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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 12, 2020) with a show at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There won’t be any real fans in attendance, but we will see a new Intercontinental champion crowned when Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles battle it out for the vacant title. We’ll also see a contract signing between Jeff Hardy and Sheamus for a match at Backlash, and Tucker returns in 6-man tag team action.
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on Fox. 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 JUNE 12
How I’ve waited for you to come, I’ve been here all along. Now that you’ve arrived, please stay a while. And I promise I won’t keep you for long, I’ll keep you for exactly as long as it takes to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with a recap of the Jeff Hardy / Sheamus feud.
Renee Young is in the ring for a contract signing for that match, for which a doctor is also in attendance.
Sheamus is insisting on a pee test and his lawyer has managed to finagle WWE into agreeing to it as part of the contract signing, because there’s no way he’s stepping in the ring with a junkie. Jeff says he’s sick and tired of being sick and tired, his demons are starving, and he’s going to be a beacon of light that shines for everybody else that’s struggling like he is, and he’s going along with all this just to get hands on Sheamus.
Sheamus taunts him some more, Hardy goes behind the little curtain cubicle with the doctor and comes out with a full jar of urine. Sheamus stays on him, asking him if he wants to apologize to his family or send a positive message to the kids at home or... Jeff says another classic saying comes to mind— sometimes to be pissed off... HE THROWS THE PISS AT THE CELTIC WARRIOR’S HEAD!
He’s covered in pee, folks. Could not make this up if I tried. Anyway, an apoplectic Sheamus chokes and knocks the set over.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we see Sheamus cleaning himself up as the doc comes back.
Jeff’s test results were negative, and the Celtic Warrior is mad about it.
Artist Collective (Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura) vs. New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston)
Cesaro and Kingston to start, collar and elbow gives way to a wristlock, roll through, Kofi reverses, big splash for one. Side headlock, shot off, drop down, Cesaro catches the leapfrog into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker! Tags, working Kingston over, action to the floor, the match breaks down and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Cesaro in control with an armbar on E, whipping him to the corner, working him over with tags. Kingston with the hot tag, double chops into a dropkick, leaping lariat, Boom Drop in the middle of the ring! Cesaro running interference but Kofi overcomes it, SOS, the Swiss Superman breaks the pin up!
Big with a Cactus Clothesline, taking Cesaro out of the ring! Kingston up top, Nakamura climbs to meet him, jockeying for position, diving crossbody but Shinsuke gets a knee up...
Artist Collective win by pinfall with an inside cradle from Shinsuke Nakamura on Kofi Kingston.
Backstage, Otis Dozovic is blindfolded and talking strategy with Tucker Knight, who wants to sharpen all of his senses ahead of their six-man later. Mandy Rose rolls up and kisses him, they have a cute moment together, and then Tucky gets his attention and refocuses on strategy.
A clattering is heard and we see Sheamus and Jeff Hardy brawling amongst some ladders. Road agents D-Von Dudley and Jamie Noble pull them apart and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package about the history of the Intercontinental Championship.
AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals)
Collar and elbow, Bryan into a standing armbar, Styles reverses. Roll through, but AJ keeps his grip and cranks the wristlock. Dan turns the heat up, dropkick to break, Styles staying on him with clubbing blows and smashing his face into the turnbuckles. Looking for a suplex, denied, jab to the throat, Styles to the floor, Bryan off the ropes, suicide dive sends us to break!
Back from commercial, Bryan in control and targeting the arm with knee drops into an Ode to Jim Breaks. Standing up, stepping on the arm to torque it. Arm wringer, shot off, leapfrog, drop down, dropkick nails Dan right on the button! Punches, Styles backing Bryan into the corner but the American Dragon fires back with uppercuts.
Snapmare, AJ turns him around, armbar, arm wringer, looking for a double wristlock, shot off, drop down, running knee to the midsection puts Styles ass over teakettle! Shifting gears, Dragon grapevines the legs for the Romero Special but his arm is hurting so he just stomps the pit of his knees! Deathlock into a Regal Stretch, again shifting gears because he can’t get all of it, Indian deathlock applied!
Falling back for pressure, surfboard the arms, roll through, Haas of Pain! Out, jockeying for position and trading pinning predicaments for nearfalls, side headlock takeover from AJ countered with a headscissors. Looking for a backslide, Styles fights out, off the ropes, both men go for crossbodies and wipe out as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Bryan in control with a wristlcok but Styles counters to a pin! Omoplata applied, AJ wriggling away, reversal, catapult over the ropes and to the floor! Dan puts Styles shoulder-first into the post! Back inside, wrist control, AJ with desperate punches but Dragon takes him down! Folding his arm against the mat, bicep stomp!
Looking for the double wristlock, shift to a hammerlock, wrenching hard back on it! Underhooks into a pinning combination, no good! Styles rolls to the apron for a breather and ends up sidestepping a running dropkick, leaving Dan to crash and burn! Smashing Bryan’s knee into the apron, dropping a knee on the leg, wrenching it over the ropes and leaving him hang helplessly!
Referee Charles Robinson comes over to check and Styles kicks the knee again and again! Bryan cuts him off on a springboard and lights him up with chest kicks in the corner! Climbing up after him... AVALANCHE FRANKENSTEINER! Chest kicks ensue, AJ ducks the buzzsaw and catches him with the first part of a Styles Rush!
Bryan cuts him off, drops him with a lariat, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, they’re trading strikes in the middle of the ring, a leg kick sends Bryan lame but he’s able to back body drop Styles to the floor! Off the ropes, suicide dive... COUNTERED BY A PELE KICK! Phenomenal Forearm... COUNTERED INTO THE DANIELSON SPECIAL! AJ REVERSES TO THE CALF KILLER!
Dan clawing, reaching, desperate, Styles pulls him into the middle of the ring but he’s able to counter to a cross armbar! AJ posts to his legs, Bryan with a leg pick and a kick to the arm! Buzzsaw roundhouse kick lays Styles out... NOT ENOUGH! Drawing him up, Bryan with a shoulder armbreaker before setting AJ up top and climbing to meet him.
Jockeying for position, thinking about the back superplex but Styles cuts him off repeatedly. Dan refuses to let it go... THE BACK SUPERPLEX IS YOUR FIVE MINUTE WARNING BUT FIRST WE GOTTA GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Bryan is pressing the attack with corner strikes, whip across, backflip up and over but he stumbles landing on the back leg... STYLES HITS THE MOONSAULT INVERTED DDT FOR TWO! Both men down and out, slow to capitalize, AJ with a fireman’s carry but Dan slips out with elbows! Pele kick connects, Styles with a sheerdrop brainbuster... STILL NO!
AJ stumbling to his feet, drawing Bryan up, thinking Styles Clash but he picks the legs, European Clutch... NOPE! CATCH THE PELE KICK! INTO AN ANKLE LOCK! Keep the leg trapped... GERMAN SUPLEX! Rolling through, holding on, standing switch, German suplex of his own but Bryan kicks out! Shaking life back into his head, breaking AJ’s grip, standing switch, a second German suplex into another nearfall!
Overhead elbows, shift to the omoplata... THE YES LOCK IS ON! AJ crawling, reaching, desperate for the ropes to break the hold... and he gets a foot on the ropes! American Dragon fired up, double wrist clutch... THE STOMPS TO THE HEAD! YOU’RE GONNA GET YOUR [REDACTED] HEAD KICKED IN! Yes! fingers ahoy, lining him up... BUSAIKU KNEE REVERSED INTO A STYLES CLASH BUT AJ DOESN’T GO RIGHT FOR THE PIN!
To the apron, springboard...
AJ Styles wins by pinfall with the Phenomenal Forearm to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
Post-match, AJ is interviewed about his win.
He says he’s the best WWE Champion the WWE Universe has ever seen, he is phenomenal.
Bryan is shown still clutching his knee.
A recap of last week’s Miz and Morrison shenanigans with Braun Strowman follows.
Braun Strowman cuts a promo backstage and says there’s nothing that’s going to be able to fix Miz and Morrison after what he does to them at Backlash, and he likes Otis, but he’s not in the mood to play games with Mr. Money in the Bank and he’s got no problem obliterating some Heavy Machinery.
Balloons are brought out for a celebration for Sasha and Bayley, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Bayley and Sasha Banks make their entrance.
They get in the ring and get on the mic for the purpose of their celebration. The crowd boos and they tell them they’re lucky they’re even invited. They (the metaphorical they) say it’s lonely at the top, but Bayley isn’t lonely, because she’s got her best friend at the top with her. They’re role models, they’re leaders and not liars, and they won their titles back like they said they would.
These titles represent their friendship, and they’re only going to get better because together they’re unstoppable. Bayley wrote a poem for Sasha! She gets it out—
Enter Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross.
Bliss says it’s cool to celebrate their win but she draws the line at reciting poetry. Nikki says they love a good party, they get in the ring and bicker, and the Iconic Duo appear on the tron. They have a very special message— they’re going to win the tag titles, but also this was a ruse to give the SmackDown babyfaces a chance to attack!
They knock Banks out of the ring first and then dump Bayley after her!
The Miz and John Morrison are interviewed backstage.
They say they’re sick of Braun’s threats, so they’ve answered them with a music video.
The video melts and breaks and Braun Strowman makes his entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial we get a hype reel for Matt Riddle informing us he’ll make his debut next week.
Braun Strowman & Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight) vs. Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison, & the Miz
Dozovic and Ziggler to start, Dolph bails over the ropes and taunts him from the floor. Otis biels Miz in, I guess there was a tag there, scoop and a slam, tag to Knight and they work the A-Lister over. Morrison tags in somewhere in there, then Ziggler, tag back to Otis and he tags Strowman in. Monster clears the corner, they whip him into Dolph!
He clubs Ziggler down after and tags out to Tucky, delayed vertical— King Baron Corbin is on the tron, walking backstage. He runs into Mandy Rose and Otis runs off after him. He asks Mandy if taking the crown was her idea and she said it was just a little fun. He’s not mad, he understands, she’s fantasizing about being with a man with power and status, like himself.
OTIS POUNCES HIM OUTTA NOWHERE AND WE GO TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, the heels are in control and running roughshod over Tucker. Morrison lays him out with kicks, cover for two, Knight with an upkick, the path is clear, he knocks Ziggler aside with an enzuigiri... AND THE TAG CHAMPS PULL STROWMAN OFF THE APRON! They double-team him on the floor and Miz hits the basement DDT!
Dolph posts Tucky, Otis makes his return with Mandy in tow and proves enough of a distraction for Knight to hit a superkick! Tag to Dozer, clear the apron, lariat and a freight train for Ziggler! Scoop and a slam for Miz, pop-up drop for John, he shrugs off a kick from Dolph, headbutt, overhead exploder suplex to the floor!
Braun charges around the ring for his pounces, he throws Ziggler back in... CATERPILLAR!
Braun Strowman & Heavy Machinery win by pinfall with the Caterpillar from Otis Dozovic on Dolph Ziggler.
Post-match, Mandy celebrates with the boys.
That’s the show, folks.