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WWE Friday Night SmackDown comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (Aug. 18, 2023) with a live show emanating from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, featuring build to the company’s Payback premium live event on Sept. 2 in Pittsburgh.
Advertised for tonight: A celebration of Edge’s 25th Anniversary in his hometown, including what could be his final match before retiring. The Hall of Famer will face his old friend & training partner, Sheamus.
Also on the card: Fresh off a surprising United States title win, Rey Mysterio pays a visit to The Grayson Waller Effect. We should also get fallout from Jey Uso superkicking Roman Reigns and his twin brother Jimmy before quitting The Bloodline and WWE at the end of last week’s show, and much more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the SmackDown live blog kicks off once the show starts on FOX. It will be below this line here. (Note: Links to illegal streams are prohibited. Pics and GIFs are allowed.)
WWE SMACKDOWN RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR AUG. 18
If none of us believe in war, then can you tell me what the weapon’s for? Listen to me everyone, if the button is pushed there’ll be nowhere to run, but right now I’m just here to liveblog this here pro wrestling show for you, folks.
The show opens with commentary hyping tonight’s show up.
Grayson Waller is in the ring to host the Grayson Waller Effect.
He talks about celebrating Edge’s career and says he’s sure to be thanked by the Rated R Superstar for making him relevant again, but that’s enough about him for the night, because his guests tonight are Santos Escobar and newly crowned United States Champion Rey Mysterio.
Waller congratulates Mysterio on his win and Rey says it’s great to be United States Champion again, and Grayson throws a barb about how Escobar can only imagine how that feels. Mysterio says Austin Theory cooked up a plan that they ruined, together, and Waller asks if they’re co-champions.
Rey says they’re not co-champions, and what matters is that the title is with the Latino World Order. Grayson tries to sow discord between them, but Santos cuts him off and says the only person he’s angry at is that low-life good for nothing Austin Theory, and he has nothing but respect for his legend, friend, and mentor Rey Mysterio.
He knows what Waller is doing but it won’t work, because they’re family. Austin got exactly what he deserves, and once he’s fully healed—
Enter Austin Theory, mic in hand and a constipated look on his face.
He congratulates Rey on becoming a three-time United States Champion and says it’s a great achievement but it’s no Father of the Year award. He complains that last week was a tragedy and Escobar and his damn leg weren’t man enough to step up to the greatest United States Champion.
He demands Adam Pearce come down and fix things, and Pearce comes to the stage. He says he figured he’d get called out, but nobody wants to hear him complain tonight.
Enter LA Knight.
He asks if he just heard Austin Theory say he was the greatest United States Champion of all time and says he fumbled the damn ball. He’s got an idea and he congratulates Rey on winning and says no matter who’s champion, sometime it’s coming to him.
Theory talks about being the greatest but he went throught a bunch of other men at SummerSlam and they’re both dressed to fight, so how about this— Knight vs. Theory, with a shot at the United States Championship on the line!
Adam considers it as the crowd roars and he makes it official, for right now!
...or perhaps, after the break.
Back from commercial, before the match can begin, the Miz makes his entrance to be at ringside.
Austin Theory vs. LA Knight (WWE United States Championship #1 Contender’s Match)
Theory rushing Knight into the corner, elbows and kicks, Miz joins the commentary booth right as Austin hits a fallaway slam! Off the ropes, front kick, LA comes back with a snap scoop powerslam for two! To the floor, Theory brawling with him, smashing his face into the barricade, back inside and out again, now LA smashes Austin’s face into the announce desk over and over!
Miz’s jawing gets the better of Knight, Theory meets him with boots, but LA overwhelms him and takes control back and throws Austin right into the A-Lister as we go to break!
Back from commercial, Knight with a sunset flip for two, Theory returns the favor with a rolling thunder dropkick, big lariat, LA gets a swinging back suplex to stem the tide! Clubbing blows into the corner, slinging him into the turnbuckles over and over, jumping neckbreaker, duck a lariat, side Russian legsweep connects!
Off the ropes with a boot, cover for two, kicks in the corner set up a running knee! Big body slam follows, calling for it, Miz on the apron to run interference, DDT takes Austin down and LA chases the A-Lister around the ring and back into it, clotheslining him to the floor!
Theory from behind...
Austin Theory wins by pinfall with a schoolboy pin and a handful of tights, becoming #1 contender the WWE United States Championship.
We get a video package with John Cena, Sheamus, Natalya, the Miz, Charlotte Flair, and Sami Zayn congratulating Edge on 25 years and thanking him, and we go to break.
Back from commercial we get footage of baby Edge asking Bret Hart how to break into the business on a talk show of some kind and it turns out to be a whole retrospective video package.
Damage CTRL make their entrance and Bayley gives IYO SKY a big introduction and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we’re told that Kayla Braxton has an interview with Paul Heyman later to get to the bottom of the Bloodline split.
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair vs. Damage CTRL (Bayley & IYO SKY)
Belair and Bayley to start, Bianca with a waistlock takedown, a side headlock, shoulder block in the corner, and the EST chucks her with a suplex! Tag to Flair, Damage CTRL get her isolated briefly but Charlotte unloads on SKY and boots her off the apron! Cannonball senton off the apron takes Damage CTRL out and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Flair fights free of a side headlock, whip to the corner, STO backbreaker into a reverse STO in the turnbuckles but Bayley immediately pops back up and hits a military press slam out of the corner for two! SKY tags in, La Mistica into a crossface but Charlotte fights to her feet and slings her aside!
Crawling for the tag, IYO cuts her off, underhooks, big back body drop and the path is clear but SKY cuts the tag off! A little back and forth and Bianca tags in and cleans house! Handspring moonsault, IYO with a dropkick to the knee, Bayley legal, hanging onto Belair’s braid but the EST drops both of them at once!
Flair tags in after some chaos, fallaway slam, handspring into a lariat... NOPE! Out and back in, Bayley gets a nearfall, dragging Charlotte over, tag, SKY off the top with the moonsault but nobody’s home! Rock Flair with a Shotei, charging in but Charlotte sidesteps and Bayley tags back in!
Bayley going for a figure four leglock, blocked, Belair tags in, backbreaker rack...
Bianca Belair & Charlotte Flair win by pinfall with KOD from Belair on Bayley.
We get another package of superstars including Cody Rhodes, Kevin Owens, Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio, and Kurt Angle congratulating Edge on 25 years.
Street Profits make their entrance and we go to break.
Back from commercial, Bianca Belair is interviewed but Damage CTRL attack and beat her down before she can get a word in edgewise!
They Pillmanize her leg and Kenn Doane arrives to finally send them packing while the EST screams in agony!
Good Brothers (“Machine Gun” Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) vs. Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
Good Brothers running hot on Ford to start, quick tags and a boot for two! Tide turns, Dawkins in and he throws Anderson into the corner, Karl fighting back with chops but Angelo hits a cradle Olympic Slam and Drill Bit! Montez tags in, frog splash... GALLOWS BREAKS IT UP!
Back suplex neckbreaker from the Club gets two, setting Dawkins up for the Magic Killer but he blocks! Enzuigiri on Luke, lariat sends him to the floor, tope con giro follows it up! Tag to Ford, setting Karl up...
Street Profits win by pinfall with a Sky High / neckbreaker combination on Karl Anderson.
The Profits stand tall on the stage and Bobby Lashley makes his entrance to congratulate them on their victory and raise their hands.
We see a pensive Paul Heyman hanging out backstage and we go to break.
Back from commercial, we get a video package documenting recent events in the Bloodline saga.
Paul Heyman is interviewed backstage by Kayla Braxton.
He refuses to give her an update on the state of the Bloodline or on Roman Reigns’ headspace, and scoffs at the idea that she’s going to come at him about rumors and berates her at length before taking a call that seems to have some good news but ends prematurely.
He says it’s not a rumor, it’s a fact, it’s a spoiler, and Jimmy Uso will be live on SmackDown next week, but he refuses to share his source when asked.
Sheamus makes his entrance and we go to break.
Edge vs. Sheamus
Collar and elbow, Edge gets the better of Sheamus, back to the lockup, this time the Celtic Warrior with a side headlock, shot off, shoulder block, Irish Curse leaves the Rated R Superstar staring into the distance as we go to break.
Back from commercial, Edge-O-Matic nearfall, to the floor, he follows it up with a powerbomb and Sheamus is hurting, repetitively crab-clawing his hand! Back inside, diving crossbody, Edgecator blocked with upkicks, Sheamus catches him with a tilt-a-whirl slam for two!
Onto the apron, Beats of the Bodhran blocked and Edge hammers the Celtic Warrior with punches! They crash to the floor and we go to break!
Back from commercial, Sheamus has the cloverleaf in and sits down on it in the middle of the ring! Edge reverses to an arm-trap crossface, Celtic Warrior crawling for the ropes, reaching, and he gets the break! Boots up in the corner, skin the cat, Sheamus up top, Edge with a boot!
Jockeying for position, Edge gets a superplex and follows it with the Impaler... NOT ENOUGH! More fighting in turnbuckles, Sheamus gets under him... AVALANCHE WHITE NOISE! Drawing him up, High Cross... STILL NO! Beats of the Bodhran to follow, Edge is defiant and earns himself another round of clubs with a bird!
Sheamus hammering him down, Edge comes back with a big lariat and he’s fired up! Laying in wait... A KNEE BLOCKS THE SPEAR! BROGUE KICK! EDGE KICKS OUT SOMEHOW! Edge sidesteps a second Brogue, schoolboy for two, he’s in position... SHEAMUS KICKS OUT OF THE SPEAR!
Both men lined up, charging at each other...
Edge wins by pinfall with the spear.
Post-match, they embrace.
That’s the show, folks.
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