– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX opens up with a video package looking back at the recent Swamp Fight between WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt, which ended with The Fiend returning. We also see Wyatt’s warning from the Firefly Fun House last week where he said no one is safe, and then The Fiend’s attack on Alexa Bliss after last Friday’s main event.
– We go to a new episode of Firefly Fun House with Bray Wyatt. Wyatt welcomes everyone. He needs to address how a bunch of haters have been trying to slide into his DM’s and blame him for what happened to Alexa Bliss last week. Wyatt points up at a picture of WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman on the wall and says that’s who you can put the blame on. He asks Strowman how he could let something happen to something so precious he cares about. Wyatt says Strowman should just give “him” what he wants.
Wyatt says “he” will be here later tonight with someone very special. Wyatt says he’s waiting for Braun, and Wyatt advises Strowman he should just give The Fiend what he wants or find out what he’s truly capable of. We see flashes of The Fiend. Wyatt is all serious while talking about The Fiend but he suddenly snaps out of it and goes back to laughing, saying he gets the heebie-jeebies just thinking about The Fiend. Wyatt waves goodbye to end the segment.
– We’re live on a tape delay from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL as Michael Cole welcomes us. He’s joined by Corey Graves. We see the developmental trainees cheering in the crowd behind the Plexiglas barrier.
Matt Riddle vs. Sheamus
We go right to the ring and out comes Matt Riddle first. Sheamus is out next. We saw footage of King Baron Corbin and his King’s Ransom as he’s tried to find someone to take Riddle out as of late.
Back and forth to start the match. Sheamus strikes first but Riddle blocks a submission. They trade submissions. Riddle comes back with a big takedown. Riddle with a kick. Riddle goes for another but Sheamus grabs him and they go to the ropes as the referee warns them. They tangle again and Sheamus drops Riddle with a knee to the gut. Sheamus unloads on Riddle while he’s down now. Sheamus keeps Riddle grounded by his arm now.
The crowd rallies as Riddle fights up and out. Riddle unloads with strikes and takes Sheamus down into an armbar. They tangle on the mat and Sheamus kicks out at 2. Sheamus powers out and overpowers Riddle for a big powerbomb in the middle of the ring. Sheamus with strikes against the ropes. Riddle avoids an Irish whip and sends Sheamus to the apron. Sheamus clubs Riddle by the back of his neck and drops him. Sheamus picks Riddle up by his neck, still on the apron, and unloads with the 10 forearms.
Sheamus goes to the top but Riddle jumps up and charges, knocking Sheamus from the top turnbuckle to the floor. Sheamus lands hard on the outside and we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Sheamus continues to wear Riddle down. Riddle charges but Sheamus catches him with the Irish Curse backbreaker. Sheamus goes on and hits two more Irish Curse backbreakers for three in a row. Sheamus keeps Riddle grounded on the mat now as the crowd rallies. More back and forth now. Riddle finally drops Sheamus with a big kick to the head to get an opening.
They both get up and Riddle unloads. Riddle kicks Sheamus back and then hits a big kick to the face. Riddle with more offense into the corner. Riddle with a big Exploder suplex from the corner, a running kick to the face and a Broton for a close 2 count. Riddle with another Broton while Sheamus is down. Sheamus goes to the top for the Floating Bro but has to roll through as Sheamus moves. Sheamus comes right back with White Noise but Riddle kicks out at 2.
Sheamus shows some frustration now. More back and forth now in the middle of the ring. Riddle goes for the running knee but Sheamus dodges it and rolls him for a 2 count. Sheamus catches Riddle with an Irish Curse. Sheamus charges into the corner but he hits the ring post shoulder-first and falls out to the floor. Riddle follows as the referee counts. He unloads with kicks to Sheamus. Sheamus blocks and drops him with a knee to the jaw. Sheamus makes it back in and here comes Riddle but Shorty G runs down and drops him from behind at ringside for the disqualification.
Winner by DQ: Matt Riddle
– After the bell, the boos get louder as G beats on Riddle at ringside. G is here to collect on King Baron Corbin’s ransom for Riddle. Riddle fights back and rocks G. Riddle runs and leaps off the announce table, taking G down with a big punch. Riddle slams G’s face into the announce table over and over. Riddle launches G into the steel ring steps now, then delivers a big kick to the chest while he’s down. The referee announces Riddle as the winner as Sheamus looks on from the ring. Sheamus is not happy. Riddle dances around the ringside area and heads up the ramp. Sheamus grabs G and brings him back into the ring. G stands up and turns around as Sheamus delivers a big Brogue Kick for a pop. Sheamus takes the mic and rants at G for messing up his match, all for Corbin’s bounty. Sheamus taunts and talks more trash, yelling at G to get back up. Sheamus tosses the mic and waits for G again. A furious Sheamus levels G with a second Brogue Kick. He leaves to boos as the music hits.
– Still to come, The Fiend is here. Will Braun Strowman confront him over Alexa Bliss? Still to come, Sonya Deville on The Dirt Sheet as a special correspondent for The Miz and John Morrison. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Sheamus confronts King Baron Corbin backstage. Corbin was in the middle of offering to show a woman named Sarah around. Sheamus threatens Corbin, to beat him up and shove his crown, and knock his head off his shoulders, if someone tries to get the King’s ransom during one of his matches again. Sheamus tells Corbin to try him. Corbin says he would put a dent in Sheamus’ head if he wasn’t busy with Jeff Hardy tonight. Corbin walks off.
– We go back to the ring for the return of The Dirt Sheet with John Morrison and The Miz. They welcome us and show us how Sonya Deville attacked Mandy Rose last week.
Miz and Morrison are having technical difficulties with their mics. They joke that RETRIBUTION wasn’t booked for SmackDown tonight. They go on about using their platform to give a platform to a victim who was attacked last week. They play Mandy’s music but it’s Mandy Rose’s Hair instead. The talking hair piece appears on the big screen. They do a bunch of comedy mocking Rose and her hair. They then appear to actually give the real Mandy a chance to speak now, but they bring out Deville instead.
Deville goes on about how it’s not a big deal what she did to Rose because she told everyone what she was going to do ahead of time, and she’s a woman who keeps her word. She talks about enjoying the hair cutting and messing up Rose’s makeup. She goes on and says she has no respect for Rose anymore. Deville says Rose is so weak. She brags about breaking Rose in the ring and now emotionally. The crowd boos and Rose says they’re a terrible crowd. They go on booing and Deville gets angry, daring Rose to come out and correct her if she’s wrong. Miz and Morrison point to how we haven’t heard from Rose since the attack, and she hasn’t posted any selfies. Morrison says we all know how much she loves doing that.
Deville brings up how Rose won an award on The Bump, for making out with Otis. Deville says Rose won an award for making out with a dude. She’s just going to leave that there. They all start insulting Mandy and Otis now. The music interrupts and out comes Heavy Machinery. Tucker and Otis, with his Money In the Bank briefcase, hit the ring. They start brawling with Miz and Morrison. Miz gets sent out to the floor. They go to double team Morrison as Otis prepares to hit him with the Caterpillar. Morrison is able to retreat and hit the floor, joining Deville and Miz. They regroup as Otis and Tucker stand tall in the ring. Back to commercial.
Cesaro vs. Lince Dorado
Back from the break and out come the SmackDown Tag Team Champions – Cesaro with Shinsuke Nakamura. The Lucha House Party is out next – Lince Dorado with Gran Metalik. Greg Hamilton does the introductions. We get a sidebar video from earlier today with Dorado and Metalik talking about showing Cesaro how to party tonight.
Back and forth to start the match. Cesaro easily takes control and drops Dorado. Dorado tries to power up but Cesaro clotheslines him. Dorado ends up sending Cesaro out. The lights flicker again and Graves jokes about RETRIBUTION. Dorado runs the ropes and leaps out but Cesaro catches him. Dorado counters and stands on the barrier. He leaps off with a hurricanrana, sending Cesaro into the apron. Dorado brings it back in and they tangle. Dorado rocks Cesaro with a kick but Dorado flies and Cesaro catches him in mid-move. Cesaro with a backbreaker for a 2 count.
Cesaro keeps Dorado grounded in the middle of the ring now, working him over. Cesaro with a 2 count as he shows some frustration now. The crowd rallies as Cesaro grounds Dorado again. Dorado fights up and out. More back and forth again. Dorado catches Cesaro with a big springboard Stunner for a pop. Dorado with a moonsault from the bottom rope, then the middle rope. Dorado goes up for a third moonsault but Nakamura runs interference from the apron.
Dorado swings and Nakamura goes back to the floor but Cesaro takes advantage and turns it around. Cesaro goes for a big Razor’s Edge Bomb but Dorado counters and takes him down for a 2 count. Cesaro quickly takes back control with an uppercut, then nails the Gotch Neutralizer in the middle of the ring for the pin to win.
Winner: Cesaro
– After the match, Nakamura joins Cesaro in the ring and they stand tall with the titles as the music hits. We go to replays.
– Cole confirms The Miz and John Morrison vs. Heavy Machinery for later tonight. Tucker and Otis are backstage now and Otis is fired up. Kayla Braxton approaches for comments and asks if he can channel his anger for tonight’s match. Otis says they crossed the line with the so-called jokes about Mandy Rose on The Dirt Sheet. Tucker says what Sonya Deville did last week was despicable, and Miz and Morrison just won’t let it go. Otis says he can take jokes all day but he won’t stand for jokes against his peach Mandy. Otis says Miz and Morrison will see that no one is laughing after tonight. They walk off.
– The Firefly Fun House intro starts playing but it stops and turns into a warning for The Fiend as the lights go out in the arena. The Fiend’s own music starts up as red lights and lasers flash all over the arena. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt heads to the ring as the bizarre entrance plays. We go back to commercial.
Back from the break and The Fiend is in the ring. The red lights are still covering the ring and the menacing sound is playing over and over. Alexa Bliss is down on the mat. The Fiend stands over as she looks up frightened. The Fiend backs up and crawls to Bliss now. The Fiend slowly raises his arm like he did last week. He looks to deliver another Mandible Claw but this time Bliss grabs his arm and stops him. She looks up at him and caresses his face. The Fiend stops her and backs off, apparently frustrated with how she’s getting to him.
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman appears on the big screen as Wyatt backs off from Bliss. Strowman doesn’t give a damn about Bliss, he just wants The Fiend. Strowman goes on about how different he is coming out of the Swamp Fight. Strowman says since The Fiend is in the ring, he’s looking at the most evil son of a bitch that the world has laid eyes on. Strowman tried to resist and fight it but he’s at his breaking point. What has been building inside of him is coming out, the evil. Strowman goes on, talking like some kind of monster now. He says he is more than a man, he is the thing that nightmares are made of. He is the The Monster. Strowman says The Fiend can have whatever he wants at SummerSlam. Strowman tells The Fiend to face his fears… face the monster. Strowman continues breathing heavy as The Fiend looks on from the ring, apparently in approval. We get flashes of The Fiend as SmackDown goes to commercial.
Jeff Hardy vs. King Baron Corbin
Back from the break and out comes Jeff Hardy first. The boos start up as King Baron Corbin makes his way out next.
The bell rings and they go at it. Hardy blocks a big punch and hits the inverted Atomic Drop. Hardy unloads but Corbin fights back. Hardy drops Corbin with a running forearm. Hardy with another Atomic Drop and the double leg takedown. Hardy with some of his signature moves and a splash for a 2 count in the middle of the ring. The crowd rallies but Corbin rocks Hardy in the throat. Corbin unloads and blocks a Twist of Fate. Corbin comes right back with a clothesline for a 2 count.
Corbin works Hardy over as the crowd rallies again. Corbin launches Hardy out to the floor in front of the announcers. Corbin follows and beats Hardy on top of the announce table now, unloading with punches to the face as the crowd boos. Corbin brings it back in the ring for a 2 count. Corbin grounds Hardy and unloads with elbows. Corbin keeps Hardy down in a submission now. Hardy fights up and out but Corbin takes him right back down to the mat.
Hardy fights back up but Corbin sends him to the corner. Corbin goes out and right back in the ring but Hardy is waiting, sending him back into the barrier. Hardy unloads on the outside and brings it back in. Hardy charges but Corbin catches him with a Deep Six for a close 2 count. Hardy blocks off End of Days and keeps fighting. Corbin shuts him down with a big knee, knocking Hardy back out to the floor.
Sheamus suddenly appears at ringside and decks Hardy in the face with a Brogue Kick out of nowhere. Fans boo as the referee calls for the disqualification.
Winner by DQ: Jeff Hardy
– After the bell, Corbin goes out and argues with Sheamus at ringside as Hardy’s music hits. The referee gets in between Sheamus and Corbin arguing. Back to commercial.
Sheamus vs. King Baron Corbin
Back from the break and this match is underway as Sheamus brawls in the ring with King Baron Corbin.
Sheamus rocks Corbin but Corbin comes right back with a big boot. Sheamus drops Corbin with a knee to the gut. Corbin tries to go to the floor for a breather but Sheamus pulls him back up to the apron and goes for the series of forearms. Corbin gets free and goes to the floor. Sheamus runs around the ring but Corbin levels him on the floor. The referee starts counting. Corbin launches Sheamus into the barrier now.
Corbin unloads with body shots against the barrier. Corbin slams Sheamus’ face into the announce table a few times, then brings him back into the ring. Sheamus rocks Corbin with a knee as soon as he enters. Sheamus clotheslines Corbin right back to the floor as the crowd rallies. Sheamus goes out and sends Corbin into the Plexiglas now. Sheamus sends Corbin face-first into the announce table. Sheamus keeps control and runs Corbin shoulder-first into the ring post now. Sheamus keeps Corbin down and talks some trash. Sheamus brings it back in and goes to the top rope. He leaps but Corbin ducks. Corbin comes right back with a side-slam for a 2 count in the middle of the ring.
Corbin immediately mounts Sheamus with right hands. Corbin drives Sheamus shoulder-first into the turnbuckles now. Corbin mounts Sheamus from behind int he corner and pounds on him as the aggressive action continues between the two. Corbin drops Sheamus with a right hand in the middle of the ring.
Sheamus gets back to his feet but Corbin ragdolls him right back to the mat, grounding him. Sheamus tries to get back up but Corbin slams him down from one knee. Sheamus claws at Corbin’s eye and tries to break free but Corbin keeps him down. Graves and Cole try to remember the last time someone manhandled Sheamus like this. Sheamus finally powers up but Corbin hangs onto his back and keeps control. Corbin levels Sheamus once again with a clothesline.
Matt Riddle suddenly comes down out of nowhere and springboards into the ring. Corbin ducks him and Riddle goes right back out of the ring. Sheamus immediately takes advantage of the distraction and drops Corbin with a Brogue Kick for the pin to win.
Winner: Sheamus
– After the bell, Sheamus hits the corner to pose as his music hits. Riddle applauds him from ringside. We go to replays. Corbin tries to recover on the mat as Riddle continues applauding Sheamus.
– We go backstage to the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. There seems to be some tension over Bayley’s match with Asuka on Monday’s RAW, for Asuka to earn a SummerSlam shot against Banks. Banks says Bayley’s got this and she most importantly needs Bayley to do this for her. They argue over what Asuka wants – payback on Banks for the title or payback on Bayley for what she did to Kairi Sane. Banks interrupts Bayley and says it doesn’t matter what Asuka wants, this is all about them because they have all the gold. They are best friends and role models. A staffer interrupts and says they are needed in the ring for a video conference with Stephanie McMahon. Banks acts a bit concerned but Bayley says they’ve got this, they’re fine. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Kayla is backstage with Big E. She asks what his next venture looks like going out on his own while Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are sidelined. Big E gets hyped up and says he’s not sure where this run will go, but he can assure that he will give all of himself. Because… Kayla finishes the “New Day rocks” for him a few times and Big E gets more hyped up to end the segment.
– We go back to the ring and see the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions – RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon appears on the big screen and they welcome her.
Stephanie thanks Banks and Bayley for joining her. She praises them for achieving their goal of winning all the gold in WWE, except for WWE NXT. They thank her and say her positive feedback means the world because there’s a lot of negative hate in the locker room now. Bayley says they’re trying to be role models for girls around the world, like Stephanie’s daughters. They keep kissing up to Stephanie and she finally changes her tune on them some, bringing up some of their bad actions from this summer. Stephanie isn’t sure about being role models, but they’ve definitely her attention now. They keep sucking up, saying they know what’s best for business. Stephanie isn’t one to hold a grudge, she’s a McMahon. She doesn’t want to lecture them but she does want to challenge them. Stephanie says Banks will defend the RAW Women’s Title at SummerSlam, and it could be against Asuka after the match on Monday’s RAW.
Stephanie says Bayley will also defend her singles title at SummerSlam, against the enemies she’s made as of late on RAW, SmackDown and NXT. There will be a triple brand Battle Royal on next week’s show with the winner facing Bayley at SummerSlam. Stephanie says now that is what’s best for business. Stephanie’s music hits as Banks and Bayley argue in the ring.
– Kayla is backstage with Sonya Deville, The Miz and John Morrison. Miz and Morrison take shots at Heavy Machinery and walk off for tonight’s main event.
The Miz and John Morrison vs. Heavy Machinery
Back from the break and it’s time for tonight’s main event as The Miz and John Morrison make their way out. Sonya Deville is with them. Out next is Heavy Machinery – Tucker and Otis, with his Money In the Bank briefcase.
Morrison starts off with Tucker. Morrison strikes with big kicks to start. Tucker comes back with a slam, grounding Morrison. Deville cheers Morrison on. Tucker and Morrison go at it and Tucker levels him with a clothesline. The lights start flickering again as Graves jokes about this being RETRIBUTION again. Otis tags in and they double team Morrison. Otis runs over Morrison as the crowd cheers.
Morrison counters Otis and tags in Miz. Miz rocks Otis but Otis takes it and rubs his belly, dancing around. Otis takes more shots from Miz. Otis rips his shirt off, blocks a shot and runs over Miz in the middle of the ring. Tucker tags back in and they march around Miz in the middle of the ring. They then collide against him, sending him to the floor to regroup. Tucker leaps off the apron with a cannonball, taking down both opponents on the floor. Heavy Machinery celebrates as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Miz is going at it with Tucker. Morrison comes in for the double team but Tucker kicks out at 2 as Otis cheers him on. Morrison unloads while Tucker is down. Tucker counters a shot and fights back as Otis distracts Morrison. Morrison keeps fighting and nails a kick to the face. Miz tags in as the crowd rallies. They hit a double team Gutbuster. Miz with a DDT for a 2 count.
Miz and Morrison with more offense now. Morrison with a cheap shot from the apron as the referee is distracted. They taunt Tucker and Otis now. Morrison tags in but Tucker knocks him off the apron, then drops down on Miz. Otis rallies for the tag and gets it. Otis comes in and runs wild on both opponents as the crowd cheers. Deville yells from ringside. Otis with big power moves on Miz and Morrison as he takes turn on both. Otis runs and splashes Morrison in the corner. Otis readies for the Caterpillar on Morrison as Deville yells for him to get up. Otis hits it on Morrison but Miz breaks the pin up at 2. The crowd boos.
Tucker charges Miz and Morrison at ringside but they move and he crashes into the Plexiglas. Miz drives Otis into the steel ring steps. Mandy Rose with shorter hair suddenly appears and attacks Deville at ringside, preventing her from interfering. Rose unloads but Deville fights back and brings it in the ring. The referee calls for the bell.
No Contest
– After the bell, Rose and Deville brawl around the ring now. The referee and the two tag teams run in to pull them apart. Rose tackles Deville again and keeps the attack going. They’re pulled apart once again. Deville takes Rose out of mid-air at one point and tackles her again. Rose and Deville are finally pulled apart one last time, and taken out of the ring. SmackDown goes to commercial as they try to end the chaos between Rose and Deville.
– Back from the break and we see Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville still being kept apart in the backstage area. There are more technical difficulties from overhead.
– We go right back to Cole and Graves at ringside int he arena. RETRIBUTION suddenly appears and runs wild at ringside, going all through the arena yelling and screaming. They’re destroying stuff with baseball bats, crowbars and other weapons. The men and women are wearing all black, hoodies and face masks. One representative tells the camera that this is their house now, we might want to leave and go home.
RETRIBUTION continues running wild around the arena, some members are running in and out of the ring. It looks like a camera gets knocked on the ground or a camera man gets dropped at ringside. The masked men and women hit the crowd now, attacking the developmental trainees and beating them up. Some of the members return to the ring and continue ranting about how this is theirs now. Two of the guys go out and tip the SmackDown announce table over. Cole and Graves left a few minutes ago. They take black, red and blue spray paint cans now, spraying their name and anti-WWE symbols all over the Plexiglas, the ring and the ramp.
The destruction of the arena continues. One guy brings a chainsaw out and they all get hyped up. He starts cutting the ring ropes as the ring is being destroyed now. We get a shot at some of the developmental trainees laid out in the crowd still. SmackDown on FOX goes off the air with RETRIBUTION standing tall in the ring as the destruction continues.
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