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SmackDown Recap & Review – Episode 943

WWE SmackDown Live
Episode 943
(watch on the WWE Network)
#SDLive

Original Air Date: September 12, 2017
Event Date: September 12, 2017 (aired live)

City: Las Vegas, NV
Venue: Thomas & Mack Center

Commentary: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton

 

Video
Last week, Kevin Owens pushed Shane McMahon to his limit. Later that night, Daniel Bryan informed Shane that he was indefinitely suspended. Tonight, Vince McMahon will address Owens.

Ring Area
Kevin Owens heads to the ring. He points out that he never fought back when Shane attacked him last week. Why? Because he respects authority. He also informs everyone that he is going to sue everyone in WWE until SmackDown Live is no more. After that, Tuesday nights will be The Kevin Owens Show featuring Kevin Owens. He then goes into the changes he will make, including firing Sami Zayn, canceling The Fashion Files, and forcing Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton to share one suit every night. Finally, he calls Vince McMahon to the ring.

Shane McMahon’s music plays, but instead of Shane, Dolph Ziggler comes out dressed in a Shane ‘O Mac jersey. Owens enjoys the joke, and Ziggler leaves. Owens begins to speak again, but Daniel Bryan’s music interrupts him. Bryan makes his way to the ring.

Bryan reminds Owens that he doesn’t run this show and tells him that Mr. McMahon will be there “very soon.” Owens can’t wait.

Ring Area
Phillips, Saxton, and Graves urge the WWE Universe to donate to the Red Cross to help people affected by hurricanes Irma and Harvey.

 

Match 1
United States Title Match
AJ Styles (US Champ) vs Tye Dillinger
(referee: Jason Ayers)

Show/Hide Results

Result: AJ Styles wins via submission with the calf crusher and retains the US Title
Time: 7:19

Match Thoughts
Good match. Dillinger got off to a strong start with a rather cheap move by shoving Styles into the ring post. It took Styles a while to mount a successful comeback, and when he seemed to be in control, Baron Corbin ran down to ringside. The distraction made the last few minutes of the match slightly tense, but overall this didn’t seem like a huge challenge for Styles. It was entertaining for a TV title defense though.

 

Ring Area
After the match, Styles and Dillinger shake hands. As Styles leaves the ring, Baron Corbin attacks him. Corbin also attacks Dillinger before hitting Styles with End of Days on the floor. Corbin informs Styles that he’ll be challenging him for the US Title next week in the US Open Challenge.

Backstage
Dasha Fuentes welcomes Rusev. He says that he wasn’t greeted warmly by his friends and family in Bulgaria after losing to Randy Orton as Summer Slam. He might have lost, but Rusev is not a loser. To prove it, he must “break a legend.”

Ring Area
Jinder Mahal and the Singh Brothers make their way to the ring. Mahal shows an image of Nakamura on the tron and jokes that he looks constipated. The Sing Brothers laugh and overact all around the ring. He then makes references to Godzilla and Pikachu, blaming Americans for thinking the same thing.

** Not a good promo. Poorly written, tired shtick, and a muddled message. Not good at all. **

Backstage
Owens has someone write down what he wants for the new Kevin Owens show before walking over to Sami Zayn. He gloats to Zayn that he’s about to own SmackDown and Zayn is about to be out of a job. Zayn says he would rather go back to wrestling in front of tens of people than ever work for Owens.

 

Match 2
SmackDown Tag Title Sin City Street Fight
New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E) vs The Usos (SD Tag Champs)
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)

Show/Hide Results

Result: Big E pins Jimmy Uso after Midnight Hour and becomes the new SD Tag Champs
Time: 8:12 (1 break)

Match Thoughts
Very good match! I think it was a bad and illogical choice for The Usos to pick a street fight as the stipulation for this match, and I think New Day made a silly choice by sitting Woods in the back when they could have had an advantage (I mean, the third man helps out when it’s against the rules, but they choose not to when it’s legal?), but match was a ton of fun. It was fast and chaotic, and there was a fair amount of good violence. There was a lot of energy in the match from everyone, and it really felt like both teams hated each other and desperately wanted to win. I do expect this feud will continue at Hell in a Cell, but with the way this match went down (two on two), I wonder if the same intrigue will be there.

 

Ring Area
Inanna Sarkis and Ronda Rousey are at ringside.

 

Match 3
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Naomi vs Natalya (SD Women’s Champ)
(referee: Charles Robinson; guest commentary: Carmella w/ James Ellsworth)

Show/Hide Results

Result: Natalya wins via submission with a sharpshooter and retains the title
Time: 7:12

Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a hard-hitting bout, and the pace was high throughout. Naomi pushed Natalya at every turn, but Natalya still put on a dominant performance. Very solid match.

 

Backstage
Aiden English sings to himself when Owens approaches him. Owens asks English if he will sing the theme song for The Kevin Owens Show. He does, and Owens likes it.

Ring Area
Dolph Ziggler comes out and proclaims that he is the greatest in-ring performer in WWE. As such, he shouldn’t need an elaborate entrance, but he feels that people associate elaborate entrances with quality performers. Therefore, Ziggler leaves and comes back out to Bayley’s entrance. Frustrated with everyone, he leaves again and comes back out to the Ultimate Warrior’s entrance.

Ziggler’s point is that anyone can have a fancy entrance, but no one can do what Ziggler does in the ring. He thinks the audience doesn’t care about what Ziggler can do in the ring, so Ziggler doesn’t care about them.

 

Match 4
Hype Bros vs Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable
(referee: Mike Chioda)

Show/Hide Results

Result: Chad Gable pins Zack Ryder after a tandem powerbomb/springboard neckbreaker
Time: 2:26

Match Thoughts
An okay match. It was pretty short and the finish took a little time to pull off, but it was fine for a showcase of Gable and Benjamin.

 

Ring Area
After the match, Ryder gets mad and walks away, leaving Rawley in the ring.

Ring Area
Kevin Owens waits in the ring. Vince McMahon doesn’t make him wait long. Mr. McMahon heads to the ring. He tells Owens that the reason he didn’t fight back against Shane is because Shane was “beating his ass.” He also tells Owens what will happen if he files a lawsuit against anyone. He’ll be fired.

McMahon has been in plenty of lawsuits, and he hasn’t lost one. Lawsuits are made for billionaires like him. If Owens sues Vince, Owens will go bankrupt trying to pursue it. Vince says Owens got what he deserved last week. He also says he’s going to lift Shane’s suspension in order to put Shane and Owens inside Hell in a Cell. Owens tells Vince he has to promise that he won’t be fired when he beats “a McMahon” senseless. Vince gives his word.

The two shake hands briefly before Owens hits Vince with a head-butt that bloodies him. Owens continues to attack Vince while referees urge him to leave. Adam Pearce runs to the ring to protect Vince, but Owens ignores him and hits Vince with a bullfrog splash. Owens makes his way up the ramp as Stephanie McMahon passes by him on her way to help her father.

 

Show Impressions
Good show. It had three nice title matches, and the final segment was definitely a memorable one. The Hype Bros/Gable & Benjamin tag match could have had more substance, but other than that, I think the show was quite good.

Match of the Night
Tag Title Street Fight
Lots of energy and violence. Another great chapter in this feud.

 

 

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