Friday night Smackdown kicks off from Bankers Life Field House from Indianapolis, Indiana. The night immediately begins with a one-on-one Intercontinental championship match between Roman Reigns and the Incontinental champion, Shinsuke Nakamura. Reigns is the first one out making his way to the ring. As Reigns heads down to the ring we see a graphic showing Bayley on MizTV taking place later in the evening along with a six-pack challenge between Dana Brooke, Carmella, Nikki Cross, Sonya Deville, Lacey Evans, and Mandy Rose. Will the likes of King Corbin and Daniel Bryan get involved in the Roman Reigns and Shinsuke Nakamura match up?
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Intercontinental Championship
Roman Reigns vs Shinsuke Nakamura
After the challenger had made his way to the ring, the Intercontinental Champion makes his way to the ring. While accompanied to the ring by Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura comes to the ring. An interesting graphic shows that Nakamura is the first Asian-born Intercontinental championship. Once all the parties are in the ring the bell rings. Zayn is listed as Nakamura’s business associate. He is on commentary for the match. While we hear Zayn at ringside, we see Nakamura beating down the big dog in the ring. Nakamura has a momentary advantage until Reigns regains control. Reigns hits a Samoan drop followed by a pinfall attempt.
After Nakamura kicks out a two, Zayn says into the headset ‘he needs me, he needs me’ referring to the champion and comes off the microphone. Reigns then proceed to attempt a driveby until Zayn pulls Nakamura out of the way leading to an advantage for the champion. We then get a commercial break. After the break, we see Nakamura with a rear chinlock wearing down the big dog. Once back to his feet, Nakamura regains control but then Reigns relents. The challenger begins to stalk the champion beating him down with repeated clotheslines. Nakamura then locks in a triangle choke on Reigns but the big dog fights back lifting up the champion and dropping him down with a sitdown powerbomb.
Zayn gets involved
With Sami on the apron, Nakamura pursues Reigns and sets up for the kinsasha. However, Reigns stops him with a superman punch. Reigns is pumping himself up for a spear when King Corbin hits him from behind with his royal scepter.
Winner via disqualification: Roman Reigns
After the match, Corbin comes into the ring and aids Nakamura and Zayn with an attack on Roman Reigns. This was when Daniel Bryan comes down to the ring and takes on both Corbin and Nakamura. With Zayn clinging onto the leg of Bryan, Nakamura hits a prone Daniel Bryan with a kinsasha. Both Bryan and Reigns remain on the mat recovering from their injuries.
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New Day is shown backstage when Heavy Machinery coming out and make pancake batter that has them put protein powder into the mix. Otis drinks it and it looks pretty gross.
After a commercial break, King Corbin is stopped and asked about what just happened in the ring. Corbin’s response was to put on his crown, laugh and walk away.
Shorty Gable vs. Curtis Axel
We get highlights of how his name came to be. It’s interesting to see Axel compete in singles action. Gable’s technical skillset comes into play here. After a brief advantage by Axel with an armbar on the mat, Gable regains control. He hits a drop toe hold and locks in an ankle lock on Axel for the win.
Winner: Shorty Gable
Gable is interviewed after the match and shares about the hope he has and how he embraced who he is. That it doesn’t bother him because he says it’s okay to be exactly who you are. He thanks those that tried to screw with him. He shares that we all have insecurities and not to try and hide from them. Gable says that he is ‘Shorty G’ as the promo comes to an end.
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Cole and Graves addressed the status of Team Hogan being short against Team Flair and that he is having to bring in a new team captain. He says that Shorty G and Ali stood out the most as they have been added to Team Hogan.
Heavy Machinery and New Day vs The Revival and Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode
Once New Day and Heavy Machinery are in the ring, Roode, Ziggler and The Revival make their way to the ring. This eight-man tag appears to be a prelude to a tag team turmoil match happening in a couple of weeks. Ziggler and Tucker start off the match. Tucker hits a dropkick and then tags in Otis. Otis hit a suplex and then tags in Big E. At this point, Xavier Woods hits a somersault plancha but is then caught with a zig-zag on the floor.
After a commercial break, Woods is worked on by Dash Wilder in the ring. Woods eventually makes a comeback but Scott Dawson stops him. Ziggler and Roode eliminate the remaining team members with Woods scuffling on the mat. Dolph is tagged into the match and he attempts a superplex on Woods who turns it around. Woods hits a missile dropkick. Otis is eventually tagged in the ring and goes at all members. For each time Otis to wipe out everyone in the match. He then sets up to hit his infamous caterpillar.
Otis catches Dawson but is set up to knocking them out. He then hits a suplex and tags in Big E. With Woods tagged in they hit the midnight hour for the three count and the win.
Winners: Heavy Machinery and New Day
With the events that took place earlier in the evening, a tag team match has been made including Reigns, Bryan against Nakamura and Corbin in likely the main event. Bryan says he doesn’t care about anything and wants to eventually get to the champion.
A video is shown to promote Ali as someone all fans want to believe in.
MizTV begins and Miz welcomes Sasha Banks and Bayley to the ring as his guests. He jumps right into things and doesn’t pull any punches. With new theme music, new music and a whole new attitude Miz asks her ‘why’. This leads to either no response from Bayley as to explain why. Miz pressed for more calling her Brock because she doesn’t talk. Insecurities? No respect? Second fiddle to Sasha? Slash the Bayley Buddies to be relevant? Once pressed she says that the Bayley buddies defined her and she didn’t need the fans anymore because fans took. She spoke about how the division is lazy and lacks passion and desire. Bayley spoke about how she outgrew the fans and tells them ‘life sucks and then you die’.
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This brings out Nikki Cross who said the time to talk is done and the time for action is now. After the six-pack challenge that she’ll come over and give Bayley a big hug. This brings out Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, and the remaining members after the commercial.
Six-pack Challenge
Nikki Cross vs. Lacey Evans vs. Dana Brooke vs. Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville vs Carmella
Early on in the match Deville and Rose work together to beat down Carmella and systematically take out one opponent at a time. This was until Brooke wiped out the entire group of women in the match. We go to commercial. After the commercial Deville and Rose regain control and work on Carmella. This was until Carmella hits a double bronco buster. Carmella is whipped through the ropes by Cross into Fire and Desire on the outside. Cross climbs the top turnbuckle and hits a cross-body splash onto Brooke, Rose and Deville on the floor.
She gets up and then attempts to whip Lacey Evans into the steel steps, but Evans reversed it and tossed her into the steps. Evans tosses Brooke in the ring and then begins to work on her. Brooke hits a sitdown powerbomb and then follows up with a senton from the top rope. Rose and Carmella break up the tag and go at it in a bit of a catfight. Carmella has her finisher locked in and all hell breaks lose. Eventually Cross hits a spinning neckbreaker on Mandy Rose ending it with a three count and a win. She will have a championship opportunity at Bayley’s championship.
Winner: Nikki Cross
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After the match, we get highlights of Braun Strowman’s path of destruction and the things he’s done in the past. The discussion is followed up with what will happen in his matchup against Tyson Fury.
After the commercial, we see the next chapter between Rollins and The Fiend and what is still to come. A reminder of the referee stoppage from their Hell in a Cell match is shown along with Rollins burning down the Firefly Funhouse the following day. We see Rollins destroy everything. The two will have a ‘can’t be stopped for any reason’ falls count anywhere championship match.
Braun Strowman vs Drew Gulak
Once in the ring we get a reminder of the contract signing between Fury and Strowman. Before the match, Gulak proceeds to want to share with Strowman what he needs to do in order to defeat Tyson Fury presenting his Powerpoint Slide. He doesn’t get past slide 1 of 345 slides. Strowman mauls him tossing him from one side of the ring to the other. Gulak throws punches with no affect. The Monster charges around the ring wiping out Gulak. Back in the ring Strowman hits a splash and then a clubbing clothesline on Gulak. Strowman then hits a power slam and a three-count pin.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns vs Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin
After the commercial break, Bryan, Reigns, Nakamura and Corbin all begin to mix it up. We then hear that Roman Reigns is made the captain of Team Hogan. Reigns and Corbin kick it off while Bryan and Nakamura remain on the ring apron. Bryan comes into the ring and takes the fight to Corbin. A series of kicks by Bryan lead to Corbin tagging in Nakamura. We hear the two have history with one another. Zayn distracts Bryan leading to a Nakamura kick. After a commercial break we have Corbin and Nakamura working on Bryan. This was until Bryan overcomes the attack. Bryan attempts to make the play to team with Reigns until Corbin takes him down.
Nakamura hits a charging knee on Bryan while Corbin attempts to set up steps to take out Roman Reigns and stops the attack of due to the referees warning. Back in the ring, Bryan dropkicks Corbin on the floor and locks in the LaBelle lock on Nakamura. Corbin broke up the submission attempt. Corbin ends up getting speared on the outside while Bryan attempts to finish off Nakamura until he is hit with the running knee.
Winners: Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan
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