WWE Smackdown 12/1/2023

WWE Smackdown 12/1/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/11/wwe-smackdown-11242023.html

Bianca Belair comes out to talk. She said her team did what needed to be done at Wargames. She thanks them and said her war with Damage Ctrl isn't over. She said she wants her title back that Iyo currently has. Damage Ctrl comes out minus Bayley. Dakota says it's disgusting and smells here in Brooklyn then Damage Ctrl gets in the ring. Dakota says Iyo said Iyo has beaten her twice and she is in over her head. Dakota says she has to go through all of Damage Ctrl to get a title shot. Bianca has no problem with this and asks who is first.

Charlotte Flair and Shotzi come out. Shotzi said it seems like there's enough Damage Ctrl to go around and then a brawl breaks out with all of the girls. Damage Ctrl is beaten up and sent out of the ring.

We go to break and return.

Damage Ctrl runs into Bayley and ask where she is. She said nobody told her about this and said she would have been out there if she knew. Dakota said Kairi is facing Bianca tonight and says she needs Bayley's help. Damage Ctrl then walks off without Bayley.

Bobby Lashley vs Butch

 

Bobby gets on the mic before the match starts. He said when he told him to make a name for himself, he says not to do it with him. He says he will break him into pieces and asks if he is ready for that. Butch slaps him then hits shots in the corner. Bobby throws him over his head then corner lariats him. Butch is sent into the buckles face first. Bobby punches Butch then takes a pump kick. Butch hits a nice kick to the back then hip attacks him off the apron. Butch then moonsaults off the apron and 2nd rope onto him.

We go to break and return. Bobby suplexes him and we see him shoulder him over during the break. Bobby one-arm spinebusters Butch then Butch is thrown out. Butch's head is rammed into the post. Bobby ends up spearing the post inside then Butch hits step up enzugiri's. Butch hits a kick flurry then double stomps his arm. Butch stomps the arm then shiranui's him for 2. Bobby powerslams him for 2.

Bobby flips Butch with a lariat then Butch escapes a cokeslam with an enzuigiri. Bobby hits a great rolling spear that flips Butch. Bobby wins it.

It was a good match with Butch being the scrappy underdog against Bobby. Butch's sell of the spear was great and was the highlight of this one.

Nick Aldis and Paul Heyman talk in the back. Paul asks if he invited Randy Orton to Smackdown tonight. He said he did and intends to sign Orton to a Smackdown contract tonight. Paul asks if Roman knows about this. Nick said there were countless memos about this and said to consider this a communication to Roman. He said he will sign Orton and if he has to trade the entire Bloodline to do it, so be it. Nick asks Paul what he will do about it and Paul says, "anything it takes".

Butch is interviewed in the back. He is asked why Ridge walked out on him last week. He said he doesn't know or care. He said he has to focus on himself and will fight anyone. Pretty Deadly come in. They say this is a learning opportunity and make fun of him. They say his career is at a dead end then they fight. PD 2v1 him and throw him into a box on wheels. Elton tells him he's alone and will always be alone.

Santos Escobar is interviewed. He says he is only trying to finish what Rey started. He said Rey turned his back on the LWO when he chose Carlito over him. He says Cruz and Wilde are still blinded by Rey and said he will put Wilde on the shelf right now if he can't see the truth about Rey.

Santos Escobar vs Joaquin Wilde

Wilde hits dropkicks to start then hits punches. Wilde back elbows him and plancha's him on the outside. Wilde then does a springboard flip on him on the outside. Wilde is knocked off the top then stomped. Wilde dropkicks him while he is in tree of woe.

Santos armlocks him then Wilde bangs Santos' head off the buckles. Wilde dropkicks him in the knee then running knees him.  Wilde rolls into a ddt. Santos superkicks him then hits a cradle shock to win it.

It was a shorter match. It was fine for what it was and they matched up okay.

Santos pounds on Wilde after then Dragon Lee comes out to make the save. Santos tries to hit him from behind but takes a flying hurricanrana. Lee hits combinacion cabron in the corner then dropkicks him in the corner. Santos leaves the ring. 

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce talk in the back. Adam isn't happy that Nick wants to sign Orton. He said he intends to sign him tonight. Nick said Adam had his chance on Monday. Adam said he will join him and shows him a Raw contract.

Logan Paul comes out to talk. He asks where all the haters are who wanted him to lose. He said the more you hope that he fails, the harder he works. And the harder he works, the more he wins. He said the US title is on his junk, just like everyone has been since he has gotten here. He said a champ is only as good as his challengers. He said he can't give Rey a rematch since he's injury and said there will be a #1 contenders tournament. It will have 8 people in it - Santos Escobar, Bobby Lashley, Dragon Lee, Karrion Kross, a mystery NXT star, Grayson Waller, Austin Theory and Kevin Owens. He said whoever wins this will have a nightmare trying to take this away from him.

Kevin Owens comes out. He said if you want to talk about nightmares, Logan in his ring is a nightmare. He said he saw him 10 years ago on Vine and said it only took 6 seconds to figure out he's a jack@ss. He said the only junk around here is the crap drink he peddles. Kevin says he is in this tournament and says his days as US champ are numbered. Logan says he's been in the ring with the greatest boxer in the world and said 6 seconds is 5 more than he needs to KO him.

Owens says he is clever and said that's another world. He said this is his world. Grayson Waller and Austin Theory come out. Waller says not to engage with Kevin Owens and says he's a troll trying to get attention. Theory said Owens loves punching people in the face and says Logan knocks people out. Theory keeps talking and Owens punches him in the face. Owens and Logan stare down and talk trash to end the segment.

Kevin Owens vs Grayson Waller

Waller slides out then Owens hits him there. Waller's head is banged off the announcers table. Waller stomps him back in the ring then euros him. Owens chops him, back elbows him and sentons him. Owens hits a corner lariat. Waller side kicks him and then hits mounted punches. Logan compares Owens to humpty dumpty. Waller walks the 2nd rope and elbow drops Owens for 2.

Waller boots him in the head. Owens suplexes him and Waller rolls out to avoid his corner cannonball. Waller forearms him then bangs his head off the table. Waller slides out, misses a lariat then is lariated on the floor. Owens then frogsplashes him off the apron.

Owens is pushed into the post and Theory stomps his hand on the steps. Waller boots Owens in the corner then bangs his hand off the post. We go to break and return. Owens hit a frog spalsh during the break and hurt his hand on it. Waller single arm ddt's Owens then hammerlocks him. Owens gets his arm banged of the top rope then Waller rolls in and takes an atomic drop. Owens ddt's Waller. Owens hits chops then superkicks him. Owens cannonballs him in the corner then swanton bombs him off the top for 2.

Waller stomps the hand and armbars him while pulling the hand. Waller sticks Owens' hand in the buckle and tries to kick it. Waller misses then Owens rolls him up and wins it.

It liked it. It had a good story with Waller working the hand before getting thwarted.

Damage Ctrl talk in the back. Bayley stands off on the side. Dakota asks if she's okay and she says she is. Iyo tells Bayley to stay here in the back tonight.

Bianca Belair vs Kairi Sane

Sane kicks her in the butt then Bianca flips out of a roll-up. Bianca shoulders her over. Sane headscissors her using the ropes but Bianca flips out of it. Bianca dropkicks her. Sane and Bianca tug over her hair then Bianca pulls her in and forearms her. Asuka trips Bianca from the outside. Flair then trips Sane on the outside but is caught. Flair and Shotzi are kicked out by the ref.

Asuka gets in the ring and is kicked out along with the other Damage Ctrl members. Bianca dropkicks Asuka and pushes Sane over. We go to break and return. Sane crosses Bianca's legs and pulls back in a crab. Bianca misses a corner charge and is kicked in the back. Sane stranglehold chokes her then Bianca slams her. Bianca rolls her into the corner then hits corner punches.

Bianca spinebusters her then hangspring moonsaults her for 2. Bianca picks her up and drops her backwards. Bianca urakens her  then Sane top rope forearms her for 2. Sane rolls her out of the ring then is chickenwing dropped hard onto the rail. Bianca gets on the apron then Bayley pulls her down by the hair. Bayley tells Sane that she has got her and they high five. Sane goes up top and is caught. Bianca then hits the KOD and wins it.

The Bayley part of this was good. The match was rough though. They didn't seem to be on the same page and it felt almost like a shoot at times with the way Bianca was throwing her around. They weren't normal throws and they didn't look good, so it seemed like something was up.

Aldis and Pearce walk out to the ring together.  

 

Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce are in the ring. They bring out Randy Orton. He takes a long time to enter as usual. Adam says he belongs on Raw and says he will give him the winner of Jey Uso vs Seth Rollins for the World Title. Nick says he will give him the guys that took him out.

Paul Heyman then comes out. He says, "well, look who's back". Paul says he spent 18 months on the shelf thanks to Roman and Bloodline. Paul says there will be no RKO's this evening and said there will be no decision made by Orton because Bloodline will make his decision for him.

Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa come out to beat up Orton. Orton gets the edge initially then is stomped on. LA Knight comes out and beats up Bloodline. Solo is pulled over the top then sent into the rails. Orton throws Jimmy out then bridging ddt's him over the 2nd rope. Orton RKO's Jimmy.

Orton asks for both contracts. Paul tells him to go to Raw as he's safe on Raw. Orton throws the Raw contract then signs the Smackdown contract. He then drops it down on Jimmy, who is knocked out. Orton talks to Paul and says he can call Roman Reigns and tell him that daddy's back. Nick Aldis holds up Orton's arm and Orton RKO's him in an odd move. 

I didn't like Orton attacking Nick for no reason but the rest of it was good.

CM Punk will be on Smackdown next week.

Overall thoughts: 3 of the 4 matches were okay and they built up the next Roman challenger in Randy Orton. They also furthered the angle with Bayley and Damage Ctrl and built up something with Pretty Deadly and Butch. I thought it was a good episode overall.