WWE Smackdown Recap (22nd August 2017)


AJ Styles is out to start off the show. He says that he is bringing back the US Title Open Challenge. Kevin Owens makes his way out but Styles says he already beat him at Summerslam. Owens is pissed about it due to Shane's inability to ref properly. Shane comes out to say that he called it down the middle but Owens says that he doesn't have a clue what he is doing. He's kind of right. Styles is sick of listening to this argument and says that Owens can have another title shot. Owens wants to pick the ref and AJ is fine with that. Shane adds the stipulation that if Owens loses he can't challenge for the title for as long as Styles is champion. It was a decent segment but I assume Shane is supposed to come across as a face but he comes across more as inept or like he is actively screwing over Owens. 

Daniel Bryan is on the phone, claiming he has surprises for tonight. Mahal and the Singhs arrive and Bryan informs them that it will be Nakamura vs both of the Singh brothers tonight. 

Kevin Owens tries to get Sami Zayn to be the ref for tonight. 

Aiden English is out to have a sing song. However, he is interrupted by.........GLOOOORRRRRRIIIIIIOOOOOUUUUUS. Bobby Roode makes his Smackdown debut.

Bobby Roode vs Aiden English - Welcome to the main roster, where you go 50/50 with Aiden English in your debut. Roode should have won in short order here, but it worked out well Tye Dillinger, oh wait.

After the match Roode says that the Smackdown higher ups spent a shit ton of money to bring him in.

Daniel Bryan meets with Chad Gable. Gable doesn't know where his career goes from here. Bryan tells him that when he traded Jason Jordan to Raw Kurt Angle gave him the number of a friend of his, Shelton Benjamin. Gable marks out for Benjamin and Bryan tells them that they will have their first match as a team next week. Benjamin looks slightly annoyed at this revelation. Hopefully we get mid 2000s WWE instead of New Japan Shelton Benjamin.

Sami decides he isn't up for helping Owens tonight.

The Usos vs Hype Bros - The Usos won in short order, which is exactly what they should have done. It was fine for what it was.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs Singh Brothers - A quick win for Nakamura, which was needed after his Summerslam loss. After the match he laid out Mahal with the Kinshasa. 

The Fashion Police offer to ref tonight's main event but Owens isn't up for that at all. 

Baron Corbin offers to ref the match, but only if Owens gives him a title shot when he wins. Owens agrees.

Natalya is out and says that Summerslam was the day that the glow was unplugged. She does the best there is schtick. She insinuates that she will change how the title looks. Good. Carmella comes out to congratulate her. Ellsworth runs down the crowd and Carmella says that she will win the title when the time is right. 

Carmella & Natalya vs Becky Lynch & Naomi - This wasn't too bad at all really. I have mostly forgotten it already but I didn't mind it at all. The faces picked up the win, probably to get some heat for Naomi's rematch.

Dolph Ziggler is back on TV and he is self aware as fuck. He says that he has been watching a lot of Raw & Smackdown on his time off. He says he now understands what it takes to become a WWE superstar. Next week he will sing, play guitar, rap, dance like an idiot, get a big spotlight for himself, with lazers, wear a fancy robe and come out with a hot valet who glows in the dark. Well next week will be mental if he does that.

Baron Corbin tries to make a deal with Styles but Styles tells him he can answer the open challenge like anyone else.

AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens (US Title, Baron Corbin as special referee) - The match was decent enough but, as has been the case with most of this feud, it was more about the Shane/Owens dynamic than AJ. Styles won here after Shane stopped Corbin from counting the pin and took over reffing duties himself. 


Overall Thoughts

Pretty much a run of the mill show. None of the wrestling is particularly stand out but nothing is really actively bad. The Roode debut popped the crowd but it remains to be seen how they treat his run. I await Ziggler's nuclear powered valet.

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