WWE Friday Night Smackdown Live Coverage - July 16th, 2021
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Edge & The Mysterios battle Roman Reigns & The Usos with SmackDown in front of a live audience!
Edge & The Mysterios join forces against Universal Champion Roman Reigns & The Usos. Bianca Belair will attempt to retain the SmackDown Women’s Title against Carmella, and Big E, Kevin Owens, King Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth Rollins will collide two nights before the Money in the Bank Ladder Match.
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– The Money In the Bank go-home edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX opens up with a video package welcoming fans back to the crowd.
– We’re live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas to mark WWE’s official return to the road after the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down in early 2020. Michael Cole welcomes us. He’s joined at ringside by Pat McAfee.
– The music hits and out comes WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon to the stage. Fans pop big for Mr. McMahon. He takes the mic and asks everyone where the hell they’ve been. Vince then heads to the back.
The Usos and Roman Reigns vs. Edge and Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns makes his way out next to a pop and pyro. The Usos and Paul Heyman are with him. They head to the ring together. Reigns raises the title in the air as more pyro goes off.
The music stops and the fans boo Reigns and his crew. Out next are SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio to a pop. WWE Hall of Famer Edge is out next to a massive pop as we open the show with six-man action. The two teams face off in the ring as we go to commercial.
Back fro the break and edge is about to start with Jimmy Uso but Jey attacks him from behind to start. Edge catches Jey and drops him face-first into the mat. Edge stares Reigns down and goes to work on Jey’s arm. Dominik tags in and works on the arm before quickly tagging Rey in for the double team. Rey gets jabbed with a right hand. Jimmy comes in but Rey takes him down by the arm. Edge tags back in and takes over, focusing on Jimmy’s arm. Rey and Edge double team Jimmy now for a big pop. Rey covers for 2 after the assisted springboard senton.
Dominik comes in for the double team, hitting a springboard moonsault as hid dad holds Jimmy down. Dominik grounds Jimmy by his arm as we see the Money In the Bank briefcases hanging above the ring. Dominik and Jimmy trade shots now. Jey tags in but Dominik doesn’t see it. The Usos take Dominik out into their corner. Jey flies in with a big right hand. Reigns wants tagged in and Jey tags him as fans boo loudly.
Reigns drags Dominik to the floor and man-handles some, staring back at Edge. Reigns brings it back in for a snap suplex. Dominik kicks out at 2. Reigns rolls Dominik back to the floor as the boos continue. Reigns slams Dominik face-first into the announce table. Reigns goes for a powerbomb on top of the announce table and he nails it. Rey and Edge come over to check on Dominik as Reigns yells at the crowd for more boos. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Dominik drops Jimmy with a DDT out of nowhere for a pop. They’re both down now. Jey and Edge tag in at he same time. Edge ducks and knocks Jimmy off the apron but Reigns avoids a shot. Edge drops Jey into the top turnbuckle. They end up on the floor and Reigns runs into a clothesline from Edge. They come back in and Edge blocks a Samoan Drop. Rey tags in and nails the flying senton to Jey, then a big tornado DDT for a 2 count as Jimmy makes the save.
Dominik sends Jimmy flying to the floor, then springboards out onto him with a big splash. Reigns launches Dominik into the ring post face-first. Jey and Rey go at it in the ring now. Rey drop Jey for 619 but Reigns intercepts him and drives him into the edge of the apron. Reigns stands tall as fans boo.
Reigns turns around to a big Spear on the floor from Edge. Rey rolls Jey for a 2 count in the ring. Jey kicks out, sending Rey into a forearm from Jimmy at the ropes from the floor. Jey rolls Rey right back up for the pin to win.
Winners: Roman Reigns and The Usos
– After the match, Rey argues with the referee until Jey attacks him. Dominik makes the save but The Usos beat The Mysterios down. Edge brings a steel char in and takes out The Usos with shots. Reigns runs in with a big Superman Punch to take Edge down as fans boo. Reigns takes the Universal Title and raises it in the air as the boos get louder. Fans chant “you suck!” now as Reigns notices Edge down next to him. Reigns grabs a chair and breaks the steel rod off it, the same on Edge has used as of late on The Usos. Edge comes with a big Spear out of nowhere to take Reigns down. Edge has the steel rod now. He applies the Crossface to Reigns, pulling back on Reigns and making him yell out. Reigns then begins to tap out. Edge finally breaks the hold and stands tall as his music hits. Edge grabs the title and raises it in the air for another pop. He then lays the title over Reigns as we go to replays.
– Still to come, Big E vs. King Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Kayla Braxton stop Edge and The Mysterios backstage. He wishes making Roman Reigns tap out like a b---h just now meant that his title win on Sunday was going to be any easier but he knows he has to dig down and pull out something extra to get the job done. He goes on and says he will be the most selfish son of a b---h. Seth Rollins walks up laughing to interrupt. Rollins goes on about how Reigns has Edge’s number. Rollins says he will win the Money In the Bank contract on Sunday, then cash in and finish what he started 7 years ago when he had his foot on the chair on Edge’s neck. Rollins sincerely hopes Edge wins the title on Sunday so he can cash in on the man who made the MITB match famous. Rollins wishes good luck to Edge and backs away laughing. Edge looks on.
– We go back to the ring and out comes Sami Zayn. He starts ranting on the stage after having his music cut. Sami goes on complaining about how he’s being excluded from Money In the Bank. He says the fans being back and all the shiny things are to distract us from the fact that there has been a conspiracy against him for more than a year. Sami says that’s OK because tonight he has something in his corner he hasn’t had – the fans. Sami says the fans have seen him be persecuted and victimized. He calls on the fans to stand and let them know this won’t be allowed. He tries to get a “Justice for Sami!” chant going but it’s not happening.
Sami changes his mind and insults the people of Texas, and says he doesn’t need them. He needs justice and if there were any justice in this world, he would be in Money In the Bank. No, if there were justice, the briefcase would be lowered and he’d be handed the contract on a silver platter. He will not let the show go on for one more minute until justice… the music interrupts and out comes Finn Balor making his SmackDown return to a huge pop.
They face off in the middle of the ring now. Sami welcomes Balor back and goes to strike but gets dropped. Balor takes his jacket off and dropkicks Zayn into the turnbuckles. Balor then goes to the top and delivers Coup de Grace for a big pop. Balor stands tall in the middle of the ring as his music resumes. Sami is trying to recover at ringside. We go to replays as Finn does his pose in the ring. He never spoke a word.
– Our Progressive-sponsored replay looks back at Nox and Shotzi debuting last week with a non-title win over WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka vs. Nox and Shotzi
We go back to the ring and out comes Nox and Shotzi riding on the tank. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and Cole shows us a vignette on WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews and his muscle, Commander Azeez. Cole says Crews will return to action soon. Liv Morgan and Zelina Vega are on commentary now. Nox and Shotzi wait as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka come out for this non-title match.
Tamina goes to work on Shotzi to start, sending her to the corner. Natalya tags in and works Shotzi over while she’s down. Shotzi and Nox will earn a future title shot if they win this match.
Shotzi fights back on Natalya and connects with a kick. Shotzi welcomes Natalya to the Ball Pit and drops the double leg drop for a 2 count. Tamina and Natalya turn it back around and double team Shotzi in the corner with kicks. Natalya runs into a big boot. Shotzi crawls for a tag but Natalya stops her. Shotzi kicks her away and in comes Nox.
Nox unloads on Natalya and kicks Tamina on the apron, sending her down. She then attacks again and kicks Tamina off the apron. Nox drops Natalya in the corner and hits a big cannonball. Nox exposes her knee and nails the Shiniest Wizard for a 2 count as Tamina breaks it up. Tamina drops Shotzi in the corner, taking her out.
Liv and Zelina start arguing on commentary. They meet in front of the announce table and start brawling. Liv rolls in the ring, and right back out, as Natalya tries for the Sharpshooter on Nox. Liv leaps off the steel ring steps and attacks Zelina on the floor at ringside. Nox takes advantage of the distraction and rolls Natalya for the non-title win.
Winners and New #1 Contenders: Nox and Shotzi
– After the match, an angry Tamina attacks Liv at ringside. Natalya grabs Zelina and sends her into a big superkick from Tamina. Tamina charges Liv but she moves and Tamina hits the ring steps. Liv takes Natalya out and they bring the fight in the ring. Liv counters Natalya and lays her out in the middle of the ring. Liv stands tall under the briefcases as fans cheer her on.
– SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair is walking backstage. She walks past Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler, who are interested in Carmella. Belair heads to the ring as we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and the announcers hype tonight’s show, and the Fatal 4 Way.
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SmackDown Women’s Title Match: Carmella vs. Bianca Belair
We go back to the ring and out comes Carmella. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair is out next. We get formal ring introductions from Greg Hamilton, who introduces Carmella as the most beautiful woman in all of WWE. Fans chant “EST!” now.
The bell rings and they size each other up. Carmella shoves Belair. Belair shoves back harder. They have words and Carmella slaps Belair. Carmella runs to the floor and Belair chases her back in. Carmella attacks but Belair grabs her. Carmella with a takedown. Belair levels Carmella with a shoulder.
Belair taunts Carmella, telling her to kiss her rear. Belair dropkicks Carmella and kips up. Carmella works Belair over in the corner, then delivers back elbows as fans boo and the referee warns her. Carmella shows off now as the boos continue. Carmella attacks in the corner while Belair is down for a quick pin attempt. Belair fights back until Carmella yanks her shoulder-first into the ring post. Belair lands on the floor and Carmella works her over there. Carmella brings it back in for a close 2 count.
Carmella takes it back to the floor and launches Belair into the barrier. Carmella keeps control and poses while Belair is back down. Fans boo Carmella as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Belair is mounting offense now, running Carmella from turnbuckle to turnbuckle. Belair slams Carmella but Carmella grabs the leg and stalls her. Belair comes back with the big back handspring splash for a 2 count. Belair drags Carmella to the corner and goes to the top as fans cheer her on. Carmella jumps up and cuts her off. Belair ends up pulling Carmella to the top but Carmella counters and delivers a big hurricanrana for a close 2 count.
Fans chant “EST!” now as Belair looks to make a comeback. Carmella counters the Glam Slam and they trade roll-ups. Carmella kicks out, sending Belair into the corner. Carmella tries for a Guillotine now. Belair starts to fade now, going to one knee. Carmella tightens the hold as fans try to rally for Belair.
Belair powers back up as fans pop. Belair turns the Guillotine into a big vertical suplex in the middle of the ring. Carmella kicks out at 2. Carmella tries to use Belair’s hair against her but Belair knocks her off the apron tot he floor. They tangle on the floor and Belair looks to swing her braid. Carmella superkicks her and brings it back into the ring for a close 2 count. Carmella shows some frustration now. The referee warns Carmella as she uses Belair’s hair against her now.
Belair ducks a superkick and whips Carmella with her hair. Belair then scoops Carmella for the Kiss of Death in the middle of the ring for the pin to retain.
Winner: Bianca Belair
– After the match, Belair stands tall as her music hits. We go to replays. Belair continues her celebration with the title.
– Alpha Academy is backstage now. Chad Gable talks about guiding Otis and then about how they see everyone cower in fear of Otis when they walk through the locker room. Gable mentions how Otis will beat Cesaro tonight. Gable asks Otis what they smell in the locker room. Otis says they fear smell. Cesaro walks up and says he smells bull, just like he smelled bull when Gable had that list of potential victims of Otis last week. Cesaro says it’s a good thing he wasn’t on that list. Gable says they weren’t even thinking of Cesaro, but congratulations because Cesaro just earned Otis’ full attention. Otis drops Cesaro with one shot into the wall. Cesaro is down trying to recover as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a vignette for Toni Storm of WWE NXT. She will be coming to SmackDown next week.
Otis vs. Cesaro
We go back to the ring and out comes Alpha Academy – Otis with Chad Gable. We see how Otis recently dominated The Street Profits. Out next comes Cesaro to a pop, clutching his mid-section from the backstage attack. Cole sends us to a quick highlight video on Cesaro.
The bell rings and Otis unloads on Cesaro in the corner with body shots. Otis with a stiff strike as Gable cheers him on. Cesaro fights back with uppercuts. Gable with a quick distraction from the outside, allowing Otis to scoop Cesaro and slam him in the middle of the ring.
Otis charges in the corner but Cesaro moves and Otis hits the ring post. Otis is sent out now. Gable runs in and grabs Cesaro from behind, slamming him with a German suplex. The referee calls for the disqualification.
Winner by DQ: Cesaro
– After the bell, Cesaro fights Gable off and nails the big uppercut. Fans count as Cesaro delivers the Cesaro Swing to Gable in the middle of the ring now. Otis makes the save and beats Cesaro down. Gable barks orders as Otis destroys Cesaro and delivers the Vader Bomb from the second rope. Fans boo as Gable and Otis stand tall together. Otis apparently has some blood coming from his nose.
– We see what happened earlier tonight in the six-man opener. We also see Edge’s earlier backstage interview on how he plans to capture the WWE Universal Title from Roman Reigns at Money In the Bank on Sunday. Kayla Braxton knocks on Reigns’ locker room suite now and out comes Paul Heyman. She brings up Edge and Heyman cuts her off. He says Edge sinned tonight, but he will confess and atone for those sins this Sunday at the pay-per-view, and then have those sins beaten out of him by Reigns. Heyman goes on and says what he just gave Kayla was not a prediction, it was a… Big E interrupts, yelling his usual intro but this time about how he’s going to be the Money In the Bank contract holder after Sunday. Big E jokes that it appears that Edge has “a hold” of Reigns. Big E gets a good laugh at his own joke, asking Heyman if he gets it.
– The announcers hype tonight’s Fatal 4 Way.
– We go back to the ring and Baron Corbin is introduced. A somber and disappointed Corbin walks to the ring with no entrance. Cole says Corbin has a special request. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and we see a defeated and disheveled Corbin in the ring. Cole shows us to a video package that has recent events in Corbin’s life, such as losing his crown to King Shinsuke Nakamura and everything else. Corbin takes the mic now and says it’s no secret, just look at him. These last few weeks have been the mot difficult of his life. He’s lost everything – his crown, car, savings, investments, and now the bank is calling with threats to foreclose on his house. Fans respond with, “What!” Corbin says his 2 year old daughter is sick because she has to eat spaghetti from a can instead of Wagyu beef. Corbin says they also had to fire their maids. The boos continue.
Corbin says they’re going to have to move in with his wife’s parents. Can you imagine that? But there is hope, good news, because everyone watching here and at home can help him out of these dark times. He’s started a crowd-funding website called CorbinFundMe. The CorbinFundMe website, seen on the big screen, is designed like the GoFundMe website. Corbin says he’s not asking for much, just enough to help him get back on his feet. The goal is $100,000. He asks everyone to go to the website and donate because every little bit helps. He’s not asking for much, just enough to help pay some bills. He hopes the people of Texas aren’t as cheap as everyone else in the world. Corbin asks please, then drops to his knee and continues to beg. The music interrupts and out comes Kevin Owens.
Owens is fired up as he makes his way to the ring for tonight’s main event. We see ladders all around the ring. Owens enters the ring and Corbin gets up from his knee. Corbin says he wants to believe Owens is out here for the right reasons, because he wants to help Corbin. Corbin says Owens has locker room influence so if he and a few other stars help out, then the fans will fall in line. Corbin says he’s just like Owens – they have a heart and can sympathize with those in need. Corbin goes on and tells Owens not to take this the wrong way, but we know Owens doesn’t spend anything on his wardrobe, so can he find it in his heart to help? Owens suddenly attacks and drops Corbin with a big Stunner in the middle of the ring to end the swindling by Corbin.
Kevin Owens vs. Big E vs. King Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins
Kevin Owens is fired up after dropping Baron Corbin with the Stunner. Out next comes Big E for tonight’s Fatal 4 Way main event. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Rick Boogs to begin performing the entrance of King Shinsuke Nakamura as Big E and Owens look on from the ring. Nakamura makes his entrance and dances around the ring to a quick pyro explosion and pop from the crowd. Out next comes Seth Rollins as we see the Money In the Bank briefcases hanging high above the ring. These four Superstars will compete in Sunday’s MITB Ladder Match with four RAW Superstars – Ricochet, Riddle, Drew McIntyre and John Morrison. We see how Rollins previously cashed in to win the WWE Title at WrestleMania 31.
The bell rings and Rollins says goodbye to everyone as they all stare him down. Rollins goes to leave the ring but Big E runs the ropes and delivers a big Spear to send Rollins to the floor, right in front of the ladders at the ramp. Owens runs and flies out with a flip dive onto Big E at ringside. Nakamura follows up with a flying knee to Owens from the apron. Nakamura rolls Owens back into the ring as we go right back to commercial.
Back from the break and Big E drops Owens. Nakamura grabs Big E but Big E tosses him to the floor. Owens fights in from the apron, working Big E over. Owens goes to the top but Big E keeps fighting. Fans chant for The New Day. Big E climbs up for the superplex. Owens resists. Nakamura joins in and they hit it. Rollins flies off the top but he misses as they move. Rollins lands hard.
Nakamura drops Big E. Rollins takes over on Nakamura but Nakamura positions him laying over the top turnbuckle and delivers a high running knee. Nakamura stuns Owens with a kick and hits the Exploder suplex in the middle of the ring. Nakamura shakes the ropes and goes for the Kinshasa on Owens but Big E intercepts him and hits the Big Ending. Rollins breaks Big E’s pin on Nakamura up just in time.
Rollins sends Big E to the floor. Rollins goes to ringside and grabs a tall ladder, sliding it into the ring. Rollins uses the ladder to drive Nakamura back to the floor. Rollins goes back out and takes apart the announce table as fans cheer. Rollins places Nakamura on the table and works him over. Rollins climbs the ladder to put Nakamura through the announce table but Owens stops him and drops him. Owens climbs to the top of the ladder now. Owens flies with a huge elbow drop, putting Nakamura through the announce table.
Everyone is shocked. We get a replay of Owens’ huge elbow from the top of the ladder. Back in the ring now, Big E scoops Rollins for a Big Ending but Rollins slides out and delivers a Stomp on top of a ladder that is laying on the mat. Rollins covers for the pin to win.
Winner: Seth Rollins
– After the match, Rollins stands tall in the middle of the ring as his music starts up. We go to replays. Rollins climbs the ladder while the other competitors are laid out and trying to recover. Rollins unhooks one of the Money In the Bank briefcases and celebrates up high. Cole thanks the WWE Universe and declares that WWE is back. The Money In the Bank go-home edition of SmackDown on FOX from Houston goes off the air with Rollins sitting on top of the ladder, celebrating with a MITB briefcase.
