Shane McMahon, and the New Day, kicked off SmackDown Live.
SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon kicked off the festivities in the United Kingdom, previewing the night of action and looking ahead to the head-to-head competition against Raw at Survivor Series.
Shane introduced The New Day, who played a pivotal role on Monday Night Raw the night before, ostensibly costing Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro & Sheamus when they falsely teased that #UnderSiege part two was about to occur. Shane-O-Mac and The New Day rejoiced in their actions from the night prior, but before the good vibes could really start to flow, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn hit the scene to interrupt.
KO and Zayn could not resist engaging in their favorite pastime of running Shane’s name through the mud, but The New Day interjected, going in on KO and Zayn with no mercy whatsoever, even mocking Zayn’s pre-match dance moves. With the verbal jousting perhaps destined to volley back and forth for eternity, the Commissioner made an executive decision, placing the chirpy Zayn in a match … against Kofi Kingston … next! (Via WWE.com)
Shane introduced The New Day, who played a pivotal role on Monday Night Raw the night before, ostensibly costing Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose the Raw Tag Team Championship against Cesaro & Sheamus when they falsely teased that #UnderSiege part two was about to occur. Shane-O-Mac and The New Day rejoiced in their actions from the night prior, but before the good vibes could really start to flow, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn hit the scene to interrupt.
KO and Zayn could not resist engaging in their favorite pastime of running Shane’s name through the mud, but The New Day interjected, going in on KO and Zayn with no mercy whatsoever, even mocking Zayn’s pre-match dance moves. With the verbal jousting perhaps destined to volley back and forth for eternity, the Commissioner made an executive decision, placing the chirpy Zayn in a match … against Kofi Kingston … next! (Via WWE.com)
kofi Kingston defeated Sami Zayn.
Fresh off their verbal exchange mere moments ago, Kingston and Zayn squared off on SmackDown LIVE with The New Day and Kevin Owens in their respective corners. Intensity and athleticism was at a premium as the two went back and forth with razor-sharp intensity. Zayn took control for large spurts, never hesitating to cut any corner possible to gain an edge. However, Kofi battled back by throwing caution to the wind several times, even launching himself head-over-heals over the top rope onto his opponent, and his go-for-broke approach finally paid off when The Dreadlocked Dynamo caught Zayn totally offguard with a splash from the top rope for the win.
Instantly, KO hit the ring to pounce on Kofi and sneak in a few cheap shots before The New Day could break it up. By the time Big E and Xavier Woods got there, Owens and Zayn had fled, but it seemed rather evident that a serious conflict was brewing between the two sides. (Via WWE.com)
Instantly, KO hit the ring to pounce on Kofi and sneak in a few cheap shots before The New Day could break it up. By the time Big E and Xavier Woods got there, Owens and Zayn had fled, but it seemed rather evident that a serious conflict was brewing between the two sides. (Via WWE.com)
Randy Orton defeated Rusev to keep him off the Men's Survivor Series team.
Aiden English welcomed Rusev with a rousing rendition of the “Rusev Day” song as The Bulgarian Brute prepared to take on Randy Orton where a victory against The Viper would make The Super Athlete the fifth and final member of Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
Rusev did his best to keep bitter rival grounded and appeared to be on his way to joining Team Blue’s squad, but The Bulgarian Brute was soon met with an RKO out of nowhere that put him down for the count and kept him off Team SmackDown. (Via WWE.com)
Rusev did his best to keep bitter rival grounded and appeared to be on his way to joining Team Blue’s squad, but The Bulgarian Brute was soon met with an RKO out of nowhere that put him down for the count and kept him off Team SmackDown. (Via WWE.com)
Becky Lynch defeated James Ellsworth by submission. (Intergender Match)
Over the weekend, a social media spat between Carmella, James Ellsworth and Becky Lynch over who should actually be captaining the SmackDown Women’s Survivor Series Team led to a match being made between Lynch and Ellsworth in a battle of the sexes tonight on SmackDown LIVE, with the rest of the SmackDown Women’s Survivor Series Team surrounding ringside.
Ellsworth, who had been talking a tremendous amount of trash throughout the evening and was even let off his leash by Carmella, came into the contest incredibly confident. However, for all his bravado, Ellsworth was thoroughly outclassed, with Lynch’s straight fire out-quicking and out-thinking Ellsworth at every turn. When Carmella’s lackey had the gall to harshly shove Becky twice, including one that caused Maiden Ireland to tumble out of the ring, The Irish Lass Kicker fired back with an offensive onslaught that resulted in Ellsworth attempting to get out of dodge. However, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Lana and Tamina denied him the opportunity, forcing him back in the ring and allowing Becky to apply the agonizing Dis-arm-her (or Dis-arm-him, maybe?) for the win.
After the match, Carmella entered the ring and exchanged some seemingly heated words with Lynch. But then, perhaps for his failure in the match, or perhaps for trying to overshadow her earlier, Ms. Money in the Bank superkicked Ellsworth square in the jaw and left with the SmackDown Women’s Survivor Series team (Via WWE.com)
Ellsworth, who had been talking a tremendous amount of trash throughout the evening and was even let off his leash by Carmella, came into the contest incredibly confident. However, for all his bravado, Ellsworth was thoroughly outclassed, with Lynch’s straight fire out-quicking and out-thinking Ellsworth at every turn. When Carmella’s lackey had the gall to harshly shove Becky twice, including one that caused Maiden Ireland to tumble out of the ring, The Irish Lass Kicker fired back with an offensive onslaught that resulted in Ellsworth attempting to get out of dodge. However, Charlotte Flair, Naomi, Lana and Tamina denied him the opportunity, forcing him back in the ring and allowing Becky to apply the agonizing Dis-arm-her (or Dis-arm-him, maybe?) for the win.
After the match, Carmella entered the ring and exchanged some seemingly heated words with Lynch. But then, perhaps for his failure in the match, or perhaps for trying to overshadow her earlier, Ms. Money in the Bank superkicked Ellsworth square in the jaw and left with the SmackDown Women’s Survivor Series team (Via WWE.com)
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: Shelton benjamin, and Chad Gable defeated SMACKDOWN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS, The Usos via Count-out.
Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable got their first opportunity at the SmackDown Tag Team Titles on SmackDown LIVE in Manchester, and the two championship-hungry Superstars used some savage tactics to help their chances of claiming the gold. Prior to the contest, The Usos attempted to psych-out the challengers, labeling them “American Alpha part two” and then getting the jump on them before the bell could ring.
Once the match officially started, The Usos continued to push the pace, but Benjamin & Gable were more than game in keeping up with the champions in an incredibly hostile and physical bout. The title bout took an unexpected turn (and came to a surprisingly quick conclusion) when Jey Uso was unable to meet the official’s 10-count after falling prey to a ferocious chopblock from Gable, giving Benjamin & Gable the count-out victory, but not the titles. (Via WWE.com)
Once the match officially started, The Usos continued to push the pace, but Benjamin & Gable were more than game in keeping up with the champions in an incredibly hostile and physical bout. The title bout took an unexpected turn (and came to a surprisingly quick conclusion) when Jey Uso was unable to meet the official’s 10-count after falling prey to a ferocious chopblock from Gable, giving Benjamin & Gable the count-out victory, but not the titles. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Championship: AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal (with The Singh Brothers).
With both the WWE Championship and the opportunity to clash with Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series on the line, WWE Champion Jinder Mahal and AJ Styles dazzled the rabid WWE Universe in Manchester by slugging it out for the title in one of the biggest main events in SmackDown LIVE history.
With a chance to become WWE Champion for the second time, The Phenomenal One was amped up, but Mahal was at the top of his game, occasionally manhandling Styles and viciously throwing AJ into the announcer’s table. Methodical in his approach, The Modern Day Maharaja attempted to wear down Styles, but the challenger phenomenally fired back with a stinging barrage of strikes and high-impact maneuvers. Styles’ offense would often come in spurts though, as Mahal was able to use his size and strength advantages time and again to regain control.
In the contest’s final moments, Styles’ appeared to be closing in on the title when he connected with a breathtaking springboard 450 splash onto the WWE Champion, but the sneaky Singh Brothers pulled Mahal out of the ring, and thus out of danger from being defeated. This prompted The Phenomenal One to pummel The Singhs on the outside, taking them out of the equation. However, it seemed the distraction would cost Styles, as it allowed The Modern Day Maharaja to counter a Phenomenal Forearm attempt into Khallas, yet AJ narrowly got his foot on the bottom rope to break up the count.
Mahal then horrifyingly attempted a Khallas from the top rope, hoping to end the battle once and for all. The ever-resilient Styles countered by stunning The Modern Day Maharaja and dropping him neck-first on the top rope, giving himself the opening to soar into the skies and connect with The Phenomenal Forearm for the incredible championship victory. A furious Mahal took out his post-match aggression by bashing The Singh Brothers while Styles celebrated with the WWE Universe.
Styles’ win meant several things: The Phenomenal One was now a two-time WWE Champion, Mahal’s much-discussed reign was over, the WWE Championship had changed hands outside of North America for the first time ever and the Champion vs. Champion showdown was now AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. Wow, wow, wow. (Via WWE.com)
With a chance to become WWE Champion for the second time, The Phenomenal One was amped up, but Mahal was at the top of his game, occasionally manhandling Styles and viciously throwing AJ into the announcer’s table. Methodical in his approach, The Modern Day Maharaja attempted to wear down Styles, but the challenger phenomenally fired back with a stinging barrage of strikes and high-impact maneuvers. Styles’ offense would often come in spurts though, as Mahal was able to use his size and strength advantages time and again to regain control.
In the contest’s final moments, Styles’ appeared to be closing in on the title when he connected with a breathtaking springboard 450 splash onto the WWE Champion, but the sneaky Singh Brothers pulled Mahal out of the ring, and thus out of danger from being defeated. This prompted The Phenomenal One to pummel The Singhs on the outside, taking them out of the equation. However, it seemed the distraction would cost Styles, as it allowed The Modern Day Maharaja to counter a Phenomenal Forearm attempt into Khallas, yet AJ narrowly got his foot on the bottom rope to break up the count.
Mahal then horrifyingly attempted a Khallas from the top rope, hoping to end the battle once and for all. The ever-resilient Styles countered by stunning The Modern Day Maharaja and dropping him neck-first on the top rope, giving himself the opening to soar into the skies and connect with The Phenomenal Forearm for the incredible championship victory. A furious Mahal took out his post-match aggression by bashing The Singh Brothers while Styles celebrated with the WWE Universe.
Styles’ win meant several things: The Phenomenal One was now a two-time WWE Champion, Mahal’s much-discussed reign was over, the WWE Championship had changed hands outside of North America for the first time ever and the Champion vs. Champion showdown was now AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. Wow, wow, wow. (Via WWE.com)
Enzo Amore welcomes the UK Championship division to "The Zo-Show."
After U.K. Champion Pete Dunne surprised and defeated WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore, The Certified G – believing The BruiserWeight’s appearance was part of Raw General Manager Kurt Angle’s conspiracy against him – invited the U.K. Championship division to his new talk show, “The Zo Show.”
Before welcoming the U.K. Superstars to his show, Enzo took a moment to berate the WWE Universe in Manchester and explain why he was upset following Raw. The WWE Universe didn’t respond kindly to the WWE Cruiserweight Champion’s rant, greeting him with “boring” chants and showing support for their fellow countrymen. Finally welcoming Jordan Devlin, Tyler Bate, Mark Andrews, James Drake, Tucker and Joseph Connors to ring, The Realest Champ in the Room proceeded to introduce each Superstar and find out whether they deserved to be on the Zo Train.
However, inaugural U.K. Champion Tyler Bate resisted Enzo, explaining he didn’t want to hear the WWE Cruiserweight Champion’s screeching voice telling him what to do. The Certified G didn’t take kindly to Bate’s insubordination, berating the former U.K. Champion and telling him he could be Enzo’s butler. In response, Bate took down Enzo with an impactful punch, sending the WWE Cruiserweight Champion from the ring just as his Survivor Series opponent, Kalisto, entered the arena ready to battle Gentleman Jack Gallagher. (Via WWE.com)
Before welcoming the U.K. Superstars to his show, Enzo took a moment to berate the WWE Universe in Manchester and explain why he was upset following Raw. The WWE Universe didn’t respond kindly to the WWE Cruiserweight Champion’s rant, greeting him with “boring” chants and showing support for their fellow countrymen. Finally welcoming Jordan Devlin, Tyler Bate, Mark Andrews, James Drake, Tucker and Joseph Connors to ring, The Realest Champ in the Room proceeded to introduce each Superstar and find out whether they deserved to be on the Zo Train.
However, inaugural U.K. Champion Tyler Bate resisted Enzo, explaining he didn’t want to hear the WWE Cruiserweight Champion’s screeching voice telling him what to do. The Certified G didn’t take kindly to Bate’s insubordination, berating the former U.K. Champion and telling him he could be Enzo’s butler. In response, Bate took down Enzo with an impactful punch, sending the WWE Cruiserweight Champion from the ring just as his Survivor Series opponent, Kalisto, entered the arena ready to battle Gentleman Jack Gallagher. (Via WWE.com)
Kalisto defeated Gentleman Jack Gallagher.
In a true showcase of the WWE Cruiserweight division, former Cruiserweight Champion Kalisto battled Manchester’s own Gentleman Jack Gallagher. Despite the homecoming, Gallagher told the WWE Universe that he was reminded of why he left, speaking ill of his hometown and blaming them for Cedric Alexander being a clown. Gallagher said he had returned a new man and that he was bigger than both Manchester and Great Britain.
Once the battle got underway, the clash of styles between Kalisto’s fast-paced, lucha offense and Gallagher’s more unorthodox style was on display. Although Kalisto enjoyed an early advantage by relying on his agility and high-flying ability, Gallagher quickly recovered before leaning on his technical prowess to show off his own cruelty.
Remaining resilient, Kalisto battled back, scoring a few near-falls before working to wear his opponent down. As Kalisto attempted a high-flying move from the top-rope, Gallagher countered and applied a submission maneuver, hoping to force the former Cruiserweight Champion to tap out. However, Kalisto displayed incredible ring awareness, rolling out of the hold and using the ropes to help him execute the incredible Salida del Sol for the win. (Via WWE.com)
Once the battle got underway, the clash of styles between Kalisto’s fast-paced, lucha offense and Gallagher’s more unorthodox style was on display. Although Kalisto enjoyed an early advantage by relying on his agility and high-flying ability, Gallagher quickly recovered before leaning on his technical prowess to show off his own cruelty.
Remaining resilient, Kalisto battled back, scoring a few near-falls before working to wear his opponent down. As Kalisto attempted a high-flying move from the top-rope, Gallagher countered and applied a submission maneuver, hoping to force the former Cruiserweight Champion to tap out. However, Kalisto displayed incredible ring awareness, rolling out of the hold and using the ropes to help him execute the incredible Salida del Sol for the win. (Via WWE.com)
Cedric Alexander and Mark Andrews defeated James Drake, and Joseph Conners.
Two of WWE’s most incredible athletes – Cedric Alexander and Mark Andrews – teamed up to battle the duo of James Drake and the hard-hitting Joseph Conners. Andrews started the match squaring off with Conners and had to rely on his agility and high-flying abilities to keep the much-larger Conners at bay.
After Andrews tagged in his partner, it took Alexander a few moments to calibrate his bearings against his aggressive opponents. After analyzing what he was up against, Alexander took control of the battle, relying on his speed and athletic prowess to take control.
Back in the thick of the action, Andrews struggled to mount an effective offense against Drake and Conners, who took turns dismantling their opponent. Showing off his resilience and fighting spirit, Andrews battled back and tagged Alexander back into the contest. Quickly regaining control of the bout, Alexander used his incredible speed to tag in his partner, unbeknownst to his opponents. With the stage set for him, Andrews ascended to the top rope and landed an incredible Shooting Star Press for the 1-2-3. (Via WWE.com)
After Andrews tagged in his partner, it took Alexander a few moments to calibrate his bearings against his aggressive opponents. After analyzing what he was up against, Alexander took control of the battle, relying on his speed and athletic prowess to take control.
Back in the thick of the action, Andrews struggled to mount an effective offense against Drake and Conners, who took turns dismantling their opponent. Showing off his resilience and fighting spirit, Andrews battled back and tagged Alexander back into the contest. Quickly regaining control of the bout, Alexander used his incredible speed to tag in his partner, unbeknownst to his opponents. With the stage set for him, Andrews ascended to the top rope and landed an incredible Shooting Star Press for the 1-2-3. (Via WWE.com)
WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Enzo Amore defeated Tyler Bates.
Making his WWE 205 Live debut, inaugural U.K. Champion Tyler Bate took on WWE Cruiserweight Champion Enzo Amore as a result of their altercation earlier in the evening. Uncharacteristically – and perhaps knowing the challenge before him – The Certified G didn’t address the WWE Universe again, instead making his way to the ring ready for a fight.
As the opening bell sounded, The Realest Champ in the Room quickly learned what he was up against as Bate countered every advance from Enzo, twice removing him from the ring, much to the delight of the WWE Universe in Manchester. Taking the fight to the outside, The Certified G finally turned the tables by launching Bate into the barricade. Capitalizing on his newfound advantage, Enzo remained on the attack, taking plenty of time to taunt both The Man from Moustache Mountain and the WWE Universe.
With Manchester cheering him on, Bate battled back, taking down Enzo and doing his best to build momentum and pick up a victory against the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. In control of the bout, Bate was ready to take down The Certified G from the top rope, but Enzo countered – knocking his opponent to the outside. As he fell, Bate’s knee got caught on the rope, giving The Realest Champ in the Room the advantage he needed.
Taking advantage of Bate being stunned after the fall from the top, The Certified G moved the contest back inside the ring where he toyed with Bate before executing the JawdonZo for the victory.
Following the impressive win, an irate WWE Cruiserweight Champion continued to attack Bate, only to be chased off by his Survivor Series opponent, Kalisto. (Via WWE.com)
As the opening bell sounded, The Realest Champ in the Room quickly learned what he was up against as Bate countered every advance from Enzo, twice removing him from the ring, much to the delight of the WWE Universe in Manchester. Taking the fight to the outside, The Certified G finally turned the tables by launching Bate into the barricade. Capitalizing on his newfound advantage, Enzo remained on the attack, taking plenty of time to taunt both The Man from Moustache Mountain and the WWE Universe.
With Manchester cheering him on, Bate battled back, taking down Enzo and doing his best to build momentum and pick up a victory against the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. In control of the bout, Bate was ready to take down The Certified G from the top rope, but Enzo countered – knocking his opponent to the outside. As he fell, Bate’s knee got caught on the rope, giving The Realest Champ in the Room the advantage he needed.
Taking advantage of Bate being stunned after the fall from the top, The Certified G moved the contest back inside the ring where he toyed with Bate before executing the JawdonZo for the victory.
Following the impressive win, an irate WWE Cruiserweight Champion continued to attack Bate, only to be chased off by his Survivor Series opponent, Kalisto. (Via WWE.com)