WWE SmackDown Live – August 27, 2019 (Review)

As we delve further into the wrestling week, and on the back of a frankly abysmal edition of Raw, eyes turn to WWE’s other brand for some form of salvation. Or, as Luke Harper so eloquently puts it:

It's Tuesday. You know what that means.

— Brodie Lee (@ThisBrodieLee) August 27, 2019

Yip, Vince McMahon going through the usual routine of tearing up the script at the last minute. That’s what it means, right?

Because barely a week goes by on SmackDown Live without at least one panicked rewrite in the final hours before the show starts. It’s become expected, part of the programming. So when Daniel Bryan comedically pulls a bag off of one man’s head to reveal a hastily-assembled Erick Rowan lookalike, our reaction can rightfully be: “oh, don’t worry about it, they just wrote this segment ten minutes ago. I’m sure that it’ll be done right next week.”

Thankfully, there shouldn’t be too much to screw up on this week’s SmackDown Live.

I mean, sure, we’re guaranteed to get more of the ludicrous Roman Reigns whodunnit angle – this time with Daniel Bryan and Rowan demanding an apology from WWE’s resident ‘Big Dog’. A Big Dog-pology, if you will.

I’ll just let that joke sit for a minute…

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ralxhlcC7/

And almost certainly Charlotte will be looking to exchange further overly-prepared words with Bayley, although this time hopefully not on Alexa Bliss’ talkshow.

But other than that, SmackDown Live looks to be immune from Vince’s grubby little paws. With the next batch of King of the Ring matches in store, it’s stacking up to be another solid week for the blue brand. Honestly, how far wrong could you go with Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin? Or the electric pairing of Ali and Buddy Murphy?

… Oh God, this is the week he renames Chad Gable to Shorty G, isn’t it?

Let’s just get on with the review.

The Best of SmackDown Live

SmackDown’s Best-Kept Secret is no more

The highlight of the King of the Ring’s first-round matchups was unquestionably Buddy Murphy vs. Ali. We’d seen this pair go at it on 205 Live, but this served as their debut main roster showdown. And, on this evidence, it could be the first of many.

Unfortunately, the first five minutes of the bout were relegated to shrink-screen as commercials played. But once we got to see the action in fullscreen HD, things really started to kick off. With emphasis on the word “kick”.

IS @AliWWE EVEN HUMAN?!? 🤯🤯🤯#SDLive @AliWWE #KingOfTheRing @WWE_Murphy pic.twitter.com/G763TZTTGx

— WWE (@WWE) August 28, 2019

We saw superkicks, topes, reverse hurricanranas and even a Cheeky Nandos. Murphy hit a wicked powerbomb, V-Trigger, brainbuster combination, igniting chants of “this is awesome” from the crowd. Ali responded with an inventive tilt-a-whirl DDT while Murphy was hung up in the ropes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.

This immediately led to the 450 Splash for the win. After the match, Murphy raised Ali’s hand, seemingly sealing his babyface turn.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1sB6UpBy9p/

So, sadly Murphy is eliminated far too early from the King of the Ring tournament. But Ali deservedly progresses. And the match was simply outstanding.

Shane McMahon is Missing

Kevin Owens stormed into Shane McMahon’s office, only to stumble upon a guitar-strumming Elias. When asked where the boss was, Elias revealed that Shane wasn’t there. As in, not in the arena. The news of McMahon’s absence seemed to spark an idea in Owens’ mind. But we’d have to wait until later in the show to find out what – if anything – that meant.

I should mention here how amusing Elias can be when he’s not doing the stereotypical thing of running down local sports teams. For instance, upon being asked by Owens what he was doing in Shane’s office, Elias dismissively retorted “I’m three matches away from winning the King of the Ring. I’m doing whatever I want.”

So, so good.

The Worst of SmackDown Live

Who Tried to Kill the Big Dog?

SmackDown got underway with yet another video recap, showcasing the two attempts on Roman’s life and his ensuing hunt for the perpetrator.

If this was meant to be gently comedic, then I’m all aboard. But I think WWE intends for this to be taken seriously, right down to Reigns’ solemn proclamation that these attacks (which ended weeks ago) are threatening his health and livelihood. Much like Heath Slater, he has kids man!

.@WWERomanReigns has something to say to @ERICKROWAN & @WWEDanielBryan, but he's going to save it for the ring. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/FslDK03KF7

— WWE (@WWE) August 28, 2019

Truthfully, I’m rapidly tiring of this storyline. It doesn’t help that Roman is guilty of the very same offences he’s now casting on others, having routinely attacked people as part of The Shield and once ramming an ambulance carrying Braun Strowman into a truck.

Quite apart from the inherent hypocrisy, the narrative has lost a bit of steam each week. (Although each time I see replays of Bryan lifting the hood on a snorting Rowan lookalike, I do chuckle.)

A Night of Recaps

After the Roman Reigns recap, Kofi Kingston made his way to the ring. This entrance seemingly triggered something in the production truck, which out of sheer habit shared a replay package of the continuing Kofi / Randy Orton feud.

So far, we’re seven minutes into the broadcast and are yet to see any sustained live images.

When you mess with @TrueKofi's family, you mess with him. @RandyOrton knows that now. #SDLive pic.twitter.com/fZ4oFUO2HB

— WWE (@WWE) August 28, 2019

Once we did cut to the live feed though, Kofi was in the ring to deliver an oral retelling of the history we’d just seen flash by in video form. He recounted the attacks he’d suffered at the hands of Orton and how he had retaliated when his family was threatened by ‘The Viper’.

Orton then appeared on the Titantron, repeatedly calling Kofi “stupid”. If Helen of Troy possessed the Face that Launched a Thousand Ships, then apparently “stupid” is the word that launched a thousand promos. Enough already.

Randy went on to read a letter purportedly written by Kingston’s son, in which he urged Orton to stop making his dad cry at night. Randy then threatened to go pay the young lad a visit, prompting Kofi to run to the back in search of ‘The Viper’. He found him, the pair struggled for a bit and Orton delivered a DDT onto the concrete. That’s the hardest part of the backstage area!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1r_Op9BZcv/

I feel bad saying this, but I don’t care about Kingston’s son (or larger family for that matter). I don’t know them, they instil no emotional connection in me, and consequently, they don’t serve to escalate this feud. I was just bored to be honest.

Bayley’s Irresistible Aura of Friendship

I get it, Bayley is great. I’m sure she’s a hoot to hang out with.

But when Ember Moon approached her in the locker room, I just shook my head. I knew what was coming.

The most recent challenger to Bayley’s SmackDown Women’s Championship – the woman who had routinely attacked (and been attacked by) Bayley in the run-up to their SummerSlam encounter – was now her best friend again.

In reference to last week’s events, Moon agreed that Charlotte was not the face of the women’s division and wished Bayley luck in dealing with her. Then Lacey Evans mysteriously appeared, like some sort of overdressed warlock, to claim that she was in fact the face of the women’s division.

Ember and Bayley did exactly what I did – they let out a derisive belly-laugh. To which Evans replied that she’d just show them in their match later on. Man, I really hope Bayley doesn’t lose that… she’ll look like a real dweeb after laughing in Lacey’s face.

An Intercontinental Title Challenge Goes Awry

After suffering a battering at the hands of the freshly-aligned Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura last week, The Miz was in a decidedly bad mood. Not only was he out for revenge, but he was also after championship gold. And so he challenged Nakamura to a title match at Clash of Champions.

Yeah, I forgot that Shinsuke was the Intercontinental Champion too!

This brought out Nakamura’s advocate, Zayn, who said some things to goad Miz out of the ring. There, he was once again blindsided by Nakamura. The Intercontinental Champion beat up the ‘A-Lister’, while Zayn cheered him on with mic in hand. This scene brought back terrible flashbacks of Lio Rush as Bobby Lashley’s hype man.

We may have found someone who loves @ShinsukeN's #Kinshasa even more than @WWEGraves.#SDLive @SamiZayn pic.twitter.com/ztd9uENaAc

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 28, 2019

Regardless, this all felt a little impotent. Like all three men were hurriedly swept into a short segment so as not to interfere with the truly important stuff on the show.

As much as I wish I did, I simply don’t have much hope for Sami Zayn’s new partnership.

Bayley Fights Forever

Good lord, this match was a hard slog.

Lacey Evans spent what felt like half my life working over Bayley’s arm, only to do nothing with it. Minutes earlier, Charlotte had come down to ringside… and then just stood there. Bayley locked in submissions, which Evans repeatedly wriggled out of. Both women were almost counted out. Bayley hit a Bayley-to-Belly, but Evans managed to reach out to grab the rope.

A lot of stuff happened, but nothing happened. It was a bizarre dichotomy that seems to only afflict Lacey Evans matches.

Eventually though, after all of that, Bayley landed her signature Elbow Drop from the top rope to win. And Charlotte applauded rather flippantly. That was more than this match deserved.

The New Day Fights for Kofi

Kayla caught up with Big E backstage, who informed her that a match had been booked between him and Randy Orton. And after Randy’s earlier assault on the WWE Champion, Big E couldn’t guarantee that ‘The Viper’ would make it to Clash of Champions.

"I can assure you that @TrueKofi will be ready to compete at #WWEClash of Champions, but after tonight, I can't say the same for @RandyOrton." – a very serious, and very focused, @WWEBigE #SDLive pic.twitter.com/RNFeANpiMm

— WWE (@WWE) August 28, 2019

One bugbear I have with the New Day is that no matter how personal a feud gets, they always have time for catchphrases and pancakes. On this occasion, we were led to believe that Big E was beside himself with rage and intended to inflict serious bodily harm on Orton. But he still had time to roar at the Baton Rouge crowd before his entrance music hit.

For such a personal grudge, the two men sure had an exceedingly slow encounter. One which featured more bumps on the announce table than anything else.

Classic @WWEBigE 😏

Wait. What is #TheRevival doing out here?! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/3dnQTLPf5D

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) August 28, 2019

Eventually The Revival ran down to cause the distraction, allowing Randy to hit the RKO for the win. And then, with the help of his buddies, Orton hit a “Super-RKO” on Big E, just to drive the point home. For what was labelled a blood feud, this felt incredibly underwhelming.

Elias Gets a Royal Welcome

Elias cut a promo from atop the King of the Ring throne, while holding the sceptre and wearing the crown. So, basically he was every heel we’ve seen in the last week.

He said in a few weeks we’d all be referring to him as “King Elias” and called the Louisiana crowd a bunch of “filthy swamp people“. That line made me laugh against my better judgment. I’ve been to Louisiana – awesome place.

PEEK-A-BOO! #SDLive @FightOwensFight @IAmEliasWWE pic.twitter.com/6c888iRscs

— WWE (@WWE) August 28, 2019

But just at that moment, Kevin Owens poked his head around the throne like some sort of mischievous gremlin. He grabbed Elias, dragged him down to the ring, and hit a Stunner.

Sure, the crowd popped for the babyface beating up the heel. But why was this happening exactly? If he wanted to beat up Elias for no reason, he could’ve done so when he ran into him in Shane’s office. Instead he waited all night to stage his mostly unprovoked one-move attack. (I know Elias eliminated Owens from King of the Ring in dubious fashion, but Owens didn’t seem too torn up about that.)

Regardless, with Elias unconscious in the ring, R-Truth swooped in to reclaim his 24/7 Title. But as the referee was about to count the pinfall, Drake Maverick dragged Truth off Elias and snuck in to win the belt himself. Maverick then ran away, presumably to consummate his marriage.

https://twitter.com/WWEMaverick/status/1166540253999419393

Shorty Proves his Doubters Wrong

In a match many of us had been looking forward to, Chad Gable took on his former tag partner, Shelton Benjamin, in the final first-round King of the Ring tournament match. For as yet unexplained reasons though, the entire contest centred around Gable’s lack of height, with Benjamin repeatedly calling him “shorty”.

This bled into a rather lacklustre match, with Gable never truly allowed to shine against his marginally bigger opponent. So instead Benjamin took most of the match, only for Gable to eventually win curtesy of a Sunset Flip pin.

The right man came out on top, I just wish it was under more convincing circumstances. And that he didn’t have to live with people calling him short. It’s 2019, people.

Roman Reigns’ Non-Apology

The night’s main event was devoted to the company’s hottest angle – would Roman Reigns apologise to Daniel Bryan and Rowan for insinuating that the pair were behind the recent attacks on him? Oh, boy.

Roman came down to the ring and asked the crowd whether he should say sorry to Bryan, to which the audience responded with a vociferous chorus of “no”. Although I suspect they may have just been voicing their objections to this segment as a whole.

Reigns then cued up MORE FOOTAGE(!) of that one time some scaffolding almost fell on him. This new camera angle not only made the incident appear much more severe than it did all those weeks ago but also revealed that a hooded man with a red beard was responsible for pushing at least some of the equipment over. Where did this footage come from? Why haven’t we seen it earlier? Who gave it to Roman Reigns? Was that grainy, pixelated image really Rowan? How did he make equipment fall from two directions at once?

Apparently none of those questions matter, as Daniel Bryan went absolutely berzerk backstage, slapping the hell of Rowan while screaming about how much he hates liars.

If there's anything @WWEDanielBryan hates, it's a LIAR! @ERICKROWAN is the TRUE culprit! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/V47hLavT8g

— WWE (@WWE) August 28, 2019

He then grabbed a microphone and marched to the ring to proclaim his innocence. Bryan hates liars and had nothing to with the attack. Someone instructed Rowan to push those crates (another question: how would he know that?), but it wasn’t Bryan.

By this stage, Roman like the rest of us, had enough of this segment and speared Bryan as soon as he entered the ring. And that was it. What a dud – and yet somehow entirely appropriate – ending to the show.

Overall Rating for the Show (From best to worst: SmackDamn, SmackTastic, Smack Bang in the Middle, SmackDowner and A Smack in the Face)

You know, I can’t even be bothered to run through all the ways that SmackDown Live disappointed this week. For the first time in many weeks, the product was bad, both from an in-ring perspective as well as in terms of the surrounding narrative.

Kofi Kingston appears to be locked in the traditional WWE two-step with Randy Orton, where the men alternate attacks each week. If the pattern continues, one anticipates that next week it will once again be Kofi’s turn to batter Orton. Fair enough, but repetition doesn’t breed excitement.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rhqBkpQvz/

Also concerning was how stunted the timing of most segments appeared to be. The night started with an exhausting series of replays and recaps, transitioned to an overlong Lacey Evans match and then sprinted through Chad Gable’s return to TV. It all felt reversed, like we were living in the Upside-Down.

Most egregious though was the continuation of the “who tried to kill Roman Reigns” saga. Each week seems to surrender a bit more momentum, and last night was no different. Loaded with fortuitous plot devices bordering on deus ex machina, any mystery around SmackDown’s biggest storyline dissipated weeks ago. All that’s left is for Roman to dish out spears to anyone even remotely associated with the narrative. (I wish he’d start with the writing team.)

Not even an excellent Buddy Murphy / Ali match could save this edition of SmackDown Live. As such, the show this week is a SmackDowner.

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5 years ago by Nicholas Holicki

WWE SmackDown Live – August 27, 2019 (Review)