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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (June 19, 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 the return of Bray Wyatt and his Firefly Fun House. Miz TV with guest Mandy Rose is also advertised, as well as a championship coronation for AJ Styles.
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 19
I remember the first time that I felt the cool breeze upon my face. I didn’t understand it at the time, but the calling of adventure and my heart’s increasing pace... it was the ticker tape that I could not deny. I’ll cut my hair short, and I’ll sleep in my jacket so it appears worn, and I’ll liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you folks.
The show opens with a recap of last week’s Intercontinental Championship tournament finals.
Thence to the intro video, to which I most heartily say “no, I am not ready to have a good time.”
Renee Young is in the ring to preside over AJ Styles’ championship celebration with a bunch of the roster surrounding the ring lumberjack style.
He talks about how his victory makes the things he said true, and the cream rises to the top, before saying there’s only one man he wants to present the title to him... Daniel Bryan. No one is more qualified, he says, as he practically pleads with the American Dragon, saying he beat him fair and square.
Bryan relents and comes into the ring, and Styles reiterates his request to present him with the title. With some reluctance, Dan puts the title around his waist and goes to leave, but it’s not good enough for AJ, he wants a real congratulations. Bryan gets on the mic and congratulates him, saying he was the better man last week, he has infinite respect for him, and he thinks he’s going to be a great champion, maybe the greatest Intercontinental Champion in WWE history...
...if he shows up every week and defends the title against the guys around the ring. Imagine his legacy if he defended against Chad Gable, or Gran Metalik, or Big E! Styles says none of those guys are on his level, and Bryan is at the back of the list. Dan says he can handle that, but if AJ wants people to earn things, surely he’d be willing to defend against Drew Gulak since he pinned him two weeks ago and thus, earned it.
Styles says he’s not defending against anyone who hasn’t explicitly earned himself a number one contendership—
Enter Matt Riddle.
He gets in the ring and introduces himself, to which AJ mainly criticizes his lack of shoes and says all he sees is another guy looking for a handout. Matt says he’s not looking for anything but to give some advice— he hears that Styles is the Face That Runs the Place, well he’s the Bro That’s Gonna Run the Show.
That kicks off a brawl and Riddle knocks Styles to the floor!
And that, dear friends, sends us to break.
Back from commercial, we have a match, but as AJ Styles says, “no shirt, no shoes, no championship match.”
AJ Styles vs. Matt Riddle
Riddle with a German suplex out the gates, a Karelin lift, rolling through, a second Karelin lift gets a one count! Waistlock, standing switch, AJ backs him into the corner, Matt with a roundhouse kick into the high jump senton for a one count! Looking for a double wristlock, Styles to his feet, backing him into the corner for shoulder thrusts and chops!
AJ with the dropkick, forearms in the corner, a clothesline to the apron, he hits Baron Corbin when he hits the floor and we go to break on them arguing.
Back from commercial, Styles in control with forearms, smashing his face into the turnbuckles, running backbreaker in the middle of the ring! Trading forearms, AJ with a snapmare, off the ropes with a knee drop across the face, following it up with a dragon screw and a leg kick! Riddle turning it around, jockeying for position against the ropes, Styles nails him with a chop block!
Leg pick, Matt with a high knee, palm strikes, AJ fires back with a few strikes of his own but Riddle fires up into a fisherman suplex! Sidestep a corner forearm, corner forearm of his own into an exploder suplex, duck the knee, high jump senton connects... NOPE! Riddle pulls him into a bodyscissors sleeper but AJ counters into a pin!
Fireman’s carry, Bro 2 Sleep denied, Calf Killer applied in the middle of the ring, wrenching on Riddle’s bare feet as he crawls to the ropes and forces the break! Styles to the floor, he gets into it with Daniel Bryan, Lucha House Party hold the Dragon back and they jaw at each other. AJ up on the apron, Bro catches the springboard...
Matt Riddle wins by pinfall with his fall-forward Tombstone Piledriver.
Post-match, all the babyfaces celebrate with Riddle, because this is a pre-taped show and WWE have a clinical inability to read the room.
Jeff Hardy is shown backstage getting mic’d up for an interview and lost in thought to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of the Jeff Hardy / Sheamus feud.
Jeff gets a sitdown interview with Renee Young.
He says it’s been a rollercoaster, physically and emotionally, and he’s 42 years old and trying to turn his life around. The bad times can haunt him if he lets them, but he has to do what’s best for his family. He puts one fire out and there’s another fire, and what he’s trying to say is the struggle is real.
He says he’s lost a lot of matches and he’s gonna lose many more, but Sheamus is a constant reminder of what he doesn’t like about himself. That creates negative thinking where if he just beats the holy hell out of him he’ll be better. But then he loses and he starts to doubt himself, whether he’s a bad husband or a bad worker or a bad father, but the bottom line is if he’s learned one thing, it’s that he has to catch himself before the cycle goes out of control.
He needs to have the wherewithal to step back and look at the situation, and the truth is he is an adrenaline junkie and an alcoholic, but Sheamus is a miserable bully who mistakes his vulnerability as weakness. He’s overcome greater obstacles, and Sheamus is just another one in the way of his road to redemption.
Chad Gable is working out backstage when an interview rolls up.
He’s wrestling Mojo Rawley next, and it doesn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh, they’re all the same, and they don’t know what it’s like to have eyes in the back of your head. Mojo had come up behind him while he was speaking and Chad sucker punches him to send us to break.
Chad Gable vs. Mojo Rawley
Rawley putting Gable face-first into the turnbuckle, disdainful slaps, jawing at him, hard whip across. Double leg pickup, Chad rolls through into an ankle lock! Mojo kicks him away, he ducks, northern lights suplex into the bridge, only two! Hot Shot from Rawley sets up the pounce! SO CLOSE! Mounted punches, drawing him up, half nelson chinlock applied.
Whip across, satellite into a sleeper hold, Mojo slings him off and Chad passes him to the floor. Rawley slingshots back in, corner body avalanche, sidestep the charge, Everest German suplex connects! Gable climbing the turnbuckles, diving crossbody caught into a fireman’s carry, but Chad reverses...
Chad Gable wins by pinfall with an inside cradle.
Miz and John Morrison are shown going over notes for MizTV backstage, to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Miz and John Morrison are in the ring for MizTV. Why MizTV and not the Dirt Sheet? Who knows.
First they have to address the elephant in the room— Miz lost focus and pulled Morrison off a pin on Braun Strowman at Backlash. They agree that it only happened because WWE changed the rules such that whoever got the win would be sole Universal Champion, and that divided them of their focus.
Anyway, now to introduce their guest, Mandy Rose.
They berate her for being a terrible friend to Sonya Deville and she isn’t going to take it so she gets up to leave. Miz says they were just joking and not taking her seriously, but they have a surprise— Sonya is here! And wearing a killer suit, good lord.
Anyway, Mandy says she’s done with her, to which Deville says that must be nice but she can’t be done with her. She brings up the runsheet for the show saying Mandy Rose on MizTV with her nowhere to be seen, and what has Mandy done with these opportunities? Won matches? Done anything of value to anyone?
Rose turns it around and asks what she has, besides being “a fighter”? She’s alone, so how much longer is she gonna hang onto these petty resentments? Deville says she’s not mad anymore, just confused, and she wants to figure out what she needs to do to get that Mandy Rose treatment. She can’t see the difference between them beyond Mandy’s presentation, so why’s she get these opportunities?
Anyway, a brawl breaks out to close the segment, as you’d expect.
Bayley and Sasha Banks make their entrance to send us to break.
Back from commercial, New Day make their entrance and we see that the women’s tag champs have joined the commentary booth.
Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) vs. New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston)
Kingston and Dorado to start, mat wrestling in the feeling out, heating up to stereo dropkicks and a stalemate as Lince licks his paw and grooms himself. Tags made, New Day take the advantage, Big belly-to-belly suplexes Dorado over the ropes as we see that the Artist Collective are watching backstage.
Lucha House Party with a comeback off a springboard double stomp and a plancha from Metalik, huge crossbody to the floor from Lince, and we go to break.
Back from commercial, E catches Dorado on a crossbody, hits an uppercut, big splash for a shockingly deep two! Cobra Twist applied, Lince gets out and hits a springboard Stunner for separation! Both men down and out, tags made! Kofi in hot with a double axehandle, double chops, dropkick, Gran sidesteps and lays a chop in.
Whip reversed, boot up in the corner, spin-out one-handed bulldog! Walking the ropes, Kofi cuts him off with a dropkick for two! Fireman’s carry, Metalik Driver, Lince off the top with a diving splash... E MAKES THE SAVE! Gran up top, Big knocks him to the floor, Kingston comes under Dorado, pop-up stomp! Tag made, E hoists him up...
New Day win by pinfall with Midnight Hour on Lince Dorado.
Post-match, Shinsuke Nakamura hits the ring and lays E out with Kinshasha! Cesaro military press drops Kofi into the turnbuckles and hits the Neutralizer on Big! Giant Swing on Kingston!
They go over and get in commentary’s face and Cesaro says they’re sick and tired of not getting opportunities.
We see a bunch of the women’s roster— Alexa Bliss, Dana Brooke, Tamina, Naomi, and Lacey Evans— hanging out backstage and talking about who should get the next title shot and why it’s them. Dana pipes up and says they have an opportunity to show everyone they’re not just filler, and this somehow stokes Alexa to wonder where Nikki Cross has gotten to.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, Sheamus is interviewed backstage.
He talks about how lines have been crossed and what Jeff Hardy said really made him think— he is a bully, and people like Jeff deserve to be bullied! Hardy is pathetic and weak and everybody knows he doesn’t really believe his nonsense. If Jeff is gonna lift himself up, Sheamus will knock him down, and with a smile on his face, so he wants everybody to raise a glass, because next week he’s gonna toast Hardy.
Back to ringside, Nikki Cross attacks Bayley and Sasha Banks, who were still chilling at commentary! Alexa rushes down and pulls her away. Nikki screams at them from the ring and we go to break.
Nikki Cross vs. Sasha Banks
Match in progress, Banks begs off and passes Cross to the floor. Off the ropes, baseball slide just gets her trapped in the ring skirt as Nikki beats her down! Drawing her up, back inside, up top, Sasha rolls out. Cross with a crossbody off the apron, back inside, Stinger Splash sets up the bulldog but the Boss counters it and gets a lungblower for two!
Choking her in the corner, Nikki fires back with elbows, throat thrust, a headbutt, shoulder thrust from the apron sets up a kick and Cross heads up top. Fired up, Sasha cuts her off, but Nikki takes control and rams her head into the turnbuckles and follows it up with a tornado DDT... NOPE! Looking for a slingshot suplex, Banks rams her back into the ropes, knee to the face, roll through into the crossface but Nikki reverses!
Crucifix pin for two, trading pinfall attempts, back body drop, roll through...
Sasha Banks wins by pinfall with a short Meteora.
We get a video package for Titus O’Neil’s charitable efforts.
Commentary hypes up Firefly Fun House and we see Braun Strowman watching a monitor backstage to send us to break.
Back from commercial, we get a recap of our opening segment and are informed that AJ Styles will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Drew Gulak next week.
Behold, Firefly Fun House.
Bray Wyatt tells us he’s missed us and he can’t wait to share what he’s gotten up to. He mastered the dark art of resurrecting the dead, he’s learned how to knit, and even infiltrated a reptilian stronghold. Rambling Rabbit pops up and we get a replay of the finish from his Money in the Bank match against Braun Strowman.
This doesn’t make Bray very happy, but in defeat he realized he’s gone about this all wrong. See, Strowman is someone he’s known for a very long time—
We cut back to the arena, wherein Braun Strowman makes his entrance to Wyatt’s disapproval.
He gets on the mic and tells Bray that he lost and their story is over, which gets a fit of the giggles from Wyatt. He says his chapter may be over, but he wasn’t lying about resurrecting the dead, and their story is just getting started. Old Wyatt Family vignette footage plays and we get OG Bray asking Braun what’s wrong.
In order from them to move forward, he says, they must first take a step back to where it began, and he created Strowman, so it’s his duty to destroy him. He knows where to find him, all he has to do is follow the buzzards.
Run.
That’s the show, folks.