{"id":3793,"date":"2018-05-22T19:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T01:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?p=3793"},"modified":"2018-05-28T19:44:18","modified_gmt":"2018-05-29T01:44:18","slug":"smackdown-live-recap-review-episode-979","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/smackdown-live-recap-review-episode-979\/","title":{"rendered":"SmackDown Live Recap &#038; Review &#8211; Episode 979"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>WWE SmackDown Live<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Episode 979<\/strong><br \/>\n#SDLive<\/p>\n<p><strong>Original Air Date: May 22, 2018<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Event Date: May 22, 2018<\/strong> (aired live)<\/p>\n<p><strong>City: <a href=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?tag=worcester-ma\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Worcester<\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?tag=massachusetts\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">MA<\/span><\/a><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Venue: <a href=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?tag=dcu-center\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">DCU Center<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Commentary: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ring Area<\/span><\/em><br \/>\nAlready in the ring, The Miz introduces Miz TV. Miz has some exclusives tonight, including the news that his new show Miz and Mrs. will debut on July 24th. He then introduces his guests, New Day. New Day heads to the ring.<\/p>\n<p>Miz wants wants to know which member of New Day will enter the Money in the Bank ladder match. In unison, each member of New Day says it will be &#8220;me.&#8221; Miz doesn&#8217;t like that answer, and he says each member of New Day is being held back by the group. He reminds Kofi that he&#8217;s been in many MitB matches, but he hasn&#8217;t won any of them. He tells Big E that he won&#8217;t be taken seriously because he doesn&#8217;t take himself seriously. He then says that Woods has built an empire with Up Up Down Down, and winning the WWE Title could make him a superhero.<\/p>\n<p>Miz again asks who will enter the MitB mach. Woods says it should be Big E. Big E says it should be Kofi. Kofi says it should be Woods. Miz gets angry. New Day huddles up and comes to a decision. Kofi says it will be Big E. They&#8217;re not talking about Money in the Bank though. They&#8217;re talking about tonight. Miz says since he didn&#8217;t get the scoop on New Day&#8217;s decision, he won&#8217;t fight Big E tonight. New Day proceeds to shame Miz by throwing pancakes at him. Miz runs from the ring.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nPaige is waiting for Miz backstage. She tells Miz to turn around and head back to the ring.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match 1<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>The Miz vs Big E<\/strong> w\/ Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston<br \/>\n(referee: Jason Ayers; guest commentary: Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston)<\/p>\n<!-- Content Reveal v2.3.1 -->\n<div class=\"scrhead\" onmouseover=\"document.body.style.cursor='pointer'\" onmouseout=\"document.body.style.cursor='default'\" onclick=\"acr_swap_display('ran_69e75236bf5a3','0','','')\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-content-reveal\/images\/image1.gif\" class=\"scrimg\" id=\"scrimg_ran_69e75236bf5a3\" alt=\"Reveal content\" title=\"Reveal content\"\/>');<\/script> Show\/Hide Results\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<div style=\"display: none\" class=\"scrdiv\" id=\"scrdiv_ran_69e75236bf5a3\">');<\/script>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result: The Miz wins via pinfall after a Skull Crushing Finale<\/strong> (and a distraction from Cesaro and Sheamus)<br \/>\n<strong>Time: 10:54<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<\/div>');<\/script>\n<!-- End of Content Reveal -->\n\n<p><strong>Match Thoughts<\/strong><br \/>\nGood match. Big E used his power to stay ahead of The Miz for most of this match. Miz built up some offense towards the middle of the match, but it took some ringside shenanigans for him to actually find an effective opening.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nBig Cass yells at people in the back while he walks with crutches due to what Daniel Bryan did to him last week.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nDasha Fuentes asks Daniel Bryan about his &#8220;second chance&#8221; match tonight. After returning to action, Bryan has learned to treat every match as if it&#8217;s his biggest opportunity. He says Jeff Hardy is a legend, but tonight Bryan will make a legend tap out.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match 2<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?tag=money-in-the-bank-qualifying-match\"><strong>Money in the Bank Qualifying Match<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Lana<\/strong> w\/ Aiden English <strong>vs Billie Kay<\/strong> w\/ Peyton Royce<br \/>\n(referee: Mike Chioda)<\/p>\n<!-- Content Reveal v2.3.1 -->\n<div class=\"scrhead\" onmouseover=\"document.body.style.cursor='pointer'\" onmouseout=\"document.body.style.cursor='default'\" onclick=\"acr_swap_display('ran_69e75236bf6b6','0','','')\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-content-reveal\/images\/image1.gif\" class=\"scrimg\" id=\"scrimg_ran_69e75236bf6b6\" alt=\"Reveal content\" title=\"Reveal content\"\/>');<\/script> Show\/Hide Results\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<div style=\"display: none\" class=\"scrdiv\" id=\"scrdiv_ran_69e75236bf6b6\">');<\/script>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result: Lana wins via pinfall after a sitout facebuster<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Time: 1:09<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<\/div>');<\/script>\n<!-- End of Content Reveal -->\n\n<p><strong>Match Thoughts<\/strong><br \/>\nThis was a two-move match and was more about the shenanigans at ringside than the action in the ring. I really wish this match had gone the other way, but it could still lead to interesting things.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nZelina Vega talks about Andrade Almas being treated as a VIP for years, but he&#8217;s been given nothing on SmackDown. If Almas doesn&#8217;t get what he deserves, then Vega and Almas are just going to take it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match 3<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Andrade &#8220;Cien&#8221; Almas<\/strong> w\/ Zelina Vega<strong> vs Kevin Bennett<\/strong><br \/>\n(referee: Ryan Tran)<\/p>\n<!-- Content Reveal v2.3.1 -->\n<div class=\"scrhead\" onmouseover=\"document.body.style.cursor='pointer'\" onmouseout=\"document.body.style.cursor='default'\" onclick=\"acr_swap_display('ran_69e75236bf6f1','0','','')\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-content-reveal\/images\/image1.gif\" class=\"scrimg\" id=\"scrimg_ran_69e75236bf6f1\" alt=\"Reveal content\" title=\"Reveal content\"\/>');<\/script> Show\/Hide Results\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<div style=\"display: none\" class=\"scrdiv\" id=\"scrdiv_ran_69e75236bf6f1\">');<\/script>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result: Andrade Almas wins via pinfall after a hammerlock DDT<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Time: 1:54<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<\/div>');<\/script>\n<!-- End of Content Reveal -->\n\n<p><strong>Match Thoughts<\/strong><br \/>\nAnother squash. Almas looked as good as could be expected though.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nDasha Fuentes welcomes Carmella and asks her about Asuka. Carmella says she isn&#8217;t afraid of Asuka, Asuka should be afraid of her.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Ring Area<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nIn the ring, Renee Young introduces AJ Styles. Styles heads to the ring, then Shinsuke Nakamura does the same. Young begins to speak when Styles interrupts her. Styles just wants to know what stipulation Nakamura is going to pick for their title match. Before he answers, Nakamura wants to remind everyone of how he earned the right to choose the stipulation.<\/p>\n<p>After showing footage of Nakamura defeating Styles, Nakamura says Styles will never recover from their upcoming match. With that, Nakamura says his choice for the title match is a pillow fight. Styles jokes about Nakamura being &#8220;the king of soft style.&#8221; Nakamura says he jokes because he has the upper hand, but Styles jokes because he&#8217;s afraid. Styles says that regardless of the match stipulation, Nakamura can&#8217;t defeat Styles when it matters.<\/p>\n<p>Nakamura starts to attack Styles, but Styles gets the first strike. The two men brawl out to the floor and into the crowd. Styles goes for a Phenomenal Forearm from the ringside barricade, but Nakamura counters with a chair shot. He follows up with a Kinshasa. With Styles down on the floor, Nakamura counts to ten. On the mic, Nakamura says &#8220;last man standing match.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Ring Area<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nIn the ring, Anderson and Gallows tell The Usos that they blew it when they had a shot at the Bludgeon Brothers, so the Good Brothers are going to rise to the top of the SmackDown tag division. The Usos say that this isn&#8217;t Japan or RAW, it&#8217;s The Uso Penitentiary. Anderson and Gallows don&#8217;t see any wardens, but they do see a couple of nerds. A brawl breaks out.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match 4<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?tag=wwe-smackdown-tag-team-title-number-one-contender-match\"><strong>SmackDown Tag Title Number One Contender Match<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Karl Anderson &amp; Luke Gallows vs The Usos<\/strong><br \/>\n(referee: Danilo Anfibio)<\/p>\n<!-- Content Reveal v2.3.1 -->\n<div class=\"scrhead\" onmouseover=\"document.body.style.cursor='pointer'\" onmouseout=\"document.body.style.cursor='default'\" onclick=\"acr_swap_display('ran_69e75236bf726','0','','')\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-content-reveal\/images\/image1.gif\" class=\"scrimg\" id=\"scrimg_ran_69e75236bf726\" alt=\"Reveal content\" title=\"Reveal content\"\/>');<\/script> Show\/Hide Results\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<div style=\"display: none\" class=\"scrdiv\" id=\"scrdiv_ran_69e75236bf726\">');<\/script>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result: Karl Anderson pins Jimmy Uso after a Magic Killer<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Time: 5:19<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<\/div>');<\/script>\n<!-- End of Content Reveal -->\n\n<p><strong>Match Thoughts<\/strong><br \/>\nGood match. I really liked the final few segments. After a kickout late in the match the ending felt inevitable, but I quite enjoyed how they got there.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match 5<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/?tag=money-in-the-bank-qualifying-match\"><strong>Money in the Bank Qualifying Match<\/strong><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Naomi vs Sonya Deville<\/strong> w\/ Mandy Rose<br \/>\n(referee: Jason Ayers; watching in the back: Becky Lynch, Charlotte)<\/p>\n<!-- Content Reveal v2.3.1 -->\n<div class=\"scrhead\" onmouseover=\"document.body.style.cursor='pointer'\" onmouseout=\"document.body.style.cursor='default'\" onclick=\"acr_swap_display('ran_69e75236bf758','0','','')\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-content-reveal\/images\/image1.gif\" class=\"scrimg\" id=\"scrimg_ran_69e75236bf758\" alt=\"Reveal content\" title=\"Reveal content\"\/>');<\/script> Show\/Hide Results\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<div style=\"display: none\" class=\"scrdiv\" id=\"scrdiv_ran_69e75236bf758\">');<\/script>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result: Naomi wins via pinfall with an O&#8217;Connor roll<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Time: 4:21<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<\/div>');<\/script>\n<!-- End of Content Reveal -->\n\n<p><strong>Match Thoughts<\/strong><br \/>\nGood match. This one was quite physical, and I really liked how the finish leaves it open for more competitive matches between these two.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nRenee Young asks Jeff Hardy how he feels about his opportunity tonight. Hardy is excited, but he has to take this opportunity one step at a time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match 6<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Jeff Hardy<\/strong> (US Champ)<strong> vs Daniel Bryan<\/strong><br \/>\n(referee: Mike Chioda; guest commentary: Samoa Joe; stipulation: The winner will face Samoa Joe in a MitB qualifying match.)<\/p>\n<!-- Content Reveal v2.3.1 -->\n<div class=\"scrhead\" onmouseover=\"document.body.style.cursor='pointer'\" onmouseout=\"document.body.style.cursor='default'\" onclick=\"acr_swap_display('ran_69e75236bf788','0','','')\">\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/simple-content-reveal\/images\/image1.gif\" class=\"scrimg\" id=\"scrimg_ran_69e75236bf788\" alt=\"Reveal content\" title=\"Reveal content\"\/>');<\/script> Show\/Hide Results\n<\/div>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<div style=\"display: none\" class=\"scrdiv\" id=\"scrdiv_ran_69e75236bf788\">');<\/script>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Result: Daniel Bryan wins via submission with a heel hook<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>Time: 8:03<\/strong> (1 break)<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">document.writeln('<\/div>');<\/script>\n<!-- End of Content Reveal -->\n\n<p><strong>Match Thoughts<\/strong><br \/>\nGood match. Daniel Bryan brought a ton of energy to this match. He was relentless, attacking Jeff practically non-stop. Daniel Bryan seems like he can&#8217;t be stopped right now.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Backstage<\/em><\/span><br \/>\nSamoa Joe tells Renee Young that he&#8217;s going to put Daniel Bryan to sleep next week.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Show Impressions<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\nI liked this show, despite some results I&#8217;d have liked to go the other way, I didn&#8217;t have any issues with this episode. In fact, I found it quite entertaining. I also like how things are shaping up going forward.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Match of the Night<\/strong><\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Jeff Hardy vs Daniel Bryan<\/strong><br \/>\nThis was almost a showcase for Daniel Bryan which seems odd considering that Jeff is the US Champ, but regardless, I liked this match the most. I liked the tag match almost as much as this one.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Official Results:?<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/shows\/smackdown\/2018-05-22\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\">https:\/\/www.wwe.com\/shows\/smackdown\/2018-05-22<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jeff Hardy faces Daniel Bryan, two more women qualify for Money in the Bank, new contenders for the tag titles are named, and New Day refuses to answer Miz&#8217;s questions on a good episode of SmackDown Live.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[297,10,622],"tags":[476,234,850,633,832,494,749,438,537,495,527,535,272,546,668,2038,536,1930,516,111,446,445,610,2039,151,452,824,979,1600,515,559,843,460,517,358,682,451,693,170,183,614,563,898,1263,1825,564,444,570,2037,7,1206,482,1675],"class_list":["post-3793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-show-results","category-smackdown","category-wwe","tag-aiden-english","tag-aj-styles","tag-andrade-cien-almas","tag-becky-lynch","tag-big-cass","tag-big-e","tag-billie-kay","tag-byron-saxton","tag-carmella","tag-cesaro","tag-charlotte","tag-corey-graves","tag-daniel-bryan","tag-danilo-anfibio","tag-dasha-fuentes","tag-dcu-center","tag-greg-hamilton","tag-iiconics","tag-jason-ayers","tag-jeff-hardy","tag-jey-uso","tag-jimmy-uso","tag-karl-anderson","tag-kevin-bennett","tag-kofi-kingston","tag-lana","tag-luke-gallows","tag-mandy-rose","tag-massachusetts","tag-mike-chioda","tag-miz-tv","tag-money-in-the-bank-qualifying-match","tag-naomi","tag-new-day","tag-paige","tag-peyton-royce","tag-renee-young","tag-ryan-tran","tag-samoa-joe","tag-sheamus","tag-shinsuke-nakamura","tag-smackdown","tag-smackdown-live","tag-sonya-deville","tag-the-bar","tag-the-miz","tag-the-usos","tag-tom-phillips","tag-worcester-ma","tag-wwe","tag-wwe-smackdown-tag-team-title-number-one-contender-match","tag-xavier-woods","tag-zelina-vega"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3793"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3795,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3793\/revisions\/3795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cnjradio.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}