WWE SmackDown FOX Premiere: Results, Highlights, and Grades for Oct 4

After months of build-up, WWE finally makes its much anticipated debut on the FOX network with the season premiere of Friday Night SmackDown. Let’s kick off these results with everything that happened during the show’s first hour.

At the top of the hour, we open with none other than the Chairman of the WWE Board himself, Vincent Kennedy McMahon, and his daughter, Stephanie McMahon. The father-daughter duo welcome us to SmackDown right before ushering in the new era with a shiny new opening crawl.

“Are You Ready for a Good Time?” by AC/DC is the song. As for the question … are we ready? Oh, hell yeah.

Fireworks galore rage throughout the bright, new stage arena before The Man comes around to the ring.

Becky Lynch says she’s happy to kick SmackDown off on the show she was first embraced by fans. To thank them, she’s ready to “kick some ass,” but not before being interrupted by King Corbin, who thinks he should be the one kicking off the show. But before he has the chance to berate Becky for not being The Man, The Rock comes back home.

The Rock recalls coining the phrase “SmackDown” for the millions … [and the millions] … of fans around the world before calling Corbin a “broke ass Burger King on crack.”

Corbin says The Rock doesn’t run the place anymore. The Rock says just because Corbin’s won King of the Ring doesn’t mean he has to dress like a king, just like how The Man isn’t walking around with a pair of testicles, though Lynch promises hers would still be bigger than Corbin’s.

Corbin badmouths LeBron James to the LA crowd inside the Staples Center. In return, The Rock puts Corbin over as a “super tough dude,” so he convinces the crowd to cheer him as “STD.”

Right after, Becky and Rocky take turns punching Corbin. Lynch drops a leg drop and right after, Rock hits a People’s Elbow, followed by a Rock Bottom to close out the segment.

Grade: A

Simple, effective way to kick off the show. The Rock makes promo work look way too easy. Using him to highlight Becky Lynch as the potential new face of the brand whilst also giving the company’s prodigal heel son a nice, special rub in the ring. Plus, it’s just flat out entertaining. Everybody wins.

Back from the break, we see Maria Menounos, Trish Stratus, and Lita all front and center in the crowd sitting together. Cut to Becky back in the ring, which leads us to the first match on the FOX network.

Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley

Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch start the match. Bayley tries to cheap shot Becky, before getting cheapshotted by Charlotte. It’s all Charlotte until Bayley pulls Charlotte’s hair to the ground.

This turns to Charlotte vs. Sasha in the ring. Charlotte’s in control, especially after a series of chops in the corner.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1180278414470549504

After tossing Sasha to the outside, Charlotte climbs up on the top rope for a dive, but Bayley pushes her off and to the floor. This allows Sasha to get a cheap kick on Charlotte while she’s down, leading us to a commercial break.

Back from the break, Bayley and Charlotte are at it again, though briefly before Becky gets the hot tag. Her comeback spot is in full force. Gets in all of her moves, including the Bex-ploder, before attempting a Dis-Arm-Her before a distraction from Sasha holds her off. Bayley gets control.

Becky runs at Bayley, but gets flapjacked onto the ropes. Charlotte gets the tag and immediately hits Natural Selection. Sasha Banks breaks it up.

Becky comes in, stares down with her Hell in a Cell opponent before a brawl ensues. Bayley interjects, then Charlotte comes in, and its an all out brawl. The brawl finds its way outside, where Charlotte hits a top rope moonsault on the Boss n Hug Connection.

Back in the ring, Charlotte locks the Figure Eight on the SmackDown Women’s Champion, who taps out.

Winners: Becky and Charlotte

Grade: B+

Not as much intense or as exciting as their Madison Square Garden match, but the high energy in the atmosphere was there thanks to the hot crowd. Then, of course, the Four Horsewomen are all phenomenal athletes who have been facing each other for the better part of seven years now. Naturally, the chemistry was there (as always) and you’re not going to get anything less than a great match between these competitors on any given night.

FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews is backstage interviewing The New Day. She asks Kofi about going into the match being an underdog going into his match tonight vs. Brock Lesnar, but Kofi laughs it off because he’s “always the underdog.” He considers Brock Lesnar just another mountain. We also learn that Kofi politely asked Xavier Woods and Big E to stay backstage because he wants to prove that he can beat Brock all by himself.

Back from commercial break, we see more stars in the building, as undefeated boxer Tyson Fury is in the crowd, with a head shiny as a melon. It’s lovely. We also see crowd shots of Mick Foley sitting with Kurt Angle before we cut to our next match: a Champion vs. Champion contest.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins

BUT FIRST, an impromptu episode of Firefly Fun House! Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!

Bray Wyatt introduces himself to SmackDown’s new home, and introduces everyone else to all of his friends. This includes Mercy the Buzzard, Huskus the Pig, and Rambling Rabbit rocking a Seth Rollins shirt, who warns his biggest fan not to fight The Fiend.

Bray enters frame, notices Ramblin’ Rabbit’s shirt, and decides to show the Universal Champion what will happen to Rollins in the Hell in a Cell.

Playing Seth, Rabbit is locked in a cage with Mercy Buzzard (as The Fiend), who eats and murders Ramblin’ Rabbit on live television. Bray and Co. just laugh it off with Rabbit’s severed head in his hands. What a season premiere.

Back from commercial, Nakamura has an armbar locked on Rollins, but Rollins wiggles his way out before hitting a series of Suicide Dives on Nakamura outside. Sami Zayn provides a slight distraction outside, allowing Nakamura to get back into this. nearly hits a Kinshasa, but Rollins ducks and offers a Sling Blade, then a jumping knee.

Rollins sets up The Stomp when the lights cut out. Enter The Fiend.

Suddenly, Rollins is getting fingers jammed down his throat by a homicidal Fiend up the ramp before getting tossed off the stage.

Winner: No Contest

Grade: B-

Super fast paced match off rip. I personally enjoy a little slow build towards a match like this before we get the nonstop action, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Not getting a true winner might’ve hurt this match a bit, but at the same time, when neither of these champs need to take a loss now, this was smart booking. And prior to the finish, both men got all their fun spots in and did what they could to produce a good, short match. Short but sweet.