WWE Friday Night SmackDown continues here tonight after those two matches were just announced. Heath Slater is backstage in the locker room with Daniel Bryan and he’s trying to cheer him up, but he’s an idiot so he can’t help but bring up all the wrong things and get way under his skin. Notes things like how stupid it was to challenge him to a strap match and get tied to the Fiend in the first place, how he was helpless getting whipped over and over. Bryan says he understands and suggests the two of them meet in the ring… right now. Quick commercial break later and that match is happening right here! Before the bell rings, we see a video package, recapping the Strap Match, Daniel Bryan vs. the Fiend for the WWE Universal Championship at the 2020 Royal Rumble.
Daniel Bryan vs. Heath Slater
Bell rings, Bryan charges with a running knee! Throws him to the outside, suicide dive drives him right int othe announce table! He is furious. Throws Slater into the ring, goes up top, Missile Dropkick! And the Yes Kicks commence! Nails the roundhouse kick to the head for once! Nodding intensely. Crowd still going along with the Yes pose as he wills Slater to his feet. Buisaku Knee! But Bryan isn’t finished with him. Grabs Heath by the wrists and stomps onto the face of Slater! Ref makes him break it, but then he goes right back to it, transitions to the LaBell Lock and the ref immediately calls for the bell. It looks like Slater was already knocked out before he even locked it in.
Winners: Daniel Bryan
Hey, nice to see a loss affecting someone and being something they have to actively get past. Even if it was just for this week, and that wouldn’t surprise me, that’s much better than the norm. He had plenty of reason to be frustrated and Slater was good for this role as the hapless guy for him to vent those frustrations against. Now it’ll be a lot more sensible when he moves on to whatever he does next. And I also like seeing sheer emotion in a match and you could certainly tell what was going through his head that whole time, just don’t see it in WWE near enough. Good stuff.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
