WWE SmackDown – September 11, 2020 (Review)

Heading into last night’s SmackDown, there was just one question that needed to be answered.

Why do I always get stomach aches after eating an apple danish? But also – why, Bayley, why?

Why did Bayley turn on her best friend, former Co-Tag Team Champion and woman who helped her become the longest reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion in history?

It was, of course, a split many years in the making… the latter portion of which even being compelling. We were invested in the storyline, we were invested in the characters and then – and then Bayley just brutalised Sasha without much warning.

I made no qualms about the fact that I didn’t think the turn was very well executed. As they’re so often prone to do, WWE eschewed logic in favour of a dramatic twist. Bayley was the one getting the best out of the deal. Sasha was constantly putting herself on the line to protect Bayley’s reign, but Bayley was rarely successful in returning the favour. Moreover, Sasha was the one being constantly disparaged. And yet, defying reason, Bayley was the one to turn.

But Bayley’s explanation could easily change all that. One dynamite promo could quickly get everyone back on board. We’re already primed to cheer Sasha and boo Bayley out of existence… all we need is for the necessary narrative reconciliation to take place. And that was promised on SmackDown.

#NeverForget. pic.twitter.com/Bii7ipc5Xf

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

Before we delve any further into Friday night’s events though, it’s important to take a moment to reflect. As a brief (and entirely inadequate) aside, we salute those who lost their lives 19 years ago in one of our darkest moments, as well as those who courageously and without hesitation put their wellbeing on the line to save countless others. You serve as the epitome of the human spirit and are on this day, as well as every other, in our hearts and minds.

Let’s get to the review.

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The Best of SmackDown

The Tribal Chief is Shrouded in Mystery

The night got underway with Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman introducing Jey Uso as the number one contender to ‘The Tribal Chief’s Universal Title. It’s a tired trope for WWE programming to kick off with a promo by the brand’s top champion. But when it’s as good as this, I can’t possibly complain.

Jey Uso was ready to express thanks to his cousin for working behind the scenes to get him this opportunity. Roman though claimed that he needed no thanks, as Jey had worked tirelessly and deserved the shot he had earned. It was a rather unsettling stance for Reigns to adopt, given his heel leanings. You just felt there had to be something insidious lurking behind Roman’s humility.

And then Roman shifted gears, telling Jey that he should enjoy the moment, because at Clash of Champions he’ll whoop Uso’s ass. And you know what? I believed him.

The challenge has been laid down!!! 👀

Will we see Jey @WWEUsos & @WWERomanReigns vs. #King @BaronCorbinWWE & @WWESheamus TONIGHT on #SmackDown??? pic.twitter.com/HmZxq9FK81

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

Sure, things went off the rails a bit when Baron Corbin came out, soon followed by Sheamus (looking like a pimp from the 1920s). There was a scuffle and Jey suggested the interruptors face him and Roman in a tag match, a suggestion the champion looked none too thrilled by. But despite that muddled intervention, the dynamic between Jey and Reigns remains interesting. Primarily because I don’t quite know Roman’s intentions yet… he seems decidedly less forgiving than he’s pretending to be.

Otis’ Security System

Otis made fairly quick work of John Morrison, but that wasn’t really the story. One of the major revelations of last week was that Otis keeps his Money in the Bank contract not in the briefcase, but in his lunchbox.

So while the big, beefy bulldozer was busy with Morrison, The Miz swiped Otis’ branded lunchbox. I smell more skits incoming.

Sorry, @mikethemiz… you've been outsmarted by Mr. #MITB!!#SmackDown @otiswwe @tuckerwwe pic.twitter.com/q8d7FAT3UA

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

Sure enough, later on Otis revealed ye olde double bluff. Miz might’ve stolen a lunchbox, but he hadn’t stolen the lunchbox – which Otis kept safe inside the briefcase. As an added little plus, I appreciated Miz’s efforts to explain his actions. While the title shot isn’t strictly transferable by securing possession of the contract, his lawyer had informed him that every contract has a loophole. So Miz just needed to secure the contract and his unethical counsel could get to work finding a workaround.

The Samoan Family

Due to Roman Reigns’ general indifference to the situation, Jey Uso was forced to take on Sheamus and Baron Corbin in a handicap match. Despite the odds being staked against him, Jey put up quite a fight. He looked to be in trouble though, until Reigns’ music hit. This distracted the heels long enough for Uso to get the upper hand.

Roman lumbered to the ring, just in time to make a blind tag as Jey climbed to the top rope for a splash. Roman casually entered the ring and hit Sheamus with a spear to win. And then, just as his t-shirt indicated, the champ left.

#SmackDown #UniversalTitle @WWERomanReigns Jey @WWEUsos pic.twitter.com/Je4OlM00fw

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

I’m totally onboard with this renegade, “Wreck Everyone & Leave” Roman Reigns. Who knows what he’s up to? Why is he kind of helping Jey? What is his larger scheme? There are just enough glimpses of the greater plan to keep me invested in those aspects not yet clear.

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The Worst of SmackDown

Three Men, One Title

AJ Styles challenged Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship around his waist. Before things got underway, the unrecognised champ, Sami Zayn, appeared on the ramp to let his grievances be known. Adam Pearce soon escorted Sami away from ringside, but the seeds continue to be sown. We’re cruising towards a clash between the three men believing they each have a legitimate claim to the Intercontinental Title. If only we had a suitably named pay-per-view to deal with clashes…

The fun match between Jeff Hardy and Styles was cut short precisely how you’d expect – with Sami ambushing both men and laying them out.

WAIT A MINUTE!#ICTitle @SamiZayn @AJStylesOrg @JEFFHARDYBRAND pic.twitter.com/98bb3jRdjv

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

I’m sad to say I don’t much care for this feud. Perhaps it’s just all too predictable. Or maybe it’s because I don’t find any of the characters involved particularly engaging. But either way, it was another TV title match which ended in a DQ.

Uninvited Guests in the Champions’ Lounge

The Street Profits invaded the Champions’ Lounge ahead of their upcoming match against Cesaro & Nakamura on Monday. The SmackDown Tag Team Champions took exception to the uninvited appearance and The Street Profits were their usual insufferable selves in response.

I know the Raw duo are intended to be the babyfaces in this situation, but they’re almost as unlikeable as their blue brand counterparts. Also, all The Street Profits did was eat some popcorn – hardly the impactful moment this feud needed.

This is getting HEATED.

It'll be #SmackDown Tag Team Champions vs #WWERaw Tag Team Champions this Monday on #WWERaw!@WWECesaro @ShinsukeN @MontezFordWWE @AngeloDawkins pic.twitter.com/sQNNdJ53jN

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

We returned from break to witness Cesaro & Nakamura taking on the Lucha House Party. The champions were in control until The Street Profits appeared on the tron, enjoying the meagre luxuries of the Champions’ Lounge. I mean, it’s really just a single table with some popcorn and two bottles of cheap champagne. Regardless, this was enough to distract Cesaro and Nakamura, allowing the Lucha House Party to score a rollup.

Oh, and the luchadores couldn’t get along during their pre-match promo, so don’t get too invested in that team either.

Bayley Explains Herself

Bayley took to the ring, cueing a video package chronicling her relationship with (and eventual turn on) Sasha Banks. It’s amazing how wrestlers always seem to have a highlights package conveniently lined up.

She then launched into a rather bizarre promo. Bayley claimed that Sasha had only been using her, which Bayley knew. Because Bayley was using Sasha!

What?

"I was using YOU!" 👀#SmackDown @itsBayleyWWE @SashaBanksWWE pic.twitter.com/MtZtAOB5vQ

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

After becoming SmackDown Women’s Champ and carrying the tag titles however, Bayley no longer needed ‘The Boss’. So she cut her loose. Then, because we needed a little more confusion, Bayley randomly attacked Nikki Cross during the latter’s entrance, before we immediately cut to commercial. This was a thoroughly underwhelming series of events, which did little to add to the tension between Bayley and Banks.

Damp Squid of a Heel Turn

After some medical attention, Nikki Cross determined she was ready to compete. She was joined by Alexa Bliss and then by their opponents, Lacey Evans and Tamina. Thank goodness Tamina came out, because I was struggling to remember whether Lacey was a heel or not until she arrived.

😱 😱 😱#SmackDown @AlexaBliss_WWE pic.twitter.com/2wTtOqLuQk

— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2020

Surprisingly, however, this was a fatal four-way to determine a number one contender to Bayley’s Championship and not a tag match as I had suspected. We got two minutes of a fairly uneventful match, and then Alexa turned. She delivered a Sister Abigail to Nikki Cross on the outside and we cut to commercial again. This was perhaps the least exciting heel turn in WWE history.

Returning from the break, the match continued. The longer it went on, the less impactful Alexa’s turn became. The turn is meant to be the grand finale – not some minor event in the middle of a match. It was such a non-factor in fact, that Nikki ultimately won the match by pinning Tamina. I have no idea where Alexa evaporated to. What a damp squib of an event.

Moreover, as much as I love Nikki Cross – I met her, she’s lovely – her win created certain incoherencies. It was just two months ago when Nikki’s entire character arc was that she never gets title shots and her one crack at Bayley might be her last. Well, fast forward a few weeks and she’s had two further shots since her initial loss. I’d say she’s getting more opportunities than anyone else on SmackDown.

Wobbly Walrus

Bray Wyatt was still mourning the loss of his Universal Title. But a new friend would surely lift his spirits. So Bray lifted the lid on Pasquale the Persevering Parrot. Unfortunately he had forgotten to cut air holes in the box, so Pasquale persevered no more.

This brought puppet Vince McMahon into the fray, who threatened to fire Bray for losing control of the Firefly Fun House (amongst other reasons). Bray asked what he could do to rectify the situation, to which puppet Vince McMahon introduced… oh boy… Wobbly Walrus as a special consultant.

The Walrus, much as rumours indicated, was clearly designed to be a Paul Heyman surrogate. While I appreciate the attempt by Bray to mirror what his rival Roman Reigns is doing, this felt uncomfortable. It was almost as if Vince felt like taking a personal shot at Heyman, so he turned him into a walrus. Because Heyman’s bald and portly, you see. I can’t say I enjoyed this very much.

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

After consecutive great weeks, SmackDown seriously regressed this week. The simple truth is that there isn’t much of interest beyond Roman Reigns and the people in his immediate orbit.

So while Otis was amusing in his usual way, there wasn’t much else to write home about. The Intercontinental Title picture feels very typically WWE. Alexa Bliss could’ve had an interesting arc, but has instead been treated as an afterthought. And the focal point of the episode – Bayley’s explanation – was wholly uninspired and didn’t provide any real edge.

By the time Bray Wyatt introduced the world to Wobbly Walrus, I was tapping out. I don’t need to see Paul Heyman as a textile marine mammal. All told then, SmackDown was a SmackDowner this week. Let’s hope for better next Friday.

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• review
• September 11 2020
• Smackdown
• wwe

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