WWE SmackDown Live
Episode 999
#SDLive
Original Air Date: October 9, 2018
Event Date: October 9, 2018 (aired live)
City: Indianapolis, IN
Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Commentary: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton
Match 1
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Charlotte Flair vs Becky Lynch (SD Women’s Champ)
(referee: Jason Ayers; stipulation: if Lynch is disqualified, she loses her title)
Result: the match ends in a double count out
Time: 19:41 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. It started a little slow, but it built up nicely throughout the match. This was fought pretty evenly, and both women got in some good moves and strikes. In the later part of the match, Becky started to repeatedly attempt to walk away. That led to a less than satisfying conclusion, but the finish was a way to further the feud (even if it wasn’t necessary).
Ring Area
After the match, Becky Lynch walks up the ramp. Charlotte chases Becky and spears her into the LED board on the center of the stage. Both women go crashing through the board. Referees and officials attend to Becky and Charlotte as the show moves on.
Backstage
Jeff Hardy applies paint to his face.
Video
Jeff Hardy’s eyes are open, and is mind is clear.
Video
Samoa Joe will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He’s a very dangerous man.
Match 2
WWE World Cup Qualifying Match
Jeff Hardy vs Samoa Joe
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Jeff Hardy wins via referee stoppage
Time: 5:05 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was okay. Samoa Joe came into the match with a hurt knee from his match with Styles at Super Show-Down, and Jeff capitalized. After a few minutes, Hardy focused almost solely on punishing Joe’s knee. After a certain point, Joe couldn’t stand, so the referee had to stop the match.
Video
Randy Orton has accomplished a lot in his WWE career, and he claims to be the biggest star ever.
Backstage
Paige addresses tonight’s Women’s Title match, saying there will be a rematch at Evolution. This time the match will be fought under Last Man Standing rules.
Ring Area
The Miz is in the ring for Miz TV. Miz promises to remain professional as he introduces his first guest, AJ Styles. After Styles enters the ring, The Miz asks Styles how his family is after everything Samoa Joe did. Styles gets pissed and doesn’t answer. Miz calms Styles down by saying, as a family man himself, he felt for Styles. He then introduces his second guest, Daniel Bryan.
Bryan enters the ring and shakes Styles’ hand. Miz says no one wants to see mutual respect between champ and challenger. Miz then asks Styles where BRyan ranks among his challengers. Styles says Joe has been his greatest challenge so far, mostly due to everything outside the ring. Against Bryan, the fight will stay in the ring, and that’s where Styles is the best.
Bryan is glad that Styles thinks he’s better than him. Bryan wants to beat a worthy opponent, and Styles has been a great champ. Styles has earned the right to think he’s better than everyone else. Bryan also says that he has a lot to prove since his return to the ring. Even so, Bryan knows he can beat Styles.
Styles tells Bryan that he hasn’t faced anyone phenomenal since his return to action. Bryan says that his title match at Crown Jewel is the reason he came back to the ring. Bryan’s dream since returning has been to claim the WWE Title, and the only thing standing in his way is AJ Styles. Styles says he’s not moving for Bryan or anyone else.
Miz is beginning to enjoy the tension in the ring, so Styles and Bryan begin making fun of him again. Miz says he’s beaten Bryan down week after week, and his loss at Super Show-Down was a fluke. Miz also says that Styles has been champ for nearly a year and has made the WWE Title more irrelevant than ever. Regardless of who wins at Crown Jewel, The Miz says he has the next title shot.
Match 3
AJ Styles (WWE Champ) vs Shelton Benjamin
(referee: Mike Chioda; guest commentary: The Miz, Daniel Bryan)
Result: AJ Styles wins via pinfall after the Phenomenal Forearm
Time: 8:16 (joined in progress)
Match Thoughts
Good match. The ending felt a bit sudden, but it was good. This was a nice exhibition for Styles. Benjamin got in some nice moves and showed impressive strength, and that made Styles look even better as he persevered.
Video
Big Show cannot be stopped.
Ring Area
In the ring, Aiden English presents the director’s cut of One Night in Milwaukee.
On the tron, the video from last week plays again. This time we see more. Lana says she wants Aiden to know the she and Rusev appreciate everything he has done for them. The video pauses as Aiden gets closer to Lana.
In the ring, English says he knows everyone wants to see the rest. But first, he has a proposition for Rusev. Rusev comes out to the stage. English tells Rusev that he will destroy the video if he gets rid of Lana and reunites Rusev Day. Before Rusev can respond, Lana comes out to the stage. Rusev responds by telling Aiden to play the rest of the video. Aiden refuses, but Lana says she’ll do it. How does she have a copy? Because Aiden got hacked.
Lana plays more of the video. This time we see that Lana refused Aiden’s advances and left his hotel room.
Lana and Rusev smile at English. English admits that he’s been lying, and he tells Lana that his offer still stands. Rusev chases English around the ring, so English runs away up the ramp.
Video
Next week, Rey Mysterio returns to SmackDown.
Backstage
Big Show heads toward the ring area.
Match 4
WWE World Cup Qualifying Match
Big Show vs Randy Orton
(referee: Charles Robinson)
Result: Randy Orton wins via pinfall after the RKO
Time: 5:53 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was fun for what it was. Orton kind of moved around Big Show and did what he could to take the big man down. The excitement here was really just seeing Big Show back in the ring.
Show Impressions
This was a pretty good show. I liked how the women’s title match felt important and helped build some intensity in the feud. I wasn’t as happy about Jeff Hardy beating Samoa Joe, but it made sense and hopefully Joe will move on to something good. The Miz TV segment was fine. I hope the Rusev/Aiden English drama is over and they just start fighting each other. And the main event was a nice big spectacle.
Match of the Night
AJ Styles vs Shelton Benjamin
I liked the Women’s Title match too, but the slow start and non-finish made me prefer the Styles/Benjamin match tonight.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2018-10-09