasted, so there you go.
News Of The Night:
- Kofi Kingston and Samoa Joe had a great promo where they both looked like they actually wanted to be there.
- Nikki Cross got to host “A Moment Of Bliss” to build toward the Alexa Bliss/Bayley match at Extreme Rules.
- Kevin Owens and Dolph Ziggler appear to be in a feud.
- Kevin Owens might be a face again…maybe.
Final Verdict: 2.5/5
This was what happens when good ideas get thrown into a blender and left to puree for three seconds instead of six. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Eric Bischoff can’t come quick enough.
