Thursday Night Smackdown! TV Report for December 10th, 2015

Match #1: Single – Roman Reigns (with Dean Ambrose and The Usos [Jimmy and Jey]) VS. United States Champion Alberto Del Rio (with League Of Nations partners Rusev, King Barrett, and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus)

The bell rings and the two square off amid “Roman” chants. Reigns knocks Alberto down with a shoulder-block, then is pushed into the corner after Del Rio grabs him around the waist. The U.S. Champion punches in the corner but Roman turns it around and does the same! He whips Alberto into the other corner, but is snapmared down and given a dropkick to the back.

Del Rio wears Roman down with a grounding chinlock, but Reigns hits a clothesline and suplex. Del Rio kicks out at two, then rolls to the apron. Roman meets him, but Alberto uses the ropes to give him a jawbreaker. He whips Reigns hard into the corner again and takes control. Roman kicks back and clotheslines Del Rio over the ropes, but is distracted by The League, allowing Alberto to whip him into the steel steps.

Commercials.

Del Rio is still dominating, even locking in an armbar-scissors with the ropes. Reigns powers out and slugs him off the turnbuckle to the floor. Alberto runs back in but is planted with a Samoan Drop! Both men punch at each other for a bit, then Reigns hits a flying-forearm! He clotheslines Del Rio ten times in the corner then gives him a big boot. The #1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship signals for the Superman Punch, but Alberto ducks it and dirves him with the backstabber!

Del Rio goes for the cross armbreaker, but Reigns reverses into a roll-up powerbomb for a near-fall! The WWE World Heavyweight Champion gets Reigns’ attention again, giving Del Rio the chance to hit a running enziguri; he covers, but only gets two! Reigns ducks a running kick and hits the Superman Punch, but The Nations pull Alberto to safety.

This breaks down after The Usos and Ambrose get in their face, and Roman beats on Sheamus against the announce table! The bell suddenly rings.

Winner: Neither Due To No Contest

Post-match, a melee happens until The League manages to escape after other referees enter.

Later tonight, a contract signing for the Intercontinental Championship Match between Kevin Owens (c) and Dean Ambrose will take place!

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Match #2: Single – Tyler Breeze (with Summer Rae) VS. Dolph Ziggler

An elbow/collar tie-up begins and Dolph gets Tyler in a hammerlock. He rolls around with Breeze still grappled, then goes into a front-facelock. The referee counts as Tyler gets to the ropes for a break.

“Prince Pretty” turns around into a side-headlock takedown, then hits a shoulder-block and dropkick as Ziggler ran off the ropes. He focuses on Dolph’s left knee, clamping on a half-crab. He dropkicks Dolph’s knee, then drops an elbow and ties it up again. He goes for a move against the ring post, but “The Show-Off” drags him face-first into the steel!

As Tyler gets back in the ring, Dolph hits a superkick and covers for the sudden victory!

Winner via Pinfall: Dolph Ziggler

Later tonight, Ryback will take on the Ascension, 2 – 1.

Commercials.

Match #3: Tag-Team – Tag Team Champions The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) (with Tag-Team Champion New Day member Big E.) VS. The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara and Kalisto)

Prior to the bout, The New Day comically complain about N..B.A. Champion Lebron James receiving a multi-million-dollar deal with Nike, while they feel they can sell shoes just as well. They also are not pleased about their upcoming Triple-Threat Ladder Match at T.L.C. against the Dragons and The Usos with their championships on the line.

Kofi and Kalisto start, flipping each other around. Kalisto tags in Sin, who gives his partner a monkey-flip where Kalisto lands on Kingston with a double-legdrop! Woods blind-tags himself in, and then he and Kofi catch Cara off the ropes when he sprung for a crossbody. They throw him out and pose for a break.

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The New Day are dominating with their double-mudhole-stomping in their corner on Cara. Both Kofi and Xavier trade tags while punishing Sin. The Dragons eventually counters with a roll-up powerbomb and gets the hot-tag to his partner.

Kalisto is all over Kofi, almost taking this after a hurricanrana! Cara comes in and throws Kingston to the outside, but Big E. catches his partner. Sin manages to follow with a dive through the ropes! Back in the ring, Woods and Kalisto trade O’Connor rolls, then Kalisto hits a high kick and his jumping reverse-DDT finisher for the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winners via Pinfall: The Lucha Dragons

Up next is the I.C. Championship Contract Signing!

Commercials.

Segment #1: Arena Promo

Dean Ambrose comes out but not Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens. Instead, Owens’ lawyer, Matthew Douglas, is representing him. He signs while “The Lunatic Fringe” bangs his head against the table. Ambrose is perplexed by the switch and goes on about what usually happens during a contract signing. He goes to sign, but notices the apron, where Kevin shows up! He engages Dean in a brawl, throwing him into the barricade. He goes for the steps, but Ambrose reverses. The I.C. Champ escapes through the other side of the ring, shoving his attorney in front of a clothesline by Ambrose, who also drives Douglas down with a Dirty Deeds DDT, then signs the contract!

Our main-event tonight is an Eight-Man Tag-Team featuring Reigns, Ambrose, and The Usos against the entire League Of Nations.

Ryback is shown walking backstage and he will go against both Ascension members, next!

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Match #4: Two-On-One – The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) VS. Ryback

(Note: Rusev and Lana are on commentary.) Ryback polishes off the tag-team quickly with a Meathook Clothesline and Shellshock Samoan Drop on Viktor!

Winner via Pinfall: Ryback

Post-match, Ryback and Rusev glare and mouth-off, then Rusev and Lana walk away.

Segment #2: Video Promo

Recap of Raw, featuring The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, Rhyno, and The Wyatt Family is shown. It is announced that they will all wrestle in an Eight-Man Tag-Team Elimination Tables Match at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs this Sunday

Up next, Becky Lynch will take on Paige!

Commercials.

Match #5: Single – Becky Lynch VS. Paige

They lockup and Paige takes Becky down with a side-headlock. Lynch scissors out of it, while Divas Champion Charlotte is shown watching backstage. Becky flips Paige over, then the former “Diva Of Tomorrow” wants a timeout on the outside. She re-enters and kicks Lynch hard, then knees her against the middle rope. She gives another knee in the turnbuckle, then one more on the mat. Paige ears at Lynch with a chin-arm stretch, but Becky flips her again. She hits a couple of uppercuts and clotheslines, then a dropkick and t-bone suplex!

Lynch gears up but misses a splash in the corner, and both women clothesline each other. Charlotte’s music abruptly plays and the Divas Champion walks down, appearing to turn Paige’s attention. It works, as Becky catches Paige in the Disarmer Armbar, making Paige give-up!

Winner via Submission: Becky Lynch

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Segment #3: Video Promo

The rivalry between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and Roman Reigns is featured.

Roman Reigns enters through the fans for the Eight-Man, next!

Commercials.

Match #6: Eight-Man Tag-Team – Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey) VS. The League Of Nations (United States Champion Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, King Barrett, and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus)

Alberto is first again, with Jimmy Uso. He knocks the twin down with a shoulder-block, but Uso comes back with a couple of chops and then tags in his brother. Rusev is also in, hitting a spinning-wheel-kick on Jey. He rips at Uso’s head against the middle rope, and The League takes control after throwing Jey into the barricade.

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The Nations are still governing, with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion now in and all over Jey. He hits 10 Beats Of The Bowron, which brings in Reigns to break it up. The referee gets in Roman’s face for the illegal move, giving Sheamus a chance for a break. This also gave Jey an opportunity to make the hot-tag to Dean, who is now hitting Sheamus left, right, and center!

Dean runs at Sheamus in the corner then brings him out face-first with a bulldog! He hits rapid chops, but then is tripped up by Barrett from the apron. Rusev is tagged, and he punishes Ambrose with stomps, chokes, and punches. The League take turns until Del Rio misses an enziguri, which Dean capitalizes with a Tornado DDT out of the corner! He slaps hands with Roman for the much-needed switch!

Reigns cleans on Rusev and Sheamus, hitting a fast and impressive Samoan Drop on Rusev! He clotheslines him ten-consecutive times in the corner, and puts him to the canvas with a leaping-clothesline! Roman hits the Superman Punch, but Sheamus and Alberto stop the subsequent cover.

The Usos enter and take Del Rio and Sheamus to the outside, where they rocket over the ropes with a splash! In the ring, Reigns hits a Spear on Rusev and covers for the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and The Usos

Post-match, the two teams stare-down one another to close the show!

End Of Smackdown!

Reporter’s Rumblings

I liked Smackdown! better than Raw, but still found it “off the mark”/confusing, particularly when wrestlers are wrestling twice. There’s much more room on the show for everyone to have one match, so why not!? Onto the particulars and then my predictions for T.L.C.

Excellence: matches between Reigns/Del Rio, Ziggler/Breeze, Luchas/New Day, and Paige/Becky (although shorter than I hoped!)

Loved the swerve Owens pulled for the contract signing; it so fits in with his character!

Bogus: not a fan of wrestlers wrestling multiple times, unless it is a tournament; I didn’t see the sense for The League and Roman/Company to go at it twice on both Raw and Smackdown! It seems like they were just filling time. Also, Raw’s beginning was great, but they should’ve had that 16-Man as the main-event, and then the brawl between Sheamus/Reigns to close tonight; would’ve hyped up T.L.C. much more.

As well, The Wyatt Family and The Dudleyz should’ve been featured in a match of some-sort to push their bout at T.L.C.; I wasn’t satisfied by the Raw recap that my Dad and I fast-forward through when we watch!

Not sure what to make of the sudden switch by Alberto on Zeb Colter. While I’m liking his feud with Swagger, I thought they made a good combo, but can also see it as Del Rio fantastic on his own too. It seemed too quick for him to split, as he had just returned and paired up.

I wish they had save Dolph/Tyler for T.L.C., with a 2-out-of-3 Falls stipulations; great match tonight, but since they were one-apiece, it should’ve ended at the bigger event.

T.L.C. – I’m liking this line-up, so hopefully it plays out well! Sheamus to retain (would be really stupid, as it is already, for Reigns to win on a non-big show after winning at Survivor Series then losing shortly after); Dean to win I.C. Title to continue feud (or Owens to cheat/dq; either way, not a one-off bout); Luchas are going to be new Tag-Team Champions – their momentum would be halted if not; Charlotte to deliberately cheat-to-win (R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero), and further this new side of hers; Wyatt Family wins over E.C.W. vets; Rusev should win to show his dominance with return

Until Raw, have a wonderful weekend and Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Fans!