{"id":3153,"date":"2017-10-17T19:00:31","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T01:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?p=3153"},"modified":"2017-10-26T13:51:43","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T19:51:43","slug":"smackdown-live-recap-review-episode-948","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/smackdown-live-recap-review-episode-948\/","title":{"rendered":"SmackDown Live Recap & Review – Episode 948"},"content":{"rendered":"

WWE<\/a> SmackDown Live<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nEpisode 948<\/strong>
\n#SDLive<\/p>\n

Original Air Date: October 17, 2017<\/strong>
\nEvent Date: October 17, 2017<\/strong> (aired live)<\/p>\n

City: Seattle<\/span><\/a>, WA<\/span><\/a><\/strong>
\nVenue: KeyArena<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Commentary: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton<\/strong>
\nRing Announcer: Greg Hamilton<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Intro Video<\/em><\/span>
\n“Take a Chance” by CFO$<\/p>\n

Ring Area<\/em><\/span>
\nDaniel Bryan heads to the ring. After basking in the adulation of his (nearly) hometown crowd for a while, he announces some of the matches and segments for tonight’s show. After that, he begins to talk about what Sami Zayn did at Hell in a Cell. Sami doesn’t let Bryan get far before he interrupts and heads to the ring.<\/p>\n

Bryan wonders about Zayn, but Zayn says he’s still the same good guy he’s always been. He’s just taking control of is career now. Bryan begins to say that he understands where Zayn is coming from, but Zayn cuts him off. Zayn admits that there are similarities between their careers, but he claims that the crowd never supported him like they did Bryan. Zayn claims he doesn’t care anymore about being liked by the fans, and he feels great. He says that maybe if Bryan had worked smarter rather than harder, then he wouldn’t have had to retire from in-ring action.<\/p>\n

Zayn talks about he always followed Bryan’s example in his career, but now, Bryan is the last person Zayn would want to emulate. Bryan was the best of his generation, but now he’s just a housewife. Before Bryan can respond, Kevin Owens heads to the ring.<\/p>\n

Owens is very happy for Zayn. He says that Zayn was right about what he said about Bryan, and he adds that Bryan is a hypocrite. Bryan says that Owens only cares about himself while Bryan cares about what is best for the fans. Owens corrects Bryan, saying Bryan only does what’s best for business. Zayn agrees and calls Bryan a “sell-out.” He also thanks Owens for opening his eyes and saving him from becoming just like Daniel Bryan.<\/p>\n

Bryan walks away, but before he leaves, he says he’s going to find “a couple dudes” to punch Owens and Zayn in the face.<\/p>\n

** I really liked this segment. I’d noted a while back how it felt like they were initially trying to push Sami Zayn like Daniel Bryan, but it wasn’t working the same way because of the reactions from the crowd. Zayn’s underdog thing felt forced, and fans don’t generally react well to forced, pandering stories. Of course, they also never really followed through on Zayn and kept killing his momentum, but that’s something they also did to Bryan (like the dumb detour in the Wyatt story when he was at his hottest). The fans surged for Bryan while they didn’t for Zayn. I like how they incorporated all that into this segment.<\/span><\/p>\n

I do feel like they need to let Bryan have a match here and there at some point. A Wrestlemania match with Kevin Owens would be fantastic. Of course his health should come first, but the way they keep using his banishment from the ring as a part of story lines feels like they’re building to some sort of confrontation.<\/span><\/p>\n

I also liked Bryan’s line at the end of this segment. **<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Match 1<\/strong><\/span>
\nCharlotte Flair & Becky Lynch & Naomi vs Lana & Tamina & Natalya<\/strong> (SD Women’s Champ)
\n(referee: Dan Engler; guest commentary: Carmella w\/ James Ellsworth)<\/p>\n\n

\n