SmackDown emanated from Berlin, Germany for the first leg of WWE’s European tour with a massive WWE title match in store.
Let’s get into the results:
Trick Williams def. Rey Fenix
Women’s United States title: Guilia (c) def. Alexa Bliss
MFTs def. The Wyatt Sicks
Jordynne Grace def. Alba Fyre
United States title open challenge: Carmelo Hayes (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Undisputed title, Three Stages of Hell match: Drew McIntyre def. Cody Rhodes (c)
Notes:
Randy Orton opens the show but before he can get going, Trick Williams interrupts him. Standard back and forth stuff to help introduce Williams to people. Orton says he looks a star but he has a long way to go. Trick slaps the mic out of his hand and Orton proceeds to floor the NXT export with a draping DDT.
The Miz appears and attacks Orton, but he eats an RKO so the legend can stand tall, glaring at Williams on the outside. Rey Fenix arrives to face Williams in a match that was made last week.
Damien Priest gives a backstage interview moving on from Aleister Black. He’s interrupted by Drew McIntyre and after a tense face off, Priest leaves and McIntyre reveals he has the rolex that his late father Dusty had to pawn, yet further enraging the champion.
Charlotte Flair is not flanking Alexa Bliss tonight because she is sick. Wade Barrett doubts that she is…
Nia Jax and Lash Legend decimate Bliss after her loss.
Jordynne Grace officially signs with SmackDown and Alba Fyre becomes her first opponent.
Matt Cardona gives a backstage interview on his return, then runs into his old friend Cody Rhodes and, very nicely and politely, warns him that he will be coming for his title.
Carmelo Hayes and The Miz clash backstage with the latter saying he can’t challenge for the title this week because of the Randy Orton attack. Ilja Dragunov also declines, revealing he’s talking to Nick Aldis about ‘something… different’.
Jordynne Grace dominates Alba Fyre on her debut. Jade Cargill catches her walking up the ramp and fires a warning.
Sami Zayn talks to Byron Saxton backstage.
Aldis reveals there will be four qualification matches for a fatal-four-way to determine the next world title number one contender, starting in London next week. The winner will face the champion at the Royal Rumble.
Randy Orton v The Miz. Matt Cardona v Trick Williams. Damien Priest v Solo Sikoa. Sami Zayn v Ilja Dragunov.
In the main event, Drew McIntyre won the first fall after unhooking the turnbuckle which distracted the ref and opened the door for a low blow from the Scot and then a Claymore.
That was a straight wrestling match. Then it turned into falls count anywhere. A great splash from the top of a concourse should have been the second fall in Rhodes’ favour, but McIntyre kicked out.
Rhodes won the second fall by nailing a CrossRhodes through the announce table. The cage match ensued; a superplex from the top of the cage wasn’t enough for McIntyre to put Rhodes away.
With McIntyre about to escape the cage, Jacob Fatu appeared and attacked the Scot. Their battle spilled into the cage and when Rhodes and Fatu ended up getting into it, McIntyre took the chance to escape and win the WWE Undisputed title.
Analysis:
Wow, WWE title change oversees on a regular TV! Not every day you see that, but McIntyre had to win a title match at this point. Nearly two years after his last title reign and several title feuds in the rearview mirror, his credibility as a top act in the company was at stake. And it shouldn’t be; he has everything WWE could ever want in a main event talent and he always delivers in his big feuds.
The question is, where does this take us now? Is Drew McIntyre the champion head into WrestleMania? Does Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns III need a belt? A lot of questions that do not have obvious answers right now.
If we have Bron Breakker destined for the main event on one side, he probably has to win the Royal Rumble to rematch CM Punk. And Seth Rollins might even be involved in that in some way.
Elsewhere tonight, Jordynne Grace is an instant injection into the roster and having her immediately rub shoulders with Jade Cargill is perfect. Next to Bianca Belair (who I assume is Cargill’s WM42 opponent), she is someone who can plausibly physically match the champion.
Another nice rub for Trick Williams, too, as he opens the show with Randy Orton and then collects a win over Rey Fenix. SmackDown all of a sudden has this replenished feel and enough star power to create a ton of narratives. Even at three hours, this show did not drag, just like that week didn’t.
Ryan Ward’s early tenure as lead writer has started emphatically well.
