Friday Night Smackdown – Oct 11th 2019: Results & Review

Welcome to this week’s review of SmackDown, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we another WWE Draft, because Vince McMahon never learns. Maybe this time will be different, but I doubt it. Okay, let’s jump into the madness before I get cold feet/a clue.

Match #1: Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns (Disqualification)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Universal Champion Seth Rollins (representing Raw) and Roman Reigns (representing SmackDown) collided to kick off Friday Night SmackDown with the winner earning the first overall pick in the WWE Draft for the brand he was representing. Being so familiar with each other’s arsenals, the two felt each other out in the early goings until tempers began to flare, at which point the two Superstars just flat out started throwing haymakers. In the critical moments, The Architect seemingly had The Big Dog bested when he unbelievably countered Reigns’ Spear into a Pedigree, but Roman persevered and kicked out. However, the match was suddenly cut short when “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt appeared, surging up from underneath the ring and quite literally dragging the Universal Champion to hell. Seth somehow survived the bombarding and crawled back into the ring as Wyatt stared daggers into him, seemingly suggesting that nothing Rollins threw at him at WWE Hell in a Cell would put a stop to his destruction.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – This was getting somewhere, but the whole thing fell off the rails to sell a dead feud between two people who no one wants to see against each other right now. Bray Wyatt showed up to do one of those “pull the opponent under the ring through the ring” that gets a good crowd reaction but doesn’t make any money. Just let wrestlers wrestle. Is that so hard? Apparently so, if this match is anything to go off of. Seth and Roman deserved better, but at least the match was good enough to show what they can do with other.

Match #2: King Corbin def. Chad Gable

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Following Shorty Gable’s upset victory over King Corbin at WWE Hell in a Cell and the subsequent beating that Corbin dished out to him in the backstage area following the defeat, the two ran it back tonight. Gable was seeking another monumental victory against the King of the Ring, and the former Olympian nearly put Corbin down for three several times. However, when King Corbin survived Shorty’s Ankle Lock and got back on his feet, he quickly found his opening to connect with End of Days, securing a clutch victory.

My Opinion: 3.2 out of 5 – I am not calling Chad “Shorty”. Vince McMahon can kiss my ass. Shorty. Chad doesn’t look like a “shorty” from my TV screen, that’s for sure. Any-way, the match was another good effort from both of these guys, but Chad should be poised to win the feud between these guys, or else there’s no point to it even existing.

Match #3: The New Day def. The O.C.

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The New Day, looking to bounce back after Kofi Kingston’s WWE Title defeat to Brock Lesnar last week, squared off against the ever-confident O.C. The two groups collided with each going full bore from the jump. However, having so much to prove after his crushing WWE Title defeat to Brock Lesnar last week, Kofi Kingston weathered O.C. leader’s AJ Styles’ best, finishing him off with Trouble in Paradise for a major win.

My Opinion: 2.9 out of 5 – This was a major disappointment, considering the talent on display here. This should have gone on a lot longer. Why was Kofi not pissed off for losing the WWE World Title to Brock Lesnar? This match wanted to be great, but never got the shot to do so.

Match #4: (Main Event) Bayley def. Charlotte Flair – SmackDown Women’s Title Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After defeating Bayley to record her historic 10th Women’s Title reign at WWE Hell in a Cell, Charlotte Flair defended her newly won SmackDown Women’s Championship against her longtime rival in the main event of Friday Night SmackDown. Bayley hit the scene with a new look and attitude, literally taking an axe to her trademark Bayley buddies and coming at Charlotte with aggression right from the opening bell. Bayley attempted to push the pace against The Queen, trying to neutralize her incredible athleticism. The unrelenting challenger connected with a Bayley-to-Belly, but Flair found the strength to kick out. Charlotte fired back with a flurry of offense to put Bayley back on her heels. However, in the critical moments, Charlotte connected with Natural Selection, but Bayley somehow mustered the strength to grab two fist-fulls of hair and roll her up to become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion.

My Opinion: 3.3 out of 5 – Imagine if Paul Anka pulled a gun out of his crotch-pocket and told you that you were having his baby. Got it pictured? Good. That’s what this match was like. Okay, not really, but every other review of this match is going to be serious, so I needed to do something stupid to stand out. Plus, this whole review has been too serious for my taste. Where’s the excitement? Where’s the sex appeal? Where’s Waldo? Oh God…he’s dead! All of this death, it’s…oh no. I’ve got the madness. I’ve got cabin fever! I’ve got it toooooooooooo!!! CABIN FEVER!!!!!!!!!! Bayley as a heel doesn’t work, despite her being good at it…kind of. I wish this match could have been half as satisfying as that last sentence was to write, but “I Will Survive”, because Gloria Gaynor just got back from outer space with some of those green women that Captain Kirk used to nail on those long missions to Rygell 7. This match ended before you could really start to savor it.

News Of The Night:

1. Here are the results of the Draft for this show, courtesy of wwe.com:

Round 1

• Raw: Becky Lynch
• SmackDown: Roman Reigns
• Raw: The O.C.
• SmackDown: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
• Raw: Drew McIntyre

Round 2

• Raw: Randy Orton
• SmackDown: Sasha Banks
• Raw: Ricochet
• SmackDown: Braun Strowman
• Raw: Bobby Lashley

Round 3

• Raw: Alexa Bliss
• SmackDown: Lacey Evans
• Raw: Kevin Owens
• SmackDown: The Revival
• Raw: Natalya

Round 4

• Raw: The Viking Raiders
• SmackDown: Lucha House Party
• Raw: Nikki Cross
• SmackDown: Heavy Machinery
• Raw: The Street Profits

2. Brock Lesnar fights Cain Velasquez, presumably for the WWE World Title, at Crown Jewel.
3. Braun Strowman fights Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel.
4. Bayley cut her hair short and turned completely heel.

Final Verdict: 2.4/5

A new coat of paint on an old wagon. The “sports-like” feel was tainted by footage of the NFL Robot being involved with the draft selections, which felt more like Saturday Night Live sketches that featured no jokes (like Saturday Night Live). The draft was mostly the same people being sent back to the brands they were already on, so it had little dramatic value or legitimate use. Kofi Kingston didn’t even seem upset by losing the WWE World Title, so that was a huge missing piece of the puzzle. This show just keeps doing the same thing over and over again, which is the bare minimum.