WWE SmackDown
Episode 1051
#SmackDown
Original Air Date: October 11, 2019
Event Date: October 11, 2019
(aired live on Fox)
City: Las Vegas, NV
Venue: T-Mobile Arena
Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton
Intro Video
“Are You Ready” by AC/DC
Match 1
Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins (Universal Champ)
(referee: Ryan Tran; stipulation: the winner’s brand gets the first pick in the WWE Draft)
Result: Seth Rollins wins via DQ when The Fiend attacks him
Time: 9:41 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. I quite enjoyed this. This was a very solid match from two guys who know each other well. There was a good back and forth, and both men got extended sequences of strong offense throughout the match. Neither man ever got a real strong advantage, though it did feel like Rollins was getting more offense as the match went on. Still, both men looked very good. It’s kind of a shame it had to end with a non-finish.
Ring Area
The match between Rollins and Reigns ends when The Fiend’s music plays and the lights go out. The Fiend’s spotlights come on, and we can see The Fiend emerge from a hole in the ring. He grabs Rollins and puts the champ in the Mandible Claw. The Fiend drags Rollins under the ring through the hole as Michael Cole says Rollins is being dragged to Hell.
The lights come back on, and smoke comes out of the ring hole. Rollins pops up out of the hole and rolls around on the mat. He’s not feeling very well. We can see The Fiend’s head as he looks at Rollins from the ring hole, but back down without attacking again. The lights go out for a second time. After a few seconds, some spotlights show that The Fiend is now at the entrance on the stage. The Fiend stares back down at the ring as the show goes to a commercial break.
Backstage
We see a shot of the Fox WWE Draft War Room. There are a bunch f people with laptops and phones. There’s also a CG football robot overseeing the proceedings. Someone is talking to the football robot.
Backstage
The USA WWE Draft War Room is dark and cramped. Also, they have no CG football robot.
Ring Area
Cole and Graves explain the rules of this year’s draft. There 70 superstars who will be placed into a draft pool. Tonight, 30 superstars will be drafted, and on RAW next week, the remaining 40 will be drafted. For every 2 picks that SmackDown gets, RAW gets 3. Tag teams count as 1 pick unless a brand specifically wants just one person (but what would the point of that be, and wouldn’t that screw up the number of drafts in the pool?). Any undrafted superstar will be declared a free agent and will be able to sign with the brand of their choosing.
Ring Area
Stephanie McMahon comes out to the stage to announce the first round of picks in the 2019 WWE Draft. RAW gets Becky Lynch, The OC, and Drew McIntyre. SmackDown gets Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.
WWE Draft Panel
The Kickoff show desk is set up behind the crowd, and Renee Young introduces us to the WWE Draft panel. With Renee are Samoa Joe, Booker T, and Beth Phoenix. Everyone is very excited.
Backstage
For some reason, football guy Troy Aikman sports ball guy Joe Buck give their thoughts on sports entertainment. We learn that Troy Aikman likes the piledriver. They seem very excited to be here.
Match 2
King Corbin vs Shorty Gable (yes, that’s how they announced him)
(referee: Dan Engler)
Result: King Corbin wins via pinfall after End of Days
Time: 6:20 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This match was okay. They really, really didn’t need to have this match again. How many times is that now? The only reason for this was to get Corbin a win back… even though he soured Gable’s previous win by attacking him backstage. As much as they’re pushing Gable, they won’t let him get too far because Corbin always, always, always has to come out on top. It was the same in Corbin’s feud with Balor, and Angle, and more, and it’s stupid.
Fox Studio
From Fos’x NFL table, football guys Curt Menefee, Tony Gonzalez, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, and Michael Strahan talk about who they’d pick in their WWE draft. I don’t think any of them currently watch wrestling.
Ring Area
Stephanie McMahon is back at the podium to announce round two of the draft. RAW gets Randy Orton, Ricochet, and Bobby Lashley. SmackDown gets Sasha Banks and Braun Strowman.
WWE Draft Panel
Beth Phoenix wonders if Lana will go to RAW with Bobby Lashley. Samoa Joe like that RAW got Ricochet and Drew McIntyre. Booker T thinks SmackDown is spending a lot of money to get some of the top superstars.
Video
A look at the “feud” emerging between Braun Strowman and Tyson Fury.
Backstage
Braun Strowman smiles as he talks on the phone.
Backstage
Tyson Fury makes a guy laugh by fake punching in front of him.
Ring Area
The new WWE Champ, Brock Lesnar, heads to the ring with Paul Heyman. Heyman explains that they are here tonight to enlighten and educate everyone watching. You see, when a normal human being experiences fear, they cower and hide. What does Brock Lesnar fear? One thing: to relive October 23, 2010 when Cain Velasquez beat him and took his UFC title. On October 31, 2019, Brock Lesnar will conquer his fear by conquering Cain Velasquez at WWE Crown Jewel.
Before Heyman can say that his prediction is a spoiler, Rey Mysterio comes out to the stage with Cain Velasquez. Velasquez tells Lesnar that he’ll beat him again. He also says (in Spanish) that he’ll give Lesnar another scar on his face.
Backstage
Before New Day comes out, Big E gets everyone hyped.
Fox Studio
For a tiny, fake football field on the set of Fox NFL Kickoff (or something), Brady Quinn, Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, and Urban Meyer give their opinions on sports drafts.
Video
Breast cancer survivor Sarah Veilleux and her sister Samantha talk about their experiences meeting WWE superstars. Specifically, they talk about becoming friends with Xavier Woods.
Ring Area
From the stage, New Day is proud to support Susan G. Komen. They bring out Sarah and Samantha Veilleux and present them with pink WWE title belts.
Match 3
New Day vs AJ Styles (US Champ) & Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Kofi Kingston pins AJ Styles after Trouble in Paradise
Time: 2:53 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
I was looking forward to this match, but it felt like it was a victim of the show running short on time. There’s been so much talking in-between the matches, something had to get the microwave treatment. This was that match, though it was fun for the little we got to see of it.
Ring Area
Stephanie McMahon again returns to the podium to announce another round of draft picks. In round three, RAW gets Alexa Bliss, Kevin Owens, and Natalya, while SmackDown gets Lacey Evans and The Revival.
Backstage
Charlotte Flair prepares to defend her newly won SmackDown Women’s Title.
Ring Area
Stephanie announces the fourth and final round of tonight’s portion of the WWE Draft. RAW gets the Viking Raiders, Nikki Cross, and the Street Profits. SmackDown gets Lucha House Party and Heavy Machinery.
WWE Draft Panel
The panel sort of disagrees on which brand did better tonight. Booker T thinks Ricochet was one of the top picks tonight.
Fox Studio
Jay Glazer stands on the tiny, fake football field. He says there are some people on the injured list such as Samoa Joe and Elias whose status might affect their picks. He also notes that the brands can make trades. He then gets a call and thinks it’s a scoop… but it’s his mom.
Match 4
SmackDown Women’s Title Match
Charlotte Flair (SD Women’s Champ) vs Bayley
(referee: Jason Ayers)
Result: Bayley wins via pinfall with an inside cradle
Time: 8:36 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. Bayley came out with a new look (well, a new haircut and gear without any bright colors), and she destroys her Bayley buddies on the stage before the match. In the ring Bayley is aggressive, but Charlotte still has an answer for a lot of Bayley’s attempted offense. Or at least, Charlotte isn’t put away easily by Bayley’s (kind of) new aggression. I liked the match, though I think the finish does kind of undercut a “new” Bayley. The match made its point, but the way the match ended doesn’t necessarily make Bayley look tough or mean.
Show Impressions
I liked this show fine. The in-ring action was mostly good, though all the talking and cutting away to various locations did distract from the overall show. I like the gimmick of the draft, but I’ll be glad when it’s over and we can just go back to having a normal show.
As for the draft, tonight I think RAW definitely came out on top. They have a huge advantage by getting more overall picks of course, but the quality of RAW’s picks was just better. Picking the OC second on RAW (and third overall) was the winner of the night for sure. Three picks in one, and all of them former champs? Yeah, that wins the night.
Match of the Night
Charlotte Flair vs Bayley
I wanted the best match of the night to be The OC versus New Day, but the match was too short. The best match could have been Rollins versus Reigns, but the finish hurt the overall match (as far as being a satisfying wrestling match). So in a way, the SmackDown Women’s Title match wins by default, but that’s not to say it wasn’t good. I liked the match, and I’m fine with Bayley’s newish attitude.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-oct-11-2019