Smackdown Cliff Notes 8-28-20

Security briefing

Vince McMahon is in rare form to start the show with his deputy authority figure Adam Pearce. Vince gives him a mission that is impossible but by the end of the show he manages to get the signatures for the triple threat match at Payback.

Styles clash

AJ Styles confronts Jeff Hardy about losing the Intercontinental Championship while Shinsuke Nakamura accepts Jeff’s open challenge. Hardy beats Shinsuke and Sami Zayn emerges with his IC title, claiming to be the real champion. It didn’t even look like Zayn, he looks like a crazy homeless man. I smell a triple threat match for the undisputed IC Championship. SmackDown needs this shot in the arm really badly. Sami adds more depth on the mic as well as another solid worker. Big E, Matt Riddle, Jeff Hardy, Drew Gulak, Daniel Bryan are just a few names Sami can be matched up against and elevate.

Sami is interviewed in the back by Kayla but is not welcomed in the Championship lounge by Cesaro and Shinsuke.

Firefly Funhouse

Bray signs his contract when Adam Pearce shows up at his door dressed like a mailman.

Matt Riddle

Riddle calls out Corbin and Shorty G jumps Riddle from behind. Say what you want about his name but Shorty G can wrestle like no one else. It was a short match but that the shame here, Riddle needs someone like Shorty G to take him to his limits so the SmackDown audience can see just how good he is. Corbin attacks Riddle after he wins.

Golden role models

Sasha and Bayley roast Big E and Heavy Machinery and are later confronted by Shayna and Nia Jax via video. I’m hoping the titles change hands without any goofy stuff.

Cesaro [c] vs Kalisto

Kalisto tells the house party to stay in the back and they are attacked by the tag team champs

Underrated match, Kalisto is special and should be pushed. Lucha House Party argue after his loss because it appears that their involvement cost Kalisto the match.

6man tag alert

Heavy Machinery & Big E vs Sheamus, Miz & Morrison

Good comedy from Miz Sheamus and Morrison before the match talking about match strategy. At least this makes sense, the tension between the teams has been building so this is an opportunity for them to get their hands on one another. Sheamus walks out and Big E gets the win, Big E is on a roll. I feel that Sheamus is more of an anti hero than a heel and I suspect we’ll be seeing him being booked kinda like Roman Reigns was.  A Paul Heyman guy So I oman looked over his contract and gave us a spoiler, he is now a Heyman guy. This is what we all wanted for so long. WWE is doing things right, they are listening and we are all here for it.

Honorable mentions

1. Nikki Cross and Tamina have a chat and Alexa Bliss  drops in and we see her change starting to happen.

2. Braun squashes Gulak.

Final take

A little lacking for a go home show but I actually don’t think it’s bad because the PPV is supposed to be more of an extended episode of both RAW and SmackDown.

#sheamus #BigE #RomanReigns #smackdownonfox #SmackDown