Smackdown Live Recap 7/17/18
This week’s Smackdown Live opens with Jeff Hardy on an open mic. Hardy calls himself broken but plans to make Nakamura obsolete and take back his US Championship. Nakamura calls Hardy a sad clown who wears makeup.
Our first match is a non-title match between AJ Styles and Andrade “Cien” Almas. Almas starts off with a couple arm drag takedowns. Almas continues to control the pace of the match through the first few minutes. Styles goes for a dropkick, but Almas hangs between the top rope and middle rope. Styles finally starts to build some offense while we have a split screen commercial break.
Almas takes over with a dropkick. Almas put styles on the top rope and lands a springboard dropkick. Cien Almas attempts to finish Styles with his running double knee strike, but Styles attacks out of the corner. As Styles goes for the flying forearm Almas knocks Styles off the top rope. Almas hits a handspring sexton for the near fall. Almas hits the double stomp and the running double knee strike, but Styles kicked out at 2. Cien Almas takes too much time thinking about what to do next and Styles caught the calf crusher to submit Almas.
We caught to Aiden English backstage still upset about costing Rusev the championship against AJ Styles at Extreme Rules this past weekend. English finds Lana and apologizes and begs for Rusev to give him a second chance. I guess we will see where this story leads next week. I personally think Rusev and Aiden English will end up facing off at Summerslam.
Becky Lynch takes on Mandy Rose next. Mandy controls most of the match with powerful strikes and holds. Becky builds her comeback and hits the Bexploder leading into the disarmer as Rose submits. Becky calls out Carmella and lets her know straight fire is coming for Mella. Backstage Carmella brags about beating Charlotte and Asuka twice. Carmella tells Smackdown GM Paige she deserves another Mellabration. Paige tells her if she loses to Becky next week in a non-title match then Becky and Carmella will face off Summerslam for the Women’s Championship.
Tye Dillinger and Samoa Joe go one on one next. As soon as the bell rings Dillinger attacks Joe. They fight on the outside and Joe catches Dillinger, picks him up, and throws him into the corner post. Joe rolls Dillinger back into the ring and lays a beat down. Joe chokes Dillinger unconscious for the win.
Miz TV this week is a eulogy for Team Hell No. The Miz plugs his new show then brags about earning the MVP for the celebrity softball game. Miz states this is to honor the death of Team Hell No. Miz offers a moment of silence. The crowd boo Miz. Miz then taunts Daniel Bryan calling Daniel’s return a bust. Bryan’s music starts, but Bryan doesn’t come down the ramp he attacks from the crowd. Miz scurries up the ramp.
In the continuing saga between Sanity and New Day. Kofi Kingston squares off against Eric Young. Kofi uses his agility to take control in the start of the match. Young starts to take over when he kicks Kofi’s legs out from under him. Eric Young puts on a dragon sleeper and pulls Kofi to the top rope hanging him there. Kofi gets his momentum going and hits the new day drop. Young ducked trouble in paradise then got whipped into the corner. Young rolls out to Sanity and Kofi hurdles the referee onto Sanity on the outside. Kofi goes to the ropes but Killian Dain threw Xavier Woods into Kofi. Eric capitalizes and gets the pinfall.
Tonight’s main event is our Extreme Rules US Championship rematch between Jeff Hardy and Shinsuke Nakamura. Hardy attacks right away and quickly goes for the swanton bomb, but Nakamura rolls out of the ring. When we come back from commercial break Nakamura is taunting Hardy with kicks while on the ground. Hardy gets mad and throws Nakamura into all four corners then lands a jawbreaker.
Back from another commercial and Hardy is landing elbows followed by the whisper in the wind. After several near falls, Nakamura lands a running knee in the corner. Hardy avoids the kinshasa knee and reverses to a twist of fate followed by a swanton bomb and pin. On the two count, Hardy is ripped out of the ring by Randy Orton. Orton throws a beatdown on Hardy outside the ring. While Hardy lays helpless on the floor Randy stretches Hardy’s earlobe then hits a DDT off the announcer’s table as Smackdown goes off the air.
