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Smackdown Recap – TLC Go-Home Show Hopes for a Christmas Miracle

Raw just logged it's worst ratings ever on Monday. TLC is on Sunday. Vince McMahon is supposedly looking to shake things up. The smell of desperation roasting over an open fire is in the air and Smackdown is looking for a Christmas miracle.

WWE Smackdown Recap for December 18th, 2020

Promo: Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens heads to the ring to open Smackdown by calling out Roman Reigns. But since Roman doesn't show up, he cuts a promo instead. He told his family not to watch TLC under any circumstances so they don't have to see the violence he inflicts on Roman. Uh, Kevin, I hate to tell you this but, judging by WWE's plummeting ratings, chances are they weren't planning to watch it anyway. Owens calls out Reigns for not really caring about his family and calls him a coward.

Paul Heyman responds via Titantron and says he ships Owens and Reigns in a sadomasochistic fantasy. But Owens disagrees on who the dom is. He goes looking for Roman. Smackdown takes a commercial break.

Promo: Roman Reigns

Kevin Owens makes it to Roman Reigns' private dressing room (with Adam Pearce begging him not to start trouble), but as soon as he gets there, Roman's music plays and he and Heyman head to the ring. Owens stares angrily at the television positioned right night to the entrance to Roman's dressing room, and honestly the face he's making is how most of us feel while watching WWE.

Roman Reigns says he's not a bad guy. He's the guy. And he's going to be a good guy. He gives Owens an opportunity to acknowledge Roman as his tribal chief and the head of his family's table. If he doesn't, Owens won't make it to TLC.

Owens heads to the ring but gets jumped from behind by Jey Uso before he makes it there. Roman joins the beatdown. Adam Pearce, Pat Buck, Jamie Noble, and some refs come out to stand around looking very concerned. The Reigns family leaves. Smackdown takes a commercial break.

Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match: Street Profits (C) vs. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode

Backstage, Jey Uso figures this whole Kevin Owens thing is done, but Roman tells Uso to go finish him. The Street profits head to the ring. Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode head down next. Some nerd named Clark Duke predicts Street Profits retain tonight.

They have a match. Will WWE, desperate after Raw's ratings nosedive earlier this week, have the courage to put the belts on Ziggler and Roode? Seems not. Montez Ford wins with a rollup, grabbing Roode's tight's as payback for all the cheating Roode and Ziggler tried during the match.

Winners and Still Champions: The Street Profits

Ziggler and Roode berate referee Charles Robinson about their loss. In a hallway backstage, Jey Uso jumps Kevin Owens. He hits him a couple times and leaves, which I'm gonna say probably did not accomplish his mission of finishing Owens once and for all. Smackdown takes a commercial break.

Interview: Bianca Belair

Kayla Braxton interviews Bianca Belair. She asks what a victory over Bayley would mean. Bianca respects what BAyley has accomplished but she's tired of her talking shit. She's gonna kick her ass.

Match: Riott Squad vs. Billie Kay and Mystery Partner

The Riott Squad are in the ring and we get a carefully-scripted promo recorded earlier designed to show off Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan's authentic personalities. Billie Kay comes out to the stage and announces Tamina will be her tag team partner tonight, delighting the dozens of Tamina fans watching Smackdown tonight. They have a match. Riott Squad hits a double-team move on Billie Kay and get the pin in under two minutes.

Winners: Riott Squad

Carmella is teased as Smackdown takes a commercial break.

Promo: Carmella

Carmella's assistant has set up a champagne table in the ring. Carmella heads to the ring and sings some Christmas carols. She accuses all viewers of Smackdown of owning futons and claims her bottles of champagne cost over ten million dollars. She talks some trash about Sasha Banks. Carmella claims she's in Sasha's head and says Sasha will have a mental breakdown when she loses at TLC (somebody call Ryan Satin).

Carmella asks for a glass of champagne and tastes it. She doesn't like it because it reminds her of Sasha. Sasha interrupts. A brawl ensues and Sasha gets a glass broken on her.

Jey Uso jumps Kevin Owens again, this time in the trainer's room. Smackdown takes a commercial break.

Match: Otis vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Otis comes to the ring with Shorty G, who has been assigned to tutor him at wrestling because Vince McMahon thinks he sucks. Awkward. Shinsuke Nakamura comes out with Cesaro. They have a match. Otis tries to do the Caterpillar during the match and Shorty G corrects him. That's not how a big man is supposed to wrestle. Otis gets the pin with a Vader Bomb. Now that's how a big man is supposed to wrestle, pal!

Winner: Otis

Sami Zayn is getting ready for the Sami Awards and needs to polish some gold spraypaint covered action figures, but the stupid intern WWE assigned to this skit forgot the polish. Sami leaves to find some. Big E walks up, laughing like a lunatic, and starts messing with the envelopes containing the winners.

In a really bizarre Happy New Years video, various WWE Superstars including John Cena beat the crap out of an anthropomorphic 2020, which I want to point out is green and sick with coronavirus, while Michael Cole commentates that 2020 "just won't stay down." Finally, a cartoon anthropomorphic 2021 comes out and hits a jumping piledriver on 2020 to put it out of its misery.  Smackdown takes a commercial break.

The 1st Annual Sami Awards

Backstage, Shorty G lectures Otis some more on the way Vince McMahon likes fat guys to wrestle. Then Sami Zayn sets up at a podium on the stage to host the Sami Awards, his alternative to the biased, fake news Slammy Awards. He plays a video looking back at the year and it's all footage of good moments for Sami.

He gives out awards: Comeback of the Year. Match of the Year. Both of the winners, of course, are Sami. He gives a little speech after each one. But the Superstar of the Year is Big E. Big E comes out in a tuxedo shirt and bowtie, grabs the Sami, and gives a speech. Sami shoves him out of the way and tries to rescind the award. Big E kicks the crap out of him, thanks the Thunderdome for his award, and leaves with it. Good segment.

Match: Bianca Belair vs. Bayley

Kayla Braxton interviews Bayley about Bianca Belair. Bayley plays up her high school sports career as a comparison to Bianca's background. She says she'll win tonight. Belair heads to the ring. Smackdown takes a commercial break. Bayley heads to the ring. They have a match. Belair has Bayley beat until Bayley rakes her in the eyes and pulls off a lucky pin after a hard-fought match. A good main event match, even if a promo is the actual main event of Smackdown. Smackdown takes a commercial break as Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, and Paul Heyman head to the ring.

Promo: Roman Reigns

Roman doesn't understand why Kevin Owens isn't happy just to be in a PPV main event with Roman. Owens hobbles out to the ring. He gets past Jey Uso but eats a spear from Reigns. Reigns and Uso beat the shit out of Owens and put him through several tables then bury him under a pile of broken tables and new tables, ladders, and chairs and then beat that pile with more tables, ladders, and chairs. A piped-in "You Suck" chant accompanies Reigns, Uso, and Heyman's exit.

In Gorilla Position, Kayla Braxton wants an interview. But on the monitor, Owens climbs out from under the pile in the ring, panting, and pulls himself into a chair. "Roman! Nothing you and your family do to me can keep me down. At TLC, I'm gonna take the Universal Title or I'm gonna die trying." Smackdown ends.

Pretty good episode of Smackdown tonight. Smackdown is the better show compared to Raw, at least since they offloaded the Miz. Vince feeling the ratings walls closing in helps a little too. And being shorter. The good news is that after TLC on Sunday, it's time to start building to the Royal Rumble, which means the period of the year where WWE tends to put in the most effort is about to begin.

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