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WWE SmackDown Live comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Aug. 27, 2019) from the Raising Cane’s River Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Clash of Champions pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for next month in Charlotte.
Advertised for tonight: The first round of the King of the Ring tournament concludes, 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 AUG. 27
Message keeps getting clearer, radio’s on and I’m moving ‘round the place. I check my look in the mirror, I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face, Man I ain’t getting nowhere, I’m just living in a dump like this. There’s something happening somewhere, baby I just know that there is, and that’s why I’m goin’ to that place, folks. This is (somewhat ironically, given my choice of song lyrics!) the last liveblog I’ll be writing in New Jersey before I move to Philadelphia to live with my lovely and wonderful girlfriend. In any case, as always, it’s my honor and privilege to be the lucky lady who gets to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks. On with the show!
The show opens with a recap of Roman Reigns’ frustrations of the last few weeks.
Roman runs into an interview backstage.
He has something to say to Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan, but he wants to say it to them in the ring.
In the arena proper, Kofi Kingston makes his entrance and we get a recap video for his feud with Randy Orton.
Kingston gets on the mic and says Orton calls him stupid but who got their ass knocked out last week outta nowhere? He talks about how he always just wanted to prove that he belongs in the top spot and Randy didn’t want that and made it personal. But Orton ran away scared last week because he saw the look in Kofi’s eyes that says he doesn’t play around when you mess with his family.
So now the match is set, and he’s gonna show Orton that he was ready all those years ago and he’s ready now.
Orton interrupts, calling him stupid again and again before saying he’s gonna wait until the title match to show Kofi just how stupid he is. But he wants to talk about something else tonight, a letter he received in his hotel room that was written with heart and really touched him. The letter is from Kofi’s son and purports to say that Randy makes Kingston cry at night.
The Viper says he didn’t realize until just now but he’s staying in the same hotel with Kofi’s family, and he’s not gonna write back, he’s gonna go pay his son a visit right now. Kingston, naturally, leaves the ring without saying another word and sprints to the back to intercept him. We got a brawl! They roll around, road agents (including 5-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion Adam Pearce) and refs try to pull them apart but Kofi’s not having it!
Orton gets the better of him and hits the hanging DDT off a desk!
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Big E leaves the trainer’s room and is interviewed.
He says Kofi will be ready to compete at Clash of Champions, but after his match tonight, he can’t say the same about Randy.
A video recap of the previous first round King of the Ring matches follows.
Buddy Murphy vs. Mustafa Ali (King of the Ring 2019 First Rround Match)
Murphy throwing Ali around, off the ropes, Mustafa’s athleticism, nearfall and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Ali makes his comeback, off the ropes, dropkick, a running kick to the face and a suicide dive to follow! Rolling thunder X-Factor countered into a press drop to the floor... BUDDY MURPHY TOPE CON GIRO! Meteora comes up empty, Mustafa with a superkick and a Poison Frankensteiner... NOPE! Going to climb up, Buddy’s got his foot, Ali stomps to block but still gets cut off with the Cheeky Nando’s!
Following it up with a Liger Bomb... NOT ENOUGH! Hard knee strike into a sheerdrop brainbuster... STILL NO! Both men spent, throwing strikes, Murphy pulls ahead but Ali hits a spinning wheel kick to send him to the apron! Off the ropes... TILT-A-WHIRL HANGING DDT! Mustafa up top...
Mustafa Ali wins by pinfall with the 450 splash.
Bayley is backstage with her title and Ember Moon rolls up.
Bayley goes to offer her a match but Moon demures, saying she’s still processing her loss and she proceeds to give Bayley a pep talk about how she’s the one that brings the best out of the women’s division, not Charlotte Flair. Lacey Evans rolls up to tell them to raise their standards and claiming that she’s the real face of the division.
The Miz makes his entrance, he’ll be in action after the break.
Back from commercial, the Miz cuts a promo before his match.
He talks about how Sami Zayn is Shinsuke Nakamura’s spokesperson now and runs Zayn down as a hanger-on and talks about how he won’t be Shinsuke’s ticket to success, and that’s why he’s challenging for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash of Champions.
Enter Sami Zayn. He talks about how he’s liberated Nakamura and how funny it is to him that Miz continues to talk about the title as if it’s his. He keeps associating himself with that title, but here’s some news-- Nakamura is champion. He talks about how Miz needs some respect beaten into him, and the A-Lister suggests that he come in the ring and do it.
Sami says that’s not how it works, so Miz says he’ll come out there and beat some respect into Zayn. Sami warns him... AND SHINSUKE NAKAMURA ATTACKS! Shinsuke puts him into the barricades over and over while Zayn cheers him on... KINSHASA AGAINST THE APRON! Zayn requests Nakamura put Miz in the ring and runs down Miz’s lack of respect for art after he does so.
He holds Miz in place for his “close-up”... KINSHASA!
Backstage, Elias is playing guitar when Kevin Owens rolls up.
He says this is Shane McMahon’s office and KO should have knocked. Owens asks what he’s doing here and Elias says he’s winning King of the Ring so he does what he likes. KO asks where Shane is and Elias says he’s not here at all. Kev thanks him and walks away.
Bayley makes her entrance, she’ll be in action after the break.
Bayley vs. Lacey Evans
Lacey throwing her gloves as a distraction, Bayley catches the boot, arm drag, Lou Thesz Press, mounted punches! Evans ducks a lariat, grabs a waistlock, leg pick counter, roll-through, hip toss into an armbar! Stepover armbreaker, back into the armbar, looking for La Casita but Lacey blocks and has to go back to the armbar. Scoop and a slam to escape, disdainful stomps follow.
Bayley takes things to the floor and runs Evans over, and Charlotte Flair comes to the stage to send us to break.
Back from commercial and Evans is in control with a cobra clutch. Bayley escapes, crossbody, Lacey with a short DDT into a gator roll to the apron before smashing her face into the apron! Kick to the arm, into the corner, tearing at the Hugger’s shoulder and following with the senton de la muerte for two. Continuing to pick the elbow apart but Bayley is able to turn one around and set up a dropkick to the back for two.
Evans stomping at the hand and arm, whip to the corner, Bayley takes herself to the apron and smashes Lacey’s face into the turnbuckles! Catch the boot, trap the leg, going to town on Evans and closing with a pair of lariats! Corner knee, double leg, into an inverted Indian deathlock but Lacey gets the ropes for the break! Stunner over the middle rope, but the Bayley-to-Belly gets countered into a wristlock takedown!
Evans up top, double jump turning moonsault... NOPE! To the floor, Bayley hits a suplex on the floor and both women are down and out as referee Danilo Anfibio counts... they both beat the count! Pinning predicaments, slugging it out, Bayley gets the Bayley-to-Belly... LACEY HAS A HAND ON THE BOTTOM ROPE! Kick to the arm, big neckbreaker, back roll splash but the knees are up!
Another Bayley-to-Belly, the Hugger heads up top...
Bayley wins by pinfall with the Bayley-to-Belly.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan are interviewed.
Bryan says last week they showed Roman Reigns the man who almost ended his career and still haven’t gotten an apology, so they’re not leaving the arena until he gives them a proper one.
Randy Orton makes his entrance, he’ll be in action after the break.
Big E vs. Randy Orton
E right in with body blows, tossing Orton to the floor and putting him shoulder-first into the post! Telling him he’s got hell to pay, Big throws Randy over the desk and into the barricade! Orton with a thumb to the eye, trying to come back but he gets thrown into the barricade again! Back in the ring, E presses the attack, grabbing the abdominal stretch with the spanks!
Randy with a rake of the eyes again, throwing him hard into the post after! Wrenching at E’s arm, the big man fires back with lariats, looking for the big splash on the apron but Orton rolls away from it! Back suplex into the announce table and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Orton in control, stomping away at E’s hands! Big fires up, belly-to-belly suplexes ahoy, fending off the Revival, block the RKO, Randy slips out of the Big Ending and the Revival get a pair of cheap shots in...
Randy Orton wins by pinfall with the RKO.
Post-match, the Revival with the assist... 3D!
Backstage, Chad Gable is interviewed about his match against Shelton Benjamin tonight.
He says Shelton should know better than to underestimate him tonight, and speak of the devil, the Gold Standard rolls up. He acts like he can’t see Gable, because he’s so short, you see.
Elias is walking backstage, guitar in hand, to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of the weekend’s 24/7 Championship festivities.
Elias cuts a promo from the King of the Ring throne and talks about how he’s going to be King of the Ring when Kevin Owens attacks! Into the ring... STUNNER!
KO leaves, R-Truth arrives, cover, Drake Maverick pulls him out of the ring...
Drake Maverick wins the WWE 24/7 Championship by pinfall with a lateral press.
He takes a victory lap around the ring and past a fallen Truth before celebrating on the stage.
Backstage, we see Chad Gable warming up to send us to break.
Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin (King of the Ring 2019 First Round Match)
Benjamin with a huge spinebuster out of the feeling out, only good for two. Snap suplex, taunting Gable about his height, double leg into a jackknife for two and Chad pops up hot with forearms only to get whipped hard into the turnbuckles! Gable firing up, neckbreaker, a German suplex, Shelton fires back with a lariat and both men are down and out!
Benjamin to the floor, Gable goes for the cannonball but he gets caught and swung into the barricade! Jockeying for position in the turnbuckles, Chad with a moonsault, land on his feet, caught with a knee but he reverses the followup...
Chad Gable wins by pinfall with a sunset flip pin.
Roman Reigns is shown walking backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Roman Reigns makes his entrance.
Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan appear from the tron and Bryan says he just wants two words “I’m sorry.”
Roman asks the crowd if he should apologize, and of course they say no. He says he wants to show a video and then if he still needs to apologize, he will. The video rolls, and it shows the incident with all the scaffolding with a tall man with a red beard knocking some road cases over. Dan panicks and starts slapping Rowan in the face and telling him to shut up and get out of here!
He demands a microphone and tells Roman, as he walks to the ring, that he has to know that he hates liars and he’s trusted Erick for almost the last year and he’s been betrayed. He didn’t know anything and Rowan has lied to him, suggesting someone that isn’t him told Rowan to lie to-- ROMAN CUTS HIM OFF MID-SENTENCE WITH THE SPEAR!
That’s the show, folks.