WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Nov. 6, 2018) from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, featuring the fallout show from the Crown Jewel event that went down last Friday night in Saudi Arabia.
Advertised for tonight: SmackDown has to get ready for Survivor Series, what to make of Shane McMahon’s World Cup win, 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 NOV. 6
They’re as elusive as air: as soon as we name them they are gone. Their meaning disappears, melts like an icicle in the sun. I wanted to shape and change them, but it’s they who’ve changed me. I wanted to get inside of them but they wouldn’t let me in. How much control do we have over what we wish for? I don’t know, but I’m here to liveblog this pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with Paige making her entrance.
She greets her native England and welcomes them to the show before saying she’s here to introduce the commissioner and best in the world, Shane McMahon.
He makes his entrance as we get a recap of the WWE World Cup Tournament to Determine Who Is Best in the World. Paige insists on a photo op as “CM Punk!” chants go up (god I miss that curmudgeonly bastard), and then Shane greets the crowd and thanks Paige for her introduction. He wants to set the record straight, he’s definitely not the best in the world, and that trophy belongs to everybody on SmackDown, not to him.
McMahon runs down the card as announced and introduces the captain for SmackDown’s men’s team... the American Dragon himself, Daniel Bryan! He thanks Shane for acknowledging that he’s not the best in the world and says it’s an honor to be chosen as captain, whereupon Miz interrupts, limping his way down the ramp as he begins speaking.
He asks Shane if Bryan is really captain, really, and puts McMahon over as best in the world. He’s not even angry, just disappointed, and technically 2/3rds of that trophy is his, and together they’re best in the world. The A-Lister asks about custody and Shane cuts him off and says he’s happy it worked out like this, because if not Miz would have been fired.
Miz claims there was no official forfeit, and besides he’s never been so injured he couldn’t compete, unlike Dan, and if anybody deserves to be captain, it’s him. Shane admits that based on Miz’s performance, he’s right. He’s the captain. The A-Lister celebrates by getting in Bryan’s face and crowing about it, whereupon McMahon says that Dan is still also captain, and they will be co-captains.
Miz throws a fit while a look of befuddlement plays across the American Dragon’s face before he leads the crowd in “Yes!” chants.
Commentary hypes up New Day vs. Usos for the captaincy of the SmackDown tag team... team... at Survivor Series, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Bryan and Miz are in a shouting match backstage right next to Shane McMahon.
Miz asks what Shane was thinking, and McMahon says he wants urgency, not comfort, and they make each other uncomfortable AND bring out the best in each other. Miz says he can count on him 100%, and McMahon says they have to pick their three other members by the end of the night. The A-Lister says he’s got his first pick, and it’s Shane. Shane begs off, but Dan says he agrees with Miz.
As much as he hates to say it, it makes sense, and nobody has more on the line that McMahon does. Shane accepts, and Miz says that just to show he’s a team player, he’ll give Bryan the next pick. Dan thanks him and observes that that’s weird before he walks off.
Big E does the deal, and New Day make their entrance.
New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston ) vs. the Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso)
Jey and Kingston to start, shoulder block, drop down, leapfrog, Kofi going for a hip attack, Uso catches him, back suplex but the New Day man lands on his feet and dumps him to the floor! Tag to E, pass Jimmy to the floor, he ducks a slingshot dive from Kingston, who proceeds to gyrate at him before Big rolls over him on the floor with a lariat and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Kofi is down and out in the corner and Jey calls for it only to get caught with a pop-up double stomp when he charges in! We see the Bar watching backstage, tags made, E hits the trifecta of belly-to-belly suplexes on Jimmy, off the ropes for the big splash but it’s countered by an uppercut! Big Ending denied, Jey tags back in, kicks stagger the big man, diving splash but the knees are up!
Big recovers, Big Ending... JIMMY MAKES THE SAVE! E’s fired up, blind tag, suicide spear but Jey rolls away and Big eats proverbial dirt! E recovers, rams Jey in to the barricade, hoists Jimmy up for the same but Uso counters and puts Big into the timekeeper’s area! Kofi up top... diving splash to the floor wipes the Usos out! Back inside... NO GOOD!
SOS connects, still no, Kingston fends Jey off, diving crossbody gets a nearfall and we go back to break.
Back from commercial, Kofi with the low bridge but the Usos get a blind tag and recover, looking for a suplex over the ropes to the floor, Kingston slips out... BIG E COMES CHARGING IN AND HITS THE SUICIDE SPEAR ON JEY! TROUBLE IN PARADISE ON JIMMY CANNOT PUT HIM AWAY! Kofi rises up, draws Jimmy Uso up and puts him in the corner with a headbutt.
Big open hand chop, setting him up top, climbing to meet him but Uso blocks. Knock him down, to the second, Kingston charges back in... AVALANCHE FRANKENSTEINER COUNTERED INTO AN AVALANCHE POWERBOMB! JIMMY UP TOP... DIVING SPLASH! IT’S OVER!
The Usos win by pinfall with a diving splash from Jimmy Uso on Kofi Kingston to become the captains of the SmackDown Tag Team Survivor Series Team.
The Usos get on the mic and say they’ve been to hell and back together plenty of times, real recognizes real, and there ain’t a SmackDown tag division without both of their teams. As captains going into Survivor Series, they want New Day as their first pick. Hands extended, New Day shake, and the alliance is cemented.
Miz is on the phone backstage talking with someone about late night appearances but nobody wants him, they all want Becky Lynch. He begs off and hangs up when Daniel Bryan rolls up to announce his pick, Rey Mysterio. Miz says there’s no doubt Rey’s a future hall of famer, but since coming back he’s done nothing. Dan says he’s beaten Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, and Miz himself.
The A-Lister calls it a fluke and offers a compromise-- if Mysterio is impressive against Almas tonight, he’ll let him on the team. Bryan says that’s fair, and offers the suggestion that for their final pick, they each nominate a wrestler and they’ll have a match to decide who’s on the team. Miz likes it but a beat later realizes how weird it is to agree with his long-time rival and leaves to make his pick.
Becky Lynch is shown backstage tearing a Ronda Rousey shirt off to reveal her “I AM THE MAN” t-shirt underneath as we go to break.
Back from commercial, commentary hypes up our women’s champion vs. champion match for Survivor Series and tosses to a recap of Ronda Rousey’s promo from last night.
Becky Lynch makes her entrance.
She takes in the crowd singing her theme and chanting for her for a moment before beginning, calling Ronda out, saying she told her that she was the last woman on earth to provoke, but who the hell is she to tell the champ anything? It’s true Rousey holds a title, but she’s not a champion, not yet. A champion wills herself through adversity, defeat, injury, and doubt, but Ronda hasn’t even been tested... yet.
Lynch says she’s The Man, and that’s why she’s champion and Rousey isn’t. Winning comes so easy to Ronda that when she meets the Man at Survivor Series, her titanium body will be let down by her weak mind. Becky’s been ground down so many time she’s lost count, tested daily, weekly, monthly, and here she is, the most resilient person you’ve met.
Last night on Raw, she mocked her for the jobs she’s taken to pay her way and get here, and no, she wasn’t hand-picked like Rousey, but here she is. Yeah, she wasn’t meant to be the main event, but here she is. She wasn’t meant to be the talk of the entire industry, but here she is, the champ. The ONLY champ. But Ronda says she should be happy to have her respect.
At Survivor Series, it’s not respect Lynch is after, it’s her arm, and she doesn’t care if she’s the Baddest Bitch on the Planet, because she’ll make her hers.
She goes to leave before turning back and deciding she wants a challenge, which she opens to the entire locker room.
SAnitY’s music plays in response and Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young, and Killian Dain enter. They part, EY points behind them... NIKKI CROSS IS HERE TO ANSWER THE CHALLENGE!
Lynch asks who she is to step up to her challenge, to which Nikki yanks the mic and says she’ll play if she wants, which she repeats over and over before shoving the mic back at her. Becky says she doesn’t play, she fights, and we go to break before the match can begin.
Back from commercial in time for the bell!
Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Cross
Circling, Lynch with a go-behind, waistlock takedown into a cover that comes up empty, Cross throws a forearm and the chap hits another takedown. Shoving at her, kicking, Nikki’s just fired up for more! Kick to the midsection, whip across, Cross with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors but Becky dumps her to the floor after. Following to the apron, Nikki trips her up in the ring skirt and beats her down while she’s trapped, punctuation with a vicious running kick as referee Ryan Tran counts.
Lynch in and back out, tripping Cross up before throwing her repeatedly into the barricade. Back inside, the cover gets two and Lynch immediately transitions to a reverse chinlock but Nikki struggles and rises to her feet before floating over an exploder attempt, schoolboy pin comes up empty and Becky comes back with a single-leg dropkick after.
Single-knee facebreaker, the exploder suplex connects, flying forearm for two! Trading forearms in the corner, Cross fired up, corner body avalanche into a bulldog, headed up top, diving crossbody... NOT ENOUGH! Transition into an inverted DDT, again just a nearfall and Nikki’s face blazes with rage! Putting boots to the champ in the corner, but Lynch slings her into the bottom rope and seizes the opportunity...
Becky Lynch wins by submission with Dis-Arm-Her.
Cut to Miz taking a selfie backstage when Bryan rolls up to photobomb him and also to announce his pick for their qualifier later tonight-- Jeff Hardy. The A-Lister runs his accolades down and says he’d be a great asset to their team, but is he as good as his choice? As Bryan knows from first-hand experience, Miz’s guy always comes through in the clutch.
Samoa Joe rolls up to reveal that he’s Miz’s guy and bids the best man win.
Rey Mysterio makes his entrance but we go to break before his match can begin.
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Rey Mysterio
Back from commercial, Shinsuke Nakamura gets a handcam promo.
He feels sorry for Seth Rollins, because his life is burning down, one best friend went away and the other turned out to be a lunatic, but at Survivor Series, he’ll cheer him up and keep him from thinking about his problems with a special gift from Nakamerica-- a knee to the face.
Circling, collar and elbow, Almas with a wristlock, wrenching it in, tripping Mysterio when he tries to escape but eats a headscissors takeover from the floor. Chop against the ropes, off the ropes, front kick, headscissors takeover, forearms in the corner as Rey comes back, whip reversed, up and over, back elbow wipes Rey out! Corner knee, whip across, another hard knee into a cover for two and Cien is rolling!
Shove into the corner, Mysterio sidesteps a knee, Andrade to the floor, Rey with the diving senton but Almas catches him and tosses him into the barricade to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Almas in control, double knees in the corner, up and over to the apron and Mysterio lands an enzuigiri. Diving senton, satellite headscissors, Cien with a boot up, roll through, Rey with a buzzsaw roundhouse, he heads up top and Almas cuts him off. Jockeying for position, Cien flips out of a powerbomb attempt, double knees in the corner, another set... SO CLOSE!
Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker follows, Andrade up top, diving moonsault, nobody home but he lands on his feet, standing moonsault... REY GOT THE KNEES UP! Dropkick sets him up but Almas has the 619 scouted and blocks with an elbow! Electric chair, Mysterio tries a victory roll to the floor but Cien lands on his feet and Rey has to think fast, Frankensteiner into the apron!
Back in, off the ropes, suicide dive through the bottom... DDT ON THE FLOOR! Mysterio throws him back in the ring as referee Jason Ayers counts, in position, springboard Frankensteiner puts Almas in the ropes... 619! Springboard splash... IT’S OVER!
Rey Mysterio wins by pinfall with the springboard splash.
But Rey can’t celebrate his win... RKO!
Daniel Bryan is watching backstage when the Miz rolls up. Bryan asks if Miz sent Orton out, but he says after what Orton did to him last week he wouldn’t meet with him, and of course he watched the match. Before the RKO, he WAS impressive, so Rey Mysterio is on the team. Miz asks Bryan how he can accuse him of sabotage and suggests he’s upset about Joe choking him out last week.
Bryan says Jeff is winning, and the A-Lister hopes that if Samoa wins, Dan can be the bigger man before he leaves snickering.
Commentary promises us a reveal of SmackDown’s women’s team after the break, but first we get a video package on WWE’s partnership with Girl Up.
Back from commercial, AJ Styles gets a promo backstage.
He says life as a WWE Superstar is unpredictable, and last week he defended the WWE Championship against multiple opponents in multiple continents. And where did he win that title? Right here in England. And what’s his reward? He gets to wrestle Brock Lesnar, a destroyer unlike any other. Last year he gave Lesnar everything he had, from the Pele kick to the Phenomenal Forearm, and none of it was enough.
Most think it’ll play out the same way, but like he said, life is unpredictable, so he’s telling us right here, right now, that at Survivor Series, he will beat Brock Lesnar, and that’s not a prediction, that’s a spoiler, because he is the Phenomenal AJ Styles.
Paige is in the ring to announce the members of the SmackDown Women’s Survivor Series Team, and if the battle royal at Evolution was any indication, things will catch fire. The team is Carmella, Naomi, Sonya Deville, Asuka, and Charlotte Flair.
Mandy Rose interrupts the proceedings, coming out in Flair’s place. She says she’s not the blonde we ordered, but obviously she’s an upgrade. Paige tells her she’s not taking Charlotte’s spot, to which she says she knows, she’s just curious why Sonya got in over her. But don’t get her wrong, she’s really happy for her, it’s just she eliminated her in the battle royal at Evolution, so she’s concerned about Paige’s choices.
Empress of Tomorrow? Yesterday’s news. Miss Money? Honey, her dance breaks are like her title reign, short and meaningless. Naomi? Is anyone still feeling the glow, like her husband Jimmy? NAOMI DECKS HER AND FIRES OFF PUNCHES WILL THE OTHER WOMEN TRY TO SEPARATE THEM!
Sonya’s got Mandy and they square off, Deville tries to defuse the situation and Rose eventually backs off and heads back up the ramp.
Commentary hypes up our main event and we go to break on a hype reel for Mixed Match Challenge before it begins.
Back from commercial in time for entrances.
Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe (SmackDown Men’s Survivor Series Team Qualifying Match)
Joe charges in and bum rushes Hardy into the corner, firing jab after jab off! Whip across, Jeff with an elbow up... WHISPER IN THE WIND FOR TWO! “Delete!” hands, Samoa bails to the floor but Hardy hits a slingshot dropkick and a double axhandle off the apron to lay him out. Back inside, clubbing blow, overhand clubs as Jeff fights back into it, off the ropes, Joe wipes him out with an elbow and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Joe laying jabs in in the corner, pulling him in the middle of the ring, headbutt, Hardy fighting back with right hands of his own, whip reversed, charging elbow into the enzugiri, only two! Drawing him up, snapmare into a kneeling neck crank, keeping the Charismatic Enigma grounded. Hardy firing up, to his feet, back elbows and Joe tosses him through the ropes to the floor.
Samoa follows after, hard whip into the barricade and referee Mike Chioda warns him off. Whip across to the opposite barricade, but Jeff steps up, runs the barricade, diving lariat! Back inside, right hands, whip reversed, big forearm, Manhattan Drop to the double leg drop to the midsection to the basement dropkick... NOPE! Twist of Fate denied, off the ropes, Coquina Clutch countered with a jawbreaker, TWIST OF FATE!
Headed up top... KNEES UP ON THE SWANTON BOMB! JOE’S GOT THE COQUINA CLUTCH IN! IT’S OVER!
Samoa Joe wins by submission with the Coquina Clutch to qualify for the SmackDown Men’s Survivor Series Team.
Joe gets in Bryan’s face after and Dan lights him up with forearms! Into the ring... BRYAN’S GOT THE YES! LOCK BUT MIZ PRIES HIM OFF! THE AMERICAN DRAGON’S PUNCHING HIS CO-CAPTAIN! SHANE MCMAHON RUNS IN AND DAN SNAPMARES HIM BEFORE STORMING OFF!
That’s the show, folks.