WWE SmackDown – September 4, 2020 (Review)

In a controversial move, SmackDown actually announced things ahead of time for last night’s broadcast. Meaning that instead of the usual vague promises of “action”, “carnage” and “rivalries coming to a head”, we got a tangible rundown. Count me amongst the shook.

And it was a good thing too, because this show had a lot to offer. The highlight, of course, was a promised appearance by Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. Not only was this the first time we saw the ‘Big Dog’ since his Universal Title win at Payback, but with the motivations underpinning his recent heel turn still unclear, it teased possible insight into that character shift. It seems strange to think given past events, but we badly need more Roman on our screens.

Who do you think will win tonight's 4-Way Match on #SmackDown to earn a #UniversalTitle opportunity? @WWEBigE @BaronCorbinWWE @WWESheamus @SuperKingofBros

— WWE (@WWE) September 4, 2020

However, even beyond an appearance by the new Universal Champion, SmackDown looked to have its Bros in a row. A fatal fourway between Matt Riddle, Sheamus, King Corbin and Big E would decide the aforesaid champ’s next challenger at Clash of Champions at the end of the month. This promised to be one of those increasingly rare TV matches that looked promising (on paper at least) and which any competitor could legitimately win.

Finally, we got a rematch from Payback, with the Golden Role Models attempting to reclaim the Women’s Tag Team gold from Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. It’s a match that might happen. That’s literally all I can say about that.

But the rest of the show looks tantalising. Let’s get to the review!

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The Best of SmackDown

Introduction to the Tribal Chief

I do find it funny whenever Michael Cole emphatically declares that the “Roman Reigns era has begun“. As if we haven’t been living through the age of Reigns for the last five years. But I suppose this is intended to be a new Roman. A heel Roman, whom the fans now have permission to boo.

And boo they sure did as the ‘Big Dog’ made his way to the ring to kick off SmackDown, clad in a shirt which read “Show Up & Win” and flanked by his advocate, Paul Heyman.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman, and I serve as special counsel to … your reigning, defending, undisputed #UniversalChampion @WWERomanReigns."

Well, there you have it, straight from @HeymanHustle. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/N2SezBV3oE

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

Heyman sounded like he was battling some laryngitis as he struggled through his promo in a hoarse whisper. But that only made it so much better, so much more ominous. He claimed that he had been discarded by WWE, much as Roman had been. With Reigns standing stoically – deadly still and unflinching – Heyman claimed that Roman will drag the company, the brand, the Championship back to relevancy. Everything they do on Raw, Roman would do bigger, badder and greater.

As “special counsel to the Tribal Chief”, Heyman ceded the stage to Roman. Reigns declared that this was “his island”. So we’re clearly leaning heavily into the Samoan imagery here. But my God, was this promo great. Heyman was about as good as he’s ever been and Roman looked dominating in his silence.

Potential Diamond in the Rough

There was strange vignette that played out in the middle of SmackDown. It featured a woman’s legs, some seductive music and warm lighting. For the longest time I couldn’t decide whether this was one of those saucy late night commercials or the introduction of a new character on the blue brand.

👠👠 👀#SmackDown pic.twitter.com/x664UVUPIB

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

Apparently it’s the latter, which raises some intriguing rumours as to who the new face associated with those legs could be.

The Reigning, Uncrowned and Unadvertised Intercontinental Champions

I had almost forgotten that Sami Zayn made his triumphant return last week. Such is the lot of the man who was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship when he chose not to work during a global pandemic.

Sami was unhappy that neither Greg Hamilton nor the man in charge of SmackDown’s graphics introduced him as the Intercontinental Champion. His beef with Marty in the production truck was however interrupted by Jeff Hardy and later, AJ Styles.

Who is your rightful #ICChampion? #SmackDown @AJStylesOrg @JEFFHARDYBRAND @SamiZayn pic.twitter.com/DcP3Nglv8H

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

A big schmoz ensued, which Sami managed to escape relatively unscathed. It’s an interesting dynamic between the three men, each of whom believe they have a claim to be the sole Champion. Also – and this should go without saying – but Sami Zayn is hilarious.

From Celebration to Evisceration

Big E was in a celebratory mood backstage as he guaranteed a win in the fatal four-way to face Roman at the pay-per-view. As he went to welcome birthday boy Xavier Woods however, Big E was ambushed by Sheamus. The Irish newspaper salesman battered E to the point that his participation in the four-way was placed in doubt.

Wow. @WWEBigE just felt the power of The #CelticWarrior @WWESheamus. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/ryEcj7OYVX

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

By way of update, Adam Pearce informed us that Big E was on his way to the hospital and would not be able to compete later in the night. The match would remain a four-way though, with a replacement to be announced later on. I love a good mystery participant angle. Kofi Kingston perhaps? He said several weeks ago that his injury would only keep him out of action for six weeks.

Apparently I was overly optimistic, as it was revealed that the fourth man would be Jey Uso. All Michael Cole had to say was that he was Roman Reigns’ cousin, which I suppose is as good a reason as any for his inclusion in the match. Apparently Roman did indeed flex his influence to secure Jey a spot in the contest though. When Uso went to thank his cousin for getting him into the four-way, Roman suddenly taking on a mob boss vibe. The ‘Tribal Chief’ told him “don’t worry about it”.

The main event was alright, despite being plagued by commercial breaks and pointless backstage detours (more on that below). The story of course was whether Jey Uso could make the most of the opportunity gifted to him by his cousin, or whether he would be outclassed by the other, more established singles stars.

Believe THAT.

Jey @WWEUsos has earned himself an opportunity at @WWERomanReigns' #UniversalTitle at #WWEClash of Champions! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/5nKmMzL62O

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

An electric finish provided the answer. Sheamus flattened Corbin with a Brogue Kick. Riddle eliminated Sheamus with a Bro to Sleep, before hitting Corbin with a Floating Bro. But as Riddle landed the latter move, Jey Uso launched from out of nowhere, hitting a massive splash on Riddle for the win. So it’ll be a family affair at Clash of Champions, with Roman’s larger designs for the future of the blue brand still unclear.

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The Worst of SmackDown

Roman and Jey Go Out for a Steak

Seconds after his dominant display in the show’s opening segment, Roman Reigns bumped into Jey Uso backstage. He suddenly turned from stone cold destroyer of worlds into smiling, cheery family man. It was a jarring transition that didn’t service the character particularly well.

If @WWERomanReigns won't get a 🥩 with you after the show, Jey, you can probably hit up @otiswwe.#SmackDown @WWEUsos pic.twitter.com/DFZqEK2xvc

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 5, 2020

Jey questioned whether Roman trusted Paul Heyman. Reigns assured Uso that he was on top of things and then they arranged to get a steak after the show. This was weird and entirely inconsistent with the tone established to kick off SmackDown.

Otis Wins a Match, But Loses his Briefcase

For no particular reason, Heavy Machinery t0ok on Miz & Morrison in tag action. Tucker got taken out by Morrison at ringside, leaving Otis at a disadvantage. But the big slab of beef overcame the odds to singlehandedly win the match. This might be to suggest that Otis is the superior member of the team, or it may never play into anything.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1302041757606203392

Things got slightly dumber though when Morrison stole the Money in the Bank briefcase. I’m assuming that simply holding the briefcase doesn’t magically transfer the title shot contained within to the thief. At the very least, Otis didn’t seem too bothered, as he disapprovingly wagged a sausage finger at Morrison from the ring. If nothing else, I imagine that Otis can’t cash in until he gets his briefcase back.

Boy, was I made to look like a fool toward the end of the show though, as this angle actually had a hilarious finish. Backstage, Otis informed Tucker that he doesn’t keep the Money in the Bank contract in the briefcase. He keeps it in his lunch box… which meant that when Morrison opened the eponymous briefcase, all he found was Otis’ lunch. I must admit, this was a stroke of juvenile genius. I loved it.

The Greatest Match of All Time Leads to the Worst Turn of All Time

Before Bayley and Sasha Banks invoked their rematch against Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, Michael Cole said… oh Lord… Michael Cole said it may be “the greatest tag match in the history of [SmackDown]“. That’s either a gross exaggeration or a sad indictment of your tag division. Because for as much as I love most of the women involved, this will in no way be the greatest tag match of all time. Not without Edge and Randy Orton involved in some capacity.

For some reason, Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura delivered a promo while the women were making their entrances, predicting carnage and welcoming the winners to the Champions Lounge. What a weird and completely unnecessary distraction.

This match went on for ages and was only fleetingly interesting. Nia pulled a David Blaine and disappeared after getting powerbombed off the apron. Shayna was at the mercy of Bayley and Banks, until a miscalculation sent Sasha knee-first into the ring post.

Shayna continued to savagely target the knee, setting up – I assumed – a submission spot in which Sasha would valiantly refuse to submit, only for Bayley to tap out seconds into the Kirifuda Clutch. But nope, Nia flew off the top with a crossbody and pinned both challengers. What a goofy, incongruent finish. Neither the champions’ dysfunction, nor the Bayley / Sasha dynamic was furthered in this decent match.

It's official. @itsBayleyWWE has SNAPPED. #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/gdGHEOGjLx

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

In the aftermath, with Sasha seriously injured, Bayley just attacked her. Of all the ways this could’ve been handled, WWE decided to approach the inevitable split with all the subtlety of Bray Wyatt carnival mallet. There was no motivating act, no last straw to break the camel’s back. They just both got pinned and then Bayley attacked her best friend. After all these months, the final turn felt unearned.

Pointless Main Event Distractions

A trip into the Firefly Fun House uncovered a dejected Bray Wyatt, who had lost his favourite toy. But his spirits weren’t too dampened, with a new friend joining him next week. And that was it – the segment lasted about 15 seconds.

Forgiveness. You love to see it.#SmackDown @AlexaBliss_WWE @NikkiCrossWWE pic.twitter.com/RFFH2u3egP

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) September 5, 2020

We then caught up with Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross, with Alexa apologising for her outburst last week. While all of this nonsense was going on, the actual main event was taking place in the ring! We just couldn’t see it because we apparently needed to witness a bunch of nothing happening throughout the building. I’m surprised we didn’t get more of Morrison eating Otis’ lunch.

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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)

Things undoubtedly happened on this week’s edition of SmackDown. I’m not sure what to make of it all. I can’t say it was all good. But things certainly happened.

We were teased with the debut of a new character, Bayley turned on Sasha Banks in brutal fashion and Jey Uso – JEY USO – will face Roman Reigns at Clash of Champions for the Universal Title.

See you next week, Fireflies! 👋👋👋#SmackDown @WWEBrayWyatt pic.twitter.com/cfdDPkl43F

— WWE (@WWE) September 5, 2020

In another week, the headline might’ve been the introduction of Roman as the Tribal Chief with mob boss tendencies or Otis having his Money in the Bank briefcase stolen. But not this week. This week, things were just straight bonkers – perhaps highlighting the company’s urgency to attract ratings.

Whatever the reason, I’ll always choose constant action (even if occasionally overplayed) rather than steady, uninspired progression. And SmackDown certainly left me wanting to come back next week. So, with that in mind, the blue brand was SmackTastic.

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• review
• September 4 2020
• Smackdown
• wwe

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