SmackDown Live, Credit: WWE.com
With Money in the Bank behind them, the men and women of SmackDown Live prepare for another episode. Here is everything you should know heading into tonight’s show:
For the first time since the birth of his child, Daniel Bryan is set to return to SmackDown Live. As the General Manager of the Blue Brand, him appearing on the show once again is truly “best for business”.
At Money in the Bank, one of the most anticipated matches going into the event was the female MiTB ladder match. To many, the contest represented a chance for the women in WWE to produce something special. Although they put great effort into making the contest enjoyable, the ending has left a sour taste in the mouths of many.
Currently, Carmella is considered to be the holder of the MiTB briefcase. However, she wouldn’t have won the match had it not been for James Ellsworth. The Chinless Wonder was the one who unhooked the briefcase, handing it to her on a silver platter. His actions have caused an uproar in the Women’s Division, with Daniel Bryan eager to address the situation here tonight.
Upon making her return to WWE alongside Mike Bennett (aka Mike Kanellis), Maria Kanellis made it clear she wants to showcase the “power of love”. It’ll be interesting to see what this couple is capable of adding to the Blue Brand.
In their second pay-per-view encounter, Jinder Mahal successfully retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. Despite the win, their ongoing feud might not be any closer to a conclusion.
As Money in the Bank came to a close, Baron Corbin celebrated becoming Mr. MiTB. What can we expect to see from the Lone Wolf in the near future?
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So without further ado, here is the live results and analysis for the June 20 episode of SmackDown Live.
Ms. Money in the Bank Gives Her Say
At the top of the hour, SmackDown Live begins with the backstage return of Daniel Bryan. Discussing what transpired in the female MiTB ladder match, he promised the female athletes who lost the contest that a decision will be made. As one can imagine, this dilemma is probably going to be featured heavily on tonight’s show.
Focusing now on the squared circle, Carmella wasted little time in making a grand entrance to the ring. Alongside James Ellsworth, she welcomed everyone to the “Fabulous Era” and talked about how much buzz her win on Sunday created. In her mind, the actions of Ellsworth were justified because the match was a no-disqualification environment. If there aren’t any rules, how could one be broken? She brought up how past winners such as Seth Rollins also received aid to win the briefcase in order to back up her claim.
Believing that there was nothing further to discuss, Carmella demanded that Daniel Bryan recognizes her as the first female MiTB winner. As for everyone else, she told them that nothing was going to change in regards to her holding the briefcase.
Shifting to the backstage area, Bryan was watching the entire segment on a television monitor. Before he really gets a chance to react, Charlotte Flair comes up to say a few words. Bryan starts to talk about an apparent neck injury Charlotte suffered, but she cuts him off. Urging her boss to right the wrong, she left the area as Bryan contemplated her words.
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Big E vs Jimmy Uso
Result: Big E wins via pinfall
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
In the first match of the night, Big E took on one-half of the SmackDown Live Tag Team Champions; Jimmy Uso. Moments before the match took place, the New Day took time to address what happened at Money in the Bank. Despite the fact that the night didn’t go as planned, the trio seem no worse for wear. They intend on winning the gold, and will most definitely face the Usos once more.
Turning out attention to the match itself, Big E produced a solid performance against Jimmy Uso. Early on in the contest, Jimmy took control thanks to a distraction offered by his brother. Keeping his stronger opponent down on the mat, he tried to wear down Big E and avoid a comeback. He, unfortunately, was unable to do so, and Big E gained a foothold in the match. Multiple suplexes kept Jimmy at bay, but the heel managed to avoid a Big Ending and rolled to the outside.
With Jey at his side, Jimmy tried to walk out of yet another match. However, Kofi Kingston cut them off at the pass. His assistance allowed Big E to hit his finisher moments later for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Daniel Bryan was once again featured in a backstage segment. While on the phone with Shane McMahon, Natalya and Tamina Snuka interrupted the conversation. Both were interested in hearing what Bryan’s decision is regarding Carmella. Despite not having one as of yet, he says it’ll be made soon. When the two leave, Bryan asks to call Shane back at a later time.
The War is Far from Over
Following the previous segment, Naomi was interviewed by Dasha Fuentes. It wasn’t long before Lana appeared, eager to gain another shot at the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship. According to Lana, if Carmella hadn’t teased cashing-in the briefcase during their match, she would’ve left the arena as champion. Calling herself a fighting champion, Naomi accepted the challenge for next week.
Continuing the trend of interviews for this evening, Randy Orton was involved in a previously recorded segment with Tom Phillips. Just as he’s said over the past several weeks, Orton intends on destroying Jinder Mahal. The only thing that’s different now is that the Maharajah has taken things to a new level. Because the Singh Brothers put their hands on Cowboy Bob Orton, the Viper wants to return the favor.
Suggesting that he book a flight to India, Orton talks about delivering RKO’s to the entire Mahal family. For good measure, he’ll break the necks of the Singh Brothers and end Mahal’s career in the process. The consequences of the Maharajah’s actions will be felt, and at this point, there’s no turning back.
A fired-up Orton added to what was a very strong performance. His contempt for Mahal is perfectly clear, and the determination to succeed is eating at the Viper’s core. The next time these two compete, it’ll be can’t-miss action.
Dolph Ziggler vs Shinsuke Nakamura
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura wins via pinfall
Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
In a rematch of their contest at Backlash, Dolph Ziggler and Shinsuke Nakamura met inside the squared circle for the second time. At the beginning of the match, the two were sure to take their time and not rush into the conflict. Having competed against each other several times at this point, they were well aware of what the other is capable of. Technical wrestling was a staple of this match early on, but strikes were quickly introduced thereafter.
From here, the match itself was back and forth exchange of moves and heavy strikes. Ziggler kept offering offensive more after offensive move, showing why he’s such an athletic talent. As for Nakamura, he refused to stay down, allowing him to display his durability and toughness. Towards the closing moments, the Showoff was able to hit the Zig Zag, but he was only able to net a two count. A few moments later, and the action was back to being dead even.
With both men battered and beaten, Nakamura made one final big play and hit the Kinshasa. This was enough for him to score the victory and in turn, regain some of the momentum he lost on Sunday.
In another backstage segment, Daniel Bryan was talking to Sami Zayn about what he’ll be doing next week. The Underdog from the Underground will be taking on none other than Mr. Money in the Bank; Baron Corbin. Becky Lynch joins the duo, with Zayn offering his apologies for what happened on Sunday before leaving. Turning her attention to Bryan, she joined those before her in saying that something needs to be done about Carmella.
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WWE United States Championship Match
Kevin Owens (c) vs Chad Gable
Result: Kevin Owens wins via pinfall
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars
Our next match of the night involved Kevin Owens making an appearance for an open-challenge. Putting his United States Championship on the line, he offered any talent to come down and face him for the gold. The only condition was, they had to be from Dayton, Ohio. Since SmackDown Live was being held tonight in that city, it seemed fitting to offer a hometown hero a shot. Plus, Owens doubted that anyone on the roster was from there.
To his surprise, the Prizefighter watched as AJ Styles appeared. Believing that he was accepting the challenge, Owens compared him to other “stupid” Americans and continued to insult him. although he was ready for a fight, Styles wasn’t the opponent that was accepting the challenge. All of a sudden, American Alpha’s music played throughout the arena. Chad Gable accepted the challenge, because it turns out he had moved to Dayton this morning.
Confused by what was occurring, Owens let down his guard and Gable took advantage. Nailing the champion with suplexes, he tried to end things early with an ankle lock. Owens made it to the ropes though, and soon after took control of the contest. Gable did manage to fight back and score a few close counts, but it was all for naught. As Styles watched at the commentary table, the Prizefighter hit the Pop-Up Powerbomb on Gable for the win.
In yet another backstage segment (way to go SmackDown Live), Daniel Bryan was talking to the Hype Bros. Reminding Bryan that they had earned a tag title shot before Zach Ryder’s injury, the duo wanted to cash-in that chance. Despite the title scene being different than it was last year, Bryan allows the championship match…if they can beat the Usos next week.
I’m Afraid I’ve Got Some Bad News…
After deliberating all throughout the night, Daniel Bryan was finally ready to announce his decision. Bringing every female involved in the Money in the Bank ladder match to the ring, he begins to discuss what transpired. For Bryan, the difficulty here was that nothing like this has ever happened before. Yes, people have interfered in MiTB matches, but no one has ever unhooked the briefcase when they weren’t involved.
Due to this, the General Manager decided to set a new precedent here tonight. However, James Ellsworth had a few choice words for Bryan, wondering aloud if having a child made him soft. Angered over the comment, he retaliated by saying that he’d punch Ellsworth he ever spoke about his kid again. At this point, Carmella thought it’d be a good idea to interject in the proceedings. Her choosing to speak led to all of the women trading insults and threats before Bryan took control.
Finally getting around to revealing his decision, what he said will go down as a truly historic moment. For the first time ever, a MiTB winner was forced to confiscate the briefcase, and Carmella wasn’t happy in the slightest. The next announcement he made was equally historic, as another MiTB ladder match will take place on SmackDown Live next week.
To close out the segment, all of the women took part in a brawl. One by one, the ring cleared until Carmella stood alone with Becky Lynch and Charlotte. The two would hit their finishers on the former briefcase holder as the segment came to an end.
Jinder Mahal vs Luke Harper
Result: Jinder Mahal wins via pinfall
Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars
The final match of the evening featured Luke Harper making his first televised appearance in what felt like forever against WWE Champion: Jinder Mahal. While this match was rather entertaining and it’s always nice to see Harper compete, what happened after the contest is what everyone will be talking going.
After a hard-fought match, Mahal was able to score the pinfall on Harper. However, during the contest, Baron Corbin teased cashing-in the briefcase. He ultimately decided not to, choosing to simply remind the champion he can do so at anytime he pleases. It was a pretty cool moment, especially when you consider that the entire episode had a Money in the Bank theme to it.
Believing that he was safe from harm, Mahal chose to celebrate with the WWE Championship after the match. Flanked by the Singh Brothers, he was shocked when Randy Orton’s music blasted throughout the arena. Rushing into the fray, the Viper laid out the Singh Brothers before turning his attention to the Maharajah. Beating him all over the ringside area, Orton leveled the champion with an apron DDT to the floor.
The action returned to the ring from here, with Orton delivering a pair of RKOs to the Singh Brothers as Mahal recovered and fled through the crowd. SmackDown Live ended with the Viper surveying the damage and eyeing Mahal.
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What did you think of tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live? Let us know in the comments below.