WWE SmackDown Score (10/08/21): Decisions Have Consequences
Seth Rollins told Kayla Braxton early on into the Oct. 8 broadcast on SmackDown that he didn’t regret going to the Copeland household last week because he said he is a man of his word. Rollins — still upset over not getting an answer from the “Master Manipulator” about another match — went to Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville and warned them he was taking the main event spot of the show, and if Edge didn’t answer his challenge for one last match by the end of the FOX broadcast, things were going to turn from bad to worse for the 11-time World Champion and his family.
The “Drip God” made good on his promise and called out Edge at around 9:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Rollins kept provoking Edge by telling him he was going to finish him in front of his family if he didn’t answer him. He told Edge he could pick where the match took place, and what the stipulation would be if he would just answer him!
With Edge still not appearing, Rollins attempted to leave the arena and go find Edge, but then, a black SUV pulled up in the back of the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif, and immediately, Rollins knew he was in trouble!
The “Rated R Superstar” jumped out of the SUV and made his way to the ring as Alter Bridge’s “Metalingus” began to play. We got a really cool view of Edge walking through the backstage portion of the arena, including into Gorilla as well while the “Visionary” grabbed a steel chair.
When Edge made his way to the ramp, he stared at Rollins before sprinting down to the ring and Spearing the “Architect”, knocking the chair out of his hands. With a crazed look in his eyes, Edge tossed Rollins to the outside and Speared him over the announce table, but Edge didn’t stop there. He pummeled Rollins on the floor with rights and lefts, threw him into the announce table and choked Rollins with Pat McAfee’s headset!
He eventually got Rollins back into the ring, broke a piece off of the bottom of a steel chair and attempted to lock Rollins in the crossface submission, but Rollins escaped to the outside, retreating up the ramp with fear in his eyes as the “Ultimate Opportunist” grabbed a microphone.
“SETH ROLLINS! YOU, ME… HELL IN A CELL!”
Those simple words set up the ultimate finish for the feud. It was a surprise since Hell in a Cell is now a standalone Pay-Per-View, but it fits this rivalry perfectly. This feud started because Rollins reminded Edge of himself when he was just starting his career, but it has evolved into a personal rivalry where Rollins can live with himself until he ends the career of the “Rated R Superstar” for good, and for Edge, once the “Drip God” mentioned his family, he had to come back and answer Rollins’ challenge, even if it means getting stomped on the back of his neck.
A feud this personal can only end inside the cell. Crown Jewel is only 12 days away as of this writing, and I can’t wait. Edge is about to show Rollins there are consequences for making the decision to utter the words of Edge’s family.
To lie or not to lie
The “Bloodline” kicked off the second hour of SmackDown, and the intention was to send a message to Roman Reigns’ opponent at Crown Jewel, Brock Lesnar, but Reigns had a different idea. After making the SAP Center acknowledge him and his “Special Counsel” Paul Heyman for ensuring the Usos stay on Friday nights, the WWE Universe started chanting for Suplex City, and the “Head of the Table” made it very clear Suplex City is dead, and WWE is now the “Island of Relevance”.
Then, the “Tribal Chief” asked Paul Heyman a question. He asked him to tell the truth. He asked him if he was the reason why the “Beast Incarnate” is a free agent.
With his head down, Reigns’ “Special Counsel” said Lesnar was lying to the Universal Champion to throw him off heading into Crown Jewel. Heyman said if he was planning a scheme to dethrone the “Tribal Chief” why would he tell him? That would be stupid, and Heyman said he may be a liar, but he’s not supid. Reigns lifted Heyman’s head up and made him tell him to his face.
With fear in his eyes, Heyman looked directly at the Universal Champion and told him he was going to conquer the conqueror when the two square off in Saudi Arabia, and that Lesnar is afraid of this version of Reigns. Lesnar has never met anybody as dominant as the “Tribal Chief”.
Pleased by his response, the champion then made his “Special Counsel” face the camera and tell Lesnar what he just told Reigns, and shockingly, Heyman did just that, pleading allegiance to the entire “Bloodline” and telling Lesnar at Crown Jewel, he was going to be conquered by the “Tribal Chief”.
Reigns did an excellent job playing to the crowd here, and Heyman did a great job playing on Reigns’ emotions. He knew whatever decision he made in that moment when he looked into Reigns’ eyes was going to have a consequence of some sort. Either his current client was going to kill him or his former client.
This is a classic storyline between the new “Next Big Thing” and the old “Next Big Thing”. This is Patrick Mahomes vs Tom Brady, Michael Jordan vs Lebron James, Stone Cold vs The Rock, ect. We’re about to find out who Heyman chooses, and I have a sneaky suspicion he’s going to try to choose both. I can’t wait to see how this is booked at Crown Jewel. Lesnar will be at SmackDown next week, and it is the final time we will get to see both Reigns and Lesnar in the same building before Oct. 21.
Finally, a Different Contract Signing
SmackDown kicked off the night with Pearce, Deville and Bianca Beliar in the ring, Sasha Banks standing on the announce table, and Becky Lynch on the ramp with her feet up on her own table. The segment was made to be a contract signing for the triple threat at Crown Jewel, but it quickly turned into Beliar saying she’s had enough of all the BS the champ and the “Boss” have caused her. She has been the top dog on SmackDown since the beginning of the year, and she’s sick of being disrespected. She quickly signed the contract and threatened Lynch and Banks to come in after her.
Lynch made her way to the ring, but while Bianca was focused on the “Man”, the “Blueprint” snuck up behind her and gave her a cheapshot. All three women began to go at each other, getting punches and kicks in, but the “EST” got the last laugh. With Banks and Lynch fighting in the corner, Beliar lifted them both up for the KOD, but Banks slipped out the back. Improvising, the “EST” kicked Banks onto the contract table and delivered the KOD to Lynch and Banks through the table, making her look extremely strong heading into Crown Jewel.
Later in the night, “Big Time Becks” was arguing in Deville and Pearce’s office about having to defend the title against both ladies. Deville and Pearce told the champion that Beliar got screwed at Extreme Rules, and Banks got screwed out of her SummerSlam title match, so if Lynch wants to prove how great of a champion she is, she has to defend the title in Saudi. Reluctantly, Lynch agreed.
On RAW, Lynch gets to team with her long-time rival, RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, against the “EST” and the “Boss”, who were , of course, Wrestlemania opponents. It’ll be interesting to see how the Top 4 women in the game today get along before Lynch and Banks square off one-on-one for the first time since 2019 next week on SmackDown. Will one of their decisions have consequences? My guess is yes!
Deville’s In-Ring Return Announced
Naomi marched into the office of the “Authority 2.0” and demanded to know why she wasn’t involved in the Queens’ Crown Tournament. Deville told her specifically it was because she wasn’t worthy to be called a Queen. Naomi demanded Pearce to send her back to RAW before the Draft rosters went into effect, but Deville stopped that conversation before it got started.
She said she wasn’t done with Naomi on SmackDown, and that Naomi has a match next week. Naomi asked against who. Deville paused and said… “ME!”
While I’m a little disappointed Naomi didn’t use her husband Jimmy Uso and his pull in the “Bloodline” to get this, I’m so pumped to see Naomi make her return to the ring, as well as Deville. The current WWE Official hasn’t wrestled a match since SummerSlam 2020 against her former friend Mandy Rose, so this is going to be awesome to see!
The question is: Did Deville step too far over the line? Will her decision to keep Naomi away from the ring and talk down to her have a consequence with it? We’ll find out next Friday!
“Happy Corbin” and “Madcap Moss” Take out Kevin Owens
Before I start breaking down this segment, does anybody else hear “Madcat” instead of “Madcap” Moss?
Anyway, the happiest people currently in WWE were supposed to bring the Street Profits on to “Happy Talk”, but they never did. Instead, new RAW superstar Kevin Owens decided to show up, and for his decision, he suffered the consequence of getting his ass handed to him again by Corbin and Moss, leading McAfee to compare Owens’ week to Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Urban Meyer!
I’ve been saying it for weeks, but it’s worth mentioning it again: Owens needs a heel turn NOW if WWE wants any chance of him staying when his contract is up in 2022. As for the Street Profits, where the heck were they?! Why advertise somebody, and then they never show up?! I’m confused!
Sami Zayn Defeats Rey Mysterio in KOTR Tournament
The 2021 King of the Ring (KOTR) Tournament kicked off with a match between Rey Mysterio and Sami Zayn. Before the match, we saw Dominik tell his father he was going to stay in the back, but Dominik backtracked when he saw his father lying on the floor after getting slammed hard head-first into the ring post.
Dominik was first out to just give his father moral support, but when he saw Zayn rip the turnbuckle off, he made the decision to go get the turnbuckle and put it back on. Following a West Coast Pop by the Mysterio competing, Rey tried to get Dominik to get down off the apron and to leave the turnbuckle alone. Rey and Dominik bickered, leading to Zayn having enough time to recover, send Rey into his son and roll him up to advance in the tournament.
Before heading to the ring, Rey told Kayla Braxton that besides winning the Universal Title, the KOTR is the most prestigious title you can have in WWE because being a King is like being champion. Dominik deciding to fix the turnbuckle led to his father suffering the consequence of losing in the first round.
Now that these two are both off to Monday nights after Crown Jewel, they’ll have to find a new foe to fight over as Zayn is staying on Friday nights. The drama between the Mysterio’s continues, folks!
Finn Balor Defeats Cesaro in KOTR Tournament
These two went at it! Cesaro delivered some nasty uppercuts and a vicious top rope suplex to the “Prince”, but he couldn’t put him away. A Slingblade, drop kick in the corner and a Coup De Grace led to a Balor victory. Balor now faces Zayn next week in the semifinals of the tournament. The winner of that match will move on to Crown Jewel where they will face either Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Jinder Mahal or Ricochet for the crown. My money is on Woods, though I am curious why Corbin — the former king — is not in the tournament. I guess the consequence of losing the crown to Shinsuke Nakamura led to the decision of not being put in the tournament.
Zelina Vega Defeats Toni Storm in QC Tournament
The inaugural match of the Queens’ Crown (QC) Tournament featured Zelina Vega powerbombing Toni Storm (who apparently loves 80’s rock!). Storm went for a backslide, but she wasn’t paying attention. That decision came with a consequence as it allowed Vega to reverse into a nice Sunset Flip Powerbomb for the one, two, three.
Carmella Defeats Liv Morgan in QC Tournament
Carmella put on her new face mask and then quickly gave Morgan a kick to the face for the victory. Morgan — who was one of the favorites to win the tournament — underestimated Carmella (even though they have fought a zillion times over the last few months), and that decision forced her to suffer the consequence of an early, first-round exit. Carmella moves on to face Vega next week in the semifinals. The RAW side features my pick to win the whole tournament, Shayna Baszler, Dana Brooke, Doudrop and Natalya.
Mace Threatens SmackDown Roster
The former RETRIBUTION member who got drafted without T-BAR in the Draft told the SmackDown roster if they make the decision to fight him, they will suffer the consequences of his wrath. I’ll believe it when I see it. MACE may be a big man, but I don’t see him or T-BAR having any success on their own.
Next Week
It is the final blue brand show before Crown Jewel. The show will be a SuperSized edition of SmackDown since it will be airing on Fox Sports 1 instead of FOX due to the MLB Playoffs, and because the show is airing on FS1, it will go an extra half hour until 10:30 p.m. EST!
That’s right, folks! The last half of SmackDown on Oct. 16 from Ontario Calif. Will go head-to-head with a LIVE AEW Rampage from Miami, FL, and AEW CEO Tony Khan already knows about it!
WWE has announced the following five matches/segments for the FS1 special.
- Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar face-to-face
- In the main event, Becky Lynch goes one-one-one with Sasha Banks
- Finn Balor takes on Sami Zayn in the semifinals of the KOTR Tournament
- Carmella takes on Zelina Vega in the semifinals of the QC Tournament
- Naomi goes one-on-one with Sonya Deville
It is a loaded card that should be tons of fun next Friday night!
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This show didn’t start out great, but the second hour with Reigns’ segment, Cesaro V Balor, and Edge-Rollins’ segment lifted the grade a little. It still wasn’t the best show, and I didn’t expect it to be. The new ERA of WWE doesn’t really start till after Crown Jewel. These shows are more or less, just there because WWE produces 52 weeks of TV a year.
Every week can’t be ‘A’ quality. The one thing I didn’t like about this show was the two women’s matches lasted shorter combined than anything else on this show besides the MACE interview (four minutes). The QC felt far-less superior to the KOTR, and that shouldn’t be the case at all.
With that said, SmackDown definitely does better than RAW at making something out of nothing.
GRADE: B-
