Tonight on SmackDown Live, the fallout from Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view will be dealt with. A new challenger will emerge for Heath Slater and Rhyno’s tag team championship. American Alpha, The Hype Bros, Breezango, The Usos, The Ascension and The Vaudevillains will battle in a tag team turmoil match to capture the right to face Slater & Rhyno for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles at WWE TLC.
Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles will continue their feud, but could they be interrupted by the only victorious members of Team Smackdown’s men’s team, The Wyatt Family? The Smackdown women’s team will have to deal with their loss to RAW, but will we find out who attacked Nikki Bella before the match? And more importantly, will we care? The Miz will look for new challegners as he continues his Intercontinental Championship world tour. Will Baron Corbin have conesquences to pay for costing Smackdown the Cruiserweight divison?
Videos by PopCulture.com
Of course, we’ll all be on the lookout for another appearance by The Undertaker, as today is the 26th anniverary of his WWE debut. The show begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the USA Network, broadcast live from Ottawa, Ontario. Check back in at 8 for match results and spoilers, and read on for a preview of the night’s events.
Joins us right here at 8pm ET as Comicbook.com will provide LIVE match-by-match coverage and reactions to Smackdown LIVE below, starting with the first match of the evening and rumbling right on through to the main event.
And remember to keep refreshing for the latest!
WWE SMACKDOWN LIVE BLOG & MATCH COVERAGE
Whoa, guys. I gotta be honest with you here. I’m really full. After 2 hours of NXT Takeover, 3 hours and 2 minutes of Survivor Series (thanks Goldberg) and 3 hours of RAW, I’ve gorged myself on wrestling this week. Luckily, Smackdown LIVE always goes down like dessert. So, let’s dig in.
Following a Survivor Series recap video, Here Comes The Money! It’s Shane O Mac! Not the person whose music I expected to hear after he was speared into a separate consciousness at Survivor Series. They’re rolling him out on a gernie. This is in poor taste, even for the WWE.
OK, not really. He is out in a fresh new pair of Jordans to chastize Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles … and on cue, here comes Dean Ambrose with a fresh haircut. Dean tells Shane not to focus on the negative and calls out the Smackdown LIVE MVP, James Ellsworth!
James emerges from the back wearing a neckbrace, selling the effects of Braun Strowman murdering him two nights ago. Dean is bubbling with excitement over the announcement that Shane is going to give James a surprise. Shane announces that yes, James Ellsworth’s heroics have earned him a Smackdown LIVE contract! Ottowa goes crazy for the jolly jobber. Shane follows up by giving Dean Ambrose the night off and asks him to leave the building.
The sweet beats of DMX bring AJ Styles out to the ring. Infuriated over James getting a contract, AJ demands that James fight for his contract. Styles proposes a TLC warm-up, with a Smackdown contract ladder match between AJ and James, who, might I remind you, is currently in a neckbrace. James counters with the, “If I win, I get a future shot at the WWE championship” stipulation and follows with an O-Town quote, “I want it all, or nothing at all.” Ottowa. O-Town. I see what you did there, JE.
For those following along at home, here’s where you can refer to the Stone Cold gets asked to leave the building portion of your wrestling 101 handbook to find out if Dean Ambrose will factor into tonight’s main event.
*Backstage – The Miz’s photoshoot is interrupted by Daniel Bryan, who says Miz will be defending his IC championship against Kalisto NEXT.
*Backstage – Shane O Mac escorts Dean Ambrose out of the back door, so now we DEFINITELY know he won’t factor into the main event. Lunatics are notorious rule followers.
THE MIZ v KALISTO – INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Kalisto is dancing and flipping and lucha-ing all over Miz to start this one out. JBL mentions David Otunga’s recent Twitter problems and a suicide dive through the middle ropes (feels like we’ve seen this move 6,000 times in the past 4 days) takes us to a commercial break. Back from break and I realize that I have yet to praise Mauro Ranallo for being the greatest play by play announcer drawing breath right now. He flawlessly turned a Bieber reference into a Monkees reference into a name of a wrestling move that even I’ve never heard before.
Kalisto goes to the outside and perches himself on the top rope. He’s just standing there. Waiting. Why is he not jumping? Oh, that’s why. Baron Corbin emerges from the outside for a clearly late run-in. The distraction is enough to allow Miz to pick up the win. Baron hits Kalisto with the End of Days and yells at him to stay home. Hey, if you’re looking to make an impact, Sin Cara is the one you want to go after. Look what it did for Jericho last night.
Miz is on the apron heading to the back and he’s met with a Dolph Ziggler superkick! OH DEAR GOD PLEASE NOT ANOTHER ZIGGLER MIZ FEUD!!!!!
*Backstage – Alexa demands her championship match with Becky Lynch. Team Smackdown women’s coach Natalya gets the match instead and manages to get in a Celine Dion quote. Canadian.
Dean Ambrose shows up with a pizza for Shane. Funny exchange between Dean, Shane and Becky. If Dean’s going to factor into the main event anyways, I love the idea of him randomly continuing to show up during the evening playing the sad friend who can’t take a hint. The tag team turmoil match is NEXT!
*Backstage – Daniel Bryan tells Baron Corbin he’ll face Kane later in the evening.
TAG TEAM TURMOIL MATCH FOR NUMBER ONE CONTENDERSHIP
We start off with The Hype Bros and The Ascenion, aka the two teams who have literally no chance of winning this match. Mojo Rawley hypes himself into completely missing a corner clothesline, but it leads to a Hype Ryder and the pin. Didn’t think this was possible, but The Decension fall even further down the Smackdown tag team ranks. Out come Breezango. Does anyone else hear the song that comes on in Police Academy when the cops walk into the Blue Oyster Bar when they see Breezango? No? Just me? Fine.
Back from the break. Are Breezango called The Fashion Police now? If not, why? That’s a much better name. Breezango picks up the win with a pretty sweet double team finisher. Next up is the greatest tag team on earth, American Alpha. Jordan doesn’t even need to get in the ring for this one as Gable rolls up Fandango for the win. Here come The Vaudevillains. One dropkick, german suplex combo takes out The Vaudevillains. Thanks for playing.
Heath Slater and Rhyno are backstage watching the monitor to scout their next opponents. Somebody add this to the wrestlers watching wrestlers tumblr page!
We’re down to The Usos and American Alpha. Either one of these teams will make excellent tag team champions. Gangsta Usos are doing the best work of their career. I only wish they would have kept Roman Reigns with them. The Bloodline stable had so much potential. Imagine a Heel stable of Roman, The Usos and Nia Jax. As we go to break Jimmy yells “Get his ass over here” just a second too soon.
Back from the break we get a let’s go Usos/Usos suck chant from the Ottowa crowd. Winner gets a shot at Slater and Rhyno next Sunday at TLC. Ranallo slides in a “Jimmy dropping those forearms like a DJ drops a needle.” Gable gets the hot tag and takes out both Usos. Near fall on Jey. Or Jimmy. I’m not sure. Interestingly, JBL mentions that American Alpha never want to be singles wrestlers. Come on, Jason Jordan is a future world champion. Book it.
Avalanche Bulldog! Shades of the Steiner brothers! Uso #1 breaks up the pin. Superkick by Uso #2, followed by a Superfly splash! Jordan gets his knees up. American Alpha follow it up with the Grand Amplitude for the win!
The screen goes black which can only mean the Wyatt Family are doing scary things in a smoke filled closet. Wyatts appear on the titantron to let American Alpha know that next week, they better run. So, lemme get this straight. Randy and Bray conquer RAW’s biggest and best and now their sights are set on the blue tag team titles. Man, the bar for world domination has really been lowered.
*Backstage – Daniel Bryan tries to talk James Ellsworth out of his match, but James believes “any man with two feet can climb a ladder.” Can we make James Ellsworth our national poet laureate? Dean shows up dressed as The Mountie and this is officially the first time I’ve ever marked out seeing The Mountie. An infuriated Shane McMahon decides that instead of continuing to send Dean home, that he himself, will go home. #Logic. Dean asks Daniel Bryan to give AJ a message. “Tell em’ The Mountie always gets his man!” OK, this is the second time I’ve ever marked out for The Mountie.
NATALYA VS BECKY LYNCH – WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Alexa Bliss is on commentary. She’s insulting David Otunga. How can I be mad at her for that? Natayla throws a piece of her own weave to the crowd and the shroud of Kayfabe has been totally removed. Becky inexplicably yells out “straight fire” and reverses a sharp shooter into the Disarmer for the win. After the bell, Alexa attacks and drops the women’s champion with her finisher, which is just a DDT. Alexa deserves better than a DDT. She gets her title shot at TLC.
*Backstage – Daniel books a Miz/Dolph Ziggler rematch at TLC. I suppose D-Bry has been reading this blog, because he also promises it to be the last time Miz and Ziggler will EVER face each other, only this time in a ladder match. While the Intercontinental title and the ladder match have a storied history, I just can’t care about seeing this again. Dolph had his entire career on the line just one month ago. The stakes were as high as they possibly could be. This feels like creative’s way of saying “I know I don’t have rent yet, but I promise I’ll get it to you next month.”
*Backstage – Nikki Bella accuses Carmella of attacking her before their match at Survivor Series. We get the Nikki vs Carmella match we never asked for at TLC. No DQ.
KANE vs BARON CORBIN
Before the match can really even get started, Kalisto attacks Corbin! Kane follows with a choke slam and pyro. After the match, Kalisto attacks Corbin with a chair. Right before TLC … where could this be leading … a chair match perhaps … it’s all happening so organically.
AJ STYLES VS JAMES ELLSWORTH
AJ is simply destroying James Ellsworth to start this out. Styles hangs him from the ladder and kicks him in the ribs. After pinning James under the steps, AJ climbs to the top of the ladder. Just as AJ reaches for the contract Dean Ambrose enters with an Ottowa Senators jersey on and takes AJ out of the action. AJ retaliates with a flying forearm that knocks Dean to the outside! AJ, now firmly in control, climbs back to the top to grab the contract, but this time James Ellsworth pushes the ladder and sends AJ crashing to the outside! Oh my God, they’re going to let him win this thing on his own!
AJ makes it back into the ring only to be met with No Chin Music! James Ellsworth climbs to the top and reaches the contract! Not only is James a full time member of Smackdown LIVE, but he is now guaranteed a future World title shot.
For those scoring at home, human matchstick James Ellsworth now holds 3 victories over the WWE World Champion, AJ Styles.
The Chinpossible dream has come true! Dean and James stand tall on the announce table and the internet wrestling community loses their damn minds!
Look, I know when a champion loses, it makes them look weak, but don’t fret; AJ is teflon. All of his losses to James have come due to outside interference and over-confidence. I was surprised to see Ellsworth get the win with such little help from Dean in this one, but I’m an Ellsworth guy. He and Braun Strowman have the most unique looks in the company right now and they just happen to be diametrically opposed on the food chain.
Thank you for a great week of wrestling, Canada! That will do it for tonight. Check back with us on comicbook.com/wwe for all your wrestling news and follow me on Twitter at @TheNighthawkBG.
