WWE Smackdown Live – July 16th 2019: Results & Review
Welcome to this week’s Smackdown Live review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and Eric Bischoff wasn’t booking the show, if the rumors are to be believed. Okay, let’s see if a show built around Daniel Bryan’s major announcement is any good.
Match #1: Aleister Black def. Cesaro
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Following their show-stealing clash at WWE Extreme Rules, Aleister Black and Cesaro ran it back on the blue brand. Looking to claim a second monumental victory over The Swiss Cyborg after defeating him on Sunday, Aleister Black immediately brought the fight to his opposition, forcing Cesaro to retreat in the early goings. The King of Swing battled back with a submission-based attack, but Black refused to stay down and finished off Cesaro with a brutal Black Mass that sent Cesaro’s mouthpiece flying across the ring.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was another fine little match that wasn’t quite as good as their Extreme Rules match, but it got the job done and proved they have some chemistry…maybe more than a bit.
Match #2: Charlotte Flair def. Liv Morgan
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After getting into a verbal tussle with Charlotte Flair during Shane McMahon’s Town Hall Meeting earlier in the night, Liv Morgan looked to seize an opportunity by taking down The Queen in one-on-one competition. “SmackDown LIV” came at Charlotte early, showing some impressive quickness that threw The Queen off her game. After slowing the pace and regaining control, Charlotte caught Liv with a ring-rattling powerbomb, and the rest was academic, as she locked Morgan in the Figure-Eight for the submission victory. An emotional Morgan lashed out by snatching Corey Graves’ headset off his head and letting everyone know that “Charlotte was right” and the next time we saw her, she would be real.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was a nice few moves and some…effort? Yeah, there’s a ringing endorsement. Nobody was bad here, but it was too hard for them to get good either…or Get Carter.
Match #3: Bayley & Ember Moon def. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Last week, Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville challenged Ember Moon to a tag team match if Ember could find a partner. Well, Moon not only found a partner, but a partner in the way of SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Fire & Desire appeared to be undeterred by the choice though, attacking Ember & Bayley before the bell and getting the jump on them in the early goings. However, The Hugger and The Shenom immediately clicked as a unit, with Bayley taking down Deville with the Bayley-to-Belly Suplex and Moon stopping God’s Greatest Creation in her tracks with a dazzling Eclipse to put Rose away for the win.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was a lame match that had the right winners.
Match #4: Randy Orton, Samoa Joe & Elias def. The New Day
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
Fresh off the intense verbal exchange from moments prior, The New Day collided with Samoa Joe, Randy Orton and Elias in a major impromptu Six-Man Tag Team Match. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods & Big E put their experience as a unit into motion from the jump, firing on all cylinders until Randy Orton blindsided Woods behind the official’s back, which allowed his smashmouth unit to take firm control. Elias, Samoa Joe and Orton attempted to isolate Woods, but the temperature of the match changed when the WWE Champion finally tagged into the contest. During a wild free-for-all between all six competitors, Joe ensnared Woods in a Coquina Clutch at ringside, and The Living Truth dropped Big E with a knee to prevent the big man from freeing his partner. Elias reentered the ring, only to be met with a swift Trouble in Paradise from Kofi, but The Apex Predator immediately struck the WWE Champion with an RKO for the victory. Joe, Elias and Orton turned in an impressive victory by taking down the trio of titleholders, but The Viper made the definitive statement at the expense of the WWE Champion.
My Opinion: 2.5 out of 5 – This was a perfectly fine match that had enough action remind you that you were watching a wrestling show, but perhaps not enough to make you want to buy a Pay Per View with these guys involved.
Match #5: The Kabuki Warriors def. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The IIconics via count-out
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After defeating The IIconics in Tokyo several weeks ago in a non-title match, The Kabuki Warriors of Asuka & Kairi Sane looked to follow up by dethroning The IIconics for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles on SmackDown LIVE. Asuka & Kairi came out the gates hot, but when Billie Kay & Peyton Royce found themselves on the outside of the ring, they refused to reenter and got themselves counted out, taking another loss to The Kabuki Warriors but retaining their titles. This, of course, did not sit well with The Kabuki Warriors, who darted out of the ring to lay a beating on Billie & Peyton, which was punctuated by an awe-inspiring InSane Elbow from The Pirate Princess. The cathartic attack quenched their thirst for retribution, but it got them no closer to the Women’s Tag Team Titles … at least not on this night.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – This was another dull match that had a couple exciting people in the challengers look boring and I didn’t like it. Well, wah, wah, wah for me. Asuka and Sane deserve better champions to wrestle, but there’s always the chance that Kay and Royce will get good quick for Summerslam.
Match #6: Apollo Crews def. Andrade
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After their tense exchange during Shane McMahon’s Town Hall Meeting earlier in the evening, Apollo Crews and Andrade went at it on the blue brand, and Andrade got the jump by attacking Crews before the bell rang. Andrade applied the pressure, allowing Crews no room to breathe, but just when it appeared that Andrade was closing in on victory, Apollo turned the tides by catching Andrade with a roll-up for what was arguably the biggest three-count of his SmackDown LIVE career.
My Opinion: 2 out of 5 – In any other league, this would have been a classic match, but Vince doesn’t like good matches, so these guys got about a minute. Poor bastards.
Match #7: (Main Event) Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler
The following is courtesy of wwe.com:
After being blindsided by a Stunner from Kevin Owens earlier in the night, Shane-O-Mac co-signed Dolph Ziggler’s idea of trying to shut up KO in a match, and Shane allowed Owens back in the building for this main event. KO brought the heat early, but Ziggler took control while seeking retribution for Owens’ quick win on Sunday at WWE Extreme Rules. The action stopped when Shane McMahon arrived with a litany of SmackDown LIVE Superstars, seemingly ready to pounce on KO. As the crew surrounded the ring, Owens kicked out of a Zig Zag before regrouping and dropping The Showoff with a Stunner, though Shane yanked the former Universal Champion out of the ring when he went for the cover. Owens responded by swiftly dropping Shane-O-Mac with a Stunner for the second time that night, and he bolted toward the backstage area to evade the mob. Owens had bested Shane yet again, but “The Best In The World” promised that payback was coming KO’s way as SmackDown LIVE concluded.
My Opinion: 3 out of 5 – This was pretty good for what seemed like five seconds and was actually only a few minutes more than that. I don’t know why, but this match makes me feel like I’ve got bigger knockers than Mariah Carey. Maybe that’s what happens when you get a short, convoluted main event? Is that a sentence fragment? Why can’t you let a match like this actually have room to breathe? Okay, that’s three questions to many. What’s here is good, but not enough to make you sit down and watch.
News Of The Night:
- The Kabuki Warriors may challenge The IIconics for the Women’s Tag Titles at Summerslam.
- Kevin Owens might fight Shane McMahon at Summerslam.
- Daniel Bryan’s major announcement was interrupted by The New Day, because the tag champions assumed Bryan wanted a re-match for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles. Bryan never said what it was he meant to say.
- Randy Orton might challenge Kofi Kingston for the WWE World Title at Summerslam.
- Bayley wants to fight Ember Moon for the Smackdown Women’s Title at Summerslam.
- Shinsuke Nakamura might fight Ali for the Intercontinental Title at Summerslam.
Final Verdict: 2/5
Seven matches and there was only about a half hour of wrestling. Do you think Rupert Murdoch is having second thoughts about promoting a glorified infomercial during his actual sports programming?
