Bowen’s Botches and Bodyslams: WWE Smackdown Live Results and Review September 11 2018
Smackdown Live is from the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana for the last show before the Hell In A Cell Pay Per View. Rusev Day will face The Bar to determine who will challenge The New Day for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships at Hell In A Cell and Brie Bella will face Maryse in the Main Event.
Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Jeff Hardy wins by Disqualification when Randy Orton attacks Hardy as he was about to land the Swanton Bomb and finish off Nakamura.
Charlotte Flair vs Sonya Deville with Mandy Rose
Charlotte Flair wins by Submission with the Figure Eight. Becky Lynch attacked Charlotte Flair disguised as a member of the crowd after the match.
Winner Faces The New Day at Hell In A Cell for the Smackdown Tag Team Championships
Rusev Day (Rusev and Aiden English) with Lana vs. The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro) with The New Day on commentary
Rusev lands the Machka Kick and defeats Sheamus by Pinfall. Aiden English stepped in to take the Braugh Kick from Sheamus and create the opportunity for victory.
R-Truth with Carmella vs. Andrade Cien Almas with Zelina Vega
Andrade Cien Almas rolls up R-Truth with two handfuls of tights for the Pinfall victory.
Brie Bella with Daniel Bryan vs. Maryse with The Miz
Brie Bella wins by Disqualification when The Miz pulls her out of the ring with Maryse in the Yeslock. The four fight outside of the ring and back in, with Bryan and Bella holding the ring in the end with the show ending to YES! chants from the crowd.
Botches
- Randy Orton watching Jeff Hardy hit him in the back with a steel chair. It just doesn’t look good when someone is watching and waiting for the hits.
- AJ Styles is stuck in downward inertia with his promos. Probably because he’s in a blood feud with one of his best friends.
- Brie Bella vs. Maryse in the main event. I understand they are tied to the top face and top heel, but it’s almost an insult to see at the top of the card. Everyone knows this match is as much about the men at ringside, and it was. Lucky for the fans in attendance, their main event will be something worthy of the spot.
Bodyslams
- Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. WWE is close to going to the well too many times with this opening match, but these two are so good together it’s hard to be mad about it.
- Rusev Day vs. The Bar. The match was great, but that ending was masterful. Aiden English taking the shot to open the door for Rusev carried emotional weight because of everything they’ve been through lately. This was the single best piece of storytelling on WWE programming this week.
- R-Truth vs. Almas was a sleeper surprise. R-Truth is better than he has ever been, and Almas is wrestling on a higher level than anyone on the roster right now. I would wager that given fifteen minutes, these two could steal the show.
Smackdown Live once again puts on a better show than RAW. Cohesive storytelling and consistent characters have made Smackdown the show I look forward to most every week. What happened to night with Rusev Day is an example of that. Over months these characters have been through the ringer, with Aiden English on the verge of being pushed away completely. All of that storytelling made one spot, him stepping in to take the Braugh Kick from Sheamus instead of Rusev, carry more emotional weight than anything RAW has done all year. RAW has been about high spots and big names. Smackdown has been about telling stories and using the characters in ways that make sense. Maybe that’s why it feels like Smackdown’s matches at Hell In A Cell this Sunday are the only ones that really matter.
Can @JEFFHARDYBRAND overcome a past demon in @ShinsukeN before he takes on @RandyOrton inside #HellInACell this Sunday?! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/P6tWHQBXHY
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
#TheViper @RandyOrton wasn’t about to let @JEFFHARDYBRAND build momentum heading into #HIAC… #SDLive pic.twitter.com/VLIKfi3PlK
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
“At #HIAC, the talking stops. The intimidation ENDS.”@WWE Champion @AJStylesOrg has some POWERFUL words for @SamoaJoe ahead of this Sunday! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/T8rUJCo8Ze
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
#SDLive #WomensChampion @MsCharlotteWWE faces a tough task in the form of @SonyaDevilleWWE before she meets @BeckyLynchWWE at #HIAC! pic.twitter.com/JYUnVWczX0
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
Some BRILLIANT investigative journalism by #KramerKingsman backstage at #SDLive! @WWEBigE @TrueKofi @XavierWoodsPhD pic.twitter.com/mjNBXmWtmT
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
Will it be #RusevDay or #TheBar challenging #TheNewDay for the #SDLive #TagTeamTitles at @WWE #HIAC?! pic.twitter.com/6d5TxKhG4Q
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
It’s TRUTH vs. TRANQUILO on #SDLive as @RonKillings (with @CarmellaWWE in his corner!) takes on @AndradeCienWWE! @Zelina_VegaWWE pic.twitter.com/sC4DeC7Vlr
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018
Tensions are only building FURTHER as Brie @BellaTwins and @MaryseMizanin square off for the first time in over 8 YEARS on #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/MqIJv0JzvI
— WWE (@WWE) September 12, 2018