Samoa Joe drops a bomb shell before his championship opportunity at SummerSlam. The Miz and Daniel Bryan relive their eight year long feud.
Smackdown Live has many exciting SummerSlam plans. Tonight the WWE put the icing on the cake for The Biggest Event of the Summer. The ending of the programs is particularly jaw dropping.
What controversial information did Samoa Joe relay to the Greenville, SC crowd on this 14th of August, 2018 edition of Smackdown Live?
Friendship Or Championship?
Women’s Champion Carmella along with Becky Lynch and Charlotte begin Smackdown Live in the ring. All three address their motivations heading into SummerSlam.
The Queen of Stanton Island insults her challengers, venting her frustration with having to defend her title. Lynch and Charlotte point out that the champ continues to win by cheating. In the end Carmella comes out on top in their war of words. She garners massive heat as she fully embraces a “Diva” status. This is the very stereotype that wrestlers like Lynch and Charlotte work extremely hard to avoid.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebb4IhHzFVo]
Paige interrupts the bickering and makes a tag team match, pitting Lynch and Charlotte against Absolution.
With Carmella talking trash on commentary, Absolution prove difficult opponents for the more experienced Superstars. Charlotte gets into some trouble but is able to tag in her partner. Lynch then spends the majority of the match fighting off double team attempts from Absolution. With her Disarm-Her submission, Lynch continues her recent momentum with a victory for her team.
Charlotte seems to be put off by Lynch hogging the spotlight here. It could be that Carmella can divide her two opponents during their match at SummerSlam and emerge with her title intact.
The Bludgeoning 3: Triple Threat
Returning to the early days of The Bludgeon Brothers, the reigning Smackdown Live Tag Team Champions are offered a sacrifice of independent wrestlers. This time Harper and Rowan will face three opponents who call themselves “Triple Threat”. The Bludgeon Brothers immediately dispense their challengers with their trademark brutality.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MsQU0QAgGc]
At SummerSlam, Harper and Rowan will face a newly energized New Day. It is important that the current champions are looking stronger to retain their imposing aura. It is unclear whether it would make sense to stop Harper and Rowan’s momentum by losing to a team the have beaten previously. Because of this they look like the favorites ahead of their title defense.
Sanity Vs Positivity
With the crowd singing “Happy Birthday” to Kofi Kingston, The New Day seek to silence Sanity. Instead of abandoning rules for their normal chaos, Sanity comply and begin wrestling the match. Sanity immediately cheat as Alexander Wolfe pulls down the ropes and causes Kingston fall to the outside. Killian Dane then beats on the unfortunate opponent. Kingston manages to tag in Xavier Woods who briefly neutralizes all of Sanity.
Kingston takes out two members of Sanity leaving Big E and Woods to land an Up Up Down Down to the larger Killian Dane for the win.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mK_cRLbmlK4]
Although a New Day win is not great for Sanity at this point, the chaotic trio do not have a major program at SummerSlam. Unfortunately The New Day will probably not wrestle in a major spot on the card either. The WWE could stand to do something different with The New Day and allow Sanity to flourish as an anti-establishment, dare I say it, face team.
Rusev Day Chronicles
Aiden English has been playing third wheel as of late in his stable with Rusev and Lana. English has cost his team matches with his good intentions and interference. In the first singles match of the evening, English will defend his honor against Andrade “Cien” Almas. Almas along with his manager Zalina Vega seek to continue their momentum against Rusev Day ahead of their mixed tag confrontation at SummerSlam.
Before English can even get his bearings in the match, he is defeated by Almas. A stiff elbow followed by double knees in the corner finishes English. Lana and Rusev confront Almas and Vega after the match and the two teams exchange words. English is not present for this.
This has been a quick yet effective feud thus far. Although he may not be prominent at the moment, perhaps Aiden English can still play a role in the outcome at SummerSlam. After seemingly being ousted from Rusev Day, where do his allegiances lay? Even if English is not a factor the two teams involved have much to fight about.
United States Championship Picture
Smackdown Live is building a great SummerSlam card, but the Jeff Hardy story remains ambiguous. Feuding with Shinsuke Nakamura and Randy Orton simultaneously has spread the Superstar very thin. The relationship between all three competitors and their motivations seem to be up in the air. Nakamura will defend the United States Championship against Hardy who is struggling to reclaim championship glory. Conversely, Nakamura is holding the gold above the head of his challenger through his mind games.
Orton may or may not remain in the picture due to possible trouble outside of the wrestling ring. This may not prove to be an issue as The Viper has not fully disclosed his motivations in attacking Hardy several times over the past few weeks.
Tonight Jeff hardy defeats Shelton Benjamin in singles competition. Nakamura attacks Hardy after his match but gets hit with a Swanton Bomb from his SummerSlam Challenger. Eerily, Randy Orton is seen looking on from behind a backstage curtain. His ominous presence spells trouble for Hardy this Sunday.
Styles Speaks
The stage is set for a wrestling fan’s dream match: AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship. Besides their history outside of the WWE, the pair have one more Tuesday night to build a heated rivalry before perhaps their biggest match against one another.
Styles revisits the personal attacks against his family and references his previous friendship with Samoa Joe. Styles is about to relay a promise he made to his wife when suddenly Joe interrupts the WWE Champion. Joe claims to have a note written to him regarding Styles and reads it to the WWE Universe. The letter alleges Styles cares more about his career than his family. The twist is the alleged letter is written by the wife of Styles, who claims she has “lost him”.
This is the type of bombshell drama that creates nuclear feuds. Just as Ric Flair used the personal lives of his opponents to his advantage, Joe is ruthless in his psychology. The reaction of Styles is intriguing. The letter is baffling to Styles who does not immediately react in uncontrollable rage as one would think.
Has Joe effectively shaken the champion? Is this letter legitimate? As the viewer ponders these questions, Smackdown Live ends with a bewildered looking AJ Styles seemingly lost within his own thoughts.
