Tonight is the night for Friday Night SmackDown! I’m Jordan Huie of the Overtimer here to give you the live recap as usual!
The Miz opens the show. Cacophony of boos as he takes up a microphone. Welcomes us to MizTV. Wants to set the record straight about last week on Friday Night SmackDown, when he was attacking Kofi, he was just having a bad day. We all have bad days. Sometimes you just don’t want to smile, and when someone tries to make you, you just want to punch them in the face and that’s what he did. Says we shouldn’t cheer that, because he let his emotions get the better of him and he is sorry. But reminds us again that Bray Wyatt threatened his daughter and all he wanted was to avenge her and he couldn’t do that, it’s been a rough month for him. But there was one bright spot, the return of a man that is like a brother to him. Pop as Miz excitedly introduces John Morrison!
We get pretty much his old entrance, not quite the same amount of slo-mo but a touch I think. He makes his way to the ring and poses. “Welcome back” chant after he finishes his entrance. Miz says he overuses this word a lot but this is truly awesome! Calls the two of them the greatest tag team of century. Shows us a video package dedicated to Morrison. John says it’s great to be back and sitting under the lights with him, he doesn’t know what to say. They were documenting his upcoming return, set for the Royal Rumble, it was going to be epic. But when he saw what Miz was going through, he decided that there was nothing more important than being there for your best friend.
And it’s good that he did because after what happened with Kofi and he spoke with him, he was really disappointed… in all of the people. Says he has one bad day and people say he sucks. Claims Miz does what he does for all of them. Morrison starts calling out some folks at ringside but the New Day interrupts. Kofi asks Miz who he’s trying to fool. Cue the WHO. They claim they’d never buy his apology, as he’s not that good an actor, couldn’t even get cast as the back-end of the human centipede. Kofi says he should’ve just stopped at having a bad day, that would’ve been respectable. Miz says he respects the fact that he was WWE Champion for six months, and also respects that he lost it in six seconds and never tried to go for it again. Kofi again clarified that it was eight seconds, and says that Miz has changed from the cool Miz to the annoying Miz and the people are right when they say he sucks.
Kofi and Miz will face off up next, first match on Friday Night SmackDown.
Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
Lock-up. Kofi takes him to the corner, leg kick. Evades some big boots, spin kick. Wristlock takedown. Hammerlock. Reversed, Kofi ducks a spinning backhand, standing dropkick. Miz with clubbering blows. Kofi ducks a few shots, monkey flip attempted but Miz counters with a trip, figure four attempt but Kofi counters with an inside cradle. Quick kickout, Kitchen Sink knee. Kofi fights from a headlock, flying back elbow, Miz bails to the floor, Kofi wants a tope, Miz avoids it, bounces from the top rope. Clotheslines Miz to the floor, suicide dive! Miz throws Kofi into E, who rises to confront him and Morrison has to get between them.
Back from commercial, we’re back in the ring, Kofi with a back suplex. Kofi with a flying clothesline, Boom Drop to the Miz. Miz evades a corner charge, Kofi springs from the second rope with a twisting crossbody. Miz cuts off the momentum with a kick to the leg that sets up the Snap DDT for a nearfall. It Kicks, Kofi avoids the last one, wants the SOS, Miz reverses into a Skull Crushing Finale attempt. Kofi counters into a cradle like last week but Miz barely kicks out. Kofi nails the SOS this time for the nearfall! Miz with several charging high knees, Kofi eventually counters one with a Shuriken. Off the top rope, Miz meekly clips the leg in mid-air, figure four leglock. Kofi grabs the bottom rope to stop the match. Miz leaves the ring to get some cheap shots in, Big E confronts him but Morrison gets him with a parkour flip senton over the steps! Kofi is distracted, allowing Miz to slip in beside him for the Skull Crushing Finale for the victory.
Winner: The Miz
Fairly standard match to start Friday Night SmackDown with, neat to see Morrison parkouring in WWE again.
Firefly Funhouse segment starts. Bray tells everyone to come closer… tells us he loves us! That felt good to say for him, says love is very special! But it’s not for everyone… like Daniel Bryan! Whatever the opposite of love is, it’s what ‘he’ feels for Bryan. Says Bryan’s been a very special kind of naughty. Now he’s in trouble at the Rumble. First, he just wanted him to remember. Flashes of Bryan’s short-lived time in the Wyatt Family. Then, he just wanted to change him! But now, he wants only to destroy him. Signs off, again saying that he loves us, but not you, Daniel.
Fire & Desire backstage, still teasing a break-up as Mandy is acting distracted and unfocused on the team.
Elias is in the ring for a Rumble song, running down a bunch of favorites and promising that when he gets there, he’ll show them what WWE stands for.
Mandy comes up to Heavy Machinery and to apologize for not standing up to Dolph before, she gives Otis a cake that says “I’m Sorry” written in icing.
Alexa Bliss vs. Mandy Rose
Shoving match to start, Mandy getting in Alexa’s face. Slap in response, Alexa kicks her into the corner. Standing dropkick, another slap. Mandy forces her into the corner, shoulder thrusts to follow up. Alexa taken to the apron, low bridge sends Mandy to the floor. Alexa throws Mandy back in, but as she pursues, Sonya Deville comes up onto the apron to distract her. Nikki Cross pulls her off, only for Mandy to clip Alexa anyway, takes her down with a chinlock. Alexa fights out of it, snapmare. Simultaneous big boot, simultaneous punches. Mandy wants a double underhook, Alexa fights out of it, simultaneous forearms takes both women down! Fight their way up, Alexa with a series of clotheslines, catches a shot and delivers a series of rights! Insult To Injury nailed… and now Heavy Machinery’s music hits. In spite of Tucker Knight trying to talk him down, Otis is on his way to the ring, Alexa’s distracted, Mandy with a roll-up win.
Winner: Mandy Rose
Afterwards Otis takes a bite out of the cake and celebrates from the ramp as Mandy smiles from the ring.
Lacey Evans makes her way out for her match with Sasha Banks. But Bayley flashes up on screen to say that it turns out Sasha is AWOL. At the last minute she took a booking in a real city, Los Angeles, and couldn’t be here. Bayley herself is only here because as Friday Night SmackDown Women’s Champ she was obligated. Lacey gets on the mic and buries Sasha for not being here in the heart of America, says if Bayley’s here maybe she can come down for a fight right here! Bayley says she can bark out orders like the overbearing mother that she is, but since she’s not her snot-nosed daughter, she doesn’t have to listen to her.
Lacey leaves the ring to rush backstage in pursuit of Bayley. Bayley attacks her from behind but Lacey manages to fight back, eventually Bayley has to flee from her and a referee holds her back.
Daniel Bryan backstage, says the Fiend sure wants him to do a lot of things. Says he remembers everything about being in the Wyatt Family, including that he outsmarted them. He did change him… for the better! Now he wants to hurt him, and he knows for a fact that he will. But he also wants everyone to say that he can’t be hurt and can’t be beat. He doesn’t like that Bryan knows that he can be hurt and he can be beat. Ramblin’ Rabbit flashes up on a video screen behind Bryan! He says he’s right, the Fiend is beatable! And he knows a secret that will help him win the Universal Championship! But before he can say it, Bray grabs his head and tells us that snitches get stitches.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Braun Strowman (Non-title)
Braun immediately takes Shinsuke to the corner, body shots, big Biel throws him across the ring! Shinsuke evades a charge in the corner, leg kicks, hits the ropes, ducks some shots but Braun gets him with a big boot! Braun with a clubbering blow, kick to the chest. Takes him in the corner, unzips the top for a chop to the chest! Throws him to the opposite corner, starts to charge but Sami drags Shinsuke to the floor to save him. Braun pursues, slowly chases Sami into the ring. (He’s not particularly quick tonight, Braun’s a little inconsistent in what he can do physically…)
As Sami distracts the ref, Cesaro posts him and then throws him over the barrier. After a commercial, Shinsuke catches Braun with a flying knee to the face. Braun fights back, big clothesline. Sami tries to distract the ref as Cesaro can grab a steel chair but he turns around in time to catch it. However, this lets Sami throw Shinsuke the Intercontinental Championship. But Braun ducks the shot, nails the Running Powerslam for the victory!
Winner: Braun Strowman
This really was not a match I’d have done ahead of a climax because it’s such a character-based one rather than workrate heavy. You’d want it to have all the novelty it can heading into an actual title match but whatever. Wasn’t bad but Strowman was not on his game and Shinsuke as usual wasn’t going full gear either.
Roman Reigns makes his way out to say that 2019 was a blessed year, but it ended pretty rough. He’s been outnumbered, jumped and embarrassed by Corbin and his crew. Throughout his career he always had backup, but this time he didn’t need the help of friends. He needed the help of his family. Introduces the Usos. They feel good being back on the blue brand. Friday Night SmackDown is about to get turned into Friday Night LockDown. The past five months on the sidelines have been real rough, especially when they had to see Roman defend himself against Queen Corbin and his queendom. They chastise them for disrespecting Roman, because that means disrespecting the whole family. Blood lasts forever. They’re about to give their catchphrase when King Corbin’s music interrupts.
Corbin calls out Roman for pawning off the beating that he deserves on his family. Accuses him of throwing them under the bus because the Big Dog is scared. Accuses him of hiding in the Royal Rumble match to avoid going one-on-one with him, but that’s a problem because he intends to win the Rumble himself. Roman says he’d love nothing more than the chance to beat him up twice in one night so before the Rumble match, he will face King Corbin! Corbin says he and Ziggler will make two more big dogs into his little bitches, Usos with stereo suicide dives onto Corbin’s henchmen. Main event time here on Friday Night SmackDown!
The Usos vs. King Corbin & Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler starts with Jimmy. Sideheadlock exchange. Uce shot off but hits a shoulder block! Tag to Jey. Doubleteam by the Usos, Ziggler kicks out, tag to Corbin. Shot ducked, uppercut from Uce. Corbin knees his way out of the corner, whip to the opposite corner, Jey avoids a shot, Corbin with his ring-around-the-ringpost clothesline! Tag to Ziggler, double teaming in the corner, standing dropkick. Cover for 2, arm bar and facelock. Jey fights to his feet but is taken to the heel corner for more double teaming. Corbin with an elbow to the back of the head, back suplex but Jey flips out of it, gets the tag to Jimmy! Uppercuts, takes Corbin to the corner for the Corner Ten Punches! Evasion, ring-around-the-ringpost avoided this time, superkick! Jimmy up top but the Revival’s music hits for the distraction, allows Ziggler to pull Jimmy off the top rope and smash him into the barricade! Roman Reigns’ music hits however as we go to commercial.
We come back with a suicide dive attempt, but Corbin blocks Jimmy and throws him into Roman! Jey on the top rope wants a splash but Corbin stops him, posts him and throws him back into the ring! However, Reigns nails Corbin with a Spear and we finally have the DQ.
Winners: King Corbin & Dolph Ziggler (by DQ)
That’s about how you want Friday Night SmackDown to end…
Afterwards, Roman is gonna let Corbin have it but Robert Roode emerges from the crown to take him out with a Glorious DDT to the floor! This is his return after being injured by Roman Reigns in storyline. In real life he’s just coming off a suspension. Corbin with a Deep Six on one Uce, the other gets a superkick from Dolph Ziggler. Robert Roode hits a Spinebuster on Reigns onto the announce table and it does not break, that did not look like fun! Corbin and Roode hold Reigns down as Ziggler hops up onto the table for a big elbow drop, destroying it! And that’s the note that Friday Night SmackDown is closing on tonight!
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