Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: Smackdown, wrestling, wwe

WWE Smackdown 7/17/20 Part 2 – AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle Again

The first hour of WWE Friday Night Smackdown saw Big E take on Cesaro, Asuka and Nikki Cross take on Sasha Banks and Bayley, and John Morrison regale us with tales of fighting Jean-Claude Van Damme on a boat. Now it's time to bring it all home for Extreme Rules on Sunday with the last hour of WWE Smackdown.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown 7/17/20 Part 2

Smackdown hour two opens with a Firefly Funhouse. Old school Bray Wyatt is humming "he's got the whole world in his hands" in his swamp. Bray talks about rattlesnakes and other Bray Wyatte type stuff. He says when Braun Strowman first chilled with Bray he was a lost sheep looking for a home. Bray gave him that. He gave him the truth and a purpose and he created a monster. But then Braun left… or so he thought. Bray says the swamp is a place where darkness comes to life, the devil comes to dance in the pale moonlight, all the horrors of the world feel right at home, and there is no protective coronavirus mask wearing requirements (it's in Florida, after all). Once you enter, a part of you will live there forever. Bray knows the monster he created is scratching, waiting to come home. He can see it still lives within Braun. Braun isn't capable of handling the gifts Bray bestowed on him on his own, so Bray is going to handle them for him (hey now). Braun didn't embrace the monster he was destined to be so Bray must destroy the monster he has become.

John Morrison heads to the ring to get his ass kicked by Braun Strowman. He's got The Miz with him, which isn't likely to be much help. Strowman comes out to kick his ass. He says there comes a time in a man's life when he has to grow up and face his fears. Bray is ready to walk through the gates of hell and slap the devil in his face. That's the only way he knows how to end this. He has to go home to the swamp and face Bray Wyatt. Braun is screaming like a maniac by this point. It's the most 1980s promo I've seen since the 1980s. Basically, he's going to kill Bray Wyatt on Sunday. To illustrate, he kills John Morrison tonight. He actually tries to pin him at one point by standing on top of him with both feet. The beating is intense. The match lasts barely two minutes. Strowman wins.

Braun is so fired up he grabs a mic and cuts a second promo. He hopes Bray was watching that murder. He's coming home. After Strowman leaves, Miz calls for a stretcher for Morrison and they sell a neck injury. Even so, Morrison walks out on his feet (with Miz's help). Lacey Evans enters as they're leaving. Smackdown goes to commercials.

After the break, we get a recap of last week's Karaoke segment. Happy five years of Women's Evolution, everyone! Evans is in the ring. She says after tonight, Naomi's glow will be a little sparkle. Naomi heads out to fight Lacey. Will it be a bra and panties match? I'm just saying, after the Karaoke segment, who knows?

Evans gets in some offense at first but Naomi gets her knees up on a moonsault. She hits the vagina drop, a split on top of Evans. But Lacey ties Naomi's hair up on the ropes. When Naomi gets free, Evans hits the Women's Right and gets the win. This might have been shorter than the Strowman match. Wait, I think I get it. Is this some kind of meta narrative? To celebrate five years of the Women's Evolution, WWE is recreating the pre-Evolution environment where the women had 30-second matches and competed in song and dance contests (or worse)? Very clever, WWE. Very clever indeed.

Kayla Braxton, who is back for round three of catching coronavirus from WWE, talks to Jeff Hardy. She wants to know about Sheamus's tormenting of Hardy and obsession with drinking piss. Why did Hardy accept the challenge for a bar room brawl that could risk his sobriety. Hardy says battling a bully like Sheamus is like battling addiction, he has to accept the truth and fight it. It's risky to meet Sheamus in a bar, but the chance to get revenge on Sheamus is worth it. Wait, what? I'm pretty sure that's not in the twelve steps. Asked about the main event tonight, Hardy says it's bittersweet because he might have been in that match tonight if Sheamus didn't frame him for drunk driving and cause him to miss the Intercontinental Championship tournament. Sheamus attacks Hardy out of nowhere. He says he's gonna cleanse him of his demons and drain him of his urine on Sunday. We see a promo for the bonus episode of Undertaker: The Last Ride airing this Sunday. Smackdown goes to commercials.

Bayley and Sasha Banks are walking backstage when they too are intercepted by Kayla Braxton. She congratulates them on their victory and asks if this streak will continue at Extreme Rules. Bayley says of course she will. Momentum is a calculation of science, and she has more momentum than Nikki. And after Sasha decimates Asuka and becomes two belts Banks, that will be science, not fate. But Sasha disagrees. It's their destiny to win all the gold. Bayley says if Nikki thinks she's disappointed with herself now, Bayley is gonna hate to see her mental health state after she loses on Sunday.

Elsewhere backstage, Nikki is upset with herself for losing tonight. Is she gonna blow it on Sunday? Alexa Bliss tries to cheer her up, but Nikki says she doesn't get as many opportunities as Alexa (true). Her friends and family in Smackdown watch her lose every week (true). Her confidence is shaken (true). Alexa tells her she'll defeat Bayley (false). Nikki hears Bayely laughing in the background. She attacks her in the hallway and they brawl a bit. Alexa drags her away as Sasha consoles Bayley. We see the promos from AJ Styles and Matt Riddle from the start of the show and Smackdown takes another commercial break.

After the break, we get a short video package about Stephanie McMahon starting the Women's Evolution. Then Matt Riddle comes out. Baron Corbin has got to interfere here, right? I can't see this match having a clean ending without Riddle looking like a chump, and I can't see Styles losing without looking like more of a chump than he already looks. Styles comes to the ring. The Intercontinental Championship looks like a hubcap. Just putting it out there. Since this is a title match, we get ring introductions. After some grappling to start off, Riddle hits a pair of gutwrench superplexes and a springboard knee on Styles on the apron. Styles throws a temper tantrum near the announce table. Riddle kicks him in the face and Smackdown goes to commercials again.

Riddle is taking Styles to mat wrestling school after the break. Styles is wrestling like the underdog tonight. At risk of a double turn, Styles figures he better start doing something heelish, so he slaps some rest holds on Riddle. That doesn't last long though, as Riddle starts on his striking offense. He hits a Bro to Sleep into a powerbomb into a running knee into a pin, but Styles kicks out. Smackdown has to get in one last commercial break.

Riddle is introducing Styles to his knees when Smackdown returns, but Styles hits a clothesline. The announcers point out how little offense Styles has been getting in tonight. They think Riddle must have his number. That of course guarantees Riddle loses. They get into a chopping match, which styles wins with a kick to the knee. Riddle hits a German suplex. More punches and kicks from Riddle, but Styles hits a superkick. Riddle goes for his moonsault but Styles dodges. He goes for the Styles Clash but Riddle blocks. Styles hits a brainbuster that gets a two-count. Riddle goes for Bro Derek but Styles escapes that. Another exchange of strikes and Styles gets the Calf Crusher on Riddle. Riddle reverses to the Bromission. Styles reverses to a pin and gets the win.

That was unexpected. A clean win? What about King Corbin? Oh, here we go. Styles offers the handshake after the match and Riddle takes it, only to be attacked from behind by Baron Corbin. Styles leaves Corbin to do his business. Corbin hits End of Days on Riddle. The performance center crowd boos their masks off as the Extreme Rules Smackdown go-home show goes off the air with King Corbin standing tall.

Well, if nothing else, it did a better job of selling Extreme Rules than Raw did. See you on Sunday as we bring you live coverage. The whole game will be there, which unfortunately includes Chad, but what are you gonna do?

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