WWE Smackdown 11/22/2024

WWE Smackdown 11/22/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/wwe-smackdown-11152024.html

We are in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Bloodline and Bronson Reed come out. Solo says to acknowledge him and says his crew is ready to dominate at Wargames. Solo says his crew is always ready but Roman isn't. He says Roman isn't even here yet. He says he needs Roman to meet him in the ring tonight and accept his terms of surrender. He says once he surrenders, he and his crew can acknowledge him. 

WWE Women's United States Title Tournament - Bianca Belair vs Blair Davenport vs Chelsea Green

We get some pin attempts to start. Blair is lariated over the top by Green. Bianca shoulders Green over then standing moonsaults her. Green 2nd rope sunset flips Bianca for 2. Blair punches Green down then Bianca plancha's Green outside. Blair ties Bianca's hair to the ropes then double stomps her back from the buckles.

We go to PiP break and return. Bianca suplexes Blair. Bianca hits corner punches then Green flying shining wizards Bianca. Blair double stomps Green's back. Bianca spinebusters Blair then handspring moonsaults her. Blair gets her knees up then Green hits a dropkick + senton combo. Bianca german suplexes both opponents at the same time.

Bianca misses a corner spear and goes into the post. Green superplexes Blair then Bianca top rope 450's Blair. Green throws Bianca out then Bianca pulls Green out. Green is sent into the rails.

We go to the back and Jade Cargill is out and laying on the hood of a car. Bobby Roode calls for the paramedics. Bianca runs to the back then Blair rolls up Green. Blair superkicks Green then Green hits an unprettier on Blair for the win.

Thoughts: Wrestling wise it wasn't bad but it had the usual limitations of three way matches. Bianca leaving was unexpected. They did the best they could with this one.

Bianca runs to the parking lot and checks on Jade in the ambulance. Bianca tells Naomi and Bayley to stay out of it.

WWE Men's United States Title - LA Knight (c) vs Santos Escobar

Shinsuke Nakamura does a translated promo. He says he knows him better than he knows himself. He says he's riddled with insecurities and begs fans to chant his name. He says he lashes out so people don't see how frightened he is. He says LA's fears are justified and says this is the beginning of his end.

Santos then nails LA. Santos stomps on him. LA lariats him out of the corner. Santos kicks him against the ropes then plancha's him. We go to break and return. 

They trade chops and Santos hits a corner spear. Santos step up enzugiri's him. Santos slingshots swantons him for 2. LA slingshot shoulderblocks him. LA hits punches then spinning lariats him. LA jumping neckbreakers him for 2.

LA knocks Santos off the buckles and Shinsuke Nakamura appears in the entrance way. LA is distracted and gets crotched. Santos top rope hurricanrana's him then hits a top rope frogsplash. Santos throws him off his shoulders, LA lands on his feet and hits a BFT to win.

Thoughts: They did a good job of making me think Santos could pull this off so I'd say this was a success. The finish was nicely done here.

Nakamura beats up LA and sends him into the post shoulder first. 

The Motor City Machine Guns talk to Johnny Gargano in the back. Sabin says Ciampa ruined their match for them last week. Johnny asks them for a title shot. Sabin says The Street Profits deserve the next show. The Profits walk in and say they got next. They say Johnny's partner is bad news and says some snakes hide in the grass.

We see Roman, Sami, Jimmy and Jey walk in the back.

Nick Aldis talks to Nia Jax in the back. He asks if she knows what happened to Jade. She says no. She says she was busy helping Candice and Tiffany get ready for their match. Nick then goes up to Cody Rhodes. He says he hasn't heard from Kevin Owens and doesn't know if he's even here for the face to face. Cody says he wouldn't fall for it and says Kevin wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Cody Rhodes comes out for his face to face with Kevin Owens. He says he doesn't believe KO isn't here and tells him to come out. KO appears in the crowd wearing a suit on a t-shirt. KO says he's insulted as he was summoned to be here because Cody wanted him here. He says you can't deny Cody's request. He says she's dressed to the nines and Cody isn't even wearing his suit.

Cody says he was summoned to stand in the ring with him right now. KO Says what happened to Orton is Cody's fault. KO gets on the commentary table. He said he fought Bloodline every week for 4 years and they tried to end his career. He says he stood by Cody when he came back and tried to help him win the title at WM39 and celebrated with him at WM40. He says Roman then needed a partner and Cody said yes. He says everything that happened in Cody's fault.

Cody says enough and says him teaming with Roman had nothing to do with KO. He says KO has to be a victim. He says nobody holds KO down more than KO does. He says KO's self-sabotage is next level. He says KO has every accolade and is a top star but everyone except him knows it.

He says KO could have pulled the trigger but didn't. He said if he did in their match, KO could be champ. He says KO blames him for that. He says KO did pull the trigger but on the wrong guy - Randy Orton. He says Orton was KO's friend and didn't deserve what he did to him.

He says KO crossed every line he could and he says he will beat a lesson into him. He says his lesson is coming but says the ball is in KO's court. KO says Cody will get his match but he will get it when he says so. He says when it does happen, he is just doing his job and doing what Cody asked him to do. He says he did cross the line with Orton but he loved him. He says he hates Cody.

Cody says he thinks KO hates himself only. He says there's not a single line he won't cross when they do go at it.

Thoughts: I liked this one. It took us months to get here but all the months of waiting and work finally feel worth it. I think it could have been done better though. They did a great job of bringing up all the stuff to lead to this one.

Roman, Sami, Jimmy and Jey talk in the back. Sami says they won't surrender. Jey says they need a 5th member for Wargames. Sami says he's out of ideas. Jey asks about Cody Rhodes. Jimmy says yeah and Roman says no. Roman says Cody is old news and he has moved on. Sami says we culd try Seth Rollins one last time. Roman stares at him.

Sami asks what they are going to do. Roman says they don't need anyone else and this is all that matters. He says if they go out all together, they will be good. He says if they die, they die together. Sami asks what the plan is and Roman says he doesn't know.

Carmelo Hayes makes a comment about Cody as he walks past. He says nobody is telling the truth louder than Cody's neck. They shove each other and Nick Aldis breaks it up. Cody says it's time for Nick to evaluate his first round draft pick and Melo says to evaluate it.

Bayley and Naomi vs Candice LeRae and Tiffany Stratton

Naomi flying knees Tiff then pounds on her. Tiff hits corner spears. Naomi stands on Tiff's back then superkicks her. Tiff avoids a tiger feint bulldog then hides behind Nia outside. Tiff and CL then nail the faces behind Nia.

Bayley low topes Tiff outside. Bayley slides under the bottom rope and dropkicks CL. We go to break and return. Tiff misses a double stomp on Bayley. Tiff drives Bayley into the corner. Tiff and CL argue. CL steps up on Bayley's back and sentons her back.

CL step up enzugiri's Bayley then asai moonsaults her. Tiff double stomps Naomi. Tiff misses a cartwheel backflip back elbow on Bayley. Tiff is thrown out. Nia pulls Naomi down from the apron and gets her team DQ'd for it. The heels beat up on the faces. Iyo Sky comes out and makes the save and is shoved over by Nia.

Iyo springboard dropkicks Nia then gets beaten up by Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan. Rhea Ripley comes out in a mask and clears the heels off with a kendo stick.

Thoughts: The match wasn't that special and had a weak ending. At least Nia got DQ'd for getting involved though. I thought LeRae had a good showing.

Tomasso Ciampa vs Montez Ford

TC misses a running boot and Ford boots him in the corner. TC hits forearms then Ford dropkicks him. Ford lariats TC then enzugiri's him. TC goes out then tope con hilos him. TC step up knees Ford off the apron and Ford goes out.

We go to break and return. Ford powerbombs TC from the buckles. Ford hits flying lariats then backdrops him. Ford standing moonsaults him. They trade shots. Ford takes a stungun then TC neckbreakers him.

Ford jumping knees him. Ford springboards an takes a knee to the face. Ford then gets the pin soon after.

Thoughts: We didn't see a ton of this one due to the break and it was a shorter match anyway. What we got was okay but it wasn't much.

Ciampa jumps Ford after. Dawkins comes out to save Ford. Gargano comes out. Ciampa nails Dawkins from behind and pounds on him. Gargano pulls Ciampa off and asks him what he's doing. Ciampa pushes him over. The Motor City Machine Guns then come out.

The Bloodline come out. Roman, Jimmy, Jey and Sami then follow. Solo says he's not here to fight Roman. He says he loves all four of them. He says if they four of them join him, they can run the company for decades. Solo says they have no 5th man, no wiseman and no choice. Solo says to surrender and join his team or they will die where they stand. Paul Heyman comes out.

Paul says he was put through a table at MSG and says maybe his math is off. He says you can't do Wargames 4v5. Paul says it will be 5v5, not 4v5. He then points at the entrance way and CM Punk's music hits.

Punk then comes out. Everyone fights and the heels are cleared off. We then get a triple tope from the faces outside. Roman and Punk stare down. Roman hits a spear and Punk hits a go to sleep. Roman and Punk stare down. Paul then smiles and the faces look at Punk to close the show.

Thoughts: There's some history with Punk and Solo and of course Punk and Heyman. There may be some history with Roman but I'm not sure. As I've been saying, this is the problem with this match being 5v5 is that extra people get brought in who aren't really involved in the feud and that waters it down.

Overall thoughts: There wasn't a ton of wrestling on this one. I liked the KO/Cody segment. The main event segment at least had Paul and Punk returning, but I'm not real big on Punk getting inserted into the Bloodline feud too. The Gargano/Ciampa thing isn't the greatest feud ever but it's a developing storyline, it makes sense and we'll see where it goes. I thought it was a good show overall and would give it a 6 out of 10.