WWE SmackDown Review, September 10 2019 feat. The Undertaker

Tuesday night saw the go-home show of Smackdown Live emanate from New York, as the blue brand looked to crank up the heat on its feuds ahead of Sunday’s Clash of Champions PPV.

The Undertaker appears

The Undertaker last stepped foot inside the squared circle at Extreme Rules in an impressive showing with Roman Reigns against Shane McMahon, which all but erased the bitter memories of his horror showing against Goldberg at Super Showdown. Either way, the Deadman always elicits a phenomenal response from the WWE Universe, and this was no different, as the New York faithful ate up his every word. He didn’t say much, but he doesn’t need to. His entrance and appearance is a spectacle in itself. He was interrupted by Sami Zayn, who claimed ‘Taker was past his best and that somebody like himself should instead be opening the show. He ate a chokeslam for his troubles as the Phenom retired to the back.

As noted, it is always awe-inspiring seeing the Phenom make an appearance, and if you have seen it live, his entrance alone is something to behold. Aside from that, the segment was a little pointless, not least the decision to have Zayn come out and effectively get buried by the ageing superstar. He is treading water big time as it is, and this interaction continued his irrelevant run since returning from injury after Wrestlemania. It would have been nice to maybe see a little interaction between the Undertaker and Bray Wyatt, considering the latter’s recent penchant for terrorising legends.

The Miz vs. Andrade

The Miz warmed up for his Intercontinental Championship match with Shinsuke Nakamura on Sunday against some stiff competition, in the shape of Andrade, accompanied by Zelina Vega. Miz started strongly, before Vega took advantage of the ref being distracted, to rake the eyes of the A-Lister, allowing Andrade to reply with a dropkick and a running knees in the corner. The two traded blows, before the babyface edged ahead with a backbreaker and neckbreaker for a two count, before unloading a series of ‘Yes’ kicks. Andrade missed a running knee in the corner, sending him tumbling to the outside. Miz seized on this and slammed his opponent’s head into the announce table, in front of the watching Nakamura. Another Vega interference nearly cost the Miz the win, but he managed to hit the Skull Crushing Finale for the win in a hard-fought encounter. His celebrations were short-lived, as Nakamura jumped him after the bell to close the segment.

The Miz picked up a meaningful win against a tough opponent in Andrade, which should stand him in good stead for his bout with Nakamura on Sunday. The post-bell attack aside, this feud still feels a little flat, though, and the two men involved (plus the marginalised Zayn in Nakamura’s corner) are going to have to bring their A-game at Clash of Champions to rescue this programme.

Nikki Cross w/Alexa Bliss vs. Mandy Rose w/Sonya Deville

Cross didn’t wait for the bell and exploded right into the ring, following Rose’s pre-match diatribe about the Scot being ‘ugly’. She hit one half of Fire and Desire with a flurry of rights and lefts as ref tried desperately to assert some authority. The respite of the bell ringing was brief for Rose, as Cross continued the attack. Rose caught her breath and responded with a throwaway slam, then slowing Cross’ relentless pace. Cross countered an attempted slam into the turnbuckle with a running bulldog to regain control, rolling up Rose for the win.

Cross avenged the defeat her and Bliss suffered at the hands of Rose and Deville, shifting the momentum to the babyfaces ahead of Sunday. Rose took a page right out of the heel handbook in garnering real heat with her ‘ugly’ jibes at Cross, and the Scot is fun to watch when she has the bit between her teeth. This has created genuine intrigue in the match, and it will also be interesting to see if these emotional responses from Cross could cost her and Bliss the titles, finally triggering the latter to turn on her new best friend.

Heavy Machinery vs. Enhancement Talent

Tucker showcased his strength and agility against the local competitors, before tagging in the popular Otis, to the delight of the MSG crowd. He broke out the Caterpillar, and the two finished the match with a Compactor.

Heavy Machinery are, by all accounts, over with the WWE Universe, especially the hugely popular Otis. This was reflected by their run in title contention a couple of months ago, where they more than held their own with some seasoned pros. They have cooled since then, relegated to squashing jobbers. The Viking Raiders suffered a similar fate over on Raw for weeks on end, until they turned face and featured in last night’s Raw’s main event. Let’s hope Otis and Tucker don’t spend too long working with enhancement talent before they are placed in a meaningful programme.

Erik Rowan justifies his actions

Erik Rowan was given some rare time on the mic as he reasoned why he has been attacking Roman Reigns. He said he was proud he had threatened the Big Dog’s career and was sick of doing what he was told all these years. Thankfully, given some clunky moments from Rowan on the mic, Reigns interrupted, and a brawl broke out, which took the two behemoths around the ring and into the crowd, where an out of control Rowan powerbombed a fan. Officials tried in vain to come between the two men, but the action culminated on the ramp, where Rowan shoved a hanging camera into Reigns, to cries of ‘Holy Shit’ from the audience.

And in that one segment, the rivalry is red hot between Reigns and Rowan. The Big Red looked an absolute monster and, though the result of their match on Sunday is not in doubt unless foul play takes place, looked a genuine threat to the former Shield member. Their match now looks like it will be a brutal battle, but this writer wouldn’t be too surprised if Daniel Bryan makes his presence felt at some point.

Bayley vs. Ember Moon

The Hugger prepared for her match with Charlotte Flair on Sunday with a revisiting of an old rivalry with Ember Moon, and she started off aggressively, as Flair looked on. She threw Moon over the timekeeper’s area and hit her with a vicious knee. Back in the ring, Moon hit back with a series of neat kicks and a cross body for the two-count. Moon missed, though, with a high-risk manoeuvre, and Bayley capitalised with a Bayley to Belly for the win.

Bayley had to work for this victory against a determined Moon, and certainly showed a more aggressive side befitting her new heel character. Flair may be forced to play the de facto babyface on Sunday and, barring interference from Sasha Banks, should walk away from her home town as the ten-time women’s champion.

Kofi Kingston Reflects

Kingston talked about how this arena had special memories for him, as the Madison Square Garden audience chanted his name. He showed a clip of him from ten years ago, where he dived off the rail onto Randy Orton, his opponent on Sunday. The Viper interrupted him, calling him ‘stupid’ and lamenting the ‘Power of Positivity’ message. The two brawled into the crowd, using chairs and tables. Kingston got the upper hand, and set up the Apex Predator on the table with a chair shot. He climbed the guardrail and recreated the moment from ten years ago, showing the New Day still has what it takes.

It was a nice touch to recall a moment in Kingston and Orton’s storied rivalry, and this current feud certainly feels personal, which in turn means the fans are wholly invested in it. The end result should be a top quality, hard-hitting match on Sunday, with Kingston just surviving the biggest threat to his title reign so far.

King of the Ring Semi Final Match: Chad Gable vs. Shane McMahon

Shane O’Mac inserted himself into the tournament at the latter stages, following an injury to Elias, and appointed Kevin Owens as the guest referee, as a way of paying off the $100,00 he fined him a couple of weeks ago. This threw up the prospect that McMahon would be ‘King Best in the World’, and he started the match with an arrogance he had become synonymous with over the past year or so. Gable showed his superior mat skills, though, grappling the boss’ son and hit a German suplex for the three count. An incensed McMahon declared the match a 2 out of 3 falls match, and blindsided Gable, slamming his head onto the announce table and tossing him over the timekeeper’s area. Back in the ring, he continued the beatdown, slamming Gable and toying with him with his ‘boxer’s punches’. Owens, with the threat of a fine hanging over him, hesitated when Gable had McMahon pinned, and quick-counted for Shane. The former American Alpha member continually defied the odds and hit a beautiful moonsault, only for Owens to frustrate him again with another slow count. An ankle lock was too much for Shane, though, who tapped out to send Gable into the final of the tournament. After the bell, a furious McMahon jumped Owens for his perceived poor officiating, and then uttered the infamous words of ‘You’re Fired.’

McMahon again reared his head and looks to have reignited the feud that started a long, long time ago with Kevin Owens. It will be interesting to see the ramifications of Owens getting fired, and in what manner the Prizefighter will react. The main narrative here, though, was Gable’s push all the way to the final of King of the Ring. He has been a great example of somebody who, languishing in the lower card, created a natural buzz with his story of the underdog overcoming all the odds. His rise has been organic and the WWE Universe are behind him. Whatever the result on Sunday, the company would be wise to capitalise on this popularity. Whether they do or not is the question.