FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN ON FOX: NIGHT 1 OF THE WWE DRAFT
October 11th 2019 | Las Vegas, Nevada | T-Mobile Arena
The stage is set! The lights? They’re bright! A career-altering evening is set to begin here in Las Vegas! Night 1 of the WWE Draft is set to commence in mere moments. Michael Cole and AJ Lee welcome us to the show, which is very star-studded tonight!
~ Bayley challenges Ronda Rousey for the Smackdown Women’s Championship!
~ Rey Mysterio defends the WWE Television Championship against Angel Garza
~ A special edition of MizTV with Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn!
~ Rey Mysterio defends the WWE Television Championship against Angel Garza
~ A special edition of MizTV with Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn!
Stephanie McMahon welcomes us to the show and says that tonight and Monday night will be historic nights, as the WWE Draft is going down. She thanks both NBC Universal and Fox for giving them an equal platform to host the Draft and thanks the cities of Las Vegas and Denver for their hospitality in hosting the Draft as well. A graphic then appears, explaining the rules of the draft:
~ Raw will get 2 picks for every 1 pick Smackdown has
~ 30 picks will be made this evening, 40 made on Monday night
~ Any NXT or NXT UK wrestler selected tonight is IMMEDIATELY eligible to join the roster
~ Contracts have a 10-DAY WINDOW to be signed from the night a Superstar is drafted. IF the two sides cannot agree on terms, that wrestler will become a FREE AGENT.
Ex.: Anyone drafted TONIGHT, October 11 2019, must sign their contract by October 21 2019 by 8 p.m. ET (the beginning of Raw)
Anyone drafted MONDAY, October 14 2019 must sign their contract by October 24 2019
~ 30 picks will be made this evening, 40 made on Monday night
~ Any NXT or NXT UK wrestler selected tonight is IMMEDIATELY eligible to join the roster
~ Contracts have a 10-DAY WINDOW to be signed from the night a Superstar is drafted. IF the two sides cannot agree on terms, that wrestler will become a FREE AGENT.
Ex.: Anyone drafted TONIGHT, October 11 2019, must sign their contract by October 21 2019 by 8 p.m. ET (the beginning of Raw)
Anyone drafted MONDAY, October 14 2019 must sign their contract by October 24 2019
Stephanie says that this will be a monumental Draft with two pools across the two nights. McMahon wraps her statement up by saying that Fox won the coin toss earlier today, done between network representatives, so Smackdown will be picking first tonight! They will go second on Monday, when Raw has the first pick. And says that she will be making the first set of first-round selections in just a matter of moments!
Stephanie would then make her way out to the podium! After getting the green light, she then began reading off the FIRST five picks of the First Round…
1. Kofi Kingston - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Brock Lesnar - Monday Night Raw
3. Bayley - Friday Night Smackdown
4. 'The Inevitable' Daniel Bryan - Monday Night Raw
5. Seth Rollins - Monday Night Raw
Just then however we see someone who didn’t get picked… It’s The Phenomenal One!
AJ Styles is here! Styles comes out, feeling himself quite a bit, and for good reason! We are of course looking at the new #1 Contender for the WWE Championship! AJ makes his way to the ring and gets inside. He says that tonight, at some point, the world will know the future of the most important superstar in WWE. He says that man, of course, is The Phenomenal AJ Styles! He is the new #1 Contender, as he survived the Hell in a Cell Match on Sunday. Survived is the keyword here as it looks like Styles is still quite wounded from the Cell, as he’s sporting some bandages and is selling some injuries! But that hasn’t stopped Styles from shit-talking. He says that he knew the whole time that he was going to win the Six-Man Hell in a Cell. He says it was nothing more than a formality and everything went the way that he wanted it to. When it came down to it, Styles was the roughest, the toughest, and the BEST! Styles boasts about pinning Roman Reigns with the Styles Clash. He says that he heard Reigns' bones hit the chair and heard him let out a defeated sigh. Styles says that he wishes he could have bottled that emotion up so that he could taunt Roman about it for the rest of his life. But instead, what’s worse has happened: Roman has to live with that for the rest of his life anyway! Styles says that it will become an even bigger nightmare for Reigns when Styles becomes the next WWE Champion! Which turns his attention to the current champ.
Styles congratulates Kofi on beating Brock Lesnar. He says that it was an impressive defeat, he’ll give him that. He’ll even give him that beating Goldberg at Fall Brawl was pretty impressive. As with the rest of his title reign. But he said the word ‘impressive.’ Not ‘phenomenal,’ because there is only one Phenomenal One, of course. Styles tells Kingston that he has been WWE Champion for over six months. AJ says that people are calling it one of the greatest title reigns of all time. Styles asks how that can be when it doesn’t hold a candle to AJ Styles’ last reign as WWE Champion! Styles points out that he was champion for 371 consecutive days! Styles adds that he successfully defended the WWE Championship at WrestleMania and at SummerSlam as well as other places around the world. He calls Kofi great but says that there’s great, there’s amazing, and then there’s AJ Styles. So whatever Kofi has done does not even compare to what AJ Styles has done and will do. And well, enough shit-talking will usually elicit a response. And a response has been elicited! Here comes Kofi Kingston! The WWE Champion is fresh, so he gets to the ring without much ginger movement. Kofi gets into the ring and eyes Styles up here in between the ropes! Kingston asks Styles if he was done yet. Before AJ can get a reply, Kofi says that he doesn’t care to listen to his response because he was coming out here anyway! Kofi publicly thanks Fox for drafting him first overall. He says he’s honored to be here in this spot and hopes to make Smackdown his future for SEVERAL years, as we get our first dose of what could come here with the new contracts coming! Kofi then thanks Brock Lesnar for being a great opponent last week. He thanks him for the showing of respect and wishes him the best of luck on Monday Night Raw, not that he'll need it.
And now, Kofi switches gears and sizes up AJ Styles again. Kingston congratulates AJ on winning Hell in a Cell. As someone who’s been inside Hell in a Cell before, Kofi says that it is one of the most violent environments that he’s ever been in. He knows the kind of pain that AJ must have been in all week. He casually thanks the ladies for holding things down on Monday night so that all the boys could rest up! Kingston says that he imagines it’s been hard for him to get out of bed all week. But he imagines that one thing’s been keeping him afloat. And that’s probably the fact that he’s the new #1 Contender. Styles nods, seemingly indicating Kingston’s correct. Kofi goes on to say that AJ has probably been fantasizing about this moment since The OC came together. Kofi says he’s paid close attention to all that despite other things taking up his vision. He knows how good AJ Styles is too. He knows he’s the measuring stick for success worldwide. He refers to Styles as a living legend who has succeeded and been to the top of the mountain everywhere that he’s been. He says there’s just one problem: This mountain has already been claimed! Kingston says he has zero intention of moving from his spot at the summit. So the only way that he sees him taking the WWE Championship away from him is if he takes his life first! AJ says that to him, there’s no difference between that and kicking him off the top of the mountain, watching him fall and hearing him cry until he fades back to irrelevancy while The Phenomenal Champion assumes his rightful spot at the top of this industry! AJ says that he doesn’t want to be dramatic. He wants Kofi to know when he’s going to take the WWE Championship away from him. Styles says that no matter what show he’s going to be on, in three weeks in Buffalo, on the first day of November, he’s taking the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston! Well there we have it, folks! They’re not waiting until Survivor Series for this one! A staredown between these two superstars is how we end this segment!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
Back from the break, and we have our final five first-round selections made…
6. AJ Styles - Friday Night Smackdown
And… just then, a PICK SWAP is announced! It turns out that Smackdown has just traded up to 7th!
7. Toni Storm - Friday Night Smackdown
Wow! Well that’s huge!! Toni Storm is Smackdown-bound! And they just traded up to get her!
The rest of the Top 10 hashes itself out…
8. Sasha Banks - Monday Night Raw
9. Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott - Monday Night Raw
10. Rey Mysterio - Monday Night Raw
9. Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott - Monday Night Raw
10. Rey Mysterio - Monday Night Raw
Well… ain’t THAT something! Raw takes the #1 Contender in the Women’s Division, the ultra-competitive Sasha Banks!
They also take TWO champions: United States Champion ‘Swerve’ Scott and Television Champion Rey Mysterio! That’s quite the haul!
An updated look at the rosters is provided:
Match #1: WWE TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Rey Mysterio © defends against Angel Garza (w/ Zelina Vega)
Rey Mysterio © defends against Angel Garza (w/ Zelina Vega)
Angel Garza gets a crack at Rey Mysterio and the Television Championship to kick off Smackdown’s in-ring action. Garza came down to the ring with Zelina Vega of The Expat Express, a group that expanded to one more on Monday. With the inclusion of Niven! But we’re told an interesting factoid: Angel told Buddy Murphy to stay in the back! It is true that Murphy was the one who got pinned in last week’s TV Title Triple Threat, but has that caused dissension at a time where Vega hired one Bobby Roode to help fix the problems? We don’t know, but what we do know is that Garza gets easily his biggest singles opportunity to date. To his credit, he does make the most of it! He puts Rey on his heels as his youthful exuberance is carrying him. Remember: He IS only 27 years young. Garza does find himself in a precarious spot later as Mysterio’s set him up for the 619! But Garza moves out of the way! Rey comes off unbalanced and Garza pursues over, grabs him, powers him up, and hits a wheelbarrow facebuster! A 2 count ensues, but my goodness, what a move that was! Garza keeps the pressure applied and eventually sets Rey up on the top rope. Mysterio tries to knock him away, but the tenacious Garza stays on task! He stays up at the top, gets up on the top rope, and then hits a BEAUTIFUL Hurricanrana! The move didn’t result in a pin fall victory but it sure wowed some people!
Which proves timely. Ace reporter Renee Young, who teased big news cutting in, would chime in during the match. She said that she’s hearing that Fox and NBC Universal execs are very much watching this match intently. They are not ‘set’ on anything and Angel Garza’s draft status could be something to watch! AJ chimed in on commentary saying that she’s not surprised based on youth, pedigree, and obvious raw talent. Anyhow, as the match proceeds on, Garza keeps the heat applied HEAVILY on Mysterio. This is his biggest opportunity yet and he ain’t missing it. Mysterio is still staying in it though, banking on the youngster making a mistake. Turns out… he does! Late in the matchup, Garza takes a risk he didn’t necessarily have to! He would go to the top rope after planting Rey down with a Lifting Reverse DDT. He had Rey down HARD but he would go up, go for broke with a Frog Splash attempt… but Rey moved!! Garza ate canvas and Mysterio would take advantage of this mistake! And he would make Garza pay for it dearly and quickly. Mysterio got up to his feet and watched Angel get up to his. On Jell-O legs, Garza looked over but by then it was too late! Mysterio had already run over and hits a headscissors takedown on him, sending him down on the middle rope! Mysterio then dialed it up – 619!! Mysterio then ascended to the top rope, leaped off the top rope, and BOOM! Frog Splash, showing him how it’s done! And three seconds later, that’s all she wrote!
WINNER: Rey Mysterio via pinfall at 8:37. Mysterio RETAINS the WWE TV Title.
Mysterio retains!! Rey gets the job done again and in his third title defense since last Friday, he’s once again proved successful! Mysterio celebrates with the championship while we then see Zelina go and approach the ring. She walks right by Angel Garza and goes up to Rey again. She asks him what he thinks about her offer that she made him. Before Rey can even say anything, Zelina says that she wants an answer after their standing in the Draft is known. Rey can’t offer anything up to say as she walks away as Angel Garza then goes after her! Garza asks her what the deal is with that, and Zelina tells him that she’s just doing business. She chides him for not doing his job just now, and then sternly walks away! Trouble in paradise here?
Stephanie McMahon then makes her way back out here again and is set to make more selections, as Round 2 has begun…
ROUND 2
1. Sami Zayn - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Drew McIntyre - Monday Night Raw
3. The New Day - Friday Night Smackdown
4. Chad Gable - Monday Night Raw
5. Ali - Monday Night Raw
1. Sami Zayn - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Drew McIntyre - Monday Night Raw
3. The New Day - Friday Night Smackdown
4. Chad Gable - Monday Night Raw
5. Ali - Monday Night Raw
And well, there’s our NEXT surprise! Chad Gable has been picked for the Raw brand…
But not his partner, Jason Jordan!
We see that things have seemingly gotten pretty awkward backstage with both Gable and Jordan looking at each other a bit awkwardly. They’re gonna be competing tonight too! In a tag match!
Oh no!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
Reporter Renee Young joins us from backstage here, outside NBC Universal’s ‘Draft War Room.’ Renee reports that she spoke with several people in the know after the most recent round of picks and says that concerns over Jason Jordan’s medicals apparently chased them away from committing even a short-term deal after a selection as a tag team! That includes the hamstring injury he seemed to have suffered over the weekend at No Mercy! So that’s the rumored logic behind Chad Gable being selected, not Jordan, and it is currently ‘unknown’ whether Jordan will continue to fall in this Draft as she has not talked with Fox officials but hopes to before the end of the night. Jumping into the scene suddenly is Sasha Banks!
Uh oh…
Banks asks Renee if she plans on talking to people with Fox like she said. Renee nods her head as she’s a little nervous here, but doesn’t flinch. Sasha then tells, practically demands, that Renee gets to the bottom of why she wasn’t picked to Smackdown like Bayley was! She claims that she was promised a spot, but they just took Toni Storm instead! Well, that’s a HUGE allegation. Holy crap.
Just then though, the undisputed Raw Women’s Champion surfaces! Becky Lynch corrals The Boss here, telling her that this isn’t worth it. But Banks snaps on her! “Yeah, that’s real damn easy for someone whose spot isn’t in question,” Banks says with fire in her eyes. Becky tries to calm her down again but Sasha is not hearing ANY of it! In fact, she STORMS OFF!
Stephanie McMahon then comes on out for the remaining picks of the second round…
6. Candice LeRae - Friday Night Smackdown
7. The Street Profits - Monday Night Raw
8. Johnny Gargano - Friday Night Smackdown
9. Alexa Bliss - Monday Night Raw
10. Liv Morgan - Monday Night Raw
7. The Street Profits - Monday Night Raw
8. Johnny Gargano - Friday Night Smackdown
9. Alexa Bliss - Monday Night Raw
10. Liv Morgan - Monday Night Raw
And we’ve got some newcomers here! Namely The Street Profits, who are heading from NXT to Raw! And in addition, former NXT Champion Johnny Gargano is Smackdown-bound! We see all three of them in the back, high-fiving each other and they all seem very happy for each other! Meanwhile, three women were selected, and two big guns in Alexa Bliss and Liv Morgan are heading to Monday nights! Candice LeRae, meanwhile, joins rival Toni Storm and Bayley in what’s looking like a very good women’s division already!
Walking out from the back is Raw draft pick, Ali! Ali is given a nice hand here by the crowd as he’s five days removed from coming up short in the hellacious Six-Man Hell in a Cell. Ali is visibly banged up from that matchup, not surprisingly. He’s sporting a black eye and plenty of contusions and visible bruises. He gingerly gets into the ring and takes the mic from Greg Hamilton. He looks out at the crowd here in Vegas and starts off by thanking them. He says that he’s appreciative of all of the support that he’s gotten over the course of the last 10 months. He says he can’t believe how crazy this year has been and says that Sunday was unbelievable. Ali says that he’s hurt. He’s wounded, as Ali alludes to a lot of wounds and a lot of pain that he’s been in all week. He says that he’s had trouble sleeping at times and it’s been a grind to get through the day. But every day he does, and he’s still standing, so he says that he must be doing something right. Ali says that he has everybody’s respect for what they went through in Hell in a Cell on Sunday, even AJ Styles. He says that he wishes him the best against Kofi Kingston, a hell of a champion, notes Ali. Ali says that he has something in mind though. He points out that Survivor Series next month is in his hometown of Chicago! Ali says that he did come up short in earning a title shot at No Mercy but says that he wants one at Survivor Series to have the happiest homecoming! Ali wraps up by saying that Smackdown has been his home for the last 10 months and he’s enjoyed every minute of it. He thanks the fans and says that he hopes they all follow him on Raw as he looks to continue to inspire and kick everybody’s ass!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
We return and see someone walking through the hall. That someone… is Toni Storm! Toni heads along here as the newcomer with all the sizzle around her approaches a door. There’s a placard on the door, and it:
THE FOUR HORSEWOMEN!
Shit.
Storm goes to knock… but someone grabs her wrist!
Some pretty familiar-looking hands… it’s Sasha Banks!
Storm’s eyes bugs out a bit as she pulls her wrist away. Banks glares at Storm, Storm looks at Banks somewhat nervously. Banks asks what Toni’s doing here. Storm says she means no harm but just wants to talk because she heard what she said and just wants to try and smooth things out. Sasha shakes her head and scoffs in disgust, as she tells Storm that she better get out of here because she isn’t welcomed. Banks goes and enters but then SLAMS THE DOOR in Toni’s face! That jolts Toni more a little bit… as it sure seems like Banks is taking this situation quite a bit personally.
Becky Lynch, who we just saw with Sasha before, sighs as she looks at Toni. She indicates without saying anything that she hopes she doesn’t take anything personally as she goes inside the room.
Storm just kinda… stands there awkwardly, shaking her head.
Progressive MatchFlo: Ruby Riott attacks Brie and Nikki Bella at their Scottsdale, Arizona home, and then challenges them to a Double Jeopardy Match where they must risk their careers, should they accept!
Match #2: Singles Match
‘Ms. MITB’ Ruby Riott vs. Kacy Catanzaro
‘Ms. MITB’ Ruby Riott vs. Kacy Catanzaro
Ruby is served a bit of a tomato can here in Kacy Catanzaro, who’s competing for the first time in a minute! Unfortunately for Kacy, despite an early run at it, Ruby dominates her pretty good in this one. Kacy’s attempted feistiness unfortunately doesn’t produce a winning result. Eventually, Ms. Money in the Bank looks to finish Catanzaro off. She looks to pull her in for the Riott Kick… however, she instead dips down, props her up on her shoulders… and delivers a RACK ATTACK to Catanzaro! The finisher for Nikki Bella! Ruby hooks the leg and shoves her forearm down into Kacy’s face, 1! 2! 3!!!
WINNER: Ruby Riott via pin fall at 3:45.
Ruby gets up to her feet here and looks down at Catanzaro. She has her hand raised here but doesn’t look satisfied yet. We see why, as Ruby then pounces on her and puts in a … Yes Lock! Just like Brie Bella would use!! Kacy taps out quickly here as Ruby is intent on dishing out punishment in the form of this submission hold! The referee tries to get her off her but Ruby is showing no interest in that! She laughs as she then shoves her face down on the mat. She shakes her head in disgust and looks into the camera. She trash-talks The Bellas and then SPITS in the camera’s face and kicks it away! She rolls away but not before grabbing her case and then dusts by everybody, having proved a point I guess tonight.
A video package then runs, hyping up the accomplishments of the man returning later tonight: The Miz!
A frustrated Jason Jordan is then seen here with his father Kurt Angle. Kurt is trying to calm Jason down, but it’s obvious that he’s very distraught about American Alpha being broken up for the moment. Kurt assures him that it’s not over yet. They could convince them to draft him tonight, as there’s still time. Jordan says that he thinks that it might be too late for that. Kurt tells him that he never thought it was too late for ANYTHING in his career and it’s not over for Jason Jordan yet either. Angle attempts to hype his son up…but it falls short! Jordan walks away! Angle calls out for him and then follows in, as it seems Jason is pretty torn up about this!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
As promised, we’ve got Round 3 beginning here and now!
ROUND 3
1. The Miz - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Pete Dunne - Monday Night Raw
3. The Usos - Friday Night Smackdown
4. Fire And Desire - Monday Night Raw
5. The Southern Belles - Monday Night Raw
1. The Miz - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Pete Dunne - Monday Night Raw
3. The Usos - Friday Night Smackdown
4. Fire And Desire - Monday Night Raw
5. The Southern Belles - Monday Night Raw
And some pieces are off the board! Raw dug into the women’s tag team scene to grab two existing tag teams as well as former United States Champion Pete Dunne! And meanwhile, Smackdown does grab The Usos and.. the returning Miz!
As Miz makes his entrance and shakes Stephanie’s hand, we see he’s wearing a nice-looking blue suit, surely celebrating the fact that he is going to Smackdown! Miz gets in the ring where the MizTV setup stands. He welcomes everyone to the most must-see WWE talk show in history! He welcomes himself back to WWE as well, announcing that his lovely wife Maryse is doing well after the birth of their most-recent child, Madison Jade Mizanin! How nice! Miz says that he’s seen a lot of ‘wild’ stuff happen over the last few weeks, but hopes that we are now all free from the shenanigans handed out by Shane McMahon. Aren’t we all, Miz. Aren’t we all.
Miz says that he’s now moving on to bigger and better things. Miz says that he’s had an interesting year here in WWE but wants to put everything in the past now. He’s a member of Smackdown! The crowd cheers for that, and Miz then says that he’s excited about the future here on the blue brand and being on network television every single week is a pretty nice add-on. He says that he’s happy he’s on Smackdown for another reason also, which brings him to his guest on this episode of MizTV. Miz introduces everyone to another Smackdown draft pick, the Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn! Zayn makes his way out to the ring here as the IC Champion receives a nice hand. Zayn gets up and into the ring here as he takes a seat. Miz says he’s glad to see Sami and to see that he’s finally doing well. Miz says that he’s happy to see the Intercontinental Championship on MizTV again. The only problem in his mind though is the fact that it’s not around his waist again!
Ah, now we see! Miz touts himself as one of the most celebrated and greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time. He says he’s held that title more than just about everybody to ever hold it and wants to set the record for most Intercontinental Championship reigns. Sami says that he wants to dismantle the establishment and lead a revolution. Miz looks at him funnily and Zayn responds by saying that he’s saying that not everybody can always get what they want. Miz says that Sami’s talking tough for a guy who only won the Intercontinental Title because his best friend was knocked out on the mat at Madison Square Garden. Oooooh! Zayn fires back and says that he’s just as mad about that and wants everyone to know that he’s “working hard” to get another match with Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Title. Miz asks him if he’s really doing that, pointing out that he’s had multiple opportunities to give him a fair championship match but picked a Tag Team Battle Royal last Monday and wasn’t on the Pay-Per-View on Sunday. Miz says that when he was Intercontinental Champion he was always willing to defend it. Sami says that he’s ALWAYS willing to defend it, it’s just not up to him right now. Miz asks him if that’s really true or if he’s not trying to because he’d rather play games with his best friend. Sami says that it is, and Miz says that if that’s so, Miz says that he shouldn’t have a problem if he challenges him for it NEXT WEEK! Sami looks around and then tells Miz that he’s going to be having a conversation with Fox execs tonight and he’ll make sure he mentions it but is sure to not outright accept it. Miz says that he doesn’t have anything else to say to him but issues a warning to Sami Zayn. Miz says that if there’s anybody here who knows what a phony looks like, it’s the guy who’s been on several hit reality television shows, so he tells him to be careful. Sami says that he doesn’t need advice, he doesn’t want advice, and he plans on being a better Intercontinental Champion than Miz ever was. And with that, so ends a… very interesting episode of MizTV.
For the first time all night, we hear from Bayley, who’s narrating a video package with her as the feature. Bayley says that she’s been waiting for tonight since the night she lost her title in San Francisco. She says that she felt lost that night, admitting that with how everything had been going up until that point, she didn’t know if REvolution was even going to happen for her. But since last week, since The Four Horsewomen united, she’s felt invigorated. She’s felt different. She says the biggest sign that she felt different was on Monday. Bayley says that she admits that she liked kicking Ronda Rousey’s ass in her suite! Bayley says that she has had so much pent-up feeling and now tonight, she gets a chance to focus that energy and let it out on Rousey! She points out that two years ago, in Vegas, she won the Raw Women’s Championship. She says it’s a place that’s been kind to her before and will be kind to her again, saying Ronda might have forgotten what it’s like to win in Vegas, and she doesn’t plan on helping to remind her what it’s like tonight! Choice words by the challenger, who’ll get her shot to win back the Smackdown Women’s Championship tonight!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
We come back, and the FINAL batch of selections in the Third and FINAL Round of the night!
6. Angel Garza - Friday Night Smackdown
7. Rusev - Monday Night Raw
8. Jamie Hayter - Friday Night Smackdown
9. The Expat Express - Monday Night Raw
10. Baron Corbin - Monday Night Raw
7. Rusev - Monday Night Raw
8. Jamie Hayter - Friday Night Smackdown
9. The Expat Express - Monday Night Raw
10. Baron Corbin - Monday Night Raw
Our most shocking round yet! We’ve got a FASCINATING assortment of names! It turns out that Angel Garza’s performance just got him a solo spot on Smackdown!
Meanwhile, Rusev is heading to Raw and he might be dealing with the rest of The Expat Express if Lana and Zelina’s rivalry persists. And Baron Corbin remains on the red brand as well.
And… let’s talk about the biggest surprise! NXT UK’s Jamie Hayter has been drafted to Smackdown! And since she was actually DRAFTED, Hayter is IMMEDIATELY eligible to join the blue brand! This is NOT a draft-and-stash situation like what’s created in the NBA sometimes, folks. Nope, she’s coming to Friday nights!
Following this bit, Baron Corbin makes his way out! Corbin says that he would be torn up about not being on Smackdown, but now his Friday nights are opened up! Corbin says that he can go out and do something with his life unlike the rest of everyone here in Vegas! Corbin says that so many people come here thinking they’re gonna win ‘The Big One’ and then go off to live a rich life. Corbin says he doesn’t have to dream big because he’s already winning at life! Corbin says that he wanted to make sure that he competed tonight so that he could tell everybody here on Smackdown, all the fans, all the people working in the truck, to do him a favor and kiss his ass! Geez… Corbin then says that he’ll face off with anybody who’s been drafted to Smackdown tonight! And then this draws out…
The WWE Champion, Kofi Kingston! What a nice surprise this is!
Kofi comes out AGAIN with the rest of his New Day brethren, Big E and Xavier Woods, as they are feeling very jovial over there! Kofi says that he’s not sure why Corbin has so much resentment for Smackdown, citing that he hasn’t been around here lately. Kofi says that all these fans wanna do is come cheer for their favorites, but he guesses that Corbin doesn’t know what that’s like because he’s never seen a Baron Corbin fan before either! Kofi says that as the WWE Champion and as Smackdown’s #1 Draft Pick, he wants to take on the challenge that Corbin just laid down! But… he doesn’t wanna do it alone either! Corbin protests this but Woods asks him if he said that he’ll take on ANYBODY who’s been drafted to Smackdown tonight and never specified just one. E says that they got his ass in 4K, pointing to the Tron, as they replay the footage! Oh no! Corbin’s in some trouble now!
Match #3: 3-on-1 Handicap Match
Baron Corbin vs. The New Day
Baron Corbin vs. The New Day
Well THIS one goes about as you might expect. Baron Corbin eats a lot of offense and shows a lot of ass to all three members of The New Day. Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods seem to be on a completely different level these days! They show as much in this matchup as they are firing on all cylinders. Kofi in particular is white-hot and he builds off the momentum of the very BIGGEST win of his career last week over Brock Lesnar. E and Woods tee Baron up… and Kofi splits the uprights with the Trouble in Paradise! 3 seconds later and, boom! A win!
WINNERS: The New Day via pin fall at 6:16.
Backstage, there’s a visible disagreement going on between Angel Garza and Zelina Vega! Zelina seems incredulous to the fact that Angel Garza seems to like the idea of being on his own! Garza says that for a while he hasn’t been liking the direction of The Expat Express. Zelina becomes aghast to that, but Garza explains himself. He says that they were the Tag Team Champions when he came on the scene. When Zelina called him to do a favor for Andrade, he figured that at the very least, a favor would be done to them. But all of it was becoming all about Andrade and not the team. As evident by how since Andrade has been gone, The Expat Express is on the way to irrelevancy! Zelina is still very upset, but Garza says that he’ll wish them the best, but he’s not looking at this with any regret. Zelina then proceeds to slap Angel across the face! Geez! She tells him off in Spanish and then storms away as Garza’s feeling it after that one… but luckily for him… he doesn’t have to after tonight ever again!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
We receive footage from an ‘anonymous source’ which shows a still upset Jason Jordan who was seen leaving the arena earlier tonight. Jordan fought back tears as he put his bags away and then drove off. Unlike Angel Garza, Jason Jordan is NOT taking the tag team breakup thing well…
But another newcomer to Smackdown isn’t so unhappy! Johnny Gargano makes HIS way down to the ring for what’s going to be his first match as a member of the Smackdown roster! Gargano seems to be taking this in stride here as the former NXT Champion is playing the babyface role on his way to the ring. He climbs on inside and goes corner to corner here to hype the crowd up a bit and then gets on down on the mat here and is ready to go on the attack!
Match #4: Singles Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Wesley Blake
Johnny Gargano vs. Wesley Blake
The Forgotten Son who didn’t get Thanos snapped in this Universe proves to be nothing but a pin in front of Johnny Gargano here. In a match serving nothing more than as an introduction to Johnny Wrestling, Gargano puts together a highlight reel of his greatest hits pretty much! He hits all the right notes here and even after eating just a little bit of offense, Johnny is able to make moves and move forward towards the win column. Gargano eventually puts this one to rest here and takes Blake down with the Garga-NO Escape!
WINNER: Johnny Gargano via submission at 4:32.
We see the Smackdown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey making her way towards the Gorilla Position!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
Because social media is a wonderful thing, an Instagram story message from Smackdown’s newest acquisition, Jamie Hayter, was just posted in the wee hours of the night out in the UK…
JAMIE HAYTER
WWE Universe… this is Jamie Hayter, Friday Night Smackdown’s newest superstar. I know there’s been a lot of talk lately… about the women of WWE. How they’re changing the game. How they’re taking over. Monday night I watched proudly with former NXT Women’s Champion Paige, as the women took over Monday Night Raw for the first time ever. Wednesday night, I got in there, and I got the pin in a match that included some of the finest young talent in the entire world. I can’t wait to be part of the next generation of women’s superstars that make an impact on everyone. I’m thankful for Fox for taking a chance on me… and I’m not going to make them regret it either.
WWE Universe… this is Jamie Hayter, Friday Night Smackdown’s newest superstar. I know there’s been a lot of talk lately… about the women of WWE. How they’re changing the game. How they’re taking over. Monday night I watched proudly with former NXT Women’s Champion Paige, as the women took over Monday Night Raw for the first time ever. Wednesday night, I got in there, and I got the pin in a match that included some of the finest young talent in the entire world. I can’t wait to be part of the next generation of women’s superstars that make an impact on everyone. I’m thankful for Fox for taking a chance on me… and I’m not going to make them regret it either.
We then learn what’s to come for this Monday night in Denver!
~ Night 2 of the WWE Draft! Including the NXT DRAFT RIGHTS Round!
~ A massive SUMMIT between The Four Horsewomen and The Sisters of Doom to set the terms for REvolution!
That is… if Sasha Banks is even gonna be there!
~ Liv Morgan and Toni Storm battle Candice LeRae and Asuka in a preview of what’s to come at REvolution!
~ The Bellas talk with Renee Young!
~ Trish Stratus will appear after Alexa Bliss’ challenge last week!
~ Seth Rollins squares up with Drew McIntyre!
~ A massive SUMMIT between The Four Horsewomen and The Sisters of Doom to set the terms for REvolution!
That is… if Sasha Banks is even gonna be there!
~ Liv Morgan and Toni Storm battle Candice LeRae and Asuka in a preview of what’s to come at REvolution!
~ The Bellas talk with Renee Young!
~ Trish Stratus will appear after Alexa Bliss’ challenge last week!
~ Seth Rollins squares up with Drew McIntyre!
Making her way out to the ring are the combatants, and second out is the NEW Smackdown Women’s Champion! Ronda Rousey comes out here in Las Vegas, a place she knows quite well. She’s been on the winning side and the losing side of things here, but Rousey is hoping for the former here tonight. The Baddest Woman on the Planet gets in the ring and then snatches the mic from Greg Hamilton. She stares him off and he rushes out of the ring. Ronda gets on the mic and looks at Bayley and says she had quite the rah-rah speech earlier. She says she hopes that she was able to get her b*tch in line, a distasteful remark about Sasha Banks most likely. Ronda says that she knows that Bayley is a phony and a paper tiger. But she will say that she was smart to use Anything Goes last time under ‘House Rules.’ Ronda says that she was able to physically assault her with any weaponry that she wanted to. She says that Bayley was actually smart to do that, a rare compliment, but says that it wound up being her undoing. Ronda says that it’s not just because she cost Shayna Baszler from becoming the Undisputed Raw Women’s Champion on Monday. Nope. She brings up how she won the match in San Francisco with Piper’s Pit through the table. She says that she rarely used tables in her first year here in WWE. She says he never understood why these idiots in the WWE Universe always chanted that they wanted tables. However, Ronda says that she liked it. Rousey admits that she heard Bayley’s soul crush and let out a sigh of despair after hearing the crunch of the table breaking… and she really liked that. Ronda says that she likes it so much that she wants to hear it again! Ronda says that Bayley did get the better of her Monday night, but so far, when it’s mattered most and when Charlotte Flair hasn’t been buzzarding around, she can’t get the better of her. And that will continue in a matter of moments… in a TABLES MATCH!
~ COMMERCIAL BREAK ~
Match #5: Smackdown Women’s Championship Tables Match
Ronda Rousey © defends against Bayley
Match #5: Smackdown Women’s Championship Tables Match
Ronda Rousey © defends against Bayley
Bayley has zero issue with the stipulation here, as evident by the fact that she’s come ready to fight either way! The hatred between these two isn’t quite Becky-Ronda level, maybe not even Charlotte-Ronda level, but baby these two DESPISE each other. And it’s all over the richest prize in the women’s game! Bayley and Ronda go strike for strike her and Bayley’s able to beat Ronda up a little bit after coming in with so much energy behind her. Vegas is a place she’s won before and she’s looking to do the very same tonight! Ronda tries to make that hard for her though and eventually stomps HARD on her ankle! Bayley is put in a very bad way here after that hard stomp and it’s made worse as Rousey grabs her boot, drags her through the ringpost from the outside now and slams the ankle up on the ringpost! A dastardly move by Rousey has just changed things completely here! Rousey keeps up the roughhousing here, figuring it’ll be easy to put Bayley through a table if she’s just a piece of meat!
But The Hugger’s resilience keeps her afloat! Rousey gets frustrated by this but hey I mean, what were you expecting here Rowdy One? Ronda tries putting Bayley away here as she has a table set up in the corner. But Bayley refuses to be tossed through it! Ronda goes to toss her like a javelin but Bayley falls off the shoulder of Rousey! Ronda comes back in and Bayley kicks her and drops her with a DDT!! She’s still working on that badly injured ankle here and the trouble for her is that it’s about to get worse! Because here comes Shayna Baszler! The woman who Bayley arguably cost the Undisputed Raw Women’s Title from last Monday! Shayna stalks down to the ring here, looking angry as hell. Bayley sees this and decides that she’s gonna try and meet Shayna head on! Bayley comes out here but this winds up being a trap! Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke jump over the barricade and start beating Bayley up!! Shayna comes up and smiles and starts wailing on Bayley as she’s held up by the two dopes!
But this doesn’t last for too long! Here comes the cavalry! Charlotte and Sasha come STORMING out and start to attack the trio!! They take away their attention here as they start fighting away from the ramp. Bayley tries to help herself up but suddenly the ring skirt is lifted. Underneath the ring is… Becky Lynch! What!! Lynch then tosses her a kendo stick and jokes with her about using it and then goes and hides under the ring again! Bayley gets up and then whacks Ronda as she goes to grab her! Bayley then climbs back into the ring and on one good foot starts to smoke Ronda with the kendo stick! She then pulls her back and hits a Russian Leg Sweep with the stick applied! Some might call it a White Russian Leg Sweep! Someone’s been watching their Sandman tapes. Bayley then gets up to her feet and looks to take a huge risk! She climbs up to the top rope here or at least tries to with the kendo stick in hand! Ronda is wounded so she’s slow to get up after the numerous kendo shots. Bayley then tries to balance herself and it’s clear she’s wounded bad! But she props herself up and then quickly launches off! And hits a KENDO STICK-ASSISTED ELBOW DROP ON ROUSEY!!
Bayley rolls away from the scene and knows she’s gotta put Ronda through the table! She gets up and then looks on as there’s trouble afoot! Beth Phoenix is heading down to the ring! Beth then gets up to the apron here but suddenly can’t pull herself up all the way! That’s because Becky Lynch is pulling down on her!! Lynch has surfaced again and is whacking Beth with a steel chair now!! But with Bayley’s eye off the ball she doesn’t know that Ronda’s ready for her! And Rousey comes in and lights her up with a HUGE Flying Knee to the face! Ronda then looks over at Becky and talks a bit of trash to her! Lynch doesn’t take the bait here but knows her presence at ringside is gonna get Ronda’s attention somehow. It does just that, but Ronda then grabs the table and starts to set it up. Bayley is then grabbed by Rousey and dragged up on her shoulders! She’s looking to do the same thing she did last time around! Ronda sets her up to drive her through the table with Piper’s Pit!!
But Bayley gouges the eyes!! Bayley comes to life here and is trying to collect some late Las Vegas magic!! Ronda struggles with her here but Bayley eventually is able to slip out!! And then she comes underneath Ronda here! She’s gonna try and Powerbomb her through the table!! Rousey holds on here for dear life as she doesn’t want her title reign to end this way! Bayley pulls with her might, but she can’t quite get all the strength off her legs because of the bad ankle!! And after her arms were weakened by a few armbar attempts in this match, it’s hard for her as it is!! Rousey then starts to pie-face Bayley!! She then gets her stunted for a moment here. And—she reaches into her trunks for something!! It’s brass knucks! Just like Shayna had on Monday!!
Becky sees this and darts over!!
Bayley tries to adjust as Ronda fits the knucks over her glove! She winds up!
BECKY SMOKES HER WITH THE KENDO STICK IN THE HEAD!!
Ronda is dazed!! And falls back!!
As Bayley drops down, grabs her, and…
POWERBOMBS HER!!
DOWN!!!
AND THROUGH THE TABLE!!!!!!
WINNER: Bayley at 12:07. Bayley WINS the Smackdown Women’s Title.
And would you look at this!!!
Bayley has become the Smackdown Women’s Champion AGAIN!!
Becky Lynch jumps in the ring to help Bayley up to her feet!! Triumphantly, Bayley has become champion here and yes, not without an assist from Lynch. But Ronda was about to knock Bayley’s lights out with the knucks! Very legal of course, but Becky wasn’t going to let Bayley lose in that way! A TREMENDOUS display of loyalty by Lynch, four days after Bayley no doubt helped her by basically doing the exact same thing!!
And this championship victory also means one thing:
Three of The Four Horsewomen now have ALL THE GOLD!
The seesaw battle continues… and we are barreling towards the finality of this war. It’s only a wonder of what POSSIBLY could come next.
END OF SHOW
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TALKING SMACK EXCLUSIVE ROUND
1. Heavy Machinery - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan - Monday Night Raw
3. Humberto Carrillo and Raul Mendoza - Friday Night Smackdown
4. Gran Metalik - Monday Night Raw
5. Lince Dorado - Monday Night Raw
6. Kalisto - Friday Night Smackdown
7. Titus O'Neil - Monday Night Raw
8. Aliyah - Friday Night Smackdown
9. Mike Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
10. Maria Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
---
TALKING SMACK EXCLUSIVE ROUND
1. Heavy Machinery - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan - Monday Night Raw
3. Humberto Carrillo and Raul Mendoza - Friday Night Smackdown
4. Gran Metalik - Monday Night Raw
5. Lince Dorado - Monday Night Raw
6. Kalisto - Friday Night Smackdown
7. Titus O'Neil - Monday Night Raw
8. Aliyah - Friday Night Smackdown
9. Mike Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
10. Maria Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
WWE DRAFT RECAP
WWE DRAFT RECAP
1. Kofi Kingston - Friday Night Smackdown
2. Brock Lesnar - Monday Night Raw
3. Bayley - Friday Night Smackdown
4. 'The Inevitable' Daniel Bryan - Monday Night Raw
5. Seth Rollins - Monday Night Raw
6. AJ Styles - Friday Night Smackdown
7. Toni Storm - Friday Night Smackdown
8. Sasha Banks - Monday Night Raw
9. Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott - Monday Night Raw
10. Rey Mysterio - Monday Night Raw
11. Sami Zayn - Friday Night Smackdown
12. Drew McIntyre - Monday Night Raw
13. The New Day - Friday Night Smackdown
14. Chad Gable - Monday Night Raw
15. Ali - Monday Night Raw
16. Candice LeRae - Friday Night Smackdown
17. The Street Profits - Monday Night Raw
18. Johnny Gargano - Friday Night Smackdown
19. Alexa Bliss - Monday Night Raw
20. Liv Morgan - Monday Night Raw
21. The Miz - Friday Night Smackdown
22. Pete Dunne - Monday Night Raw
23. The Usos - Friday Night Smackdown
24. Fire And Desire - Monday Night Raw
25. The Southern Belles - Monday Night Raw
26. Angel Garza - Friday Night Smackdown
27. Rusev - Monday Night Raw
28. Jamie Hayter - Friday Night Smackdown
29. The Expat Express - Monday Night Raw
30. Baron Corbin - Monday Night Raw
31. Heavy Machinery - Friday Night Smackdown
32. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan - Monday Night Raw
33. Humberto Carrillo and Raul Mendoza - Friday Night Smackdown
34. Gran Metalik - Monday Night Raw
35. Lince Dorado - Monday Night Raw
36. Kalisto - Friday Night Smackdown
37. Titus O'Neil - Monday Night Raw
38. Aliyah - Friday Night Smackdown
39. Mike Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
40. Maria Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
2. Brock Lesnar - Monday Night Raw
3. Bayley - Friday Night Smackdown
4. 'The Inevitable' Daniel Bryan - Monday Night Raw
5. Seth Rollins - Monday Night Raw
6. AJ Styles - Friday Night Smackdown
7. Toni Storm - Friday Night Smackdown
8. Sasha Banks - Monday Night Raw
9. Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott - Monday Night Raw
10. Rey Mysterio - Monday Night Raw
11. Sami Zayn - Friday Night Smackdown
12. Drew McIntyre - Monday Night Raw
13. The New Day - Friday Night Smackdown
14. Chad Gable - Monday Night Raw
15. Ali - Monday Night Raw
16. Candice LeRae - Friday Night Smackdown
17. The Street Profits - Monday Night Raw
18. Johnny Gargano - Friday Night Smackdown
19. Alexa Bliss - Monday Night Raw
20. Liv Morgan - Monday Night Raw
21. The Miz - Friday Night Smackdown
22. Pete Dunne - Monday Night Raw
23. The Usos - Friday Night Smackdown
24. Fire And Desire - Monday Night Raw
25. The Southern Belles - Monday Night Raw
26. Angel Garza - Friday Night Smackdown
27. Rusev - Monday Night Raw
28. Jamie Hayter - Friday Night Smackdown
29. The Expat Express - Monday Night Raw
30. Baron Corbin - Monday Night Raw
31. Heavy Machinery - Friday Night Smackdown
32. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan - Monday Night Raw
33. Humberto Carrillo and Raul Mendoza - Friday Night Smackdown
34. Gran Metalik - Monday Night Raw
35. Lince Dorado - Monday Night Raw
36. Kalisto - Friday Night Smackdown
37. Titus O'Neil - Monday Night Raw
38. Aliyah - Friday Night Smackdown
39. Mike Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
40. Maria Kanellis - Monday Night Raw
The following wrestlers were undrafted.
After Monday night's Draft, they are free to sign with the brand of their choosing OR return back to 205 Live, NXT, or NXT UK:
Emma
Noam Dar
Taynara Conti
The Brian Kendrick
Noam Dar
Taynara Conti
The Brian Kendrick
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