Hello and welcome to the WWE Smackdown Live recap of June 25 for an in depth analysis of what went down.
Continuing in the aftermath of Stomping Grounds and Raw, Shane McMahon started the night off by recapping the events of his and McIntyre’s match against Roman Reigns. He then said, “His back was against the wall, his fate was inevitable. Roman was so afraid of being humiliated again that he became desperate, He couldn’t stand on his own two feet, so he called on the devil. I’ve already beaten Roman Reigns, and as for the Undertaker, I stared in the face of death and survived.”
He made a point to say “So tonight, I’d just like to remind the Smackdown roster not to get on my bad side, because quite frankly, I’m pissed.”
And another brick was laid on the path to Extreme Rules pay-per-view on July 14.
The New Day were next as they took the ring.
Kofi Kingston said since winning the WWE Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania, he’s experienced some great moments, but also some difficult, painful ones, too.
He cited taking a “leap of faith” to be Dolph Ziggler at Stomping Grounds, but before he had a chance to take a victory lap (Never mind he chose to wrestle twice on Raw, so who cost him the victory lap?), he was attacked by Samoa Joe. The replay of the attack on Raw was shown.
He referred to Samoa Joe as a Samoan shark, but before he could get going, Dolph Ziggler came out refusing to allow another Superstar to come in after he did all the “hard work.”
Ziggler maintained that he should’ve won both their matches, and he had talked to management so Kingston couldn’t take the easy way out, as their match later in the night would be two out of three falls. If Ziggler won, he’d be added to the WWE Heavyweight Championship match at Extreme Rules.
2 out of 3 Falls: Kofi Kingston beat Dolph Ziggler 2-1
First Fall: After a series of pin attempts by each Superstar, Kingston rolled Ziggler up for the pin.
Before the match was reset for the second fall, Ziggler worked Kingston over outside the ring to soften him up.
Second Fall: Seconds into the second fall, Ziggler hit with a superkick and scored the pinfall.
Third Fall: The longer and more match-like fall, the counters and pin attempts went back and forth, including Kingston countering a Famouser into a powerbomb that Ziggler kicked out of ad Kingston kicking out of a pin attempt following a Zig-Zag. The end came when Kingston ducked a superkick and hit Ziggler with a Trouble in Paradise for the pin.
The current trend is about Kingston being worn thin by his constant title defenses, but it feels more like they’re trying to push him into the ranks of the greatest champions of all time. Kingston is awesome and we love seeing him, but this is a surefire way to wear us thin on him.
The Rest of Smackdown
The New Day (Xavier Woods and Big E) beat Daniel Bryan and Rowen (C) by pinfall
Bryan countered a splash by Big E with a double raised knees and a Labell Lock, but Woods saved him. A minute later, The New Day hit with a Midnight Hour for the pin.
Afterwards, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn attacked the New Day from behind, and Heavy Machinery came out to even the score, and set the stage for a continued rivalry and the night’s next match. Not to mock the current trend, but kinda two out of three falls, isn’t it?
Eight Man Tag Team Match: Heavy Machinery and The New Day (Xavier Woods and Big E) beat Daniel Bryan and Rowan and Kevin Owens and Sami Zayne by pinfall
A quick assault by Rowen, Bryan, Owens, and Zayn, left Tucker alone in the ring to start out showed some great planning to further push Otis and Tucker.
Disgusted by Zayn’s inability against Otis, Owens walked off, abandoning his best friend as Otis unleashed the caterpillar and the Compactor on Zayn for the win.
2 Out of 3 Falls: Elias neat The Miz 2 Falls to 1
Earlier in the show, The Miz went looking for Shane, and stopped to ask Elias as he was strumming his guitar outside his office if Shane was in there. Elias warned him off, saying, “If you go in there, you’re a dead man, bro.”
After a short exchange, The Miz threatened to shove his guitar up the “dark side of the moon” and demanded another match with Shane to end it all.
Shane then agreed, but added the stipulation that The Miz had to beat Elias in two out of three falls first.
First Fall: Shane distracted The Miz, giving Elias the chance to his with a Drift Away for the pin.
Second Fall: This one took a little longer and we got to enjoy some good exchanges before The Miz hit with a Skull Crushing Finale and Shane interfered, causing a disqualification.
Third Fall: After the second fall, Shane and Elias throttled the Miz, with Shane hitting him with a spear before the third fall began. Once the bell rang, Elias hit with a flying elbow for the pin.
After the match, Elias held The Miz down so Shane could hit a Coast to Coast.
Can we please end these Shane McMahon storylines? It’s gone beyond predictable and old.
Finn Balor Finds a New Opponent
In response to being asked what brings out the Demon, he responded that it’s a testament to Adnrade’s skill level. “The better the opposition, the better I have to become.”
In answer to Kayla Braxton’s question about who was his next opponent, Shinsuke Nakamura stepped forward and placed a mark on the belt before disappearing. We have our answer.
Nikki Cross beat Bayley by pinfall
After kicking out following a Bayley-to-Belly suplex, the two exchanged pinning opportunities before Cross finally rolled Bayley up for the pin and earning Alexa Bliss another title shot against Bayley. Bayley looked more than a little shocked.
This was one of the better matches of the night. It really showed great chemistry between Bayley and cross, giving us a glimpse into what promises to be a fun future rivalry between the two.
R-Truth Outcons Drake Maverick
Searching for Truth backstage, Carmella came across Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, and after a brief verbal exchange they left and Truth crawled out of the doorway in a hockey board set off to the side.
Maverick then came to him, saying he had nothing now and Truth had ruined his perfect day. “I spent months and months planning, spent thousands and thousands of dollars… of my mother-in-law’s money to create that special moment of me walking down that aisle as the 24/7 champion, and you took that way from me.”
He then told Truth he ruined his life, so Truth told him if it meant that much to him, then he should get a ref. With his hopes renewed, Maverick signaled for a referee, but Truth changed his mind. “Syke! I love your championship more than you love your wife. Arrivederci! “
Truth then took off, and a horde of mid-carders ran Maverick over in pursuit of him.
Poor Maverick, he looked so heartbroken. He’s really sold out his stake in the 24/7 title as well, and he and Truth have made it really entertaining.
Sonya Deville beat Ember Moon by pinfall
Ember Moon came out fighting, but was distracted by Mandy Rose outside the ring. Deville used it to shove Moon face first into the ring post, knocking her out, then pinned her.
Aleister Black Get His Challenger?
A highly agitated Aleister Black ranted, “I don’t get it. I don’t get it. It’s almost funny, except it’s not funny at all. I have sat here for weeks, weeks on end, and all I want is for someone to come in and fight me. That’s literally all I’m asking. And if it’s not the WWE, if its not the higher form of competition in the world… Surely it is. Of course, it is. So it can’t be that. I understand that words of my past may have gotten around, but I can’t be the only condemned person that walks these halls. No, that’s not it. of course, that’s not it. There is not one person, not one single person that is man enough to pick a fight with argh!”
The light went out and a knock on the door sounded. When the light came out, Black let out a relieved sigh, then an evil grin spread across his face.
Why does the name Bray Wyatt come to mind at watching this? Sure, it’s crossing brands, but that’s never stopped anyone before. Imagine if they’d team up…
Final thoughts
An entertaining show overall, there were a few issues. The first being two 2 out of 3 fall matches (and a half if you take into count the opening tag matches). Seriously? At least, the WWE figured out which of their Superstars fans really want to see and put them on both shows regularly, but still, seeing so many on the same night and following the quick pin formula each time gets old fast.
While we get to see more of our favorites, it’s a foregone conclusion that we’re tired of seeing Shane McMahon on every show playing the primary heel. One has to wonder if he and the others running things think our dislike is due to his performance instead of the fact it’s gotten old. Maybe we’ll luck out and this is the end of Shane and the Miz’s rivalry? Come back to THEOVERTIMER for all your WWE and AEW reporting!
