It’s the go-home show to Survivor Series as RAW, Smackdown and NXT have their last chance for attack heading into Survivor Series. Announced for Smackdown Live is a six man tag between Roman Reigns, Ali and Shorty G vs Dolph Ziggler, Bobby Roode and King Corbin, Daniel Bryan calling out the Fiend and the promise of chaos with all three brands expected to appear. Smackdown Live takes place from the All State Arena in Chicago, IL.
Before Smackdown officially starts a Team Smackdown rally is shown backstage where King Corbin is unable to get the crowd to listen until Roman Reigns appears. Reigns goes on to tell the roster “Not to be cowards like Corbin” before opening the gate allowing any of RAW and NXT in. Corbin and Reigns would keep arguing only to be stopped by Smackdown Women’s Captain Sasha Banks who claims the war “Starts right now”.
Sasha Banks Promo
The ‘Blueprint’ of WWE opened the show with her Smackdown team claiming that “This ring is ours” before calling out NXT believing they wouldn’t show up and RAW to come out as “We already know you’re there” and that “We’re ready”. RAW headed by Charlotte Flair made their appearance down to the ring with the former 9x Women’s Champion challenging Sasha Banks to a match for “Old times sake”. RAW and Smackdown would square each other up until NXT made an appearance, headed by Rhea Ripley the former NXT UK Women’s Champion demanded to be added making it a triple threat Captain match.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley
If you wanted a tease of what Survivor Series is going to be it was this match. Early on in the match the focus surrounded the two bigger athletes in the match being Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair with the two taking each other to the groundwith Charlotte getting the advantage with a running big boot. Banks and Ripley would also get into a tussle with Banks delivering a knee to the face for Ripley to respond to a dropkick, the action would move to the outside where Charlotte would push Sasha into Nikki Cross and the steel steps creating further tension between Banks and Cross who the Smackdown Women’s Captain did not want on her team. Charlotte gained the momentum with a moonsault on the outside, the action would go back and forth in this match with Charlotte taking control after a Natural Selection on Ripley. Charlotte then applied a figure 8 on Charlotte only for the NXT Star Ripley to pin her shoulders down before Banks could tap getting a huge win for NXT heading into Survivor Series.
Corbin, Ziggler & Roode have a backstage chat about the 6 man tag main event tonight with Zayn making an appearance bringing up the question of what’s in the bag?
Kayla Braxton interviews Bayley, asking about if there any worries for Sunday Bayley claims that she’s the only Grandslam Champion and that NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler “Is too impulsive”.
Sami Zayn & Shinsuke Nakamura Segment
Zayn started the promo by claiming that Corbin or anyone can call him whatever name they want but he’d call himself a “Stud”. The mouthpiece for the Intercontinental Champion then revealed what was in the black bag he was carrying….A NEW INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP!! Zayn claimed it was time to be “Out with the old and in with the new” before claiming that Nakamura will beat both Roderick Strong and AJ Styles. This brought out the Undisputed Era who forced Zayn and Nakamura outside the ring and up the entrance ramp. NXT Champion Adam Cole grabbed a mic and promised “After taking business” involving the 8 man tag next on Smackdown the Undisputed Era would clean house at Survivor Series.
The Undisputed Era vs. The New Day & Heavy Machinery
This was the first time since the last War Games in 2018 that all the members of the Undisputed Era teamed up with the NXT Champions going into their third War Games match at Takeover on Saturday. New Day challenged the Undisputed Era to a match with the Smackdown Tag Team Champions welcoming the Undisputed Era but not letting them go after their hit and run attack of the Revival and themselves last week. Heavy Machinery would come out to back up the New Day making this an 8 man tag.
Strong and Big E started with the NXT North American Champion taking control with the numbers game early on pushing Big E into the corner until the muscle of the New Day was able to take out O’Reilly with a clothesline and fish with a belly to belly followed by a splash. Kofi Kingston and Adam Cole squared off evenly with Kingston getting the advantage until a blind tag to Strong put the Undisputed Era in control. The Undisputed Era took control until Kofi was able to make the tag to Otis who cleaned house pancaking Strong before a T-bone suplex on O’Reilly. After a Caterpillar by Otis, Tucker tagged himself in connecting with a moonsault for a two count. The finish saw all eight competitors get in a melee with Strong pinning Tucker after a superkick/high knee combination.
Post-match, Nakamura came back to stare down Roderick Strong only for RAW’s AJ Styles to make an appearance connecting with a forearm on Nakamura before Zayn used a chair to take out AJ and Strong giving the Intercontinental Champion the momentum heading into Survivor Series.
AJ Styles cut a promo with the O.C to the crowd claiming that on Sunday he’ll “Wipe the floor with Nakamura and Strong” and that’s because he’s Official and Original and part of the only Club that matters promising that Sami Zayn will get what’s coming.
Daniel Bryan Segment
Daniel Bryan starts the segment quickly and to the point making it clear he’s not out here for “Yes chants or to seewhat’s inside the Fiend’s head”. The former WWE Champion then called out Bray Wyatt only to have a fixture of his past answer in…The Miz! Miz claimed he was planning to slap some sense into Daniel Bryan and help you but can only do one of those things now and slaps Bryan. This would lead to…
Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz
This match started during the commercial break with Bryan taking control of the match with uppercuts on the ropes and taking the action to the outside. Miz was able to take control with a knee to the midsection of Bryan before a head stomp and knee to the back. This momentum kept shifting with Bryan hitting Yes kicks and attempting the Labell lock whilst the Miz hit his signature corner clothesline. Bryan finally garnered full momentum of the match with a running clothesline followed by a seated dropkick off the top rope and the YES kicks. The finish saw Bryan go to the corner to set up for the Yes knee before the Fiend appeared, Bryan attempted a running knee but got caught in the Mandible claw and passed out.
Shayna Baszler Promo
NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler stormed down to the ring claiming to Bayley “That if I only attack you from behind that now I am calling you out”. It would be Bayley who would attack Baszler sending the two time NXT Women’s Champion into the barricade getting the upper handfor Survivor Series.
Roman Reigns, Mustafa Ali & Shorty G vs. Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode & King Corbin
It’s main event time on Smackdown with 6 man tag action following on the story of the last few weeks involving Corbin and Reigns. Reigns started the match on fire taking out all 3 opponents including a drive by on Corbin with the momentum changing after Ziggler and Corbin illegally double teamed Reigns whilst the referee was distracted. After a short period ‘The Big Dog’ was able to tag in Shorty G who took out Corbin before connecting with a northern lights suplex on Ziggler. This momentum ended with Roode and Corbin throwing Shorty G onto the announce table and into commentary taking out G for the rest of the match. After a desperation Superman punch Reigns was able to tag in Mustafa Ali who quickened the pace with multiple dropkicks, rolling X-factor and a suicide dive onto Corbin. The finish saw Roode block off Ali hitting the 054 allowing Corbin to connect with the Deep Six for the win.
Post-match, a mass brawl broke out between RAW and Smackdown with team captains in former Shield members Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins going into a brawl before the camera cut backstage where NXT headed by HHH and Shawn Michaels made their way to the ring in a similar way to DX in 1998. This led to a three brand brawl melee with Strowman and Lee brawling being a highlight.
Overall, WWE SmackDown was a fun show with the Women’s triple threat and the new Intercontinental Championship being key highlights. For a go-home show to Survivor Series there wasn’t much else that could have been asked for except maybe for some Becky Lynch and Bayley interaction although the two do already have a long and more recent history involving Sasha Banks.
