WWE Smackdown 9/13/2024

WWE Smackdown 9/13/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/09/wwe-smackdown-962024.html

This is the first episode of Smackdown on USA. Michael Cole and Corey Graves are on commentary. SD has a new logo with the S and D kind of combining, though it looks more like an S.

Triple H is in the ring. He said he remembers being on the first episode of this show going 1v1 with The Rock. He says there's no better way to start this off than Cody Rhodes vs Solo Sikoa in a cage.

WWE Undisputed Title - Steel Cage Match - Cody Rhodes (c) vs Solo Sikoa

Cody hits punches and drop down punches. Solo uppercuts him then Cody hits a bulldog. Solo is thrown into the cage headfirst. Cody is back body dropped into the cage and takes a hard ride down. Solo splashes Cody against the cage then hip attacks him against it. Cody is put in tree of woe and Solo headbutts him as he hangs.

Solo misses a headbutt and Cody climbs the cage. Cody is pulled down. Solo hits kicks then sends Cody into the cage. Cody is busted open and Solo hits headbutts on the cut. Cody springboards and is powerbombed into the cage. Cody climbs the cage and hits a diving cody cutter off of it.

Cody is pulled off the ropes and Solo hits another headbutt. Solo's head is banged off the Cage and Cody takes a bad looking suplex off the cage. Solo uranages him twice. Cody hits punches and disaster kicks him. Cody then hit a cody cutter for 2. Solo hits a corner hip attack and a samoan drop.

Solo hits a top rope splash for 2. Solo his another corner hip attack near the door. Cody goes half out of the ring and Solo pulls him back in. Cody hits a cross rhodes for 2. Cody gets on top of the cage and dives on him. Cody tries to go out through the door and Solo swings the door at his head. Cody hits a cross rhodes and wins.

Thoughts: It was a longer cage match. Cody took some big bumps here and ended up winning as expected. I didn't think the finishing stretch was as good as it could have been here. Solo could have used some bigger offensive moves. It was fine but not a classic.

The Bloodline climb the cage. Solo samoan spikes cody and Cody takes a group beating. Fatu moonsaults Cody. Fatu climbs the cage then Roman Reigns' music hits. Roman comes out.

Roman locks himself in the cage and beats up on Bloodline. Tama and Loa are sent into the cage. Solo nails Roman from behind. Roman superman punches Solo then Fatu pulls Solo out.

Roman dares Jacob Fatu to get in. Fatu does and closes the door. Solo then pulls Fatu out and closes the cage door. Tama and Loa then beat up Roman. Cody saves Roman and hits a cross rhodes. Roman then hits a spear. Solo says Roman isn't the chief from the outside and points at Cody and Roman. Roman and Cody stare down.

Cathy Kelly interviews Nick Aldis. Nick says Cody, Roman and Bloodline have been put in their dressing rooms. Nick says Solo has a challenge for a match that no one will turn down. Aldis says the night is far from over.

Michin vs Piper Niven

Mich flurries her and Piper is sent out. Mich topes her. Chelsea Green yells at Mich and is tope'd. Mich hits a kendo stick shot on Green then Piper cannonballs Mich off the apron. Piper takes a 2nd rope backdrop. Mich hits a soul foot for the win.

Thoughts: This was short and I didn't like Piper being beaten so easily.

Green attacks Mich after and Piper sentons her. Green throws a trash can in and hits an unprettier on Mich on it. 

Rob Van Dam, Vickie Guerrero, Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser are in the crowd.

A-Town Down Under vs Kevin Owens and Randy Orton

KO has a mystery partner. He brings out a rather unmenacing wrestler and says his actual partner couldn't make it. He says "that's Ricky and that's my partner". A production assistant says KO's partner is here. KO then stunners Ricky.

Theory mocks Orton's pose and Orton takes forever to enter. KO clubs and stomps on Waller then Waller is pulled out by Theory. Orton lariats Theory. Waller's head is banged off the commentary table then Theory is sent into the table. Waller lariats KO then backdrops him onto the table.

We go to PiP break and return. KO atomic drops Theory then lariats him. KO and Waller fight up top and KO hits headbutts. KO hits a top rope swanton on Theory. KO takes a double suplex for 2. Waller slides out and gets his head banged off the commentary table. Theory is sent over the top.

KO fights off the double team in the corner. KO runs around the ring, slides in and tag Orton. Orton powerslams Waller and Theory. Orton backdrops both on the commentary table.

KO and Orton hit stereo bridging ddt's on the heels. KO and Orton hit a stunner and RKO and get the win.

Thoughts: I feel like we've seen this a million times already. KO's team won as expected. The stuff with Ricky was stupid with KO beating up someone who was willing to help him after he pulled all that babyface stuff with Cody. The match was just average.

Aldis is interviewed in the back and says he has set up Fatu and Solo vs Cody and Roman. Cody Rhodes comes in. He says he's done with The Bloodline. He says The Bloodline is Roman's problem and he has no intention of signing the contract for that match. 

We see Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton and Pretty Deadly at a fish market.

Nia Jax talks in the ring. She says every woman in the locker room fears her and has reason to. She said she was told by Nick Aldis she is defending her title at Bad Blood. She says she doesn't care who her opponent is as she will annihilate them.

Bayley comes out. Nia tells her she runs the women's division and doesn't need a posse like she did with Damage Ctrl to do it. Bayley asks what she's doing with Tiffy then. She said she didn't need Damage Ctrl's help to win the title but says Nia did. She asks where her and Tiff are at.

Tiffany Stratton comes out and joins the argument. Tiff accidentally blames Nia for a loss and Bayley stirs the pot. Naomi comes out. She says she won't let Nia and Tiff attack Bayley. Naomi says it's been a while since she held a title but it's time she does it again. She says Nia has a big mouth and challenges her to a match. Nia says Naomi and Bayley should have a match to see her faces her at Bad Blood. Bayley thinks she means a triple threat. Nia says the winner of a Nia/Tiff vs Bayley/Naomi tag match should get the title shot at Bad Blood. Nia says whoever loses should leave SD permanently. Tiffy says "toodles". Bayley makes a remark. Tiff goes to attack the faces and Naomi hits a hip attack.

Cathy Kelly talks to Nick Aldis. Nick says Roman wants the address the situation in the ring after this match.

We see Damian Priest, Ron Simmons, Teddy Long, William Regal, and Bobby Roode in the crowd.  

Carmelo Hayes vs Andrade

Melo hits him from behind and pounds on him before he gets his jacket off. Melo chops him then is sent to the floor. Andrade 2nd rope moonsaults him. Melo misses a jump off the rails and takes a facekick. They fight on the rail outside and Andrade does a stupid flipping russian legsweep to the floor.

We go to PiP break and return. They roll each other up. Melo codebreakers him and Andrade hits a spinning back elbow. Melo gets his knees up on a moonsault into a standing moonsault then Melo hits a la mistica drop on him.

Andrade hits a canadian destroyer and a corner meteora for 2. Andrade hits a 2nd rope twisting double underhook ddt and wins it.

Thoughts: I didn't like their prior encounters and this was just more of the same. They did too much here as usual and that flipping russian legsweep spot on the floor was so stupid.

LA Knight comes out after. LA says according to Aldis, Andrade is the next US Title challenger. He says he gets a first class ticket to getting dropped on his head next week.  

Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill are interviewed. They say they got the tag titles back and invite anyone to come apply for a title shot. Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton walk in. Nia says if Naomi sticks her nose in her business again, something bad will happen. Nia says she beat both of them to become the champ and says SD is her kingdom.

Roman Reigns and Nick Aldis are in the ring. Roman says he doesn't need a partner or a contract and says this is family business. He says he's The Tribal Chief whether he has the necklace or not. He says he's the only tribal chief. Roman says this is his show and his WWE.

Cody objects to Roman saying "your WWE". He says it was his WWE but it hasn't been since Wrestlemania. Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu come out. Loa and Tama attack Roman and Cody from behind. Cody hits a cody cutter on Loa. Roman uranage's Tama. Roman sings the contract. Cody then asks for the contract and signs it.

Thoughts: This had a predictable ending to it and Cody officially signing a contract to team with Roman isn't exactly the most exciting end to a show.

Overall thoughts: There was nothing really new on this show. We saw almost all of this already in some fashion aside from Michin vs Piper, which was short. The ending wasn't that exciting either and it really did peak with the cage match. I was surprised Logan Paul was not on this one. I wouldn't recommend this.