Tuesday Night Smackdown Live TV Report for August 9th, 2016 – “Livening Things Up!”

Introduction Segment: Backstage Promo

Randy Orton is walking through the halls when he is asked on his thoughts about wrestling Alberto Del Rio tonight, while still having to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Orton stays confident, reiterating that “it only takes one R.K.O. to ‘Viperville.’” Del Rio walks up and makes fun of “Viperville,” and predicts that he will injure Randy before the night is out.

Segment #2: Welcoming and Arena Promo

The regular Smackdown! Live video plays, the pyro explodes in the arena, and Mauro Ranallo acknowledges us from California. Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan stroll to the ring. Bray takes the microphone and says that Dolph was desperate to prove himself. Wyatt is not pleased that Ziggler became the #1 Contender to the WWE Championship over him, and declares that he alone is Smackdown!

WWE Champion Dean Ambrose interrupts. He stands in the aisle and is surprised that Bray is claiming to be “the victim.” Wyatt challenges him to get in the ring, but Ambrose sees the two-on-one situation; Dolph Ziggler now joins, to the dismay appearing on Dean’s face. He looks at Ambrose and then runs into the ring to attack! It turns into two-versus-one, but the WWE Champion helps out, until he is laid out with a superkick by Dolph, who seemed to be going for Bray!

Commercials.

Segment #3: Backstage Promo

Dean and Dolph are arguing when Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan meet them and book them into a Tag Match against Rowan and Wyatt.

Match #1: Tag-Team – Mikey O’Shea and Mike Vega VS. American Alpha (Jason Gordon and Chad Gable)

Before this gets started, The Ascension, The Vaudevillians, and The Hype Bros, surround the ring to watch. Alpha get the quick victory with their double-team backdrop finisher!

Winners via Pinfall: American Alpha

Post-match, the rest of the Tag-Teams brawl with each other, and American Alpha end up on top!

Up next, Eva Marie is going to re-debut!

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Segment #4: Backstage and Video Promo

Renee Young is on the Smackdown! Live set with Intercontinental Champion The Miz and his wife, Maryse. She wants to ask them a question, but Miz is only focused on Maryse. They crawl on the table, and Rene quickly presents a video on Apollo Crews that highlights his career so far. Crews is set to face Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam, which Rene wants to know about from Miz. He and Maryse ignore her though, and proceed to make-out. Young quickly sends us back to the arena.

Match #2: Becky Lynch VS. Eva Marie

Unfortunately, this one doesn’t get going as Eva’s top comes undone, so the referee calls it because of a “wardrobe malfunction.”

Winner: None due to No Official Start

Commercials.

Match #3: Single – Becky Lynch VS. Alexa Bliss

Alexa is stomping on Becky’s back multiple times and gets a two. She ties Lynch in the top rope and then slams her head to the canvas. Becky begins a comeback with a couple of clotheslines and a jumping calf-kick. She runs at Bliss in the corner with a forearm, but her attention is turned to Eva’s music. She walks back out and is “ready to compete,” but Alexa takes advantage and finishes this with her Twisted Bliss top-turnbuckle splash!

Winner via Pinfall: Alexa Bliss

Post-match, Marie is interviewed in the aisle. She says she wanted to wrestle and rushed to get ready, but unfortunately Alexa took her spot. Eva claims she will be good to go next week.

Ads.

Match #4: Single – Randy Orton VS. Alberto Del Rio

They lockup to begin and Orton shoves Del Rio down. Alberto becomes aggressive with a couple of punches and kicks, but Orton fires back with uppercuts in the corner. he whips Del Rio into the opposite one and punches away, landing five before Alberto ducks out. “The Viper” hits “The Mexican Aristocrat” with a clothesline, and then stomps on his upper chest. He slingshots Alberto neck-first into the bottom rope, but Del Rio tries to gain momentum. He runs at Orton, but “The Viper” moves and Alberto slides through the ropes to the floor.

Commercials.

Orton is still in control until Del Rio ducks a clothesline and gives Randy a backstabber. He then runs Orton into the ring post and rams his arm off the two sets of steel steps. Alberto puts Randy back in the ring and then dives off the top turnbuckle with a forearm! He locks in an armbar, but Randy gets out of it and hits a high-dropkick!

Orton places Del Rio on the top turnbuckle but Alberto catches him quickly in the Cross Arm-breaker against the ropes! Del Rio breaks the hold, but is soon crotched on the turnbuckle; Randy superplexes him from there! Orton fires up, hitting clotheslines and a powerslam! “The Viper” sets up Alberto for the Draping DDT (thanks Mauro!) but Del Rio jawbreaks out of it. He locks up for the Cross Arm-breaker, but Orton turns that into the Draping DDT and plants him! Randy taunts for the R.K.O., but Del Rio slides out of the ring. Orton follows and tears off the announce table cover. He goes to Alberto in the corner, but is hit with a chair, where referee Mike Chioda DQ’s Del Rio!

Winner via Disqualification: Randy Orton

Post-match, Alberto focuses on the arm with the chair, but when they get back in the ring, Orton drives him to the mat with an R.K.O. as he swung the chair!

Segment #5: Backstage Promo

Rhyno is warming up when Heath Slater walks up. He wants Rhyno to lay down for him, so he can receive a contract for Smackdown! Live. Heath pleads his case, which includes miscounting how many kids he has and his above-ground pool. Rhyno also has people to impress, since he has (for real) become a politician in Michigan, so he feels he cannot lie down.

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Segment #6: Video Promo

Intercontinental Champion Miz is displeased with Scooby-Doo for not putting him on the cover of the movie. Scooby pushes Miz into the van and steals Miz’s car.

Match #5: Single – Heath Slater VS. Rhyno

(Stipulation: If Heath wins, he gets a Smackdown! Live contract [thanks for the reminder, Mauro!])

Heath makes a valiant effort, dominating most of this over “The Man-Beast.” He almost gets this with a cover and feet-on-the-ropes, but the referee notices. Slater argues, and turns around into a Gore! Rhyno covers for the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winner via Pinfall: Rhyno

Segment #7: Video Promo

Bray Wyatt prepares Erick Rowan to go against Dolph and Dean.

Commercials.

Segment #8: Backstage Promo

Commissioner Shane and GM Daniel are discussing hiring Heath after all, and he walks in. Unfortunately, he in a huff and rants about how they don’t want him, so they shouldn’t get him. He leaves, and McMahon and Bryan close the book on his contract.

Match #6: Single – Carmella VS. Natalya

Natalya attacks Carmella before the bell, but this does turn into an actual bout. Natalya governs most of it and cockily taunts Carmella a few times; she goes for the Sharpshooter, but Carmella kicks here away. She trips up Natalya and locks in her hold, the Code of Silence (reverse-leg/neckscissors), forcing Nattie to tap-out!

Winner via Submission: Carmella

Ads.

Segment #9: Video Promo

A highlight package of A.J. Styles’ and John Cena’s feud airs; they will wrestle again at SummerSlam!

Commercials.

Segment #10: Backstage Promo

Baron Corbin is beating down Kalisto; he picks him up and yells “this is for costing me the Intercontinental Championship.” Agents break them up and attend to Kalisto.

Dolph Ziggler and WWE Champion Dean Ambrose make their entrances!

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Match #7: Tag-Team – Dolph Ziggler and WWE Champion Dean Ambrose VS. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan)

The Wyatt Family begin right away with over the Champ and the #1 Contender!

Commercials.

Rowan and Bray are still in control for a while. Ambrose reverses Sister Abigail into a Dirty-Deeds try, but Wyatt pushes him into the ropes; Dean hits back with a clothesline and makes the hot-tag to Dolph, as Bray switches with Erick!

Ziggler is all over Rowan and almost takes this after his Leaping-DDT! He goes for a superkick, but Erick turns him around into a karate-kick! He picks up Dolph, but “The Show-Off” slides out and drives him down with the Zig-Zag! 1 – 2 – Bray stops the count!

Ambrose and Bray go at it, with Dean diving-through-the-ropes! In the ring, Ziggler superkicks Rowan and covers for the victory!

Winners via Pinfall: Dolph Ziggler and WWE Champion Dean Ambrose

Post-match, Dean kicks Dolph as he was celebrating and plants him with his Dirty-Deeds DDT! The Champ walks away and glares back as referee Chioda checks on Ziggler to close the show.

Reporter’s Rumblings

This was another great Smackdown! Loved a good-chunk of the matches and storylines. Onto the analysis:

Excellence: promos by Bray Wyatt/Dean Ambrose, The Miz/Maryse, Alexa Bliss, Eva Marie, Heath Slater (both times), Rhyno, and Bray (prepping Erick.) Matches between Becky/Alexa, Alberto/Orton, Heath/Rhyno, Carmella/Natalya, and the Tag Main-Event.

All the matches for SummerSlam are being built very-well! The tension between Ziggler and Ambrose tonight was great; The Miz’s character is perfect; and Orton is just being Orton!

After watching Aftermath – a Canadian recap show of WWE – I must agree with them about Eva Marie’s position; I love her entrance and the way she has been booked so far. I do truly hope she has improved in the ring, but also wish to see her not wrestle for a while after-all, to continue to build the heat on her. Can’t wait to see what excuse is in line for her next week!

Heath Slater is gold! Liked him not winning and the tongue-lashing he gave Bryan and Shane! I think he can become a Zack Ryder-like fan-favorite and then they can book it so the fans vote him into a show, and the General Managers/Commissioners are forced to sign him.

Liked the Tag-Teams battling it out for supremacy; good way to get them reintroduced and vie for potential new titles. Also liked them having Del Rio actually try and do what he said he was going to do to Orton; I’m happy that they had a great wrestling match and it wasn’t a squash for Randy to build him more for Brock.

Bogus: Bray and Erick losing; I’m not sure where they go from here, and that is concerning, as it looked like they were getting a bigger push again. The salvage point would be for Bray to interfere in the WWE Championship Match and then have a three-way at the next Network/Pay-Per-View Show.

All-in-all, a fantastic Smackdown!; let’s keep it going! Until next week’s Raw, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Fans!