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WWE SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 10, 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 New Day defend the tag titles against Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura. Also advertised: Miz TV with Jeff Hardy, Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross (non-title), and a replay of Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt from Money in the Bank 2020.
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 JULY 10
Spinning, arms spread, crushing the tops of mountains with my hands as I dive into the Pacific, I flood the shorelines and I exhale, causing the oceans’ endless waves, but also, I liveblog this here pro wrestling show for y’all tonight.
The show opens with the set decked out for MizTV and Miz and John Morrison in the ring together.
Miz does his usual introductory spiel and introduces his guest, Jeff Hardy, while Morrison interjects to mock the Charismatic Enigma.
Jeff makes his entrance and Miz and Morrison apologize to him, before asking him for his amazing, incredible clip. Hardy has no idea what they’re talking about, they talk amongst themselves and ask Jeff if they should show a clip. He says they should, and the clip rolls, which is a recap of the whole Sheamus/Hardy feud.
They use this as an excuse to make fun of Hardy and immediately claim they just want a friendly conversation when he bristles. Miz admits Jeff is his daughter’s favorite wrestler, but she doesn’t know about the darkness inside of him, as a dad, he doesn’t want her to put faith in someone who’s going to self-destruct again and let her down.
Jeff says that’s awesome but asks if there’s a question in there. The question, Miz offers, is “Are you okay?” and he says he is. He’s been to hell and back with this addiction thing, to a dark place they can’t even imagine, and it’s gonna take more than taunts from Sheamus to drive him back to where he was.
They’re doubtful but Hardy admits he’s an emotional dude and losing to Sheamus bothers him, but he’s going to do everything in his power to destroy him and put his past behind him. He’s going to be a beacon of light to anybody that watches him and struggles with addiction, because he’s going to show them that change is possible, hope is real, and there’s a life beyond their wildest dreams waiting for them if they can stay sober.
Morrison has goosebumps and Miz says they want to help him. They think he needs to redeem himself in a rematch against Sheamus, and not one inside of a WWE ring. He needs to be somewhere he feels most secure and does his best work... he needs to face Sheamus in a barfight! Jeff says that’d be like a handicap match against Sheamus and the alcohol but he’s game and he’ll beat him and prove that he’s on the road to redemption and he’s never letting any of us down again.
Jeff wants to throw another challenge out and asks which of them wants to wrestle him. They have to know they can’t mock him to his face and not get punched in theirs. Miz says actually they did, and Hardy apologizes for disappointing people again and starts beating on them! Morrison gets a cheap shot with Miz’s ring coat but the Charismatic Enigma runs them off!
He throws the set at them while they jaw from the ringside area to send us to break.
Jeff Hardy vs. the Miz
Match joined in progress, Miz in control, Hardy with a side headlock, shot off, the A-Lister dumps him to the apron, slides under him and trips him up on the apron! Back inside, kicks to the ribs, a seated senton to the back, Miz staying in control, whip across and Jeff gets a front kick. Right hands, whip reversed, the A-Lister with a huge knee to the midsection and a boot off the ropes!
Cover for two, hooking Hardy’s nose, a knee when he slips away, whip across, Jeff has the knee scouted and turns it into a schoolboy pin for two! Back body drop to the apron, left hands, Miz with a springboard... COUNTERED INTO THE TWIST OF FATE! The Charismatic Enigma headed up top, Morrison pulls his tag partner out of the ring... AND HARDY DIVES OFF THE TOP TO SEND US TO BREAK!
Back from commercial, Hardy’s taking Miz to the corners, face-first! Whip across, back body drop puts Jeff on the apron, right hand, Morrison with a cheap shot and the A-Lister hammers Hardy with a dropkick through the ropes! Smashing him face-first into the announce table and into the Lexan barrier, smashing his face into the apron and following it up with a knee lift!
Miz and Morrison taunt together, the A-Lister back inside for a catapult and chest kicks in the corner. Charging in, the running knees in the corner set up the Awesome Clothesline! Twist of Fate countered into the basement DDT... NOPE! Chest kicks in the middle of the ring while John sings along, the buzzsaw takes Hardy out but can’t keep him down!
Running leg lariat in the ropes, Hardy comes back at him with a running jawbreaker that leaves both men down and out! Right hands, backing Miz into the ropes, whip reversed, Manhattan Drop sets up the double leg drop into the basement dropkick and a big splash... NOT ENOUGH! Skull Crushing Finale reversed into a victory roll pin for two!
Leg-feed mule-kick, clear Morrison off the apron, Hardy heads up top... and Sheamus interrupts on the tron to tell him how great he’s doing and talks about how great the beer he’s drinking is. Miz with an O’Connor roll, Hardy reverses...
Jeff Hardy wins by pinfall with a back folding press.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are interviewed backstage.
They scoff at the idea that beating New Day is an upset, because they’re unbeaten against the New Day and they don’t compromise their integrity to sell all manner of merchandise. Cesaro says he’s been sick of New Day for a long time, and tonight that’s gonna change. Don’t worry, they’ll still be around, but you’ll also have new champs.
Bayley and Sasha Banks make their entrances, but Nikki Cross jumps Bayley!
We got a brawl! Alexa Bliss runs out to join in and we go to break!
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Boss and Hug Connection (Bayley & Sasha Banks)
Heels working Cross over early, but Nikki eventually traps Bayley in the apron to windmill punch her! Back inside and now Bayley is on the back foot and getting worked over. Banks makes the tag but Cross goes to town on her, tag made, the heels bail to the floor and yell at commentary as Nikki grabs the SmackDown title and taunts with it.
Bliss with a dropkick to set up a crossbody off the desk and Cross stands tall with the title to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Bayley with the blind tag as Bliss satellite headscissors Banks out of the ring! Stunner over the ropes, stomps to follow it up, tags as they isolate Alexa and work her over at length. Bliss fires up with right hands and rolls over for the tag! Cross in hot, fired up, Sasha tags in but she just stacks ‘em up and hits the running bulldog!
Back body drop to the apron, Bayley legal as Nikki stacks her up, tornado DDT blocked but she gets the fisherman neckbreaker... SASHA BREAKS IT UP! Alexa takes her to the floor but the Boss prevails! Bayley takes advantage of the distraction...
Boss and Hug Connection win by pinfall with a folding press from Bayley on Nikki Cross.
And so we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a sneak peek of WWE Battlegrounds.
A replay of Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman from a few months back follows, so I’ll see y’all on the flipside.
Back to “live”, New Day are interviewed backstage.
Asked about the Artist Collective’s interview earlier, they say they’ve been telling the same story for six years and put over their opponents.
We see Naomi and Lacey Evans getting ready for... sigh... their karaoke showdown to send us to break.
Back from commercial, Jey Uso is in the ring to MC the karaoke contest.
Dana Brooke vs. Lacey Evans vs. Naomi vs. Tamina (Karaoke Showdown)
The theme here is WWE themes, which at least makes my job a little easier.
Lacey Evans is up first, she does With My Baby Tonight to some acclaim.
Dana Brooke does a little Cool, Cocky, Bad for us, but Jey gives her the hook partway through.
Tamina third, she does The Game, and she’s no Lemmy but points for headbanging. She gets a little too into it and Uso gives her the hook as well.
Naomi last but not least, she does Common Man Boogie and clearly wins, both on song choice and on excellence.
Jey polls the crowd on each woman’s performance...
Naomi wins by the clear acclamation of the crowd.
Post-match, Evans attacks Naomi while she celebrates! Jey gets between them and we go to break.
Lacey Evans vs. Naomi
Naomi with a Lou Thesz Press out the gates but Evans gets out from under her and puts boots to her. Knees in the corner, drawing her up but Naomi fires back with a right hand! Drop toehold, blinding her by wrapping her skirt around her face but Naomi gets out and kicks her in the face! Lacey heads to the floor and shoves Dana down on the floor!
Back inside, Brooke and Tamina hit the ring...
The match goes to a no-contest, presumably.
Lacey slips away while the other three women brawl.
AJ Styles is interviewed backstage and crows about embarrassing Drew Gulak last week. No one on SmackDown is worthy of stepping into the ring with him, so he’s gonna keep his Intercontinental Championship for a long, long time.
He’s informed that he will, in fact, be defending the title against Matt Riddle next week and he goes apoplectic, wondering who he’s ever beat. He claims it was a rhetorical question when he’s reminded that Riddle, in fact, has beaten him, and leaves in a huff.
New Day make their entrance to send us to break.
Artist Collective (Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura) vs. New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) (c) (WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship)
Kingston and Nakamura to start, Kofi charges in but gets cut off and hammered with knees to the ribs! Tag made, they cut the ring in half, Kingston struggling for the tag, slides under a double team, E back body drops Shinsuke to the floor, Kofi nails Cesaro with a missile dropkick, tag made! Unicorn Stampede, Big back body drops Kingston into their opponents and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Kingston is down and out in the corner while the Artist Collective work him over. Kofi counters the inverted exploder into an SOS... tag to E! Cesaro in as well, Big with the overhead belly-to-belly suplexes, three in total! Cesaro with mounted punches, Kingston comes in with a kick... double stomp / powerbomb combo but Shinsuke breaks it up with a Kinshasa!
Roundhouse kick to E, referee Drake Wuertz forces Nakamura out of the ring and Kingston goes for an Oklahoma roll to cut the tag off... NOPE! Cesaro choking him in the ropes, Shinsuke with a boot, tag made! Inverted exploder connects this time, Kofi brawling his way out of the corner, E comes in, the match breaks down, Wuertz has no choice...
The match goes to a double disqualification draw, presumably.
The brawl continues on the floor as Cesaro smashes E into the announce desk and gets a table out from under the ring. They throw Big into the steel steps, Kingston tries to make the save but Nakamura cuts him off and he gets overwhelmed! They set the table up in the ring, put E on it, lift Kofi up... POWERBOMB PUTS KINGSTON THROUGH BIG E AND THE TABLE!
That’s the show, folks.