Come On, You Know You Didn’t Watch This Debate Either – Smackdown Live Recap October 4, 2016

Smackdown comes to us Live from San Diego, California, on the heels of Jeremy’s Birthday visit to Staples Center for WWE Raw last night.  Make sure to tell Jeremy Happy Belated Birthday.

Throughout the month of October, the theme will be the “More Than Pink” campaign to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.  I think the Komen Foundation is operated by criminals who are lining their own pockets on other people’s suffering, so do not expect me to spend much time talking up this program.  The Shirts on WWE.com at least are honest that 20% of the sales price is donated to the foundation, but then you’re into the questionable usage of that 20%, which is only $5 at current retail price, you have to wonder.  There’s plenty of research into their financials, which you can Google, but this is neither the time nor the place.  We’re avoiding Politics tonight, that’s why we’re watching Smackdown Live.

Stay Classy San Diego

We’re going to kick things off tonight with a big one, a rematch of Bray Wyatt’s substitute match on the Backlash card against Kane though this one does not have the no holds barred gimmick.

The match goes about as you’d expect it, Kane is on top for a while, but the moment Bray starts to get some momentum, Randy Orton does a video promo that distracts Wyatt.  Rather than the typical ending you’d expect where Bray turns around to eat a Tombstone Piledriver, Bray leaves the ring and moves up the ramp to “find his prey” as Randy invites him to do.

“A Diva Caught in a Women’s Revolution”

I find this resonates weeks beyond the first time Jeremy mentioned it.  This is the world that Nikki Bella finds herself in now, and she’s holding her own.  While Alexa Bliss is the Number One Contender at No Mercy for Becky Lynch’s Smackdown Women’s Championship, tonight she’s got Nikki.

And Carmella is on commentary, so you can guess where this is going, and it doesn’t take long to get there, but as Alexa and Carmella aim to beat down Nikki, the Champ comes to her aid.  The Women’s champ, not John Cena.  I can see how that might have been confusing.

Tag Team Playa

No, sorry, I didn’t mean to excite you again.  Teddy Long isn’t here, but this singles match turned quickly into a tag match coming back from a commercial break.  Pretty back and forth, but as Nikki Bella chased Carmella up the ramp into the backstage area, Alexa picked up the Twisted Bliss and the pinfall for a victory.  Poor Alexa, she’s going to lose so hard at No Mercy.

Daniel Bryan Presents Women’s Championship Belts to Cancer Survivors

YES! These women are heroes…
YES! These women are CHAMPIONS! #SDLive #SusanGKomen @WWEDanielBryan pic.twitter.com/SH20VzunhK

— WWE (@WWE) October 5, 2016

I support this, just think WWE has tied itself to a horrendously flawed organization.

WE DON’T GET HYPED, WE STAY HYPED….YOU KNOW IT, BRO!

The Hype Bros actually getting some TV time, as are The Vaudevillians.  It’s like they remembered they had a thoroughly flush tag team division on Smackdown Live.  Moments into the match, The Ascension comes out onto the stage, but doesn’t come any further.

Mojo on the hot tag is something else.  I sure as hell don’t want to be on the receiving end of one of those shoulder tackles.  Hype Ryder for the victory.

The Ascension served no purpose here.  That peculiar looking gentleman that looks kind of like Glenn Danzig that’s in the front row at every show was really excited by this victory.  If he’s this big of a fan of the Hype Bros, I think we’d get along, even if he creeps me out sitting emotionless most of the time.

Welcome to Miz TV – A Dolph Ziggler Retrospective

The Miz presented a video package of the heartbreaking losses and poor character choices of Dolph Ziggler, the culmination of 11 years of “mediocrity”.

That was pretty cold.  Ziggler presented some of the same fire that he’s had of late, but as Jeremy noticed earlier today, forthcoming Smackdown event promos don’t feature Dolph Ziggler, which could be foreshadowing.  Then again, right before Roadblock they released a Dean Ambrose shirt featuring what’s become his slogan “This Lunatic Runs the Asylum” lending itself to the idea he might actually beat Triple H and take the belt before Wrestlemania to go on to face Roman.

Now there are two members of the Spirit Squad in the ring.  No wonder it really took a while for Ziggler to find footing.  They then jumped Dolph, only to end up eating Super Kicks.

This segment went way too long.

Dolph isn’t going anywhere.  He’s finally getting a legitimate push.  Dolph Ziggler will leave No Mercy with the Intercontinental Championship.

A Match Announced for No Mercy: Nikki Bella vs Carmella

Strength in Numbers

Jay Uso (I think?) takes on Jason Jordan in single’s competition, though both have their partner’s at ringisde.

Jason Jordan rolls up Uso, though I thought it was just a botched maneuver.  But he gets the pinfall.  During his celebration, Jimmy attacks Chad on the outside, then they set their sights on taking out Jason Jordan’s leg as they’ve done with numerous guys.  But the tag champs aren’t going to let them get ahold of anyone else.  The Human Gore Machine and The One Man Band run down on the rescue, but the Usos bail out and head up the ramp to safety.

I think that match may have been 45 seconds long.  Heath and Rhyno got more screen time just standing tall in the ring than the match actually got.

Jack Swagger on a Televised Broadcast

Jack Swagger is apparently a former two-time world champion/friend to notorious bigot Zeb Coulter.  I don’t know, he apparently got a moment in the sun during my hiatus from sports entertainment.  All I know of his is the fact that dude was constantly on Superstars or Main Event, and I only turn those on because they make treadmill time (so I might actually get through one of these DietBets) go faster.

He’s not bad in the ring, so I’ve wikipedia searched him so you wouldn’t have to.  Swagger was an All-American wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, where he set a record with 30 pins in a single season.  That’s pretty impressive.  He was also a football player temporarily, but it does explain how nimble he is for such a larger guy (like Mojo Rawley).

Oh, and Baron Corbin’s stomach is in this segment as well.

I do have to question the use of Swagger in this “defender of the meek” role he’s in against Baron Corbin, as Baron Corbin seems to have gotten his attention as a result of attacks on APOLLO FREAKIN’ CREWS, the Jacked-Ro-Bat.

The referee gives Swagger the win on a submission, but Baron Corbin was reaching frantically for the rope, not tapping.  That was an odd close, which means you can rest assured that Jack Swagger and Baron Corbin will have another match in the preshow for No Mercy.

The Face that Runs the Place, The Champ that Runs the Camp & The Lunatic that Runs the Asylum

On Sunday night, I can promise you one thing, this main event is not going to disappoint.  I’m not a huge fan of Dean Ambrose, that’s something that I make fairly clear pretty often so I won’t repeat it at length here, but there’s no way that any portion of this match can be disappointing.

I was unaware, until reading the graphic upon his entrance, that Dean Ambrose is the longest reigning US Champion in WWE history.  That’s cool.

All three in the ring.

“How dare you compare yourself to an Icon, a Legend, like Ric Flair.” – AJ Styles.  Yikes, between this and Cena’s Talking Smack shoot on Dean Ambrose, these guys may actually go to the ring and beat the hell out of each other on Sunday.

AJ and Ambrose ran off at the mouth and John Cena didn’t waste any time with words, driving Ambrose to the ground, throwing AJ out of the ring and hitting an AA on Ambrose.  AJ comes back at him, getting a Phenomenal Forearm…..and the trifecta as Dean Ambrose hits AJ with the Dirty Deeds on the steel ramp.

Other Things:

• Sister Abigail saved Bray Wyatt from confinement in a cargo container.  She’s returned, and they may finally make use of the character.  I mean, they might as well find a way to use Paige.
• If you didn’t see Talking Smack last week when John Cena absolutely demolished Dean Ambrose to the point where Renee Young looked uncomfortable like John Cena was literally going to murder Dean Ambrose on Sunday night, you need to catch it.  It’s on the network.
• I do recommend looking into all charity organizations before you donate to any one in particular.  Some of the numbers are appalling.  There is no Loyalty or Respect in that Hustle.
• Watch for our prediction post later this week as we gear up for No Mercy, live from Sacramento, California, Sunday, October 9th.