WWE Smackdown LIVE Coverage & Discussion - August 7th, 2018

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Styles returns to address Samoa Joe

Last week, Samoa Joe got extremely personal with WWE Champion AJ Styles ahead of their SummerSlam clash for the title. The Samoan Submission Machine accused Styles of being a poor father, choosing to spend more time on the road than at home with his family. Tonight, The Phenomenal One returns to address his challenger. Has Samoa Joe gotten inside the champion’s head?


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- Tonight's WWE SmackDown opens live from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. Tom Phillips welcomes us. He's joined by Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

- We go to the ring and out comes Randy Orton.

Orton says Jeff Hardy called him out last week but that didn't turn out in his favor. We see how Orton and WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura attacked Hardy last week, and Orton "wiping away" Hardy's identity after. Some fans cheer as we return to Orton on the mic. Orton asks if the people still believe. He could've warned those who are squeamish to turn away but watching them squirm is why he did it in the first place. Orton made a vow to take out every Superstar who the fans put up on a pedestal. Orton goes on and says he will become so violent that fans want to change the channel. But they won't change the channel because they still believe. They still believe in superheroes and hope, like hoping Hardy will come out right now and save the day. Orton says he won't because Orton erased The Enigma last week. Orton says Hardy is somewhere lost right now, searching for his identity. Orton erased The Enigma and will erase every other Superstar the fans respect. Orton says he is doing this because he doesn't get the respect he deserves from fans or those in the back.

Orton talks about starting out as one of the youngest in WWE, becoming a young WWE Champion and then going on to find big success. But the fans still won't respect him. Orton says sometimes in life you have to take respect when not given it. Orton goes on repeating some of the same talking points. Orton says this isn't on him, it's on each and every one of the fans. Orton goes on and says you can call him what you want but what's important is these three letters - RKO. Orton drops the mic and leaves the ring as his music hits.

- We see The Bar backstage watching. They will face The New Day later to crown new #1 contenders.

- Becky Lynch is backstage when Charlotte Flair walks up. There's some tension there but Flair says she wasn't trying to steal Becky's thunder last week. Becky says it puts her in a bad position because she wanted to be happy for Flair but she wanted Carmella alone at SummerSlam. They get on the same page for tonight's match against The IIconics and take a shot at Sasha Banks & Bayley, The Boss & Hug Connection.

- We go to the ring and out comes SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella for commentary. We go to commercial.

The IIconics vs. Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

Back from the break and out comes Becky Lynch as Carmella looks on from commentary. Charlotte Flair is out next. Out next comes The IIconics, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. They cut promos on the way to the ring, taking shots at their opponents and the city of Orlando.

The bell rings and Billie starts off with Becky. They go at it and Becky takes control. Flair tags in for a quick double team and unloads with chops. Becky tags back in for a few double team moves, also sending Peyton to the floor as she comes in. Becky goes for the Dis-Arm-Her on Billie but she scrambles to the floor thanks to Royce. Flair tags back in and launches herself over the top rope, taking out both opponents on the floor. Flair stands tall as Becky poses in the corner. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Flair works over Billie. They collide in the middle of the ring and both go down as Carmella rolls her eyes at the announce table. Peyton tags in as does Becky. Becky gets the upperhand and a pop. Becky with a kick to the gut and an uppercut. Becky with the Bexploder suplex. Becky goes to the top and hits a flying forearm for a close 2 count.

Becky goes for the Dis-Arm-Her but Billie breaks it with a boot. Flair tags in and drops Billie. Flair goes to the top and hits a moonsault, taking down both opponents with it. Flair applies the Figure Four and then the Figure Eight on Peyton for the submission win.

Winners: Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch

- After the match, Flair and Lynch stand tall as Flair's music hits. They celebrate together as Carmella stands on top of the announce table and raises her title, running her mouth with her SummerSlam opponents.

- Renee Young is backstage with The New Day. Kofi Kingston ends up putting on a blonde wig to interview Xavier Woods and Big E about the match with The Bar tonight. They are confident about beating Cesaro and Sheamus, then going to SummerSlam to take the titles from The Bludgeon Brothers. Kofi takes off the wig and they go on about how they can do anything. Kofi hands the wig to Renee and they walk off.

- We see video from earlier today of The Miz accepting Daniel Bryan's SummerSlam challenge for the singles match. Byron will have an exclusive interview later tonight.

- WWE Champion AJ Styles is backstage walking. He will return tonight to address Samoa Joe. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and we see Charlotte & Becky backstage discussing their win. The Triple Threat at SummerSlam comes up and they agree to be great against each other after being great together tonight. The tension returns as they look at each other and do their "tea time" handshake to end the segment.

- The announcers show us video from last week's Samoa Joe promo, sending the personal message to AJ Styles.

- We go to the ring and out comes WWE Champion AJ Styles as Greg Hamilton does the introduction.

AJ hits the ring and fans chant his name as he takes the mic. AJ talks about how a lot goes on inside these ropes and sometimes it gets personal. He says Joe made it personal last week when he talked about AJ's family. AJ says he wants to be one of the greatest WWE Superstars for his family but that doesn't make him special as we all make sacrifices and he's a real man. AJ talks about how he misses some family things while on the road. He just celebrated 18 years with his wife but his wife is basically a single parent because he can't be there. We see Joe backstage watching. AJ talks about how we're supposed to give kids what we didn't have growing up. AJ says what pisses him off is Joe knows his family and has known them long before this became The House That AJ Styles Built. He talks about how they came up together some and says Joe threw that all away in a matter of seconds when he brought up the family last week.

AJ says he's not going to let Joe get his hands on the title. AJ says screw that... Joe won't walk out of SummerSlam with the title and he will be lucky to walk out at all, period. AJ stands tall as his music hits. We see Joe backstage watching again, smiling and laughing at AJ.

- Still to come, the finals of the SummerSlam Tag Team Tournament.

- We see Lana backstage warming up. Rusev appears and says Lana was right last week, he should be more supportive. Rusev says he will be out there in Lana's corner tonight for the rematch with Zelina Vega because this is a Happy Lana Day. Aiden English walks up and just wants Rusev and Lana to hear him out, he says Rusev can knock him out after that if he wants. He says he did not mean to cost Lana the match last week and they have to believe he had the best intentions from his heart. English says he's here to say he's sorry. Rusev says fine, we forgive you. They walk off and English goes to leave with them. Rusev stops English and says they forgive him but maybe it's better if he stays in the back tonight.

Lana vs. Zelina Vega

We go to the ring and out comes Zelina Vega with Andrade "Cien" Almas. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Lana with Rusev. The bell rings and they go at it, going to the corner. Lana dropkicks Vega through the ropes and brings it back into the ring but Vega mounts Lana and unloads. Vega covers for a 1 count. Vega ragdolls Lana a bit and keeps her grounded in the middle of the ring as Almas looks on.

Fans chant for Lana as Vega keeps her down. Vega slams Lana back to the mat and boots her. Lana comes back with a knee to the gut and a suplex as Rusev claps. Lana keeps control and covers for a near fall. Lana takes Vega to the corner but Vega turns it around, slamming Lana into the turnbuckle. Lana comes right back and drops Vega face-first into the mat for another 2 count.

Lana yells out about being #1 and hits a suplex. Lana with another suplex. Almas gets on the ropes to distract Lana, allowing Vega to drop her with a shot to the jaw. Rusev runs over and levels Almas. Rusev with another shot and some yelling but Vega kicks him in the back of the head from the apron. This allows Almas to nail Rusev and send him into the ring post. Lana drops Vega off the distraction. Aiden English ends up running down to make the save for Rusev but it backfires and Lana goes down off the distraction. Vega takes advantage again and hits the running knees in the corner for the pin.

Winner: Zelina Vega

- After the match, Rusev goes to the ring to check on Lana as English looks disappointed at ringside. We go to replays. Vega and Almas leave as their music plays. Rusev and Lana look on at English from the ring.

- Renee Young is backstage with WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, asking about his SummerSlam match with Jeff Hardy. Nakamura says she must be mistaken as Hardy was erased. He comments on facing what's left of Hardy but in comes R-Truth with Tye Dillinger to interrupt. Tye is trying to calm Truth down. Truth says he wants a SummerSlam match for the US Title and will get it by pinning Carmella. Tye says that's not how it works. Truth continues to play dumb and says he's not stepping in the ring with Renee. Nakamura walks off after more shenanigans and Truth says the match with Carmella is off but he wants Nakamura tonight.

- Still to come, Byron's interview with The Miz. Back to commercial.

- Back from the break and Truth vs. Nakamura is confirmed for later tonight.

- Byron Saxton is in the ring with a mic. He introduces The Miz on the big screen.

Speaking from on location for Miz & Mrs., The Miz rants on the success of Miz & Mrs. and just plugs the show when Byron asks about the SummerSlam match with Daniel Bryan. Miz goes on about how Bryan has been obsessing over him since their WWE NXT days while Miz has been busy & successful. Miz says he will happily embarrass Bryan at SummerSlam. Miz has carried the sub-par Bryan on his back since day 1 and he's tired of it, he's done sharing the spotlight with those who don't deserve it. Miz says he's not hiding from anyone and will expose Bryan for what he is at SummerSlam and what he's always been - beneath Miz. Miz says he's done talking and why don't Byron go get comments from Bryan, who is probably at catering eating on some kale. Miz continues with the insults until Bryan comes out of nowhere and attacks Miz from the side. Bryan unloads on Miz and fights off two security guards Miz had on standby until he's smashed in the head with a vase by Miz. The guards hurry Miz out of the room as Bryan recovers, slowly getting to his feet.

- We go to the announcers for hype on Bryan vs. Miz and SummerSlam. Still to come tonight, The Bar vs. The New Day to crown new #1 contenders.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. R-Truth

We go to the ring and out comes WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura for a non-title match. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes R-Truth rapping his entrance. The bell rings and they go at it. Nakamura tells Truth to bring it early on. Truth goes at him and rolls him up for a 2 count. Truth mocks Nakamura and tells him to bring it now. Truth gets the upperhand and nails a big splash in the corner. Truth with another takedown as fans cheer him on.

Nakamura dodges the scissors kick and nails a kick to the back of the neck. Nakamura counters a right hand and drops Truth into the triangle submission. Nakamura re-positions in the middle of the ring but Truth grabs the bottom rope to break the hold. Nakamura stomps and then drives knees to the side of the face. Nakamura with the reverse Exploder suplex now.. Nakamura waits for Truth to get up and hits Kinshasa for the pin.

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

- After the match, Nakamura raises the title as his music hits.

- We see video from earlier today of SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers backstage. They say another test waits The Bar and The New Day tonight. Harper and Rowan say they will be there waiting, excited and eager to break whoever arrives, mentally and physically. Harper says this is going to be fun.

Handicap Match: The Bludgeon Brothers vs. 3SK (Pavel Kozlov, Akila Lee (?), Julio Rivera)

We go to the ring and out comes SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Bludgeon Brothers for a non-title match. The screen splits with a commercial as Harper and Rowan head to the ring. We see three weird looking enhancement talents backstage warming up. They head to the ring next as Harper and Rowan look on.

The bell rings and the champs knock the other two opponents off the apron. They go to work on the other guy and end up on the floor, taking out all three opponents. The Bludgeon Brothers continue dominating their opponents and get the win with a double team.

Winners: The Bludgeon Brothers

- After the match, Harper and Rowan stand tall with the titles as their music hits.

- The announcers go over the WWE SummerSlam card.

SummerSlam Tag Team Tournament Finals: The Bar vs. The New Day

We go to the ring and out comes The Bar, Cesaro and Sheamus. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes The New Day. The winners will get the SmackDown Tag Team Title shot t SummerSlam. Big E and Kofi Kingston are in action tonight. Fans chant "we want pancakes" as Xavier Woods tosses them at ringside. Cesaro starts off with Big E. Big E gets the upperhand as fans chant "New Day rocks" now. Cesaro looks to take control but Big E drops him with an elbow. Kofi tags in for the double team and a 2 count. Kofi counters a shot and dropkicks Cesaro for a 2 count.

Sheamus tags in and rocks Kofi. Kofi slides out of a move and kicks Sheamus into the corner. Sheamus blocks a move and sends Kofi out to the floor. Woods and Big E check on Kofi at ringside now. Sheamus looks on from the ring as we get a replay. Sheamus goes after Kofi and rocks him on the floor again. Sheamus plays to the crowd for some cheers. Sheamus brings Kofi back into the ring and tags Cesaro in. Cesaro keeps Kofi grounded.

Kofi tries to roll Cesaro up but Sheamus gets the tag. The Bar double teams Kofi with a clothesline and Sheamus covers for a 2 count. Sheamus keeps Kofi grounded again as we go back to commercial.

Back from the break and Cesaro is having words with the referee as Kofi is down on the mat. Cesaro shoves Kofi back into the corner but runs into boots. Kofi fights back and also rocks Sheamus on the apron. Cesaro catches Kofi but Kofi slides out. Kofi dumps Cesaro out to the floor. Big E waits for the tag as Kofi crawls and fans cheer them on. Sheamus tags in and stops the tag. Sheamus misses in the corner and hits the ring post. Big E gets the hot tag.

Big E unloads with big suplexes to Sheamus. Fans pop and Big E dances over Sheamus. Cesaro comes in but gets sent back out. Sheamus and Big E go at it. Big E plants Sheamus into the mat and covers for a close 2 count. Kofi tags in as Big E scoops Sheamus. Sheamus avoids The Midnight Hour and Big E gets sent to the outside. Cesaro tags in and goes at it with Kofi. Kofi hits SOS but Cesaro kicks out at 2. More back and forth between Cesaro and Kofi. Big E tags in but Cesaro doesn't see it. Big E goes for the big splash on the apron but Cesaro rolls out of the way. Big E lands on the floor. Kofi tries to run interference but Sheamus runs over and hits the senton on the floor, taking out Kofi.

The Bar plants Big E into the mat with the double team. Sheamus covers but Big E still kicks out at 2. Sheamus beats Big E into the corner and tags Cesaro back in for the double team. The Bar with more quick tags now. Cesaro with a 2 count. Cesaro stomps some more as we return to commercial.

Back from the break and Sheamus is in control of Big E. Sheamus takes Big E to the top and climbs up, rocking him with right hands. Big E fights back and Sheamus ends up on the mat. Cesaro tags in and nails Big E with a boot. Cesaro climbs up for the superplex while Sheamus goes to another corner. Cesaro hits the superplex and Sheamus follows up with a flying knee drop. Sheamus covers but Big E still kicks out at 2.

Fans chant "this is awesome" now as Sheamus works over Big E. Kofi finally gets the hot tag and comes flying in on Cesaro. Kofi unloads and hits a Boom Drop. Sheamus pulls Cesaro to safety on the outside. Kofi runs the ropes and leaps out, taking down The Bar on the outside. Woods cheers Kofi on as he brings Cesaro back in. Kofi with more offense and another close 2 count as Sheamus makes the save. Sheamus gets sent to the floor. Kofi counters Cesaro but misses Trouble In Paradise. Sheamus tags in and The Bar hits a double backbreaker on Kofi. Sheamus covers but Kofi still kicks out.

Sheamus gets up and yells out in the corner. Some fans boo. Sheamus calls for the Brogue Kick as he waits for Kofi to get back up. Kofi ducks the Brogue but runs into an elbow. Cesaro tags in but Kofi sends him right to the floor. Kofi dropkicks Sheamus. Big E tags in and scoops Sheamus for The Midnight Hour but Cesaro runs in and breaks it up. They double team Big E and Cesaro covers for a close 2 count as Kofi breaks it. Sheamus launches Kofi into the barrier. Fans chant "this is awesome" again as Woods cheers his partners on. Big E and Cesaro go at it. Cesaro hits the Cesaro Swing and goes for the Sharpshooter, getting it locked in.

Big E crawls for the bottom rope but Cesaro pulls him back to the middle of the ring. Fans chant for The New Day. Sheamus stops Kofi from pulling Big E to the bottom rope. Kofi counters and hits a big DDT on the floor, taking Sheamus out. Big E overpowers the hold and crawls for the bottom rope. Cesaro switches and turns it into a Crossface, bringing Big E back to the middle of the ring. Big E powers up to his feet, the hold still applied. Big E holds Cesaro, still with the hold applied, as Kofi tags in and goes to the top. They hit Midnight Hour on Cesaro and Kofi covers for the pin and the title shot at SummerSlam.

Winners and New #1 Contenders: The New Day

- After the match, Woods hits the ring and The New Day celebrates as fans pop. The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers is now official for SummerSlam. We go to replays. The celebration continues as we see the SmackDown Tag Team Champions watching from the crowd near the concourse. SmackDown goes off the air with the new #1 contenders celebrating in the ring.