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Smackdown - October 17, 2014

Smackdown
Date: October 17, 2014
Location: Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield

Reviewed by Tommy Hall

We now have the obvious PPV main events set and for some reason the question is which match goes on last. I can defend a lot of what they do with Cena but there is almost no justification for Rollins vs. Ambrose not going on last. It has a story and the constant interference makes the Cell appropriate. Orton vs. Cena is happening because of history that people are tired of, Orton wanting a match and the calendar saying it's time for the Cell. Let's get to it.


We open with the now standard long recap of the main stories from Raw.

Here's Rollins to get things going. The fans greet him with a YOU SOLD OUT chant and he seems to agree by shouting I SOLD OUT. Yeah he used to have honor, but that's not going to pay his bills. Anyone here would sell out their parents, dog, grandparents, brothers and friends for an opportunity to be like him. The problem though is you'll never be like him because selling out is the best thing you could ever do in your life.

That brings him to his match with Ambrose inside the Cell. Ambrose doesn't belong inside the Cell because he belongs in a straitjacket. Dean may walk into the Cell but he's going to be carried out and left as a hot smelly mess. Rollins has sold out, but at the pay per view, he's going to put Dean out.

Cue Dolph Ziggler to a big ovation. Ziggler says that sound was what you hear when people want to see you. Granted Rollins wouldn't know what a pop sounds like because Ambrose isn't out here. Dolph talks about how you get everything when you sell out, but when you earn it, you get all that plus self respect. Seth laughs it off and says self respect got Ziggler curb stomped on Monday. Dolph dropkicks him to the floor and wants to start their match right now.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

A clothesline puts Dolph on the floor and we take a very early break. Back with Ziggler in trouble and Seth pounding away with right hands. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Seth sends him face first into the buckle for two. Rollins drives some knees into the ribs and talks trash to him about self respect. Back up and Dolph sidesteps a charge to send Seth outisde. Rollins comes up limping a bit so Dolph loads up a Figure Four around the post, only to get sent face first into the steel instead.

Rollins tries to come back in off the top but gets pulled down into a faceplant as we take another break. Back again with Seth missing a charge into the corner to put both guys down. Dolph pops up and hits ten very fast punches in the corner but Seth snaps his throat across the top. He heads up top again but this time is able to block the faceplant. Ziggler's jumping DDT gets two and the Zig Zag and Curb Stomp are both countered. The Fameasser is countered into the buckle bomb though and a Curb Stomp gives Dolph his third straight loss at 15:22.

Rating: C+. It's the decent match you would expect from these two but these losses for champions are getting annoying. WWE has such a big roster but only Ziggler can take these losses? Were Kofi and Big E. too busy for this match? It gets really old watching these titles lose what little prestige they can build up for the sake of Mr. Money in the Bank. Build up a better midcard or get the title off Ziggler already.

Here's Ambrose after the match with his contract. Rollins runs so Dean lets us know how happy he is to get his hands on Rollins inside the Cell. He can't even say everything he's going to do to Rollins on this show but here's Kane to cut him off. Kane wants a match of his own because the screams of pain make him sleep better at night. Ambrose vs. Kane later tonight.

Erick Rowan is free.

Layla vs. AJ Lee

Paige and Fox are on commentary. We get an inset interview where AJ says the Divas Title is the only friend she needs and it will never betray her. A quick spinwheel kick gets two on Layla and a pair of rolling neckbreakers gets the same. Layla makes a comeback with some kicks and a headlock, only to miss a cross body and get Black Widowed for the submission at 2:00.

Fox is easily dispatched but Paige lays out AJ with the Rampaige.

Seth comes in to ask Kane to save him a piece of Ambrose but Kane goes into the annual “the Cell is evil” speech. Kane throws out that it's himself/Rollins/Orton vs. Cena/Ambrose in a street fight on Raw.

Sandow dressed up as Sheamus on Main Event and got beaten up.

Sheamus and the Usos are ready for their six man tonight. We get lots of talk about kicking heads off and twin references are made.

Sheamus/Usos vs. Miz/Stardust/Goldust

Goldust actually takes Sheamus down to start but the pale one comes back with a shoulder block. Off to Stardust who takes a few elbows from the twins and a double elbow drop gets two. Miz comes in and actually takes his glasses off, only to get slammed down by Jimmy for two. Jimmy misses a charge and falls out to the floor, followed by a baseball slide from Jimmy for good measure.

Back from a break with Jey getting caught in a Goldust spinebuster for two. Off to Stardust but Sheamus chases Miz up the ramp. This goes nowhere but gets us away from the match going on in the ring. Goldust goes over to punch Jimmy off the apron but walks into a Samoan drop from Jey. The hot tag brings in Sheamus to clean house, including pulling the top rope down so Jimmy can dive on Stardust. Miz gets knocked off the apron and into the announce table but Goldust catches Sheamus in a powerslam for two. Everything breaks down as the Usos kick Stardust, setting up a Brogue Kick to Goldust for the pin at 11:42.

Rating: C-. You know every six man match you've seen with the tag team and midcard title feuds combined? Well this is the most recent I've seen. There was nothing different, interesting, or remotely special about this match. It's not bad but I can't count how many times we've seen this exact same stuff.

Video on WWE in Malaysia.

Here's Big Show with something to talk about how he sticks out in a crowd. We hear the same stats we've heard about Big Show for years as he talks about having more weight on his shoulders. He's knocked Rusev out twice now and is going to do it again at the PPV. Right now though, he'd like Mark Henry to come out here. Here's Mark, complete with Big Show dancing to his music.

Show tells a story about he and Henry flipping a car over because it cut them off at Waffle House. They're family, which means it's ok for them to take the weight on each others' shoulders in the battles against Rusev. Show gave Henry the space he needed to fight Rusev and now he needs Henry to do the same for him. Henry says that Rusev isn't human but it's going to be hard to see Big Show beat Rusev when he couldn't. He'll give Show what he wants though. The Russians come out for some fat jokes and insult trading between Show and Rusev. Nothing we haven't heard before.

We get a clip from after Raw with the Bellas getting in an argument over being fat. The loser of their match will be the winner's assistant, which I'm sure will be HILARIOUS.

Nikki Bella vs. Naomi

Nikki shoves her around to start and puts on a very early chinlock. Back up and Naomi scores with a few dropkicks followed by a Rear View for two. That goes nowhere and the Rack ends Naomi at 2:11.

Wyatt is alone video.

Ambrose says he can give Kane all the screams he wants to put him to sleep.

Kane vs. Dean Ambrose

Kane throws him around to start but Dean fires off right hands and clotheslines Kane out to the floor. Back in and a big boot drops Ambrose and they head right back to the floor. Kane rams Dean's hand into the steps before sending the hand into the corner back inside. Dean comes back with a top rope dropkick and a bulldog for two. He starts the comeback and loads up the Rebound Clothesline but Rollins drags him to the floor for the DQ at 5:44.

Rating: D. The match wasn't anything of note but the ending is just stupid. Dean should be heading for the main event of a PPV but he can't pin KANE nine days before? I can understand not pinning Cena, but Kane's entire job at this point is to put people over and not cause any major disasters.

Rollins and Kane go after Dean but he fights them off with a chair to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was the least interesting Smackdown I can remember in a long time. The show flew by and felt more like a setup for Raw than ever. It's not a horrible show but when Ambrose can't even get a rollup on Kane and we see the same Divas match we've seen for months now, it's really hard to get into things. Smackdown is at its best when it has self contained stories and some decent matches. As soon as it becomes a supplement for Raw, most of the good goes away. Not much to see this week.

Results
Seth Rollins b. Dolph Ziggler – Curb Stomp
AJ Lee b. Layla – Black Widow
Sheamus/Usos b. Goldust/Stardust/Miz – Brogue Kick to Goldust
Nikki Bella b. Naomi – Rack
Dean Ambrose b. Kane via DQ when Seth Rollins interfered


Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Comments

  1. That there are other people you can put into a competitive loss than the reigning Intercontinental Champion.

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  2. Very different kind of match. This week was a fifteen minute competitive match and last week was a squash that didn't crack four minutes.

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  3. That match would rival the encounter between the Nacho Man and the Huckster from '96!

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  4. Let's keep the exclamation points to a minimum, Rock Star Gary.

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  5. YankeesHoganTripleHFanOctober 18, 2014 at 2:42 PM

    Ok so I just read the part in Flair's book about the Starrcade 95 match. He did say that Randy cut him but didn't seem upset about that. He was just upset about all the interference.

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  6. YankeesHoganTripleHFanOctober 18, 2014 at 2:45 PM

    You know if Beefcake hadn't gotten hurt in the para sailing accident and continued to improve, (remember that he was at worst the 3rd most popular face and maybe even second over Warrior) I could see a Beefcake turn's on Hogan and cuts his hair being MONEY at Wrestlemania VII.

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  7. Beefcake was awful.

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  8. YankeesHoganTripleHFanOctober 18, 2014 at 2:47 PM

    Yes he was...back in 1985. Watch his matches from the beginning of 89 until the injury. I am telling you he was getting good, and had HUGE face heat, (listen to the pop when he beat Perfect at WM VI.)

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  9. He was so fucking boring. I saw a Rude/Beefcake from LA on 24/7 awhile back that I'm pretty sure put me in a coma.

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  10. Virgil's Gimmick TableOctober 18, 2014 at 3:06 PM

    In the early 90's he had some great matches. Before he broke his neck.

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  11. Jeter's almost become a separate entity apart from the Yankees. I hate that team, but I've long had a strong, healthy regard for Jeter. Hell of a player, can't totally blame him for being sucked into the evil empire.

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  12. I would be surprised if Dusty AND Heenan were crocked, just to fuck with Tony

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  13. I hope this isn't leading to Henry turning on Show at the PPV, joining forces with Rusev and Lana and being known as "The Black Russian Mark Henry."

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  14. Have Show and Henry always been friends or did this just come out of nowhere?

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  15. Muta is lazy in the same sense Hogan was lazy. When you get an incredible reaction for doing one of five moves, why kill yourself doing a thousand new ones?

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  16. They were in a bitter feud over the World Heavyweight Title in like 2011. Other than that, I don't remember too much on-screen interaction between them.

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  17. Wcw/njpw match quality + Mega Powers vs Sting/Luger = PRINT MONEY

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  18. Morrison wasnt a douchebag drug addict like shawn.

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  19. Ive always enjoyed your comments and replies

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  20. Gang also didn't want to lose on TV to someone like Konnan

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  21. That's interesting, maybe in the summer of 91. Vince was still gonna exploit the gulf war.

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  22. one of the first things after I realized that wrestling wasn't as "real" as I thought off it to be was how those tournaments always ended up being a draw before the last match. a real killer of my "suspension of disbelief".

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  23. Of course the level of talent and the size of the personalities aren't the same, but I do find it interesting how this show is not only regarded as somewhere between good and awesome, but also considered a creative idea -- whereas when TNA tries a similar Japanese cross-promotion it's widely panned as the worst idea ever. Again, not talking about the match quality or the star power, just the idea itself of cross-promoting with Japan for "the biggest show of the year" (Starrcade for WCW, Bound for Glory for TNA.) It seems like another instance of nostalgia being kinder than modern-day cynicism.

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  24. This was still a terrible idea. Match quality and show quality aren't exactly the same thing.

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  25. Per request by Bill Watts actually. He told them pre-match to dog it once they got out there

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  26. I would mention Spring Stampede 1994 instead, with Flair and Steamboat putting on a last great ppv match.

    (in way Slamboree with its last Vader/Sting main event could also be thrown into the discussion - both ppv main events at least in hindsight have a kind of have "coming full circle" feel to me)

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  27. It's the American Way!

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  28. To be fair, I don't think anybody's really exaggerating the notion of this being a good show, or pretending that it was a good idea given the poor number it did, not calling Bound for Glory "the worst idea ever." Those are quite some exaggerations you're going with to make a point.

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  29. 1. Starrcade wasn't WCW's biggest show of the year under Bischoff until at least 97.
    2. Starrcade was known for gimmick shows like this for years.
    3. Huge difference between New Japan and Wrestle-1.
    4. It took place in America, not Japan.
    5. Their biggest star was on vacation so they could afford to fuck around.
    6. WCW still weaved their top storyline into the show.

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  30. 7. WCW wasn't a struggling company.
    8. WCW didn't use their ONE show that could get them casual viewers.
    9. WCW used top guys.
    10. WCW also featured their World Champ.

    Need any other examples?

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  31. I think you are thinking of Muta-Chono where watts told them to go out and dog it so they wouldn't upstage the wcw guys.

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  32. Bold move comparing Wrestle-1 and 1995 New Japan. I mean, I see what you're going for, but it requires a rather large leap to get there. And I'm rooting for TNA.

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  33. Does your average American wrestling fan really know the difference between 2014 Wrestle-1 and 1995 New Japan, though? I know the hardcores will, but that "casual fan" probably just sees all of it as Japanese wrestling.

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  34. Good points, but I feel like even before TNA announced its BFG card -- and therefore we didn't know that they weren't using Lashley and didn't know they weren't incorporating their major storylines -- people were crapping on the idea.

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  35. Most people didn't shit on it until we knew it was going to be some stupid Wrestle-1 vs TNA exhibition. Nobody really was bashing them for doing a regular show in Japan.

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  36. Pretty everyone has heard of New Japan. It has name value. It's a famous company that has famous alumni and has been around for awhile now.

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  37. I think the problem is that they want to give Rollins some more "high profile" wins, but don't have many midcarders that are over enough to result in a win against them being perceived as a huge deal.

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  38. Anyone interested in watching a ppv tonight? I'm thinking something random like IYH: Beware of International Incidents: It's Time for Revenge of the Taker.

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  39. There's also Jack Swagger, and, and...Man they really decimated the midcard to the point where there is no one who is credible enough to provide a tough challenge to someone before a high profile match. The WWE basically has a roster full of Randy Savages and Steve Lombardis. There isn't even enough people who could be a credible Tito Santana.

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  40. This reasoning is sound
    IC champ--doesn't lose
    Kofi level--lose competitively
    Job in <5 minutes--Heath Slater

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  41. Dolph Ziggler is a lost cause and WWE should send him down to NXT to job to Adrian Neville for a couple of months before redebuting Dolph as The Red Rooster Jr. so he can cut passionate promos of himself going COCKADOODLEDOO and he can finally get rid of his pink homoerotic ring gear. The WWE will never trust him due to his sloppy work which ends up with him getting a concussion every couple of months... If they dont send Dolph down to NXT then they should just release him after he jobs out to younger talent for the next few months.

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  43. To go a step further on the IC or US Champions - doesn't lose clean. I'm fine if they get counted out or disqualified.

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  44. I was looking at the roster yesterday and you're right. Even someone like KOfi has lost so many times that it's hard to buy him as a challenge.

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  45. Kofi is pretty much at El Matador era Tito Santana levels of credibility at this point.

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  46. I understand modern day fans prefer clean endings these days but I wouldn't mind more countouts and disqualifications during non-special event matches. It would allow more of the roster maintain some level of credibility and make clean victories that much more special.

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