Smackdown Thread

John Cena kicked off the show by coming to the ring. As he did so, they showed a clip of his successful U.S Championship defense against Bad News Barrett, followed by Rusev’s attack and the announcement by Lana of a Russian Chain Match at Extreme Rules. Cena said Monday was painful, but very memorable. He thanked London for being a gracious host for WWE. Cena explained the rules of a Russian Chain Match, saying you’re locked to your opponent by the chain and the only way to win is to incapacitate your opponent and touch all four corners successfully. So, strap match rules. Cena said that match at Extreme Rules may not even involve him, because every time he does a U.S. Open Challenge, the title is on the line. Cena made the challenge for tonight. The team of Tyson Kidd & Cesaro came out, with Natalya.

Kidd said they’re not out there to accept his challenge. Instead, they were out to drop some facts on Cena. Cesaro said they were the greatest champions in WWE today, in part because they don’t pander to the audience. Kidd, referencing Cena’s Monday interview, said London doesn’t deserve a Wrestlemania. The tag champions entered the ring and agreed that there were some great chants on Monday, like a “please retire” chant. Cesaro said everyone wishes they couldn’t see Cena. Cena asked one of them to step up and fight right now. Before they could respond, Daniel Bryan came out wearing his Intercontinental Title around his waist. He had a mic and took issue with the tag champs proclaiming themselves the greatest champions in WWE today. Bryan did some comedy, polling the crowd about the best champions. He offered Cesaro and Kidd a tag shot against Cena and himself. The champs conferred with Natalya and Nattie accepted off-mic, but Kidd made it official by stating it on the mic

Bray Wyatt defeats R-Truth, Truth gets offense early on hitting The Lie Detector, he misses the Scissors Kick & Bray polishes him off with Sister Abigail

Miz said Mizdow got lucky last week. He said Mizdow is nothing without him. This feud is petering out in a hurry. They need to figure out how to get Mizdow over on his own before he fizzles. Miz said he made Mizdow, he made Summer Rae, and he made each and every fan. Not sure how that works. Bad News Barrett interrupted. Apparently they’re set for a match, and Barrett, with a mic and walking down the aisle, had to wait for Eden Stiles to announce him before he started his mic work, which was a bit awkward. Barrett said the fans came to see him, the man who will crush the Yes Movement at Extreme Rules

Bad News Barrett defeats The Miz, Barrett blasts Miz with a Bullhammer while he was taking off his sunglasses for a quick win

Renee Young was backstage with Damien Mizdow and Summer Rae. She asked Mizdow how it felt to get a victory over Miz on Monday night. Mizdow said it almost feels like a “bright, summer….Rae.” She was about to ask about their kiss when Miz walked up and dismissed Young. Miz was still selling the Bull Hammer. Miz told Mizdow the win was a fluke and he asked Mizdow to stop using his name and mimicking him. Summer said Mizdow does Miz better than The Miz. Miz said he’s the originator, then Mizdow began aping all of Miz’s mannerisms, upsetting Miz. Summer whispered in Mizdow’s ear and Mizdow said the two of them should fight on Raw to keep the Miz name, wardrobe, entrance music…the whole brand. Summer goaded Miz into accepting. Miz said Monday, Mizdow will go back to the unemployment line and Summer would go back to playing Lingerie Football, where her wearing a helmet would be an improvement. She slapped Miz and Mizdow sold it too

Sheamus got the mic and said Neville is just a tiny little man, just like Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. Sheamus put over Neville as the home-country guy. He said where he comes from, they don’t like English bastards. Which means he really doesn’t like Neville

Neville defeats Sheamus, Neville has him set up for The Red Arrow, but Sheamus knocked him off the top rope. Sheamus put Neville on his shoulders but Neville rolled him up for two. Two enziguiris and then a clothesline sent Sheamus over the top and to ringside. Sheamus picked Neville up and dropped him right on the announce table causing a dq? (No idea how that constitutes as a dq)

Sheamus continued the attack on Neville post-match, dropping knee after knee into the sternum of Neville in the ring. Ziggler finally ran out to make the save and chase off Sheamus. Ziggler took a mic and said he knows why Sheamus doesn’t like the English, because they don’t like him either. Ziggler ran down a list of people who don’t like Sheamus, and that’s because he’s a bully. Ziggler said he’s standing up to a bully and challenged Sheamus right now. From the entranceway, Sheamus got a mic from…somewhere…and told Ziggler to kiss his arse. Sheamus said he actually meant that literally, as he and Ziggler will compete in a “Kiss Me Arse” match at Extreme Rules. Ziggler agreed because he just wanted to face Sheamus. He said he’ll grind and stretch Sheamus so bad, he won’t know which way is up, and then he’ll make Sheamus kiss his own arse (So apparently this is going to be like the Kiss My Ass match that Rock & Mr Ass Billy Gunn had back in 1999)

The New Day defeat Los Matadores with The Midnight Hour, Big E pins Fernando

Backstage were Rosa Mendes and Fandango. Fandango let Rosa down and said she had to let the whole world “Fandango.” Rosa seemed upset as Fandango walked off. She was passed by the Rosebuds in the hallway. Adam Rose told Rosa that he sees her for what she truly is. And if she makes the right move, she could be number one again in a certain someone’s life. He told her to think about it

The Big Show came out. He stopped at the top of the entranceway. Show said it became obvious to him Monday night that people from England suck. He said they don’t appreciate him. Show said no one in the world can stop him, not even Roman Reigns. He said some people in The Authority see Reigns as a threat. But he sees him as a victim of an automobile crash after what happened Monday. The car on Smackdown was the same one as on Raw, so it still had the dents. He talked about each time he threw Reigns into the car, backed up by video evidence. Show sat atop the car and continued to insult England. He said he could’ve finished off Reigns on Raw, but didn’t, because he likes to do things on his time. And that time is at Extreme Rules, when he’ll face Reigns in a Last Man Standing Match. He vowed that Reigns wouldn’t be the last man standing at Extreme Rules. “Respect that,”

Cameron defeats Natalya & Alicia Fox, Fox hits the Scissors Kick on Nattie, then Cameron throws her out of the ring & steals the pin

Fandango defeats Adam Rose with a Roll Up after Rosa gets on the apron & distracts Adam

A Bray Wyatt backstage promo aired. Wyatt was clearly addressing someone, though we still don’t know who

Daniel Bryan & John Cena defeat The Brass Ring Club, Nattie gets knocked off the apron inadvertently by Kidd, she falls into Cesaro's arms, Cesaro dumps her then runs into the ring and eats an Attitude Adjustment then Bryan gets the win making Tyson tap to the Yes Lock

Bryan & Cena celebrate to end the show

Well the problem with Raw is, can you really go back to two? Like, it's impossible now, they have themselves stuck and are trying to make the most of it... The question was proposed by a fan that they'd like NXT to go 2 hours, and I was upset. We see what an extra hour can do.

Thought I did this one already, but I guess not

Roman Reigns defeats Kane, Reigns blocks the Tombstone then counters with a DDT, he hits the Superman Punch, then sets up a Spear, when Kane walks away leading to a countout

Damien Sandow defeats Curtis Axel with You're Welcome

Ryback joins Renee Young backstage to talk about Bray Wyatt targeting him, and he says he doesn’t have an answer. He says the ‘Eater of Worlds’ bit of more than he can chew, and he will make an example of Luke Harper tonight. Ryback says there will be a simple message tonight, and that is ‘feed me more.’

Ryback defeats Luke Harper, Harper counters the Meathook Lariat with a Big Boot, but Ryback comes back with Shellshock for the win

Bray Wyatt appears and slams Ryback down, then he punches Ryback in the back of the head a few times and hits Sister Abigail

The Brass Ring Club defeats The New Day, Cesaro & Kidd hit the Giant Swing/Dropkick combo on E when Kofi & Xavier attack causing a dq

Nikki Bella defeats Cameron with The Rack Attack

Seth Rollins defeats Dean Ambrose, Kane chokes them both out, Dean whips him into the post then takes out Noble & Mercury then gets whipped into the table by Seth, Rollins wins with his DDT/Gourdbuster hybrid

Kane gets in the ring but ends up targeting Ambrose, but Roman Reigns runs out for the save and clears the ring. Reigns prevents Kane from chokeslamming Ambrose, and drops him with a spear

Roman Reigns comes out and talks about how he didn’t win at Payback, but he had a really good time hurting people. He mentions entering Money In The Bank, then Dean Ambrose comes out and says he won’t have to reach for a chance at a championship. Ambrose says he will already be champion by that time, then Reigns says that was smart, but Ambrose should think of an exit strategy. Kane walks out and says Reigns is right, because Ambrose still got laid out with a Pedigree, because the Authority always wins.

Reigns says Kane is always on his back so he wouldn’t know, then Kane takes offense and says Reigns isn’t in Money In The Bank. He says Reigns has been losing, and the only thing he’s earned is a spot at the back of the line. Ambrose says this is Rollins’ groupie doing the dirty work, but Kane says he will give Ambrose to prove himself in a rematch against Bray Wyatt. Ambrose says that’s what he wanted because he has unfinished business, and Kane says he is giving Reigns the night off to think about his failures.

The Lucha Dragons defeat Los Matadores, Ascension & Brass Ring Club, Konnor dumps Fenando then Kidd takes out Fernando with a Tope con Hilo. Cesaro takes Konnor to the outside with a Lariat, before Sin Cara take him to the outside with a Missile Dropkick after a Pop-Up by Kalisto, then Cara wipes out everyone outside with a Corkscrew Splash. Diego catapults Kalisto but he lands on the top rope & pins Diego with a Rewind Huricanrana

Dolph Ziggler is with Renee Young backstage, and he says he like what happened on Monday, eventhough he was dealing with a jealous boyfriend. Lana walks over and Dolph says he knows what game she is playing, but he is OK with it. Dolph tells Lana she is a pretty good kisser, then she smiles as he heads to the ring

Dolph Ziggler defeats King Barrett, Ziggler counters the Royal Bullhammer with a Superkick, he tries the Leaping DDT but Barrett blocks only to eat a Zig-Zag

Paige comes out and says the last time she was here she was attacked by Naomi, and she says now Naomi has a ‘boyfriend.’ She mocks Tamina until Naomi and Tamina cut her off, and Naomi says Paige needs to learn her place. Naomi says she deserves to be a champion because of talent, not screaming like Paige, because that’s all she has. Paige there’s more to being a Diva than being athletic, and this is her house, so Naomi says they are going to clean house, and she and Tamina rush the ring. They stomp Paige in the corner until Nikki Bella makes the save, then she ends up hitting Paige with Rack Attack too

R-Truth defeats Stardust, Star gets angry and tears his gloves off, Truth throws the gloves in the air & connects with What's Up for the win

The Meta Powers defeat Adam Rose & Heath Slater, Axel hits the Big Boot while Man-Dow throws Slater out of the ring then Axel finishes Adam with the Leg Drop

Dean Ambrose defeats Bray Wyatt, during the match J & J Security and Rollins comes down, Roman comes in through the crowd laying out Noble with a big right then a Superman Punch for Mercury while Seth retreats up the ramp. Noble hits Reigns then runs into the ring only to get decked by Ambrose, Roman hits Bray with a Superman Punch when the ref wasn't looking, then Dean puts Wyatt away with Dirty Deeds

Rollins watches on as the show ends

Yeah I was running behind this past week

The camera panned the crowd inside the arena in Houston. First out was Seth Rollins, alone. He retrieved a steel chair from ringside, then headed into the ring. Rollins talked about his heel turn, using a chair, almost a year ago to the day. He proceeded to sit in the chair to cut his promo. Rollins talked about his goal of being the best in the industry and how he was tired of sharing the spotlight with those beneath him. He recapped his time joining the Authority as well as his Money in the Bank contract win. “You suck” chants from the fans. Rollins continued his recap of the last year, talking about his Wrestlemania win over Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Rollins had some harsh words for Reigns, then anointed himself “the greatest World champion of all time,” while also noting his lack of a physical title. This brought him to Dean Ambrose.

Rollins said everyone knows who the rightful champion is. He said he doesn’t need a “championship belt” to validate who he is. He said he appreciates what The Authority has done for him, but he doesn’t need any of them to destroy Ambrose. Rollins got heated talking about his title match at MITB when Ambrose appeared on the TitanTron (with the WWE World Title). Ambrose asked if Rollins has a bad memory or a liar, because he needs help from everyone. Ambrose said he isn’t the scumbag that Rollins is. Ambrose said the lie he hates the most is Rollins calling himself the World Champion when everyone saw him beat Rollins at the Chamber. Ambrose was surrounded by ladders as he was cutting this promo. He said the support Rollins gets from The Authority has made him weak. In the last year, Ambrose said, he’s only gotten stronger. He said he’s never been afraid to fall, which is why he likes the idea of their ladder match. Ambrose said he’s the rightful WWE World Champion - he’ll walk into MITB with the title and walk out with it…or die trying.

The Prime Time Players defeat The Ascension & Lucha Dragons, Titus tosses Kalisto into Konnor then hits Viktor with a Pumphandle Slam for the win to become the #1 Contenders for the Tag Titles

The New Day was backstage as Renee Young walked in for their reaction to the PTP getting the win. Apparently, the two teams will face off at Money in the Bank. Xavier Woods said the Players are morally corrupt and greedy because all they want is money. Kofi Kingston for some reason thought the fans would chant “New Day Rocks” at MITB. Woods mentioned Kingston being in the MITB Ladder Match and predicted he would walk out with the contract. Kane interrupted and informed Kofi that he’ll face Neville later on. Kane wished them a pleasant day

Ryback defeats Stardust with The Meathook Larait followed by Shellshock

Renee Young was on the top of the ramp as she introduced Paige. Paige said it feels like things will never change, and that she’s sick of the Bella Twins’ magic. She said it’s the Bellas who are holding the Divas Division back. She mentioned Emma, Summer and Naomi as those who are being held back. Paige said their life is consumed with living the celebrity lifestyle, while she’s more concerned about what happens in the ring. She said if you don’t like the world you live in, you have the power to change it. Paige said she’s going to have to change it

Luke Harper was backstage, holding Erick Rowan’s sheep mask. Rowan came into the picture and said, “we’re family.” Harper said the reapers are at the doorstep and now it’s time to pay for “your” sins

Kevin Owens came out for his NXT Title Challenge. Owens said he doesn’t need Michael Cole to intro him this week, because after Sunday, everybody knows who he is. He said he’s the guy who beat John Cena in his very first WWE match. Owens’, not Cena’s. He said he’ll do the same thing at MITB. Owens said Cena seems to think that he’s a kid who hangs on every word he says, like his son. But his son is seven and doesn’t know any better. Owens said he heard Cena go on and on and on Monday night. He realized that night that Cena is completely delusional. He said Cena actually believes the nonsense he spouts. He complained about Cena saying he wasn’t a real man. He said he can’t let his son be influenced by someone so out of touch with reality. Owens said Cena has been force-feeding kids “garbage” for the last 10 years. He said he’ll gladly step up to shut Cena up at MITB. Owens turned his attention to his NXT Title challenge and called anyone out from the back. It was answered by Zack Ryder.

Kevin Owens defeats Zack Ryder with a Superkick followed by The Pop-Up Powerbomb in a little over a minute

After the match, Owens delivered a Cannonball Senton to Ryder and another Pop-Up Powerbomb

Neville defeats Kofi Kingston with a roll up after taking out Xavier & Big E with a Moonsault

Miz was in the ring for Miz TV wearing…well…I have no idea. I’m glad I’m not doing a fashion report for THIS show. Miz said the fans want her, so Miz TV has her: “The Ravishing Heartbreaker” Lana. Before asking a question, Miz cued up Lana’s slap of Rusev from three weeks ago on Raw, then her promo on Rusev the next week. They also showed part of Rusev’s promo from Raw this week. Miz said Rusev is in a lot of pain both physically and emotionally, and he felt Rusev’s apology was sincere on Monday. He asked Lana how she could abandon Rusev in his time of need.

Lana simply said Rusev did not respect her so he did not deserve her. Miz performed some mock applause by said she can’t fool him. “I’m from Hollywood and I’ve seen this all before,” Miz said. He said once Rusev lost to Cena, she cut bait. He said it was a smart business decision. She said it wasn’t business and that she did care for him, but he lost her trust. Lana said Miz’s line of questioning will leave him with two options: Either she’ll leave or he’ll get slapped. Miz said he’s simply trying to get her side of the story. He said there are always two sides, so he introduced his surprise guest…Rusev.

Rusev came to the ring on crutches. Lana could barely bring herself to look at him. Rusev called her “my dear Lana.” He said he’s not here to start trouble and had no excuses. He said he was raised differently. He said it’s like Lana’s favorite American song, “You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone.” He also said America is about second chances, which his all he was asking from her. He set aside the crutches and begged her for one more chance. “Please, be my crutch,” he said. Lana stood up and appeared ready to embrace him but instead took the crutches and said, “I’ll show you where to put your crutch,” then shoved him into him. “You stupid woman cow!” Rusev shouted. He went off on her, struggling to find the words to use to insult her. Dolph Ziggler then came out.

Ziggler got into the ring and put his arm out. Lana took it in her arm and Ziggler led her out of the ring as Rusev yelled that Lana was worthless and told her to go to hell, all off mic as Ziggler’s theme was playing. Ziggler and Lana walked arm-in-arm up the ramp and backstage.

Roman Reigns defeats Sheamus, Reigns hits the Samoan Drop then sets up for the Superman Punch, Kane's music plays as Noble & Mercury are out for a distraction. Irish Curse, Roman ducks the Brogue Kick then hits the Superman Punch. Kane comes in & drops Reigns with a Big Boot causing a dq.

Kane tried a chokeslam, but Reigns elbowed out of it. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick, though. Kane delivered a chokeslam to Sheamus as J&J Security looked on, dumbfounded. Kane got the mic and announced himself as the final participant in the MITB Ladder Match. Kane finished his attack by giving Reigns a chokeslam

The show ends with Kane in the ring looking up at the briefcase.

Brie Bella defeats Paige, Brie fakes a knee injury when Paige goes up top, Alicia Fox pushes her off then Brie hits the Bella Buster for the win (looks like Paige might need to get some help from some NXT friends)

Kevin Owens asked Renee Young if she’s a Machine Gun Kelly fan, then says he already apologized. He says MGK got hurt because he put his hands on him [Owens] first, and it should have been John Cena. Owens says Cena would’ve been powerbombed if he showed up, and he wants another match against Cena. Owens says he already beat Cena once and earned it, then reminds Renee there won’t be a NXT Open Challenge tonight. Cesaro walks over and mocks Owens’ apology attempt, then implies he wants to fight and pushes Owens, saying that’s him putting his hands on Owens first.