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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Oct. 30, 2018) from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring the go home show to the upcoming Crown Jewel event scheduled for this coming Friday night in Saudi Arabia.
Advertised for tonight: AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan meet in the ring, a Trick or Street Fight, 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 OCT. 30
Wealth is a sick man’s game, those who have it and those who hunger for it. To the victor go the spoils of fame-- those who seek it, and those who abhor it. Evil is a very real concept, boiling in the bellies of the graceful. Toiling in the fortress in their complex, to our employers we are faithful. A number arises and there’s a spark in the eye, obscuring the vision, clouding the mind, but me, I’m clear to liveblog this here pro wrestling show, folks.
The show opens with commentary welcoming us to the show and hyping up our tag team main event for later tonight.
Live in the arena, AJ Styles makes his entrance.
He soaks in the atmosphere for a moment before getting on the mic and saying he needs to get something off his chest, and he means to say it to his face, so he calls Daniel Bryan out.
Bryan obliges and makes his entrance and joins Styles in the ring. AJ begins, saying after what happened last week he needs to apologize. So for that, he’s sorry, and Dan tells him there’s no need to apologize. They’re fighting for the same prize, and Styles knows what everybody knows, that Bryan has an infinite respect for him both as a man and as a competitor, but when he looks at him now, he doesn’t see a friend, a colleague, all he sees is the WWE Championship.
That title has a lot of meaning to him, because it kept him fighting when he was told he’d never wrestle again, and AJ is the only thing standing in his way. So nothing personal, but he’s going to take that title from him and he’s going to do it this Friday at Crown Jewel. AJ says that’s good to know but he didn’t let him finish-- he’s sorry because he lied last week.
That Pele kick was no accident, it was meant for Bryan. Nothin’ personal, but he looks forward to doing it again this Friday. Dan acts all mock surprised and says he doesn’t lie, so believe him when he says right now that he feels like hitting AJ on purpose. Styles asks what’s stopping him and says they don’t have to way until Friday, he’ll defend the title right here, right now!
They strip down and get ready to fight... and here comes Shane McMahon. He says we’ve seen this before, two competitors saying they want to go right here, right now, but it never seems to transpire, but this is SmackDown and he’s back, so what’s gonna happen is they’re gonna have AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship... right here tonight in Atlanta, Georgia!
As a matter of fact, it’s happening right now!
Or well, after the break.
Back from commercial in time for the bell and introductions!
AJ Styles (c) vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship)
Circling, test of strength, struggling in the middle of the ring, Bryan turns it into a wristlock, takes Styles down, plants his hand flat, and stomps his bicep! Shift to an armbar, AJ counters by slamming him over the ropes and to the apron! Back to the test of strength, Dan puts Styles in the corner, and shoves him on the break. AJ returns the favor, we got a shoving match, Bryan with a shoulder armbreaker to the hammerlock and he rams Styles into the turnbuckles!
Kicks to the arms follow, another shoulder armbreaker, an elbow, and AJ fights back, getting him into the corner for chops and forearms. Whip across, backflip up and over, off the ropes, duck a lariat, leapfrog, drop down, the champion catches him with a dropkick! Going for the plancha forearm, Bryan dodges... SUICIDE DIVE FROM THE AMERICAN DRAGON SENDS US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Bryan’s laying the Yes! Kicks in but Styles catches one and turns it into a dragon screw! Pressing the attack, DDT to the leg, kick to the knee, pick the leg, knee drop shinbreaker, hamstring kicks and an elbow drop set up a simple leglock on the mat. Dan reverses to an armbar but AJ has the hands clasped and slips out before posting the leg knee-first into the mat!
A legsweep follows, Bryan begs off but Styles continues kicking the leg! Shinbreaker connects, the American Dragon rolls away and gets big uppercuts out of the corner, but a leg kick sets up a shinbreaker into the turnbuckles! Leg pick, elbow drop to the knee, back to the leglock but Dan punches his way out. More righteous uppercuts, charge into a back elbow, he turns the moonsault inverted DDT into a cravate!
Knees set up a cravate suplex, more Yes! Kicks, the buzzsaw finale lands true, Yes! fingers in the corner, charging in and AJ cuts him off with a dropkick! Setting up the springboard, Dan cuts him off and climbs up after him... THE BACK SUPERPLEX IS YOUR FIVE MINUTE WARNING BUT AJ TURNS IT INTO A FALLING ELBOW DROP TO THE HEAD! WE GOTTA GO TO BREAK!
My cable is giving me some trouble so I come back from commercial a little late and Bryan’s got the Yes! Lock on square in the middle of the ring! AJ turns it into a pin, Dan adjusts to a triangle choke... STYLES COUNTERS WITH THE STYLES CLASH! HE’S GOT THE CALF KILLER IN RIGHT AFTER! BRYAN FIGHTING BUT HE’S GOT NO CHOICE... IT’S OVER!
AJ Styles wins by submission with the Calf Killer to retain the WWE Championship.
They hug post-match and AJ raises Bryan’s hand... AND JOE ATTACKS STYLES FROM BEHIND! MOUNTED PUNCHES, RAINING DOWN, ASKING AJ IF HE FORGOT! THE COQUINA CLUTCH IS ON! BRYAN MAKES THE SAVE BUT JOE CHOKES HIM OUT TOO!
Commentary hypes up the bracket for WWE World Cup.
We go backstage with Jeff Hardy wondering why people don’t learn to draw and talking about how every battle adds a new color to his self-portrait, every leap a paint stroke, and at World Cup he’ll illustrate his masterpiece and prove that he’s the best in the world.
Miz is also backstage to tell us why he’s going to win World Cup. He’s the best husband in the world, the best father, the best reality star, and so of course he’s also the best wrestler in the world, and at Crown Jewel he’ll get the trophy to prove it.
Commentary hypes up our main event and we cut to ring crew setting up a Trick or Street Fight for after the break.
Back from commercial, Paige calls Charlotte Flair into her office.
First off she tells her her match againt Becky Lynch was amazing and she’s got a question for her-- will she captain SmackDown’s women’s team at Survivor Series? Flair thanks her and says she doesn’t think she’s the right woman for the job. Paige says she remembers Charlotte saying to not let success get to your head or failure to your heart, so she just wants her to think about it.
Flair agrees and leaves.
A video package on Brothers of Destruction vs. D-Generation X follows, because it is 2018.
The Brood make their entrance?!
Well, the New Day dressed as the Brood, at least-- Xavier Woods as Edge, Big E as Gangrel, and Kofi Kingston as Christian.
The Bar make their entrance, but we go to break before the match begins.
Big E vs. Cesaro (Trick or Street Fight)
The match in progress, E counters a kendo stick shot with a belly-to-belly suplex! Kendo stick to Cesaro’s midsection, snapping it across his back, just wailing on him with it. Scooping him up, Sheamus makes the save and blocks the big ending and both stables are brawling in the ring! Show with a double goozle and over the ropes go Kofi and Xavier! He passes Big to the floor after them, Sheamus joins him and clobbers Kingston with a platter of pancakes!
Finlay Roll to follow, back in the ring with the legal men... ALPAMARE WATERSLIDE INTO A PILE OF JACK O’LANTERNS! Looking for a suplex through a table, E blocks and reverses and Cesaro goes into the jack o’lanterns! Sheamus in with a knee strike, fireman’s carry but Big slips away, ducks the lariat, and passes him through the table! Kofi with a dropkick to Show, Woods as well, Xavier gets caught, Kofi in hand but they fight him off with the blood mist!
Back in the ring, knee lift sets up the Neutralizer but E counters with a back body drop! Cesaro lands on his feet but gets a face-full of the blood mist...
Big E wins by pinfall with the Big Ending.
Commentary hypes the World Cup up again and we go backstage where Shane McMahon is chilling with all of SmackDown’s entrants to the tournament. Everybody talks about how they’re the best and they’re going to win and Shane has a special announcement for them. He hates when his sister can call one of her Raw superstars the best in the world, and whichever of them makes it to the finals, if they get beat, they’re off SmackDown.
We go to break on a hype reel for Mixed Match Challenge.
Back from commercial, we get a replay of the aftermath of tonight’s opening match.
AJ Styles rolls up on Paige to demand a Samoa Joe match at Crown Jewel. Paige questions the validity of that approach, but AJ insists and she gives it to him. He says she won’t regret it, but Joe will.
R-Truth vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (c) (WWE United States Championship)
Nakamura right in, taking him down, falling knees to the ribs, drawing him up into the corner for more knees and a bit of Good Vibrations! Mocking Truth’s dancing, Ron explodes out of the corner with strikes, off the ropes, wicked headscissors takeover variation and Truth shows him how it’s done! Off the ropes, hip toss, clothesline to the floor, Carmella in the ring... DANCE BREAK!
Back from commercial, Nakamura’s in control, kicks and clubs, a snapmare into a knee drop across the face, back elbow up on the charge, boot up on the next, Truth fires up with lariats, the splits for an evasion and he kicks Shinsuke in the face before doing the leaping splits! Off the ropes, corkscrew forearm... NOPE! Off the ropes, scissors kick blocked, Nakamura gets a kick combo of his own, whip reversed, sidestep the charge, roundhouse kick to the back of the neck!
Setting him up, rope-hung knee, Ron’s in the ropes for the break. Drawing him up, inverted exploder but Truth lands on his feet! Jockeying for position ends with a wicked knee to the back of Ron’s head...
Shinsuke Nakamura wins by pinfall with the superkick-style Kinshasa, retaining the WWE United States Championship.
We cut to Becky Lynch picking her title up backstage and walking to go to break.
Back from commercial, Becky Lynch makes her entrance.
She says she won. Folded up like an accordion, beat with a kendo stick, but she got up again, and she’s the last woman standing. When Evolution was over and all said and done, only one woman was the rightful main event, and that was her. Beating Charlotte Flair, the most decorated woman in WWE history, proved that she’s the man. (She’s so bad, she should be in detention. NOT!)
And if she has to go around and slap everyone’s heads off in the locker room, she will, but what’s next? “We want Ronda!” chants go up and Lynch asks what planet, exactly, is Ronda Rousey the baddest woman on? She didn’t come here to cosplay or talk about a reality show, she’s just headed into Survivor Series to rip Ronda’s arm off.
Commentary shills for Saudi blood money spectacular Crown Jewel again, hyping up our new WWE Championship match in the process.
The Miz makes his entrance, our main event will begin after the break.
Back from commercial, we get a bit about a sports team receiving a title belt.
Samoa Joe is backstage, he cuts a promo on AJ Styles, asking if he really thought they were done. Do his kids sleep soundly at night? Is Wendy still triplechecking the locks at night? Did AJ tell them everything was okay? He’s wrong. When Shane said he was gonna defend against Bryan tonight, Joe knew he had to pick up his pen and write their final chapter, where Styles will be on the ground, gassed out, and Samoa will raise the title high above his head. The end.
Heel entrances for the main event follow, but we go to break one last time before the bell.
Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton & the Miz
Hardy and Orton to start, circling, collar and elbow, Jeff with a side headlock, shot off, shoulder block, drop down, hip toss connects on the second try, axehandle, arm wringer, elbows to the elbow, headbutt to the shoulder! Jawbreaker sends Randy staggering, repeatedly smashing his face into the top turnbuckle, kick to the gut, Twist of Fate denied and he catches Miz with the Manhattan Drop and the double leg drop!
Orton blocks another Twist of Fate, Jeff heads up top and Miz cuts him off! Mysterio runs around for the save and the A-Lister runs off. Miz runs some more interference when Rey heads back to his corner, allowing Randy room to start the Garvin stomp. Tag made, A-Lister off the ropes with a boot to the face for two and he follows it up with a mat slam.
Taking the Charismatic Enigma in the corner, knees, distracting referee Jason Ayers so the Viper can geta cheap shot in, and the tag is made. Orton on the prowl, headbutt, catapult into the bottom rope, headed to the floor, overhead elbow to the throat on the apron! Choking him with the rope, cutting him off as he heads for the corner. Blocked punches get an eyepoke, standing dropkick for two!
Reverse chinlock applied, grinding Hardy down but he fights to his feet and out with elbows. Whip puts him in the corner, boot up on the charge, Jeff up top... WHISPER IN THE WIND! TAGS MADE! Seated senton from Mysterio, he rolls out of a sunset flip into a buzzsaw roundhouse kick, whip across, boot up, rolling thunder DDT! The A-Lister shoves him off, tilt-a-whirl backbreaker into the backbreaker / neckbreaker combo... NOPE!
Jockeying for position, Miz counters a wheelbarrow into the Skull-Crushing Finale clutch but Rey gets away and makes the tag! Setting him up in the corner, Poetry in Motion! Wheelbarrow bodyscissors sets up the 619! Hardy up top...
Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio win by pinfall with a Swanton Bomb from Hardy on the Miz.
Randy Orton drops Hardy with the RKO! Mysterio dives in... RKO CUTS HIM OUT OF MID-AIR! ONE FOR THE MIZ TOO!
The Viper stands tall and poses.
That’s the show, folks.