24th Aug2020

WWE Friday Night Smackdown – Aug 21st 2020: Results & Review

by Nathan Favel

Welcome to this week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and it’s Thunderdome time! Are you ready for Thunderdome? Who runs Barter Town?! Master Blaster runs Barter Town! Two men enter…one man leave! Bust A Deal And Face The Wheel! Mrs. Walker! Okay, we’ve got the final SmackDown before SummerSlam, so shut up and listen to the law!

Match #1: Big E def. Sheamus

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After another RETRIBUTION attack, blue brand Superstars surrounded the ring to try and ward off another intrusion. In a battle of two powerhouses, Sheamus scored the first big blow with an Irish Backbreaker to Big E. After the thunderous move, the lights flickered in the WWE ThunderDome as nerves tightened for a possible RETRIBUTION invasion. The match would continue on, and Big E grabbed momentum with a series of Belly to Belly suplexes. Unable to keep his focus on the ring for long, King Corbin would incite a brawl outside the ring with his taunts towards Matt Riddle. The chaos would distract The Celtic Warrior, leaving an open for Big E to roll up Sheamus from behind and secure a win. After the victory, The New Day member joined Heavy Machinery in the ring for an impromptu dance break that surely left a sour taste in Sheamus’ mouth.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This went around ten minutes and was real zippy and snappy, with no lull in the action. E looked great as the hungry challenger to Sheamus’s streak of legitimacy, while Sheamus continued his good wrestling as of late with another spirited performance. I love watching these kinetic clobberings. E winning by roll-up was not the best, but at least he won under his own power. All in all, this was a pretty damn good opening bout.

Match #2: Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro def. Lucha House Party – SmackDown Tag Team Titles Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Lucha House Party finally got a coveted opportunity at the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, and the return of Kalisto added a whole new dimension to the aerial attack. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro looked to neutralize the challengers early on, as the pair showed off the cohesion they’ve built in the lab at the “Champion’s Lounge.” Gran Metalik went high risk with a high-flying assault on Cesaro, but the luchadors were unable to capitalize. The Swiss Cyborg made his way back into the ring with Lince Dorado and fought off a number of acrobatic moves to secure a roll-up victory.

My Opinion: 3.4 out of 5 – There’s a lot of fast action that reminded me of those great SmackDown Tag Title matches on SmackDown back in 2002. This was one big slam and dive after another here to marvel over, like my night at Stickey’s House Of Ass. I wanted this to go on far longer than it went for, but it didn’t disappoint, so I wasn’t…DISAPPOINTEEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!!!! Both of these teams matched-up well together and sold me on more bouts between them.

Match #3: Sasha Banks def. Naomi – Beat The Clock Challenge

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The Golden Role Models had a dilemma, and Naomi was happy to help settle it. As Bayley & Sasha Banks debated who would battle Asuka first at SummerSlam, Naomi interrupted and with the help of Corey Graves devised a Beat The Clock Challenge for the two champions. After a hard-fought start, The Boss was able to lock in the Banks Statement and force Naomi to tap out in just under eight minutes.

My Opinion: 2.7 out of 5 – This was about three minutes of “screw you”, but a skilled “screw you” in any case. Banks winning was the right call…kinda. The fans seems to want Naomi to win more matches, but having the champion look weak before a major title defense on Sunday. Well, at least the action was put together well enough.

Match #4: Naomi def. Bayley – Beat The Clock Challenge

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The pressure was on Bayley who came out swinging as the glowing Superstar tried to pull herself up after the defeat. The SmackDown Women’s Champion went with a strategy of multiple quick pin-fall attempts, but Naomi shocked Bayley with a Rear View take out and pin.

My Opinion: 2.4 out of 5 – This was a minute of “screw Bayley”. Well, at least Naomi got her big win. Wait…Bayley lost…she’s a champion…damn it.

Match #5: (Main Event) Jeff Hardy def. AJ Styles – Intercontinental Championship Match

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

During RETRIBUTION’s attack early in the night, AJ Styles used the opportunity to slow down his opponent for later that night. Jeff Hardy would suffer a knee injury, but the persevering Superstar was determined to not let the latest roadblock derail his redemption journey. The Charismatic Enigma entered the Intercontinental Championship Match donning a knee brace and was noticeably weakened throughout the early parts of the match. As Hardy could barely stand, Styles targeted his opponent’s injured knee, and it seemed as if the official may end up calling the match to mercifully let the high-flyer fight another day. Hardy gutted his way through the relentless effort of Styles, but it appeared The Phenomenal One was primed to retain his title as he lined up a Styles Clash. The challenger offered one last resistance and stunned Styles when his knee brace caught Styles in the head. The Charismatic Enigma used the opening to claw himself to the top rope and deliver one satisfying Swanton Bomb to secure the win and the title. The latest chapter has been written, and Jeff Hardy is back holding WWE gold.

My Opinion: 3.5 out of 5 – This was one of those story matches, with the story being that Jeff’s leg was prone to injury thanks to AJ’s assault earlier. These two had another nice match (this is their first WWE match), but I do prefer their first TNA Wrestling match to this one. Both guys worked hard to make this feel like a big prize fight, even if they got stuck doing something other than what they would normally do…wrestle. Jeff bumped all over the place for AJ, which helped sell this as an underdog scrap. Jeff winning is a feel-good moment, but I wish that it wasn’t so obvious from the booking of previous weeks. Hey, at least this was a decent effort.

News Of The Night:

  1. Braun Strowman got attacked by RETRIBUTION after he confronted Bray Wyatt, who in turn had confronted Vince McMahon at the top of the show.
  2. Braun threw Bray off a balcony, but he revived himself as The Fiend while in the ambulance to leave.
  3. Bayley will still defend the SmackDown Women’s Title against Asuka at SummerSlam.

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

There was some good wrestling in here and some, ridiculously over-the-top build toward SummerSlam, but at least they tried.

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