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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 11, 2017) from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Battleground pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Philadelphia.
Advertised for tonight: AJ Styles is US champion, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JULY 11
People going nowhere, taken for a ride, looking for the answers that they know inside. Searching for a reason, looking for a rhyme, Snow White's mirror said "partners in crime!" Don't they ever have to worry? Don't you ever wonder why? It's a part of me that tells you that I'm here to liveblog this pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap of the United States Championship #1 contender's battle royal from last week before moving on to footage of the house show match where AJ Styles won the title and media coverage thereof.
We then get the usual intro video.
AJ Styles makes his entrance, champion of the entire United States. He says Battleground came a little early for him at Madison Square Garden, and he wouldn't call himself the face of America, but considering that Kevin Owens looks like a monkey's butt, he's gotta be an upgrade. But this isn't about Kevin Owens or about AJ Styles, it's about the title around his waist and what it represents.
It wasn't too long ago that a United States Champion wanted to prove he was the best every time he got in the ring. He took on all comers and he called it the US Open Challenge, and Styles thinks it's about time we brought it back. The title's been overlooked way too many times, and from now on whenever you see a man with that title around his waist, you know he's the best.
And if any WWE superstar disagrees, well, tonight is your lucky night. Tonight you can come out here and prove him wrong, because right here, right now (Van Halen is kicking ass in America?) is AJ Styles' US Open Challenge, and it starts right now. AJ bounces impatiently waiting for somebody to stick their neck out...
ENTER JOHN CENA! He squares up with AJ and smiles on his way to finishing his entrance and he gets on the mic. He says he just wants to make sure Styles realizes what he just said, "US Championship Open Challenge", and asks if that's for everybody but him. AJ says no, that's him, especially him.
Cena accepts! Let's do this! He calls a referee down and we're on! They square up, waiting for the bell--
Enter Kevin Owens. He says nobody wants to see another stupid Cena/Styles match, we've already had to sit through way too many of them and nobody cares. The only thing anyone should care about is the rightful owner of the title reclaiming it and that's him. As for Cena, nobody wants him and he doesn't deserve to be near his title anyway.
John says it's not that he doesn't want to see him, it's that he can't see him, and he's just like everybody else running their mouth over the years trying to leave. You want him to leave, you shut up, step up, and do something about it, but you step in this ring right now he'll run through him and then he'll run through Styles...
RUSEV ATTACKS CENA! AJ pulls him off but KO comes in, pop-up powerbomb! Rusev gets the thrust kick on Cena, stomp to the back, the Accolade is locked on! The heels take their leave as Cena and Styles writhe in pain.
Commentary hypes up Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin and Tye Dillinger vs. Jinder Mahal, the latter of which is up next, after the break.
Back from commercial, commentary tells us that the opening segment has turned into a main event tag team match, playa.
Jinder Mahal vs. Tye Dillinger
Collar and elbow, Mahal forcing Dillinger in the corner and breaking dirty with a biel! Float over on a scoop slam, back elbow, crossbody, only two and Jinder cuts the rally with a boot. Lariat connects, grinding the Perfect Ten down, rear chinlock, raking the nose, choking him over the middle rope as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Mahal firmly in charge, scoop and a slam, disdainful punches send Tye reeling, crawling up Jinder's body. Back in with left hands, wobbing, whip, flying forearm, boots up, duck a lariat, mounted punches, but the champion shoves him away before he can complete the ten.
Mahal with a huge knee lift, cobra clutch applied...
Jinder Mahal wins by pinfall with Khallas.
Jinder celebrates with the WWE Championship and gets on the mic. He says week after week he comes here and he speaks the truth and the people still disrespect him. They can boo all they want, the Modern Day Maharaja brings class, diversity, and excellence to the WWE, but the people still cheer for that snake Randy Orton.
Randy wants to threaten his family? Chanting USA doesn't change the fact that 1.3 billion people of India know that Mahal is the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Orton wants to make his life hell, he'll bring hell right to Randy, and next week he's bringing the Punjabi Prison to SmackDown.
New Day are walking backstage handing presents out, Xavier Woods will wrestle Jey Uso after the break.
Back from commercial, Big E does the deal.
Jey Uso vs. Xavier Woods
Xavier right in with a low superkick, club to the back, punch to the head, another, whip, just a wicked right hand catching Jey in the face! In the ropes, crossface blows, running the ropes but Jimmy trips Woods up and evens the score a bit. Jey takes a shot at Kofi Kingston and referee Charles Robinson has his hands full, throwing E, Kingston, and Jimmy out!
Woods looking for an O'Connor roll, blocked, superkick... NO GOOD! Xavier playing possum on the mat, Jey climbs, diving splash, the knees are up! Charging in, back body drop to the apron, right hand gets an enzuigiri in return, Woods climbs, Uso is trapped in the ropes...
Xavier Woods wins by pinfall with a ropewalk elbow drop.
Jimmy runs back in immediately and runs a celebrating Xavier off, and Woods celebrates with his partners, who have returned from exile themselves.
Commentary hypes up Corbin/Nakamura once more and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Shane McMahon is talking to Daniel Bryan and telling him nobody has asked about James Ellsworth. Naomi rolls up and says Carmella has a title shot when she wants, and that's fine, but who does she get to defend against next? Best not say Lana...
Enter Charlotte Flair, who says if he says Lana he'll have to ban her like Ellsworth because she's gonna get violent. Becky, Tamina, Lana, and Natalya roll up and also get in on this, so Shane makes a five-way elimination match for Battleground between Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Lana, Natalya, and Tamina for Battleground, the winner of which will face Naomi at SummerSlam.
Charlotte asks why some of the lesser women are in this and Nattie gives her some guff for it. Shane makes a tag match for later, and everyone but Naomi leaves. Carmella rolls up with a petition to reinstate James Ellsworth from her attorney. McMahon tears it up and tells her to go back to her attorney.
Baron Corbin is interviewed backstage. He says he's afraid of what he's gonna do to Shinsuke Nakamura, who has to learn that he's not Mr. Money in the Bank. It'll be sayonara, Nakamura.
The match will be after the break.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Nakamura taking it to Corbin before the bell, forearms on forearms! Baron turns it around dumps him over the barricade and they brawl in the crowd! Lone Wolf clubbing away and dumping him back over five-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce and Jamie Noble come down with an army of referees to break them up but they won't stop brawling!
Shinsuke breaks away and gets in the ring to ask for more but Corbin collects his Money in the Bank briefcase, raises it high, and walks off.
AJ Styles is hanging out in the locker room when John Cena rolls up. He says the open challenge is a great idea but maybe hold off until he's gone again because you know he's gonna accept it. AJ says he was counting on it, because John took something from him, and he's gonna hold that title for a long time.
Cena says he respects AJ, and you don't just get it, you earn it. Tonight Styles has his word, he's got his back.
Women's tag action up next, after the break.
Back from commercial, Cedric Alexander cuts a promo to hype his "I Quit" Match against Noam Dar on 205 Live tonight.
Becky Lynch & Charlotte vs. Natalya & Tamina
Becky and Tamina to start, collar and elbow, Snuka gets a knee and a clubbing blow in, another, a big right, backing Lynch in the corner but she comes back strong with a series of kicks into a leg drop, elbow drop, tag, turning elbow drop and Flair enters with a knee drop for a quick cover.
Whip reversed, up and over, Charlotte thinking German suplex but it's blocked by an elbow. Tamina headbutts her into enemy territory and tags Natalya in. Mat slam, Flair back in with a chop, tag made. Lasskicker off the turnbuckles with an axehandle, rolling solebutt, exploder suplex, Nattie bails outside.
Snuka pulls her away from a baseball slide and Neidhart puts Lynch into the steel steps to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Natalya keeps Becky isolated, tagging Tamina in to put boots to her. Snapmare to a rear chinlock as Lana makes her way to the ring. Lynch fights to her feet and out, off the ropes, kick to the midsection but Snuka runs her over with a lariat and knocks Flair off the apron!
Double-teaming Becky while referee Charles Robinson gets Charlotte under control, another tag made, Nattie poses, charges in and eats a boot, Lynch desperate for the tag but Natalya cuts her off, looking for the Sharpshooter, kicked off, tag made! Flair in like a house afire, chopping away, whip into a chop, running boot, and it's time for the Queen to strut.
Lana up on the apron, Charlotte hits an exploder suplex on Neidhart before turning her attention to Lana. Tamina gets a blind tag, Nattie lies in wait, Snuka in...
Natalya & Tamina win by pinfall with a superkick from Tamina on Charlotte Flair.
The heels leave together in celebration.
Commentary hypes up our tag team main event.
Maria Kanellis is walking backstage. She knocks on the men's locker room door and Chad Gable answers. She's looking for an apology from Sami Zayn but he's not there. She tells Gable to tell him she's looking for him, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, the Kanellises are being all lovey-dovey and Sami Zayn walks up to try and get their attention, but it takes a minute. Maria says she wants her apology and she wants it now, but Zayn says he's apologized twice and he's sick of apologizing. Seems like every time he's got something important to do, they're in his way with one of their love-ins.
They're doing it now! Sami asks if Mike competes here, what this is about? Is he the lover and she the fighter? Maria slaps him across the face and Mike picks up a vase... AND GLASSES HIM WITH IT!
Commentary hypes up Battleground a little, talking about Nakamura/Corbin before tossing to the Fashion Files.
This week it's Runway Walker, Texas Rangers. Breezango are moseying along backstage, Fandango riding a stick horse and Breeze carrying a lasso "like Wonder Woman". Dango asks Zack Ryder to park his horse and compliments him on his hair and his suit before giving Tyler the signal, but he's got the lasso all tangled up.
Zack asks if he wears a bra when he's undercover to test the lasso and Breeze says of course, he's not a hippie. Mojo Rawley rolls up and asks what this is all about, and Breezango think it's not a coincidence they were attacked on Ryder's first night back. Mojo says they were busy talking with Daniel Bryan about being #1 contenders and they wouldn't do anything shady.
Ryder asks about being eliminated last week, and Rawley defends it as the natural course of a battle royal and says they gotta get focused. Zack says maybe he's right, they have to get back to reality, all of them. Breezango decide to head back to the office but someone stole Fandango's horse! Aliens? Ghosts?! GHOST ALIENS?!
Find out soon on the Fashion X-Files.
Kevin Owens makes his entrance, so our main event is after the break.
Back from commercial, we get some hype for Talking Smack, featuring John Cena, Sami Zayn, and the Usos, but no Daniel Bryan.
AJ Styles & John Cena vs. Kevin Owens & Rusev
Cena and Rusev to start, collar and elbow, Rusev grabs a side headlock. John shoots him off and eats the requisite shoulder block, and the Bulgarian Brute heads out to his flag and waves it around a bit. Back inside, Cena runs the ropes, shoulder block, smashing Rusev into the corner, off the ropes again for a one-handed bulldog and Owens tags in.
Circling, KO with a kick to the gut, clubbing and stomping, trapping him in the corner and making another tag. Rusev stomping away, referee Jason Ayers warns him and backs him off but it just gives Owens a chance to choke Cena. Straight right connects and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Rusev still in control, kicking away, but Cena gets his licks in, punch exchange, spinning wheel kick from the Bulgarian stops the rally! Up to the second, diving headbutt comes up empty! Styles gets the tag, Styles Rush connects, off the ropes, sliding forearm to a kip-up! Charging in, Rusev with an elbow up but AJ rolls through and locks the Calf Killer on!
Owens breaks it up, Styles floats over on a slam, fireman's carry denied, AJ knocks KO off the ropes but gets caught by Rusev with a roundhouse kick for a two count. Tag made, Owens back in, stomping away, mounted punches shortly into a reverse chinlock. Styles to his feet, fighting with elbows, float over, schoolboy pin gets two!
Kev with a lariat that gets two, tag to Rusev. Punch to the back, another roundhouse kick, another two count. Dropping a knee across AJ's face, and he locks a bear hug on! I can hardly bear it! Styles throwing headbutts but the Bulgarian Brute just wrenches it in harder! AJ throwing forearms, staggering Rusev but he pulls him back in.
On the feet from a back suplex, a kick connects, they're both laid out, tags made! Shoulder block, shoulder block, duck the haymaker, falling Blue Thunder Driver, "You can't see me!", off the ropes, Five Knuckle Shuffle, fireman's carry but Rusev comes in and takes him out! Phenomenal Forearm for Rusev, Pele kick for Owens, Cena grabs the fireman's carry again...
AJ Styles & John Cena win by pinfall with an Attitude Adjustment from Cena on Kevin Owens.
Cena and Styles face off after, and John raises AJ's hand in victory.
That's the show, folks.