WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from October 14
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Credit: WWE.com
Bray Wyatt stunned the wrestling world with his unforgettable return at Extreme Rules last weekend, and Friday, he made his first appearance since the shocking conclusion of the pay-per-view.
What did he have to say and what did he do when he returned to WWE for the first time in over a year?
Find out now with this recap of the October 14 broadcast.
Kofi Kingston vs. Sami Zayn
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Credit: WWE
SmackDown went on the air with breaking news: Karrion Kross and Scarlett were involved in a car accident backstage. Drew McIntyre attacked a staggered Kross and promised, “this is just the beginning!”
Back in the arena, Kofi Kingston and Sami Zayn kicked off the in-ring portion of the night’s broadcast. Xavier Woods and Jey Uso accompanied the competitors, respectively.
Zayn controlled the action, putting the former WWE champion on the defensive. Kingston fought back into the match, showing some of that trademark resiliency, but a superkick from Uso to Woods on the floor provided enough of a distraction for The Honorary Uce to deliver a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.
Kingston appeared poised to win the match via rollup but Uso slid in, reversed it in favor of Zayn and watched as his budding rival scored the assisted victory.
This was a damn good match between two grizzled pros who know what it takes to deliver when given the time this one was.
Zayn’s attempts to further prove himself part of The Bloodline family were humorous and effective, but it was Uso helping him to win the match that was the biggest takeaway. Eager to please The Tribal Chief, but infuriated over being placed under Zayn’s control, he put personal vendettas aside and did what was right for the The Bloodline.
There will come a time when he does not and what that means for him, Zayn and their place in Reigns’ empire remains one of the most engaging stories in all of wrestling.
Result
Zayn defeated Kingston
Grade
B
Top Moments
- Zayn took a phone call from Roman Reigns prior to the match, shielding Uso from the call and refusing to fill him in on whatever The Tribal Chief had to say.
- The Honorary Uce delivered the running hip attack ala The Usos, really hammering home his place in The Bloodline.
Braun Strowman vs. Brian Thomas and James Maverick
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Credit: WWE.com
Braun Strowman found himself confronted by two enhancement talent, Brian Thomas and James Maverick, in a Handicap Match Friday night.
The Monster Among Monsters destroyed the competition, earning the win easily, all while staring down Omos and MVP, who watched from ringside.
After the match, the latter warned Strowman that “monsters fade into the shadows,” suggesting the former Universal champion is no match for the giant competitor.
The idea of Strowman vs. Omos is hardly appealing but as a spectacle, there are few matches that would be better. If Triple H does not have anything else better for them to do, there are far worse options for the upcoming Crown Jewel card than a battle of the Goliaths.
Result
Strowman defeated Maverick and Thomas
Grade
C-
Top Moments
- Cole just nonchalantly referring to Thomas and Maverick as “these two jabronis” was great and further evidence of his comfort on the mic.
LA Knight vs. mån.sôör
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Credit: WWE.com
A week ago, LA Knight shed his “Max Dupri” moniker and returned to the name he made famous in NXT. His opponent? Former Maximum Male Models associate mån.sôör, who was accompanied to the squared circle by Maxxine Dupri and ma.çé.
A distraction from the latter allowed the heel to take control momentarily but Knight fought back, fended off ma.çé and put mån.sôör down for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Knight put the WWE Superstars on notice, but not before turning heel on the fans by claiming he does not need them chanting his name.
Knight is always going to excel as a heel but it was certainly interesting to see him turn so quickly after dumping the Maximum Male Models. It will benefit him in the long run but it remains to be seen if such a quick turn after another just two weeks earlier was the right call or not.
Result
Knight defeated mån.sôör
Grade
C+
Top Moments
- “What a physique on that man. Why would we keep that covered up with a suit for so long?” Wade Barrett questioned, asking the hard-hitting questions every fan demands.
Shotzi, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez vs. Damage CTRL
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Credit: WWE.com
NXT’s Roxanne Perez joined Shotzi and Raquel Rodriguez for a Six-Woman Tag Team Match against Damage CTRL’s Bayley, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai.
A fired-up Perez fearlessly took the fight to the heels before tagging Shotzi into the match. The high-energy match broke down late, with Shotzi, Kai and Sky all flying through the air to the benefit of their team.
Perez, proving no stage is too big for her, kicked out of Bayley’s trademark Bayley-to-Belly suplex. The two continued their back-and-forth, concluding with Bayley countering a rollup for the hard-fought victory.
This was a frantically paced match that attempted to highlight everyone involved and did so fairly well. There was no structure to speak of but it did what it set out to: highlight Shotzi and Rodriguez as potential challengers to Kai and Sky’s Women’s Tag Team Championships while presenting Perez as a star of WWE’s future.
The young NXT star, in particular, showed up and showed up in her first opportunity and all involved should feel very good about her prospects moving forward. The match also served as a nice primer for Halloween Havoc, the October 26 NXT event.
Result
Damage CTRL defeated Perez, Shotzi and Rodriguez
Grade
B
Top Moments
- The exchange of dives late in the match was a lot of fun and set the stage for Perez to battle it out with Bayley in an attempt to prove herself on this stage.
Hit Row vs. Legado Del Fantasma
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Credit: WWE.com
Hit Row’s Ashante Thee Adonis and Top Dolla sought revenge Friday night as they battled Legado Del Fantasma’s Cruz del Toro and Joaquin Wilde in tag team action. Santos Escobar and Zelina Vega accompanied the heels while B-Fab seconded Hit Row.
The short-lived match saw del Toro and Wilde score the win when Escobar pulled Adonis off the apron and Vega wiped out B-Fab, leaving Top Dolla to suffer Sacrificio.
This was a logical continuation of what we saw last week but you could tell from the reaction (or lack thereof) from the WWE Universe that they are not sure what to make of the newcomers.
There was little explanation of who they are or what they are about and while some of that is preserving the intrigue as to what Vega’s relationship is with the group, it is certainly something Triple H will have to examine to prevent fans from tuning the faction out early on.
A simple video package would suffice and we know from its long and illustrious history on that front that few do those better than WWE.
Result
Legado Del Fantasma defeated Hit Row
Grade
C
Top Moments
- Vega flattened B-Fab with a clothesline off the ring steps.
- Top Dolla is a charismatic worker and debuted a flashy elbow drop that could prove to be a signature move of his before all is said and done.
Fatal 4-Way Match: Ricochet vs. Sheamus vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Solo Sikoa
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Credit: WWE.com
A shot at Gunther’s Intercontinental Championship awaited the winner of the Fatal 4-Way Match pitting rival Sheamus against Ricochet, The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa and Rey Mysterio.
Karrion Kross was originally scheduled for the bout but after the events at the top of the show, was replaced by the future Hall of Famer Mysterio.
The action was nonstop, with Sheamus teasing a fight with Sikoa, only for Ricochet to wipe the second-generation star out at ringside. Sikoa recovered and stood tall entering the commercial break.
He showed off his strength with a late tower of doom spot but left himself open for a beating at the hands of Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior had Sikoa poised to tap but Jey Uso and Sami Zayn intervened. Butch and Ridge Holland joined the fray, leaving Mysterio and Ricochet to close out the match.
The Master of the 619 delivered his trademark move, then added a frog splash for the win.
Mysterio appears to be in the early moments of a push, his story being one of the most prominent of the show. After a low point Monday night following the disrespect and humiliation at the hands of his son, he recovered like greats do and earned a championship opportunity by defeating three of SmackDown’s best.
Beyond the sure-fire Hall of Famer, it now appears as though The Brawling Brutes may be on a collision course with The Bloodline. That should make for some damn good television and elevate the status of the babyfaces in the process.
Result
Mysterio defeated Ricochet, Sikoa and Sheamus
Grade
A
Top Moments
- Michael Cole pointed out on commentary that this marked the first time Sheamus and Mysterio have squared off against each other, which is astonishing when you consider how long they have been battling in the WWE rings.
- Cole announced that Mysterio has officially inked a deal with Triple H to be a member of the SmackDown roster, an interesting development given what appeared to be a destined showdown with son Dominik.
He’s Here
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Credit: WWE.com
The hotly anticipated return of Bray Wyatt headlined this week’s show.
A new entrance theme guided The Eater of Worlds to the squared circle, where he stood in plain clothes and no mask. He cut a sincere, genuine promo, speaking from the heart to the fans.
Then, the cryptic Max Headroom-like figure appeared and warned that they don’t know who they are dealing with, but they will.
The show went off the air with the new Wyatt logo displayed on the screen.
This was a different Wyatt than we have seen before, one that was open and honest before giving way to the enigmatic theatricality that we expect from him. This did nothing to tell us what this new incarnation of the former world champion is all about but it did intensify the interest in him, which will benefit all involved.
Grade
A
Top Moments
- “I’m incredibly grateful and very nervous because I never thought this would happen.”
- “This is just me being me. Genuine me. For the first time.”
- “I lost my career, I lost my confidence…I lost two people who were very, very close to me. I lost my way.”
- “You saved my life,” Wyatt told the audience.