WWE SmackDown results: A night before WWE Payback we had some massive surprise in this latest episode of SmackDown Live as Sami Zayn returned to WWE. Zayn made his return after three months of hiatus from WWE back in June.
On another segment we had Intercontinental Championship match that took place between Jeff Hardy, who was set up against Shinsuke Nakamura to defend his Intercontinental Championship. However, there was a colossal contract signing for WWE Universal Championship that alsotook place in a very strange way.
Big E was set up in a Tag Team match and he was joined by MITB winner Otis and Tucker to take on Sheamus, The Miz and John Morrison in a six man Tag Team action.
SMACKDOWN LIVE RESULTS TODAY:
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Vince McMahon tasked Adam Pearce with getting the contract for Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman signed:
Adam Pearce opened the show by prepping security for a “combustible night.” He then entered a room with Vince McMahon, who gave him Pearce the task of getting the signatures on the contract before the night is over. McMahon suggested Pearce start with “The Fiend,” or Bray Wyatt, whoever was easiest to find.
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Intercontinental Championship — Jeff Hardy (c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall:
Hardy was just starting a promo where he was about to say he was ready to defend his intercontinental championship when AJ Styles interrupted. Styles ran down Hardy, saying he was a liar and a cheat for landing a blow with his knee brace to win the title last week on SmackDown. Styles said that he had the match clearly won before Hardy landed the shot and then blamed Hardy for the doctor not clearing him to wrestle this week, but Hardy said he was issuing an open challenge to anyone but Styles tonight. After the two nearly came to blows, the show went to commercial. After the commercial, Nakamura was in the ring to challenge Hardy. Cesaro was shown during the match complaining without really complaining that Nakamura took the match. After a solid bit of back-and-forth wrestling, that included Hardy throwing Nakamura into Styles at the announce table, Hardy landed a knee using the leg with the knee brace, allowing him to hit the Twist of Fate and a swanton for the win. It’s a little screwy for Hardy to be using heel tactics by using the knee brace to score wins, against Styles was a fluke situation, against Nakamura is intentional. And adding tension to Cesaro and Nakamura’s team makes no sense. But the match was fine.
Grade: B
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Wyatt celebrated the universal championship:
returning to the Fun House and gave Roman Reigns a welcome back, saying “it’s good to see you again.” Adam Pearce showed up as “Postman Pearce” asking Wyatt to sign the contract for Sunday. Wyatt asked why he should sign it — suggesting he’s not The Fiend — before laughing and signing, saying that if he knows “him,” it feels like he just signed a couple of death warrants.
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Matt Riddle def. Shorty G via pinfall:
Riddle cut an in-ring promo calling out King Corbin for a match. As Corbin came to the ring, Riddle was attacked from behind by Shorty G. Corbin then accepted the match on behalf of Shorty G. After some quick back-and-forth action, Riddle hit Bro Derek on Shorty G for the win. Corbin tried for a steak attack on Riddle, but Riddle ended up running him off. Later in the show, Corbin said that he would face Riddle at Payback. Riddle and Shorty G could clearly have a fantastic match, but we didn’t get much of a chance to really drill into that as this was all about getting to Riddle vs. Corbin.
Grade: C
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Bayley and Sasha Banks cut an in-ring promo:
A fired up Bayley kept making “unintentional” digs at Banks no longer holding the Raw women’s title, including saying that Banks’ loss was all her fault because she shouldn’t have allowed her to challenge Asuka, given her inability historically to successfully defend the Raw title. Bayley backtracked by saying that Banks always says the tag titles represent their friendship, and on Sunday, they can’t lose. Banks said that it’s lucky Bayley is still her best friend, before the duo were interrupted on the Tron by Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Jax and Baszler talked about hating each other, but hating Bayley and Banks more. Banks ended the segment by saying that she will leave Payback still holding “her” tag team championship.
WWE Smackdown Live results and grade: Sami Zayn reunited with Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura:
As Cesaro and Nakamura were discussing the situation earlier in the night, with Nakamura challenging Jeff Hardy, Zayn excitedly met up with his former clients, claiming him going away was part of the plan to bring Cesaro and Nakamura closer, and since they won the tag titles it worked. Zayn tried to put his intercontinental championship belt by the tag titles, but Cesaro and Nakamura said they were having a conversation and asked him to leave.
WWE Smackdown Live results and grade: Cesaro def. Kalisto via pinfall:
Before the match, Kalisto told Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado to stay in the back and watch how it’s done, but that choice was taken out of their hands anyway after Metalik and Dorado were attacked backstage by Cesaro and Nakamura. Kalisto looked good, keeping Cesaro from getting on track with his fast-paced offense, but Metalik and Dorado ran down to try and get revenge on Nakamura, a distraction that allowed Cesaro to score a roll-up for the win. After the match, another argument broke out between Kalisto and Dorado before they seemed to patch things up. Fun little match, but not much more and I’m not sure what breaking up Lucha House Party is going to do in the long term.
Grade: B-
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Alexa Bliss showed some of the effects of having been with The Fiend:
Nikki Cross and Tamina were discussing being worried about Bliss, when Bliss showed up with her hair in her old school pigtails. Cross then noticed that Bliss had a braid in her hair that she said reminded her of “The Fiend,” causing Bliss to briefly stare off into space. Bliss then said that she thought they were friends before smashing a mug she had previously given Cross and storming of.
WWE Smackdown Live results and grade: Heavy Machinery & Big E def. Miz, John Morrison & Sheamus via pinfall:
The six-man action was pretty standard, but at one point, Sheamus went to the timekeeper’s area and rang the bell to cause a distraction and break up a pin. Sheamus spent the match not tagging in before throwing a fit, yelling at Miz and Morrison while Miz begged him to stay. Sheamus did leave, though. Otis tried to hit a double caterpillar but Miz moved out of the way before hitting the Skull-Crushing Finale. Big E was the legal man, however, and he slid into the ring and finished Miz off with the Big Ending. Fine enough match, weird stuff with Sheamus, though.
Grade: B-
WWE SmackDown Live results and grade: Roman Reigns’ affiliation with Paul Heyman was revealed:
Reigns finally promised Adam Pearce that he would be at Payback. He then promised to be in the triple threat match. Finally, Reigns said that winning the universal title back was not a promise, it was a spoiler. The camera then panned over to show Heyman seated next to Reigns, who had just used one of his trademark lines, as the show went off the air. Pearce’s journey to get the contract signed was a fun part of the show, but the reveal that Reigns and Heyman now have a partnership was a shocking way for the show to end and adds a wild twist to Reigns’ return.
Grade: A